A Room with a View-Los Angeles Part II

Museum and libraries have always provided me with a sense of peace and hope---Peace because they are so quiet, it lets my overactive mind slow down, just look and absorb. Hope because once my mind slows down and absorbs, I am in awe of the possibilities that exist in this world.


So in November 2010, I found myself in Los Angeles on a business trip and truly a stranger in a new land. Thankfully, a dear friend was there to guide me though the wilderness and bring me to a place that I could feel at home. The Getty is perhaps the best way to comprehend all that is Los Angeles, impossible, improbable, large but approachable and just perfect in its imperfection.

Thank You

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where the stand in times of challenge and controversy.- Martin Luther King Jr.

Never Forget

Hold On

Hold on to what is good,
Even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe,
Even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do,
Even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life,
Even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand,
Even if someday I'll be gone away from you.

A Pueblo Indian Prayer

No matter how many years go by and how far we travel--the memory of those lost on this day will live on.

To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.-Thomas Campbell

Theme Thursday-Ball

Arnaldo Pomodoro's sculpture "Sphere within a Sphere" is located in the Vatican City in Rome. I first saw it in '99 when the city of Rome was getting ready for 2000. Rome was sparkling--no graffiti or soot. I was mesmerized then and took many shots, all film. I am disappointed that I can't show my view in '99 next to my view in 2007 when Mr. Jackson and I visited on our honeymoon.

For me this particular shot reflects the heavens above and  the 'skyline' of ancient Rome separated by what looks like technology or progress. Today, I can't help but think about the Gulf oil spill and the wars that continue.

Today is Theme Thursday. Drop by here.

Theme Thursday-Draft

with the draft...



without the draft...





The draft was discontinued in 1973. Currently, selective service requires men ages 18-25 to register in the event a draft needs to be resumed. To our veterans and soldiers overseas, thank you for your sacrifice, your dedication and a daily reminder that freedom is not free.

It is Theme Thursday and today's theme is Draft. For more thoughts on the theme visit here.

A Dream

How has Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.inspired me? Two words-courage and vision.

For more information and inspiration go here.

One World

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.  Margaret Mead




Tonight I watched 60 Minutes and listened as Byron Pitts interviewed volunteer doctors regarding the conditions under which they are working. The term used, "Civil War medicine", terrified me. With limited supplies including rubbing alcohol to sterilize instruments and no electricity, the doctors have had to resort to the use of hand saws to remove limbs of those injured. As Dr. Paul Farmer a volunteer doctor walked Byron Pitts to the location where bodies were being disposed of because of concern for public health, he noted while horrifying, it was necessary for people to see for themselves the horror and therefore, understand the need to assist in any way possible.
I chose the YouTube video above because like the 60 Minutes interview, it not only shows the faces of the people devastated by this earthquake but also gives one a sense of their strength, their joy and their belief in what is possible.

I have used Margaret Mead's quote a number of times here. Given what my fellow bloggers have written, I am convinced she was absolutely right about the power of a group people to make change. Distinct viewpoints all engaging their readers in thought and the need for action.  Read on:

Keeping it in Perspective

Help!

In Honor of Molly Hightower   (see sidebar)

From Texas to Turkey to Haiti

Happy Sabbath

Call to Action?

Maybe February...

Prayers for the People of Haiti

Conscious Friday: Yele Haiti

For My People

Bloggers Unite for Haiti

Relief Work in Haiti

One more take from 60 Minutes...A US soldier sent on her first deployment witnessed her parents homeland for the first time. She took solace in the fact that she could speak to the people and they could understand that help was on  its way. Their response was that they were proud of her and that she was doing a good job.

A Wish for the New Year

For many 2009 was a tough year. Here's hoping that 2010 brings a new outlook and possibilities. Peace, health and happiness to all. Cheers!!

The Festival of Lights

May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind. ~Author Unknown

Memorial Day

Eulogy for A Veteran
-Author Unknown
Do not stand at my grave and weep.I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.I am the Gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the mornings hush,I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight,I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,I am not there, I did not die.


