I Like Thursday: Kripalu

I spent a long weekend at Kripalu in Stockbridge, MA.  A weekend of yoga, hiking, friendship and generally chilling.  I liked that a lot... and there was a lot to like.

I like that we got a dorm room just for the eight of us that chose dorm accommodations.  One of the girls likened it to being at camp.  It made for a gab-fest up until lights out.  I liked the camaraderie.  

I like the food.  Nope.  I love the food.  We laughed that we seemed to go from one meal to another.  I ate strictly vegetarian the whole weekend; it was delicious.  I took photos of a few ingredient lists in the buffet line, hoping to make them myself.  There was chai every morning.  What a treat!

I was entertained by a No Trespassing sign on a little building on Monk's Pond that contained the verbiage "DO NOT ENTER HEREIN."  One would have to cross several feet of water just to get to the structure, then break in.  So the dire warning seemed a bit overkill.

I like my new hiking boots.  Needed to get men's boots to find a size that fit.  Two days of hiking and they felt great.  I was so happy to get them sprayed with permethrin, before coming here.

I like the beautiful landscape.  There were woods and water, dappled sunlight and mountains with narrow trails and happy people.  There were plenty of well tended gardens.  Lots and lots of green.  (And more photos than I could post here.)

I like the wildlife.  The mama deer was unhappy we were so close, but the fawn was blithely oblivious.  I just missed seeing a bear cub according to a hiker I met on the trail.  That might have been neat to see, but I am more than pleased to have missed him.  I'm positive mama bear was causing the raucous outcry in the trees just north of us.

Lots of birds, many chipmunks.  I even met a very fluffy black dog named One (technically not wildlife). 

I like the swinging benches.  I don't think these were here last year.  I got the chance to swing in one just before it started raining.  They're built over part of the building, so it's up a floor from the ground in front of it.  There's a treetop to the left and brush nearby - so there's a lot of bird activity.  It's delightful to watch and listen.  I must spend some time swinging in them next year.

Be sure to enjoy the other I Like posts at Not Afraid of Color.