All I Need

We live comfortably in an old beach cottage that might seem like 'roughing it' to many and our soon-to-be-built, small, rustic cabin in the country will be quite basic. The spot we've chosen is already a glorious campsite and we intend to keep it that way - complete with campfire, outdoor shower and harvesting rainwater.

I love to camp and get away from TV, ringing telephones. . . . and people - so our recent trip to Maine was a dream. Except the flying part. There's just nothing natural about flying. Of course, it was great to leave Pensacola in the morning and be camping in Acadia National Park that night - but I had to keep reminding myself we were in Maine. It's hard for my mind to adjust to that much distance in so short a time and I hated not experiencing everything on the ground in between. And flying has become a mind-numbing ordeal instead of the incredible experience it should be. We were lucky, though, and the flights went about as good as they can these days. But flying is essentially about time, after all, and my hope is to arrange my life so I won't need to fly anymore.

Our timing was impeccable. We had the weather we'd hoped for and, since we were tent camping in a rental car, took advantage of several incredible campgrounds there - which we had mostly to ourselves! The picture above was taken at our campsite overlooking the waters of Cobscook Bay. I didn't realize it at the time, but the population of Maine is less than a third of Alabama's. . . . . and nearly everyone was somewhere else! Acadia National Park, Cobscook Bay State Park, Baxter State Park and Peaks-Kenny State Park were all gloriously empty (but Baxter got quite noisy on Friday night and Saturday morning when the weekenders piled in - so, if there is a next time, we'll plan to be somewhere else on Friday night).

A couple of days before we left, the hard drive on my notebook started crashing. I managed to get everything backed up and went without my computer (I'd envisioned some early morning blogging in Maine). I purchased this notebook two years earlier when my first laptop died right before a long trip to Colorado. I'd needed one for work on that trip, so I spent an incredible amount of time trying to save it - ultimately having to give up and start over with a new one. Since returning from Maine, I've now spent many days replacing another hard drive and tediously restoring settings, programs and data. Time that could have been better spent, I'm sure - but I still need it for work and am now hopelessly addicted to the internet.

In the future, I may abandon many modern conveniences - including my cell phone, TV, and flush toilet - but I'm staying connected to the world wide web, no matter what!

Off to Maine

New territory for us. We've never been to Maine and looking forward to some camping and leaf-peeping in cooler weather. Haven't flown for a bit (since we got our little 'Fun-Finder' trailer on ebay, it's been our favorite way to go anywhere) and we're hoping for the best in making our connections and not getting stranded on the runway.

Wish us luck!

Another Thousand Years of Darkness?

Properly examined, history can tell us what we need to know about human behavior to avoid mistakes of the past. It's relevant and fascinating - so why do our textbooks and teachers make it seem so dry and boring? Are they afraid we'll learn too much?

If you were lucky, you had at least one history teacher who taught you to examine history in the context of our lives today - instead of just teaching you a boring succession of dates and names to memorize as you marched through time, class after class.

THE RISE AND FALL OF ALEXANDRIA, Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid is an excellent example of the importance of understanding history - and their work breathes life into this ancient story.

Excerpt from jacket cover -

Most of us assume that two cities - Athens and Rome - dominated the classical world and set Western culture on its present course. But there was a third city that, at its height, dwarfed both of these in scientific and artistic achievement: Alexandria of Egypt. While Athens and Rome spread their influence through trade and war, Alexandria sought to conquer the mind.

This lively, accessible saga explores the birth, death, and legacy of this miraculous city. It was here that humankind first:
· Realized that the earth was not flat
· Invented geometry
· Built the steam engine
· Invented latitude and longitude, drawing the first accurate maps of the world

And when the city was destroyed in the seventh century AD, Western civilization regressed a thousand years.

. . .Here the true foundations of the modern world were laid – not in stone, but in ideas.

Yet it is a terrible irony that here too the seeds of religious extremism were sown, seeds that emerged in the form of early Christian and Muslim militant fanaticism, both of which eventually destroyed first the intellectual then the physical fabric of the city itself.

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria, Birthplace of the Modern Mind by Justin Pollard and Howard Reid

Famed astronomer Carl Sagan understood it.

When speaking of this miraculous city and its great Library he laments, "Imagine how different the world would be if those discoveries had been explained and used for the benefit of everyone". Instead, these discoveries were the guarded possessions of a few powerful men.

Alexandria was the greatest city the Western world had ever seen. People of all nations came there to live, to trade, to learn. On any given day, its harbors were thronged with merchants, scholars, and tourists. This was a city where Greeks, Egyptians, Arabs, Syrians, Hebrews, Persians, Nubians, Phoenicians, Italians, Gauls and Iberians exchanged merchandise and ideas. It is probably here that the word cosmopolitan realized its true meaning--citizen, not just of a nation, but of the Cosmos. To be a citizen of the Cosmos...

Here clearly were the seeds of the modern world. What prevented them from taking root and flourishing? Why instead did the West slumber through a thousand years of darkness until Columbus and Copernicus and their contemporaries rediscovered the work done in Alexandria? I cannot give you a simple answer. But I do know this: there is no record, in the entire history of the Library, that any of its illustrious scientists and scholars ever seriously challenged the political, economic and religious assumptions of their society. The permanence of the stars was questioned; the justice of slavery was not. Science and learning in general were the preserve of a privileged few. The vast population of the city had not the vaguest notion of the great discoveries taking place within the Library. New findings were not explained or popularized. The research benefited them little. Discoveries in mechanics and steam technology were applied mainly to the perfection of weapons, the encouragement of superstition, the amusement of kings. The scientists never grasped the potential of machines to free people. The great intellectual achievements of antiquity had few immediate practical implications. Science never captured the imagination of the multitude. There was no counterbalance to stagnation, to pessimism, to the most abject surrenders to mysticism. When, at long last, the mob came to burn the Library down, there was nobody to stop them.

