Falling Into Autumn
Hello there:
"Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends."
—Joseph Campbell
Well once again I’m behind on this little blog. No excuse. There is a lot in here. Save this email. Revisit when you have some time to linger. SLOW DOWN!!
FYI I will be in Ecuador from October 5-22 on a friends and family trip on limited email.
I am offering three two-day trips into the Central Valley in early December for the amazing waterfowl migration. See below.
Here are three of my Perspectives that ran recently on KQED, San Francisco’s NPR station.
I managed to finally get Covid at Burning Man. I was not planning to go this year but was suffering from severe FOMO (fear of missing out). A ticket and a car pass came my way at the last minute. So, what was I to do? Go on my 17th journey to the most remarkable place. And what a week it was! It got up to 103° and never cooled down at night. HOT HOT HOT! There were some extremely severe and long-lasting dust storms.
Black Rock Desert was a physical challenge this year. Some people got stuck in line trying to exit for over 10 hours. Why in the world would anybody suffer through all this? An excellent question. The short answer is there’s nothing quite like Burning Man on the planet earth. After two years of shutdown, the art seemed even more imaginative than usual. There were some extraordinary displays using 300 computer-controlled drones which created amazing imagery in the desert night sky. I also observed more people of color and folks from other countries. That is heartening.
I volunteered at the Black Rock City PO. Yes, they do have a semi-official post office. We delivered mail on the Playa both from outside and also internally. We had postcards and stamps available for anyone to send to the outside world- Des Moines or Buenos Aires. Here is a Nevada Public radio interview with KJ, one of our members. This gives you a clear idea of the PO and also why many of us continue to tolerate the occasional discomfort at Burning Man.
As usual, here are some miscellaneous tidbits for your pleasure…
What remarkable photos coming from the Webb Space Telescope. Bill Nye, the Science Guy explains.
I have mentioned the role that beavers can play in climate change mitigation and here is another op-ed.
Ever wonder why woodpeckers don’t get headaches?
A heartwarming podcast.
This is one of the most beautiful marine invertebrates in the world.
I love the Bay area but we are definitely missing a few delightful things- great clouds, warm summer nights and fireflies. Synchronized fireflies are rare but they are found in the southern United States (my home) and in this tiger reserve in India.
People who know me, know that I love WORDS. Here are some wonderful “useless” ones.
Eight exquisite minutes of slow motion flying insects. Poetry!
Always on the Sunny Side..well not always, but what a great song to lift the spirits.
YoYo Ma playing with the birds.
This indigenous music and these people have much to tell us. Will we listen? This video gave me goosebumps.
BIRDS BIRDS BIRDS
The return of the waterfowl to California's Great Central Valley has been described as one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, and it happens every winter. We'll visit the famous Gray Lodge Refuge to see thousands of Snow Geese joining Canada and White-fronted Geese. Around the defunct volcanic Sutter Buttes, we'll see aerial displays of the sandhill cranes and tundra swans. We'll hike around the Colusa Wildlife Refuge and then to the Sacramento Refuge for more avian delights - ruddy ducks, pintails, shovelers, bitterns, night herons, mallards, harriers, rough-legged hawks, gallinules et al. Not only will we learn how to identify these birds, but also, we'll learn about their evolution, behavior and physiology. Discover why so many people make this an annual trip. It's fun!
There will be three offerings- December 6-7 (Tuesday and Wednesday), December 8-9 (Thursday and Friday) and December 10-11 (Saturday and Sunday). Cost is $350. Indicate which date you would prefer and if you have flexibility on the dates. I will then send you confirmation and then you can make motel reservations. Any questions?
This played on KQED, NPR. I’ve been doing these Perspectives since 1989! Yes, I am a birding nerd and proud of it.
"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?"
—George Eliot
(pen name of Mary Ann Evans, born 22 Nov 1819)
Alma on her 4th birthday with Grandma Laurie.
On a sleepover with honorary grandmother, Mel.
In Passover jammies and Myra (don’t leave home without her)
With Babu (prepped for Burning Man) on her new swing