Where is your slice of heaven?

[Jett]

It's always been riding my motorcycles... preferably on rural roads through woods and valleys, meadowlands... hitting hot and cold pockets... cutting through small towns... that's my slice...

[Cowboi]

The beach. Listening to and watching the water, just melts my troubles away. The mountains run a close second.

[apretty]

lucky's pizza (slice of deep dish heaven!)

north park (san diego), ca

[Oiler41]

I've always been partial to the Smokey Mountains, and Cades Cove in particular. Something draws me there and I really can't pinpoint what, but it is a place that I find peaceful and restful. I love it there.

I like the mountains in general, but the Smokies have always topped the list.

Glynn

[Blade]

No place like home, right here on Peaceful Ridge is my slice of heaven most of the time. But I'm right there with Oiler, I love my Smokey Mountains. I haven't lost much at the beach but I will go there in the off seasons.

[Lynn]

I guess it changes from time to time. During my work week, I love the drive I do twice a week from Albany to the edge of the Berkshires. Highways and roads have distinct characters. That particular ride is so peaceful and relaxing to me.

If I could be anywhere, it would be sitting in a comfortable chair on my (still to be constructed) screened-in porch. My backyard is a private, dense, green space that smells and sounds like the deep woods.

I strive to make my life relaxing enough that I don't need a vacation in order to find peace.

[Soft*Silver]

Horses. Breathing in their scent. Feeling the thickness of their manes. Offering them treats and being lipped by their almost prehensile upper lip asking and looking for more. Grooming them. Shedding away the loose hair and expecting more to be on me than on them after I am done. Petting the space between their eyes and knowing they cannot see it..only feel it. Their eyes work on the sides, not in front. They are prey animals and need side vision more than they need front vision. Knowing they trust me to lay my hands where they cannot see. Listening ...as they eat the grain I drop into their feeder. Finding solace in the simple quiet contented noises of them enjoying what I provide for them. Loving how they drink...quietly dipping their lips in the water and watching their throat latch swallow as they drink...then as they rise their head out of the bucket, leftover water drains from them...and their eyes get heavy with satiation....

Horses...

[Hack]

For me, heaven is many things, constantly changing...but the thing that remains the same is the deep sense of peace and timelessness I feel inside. Here are some examples, some general and some very specific, of my slices of heaven....

Seagull Point, the stretch of Lake Huron beach where I grew up.

The streets of Bruges in Belgium, where I had easily the most romantic experience with another person I have ever had.

Any visit to Snowbound Books in Marquette, Michigan.

The French Quarter.

Between the creamy thighs of a beautiful woman.

Over a cup of coffee or similar hot beverage with a person of amazing soul.

A hike along Rainbow Falls Gorge near Bessemer, Michigan.

A strip of beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Thompson's Harbor State Park in northern Michigan with warblers dripping from the trees on a mid-May morning.

A hike in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with its remnant boreal forests.

A great meal at Second Empire in Raleigh, NC; or Della Notte in Baltimore, MD; Cascadia in Seattle (now closed) or the Rowe Inn in Ellsworth, MI; or the best chicken salad wrap ever at Dish in Traverse City, MI; shrimp and grits at NoFo or the Flying Biscuit in Raleigh; or great deli at The Bagel in Chicago.

Any art museum, anywhere.

A night game at Comerica Park in Detroit.

[moxie]

I would have to say that what I would consider to be my slice of heaven are places where all the thoughts I have in my mind become quiet and I am just being and living in the "here and now" of the time and place. I have been in two such places.


Portland (OR) Japanese Garden

The Art Institute of Chicago

[sylvie]

i am at peace in nature..

any scenery, be it the ocean, the mountains, the wilderness..
the breathtaking views, the ability to just relax and take it all in..
the fresh air, the distant soothing sounds, no traffic, no hustle & bustle, no telephones ringing or tv blaring..

just me, my dreams & soaring imagination.. ♥

---

Also, there is one place i would go to, mostly as a teen and in my early adult years, which involved some deep woods hiking and climbing up some rocks..the view was magnificent, so serene & peaceful and not a soul in sight.. it had caves that i explored, and one huge rock had a dip in it just the right size for me & my dog Teiko (the only one i ever shared this place with) and we'd lay there sky gazing, and taking in the silence, so relaxing.

i haven't been there in about 9 years now, so this spring, i will hike up that mountain again.. though without my Teiko around, it just won't be the same, but she will be with me, i know it!

[Cowboi]

Originally Posted by Oiler41

I've always been partial to the Smokey Mountains, and Cades Cove in particular. Something draws me there and I really can't pinpoint what, but it is a place that I find peaceful and restful. I love it there.

I like the mountains in general, but the Smokies have always topped the list.

Glynn

It is beautiful at Cades Cove! I have good memories of my trip there.

[Kenna]

Today...
curled up in bed and being grateful for this beautiful, peaceful home to come home to, after spending the night in the hospital horribly sick (it knocked me off my ass, in the fetal position and was completely unexpected). I'm safe and cared for here (by several dear friends and one that stuck by me every bit of the way)... that safe place is a slice of heaven.

[Lady_Wu]

My slice of heaven is a very,very small town in VA called Floyd. I think that it is the most wonderful place on earth. If I could find a place to live there, I'd be there now! Floyd is so small that when I left Va, about 10 years ago, they had just gotten their first traffic light. The town is a weird blend of Mew-Age Hippy and Redneck that somehow works beautifully. Farm supply stores sit right beside artisan craft store on the main street. Two world-renown restaurants that hold showcases for local singer-songwriters plus famous singers use only local produce in their mainly vegetarian dishes. A Wintersun apparel store located there holds wonderful sales from which I've bought my favorite clothing. A food co-op has delicious foods, teas, beauty products, etc.
One of the coolest things about Floyd consists in the fact that they have their own currency! They are Floyd notes. From what I've gathered, one Floydnote=one hour of work, or whatever is negotiated between employee and employer. Most of the local businesses take Floydnotes as payment. One can even redeem them at the local bank in town for "real" money.
Floyd also hosts every year a world-renown artisan, song-writer, whatever festival called FloydFest. Local mingle with celebrities as they look through artisans booths, listen to music, munch on all types of food from food kiosks, or just stretch out and enjoy the Virginia sun. Used to cost 75.00 for the entire two day fest. I'm sure the cost is considerably more by now. I always told myself I would go but left before I did.
Yes, if only I had a craft or a way to live there, I would. I DO hope to at least get back there for a Wintersun sale one day. I'd make,week[end out of it ,but there's no place to stay! I hope Floyd remains a small town as in my dreams!
Lady_Wu, feeling nostalgic