The Road to Diamond, Day 133: Mather Point

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 11, 2025 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Education, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

April 10, 2025, Williams, AZ- There is no one way to see the Grand Canyon. I have walked much of the Rim Trail, stood at high points with sheer drop-offs of 3,000 feet, hiked to the Colorado River and back,on the same day and in summer heat and visited ancillary spots, like the Confluence with the Little Colorado River or Havasupai Falls. I have taken meals in El Tovar Hotel’s dining room (with Penny and my parents) and eaten a grab and go sandwich at Hermit’s Rest snack bar. It is all what makes this place so indelible in the mind of anyone who has ever stood in The House of Stone and Light.

My visiting friends had never seen anything quite like the Grand Canyon. When we stood at Mather Point, in the noon transition, the sun was high overhead and they had to position themselves carefully, so as not to be photographed in shadow, as happened yesterday in Sedona’s Tlaquepaque. They were awestruck, for several minutes. Then they looked right and left,, and decided that walking in the relative heat would not reveal anything different from what they were already seeing. They asked to head back to the car.

This is what they saw.

Mather Point 1 — First view of the Grand Canyon

Mather Point 2 — Staying close, at Canyon’s edge

There is a unique collection of sandstone rocks, arranged at the approach to Mather. One of these is a menhir, evocative of Carnac or Stonehenge.

Mather's menhir — Bobot and Thelma meet a Standing Stone

It was lunch time, and being frugal sorts, my friends vetoed any meals in the Park itself. We opted for the simply-titled We Cook Pizza and Pasta, in nearby Tusayan, and shared a Classic Cheese pizza. It’s been a long time since I have actually enjoyed pizza with nothing more than cheese and tomato sauce. Simple was exquisite.

The day was not spent, so I took Bobot and Thelma to Bearizona, a park that lets people view wildlife, including apex predators, from their cars. The wolves and bears did not disappoint. There were also herbivores aplenty-mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, reindeer and bison. None of these are prey for their neighbours, who are fed meat provided by the staff. Here are some that we saw, carside.

The wolves were curious, but laid back.

Next, it was the black bears’ turn.

The Grizzlies have their own place, well-removed from the road.

Bearizona 6 — Grizzly bears at dinner time

Our dinner time came later, as I had a business matter in the interim. No worries-Goldie’s Diner was open until 9, so we ate lightly but well. This week, like most weeks, has been a whirlwind, and time well spent.

The Road to Diamond, Day 88: Our Elk Are Still Bugling

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 25, 2025 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

February 24, 2025- My friend at Zeke’s mentioned having seen a young bull elk, on the hill across from the shopping plaza where the trusty diner is located. Despite the work on creating a “much-needed” travel center, on some of the roadside property on the north side of AZ Highway 69, there is a considerable wildland that is presently off-limits to development, especially the hill above the travel center site. That hill is where the elk, and other wildlife, reside.

The male elk are still bugling. So, too, are the citizenry who don’t wish to have their lives dictated by a small elite-either of the Right or of the Left. We are keeping watch on the present headlong rush towards cutting staff, “in the name of efficiency”. My take: If two people are indeed doing the same job, and it can be effectively done by one person-then make the cut, in as humane a way as possible. Finding an alternative job for the one who is being let go would be the best of all possible options. Slashing costs for the sake of cutting taxes for the uber-wealthy, on the other hand, is NOT a relatable choice. Most people I know bring in $250,000 a year or less. Is there anything in this for us? So far, I haven’t seen it.

It’s been said that man has an infinite capacity to rationalize. This capacity has been put to full use by partisans of every President, since I’ve been reading and watching the news (that is, since 1956). It has been used to excuse everything from Project Wetback, in the 1950s, to the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. The upshot is “If our guys did it, it’s being blown out of proportion by the other side.” I heard this, tonight, and from someone who is living on the streets, but worships the ground our current President treads.

My siblings and I were raised with a conscience. When we did something wrong, Mom and Dad accepted no excuses and certainly didn’t offer any on our behalf. They defended us against legitimate threats, but otherwise expected us to behave responsibly. Now that we are on our own, we hold each other, and our children, to the same standard, and on it goes.

