Heat Waves and Happy Days
Dear folks:
Wow, I haven’t sent one of these missives out in a while and I apologize for that. That’s what happens when you’re not super busy, you are not as efficient. When I was working with nonprofit organizations, we always looked for a busy person to be a board member. They get things done.
Remember there is much to ruminate here, just put the email aside and when you have a few minutes, come back to it and enjoy.
All three Tanzanian safaris this past winter were a blast. We had an immense amount of rain on one of the trips. That made for quite the adventure but the driver/guides were formidable in their driving skills and in some cases — using a shovel!
The three Tanzania safaris in early 2025 are nearly full. However, let me know if you are interested in 2026. That seems a long way out, but will be here before you know it. While the wildlife in East Africa is the main draw, the landscapes are also worth the trip.
This spring I spent more than a month in Bhutan leading two trips. It was wonderful as usual. We journeyed to far northeastern Bhutan only 5 miles from the border with Tibet. There were people in those villages that had never seen a foreigner. We were the very first tour groups to visit this part of Bhutan. We felt very special.
My favorite was this little girl and the head lama of the local Buddhist temple. I asked him if he needed anything from the outside world (because I had a second group coming and I could have brought him something) and he said absolutely nothing-- he had everything he needed here. It was true.
I cancelled the trip to Brazil (the Pantanal, southern Amazon basin and the Chapada) this October. There’s an outbreak of dengue fever in parts of South America and people got nervous ….. so ok we'll wait.
We’re still in the early stages of planning, but my son may be leading some Footloose Forays trips in the future – to Bhutan and to Turkey. We're excited to share his love for and knowledge of ancient history, cuisine, music, and the natural world with all of you. Stay tuned. But meanwhile you can eat Chef Hunter's food on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at Casino Bar & Grill in the town of Bodega.
Like all of you I am very disappointed in the direction our country is moving. Being a child of the 60s, I thought the changes we worked so hard on for, were permanent. And would just get better and better with time. That was naïve.
I have donated to voter participation center. They seem to have figured out the best way to maximize resources and get out the vote. We need Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to motivate the young people in this election.
But as usual in my infrequent blogs, I am gifting you a few delightful and random things I have discovered or my friends have sent me. Hopefully you will be amused or stimulated or both. Especially thanks to Doug and Leo.
The Last Repair Shop | 2024 Oscar-winning Documentary Short
In a nondescript warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain over 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of the recording capital of the world.
Michael Sheen performs Dylan Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle into the Night. This reading will give you goosebumps.
Why a 3-Legged Lion and His Brother Swam Across a Crocodile-Filled River.
Emotions in Animals? There is no doubt.
Those of you that have traveled with me on vessels in Turkey, Baja, Antarctica or the Galapagos know of my interest in nautical terms. Here are two folks who share my interest.
Ok true confession- my first dose of LSD was Orange Sunshine in 1971. It was intense, there was no telling how much I took, but it was a memorable journey. I was delighted that I would be able to enjoy psychedelics well into my old age (like even into my fifties!). Warning there are a few bad words in this comedy sketch. I still enjoy infrequent but regular trips to glimpse other ways of being in this wonderful world. Frankly I think the best time of life to trip is when death is approaching. But that is just me.
Elephants have names for each other.
Gay Giraffes? This is really funny.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. If you liked Cutting for Stone, you will enjoy this longgggg saga.
Big Moose Walker playing some Chicago Blues.
Why you should watch ONE DAY, a limited series on Netflix.
We were having dinner with some friends from England and Northern Ireland. I confessed my ignorance about distinctions between the British Isles, England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. I know Americans can be provincial but these comedians made me feel a bit better.
Four amazing minutes of modern dance in water. This is beautiful.
When our ancestors almost went extinct.
When you have an hour to journey through the entire life of our Planet (so far that is) try this. Brilliant in concept and execution.
this would be me!
“A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey cafe mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle's Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top. No wonder it costs so much”. -Sarah Vowell, author and journalist (b. 27 Dec 1969)
“Starbucks got its name from another classic — the book Moby Dick. The coffee chain was originally going to be called either Cargo House or Pequod after Captain Ahab’s ship in Moby Dick. But when the brand consultant, who also designed the chain’s logo, produced an old 1800s map, the name of a mining town, Starbos, which features in the book, stood out which led the brand consultant to think of the first mate on the Pequod — Starbuck.”
-From one of my favorite podcasts FREAKONOMICS. 570. Is Gynecology the Best Innovation Ever?
Alma and Maya asleep.
Cradle Song
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming in the joys of night;
Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.
Sweet babe, in thy face
Soft desires I can trace,
Secret joys and secret smiles,
Little pretty infant wiles.
As thy softest limbs I feel
Smiles as of the morning steal
O’er thy cheek, and o’er thy breast
Where thy little heart doth rest.
O the cunning wiles that creep
In thy little heart asleep!
When thy little heart doth wake,
Then the dreadful night shall break.
by William Blake