For those who have served and are serving, thank you.

Top 20 Reasons You Need to Take a Hike

20. There is an amazing world outside your cubicle or office that doesn't include phones, a computer, your blackberry, iPhone or even better, your boss.

19. You know you need to exercise but can't find time to go to the gym.

18. Fidgeting on the chaise lounge or beach towel is a given.

17. Quiet is a sign you have seen in hospitals, museums and libraries.

16. The mountains climbed so far are metaphorical, material or worst, sisyphean.

15. The call of the wild is the sound you make when another deadline looms or the lout next to you gets a promotion.

14. The travel catalogs entice you but somehow can't seem to get the heart pumping.

13. Walking is the best medicine for anything.

12. It is about the journey, no matter how many times you walk or hike a trail.

11. Between miles 2 and 5 you will forget that you are exercising and about anything else that has been cluttering your mind.

10. Your body will thank you, though it doesn't feel that way as you trek.

9. No matter where you are, you will see more and meet more folk walking then you do in a car or tour bus.

8. The call of an eagle protecting its nest.

7. The quaking leaves of aspens and the shimmering leaves of olive trees.

6. The sound of the wind through a forest of evergreens just before a thunderstorm.

5. Earth and its age evident as you hike a winding trail, layers of sediment displayed on a wall in shades of white, brown and red.

4. A waterfall appearing as you round a corner, fragrant with wildflowers.

3. Fog rolling in as you begin a 10 mile hike and clearing midway to reveal the coast and celtic ruins in sunshine.

2. The weight lifted from your shoulders because you have left it all behind on the trail.

1. And finally, after spending 6-8 hours hiking, walking and sometimes, stumbling, you can eat and drink what ever you want!

New Mexico-First Conversations

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." – Goethe

New Mexico was a place so foreign to my existence when I first started to read about it. Red Rock, Mountains and high desert. My first visit was in May 2000 with Backroads. My trip brought me to a place I had dreamed of for many years and I was thrilled to be there. The minute I walked out of the airport in Albuquerque I sensed something magical.

Once I went north to Santa Fe, I not only saw the beauty of the area but also witnessed the fury of the Cerro Grande Fire which damaged sections of Los Alamos, Bandolier and the Puye Cliff Dwellings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Grande_Fire

Almost 50,000 acres were damaged and the Puye Cliff Dwellings remained closed until 2008. I hope to get there on my next trip.

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/NM-PuyeCliff.html

A sample itinerary is pretty much the same as it was when I traveled with Backroads.

http://www.backroads.com/trips/WNMI/new-mexico-hiking-tour

With one minor difference, because of the fire, the guides had to re-arrange the scheduled hike based upon where the fire was and the level of smoke in the area. So that meant the level 4 hike at the Rio Grande was one of the first hikes we took. Did I mention that Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet altitude and I am from the east coast where there is lots of attitude but no altitude?

The hike started out easy enough –a couple of miles over flat terrain, beautiful azure skies without a cloud or a hint of forest fire, then the switchbacks to the riverbank of the Rio Grande stood before us.

A thousand feet down and my favorite part, a thousand feet back up. Talk about a good workout. I made it. That is the best thing about hiking, my body is spent but somehow it still says “Wow.”

The smell of smoke was constant. While in Santa Fe, I remember sitting in the plaza and looking up at the mountains, the smoke plume enormous and flames running through acres. It was then and when we visited Taos Pueblo that I felt an overwhelming sadness. The guides did an amazing job of keeping us safe and found ways to keep us entertained. Still, I was desolate, because after all, this was a place I had dreamed of for 20 years and couldn’t ignore or explain this emotion.

It took hiking throughout the southwest for the next three years to understand. The sadness I felt was about the land, the past inhabitants and their connection to the earth. New Mexico has 19 pueblos, distinct cultures that have survived in varying degrees, invasions, wars and disparate cultural influences.

By walking through miles of countryside, I listened and found a place that to this day feels like home.