Category Archives: Inspiration

The Road to Diamond, Day 296: Picture Stones and A Watchful Wolf

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, collaborating, Education, Historical, Inspiration, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 19, 2025, Visby, Gotland-

Today’s festivities will be shared in two parts, as some photos are on the iPhone gallery and the cable for my phone doesn’t quite connect to the Lenovo.

Sharing is caring, regardless, so let’s take a look at Gotland Museum. There are four floors, each with two or three galleries. Floor 0 is where we enter, pay admission, check out the bookstore and spend time with Gotland’s unique Picture Stones.

Many picture stones were originally painted with red, yellow or blue pigment. Most have lost the pigmentation, over the centuries.

The standing stones are all over Gotland and its northern offshore sibling, Faro (not to be confused with the resort city in Portugal’s Algarve). See gotlandpicturestones.se

Here are a few scenes of that gallery.

This came from the early Christian era, most likely commissioned by someone looking to protect his farm.
The pinwheel also is a
harbinger of good fortune.
This tells the story of a horse and a deer.

This one has a sensor, which fills in the colours when someone approaches.

There are several others in the gallery, but here is a tableau of some smaller reproductions from around Gotland.

Up to Floor #1, we find The geology of Gotland. It, like the rest of Scandinavia, was once buried under ice. As the glaciers retreated, the Baltic Sea filled in, while islands like Oland, Aland, Bornholm and Gotland remained above water, being the tops of small hills.

Sandstone and limestone predominate the gently rising, but mostly flat landscape. There are some forests, but Gotland is still mostly farmland.

Floors 2 and 3 feature the history of Gotland and stories told by local children and youth, respectively. The historical part begins with a Norse creation story. Odin, representing the Sun, brings the world to life. He and other deities guide people in the ways of right living. All the while, the ravenous Wolf watches and waits. At the end time of Ragnarok, the Wolf will swallow Odin.

On that cheerful note, the story of Gotland proceeds, through its early days of increasingly successful farming, the Viking Era, Hanseatic League and incorporation into the Kingdom of Sweden.

It was during the Hanseatic period that the wall encircling Visby was built. At the East Gate, all peasants wanting to sell produce at Visby’s market had to pay a toll. Those trying to sell elsewhere were fined pr flogged. This was the stricture of the manorial system.

On the third floor, there are both paintings and recorded stories by Gotland residents.

The painting above shows the juxtaposition of hillside Visby with the sea.

The museum was founded in 1875, by Per Arvid Save( pronounced SAH- vay) and the Friends of Gotlanf, with the aim of preserving the island’s rich heritage and sharing it with the world. Dr. Save encouraged the farmers and fishers of Gotland to safeguard the picture stones they found about their homes and nearby lands.

Next, I will visit the ruined churches of Visby’s centrum, with the help of my laptop.

The Road to Diamond, Day 291-Part II: Kungsholmen and Gamla Stan

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Posted by on in children, Community, Historical, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Travel

September 14, 2025, Stockholm- Between Nomad Cave and Stockholm Palace are several interesting churches, Stockholm City Hall and the salubrious greenspace on both sides of Stockholm Strom. There are the two houses of Sweden’s Parliament and the northern end of the pedestrian mall that leads to Central Station.

So, here are ten scenes of Kungsholmen (King’s Home), the neighbourhood where I am staying, and of Gamla Stan-the island which houses the Palace, Parliament and Stockholm’s Old Town.

The stairs are just beyond the door. Be mindful!
So much of Kungsholmen is stately and well-appointed.. Anna Whitlock was a Swedish social reformer and educator, at the turn of the 20th Century. Her Gymnasium continues to offer five academic preparatory programs, with the philosophy of total mind-body engagement.
Kungsholms Kyrka’s Rector ordered a group of tourists out, just as I entered the foyer. I didn’t need to know Swedish to get his meaning!
The upper reaches of Stockholm Stadshuis (City Hall)
This is Gamla Stan, in a nutshell
Near the southern dock along Stockholm Strom
Houseboaters like bright colours
A more complete view of Stockholm Stadshuis
The two Houses of Parliament, viewed from the south.
!2 Blocks of non-stop eating and shopping- Regeringsgatan is one of two long pedestrian malls in Central Stockholm.

