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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Images and more images


Images are good to have and keep. Some images are on paper so that I can look at them over and over again or show them off to others. Some are real, but exist in the mind. The mind's eye can create and recreate these images. And then, some images are created in words. These can be read at will and as often as I want to read them.

Images of any of these three types keep me going. I love looking at pictures whether I took them or not. I review my own blogs sometimes just to see the pictures. With the advent of cell phones that have cameras in them, I can see pictures that are sent to me as often as I want to recall them to the screen, which in some cases is often. Or, I can send them to others for them to enjoy with me.

It is the image in the mind's eye that is really important to me. I can see beautiful scenes or beautiful people. I don't even have to close my eyes. I can see mountains, for example, and superimpose them with the image of another's face. Or I can take an image from what has been said in a conversation and recreate it. I can take words from a poem, such as Xanadu, and meditate on raw beauty depicted in words.

The main thing is that images are of great significance. They keep me going. They allow hopeful irrealis in a reality not filled with hope. They allow beauty and peace if I find myself in an existence where little exists. They fill me with dreams that one day will surely become reality.

Can't do without my daily images!!!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Finding the way in a big city

Vancouver is quite the place. The winter olympics will be here in February 2010. I can see the what they are doing already to prepare for the participants and crowds.


It has a great harbor and many little areas where boats can be kept.


Of course, the main attraction is the impressive skyline on the order of Hong Kong.

Vancouver is a blast. One of the restaurants is called Cloud 9. Pictures from here show the urban sprawl.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Following life's river to new horizons





There was a bit of a change in terrain today as we left the Rockies behind and headed to the Pacific Coast. The mountains began to level into plains, and the rivers began to cut deep trenches in rocks forming canyons and gorges. Several could be seen from the rail car I rode in.
But surprisingly, another mountain range appeared along the coast that runs from Canada to Baja California. It's just as beautiful in many ways.




Life resembles this part of the trip. No matter what the experience has been, you have to leave behind what you have become used to seeing in life sometimes, and notice the changing terrain. Then what emerges is new, but equally beautiful, and many times even more delightful.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Second Half


We've passed over the continental divide twice on this trip, once going from west to east and now going east to west. Crossing the divide is like being in a twilight of the witching hour. The first time the clouds were covering the peaks of all the mountains around and the rain was pouring. This time, the clouds covered the mountains right above the tree lines.


The peaks seemed to just break out of the tops of the clouds. But, it was still mystic.


And the most beautiful sites still were around every corner, from waterfalls that sprayed you with mist


to islands in a very wide river that the train followed the entire way of 400 miles.


This trip though signified the beginning of the end, the end of the magic and mystery provided by so many sensational feasts for the eyes. I don't exactly know if the journey across life's contintental divide is as beautiful as the second half of this trip, but if so, it will have been worth living.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Pristine & spectacular

The mountain sites continue to be stunning and spectacular.


I have been on lakes before. I have taken boat rides and pontoon rides before.


I have seen isthmuses before.


But I have never done that combination in Canada's highest places. Besides the tranquility it provides, and the awe, it touches the soul. Pristine is a word that I use very little - probably because I live in an area that is not considered pristine.
But here the air is fresh, the aroma is scented of pines, and the horizon doesn't exist because of the imposing Rocky Mountain towers of granite or snow-covered, glacier-bearing peaks. It's spectacular!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Vistas




When you are on top of the world, you can see 360 degrees.


You can see all kinds of terrain - valleys and peaks and everything in between. It is an awesome, awesome view.


And although life can be rough, it has vistas as inspiring and awesome as the terrain in nature. It comes in the people who enter your life, no matter when they enter. They broaden our horizons, give 360 degree experiences, and otherwise give us impetus to keep going. A toast to those who provide beautiful vistas in our lives.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

It's a top of the world, top of the morning day

Stellar days usually don't come very often, especially when I am away from town. But, today was different.


I should have known it would be good. I woke up in a town surrounded totally by mountains. I had a brisk walk this morning and saw two elk in someone's lawn in town. Then I went on a tour of several mountain roads that allowed some breathtaking scenes to be taken in.


The Gondola trip to a mountain peak took me to a panarama that was stunning. I received a text from my daughter, a text from a really good friend from Texas, and ended my day with a special highlight - learning a little French. It doesn't get any better.



Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Majestic beauty



Some beauty on the earth is truly breathtaking. I had one of those days today. I started in Glacier National Park and ended in Banff, Canada. Those are just two points on a map, but if you are actually on the ground going from one place to the next, then you get to see some real terrestial beauty.

