Thoughts
This section is perhaps my equivalent to what others might refer to as a blog.
My thoughts are not defined by any style or format, nor are they an art form. I am nearing my 7th decade on this planet and being an astute observer and participant I have all kinds of opinions. One huge lesson in life is that most folks do not want to hear, nor do they care what another’s opinion is on any number of subjects. My filters are set by a lifetime working in not-for-profit healthcare organizations with a few forays into the commercial side of the market.
The following is what it is. It is an interesting feeling to expose one’s soul to the global community via the internet.
Thanks for getting this far with me.
Scotland’s Great Glen Way
In September 2023 we hiked Scotland’s Great Glen Way. Starting on the North Atlantic side of Scotland in Fort William, we hiked ~110 miles following the Caledonian Canal and various lochs eastward, arriving at Inverness on the coast of the North Sea.
2023 Year in Review
Keeping up with tradition, here is a photographic diary of our year 2023.
Full of travel and adventures including Iceland, Scotland, and two trips to Ohio.
27 June 2023
“We have seen the highest circle of spiraling powers.
We have named this circle God.
We might have given it any name we wished: Abyss, Absolute Darkness, Absolue Light, Matter, Spirit, Ultimate Hope, Ultimate Despair, Silence.
But never forget, it is we who gave it a name.”
— Nikos Kazantzakis
27 May 2023
Springtime
The annual renewal of life, the rebirth of Nature that which was dormant over the long, cold, dark winter of the Pacific Northwest.
We celebrate the return of sun and warmth by creating the art which we know best.
Iceland 2023
One does not go to Iceland to visit, one goes to Iceland to experience.
Whatever the time of year, whatever the weather, whatever the amount (or lack) of daylight Iceland offers a never ending variety of adventures and experiences. This was our third visit, revisiting some of the waterfalls and glacial lagoons we experienced on our previous summertime visit. Being there in late-winter was amazing! There is some ever so brief nudity in the video below so “buyer beware”. ;-)
2022 Year in Review
2022 was an excellent year full of adventures and discoveries.
2022 Year in Review
December 21, 2022
How does one celebrate an almost universal non-secular holiday tradition when your daily tenets are secular? We can certainly embrace the spirit of giving, of kindness, of family traditions and at the same time not succumb to the trampings of the commercializations of it all.
Irish Whiskey, fishnet stockings, killer boots pretty much encapsulates our Winter Solstice holiday mood.
27 October 2022
Since the beginning of time people have carried amulets for good luck (i.e. four leaf clover, rabbit’s foot), to ward off evil spirits, for their personal spirituality (i.e crosses and Star of David), or as a remembrance of times past (i.e. charm bracelets).
My mother had a certain charm bracelet that had gold charms she collected on travels in Europe and Asia. Perhaps that memory impacted me as I traveled to new and beautiful places, and now my camera bag is adorned with my own collection of amulets.
Keychains seem to be a convenient form of amulets as they are relatively inexpensive and display nicely, As I was waiting to disembark from the Aer Lingus plane once landed in Seattle from Dublin a passenger asked me about the collection “jangling” on my camera bag.
Significant amulets from adventures with Sweet D’Marie hanging from the carabiner: ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus Denmark; a beer bottle opener from De Halve Maan Brewery, oldest brewery in Brugge Belgium; First Nation art from New Mexico; Saint Stephanus Cathedral, Vienna Austria; and Book of Kells, Trinity College in Dublin Ireland.
Just a few of the amulets of excellent adventures collected over the years. There are more but for now these will do. The spirit of the traveler runs deep within me, and my soul mate is a willing partner in more adventures.
25 October 2022
From the first moments we met, I knew I had to have her in my life.
I also knew, from that moment my life would be changed forever, and indeed it has.
No relationship is perfect, and after so many years together our life together (just like the old Ivory Soap commercials), is 99 44/100% pure.
I never imaged life could be this way.
07 October 2022
Some people, both males and female, have found her to be quite desirable, and at the some time both males and females have felt quite threatened by her powewrful aura.
I have known only a few people like her, strong and powerful with defenses of steel to protect her inner soul from harm. And to this day, after so many years, there is still that lingering fear that she will once again be alone.