Stockholm is a never-a-dull-moment kind of place. I noted some parents interacting with their children, around Stadshuis. Two boys were testing their mothers, by dawdling on their bicycles, while the mothers walked on ahead. One of the boys got the hint and “showed” how fast he could catch up to Mom. The other had to be retrieved, and got to hold his mother’s hand while slowly peddling towards home. Other young parents were dealing gently, but masterfully, with tired, squawking toddlers, as I purchased two bottles of Fortified Water, at the neighbourhood market, in Kungsholmen.

NEXT UP: The ill-fated Vasa and some hard-luck Vikings

The Road to Diamond, Day 289: Bridging Divides

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 12. 2025, Keflavik, IS- It was rather fortuitous, that today should be the day that I was able to visit the European-American Continental Bridge. Here, near Iceland’s southwestern tip, two tectonic plates are separated by a now slight gap, called the Silfra Fissure, which is widening by a few centimeters each year. Eventually, there will be even more distance between the two continental shelves. https://perlan.is/articles/tectonic-plates-iceland

I engaged the services of a local gentleman, in bridging the gap between my hostel room in the Keflavik suburb of Kellir and Pingvellir National Park, where both the Bridge and active, free-flowing hot springs are located. Here are some scenes of the park:

PIngvellir National Park, Iceland
The geological limit of North America-for now
This could be the surface of the Moon.
An Indian gentleman ran here (from Bengulu).
My look at the Pingkellir Gap, between North America and Europe.
Pingvellir Canyon, with a wealth of volcanic soil.
The summit of Pingvellir-East
The summit of Pingvellir-west
The midpoint of the continental gap.
Stay off, and avoid a hot foot!
Tapping into the Earth’s might (above and below)
Saving on coal

Thus was my last full day in Iceland, for now, proving to be the most auspicious. Mankind has once again seen the fruits of division. Let’s take a lesson from Mother Earth, and show that there can be unity, even as we move through tension.

The Road to Diamond, Day 287, Part II: Interposed

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 10,2025, Reykjavik- One one side of Laugarnes Recreation Area, the last remaining natural preserve on the north side of Reykjavik’s bay, there is a large collection of items that would not look out of place in Corner Brook’s Rock Art Wall or any number of back yard “personal treasure” collections around the world, from Spain to Vancouver Island and from Nigeria to the Philippines-or so stories claim. It is the Recycled House.

A scant 100 yards away is the Museum of Soren West and Sigurjon Olafsson, featuring the works of two intrepid artists of the mid-Twentieth Century- workers in stone and metal (West); stone and wood (Olafsson). Olafsson worked for a time with the Danish Resistance to Nazi occupation. Homesick for his wife, he returned to his native south Iceland and was an invaluable source of information to the British and American forces who kept the island safe from the Axis Powers. West has been focused solely on the promulgation of sculpture, having grown up in Denmark, in a relatively more peaceful time. He has been an intensely influential figure in teaching the medium, especially on his home island of Fyn.

The two very different museums co-exist with one another and are careful not to overlap one another’s collections onto the other’s property. Here are a few scenes of each. I first went around the grounds of the Recycled House.

No one gets past him! Note that the lith, overlooking the Bay and this “watchman” are perfectly aligned, as to the western border of the property.
Continued alignments
These “backyard guardians” of the Olafsson Museum show the same sense of order.
We now come to the several decorated rocks and other collected items that dot the landscape of Recycled House.
The demarcation line.
It’s amazing what one can do with cast-off metal.
Nothing gets tossed out here.

Here is the house itself:

There is even an “observation Chair”.
Many are the watchmen!
Hrafn Gunnlaugsson lives in this house. He was the director of “The Raven Flies” and other films about Viking life in his native Iceland.

Now let us turn to the pieces in the more conventional museum.

If this figure looks like he's thinking, it's because Sigurjon Olafsson probably WAS deep in thought, while crafting it.
If this figure looks like he’s thinking, it’s because Sigurjon Olafsson probably WAS deep in thought, while crafting it.
Here’s a piece by Soren West,showing a whale spouting, or at least that’s how I interpret it. Soren West just calls it “Skulptur”.
Here are two wooden pieces, one mahogany and the other, fir. Both represent balance.

By now, I was getting exhausted. I had walked as far as the small ferry terminal, which sends boats to the islet of Videy, across the short channel, while waiting for the Olafsson Museum to open.

