Moon Castle Lake
Was it mere chance that led me to Moon Castle Lake? The signs I followed were common enough: a glimmer of light, a sparkle on ice, a glow from a far shore. Faint impressions. Vibrations pulsing in cold air. Tiny waves of meaning. Small, but significant. I pulled over, got out of my car, grabbed my Pentax.
Across the lake I spied a small house, sitting alone. Raising my camera, I adjusted the focus, zoomed in for a look. Would I find, as the signs down the road had forecast, a castle? Alas, no flags on turrets flapped in the breeze. I did see, however, a single, worn banner, hanging from the front. A wan winter smile, feebly seeking attention. And on it, two words that sent thrills through me: “For Rent.”
A glimmer, a sparkle, a glow! A kingdom waiting to be claimed! A sign with one meaning for me: “Home!”
Despite lacking a moat and a drawbridge, Moon Castle, where I’ve lived these past two years, IS special. And, the mystic in me likes to think it was more than mere luck led me here. Surely, spiritual forces were at work. Some grand design? Divine plan? How else could I have stumbled upon this “picture perfect” spot?
A Taoist sage might attribute my good fortune to “wu-wei,” the mysterious force in those true to their natures. Whatever the cause, in Moon Castle magic is in the air. Each morning I open my door; spirits sit waiting to serve me. “Folding Screen Mountain,” tall in the east, sends them on breezes; they fill my sails. Sticky “Spider Web Mountain,” stands in the rear, eager to trap them. Me? I stroll through these mountain trails, pressing my shutter. Mother Nature serves as my personal chef, constantly tempting me: “Pull up a chair,” she says. ”Loosen your belt. It’s all on the house.”
Still, if you can’t find the table, you’ll never see the menu. And, if you don’t fine-tune the heavenly hi-fi, you’ll dine in silence. So, if you’re hungry for magic, I offer this sage advice: Slip the maitre de (aka, Mountain Spirit) a twenty, he’ll find you a seat. And, if you leave five for his pet tiger, he may just turn up the volume.
Bon appetit!