From Carl Sagan’s COSMOS
See Alex Petrov's The Rise and Fall of Alexandria

The population was ignorant of discoveries taking place in the Library-
intellectuals at the great Library were unconcerned with the general population -
and rulers guarded knowledge to advance their own wealth and power-
a perfect atmosphere for religious fanaticism to destroy it all.

Who, What, When, Where and Why

Dazed and confused by too much "Breaking News" that isn’t, the daily onslaught of up-to-the minute disaster coverage and opposing view opinion pieces? All-news all-the-time is designed to keep you coming back for more, but too much of what passes as journalism today is about TV personalities and corporate profits, creating an illusion that we are up-to-the-minute well informed - but telling us very little of the ‘who, what, when, where and why’ of the story.

We must demand good journalism from our news sources. For my buck, I choose National Public Radio. NPR provides in-depth analysis of important local, national and international stories. It’s balanced, informative and relaxing - without blaring commercials. Another favorite news source of mine is the internet. I can find the story there and research it online for myself - but I realize that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. And I’m a huge fan of PBS, where 'The News Hour with Jim Lehrer' provides informed, balanced reporting – again, without blaring commercials. Plus, many local newspapers still do a great job of keeping us informed. Real journalism.

It's up to us, as individuals, to choose how much or how little real news we need on a daily basis and it's crucial to protect the variety of independent news sources providing unbiased, investigative reporting. Without it, we’ll get only pictures and opinions, packaged to maximize profits and benefit corporations - not individuals. Quality journalism is critical to our freedom.

Redefining Progress

I love our home in Gulf Shores. It’s an old beach cottage surrounded by native sand oak and palmetto, overlooking a small creek and wetland that support an incredible amount of wildlife. The variety of birds is amazing and there are always a few surprises during spring and fall migrations. Sunrises and sunsets provide daily occasions for reflection and I can even see the Gulf of Mexico - though we seldom go to the beach. This picture was taken at the edge of the creek in our front yard, but this small view belies the reality around it.

Monstrously huge condominiums are going up everywhere and the city considers this creek little more than a drainage ditch. Parking lot lights three blocks away illuminate our yard at night and block out the stars. Sirens, car alarms and jet skis are a constant intrusion and traffic often backs up for miles. The Chamber of Commerce calls it progress, but I call it death. This incredible, natural world is suffocating - as I am in it. I can’t save it and it's becoming too painful to live here, but I’m having a hard time letting it go.

The same people destroying it use scenes like this in their ads to draw people here, but visitors will soon be hard pressed to find any natural beauty when they arrive.

Right Brain Exercise

The vines are everywhere! The land that's been in my husband's family for generations is full of wisteria, kudzu, honeysuckle and muscadine vines. Last year we began clearing a small area by hand to create a 'get away' camp that will also be a place we can evacuate to when hurricanes threaten. The plan is to leave it natural and disturb the area as little as possible. Our long-term goal is restoring it to it's original state - before being logged and farmed.

Growing up in Alabama, the wisteria, kudzu, honeysuckle and muscadine were like southern treasures to me. Later on I learned kudzu was invasive and harmful, but I didn't realize for a long time that honeysuckle and most of the wisteria was, too. As we talked about getting rid of the invasive vines, it felt too wasteful not to make use of them somehow and I thought of baskets. I'd never made a basket in my life, but I began reading about it and discovered these vines were perfect for making the random-weave baskets I'd always been drawn to.

This is my first basket filled with cones from the long-leaf pines and I couldn't be happier about it! My husband and I cut the vines and I made it in an afternoon. I filled it full of plants and gave it to my mom for Mother's Day. It felt a lot like being back in elementary school - "here mom, I made this for you!" I can't wait to get back up there to make more.

Joy

A particular moment I hold dear was in the Piazza San Marco during a trip to Italy with three of my favorite people - my husband, mother and stepfather. We passed an outside cafe where I was so overcome by the sweetest violin music that I could not stop crying. I believe it was the purest moment of joy I have ever experienced. We left without asking the name of the song, but I can still 'feel' it whenever I think of it. I will be forever thankful for the joy of being there at that moment in time. It was as alive as I've ever felt.

John Prine's 'Hello in There' makes me sad and thankful all at the same time. Emmylou's 'Pancho & Lefty', 'Wayfaring Stranger' and 'Green Pastures' also stop me in my tracks. There are many more, but these make my point. There's the music we like and listen to casually - and then there's the music that just rolls over us, demanding all our attention. And I love when it happens unexpectedly - where I just have to stop whatever else I'm doing to pay homage.

Now, thanks to "Britain's Got Talent" I can add Paul Potts to the list. His voice touches something inside me that brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it. And it seems without "Britain's Got Talent" we might never have heard him at all. . . . . so - and I can't believe I'm saying this - thanks, Simon!

If you've somehow missed hearing Paul - here's your chance! http://www.myspace.com/officialpaulpottsmusic
http://www.paulpottsofficial.com/releases.html