I can recall, when the Watergate scandal was brewing, in 1973-74, raising the issue of misfeasance at my godparents’ kitchen table. They were Republicans, and while my aunt kept her opinion to herself, uncle was furious that I would criticize the President of the United States. I was cordially invited to leave. That was in October, 1973.

In August of the following year, uncle remarked to my father that I had been right all along. He felt betrayed by Nixon-and Agnew, as well. He was not sympathetic when President Ford pardoned his predecessor. We had long since made our peace, mind you, but it was quite a revelation.

We the People will continue to speak out, as we see fit-and that goes for all along the political spectrum. Those who see no problem with what is going on across the country have a right to their viewpoint, but should the decisions being made affect them adversely, there is a safe space waiting for them-across the way. The bugling will go on, in the meantime.

The Road to Diamond, Day 75: Bunnies on Duty

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 12, 2025 in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

February 12, 2025, Manila- I shared these two with my beloved, this afternoon, as this was a light-hearted element in the midst of a hot, dusty setting, where a crew of four was pouring and grading cement.

Rabbits are a joy to have around, especially in an area where they are free of predators, and where they can leisurely nibble on fresh leafy greens. They don’t make noise, unless they are either in a state of bliss or one of annoyance/distress. See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aWRBdOklX0

The watch bunnies would scream, if an odd cat or Philippine eagle were to show up and act as a predator, but these are few and far between, in this part of Manila. Cats are kept mostly indoors and eagles are not much for the lowlands. So, they patrol their yard for a time, and being diurnal, they go to sleep in their small corner of the yard, near the back door to the Manila Baha’i Center.

I am not doing much more than the rabbits, on this job site. We three are mostly here for emotional support.

The Road to Diamond, Day 60: Floating and Weaving

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on January 29, 2025 in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 27, 2025, Hong Kong– When I was a teen, boxers would speak of the technique of bobbing and weaving, as a means of dodging an opponent’s punches and getting in blows of their own. On a long-distance aircraft, the techniques for safely navigating an expanse of ocean, or of continent, or both, require knowing when to move aside an air current and when to “float” through it. The flight crew of our Cathay Pacific craft handled the turbulence over the mid-Pacific very well tonight.

It is the time of Lunar New Year, ringing in the Year of the (Wood) Snake. The holiday in general leads thousands upon thousands of East Asian people to travel to their ancestral homes, and there was quite a multitude in LAX, on our flight and others like it, and in the transit lines at Hong Kong International Airport. We moved, sometimes in flow and at other times haltingly, but there was only a minimal delay in take-offs and in deplaning upon landing. What issues arose were mostly because of scanning issues, with regard to passports and boarding passes, or because people did not understand the concept of facial scanning. It could be construed as a privacy issue, but to me, the government knows what I look like already and I have nothing to hide from any given national authority, so I look straight into the screening device and am waved on my way.

Wedged as I was between two Chinese men, both bigger than I, on the fifteen hour haul from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, it was nonetheless a stress free leg. The three of us had an unspoken agreement that when Window Seat passenger needed to answer nature’s call, we all found our way to the Comfort Room, Aisle Seat passenger going last. There is plenty of leg room and a fairly ergonomic seat construction. Even though we were at the very last row before the galley cabinets, room was still made for us to recline our seats. In fairness to everyone else, who had to bring their seats upright at meal times, we uprighted ours as well. The meals themselves, dinner and breakfast, were fully balanced and appetizing, by airline standards.

I slept for probably 6.4-7 hours, during the flight, availing myself of three films, during the waking portion. “The Wild Robot” explored the notion of adapting Artificial Intelligence to interpreting and communicating with non-human sentient beings. It also considered the adaptation of AI independence from possible future orthodoxy and repression. “Kingdom of Heaven” followed one man’s spiritual progress through the terrifying time of the Second Crusade, and the overarching climate of relative harmony between Christian, Jew and Muslim up until the time that a boorish claque of English and French nobles used the death of the Christian King of Jerusalem and Acre (Akko) as a pretext to seat one of their own on the throne and to wage war against the mighty Saladin. Various documented aspects of the actual Second Crusade, which ended with Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem were incorporated into the film’s narrative, but the story was greatly embellished. “High Noon”, a classic Western of the early 1950s, is a film I had not seen, though I was named for its lead actor, Gary Cooper, and its themes of the nobility of a true hero and the fecklessness of both politicians and the average “get-along” citizen are quite remarkably presented. The film is about 1 hour long,and its plot concerns itself with one hour in the life of a small southern New Mexico town of the 1880s.

