This just in from good ole Konchog:
“My cousin in Seattle tipped me off to this. The Seattle Times just ran a piece on Whidbey Island, on which there’s a 72-acre park, preserve and retreat called ‘Earth Sanctuary.’ It was founded by one Chuck Pettis. Sez the article:
Pettis, 60, the owner of a Seattle advertising and marketing firm, is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. In 2000, using money from an investment in high-tech stock one of his clients gave him as a payment for his services, he bought a small house surrounded by forest to use as a retreat center.
The end result of years of work to restore the land’s old-growth forest and wetlands is a landscape with hiking paths and ponds that provides a habitat for birds and waterfowl and natural settings for prayer and meditation. Scattered through the area are shrines, prayer wheels and stone sculptures.
“Dude’s got a 500-year plan!”
Very cool, Konchog. Thanks for sending.
And by the way, if y’all haven’t been reading Konchog’s blog, whaddya waiting for? See it here, or at least check out my write-up of it on SunSpace (with an astounding video, to boot).
Whidbey Island, WOOO HOOO!!!! the best place in the world to live! Just don’t let anyone else know. We also have the Tahoma One Drop Zen Monastery here.
I did a two-week retreat at Earth Sanctuary a couple of years ago–it’s a unique and beautiful place and I recommend it highly.