I try to assure her that only my mortality will allow that to happen. Until that time, let us go forward to seek new adventures and experiences.
05 October 2022
Dublin, Ireland. Visiting the ancestral home of my family, one can sense the complicated past, present, and future of Ireland. The Dublin vibe is a combination of Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague with a deep, dark undercurrent of politics, economics, and religion. There is the ongoing struggle between progress and constraint and it is an emotional contest that no one can really win.
I was raised Catholic and felt a connection to my Irish Catholic roots. I converted to Protestant (Lutheran) and felt a disconnect between cultures. Now as an agnostic I wish that the One Island, One Ireland movement could take place, knowing full well that the people of the north, the Ulster clans will never agree to such.
“Nice buns!”
Hopefully that phrase will never get old, or wear out it’s welcome.
At what point do you stop being playful, stop being young at heart?
“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it so unspeakably desirable.”
Mark Twain
29 August 2022
“There is nothing in all the world more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe than the nude human body. In fact it is not only among the artists but among all people that a greater appreciation and respect for the human body should develop. When we respect the nude we will no longer have any shame about it.”
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri (1923)
19 August 2022
“Although I conquer all the earth
Yet for me there is only one city
In that city there is for me only one house;
And in that house, one room only;
And in that room a bed.
And one woman sleeps there,
The shining joy and jewel of all my kingdom.”
(Sanskrit poem, translated by John Brough)
August 2022At one time we were all children. As we got older, we were told to “act our age” and “behave”.
At that point we became old.
Find that inner child that you once were. Dance like no one is watching, run naked in the desert, sing out loud.
Before you realize, the sand in your hourglass has slipped away.
July 2022The John Day Painted Hills National Monument. Middle-of-Nowhere, Oregon.
No matter where you live, there are amazing places to explore.
Make the effort, get outdoors. Breathe deeply, thank Mother Nature for these beautiful gifts.
The View From Seat 7A
Columbus OH (CMH) to Seattle, WA (SEA) on a July afternoon.
Thoughts on Summer
This video was a project for the photography group I participate in. We were challenged to create a video on what summertime means to each os us. This video may contain partial and/or momentary nudity (or the perception thereof). I hope you enjoy.
June 2022
Life Continues To Be An Adventure.
Don’t stop growing!
Blue hair, purple hair, silver hair…….enable and nurture your special ones to be who they really are!
2021 Year in Review
The year 2021 was filled with pandemic-related lockdowns and isolation.
Political turmoil flavored and influenced every day life.
We created art on our adventures, being careful to avoid crowds.
The following video may contain the suggestion and/or the perception of nudity.
Forewarned is farewarned.
The year 2021 was filled with pandemic isolation and political turmoil.
We created art on our adventures, being careful to avoid crowds.
My Muse Has Moved On
May 2021
For a few years my beautiful muse has filled me with a sense of joy every time we worked together to create art. As the world turns and life continues turning the future into the present, life unfolded before her in such a way that she decided moving to Southern California was the next step in her life journey. I will miss her dearly, and she has communicated the same to me.
You can find more of Lauren at the following places:
https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichelleyoga/
https://www.patreon.com/SageoftheSun/posts
https://www.youtube.com/c/LaurenMichelleScolari
2020 Year in Review
A raging global pandemic, political turmoil in an election year, and continued isolation from family.
This video is a chronologic compilation of our 2020 year in pictures and videos. I was fortunate to be able to work with the breathtakingly beautiful Lauren Michelle to create some great art together.
22 May 2020
When we were younger, our definition of beauty was influenced by our own filters of what “beautiful” was. Our individual likes, dislikes, and preferences were heavily influenced by peers, the media, raging hormones, lust, and the worlds implied standard of “beauty”. As one gets older, our vision improves, no longer myopic to a narrow vision of what makes a person beautiful. Early on, it was all about external features and appearances.
At some point the lust for the external begins to fade which allows the inner beauty to shine brighter, for it was there all along but perhaps unnoticed. I have been told by many that I am an intuitive and seem to be connected to certain energies in this world. Perhaps it’s my skill at observation, my photographer’s eye. I believe that I have a sense for detecting auras. It’s not a gift, it’s just that over the years I have been a witness to so many people in life who are either shining stars or black holes. I try to sense what their energy says about them.