The kind of beauty I experienced today is inspiring. It left me in wonder. It left me better than I was before I came to it. It kept me going the whole time I experienced it. It told me that there was much more more on this planet than just a small set of worries that I might have. It impressed me with the sheer power and mysticism involved in understanding life. It made me delighted to have been on a trek through the rugged mountains that reach to the sky.

I am soaking all this beauty up now, knowing that I will rely on its memory to spur me on later, to be better than I am, to put a small set of worries in a bigger perspective. I also know that I can compare this beauty to those who already inspire me to be better than I am, that delight me having been on a journey with them. It's a very beautiful journey!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

It takes some motion to get where you're going


I have never really traveled anywhere for 30 hours. So, when I boarded a train in Chicago headed for Whitefish, Montana, I didn't really know what to expect. I've been on glass bottom boats in small places. I have been on plane rides for 4 1/2 hours, I have been on 24-hour car trips. But I have never traveled by Amtrak for 30 hours - 30 hours of non-stop motion.

I rather enjoyed not driving. Riding a train was somewhat like having a chauffeur. I have slept in moving cars before, so it is not a big deal to sleep in motion. I have eaten in Reunion Tower in Dallas that rotates while you eat, so eating in motion was not a first either. But, here it is a couple of hours after getting off the train, and I still feel the motion going on. It is not making me sick. It's just making me feel as if I am still on a merry-go-round. It's a wild feeling. I sure hope to sleep it off.

The 30 hours was worth the motion, however, because it brought me to a beautiful place to lay my head for the night. Tonight I am sleeping in paradise. It's a superbly manicured ski lodge with a tennis court and golf course beside it. Pine trees and flowers are everywhere. The scent of the mountains, of aspen and pine welcome me here. If anything can make the motion go away, it would be the paradise of a mountain resort. Just loving it. Tomorrow will bring us closer to the heart of the rugged Rocky Mountains. The 30-hour train ride will be in oblivion after that.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Faux pas


Just love vacations! They are so full of the promise of fun and relaxation. But usually reality bites somewhere during the first day of the trip. Here are two examples.

We're flying from the southern part of the US to the northern part. So, we made two stops. All went well. Then we began the descent into the destination city. It's the last 20 minutes of the flight. For about 15 of those minutes we had to go through a rain storm, so there was turbulence, not just a little but a lot. It was the kind that shook the plane, the storage bins, the people's baggage under their seats. People began looking around at what others were doing and thinking. Flight attendants were told to sit down. People began seeing their lives flash in front of their eyes. Then as quickly as it started, about 5 minutes from the runway and around 5000 feet, everything cleared up. Whew! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The other thing that happened was self-induced. I had reserved my return flight a couple of weeks from now, but was going to pay for the reservations at the airport upon the beginning of trip. So, the plan was to pay for them as we headed out from city of departure. Except that we arrived with only enough time to go through security and board the plane. So, the plan changed to pay for the reservations in the northern city as we left the airport to disappear into the countryside. Except that we had a hard time finding the shuttle to the hotel, so we got distracted. Fortunately, at the hotel we remembered the reservation, but had to take the hotel shuttle back to the airport, pay, then return to the hotel a second time. Of course, that was time wasted, but what do you do, right?

The rest of the trip is ahead. I hope that reality doesn't bite again for at least a couple of days. The next leg of the journey is on Amtrak and train lines bring a smile to my face.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Time is tricky


A Science channel special ran during the spring that had several episodes on the concept of time. I saw 3 of 5. They were very interesting treatments of the subject. They always get me to thinking.

This last weekend something happened where time seemed suspended for some of the moments. At other times, it seemed that time was dragging by. And as the weekend closed, it seemed full of anticipation. Time is tricky like that. And since we live in time as fish live in water, we have to deal with the kind of time we are surrounded by. Fish live in water, but sometimes the water is different around the fish. Some of it warm, then cold on occasion. Sometimes it is stagnant, and at other times it is filled with swift-moving currents. Sometimes it is polluted and at other times, crystal pure. Fish have learned to navigate all types of different waters.

So, I guess there is a lesson in there for me. Time lapses differently around me. Sometimes, I love the time I spend, and sometimes I dread the time I spend. If I am anticipating something happening, say an email that would brighten my day, time creeps by until I receive it. At other times I can view something coming up, say a place I didn't exactly want to go but did anyway, then time stands still. But sometimes, when I know something is about to end, time seems to gain momentum. This whole gamut of feeling time was just this weekend. I won't ever say again that time is evenly distributed down a continuum. That's not true even on the Science specials.

That makes it more important to me to fill time with special events, special people. They affect how time lapses around me. I want many moments to be filled with delight.