Fairfield 12: The Beat Goes On

In March 2016 I returned yet again to Fairfield, Iowa for almost two weeks, including treatment at the Raj (seven days), extended meditation, and catching up on MUM and friends in Fairfield. To summarize, the beat goes on: creation and dissolution.

Early on (March 16) my good friend Cary Davis joined me on a walk starting from Chatauqua Park, and we visited a new orchard section.

Several varieties have been planted here.

On my way to the men's Dome I noticed that an old footbridge over a watercourse that no longer exists has been boarded off and allowed to fall into disrepair. Hey, MUM, wouldn't it be better to just tear it down?

That evening the sky put on quite a show, including virga (rain that doesn't reach the ground).

A few days later the clouds were dancing again.

Soon I was steeped in the routine of the Dome and the Raj. Here's a photo of a sunset behind the Raj.

Except for the first day I altered the schedule I'd followed in previous years; instead of all morning in the Dome and all afternoon at the Raj, I spent the first half of the morning at the Dome and the second half at the Raj. (Lunch and dinner were always at the Raj during the days of treatment.) This time of day been suggested by Dr. Mark Toomey, PhD, director of Ayurvedic programs at the Raj, to make some of my treatments more comfortable. It also had the side effect of giving me free afternoons. Often I spent that time in the the Raj's library, reading a book about the Galapagos I'd brought from home.

On the 20th I photographed people coming to the Raj for a late lunch after attending a Vedic recitation by Maharishi Vedic pandits.

Much of the campus for the pandits has been converted into affordable housing for people wishing to live in Fairfield in conjunction with the Invincible America Assembly. The number of pandits has declined in the last few years.

Closer to the MUM campus more housing was being built by Vastu Partners. A survey taken by the city had shown a serious shortage of housing in the mid-priced range.

The two buildings in the photo are the first step of Phase 5 for North Campus Village, which will fill all the remaining property inside the Village's current boundaries. Many units still unbuilt have already been sold or reserved!

I always take a picture of the men's Dome. The sun and sky cooperated on the 21st.

The Tower of Invincibility also shone. (The blue dome in the background is the women's Dome. It will be golden, same as the men's Dome, by the time I return.)

That night there was a conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon. Sky photographs with a handheld point-and-shoot camera aren't easy, but this one came out OK.

A few days later it snowed. There was still a bit left in the afternoon.

The next day Cary and I drove out to Lake Darling State Park, named after Jay Darling.

On a Friday in March it wasn't crowded!

The lake is extensive and is girdled by a system of trails. We did some extensive shoreline walking and talking.

I went downtown on the 26th and took a few pictures. The tea house is no more,

and it's been transformed into a computer repair shop.

The restaurant on the northwest corner of the town square is defunct,

but the upper floors of that building are being renovated.

The beat goes on.