Here, then, are a few more scenes of the afternoon.

A view of the “Visitor Center” at Videy, (Vih-DAY), using a Zoom lens from the opposite shore. Even if I had wanted to squeeze in a short ferry ride, the captain was done for the day. This was as close as I was going to get. The mountain in the background is Esja(EsYA), also across a channel from Videy.

I did squeeze in a Volcano Express, virtual reality ride, at Harpa Performance Center. Here is a look at the Center. The ride? Trust me, there was a “whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on”, and we were all strapped in.

Harpa Performance Center, Reykjavik

My overall image of Reykjavik and its residents is summed up by this master work of a graffiti artist who immigrated here about five years ago.

Icelanders, old and new, are thriving by learning to live with the volatile nature of their island home, and putting it to use. (Thermal energy heats homes and purifies water).

The Road to Diamond, Day 287: Adjustments

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 10, 2025, Reykjavik- There was no trip to Akureyri, in northern Iceland. The taxi which was to pick me up at 8:15, and bring me to the bus terminal, was stuck in a traffic jam on the east side of town. Yes, even little Reykjavik has rush hours. The road system built during World War II has yet to upgrade and adjust to the doubling of the number of drivers in the Metro Area. There are now 249,000 people, in the Capital Region of Iceland, 138,000 of whom live within “Reyk”‘s city limits.

So, the flustered taxi driver showed up at 9:06. By then, the bus had left for Akureyri. The next one would have put me there at-11:45 p.m. I called and let them know I would not be coming. The energy is more for me to stay in the Capital Area-Reykjavik and Keflavik, on this visit. If this is the only change in plans during this journey, I will be fortunate. I then asked him to go to HI Loft, a hostel near downtown.

It was a lovely morning, with a break in the rain, and fair skies, in fact. I left my bags at HI Loft and headed to the waterfront. Reykjavik’s Baywalk covers areas east and west along the sea front. I walked as far as the ferry stop that takes people to Videy, a small islet between east Reykjavik and Esja, the capital’s “Neighbourhood Mountain”. While Esja itself is enticing, it is a focus for another time. There was much to captivate me along the Baywalk.

Here are some scenes from the downtown waterfront and the Laugarnes recreation area, in northeast Reyk. I started out at a government office building, just west of the park which honours Reykjavik’s founder.

National Government Office Building, downtown Reykjavik.

Random sculptures appear around town. This one is an abstract of a milk maid, near a very old Kaffehus. I stopped in there and got a cup of green tea, to counter a heavy dose of acidic foods and drinks, these past few days.

This is Ingolfr Arnarson, who led the first settlers in Reykjavik, in 874. He named the place (Reykjavik means “smoke cove”, in Old Norse), as the smoke from distant volcanoes was visible as the party approached. A dragon and the Norse god Odinn are included in the sculpture.

Reykjavik is, understandably, a major draw for cruise ships. Here is one that is given the old name for northern Norway’s Svalbard: Spitsbergen. Longyearbyen is that territory’s capital and only port. It is a name that befits both places.

Cruise ship, “Spitsbergen”, in Reykjavik Harbour

Sculptures continued to be placed, along the Baywalk. Here is one that replicates Solfario, a model of a Viking ship.

Yes, there was a bus parked here this morning. The scene was different in mid-afternoon.
Solfario, on a cloudy mid-afternoon in Reykjavik Harbor.

In between these two visits to Solfario (Sun Voyager), I spent time at two very different neighbouring properties: Recycled House and a small sculpture museum that celebrates the work of Sigurjon (Sih-GUR-yon) Olafsson and Soren West (pronounced Vest). I will discuss these attractions, and the sliver of trail that takes one to Videy ferry terminal, in the next post.

The Road to Diamond, Day 286: Recovery

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Posted by on in Assistance, children, collaborating, Education, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

September 9, 2025, Reykjavik- It turns out that my trusty laptop had had its screen light minimized. I walked about the north side of this bustling Icelandic capital and found the computer store that had been recommended to me by the manager of HI Dalur, where I am spending the night.

So, here we both are, giving you the skinny on the first night and day of Europe 2025. Let’s go back a bit:

Home Stretch- Yesterday morning, as I left HB 1, wearing my bush hat and sunscreen, the three neighbour kids lined up and greeted me from their yard. Dad was in the background, saying “Don’t bother him!” Those precious little ones will never be a bother.