So, my time crossing the Pacific was well-spent, and now I ready myself for the final 2-hour flight to Manila. Much will be decided, these next three weeks.

The Road to Diamond, Day 55: Eggs

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on January 22, 2025 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

January 22, 2025- Whilst shopping for other breakfast items yesterday, at Trader Joe’s, I encountered two store employees explaining to another shopper that they were out of eggs. It seems that the wholesale distributors have put grocery stores and some restaurants in a pool. Every establishment gets an allotment, usually on a daily or semi-weekly basis. TJ’s would have received their allotment this morning, and probably again on Friday.

Like toilet paper before it, the egg has become in short supply due to a virus. This time, it’s avian flu that is the villain. As poultry, and, for the most part, not people, are the direct victims, all we can do is wait. https://www.abc15.com/news/national/america-is-in-the-middle-of-an-egg-shortage-causing-prices-to-rise

I am not an eggs for breakfast, every morning, sort of soul. I like a plate of scrambled eggs, meat and home-fried potatoes, once or twice a week. I like an occasional omelet. Otherwise, I am not an egg aficionado. I do, however, feel for those who can’t be without the food. We are, simply put, reaping the benefits of industrialized agriculture. Viruses and bacteria thrive in environments where animals, (including humans), are crammed too close together; where hygiene is second fiddle to moving product; where hormones and chemicals are administered to the “producers” (hens), to increase output. The same disease risk faces cattle, swine and sheep. Farmed fish have their own hygiene risk factor.

The egg crisis will pass, though it may, like the TP crisis before it, force people to look at alternatives, in the event of a worst case scenario. It is not, on its face, the government’s fault, though pulling out of WHO was probably not a good idea. It is not the fault of the distributors, who are at least for now, trying to be as fair as they can to retailers and to the public. It is not the fault of the retailers, who at least for now, are tempering the law of supply and demand with the need to stay on the good side of their customers.

Let’s see what the large producers can do, on their own, to safeguard their animals-and take the long view of the matter. People will still want eggs for breakfast, 10, 20, 50 years from now. Going back to smaller flocks, with more actual free-roaming space, would seem to be one answer. Removing hormones, chemicals and antibiotics from the regimen is definitely another practice worth considering.

The Road to Diamond, Day 47: Picketpost

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on January 14, 2025 in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 14, 2025, Benson, AZ- The old centipede moved haltingly across the floor of my motel room. Whether it was its age, or the cold of the floor that stymied the creature, it was clear that the animal was not robust. I was able to get it into a trash basket, using a sheet of paper as a push vessel. From there, the centipede was placed outside, on some rocks that would warm up shortly thereafter.

I also got myself moving, a short time later, and after a light breakfast next door, at Gypsy Sisters Coffee and Tea House, it was time to head to Picketpost Trailhead, which intersects with the Arizona Trail, some five miles west of Superior. I have long wanted to climb the actual mountain by that name, but have found that the common trail at the south end of the peak is closed, due to a rock slide.

That left the magnificent Arnett Canyon, between the mountain that forms a western boundary for Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and Picketpost Mountain’s 9-mile north to south expanse. Arnett is a mecca for wildflower enthusiasts, each Spring. Today, a good 2.5 months before any blooms appear, it was the rock formations, and small gems and minerals that commanded attention.

When I pulled into the parking lot for Picketpost Trailhead, I was pleased to see that three small groups were also preparing to take in the area. I did not want to be strictly alone for the duration of the hike. As it happened, a group of five women were on a search for Apache tears, the obsidian glass-like gems that dot the middle reaches of Arnett Canyon, near some copper mine tailings left by the predecessor of Resolution Copper, which now operates a limited enterprise east and south of Superior. They invited me to join them for a time, and I was thus able to gather nineteen of the droplets, with initial help from one of the women, who is a gemologist.

