when stars align ...

...  the Tetons send smoke signals.  Which, I assure you, has nothing to do with the Caldera.  But on this subject, have you ever actually tried sending smoke signals?  It's darn near impossible!

things I wish I'd said

"The cretaceous is not so far back in the history of the world.  It's in the last three percent of time."
-John McPhee

stepping aside from my WIP

my oregon coast sculpture

Have you seen this?  If so, you may have been somewhere on the Oregon coast the last week of July.  I spent an afternoon gathering rocks to make this sculpture, which is [or I should say, was] about 20' x 8'.  The sculpture was within the tide zone, and if no one bothered it [too much] bits and pieces of it would still be there ... sort of.  I love the idea of natural art, something that exists for only a little while then fades back into the landscape.  I've made lots of natural art before, though never anything this large.

After hiking up from the beach, I looked back to take a shot.  My sculpture is at the center of this picture, though you can barely see it!

Now back to my fabulous WIP ....

rock on, ancient warriors

fish with clouds

My culture, the culture of the western U.S., is too new to have anything comparable to the deep threads of wisdom that run through Asia.  We have 'horse sense', but it isn't necessarily beautiful to read (though I'd argue that Teresa Jordan came close in Riding the White Horse Home).  Maybe that's why I'm drawn to ancient texts like the Art of War and the Book of the Samurai.  These were people who had a lot of time to think ... far more time than we do ... and they had generations to practice their epiphanys until they got them right.

Here's one of my favorite quotes from The Book of the Samurai: "A person whose spirit collapses in the face of misfortune is of no use."  Rock on, ancient warriors.

Stealth: words of wisdom

zen, and the art of stealth

While traveling the sometimes gut-wrenching Highway 1 near Big Sur, Stealth demanded a moment to replenish his serenity.  Surveying the cliffs, he made multiple exclamations regarding the perilous drop to the sea.  Fog rolled over him, only to break for sunshine.  A California condor considered his nutritional value then disappeared into the wooded hillside.

At last Stealth spoke: "Without expectation, we are capable of everything."