After a short walk over to Yavapai College, I was picked up by the shuttle to Sky Harbor International Airport. Mentor: A gregarious gentleman from Saskatchewan was my seatmate, after joining the group at Hampton Inn. Turned out, he was also going to Calgary and had lived in Sweden, one of the cornerstones of my time on this side of the Atlantic. He corroborated my agenda in that country and in Denmark. He also saw me to the right counter for West Jet, a carrier well-known in Canada, but less so in the Southwest U.S. For good measure, he “talked me into” not using my TSA special access number; I wouldn’t have been able to use it,anyway, as we were there before the quick processing line opened-and few people were processing at that time.

Snags: The bugbear of modern travelers is the plethora of electrical outlets that don’t work. They are in airports and cheap motels, as well as ferry boats and some national parks (though not many people go to those for the WiFi). Trains tend not to have WiFi at all, at least in the United States (though that is supposed to change next year.) I will see, next week, how much progress European train stations and cars have made, in connectivity. We got that settled, as mentioned above.

Language: Everyone on the plane spoke English (They were Canadians, Captain O! ) Everyone here, so far, speaks English, also. Some of the hostel workers speak it better than I. All those who I encountered this afternoon, including a couple of very well-dressed ladies, took the time to corroborate the concierge’s route map.

Sights Seen: Here are a few small gems seen in the Dalur and Laugarnes precincts.

Airport sculpture
Keflavik International Airport (Okay, so not at the northern edge of Reykjavik). It was the first thing that caught my eye here.
Rainy day picnic?
Dalur’s Reykjavik Camp Ground.
Reindeer near a forest preserve, Laugardalur, Reykjavik
Seaside calm
Thermal healing venue, Nautholsvik, Reykjavik
Laughursdal Church
Laughursdal Lutheran Community

I leave you with the notion that this people, the increasingly diverse community that makes up Reykjavik is among the most dedicated to kindness and helpfulness found anywhere.

The Road to Diamond, Day 283: Sendoffs

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Posted by on in American Legion, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 7,2025- There is much that I will miss about Home Base I, during the next seven weeks.

“It’s raining!”, the lady said, as she passed me on the sidewalk, this morning. It was not raining, so maybe her comment was sparked by my bush hat, which was meant (along with sunscreen) to guard my face and neck from UV rays. Such silliness is rare in Prescott, these days. Most people with whom I am even mildly acquainted have wished me safe travels, on the journey that starts tomorrow and will end the last week of October. There is much to be done, in those seven weeks. There are those who see it as an extended vacation-even though I am no longer working for wages, save a few chosen gigs in the schools. There are others who are confused when I say I will see them in two months, probably because they themselves just returned from a long trip. Most, though, have encouraging comments to offer.

I had a pleasant conversation with several fellow American Legionnaires at our usual breakfast this morning. Some are planning their own trips, across the U.S. and down to Mexico. Most will keep the home fires burning.

Another visit, to a couple who had recently gone on a night photography trip to the Navajo Nation, gave me an opportunity to see just how striking the Milky Way is, relative to the great monadnock ( single monolith rising from a surrounding plain) called Ship Rock. I have observed that sacred place many times, and photographed it from a fair distance. Our galaxy’s stars are most visible at night, from a southwest angle. In order to view it, one must be accompanied by a Dineh (Navajo) guide. This is what my friends did, and they had a great time. They were not among the recent travelers who seemed confused by my farewell. They have been to many of the places on my itinerary and wished me well.

A sizable group came to the last event of the day- a Spiritual Feast, which I was honoured to host, at the home of other friends. We had a lengthy and fruitful consultation about several matters. Then, most of the friends also wished bon voyage. The spiritual feast, a Baha’i institution, is always more special when a large group takes part. It is even more special when the assemblage takes on the nature of changes that are engulfing society, and works at discerning those events and processes that proffer good from those that bring ill. Our mission is to promulgate the good in individuals and in communities.

So, after all that, I have readied my backpack, and will have enough time tomorrow to pack my carry-on, by rising early. There will plenty of time to doze off, on the shuttle to Phoenix.

There is much that I will miss about Home Base I, and much that I will treasure about the places that lie ahead.