Some are, of course, shiny whilst others are rough. I may gently buff some of the less attractive stones, and leave others in a rough state.

Here are some scenes of Arnett Canyon and of its two mountain borders.

The Sun’s energy bathed Picketpost Mountain, in mid-morning.

The majestic boundary of Boyce Thompson Arboretum is crowned by sahuaros.

An exploratory cross-section shows the solidity of the sandstone that rises above Arnett Canyon.

Towering sandstone figures leave much to the imagination.

Even in this dry season, water finds a way to make its presence known.

The Telegraph Fire (2021) caused a lot of damage in Arnett and nearby Alamo Canyon. This barrel cactus has stayed alive, while bearing the scars of the blaze.

Wind can whip a fire, and it can also carry the seeds of plants over mountains. These date palms are from wind-blown seeds that came over the barrier mountain, from Boyce Thompson.

Here is a makeshift arch that someone fashioned out of cholla cactus spines.

As I came up a set of stairs, fashioned from stone, more sandstone guardians made themselves known.

Superior stands as yet another hub of wonders that dot the Southwest.

The Road to Diamond, Day 2: Fort Worth

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 30, 2024 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 30, 2024, Grapevine- Donnie Wahlberg took our order, at Tokyo Cafe, carefully serving the Miso Soup, Yakisoba, Tokyokonomiyaki (savory, creamy pancake) and eel roll. Of course, it was one of Donnie’s look-alikes. He did a fine job, bringing us our late lunch.

Yesterday was spent on the northern edge of Dallas, so today was Fort Worth’s turn. Our center was Cowtown’s Botanic Garden, a sprawling gem, whose own centerpiece is the Japanese Garden. We were set on wandering mode, starting with Tropical Garden, an indoor setting, given this area’s late Fall temperatures-soon to be followed by a wintry mix. There are both tropical and subtropical flora, including a Philippine banana tree.

Banana tree, found in the Philippines and Malaysian Borneo.

Our meanderings took us past a children’s garden, so we stopped and posed as cookies.

Next, was a Kokedama Forest.

Kokedama is a Japanese botanic art, involving growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil, contained by a web of string or monofilament fishing line.

Fort Worth has a sister city in Japan: Nagaoka. A symbol of resilience was sent to the Garden, by citizens of Nagaoka. Here is a Mikoshi, topped by the figure of a phoenix.

Most poignant is the Seven Pillars Monument, a tribute to soldiers who served in Viet Nam, in 1967. A lone soldier wrote to the people of Fort Worth, asking that someone acknowledge the sacrifices being waged by his comrades. The community responded with an outpouring of food and personal hygiene supplies. Seven of the soldiers made it home. Five did not. Thus, there are seven standing pillars and five “broken” ones.

The Call for Help, answered by Fort Worth.

This park promises to be a favourite of Aram and Yunhee. I will also want to stop by, when I am out this way next Spring.

The Road to Diamond-Day 1: Cedar Ridge

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 29, 2024 in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 29, 2024, Grapevine- The three of us stood, overlooking Cattail Pond, as if it were the Pacific Ocean. In Dallas, any body of water will fill that bill. We took this 4-mile loop, after finishing off most of yesterday’s left overs, at today’s lunch.

Each trip around the Sun brings a theme, of sorts. Today begins a two-year stretch, centered on the notion of Diamond Jubilee-the road to that date (11/28/25), and the journey on the hard rock plateau, that follows the Jubilee. I’ve been asked, by at least one friend, how my travel plans are shaping up for 2025. The only things that are certain are that I will spend three weeks with my special someone and our circle of friends,in Home Base III, for three weeks: Late January to mid-February. From then on, I will again be in constant travel mode, save for a few key dates in the Spring that will tie things up at Home Base I. The scope and direction of my journeys will depend on what happens in February, but there will be much work to get done, regardless.

