Sunset at Half Dome

The Summer of 2010 I took a road trip - the main stop was Yosemite National Park.
There is so much beauty there - and watching the sunset at Half Dome is something we all should do at least once in our hectic lives. I recorded myself at Glacier Point - and the following video is for those seeking a respite from the stress of LIFE. Enjoy - and please share with your friends!

The Future of America's Gulf Coast

We are mesmerized by watching the amount of oil gushing into our Gulf Coast waters. Every day brings a new revelation on how much oil is actually flowing - and we wonder if indeed these are the days preceding the 2012 Mayan Prophecies of the End of The World.
While human nature is mired in the negativity of blame and revenge - now more than ever we need to come together (as the Beatles so brilliantly sang) and work cooperatively to become the stewards of this planet that we ought to be.
While BP has pledged 20 billion for compensatory damages and clean-up - the plan is flawed in that it is over a 4 year period (5 billion per year) - and for what my opinion is worth - BP has garnered so much bad publicity here that I doubt very much they can continue as on oil company per se. And in the scheme of things - $20 billion is not enough.
My soul aches for all the innocent victims slaughtered by greed - for the 11 souls who lost their lives on the Deepwater Horizon - for the millions of ocean life forms who have died and will continue to die for years.
If not stopped - this "mother lode" of an oil reservoir could gush into our oceans for years and years (best estimates at this point - 5 years or more!) Should this unthinkable happen - our oceans worldwide would be affected - and could very well herald the end of our civilization. The Hopi say one of the signs of the end times is that the oceans will turn black.
It is quite clear the way of life of our Gulf Coast will never come back. Those who have fished all their lives no longer will have that option - but despite the loss of these ways of life - there is hope. I can visualize the Gulf Coast becoming a shining beacon of a new way of life. I say the Gulf Coast is ripe for development of alternative energies - of developing ways to clean the Gulf Waters of the oil - in short - to rise from the ashes much like the legendary fiery Phoenix bird. Imagine the Gulf Coast revitalized in this way - a shining example of the best of human ingenuity.


I call on the federal government to give tax breaks to those wanting to start green companies...and local governments to do the same.
I call on the scientists and engineers of the world - our best minds - to design new green technologies. If someone like Keven Costner can do it - then surely our best scientific minds can also.
I call on ALL the oil companies to take their profits and plow them into safer alternative energies starting now.
I call on ALL stockholders to give up their dividends now in order to help place these changes into effect.
I call on the Citizens of Planet Earth to cut down on oil usage - stop driving one day a week - change all your light bulbs to compact fluorescents - cut down on buying anything plastic - stop buying polyester - or any clothing made with petrochemicals - buy a hybrid car next time around or an electric vehicle - promote recycling in your community - and buy locally when you can.
If BP wants to survive as a company - then they should get new management and lead the way to safer alternative energies.


Humanity is at a critical crossroads now. We either continue on - status quo as if nothing has happened - or we dig deep down into ourselves and our souls and make the necessary changes to get off oil and move to greener, safer alternatives. Time is of the essence here - we have deeply wounded our Mother Earth - and the time for healing is NOW.

FICE-T - the Story of a Hummingbird

Say "hello" to my little friend FICE-T. This little hummer buzzed his way into my heart last year. As a young male - he chased away all the other little hummers from the feeder and chirped and buzzed all day long as a warning to those who would trespass. Sometimes he perched in the tree across the way to keep a look-out for intruders - at other times he would perch on a branch on my patio and immediately dive bomb any other hummers that tried to feed at the feeder. Once I saw him dive bomb and body slam another hummer so hard that I heard their little bodies hit with a big "smacking" sound! These little guys are so feisty and aggressive that I ended up naming him FICE-T. For a few weeks this year I hadn't seen FICE-T and became worried that something bad had happened to him. For two straight days I thought about him and silently sent him a message that I wanted to see him - and then magically - a day ago - he showed up - all grown up and a handsome specimen of a hummingbird. True to form he perched on the patio branch and chirped away.

My heart needed to have this connection completed as the news from the Gulf is just as toxic as all the oil that is gushing into it.

It does my heart good to know that I am helping out the small innocents of this planet by providing a source of food. Somehow - it helps to negate all of the bad that is the news of the Gulf. And FICE-T - well - he just keeps on chasing away all the other hummers - and his persistence in not wavering from his task is like a breath of fresh air - he just keeps on keeping on no matter what and does the best he can. Which is really all any of us can do.

The Hummingbird Story

The story of the hummingbird is one of inspiration and of never giving up - even when the odds seem insurmountable. I first head this story while watching a PBS show on the value of dirt - and how we need to be aware of how to build up the precious earth rather than to destroy the soil with the use of pesticides, etc. The story apparently originates from Japan - and has been told many times by Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai.

So be like the hummingbird - just do the best you can no matter what.

