While journaling in this morning’s pre-dawn (I ‘pray’ with a pen), it ‘came’ to me: Mother Nature herself is participating in this election cycle, from Hurricane Isaac’s disruption of BOTH political party conventions to Super Storm Sandy’s devastation. Might this suggest that the 5000 year battle between the Mother goddess and a Father god has […]
Much of what we do over the winter solstice reflects a fascination with the cosmos. Take, for instance, the popularity of the poinsettia plants that appear in stores for only this season. Brought from Mexico by our first ambassador there, Dr. Joel Poinsett (I’ve visited his historic home in Charleston, S.C.), its blossoms delight us […]
It was a reunion of sorts: almost exactly ten years ago I stood on this very spot overlooking the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon and made a promise: the rest of my life would be dedicated to protecting the precarious environment of our precious planet. I’d even bought myself a ring, a small band of white […]
This weekend we visited Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah – an amazing display of Mother Earth normally not visible to us. Because of the unique erosion of this portion of the great Colorado Plateau, the underlying strata called the Pink Cliffs and Grey Cliffs are exposed for all to see. In this region, […]
Sitting together on the shoreline of Hilton Head Island, Milt asks my granddaughter Alex, “Should we dig to China?” The seven year old shoots him a look before answering, ”We can’t dig to China! There’s a molten core down there!” The aeronautical/astronautical engineer is taken aback. Being a child is complicated in this century. There’s […]
If I’ve become a Westerner, it’s because of the Light. The clarity that comes with dry air enlivens my body, mind, and spirit. Yet this summer solstice finds us driving East, into the increasing haze of humidity co-created by the thickening vegetations and stands of trees. By the time we hike half a mile along […]
Before we turn our attention to supplying the energy needed to heat our home and hot water, let’s recap and update an earlier blog Sustainable Energy: Phase I. where we outline our personal sustainability plan. There we described a newly installed roof-mounted photovoltaic solar system that allows us to harvest some of the Sunlight illuminating […]
Rebel with a Cause: Bill McKibben was the theme of last night’s Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC) fund raising event held in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. The nearly 500 people attending this annual event endured the initial silent and live auctions to hear the noted author, environmentalist and climate change […]
Abraham Lincoln was born on Charles Darwin’s birthday; Charles Darwin was born on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday: both came into the world on February 12, 1809. Two infants destined for infamy: I picture Lincoln focused backwards in time, called to clean up the mess left by our Founding Fathers over the issue of slavery; […]
Anyone confused or skeptical about “Climate Change”? Is weather different from climate? “Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.” …. Robert Heinlein, American science fiction author “Climate lasts all the time, and weather only a few days.” ….. Mark Twain, Both of these often repeated quotations indicate there is a difference between […]