For the next few days, though, I am soaking up family love, at HB II. Partly because of my birthday having been celebrated and because of a general celebration of Thanksgiving, I have been in constant touch with friends in Prescott and the Philippines, and by extension, across the globe. It is salubrious and I thank everyone, near and far, who has taken the time to honour my life. It takes three seconds to type a “Thank you”, so that’s what I’ve done. (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, by contrast, wrote out hundreds of Thank You notes, in pen and ink, after each event to which she was invited, or which was held in her honour. She always was, and is, the gold standard).

Cedar Ridge is a remnant of glacial fingers extending down into the north Texas prairie, and leaving this pleasing network of hillocks and ravines, as a contrast to the sweeping riparian Plains. We had our share of short, but steep, climbs and descents. Thanks to the Audubon Society, I can’t think of a better way to “recover” from Thanksgiving Feast, part I and part II.

The sweep of Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dallas

Thanks, for Friends and….

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on November 28, 2024 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 28, 2024, Grapevine- Today marks another instance of the latest date that Thanksgiving can fall, by U.S. custom. There is grumbling, in some quarters, that this shortens the Christmas season. I, though, am more than happy to have T-day fall on this day in November, because it’s my birthday, and sharing the day with our national community, in our biggest holiday of the year, is to me, a blessing.

There has been, of late, a mini-tempest, wherein a relatively small, but vocal, group has called for the day to be recast as “Friendsgiving”. People can call the day of sharing whatever they want. To me, thanksgiving is not about Pilgrims and Wampanoags, per se, nor about false promises and the resulting oppression.

It is about gratitude-for friends, yes, and for family. I am grateful for all, in Arizona, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, all across the West and across the continent. I am grateful for progressive friends, conservative friends, Baha’i, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, agnostic and atheist friends.

I like the company of my fellow veterans at Post 6; fellows in faith at devotionals, Spiritual Feasts and Holy Days; and my little family, whenever we get together, for meals, outings, board games and watch parties. My life is enhanced by the energy of children and youths, the drive of adults and the wisdom of elders. I treasure the company of the woman I love most, and all of our mutual friends, when I get to see them-either physically or online.

Of course, we must work, diligently, to address and overcome injustice. Let us, though, not replace one imbalance with another. Equilibrium is a delicate state and requires loving attention. It cannot be sacrificed for whimsical ideas, nor for the sake of a contrived sense of “purity”.

I am, as I turn 74, grateful for the Creator’s provisions-our food supply, paths to health, bounty of nature and all the varieties of terrain, bodies of water and living things that make our world such a treasure chest. I am grateful for our solar system and for the Universe, I am just grateful for being.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

The Raven Head Cloud

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on August 9, 2024 in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

August 9, 2024- It placed, almost majestically, peaking out from a bank of stratocumulus this evening, as I drove towards Home Base I, after a visit to Rafter Eleven. Clouds that seem to rise out of others or to rest upon them, are essentially floating on air currents, the way people and animals can float on a large body of water. The Raven Head had a dark, cumulonimbus colour, while the cloud bank, as stated, was stratocumulus.

Ravens are a symbol of connection between material and spiritual, and are somewhat revered by those of us who appreciate intelligent animals with strong recall abilities. The Raven is also the name of one of our most popular live music locations, here in Prescott. So, I took the sight as a sign that the next few days will be safe and productive, as well as spiritually sound. That is well and good, as I will be headed to Scottsdale, early tomorrow morning and could use a problem-free I-17, as far as New River, where I could take a shortcut over to Scottsdale Baha’i Center.

Today was a good day for organizing thoughts and papers, in advance of tomorrow’s facilitation of a breakout session that is centered on advanced applications of spiritual knowledge to social issues. That is not as daunting as it sounds, and we only have 2 sessions of 90-minutes each. Thus, we will be just scratching the surface, as a raven scratches the surface of the soil, looking for hidden nuggets of carrion, or other sustenance.

I was encouraged by the signs that a friend here is recovering from a serious bout of illness. It was also a good day for me, exercise-wise. The local raven quoth “Evermore”. I enjoy being positive.