Desert Rose

I have fallen in love with a plant known as "Desert Rose". Also known as "Adenium" - these chubby little succulents have their origins in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other areas in that part of the world. They take some effort to keep alive - their cultural needs are special - don't water too much - don't let get too cold - prune at certain times and not others - best grown in full sun - although here in Arizona the desert sun can be very brutal so better to have them in partial shade in the late afternoon. So much effort - but as you can see above - the reward for the Spring flowering is worth it! I think our own lives are much like the Adenium - we need to be aware of what we need and what we don't and when we need to do certain things that are in our best interests - when to be in the sun and when to find the shade. So, in learning about how to take care of a special plant with special needs - we become aware of our own special needs and also the needs of others.
I like to think that with the right care - ALL of us can flower when we are supposed to and bring beauty into the world. And that makes for a truly meaningful life.

Bloom away my friends...bloom away....

Once in a Blue Moon...

Sometimes we concentrate so much on the small details that we lose the whole picture.

That was brought home to me recently when I took the above photo. I was concentrating so much on the composition of objects (A Blue Moon on Dec 31st 2009 framed by a tall saguaro cactus) that I literally wasn't really seeing the objects in front of me. If I had been present to ALL of it - I would have seen the little owl in the saguaro cactus. But I didn't realize the owl was there until I got home and uploaded the photos I had taken. Now how often do you think ALL the proper elements of this photo could have come together so perfectly without me being aware of it? Yup - you guessed it!

"Once in a Blue Moon..."

"One Step Closer..."

It's my own fault really. Sometimes I take on more than I can handle. So it was on a recent one day trip to Sedona. I originally wanted to make it a two day camping trip - but the campsite I had my eye on wasn't taking on any more campers - and so I chose another trail to walk - so to speak. I had been on this trail before - but it was many moons ago - and frankly - I was younger then and in much better shape. So as I started out with a heavy pack - my intuition clocked in and nudged me that I should maybe NOT do this...but did I listen? Nope. I trudged on. And on. And on. After about 4 hours of hiking - and getting low on water with no water to be found in the canyon I was in (I carry a water purifier) my intuition yelled at me to "Turn around!" This time I was listening and did exactly that. Now I was looking at another 4-5 hours of strenuous hiking - most of it uphill - and I remember thinking "This is a nightmare!"

Luckily I had two large grapefruits with me - so before I started the trek back I took a break and and gobbled one quickly - I also had plenty of food and peeled a hard boiled egg and devoured that. I then hoisted the heavy pack and started up once again - my shoulders crying out from the weight of the pack. My leg muscles shaking with the effort...

I knew it was going to be brutal - but what else could I do but continue. I remember once before while hiking in the McDowells in the Fountain Hills, AZ area - I sort of ran into the same thing. I wasn't truly prepared for the 16 mile hike I had set out on - and I was wearing new hiking boots and with 4 miles to go my feet were screaming bloody murder from the blisters developing but the only thing I could do was to continue. It is at these times that we come face to face with who we are and the strength of our will to live. How far will one go to continue living? As far as is necessary.

There was a film on public TV a few years ago called "Touching the Void" - about two mountain climbers and how one falls down a chasm after breaking a leg and how he literally crawls back to camp over the course of a couple of days - the film is mesmerizing and all the more so because it is a TRUE story. The will to live is quite the taskmaster.

Now I want to make clear that at no time was I ever in REAL danger. I knew I had enough food and water to make it back to the trailhead - I just knew it was going to be brutal - stop and go hiking. You know...go a few steps - stop - rest - and continue like that - especially on the uphill parts of the trail. It's important to reward oneself for working hard, and so I planned to reward myself with a big rest when I knew that I had traversed two thirds of the trail. Indeed - I told myself that I would stop at the next big rock that presented itself when I reached that point. So imagine my delight when a big ol' rock, large enough to lie down on, presented itself to me AND was shaded from the heat of the Arizona sun. The universe at times DOES cooperate!

I gleefully shucked the heavy pack and broke out more food. I wet my bandana and wrapped it around my head - sheer delight as the evaporation started cooling me immediately. I checked my cell phone - which oddly enough was working and sent my sister a picture of myself so she would know I was OK. I drank more water and electrolyte replacement drink - ate two more hard boiled eggs - and lay down on the inviting rock. The hard surface was surprisingly comfortable and I almost dozed off with the sound of the wind, the birds, and the cicadas.

The rest, food, and water revived me - and as I started on the last leg of the journey - I remembered my trip to Havasupai years ago. The Havasupai reservation is a desert oasis here in AZ - the reservation is on land which is part of the Grand Canyon - and the beauty of the place is magical - clear turquoise blue/green waters and absolutely gorgeous waterfalls. BUT the tribe voted years ago not to have any roads built into the main village of Supai. So the only way to get to this Arizona paradise is to either hike the ten miles in or hire the locals to give you a horseback ride. It took me 6 hours to hike the 10 miles to the Havasupai campground. It took me 9 hours to hike out - and as I was hiking out I saw a family on their way back to Supai starting the long trek in. I smiled and said to them, "How are you doing?" The woman with her two children looked at me and simply said, "Getting one step closer." And those were the words I kept repeating to myself as I struggled to end my own private hell - feet and shoulders screaming for relief. With each step I took I knew I was getting closer.

I would like to think that everyday, in everything we do, we are all getting one step closer.