To many this woman is distant, somewhat aloof, unwilling to open up and share her inner soul. I have known her to be one of the most caring, loyal, supportive, fiercely protective people in this world. She is my partner, my soulmate, my wife. I never knew that the love she has shown me was ever possible. It overwhelms me. She defies time, age, conventional wisdom. She defies society’s rules and standards. I spent so much of my life searching for what was missing in my heart and soul, and then I was found. She saved me and gave me life.
To me she is the most beautiful person in the world.
20 May 2020
I believe we are not solitary creatures and crave companionship. How we define companionship is personal and unique. When that one person shares the same path as you, a person who supports, nurtures, and encourages you without personal agenda, well that person is a “keeper”.
When two lives, two different journeys on somewhat parallel paths intersect you have to trust the vibes as energy doesn’t lie. We have traveled the world together and the magic continues. We have traveled from darkness into the light in our journey of rebirth. We honor our pasts for having gotten each of us to a certain point and now we are creating the future together.
Enjoy the ride..
16 May 2020
This is Neue Wache in Berlin. In it’s present form, it is an enlarged version of Käthe Kollwitz's sculpture Mother with her Dead Son. The pietà-style sculpture is directly placed under the oculus, and so is exposed to the rain, snow and cold of the Berlin climate, symbolizing the suffering of civilians during World War II. (Wikipedia)
It is somber, sobering. It is a vivid reminder of the pain and horror of conflict for both victims and survivors. We must never forget the past, we must vote in the present, with our eyes on the future.
As for me, how I vote today may have significant ramifications for my grandchildren in 15-20 years. I want them to know that I voted to do my part to keep them safe from foreign wars, from useless conflicts, away from the tyranny of a madman.
Storm Clouds All Around Us
April 2020
“These are unprecendented times”….so say the politicians, the pundits, the media, the talking heads when talking about the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet we have been here before. This is not the first pandemic the world has seen, and we as a nation and as a human race have endured world wars, plagues, Pearl Harbor, the Holocaust, 9/11, terrorist attacks, and countless personal tragedies. One thing stands out: as a people we can endure, and we can survive but to be successful we need to know the facts, we need to know the truth. An individual faced with the challenge of cancer only begins the journey to victory after the facts, the options, and the pathway to recovery have been presented by the medical care team. What we in the US have right now is a leadership that has, for the past 3.5 years lied to the public and used misinformation to distort the truth to serve their own means. How can we as a people be victorious over this virus if we are not given truthful information? What is truly unprecedented is that this administration is corrupt in heart, spirit, and soul.
The vendetta has taken place.
The United States 2020 Presidential Election has taken place, and the voters have spoken. One party, the Democrats, have been elected by receiving more that seven million votes over the total received by the Republican (GOP) candidate. The people have spoken and their votes have been counted.
For the Democrats, their job will be difficult. They will be repairing the damage done to America and the world after fours years of Trumpism. For the Republicans, their job will be even more difficult as they must come to grips with their own failures and will have to decide who they are as a political party, who they want to be, and whom they want to serve. The Republicans are in for a difficult time as they begin to turn on each other and wrestle for the soul of the party.
American Politics 2016-2020
One can not deny that the past four years of American politics has had a global impact. The abandoning of conventional norms, the shunning of our allies, the cozying up to our traditional enemies, the denial of climate change treaties, etc. has lessened America’s standing as a leader of the free world. Other than taking to the streets to fight the authoritarian regime that was being created, we went to the ballot boxes and fought voter suppression and in the end, good triumphed over evil. We have much work to do. We can be hopeful that the future for our children and grandchildren will be better than the vision that was being created for us by our populist criminal mob boss twice impeached ex-president. God Bless America.
2019 Year in Review
2019 was a year full of anticipation. We had expected to continue working for at least another year before retirement but circumstances dictated that it was best that both of us retire mid-summer.
2019 was also the last "normal" year before the COVID-19 global pandemic hit.