After checking out of the Hotel California in Totos Santos, we headed north to La Paz to meet up with Victor the chair-man I’d met the day before at the Loco Local Art studio. Victor sketched me a map of where his ranch is in the mountains just a few kilometers outside of La Paz. We turned right at the old 18th century church as indicated on our hand-written map he’d given me and just beyond the ancient house of God was Victors’ lush green paradise, my kind of church. There in the middle of the desert was this little valley filled with palm trees. Victor told me that about twenty-five years ago he came to look at this piece of property that was for sale and it was love at first sight, he purchased it on the spot. Over the years he’s built a quaint little piece of heaven with a modest home and several out buildings that house his farm animals; cows, chickens, goats, pigs and ducks. He has one goose on the farm that follows one of the ducks around like they’re best buddies. The inside of his home is simply decorated with pictures of loved ones and pieces of nature; stone and wood, many of which are sculpted works of art by his own hands. Attached to the ceiling directly above the breakfast bar is a hummingbird nest that is occupied regularly Victor tells me and has housed several generations of hummers over the years. I liked Victor the moment we met, he has soft, kind, intelligent eyes that begin to sparkle when he talks about his passions, of which he has many. He is a humble man with a generous spirit and a huge heart. How do I know this? Because after spending some time with him and listening to his stories, it was clear that he cares deeply not only for his family and fellow human beings, but proudly shared all the organic farming practices he uses that allows him to live in harmony with mother nature. He was anxious for me to build a chair of which he had only seen pictures, a design that mystified and intrigued him. He had several pieces of “skunk wood”, incredibly hard wood with beautiful curves and knots of character awaiting transformation. I chose the best four pieces and proceeded to cut, debark and sand them with the help of Victor and his son Julios. They both stood transfixed as I constructed the chair. When it was completed, I looked up to find Victor with one of the largest grins I’ve ever witnessed. I could just see the wheels turning as he looked at and felt the chair. He has built chairs all his life, following the teachings and designs of his father and grandfather and is now teaching his son, four generations of chair builders. In all his years, he’s never seen, let alone sat in such a simple, yet complex, and versatile chair. He also couldn’t understand why I was giving the idea away, for nothing! Not until of course I explained to him my intention. Increasing the consciousness of humanity is not nothing and asked him if he would like to help me with that. Since he’s the President of the wood workers association for the Baja California State, he has a lots of influence and connections with other wood workers. He was instrumental in working with the government to fund and build the Casa Del Artesano Sudcaliforniao building that displays many of the local artisans on the boardwalk of La Paz adjacent to the Applebees restaurant. I asked if he would share the design with his fellow woodworkers and he said it would be an honor. Josie captured a photo of Victor and I standing on the front step of his ranch with the most recent built Peace Seed. The top right picture is the symbol used on the cover of his book he’d recently had published. He also proudly wears the stitched symbol over his heart on his company shirt. It depicts the Baja peninsula with a chair in the middle. This entire journey has been about learning to let go of my expectations of how things should unfold. To learn about myself. Thank you, Universe, for filling me up.
Nature's G.A.S. Station 