The Road to Diamond, Day 281: Competence

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 5,2025- This day was meant for everything, and nothing. There was no agenda, other than an hour or so, listening to the Friday jam group at Gypsy’s, while sipping the first hot apple cider of the season and sharing stories with Hiking Buddy and in the evening, joining Baha’i friends for a Zoom devotional.

After the session ended at Gypsy’s, I walked over to a Verizon store and inquired about new iPhones. Finding out that they could not sell phones without a plan (“Locked” phones), I decided to go later over to Best Buy and see about their offerings. Crab cakes at Uncle Bud’s Cajun & Barbecue boosted my confidence, and I headed back to HB I, to get started on the afternoon.

As it happened, I got a call from the vendor who was supplying the cloth for my soon-to-be reupholstered sofa. The cloth was in, so down to the store I went. While the material was being measured and cut, we swapped stories about previous European travels. He and his wife had made two trips to France, nearly fifty years ago, with minimal language skills, and had gotten on well with the French people, in Haute-Alpes and in the Pyrenees. Long story short, he had skills that were needed in those regions, which made all the difference; plus he and she are congenial.

On the way back, I stopped at Best Buy, settling on a reasonable iPhone 14. After some introductory instructions from the sales guy, I made the purchase, and brought phone, protector and screen cover back to HB, with a plan for getting it up and running later. First came a spaghetti feed and the devotional.

With reassurance from my son, the transfer process from old phone to new got underway, taking about twenty minutes to transfer data, then set up security and decide on a few things like passwords. When it came time to turn the new phone off for the evening, hmmm- I found a different process than just holding the power button in. Power and volume have to be pressed simultaneously, it happens. Then the “slide to turn off” shows up.

Diamond Dog can learn new tricks- and add competence. I’ve heard that each new skill keeps the brain cells from fading out. I will no doubt be picking up several, in what I have set for self, in the weeks ahead.

The Road to Diamond, Day 280: The Lone Deer

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Posted by on in Alternative Careers, animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

September 4, 2025- The juvenile doe gingerly approached the front yard of the home on Copper Basin Road, the penultimate southernmost road that is headed east to west, in Prescott. It was not unusual to see a deer, or even a predator, along this road. Deer are very social animals though, so seeing a loner was out of the ordinary. I wondered if she were orphaned, or just cut off from her herd. Maybe they were already in the back yard. Even the most social of animals can have stragglers. I can pretty much surmise, though, that the doe was not alone by conscious choice.

We humans are almost unique, in that we can isolate ourselves by placing excessive demands on our families, friends and associates. I have known people, a few of whom are still on the periphery of my social circle, who follow up a contingent demand with yet another. Most, if not all, of their relationships are conditional upon their being treated with deference-and usually at the expense of someone else-of whom they are jealous, or by whom they feel threatened.

I’ve said it before, though, and still maintain, that life is not a zero sum game. There has been, and remains, enough of me to share with several people about whom I care. So far, holding that stance has caused the more skittish ones to stop and thank me for what has been done on their behalf, at least for a few days. In my earlier years, I often kept to myself, only going to join other neighbourhood kids when they came by the house. So, I know a little of what the loners are feeling.

In middle childhood and in adolescence, being with others became more important, so I went to school dances, joined in games and sports, even if I was terrible at them and hung out with others at friends’ houses or went to their families’ camps. This probably kept me alive and reinforced the social skills that my parents bent over backwards, trying to instill earlier.

It also gave me the sense that, after losing my wife of 29 years, staying active in the community-first in Phoenix and then in Prescott- was what was going to guide me back to health and well-being. Community service then indirectly led me to do Terra supplements and a more healthy diet. It ended my status as lone deer- and brought first a wider social circle here in Prescott, then across Arizona and more widely-nationally and internationally.

I thought of these things even further, after offering similar advice to someone in another state, who recently retired and is looking for ways to build a new life. I hope this person will follow a path of self-discovery and self-realization. Each of us has gifts that are far beyond our understanding. Service and fellowship can bring those out.

The Road to Diamond, Day 279: Heart Letter 1

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

September 3, 2025, Keams Canyon- The hill we used to climb,and lay on blankets under the stars, is still alluring. It seems diminished somehow, though, with the campground having been taken up for house lots and a fenced in playground . The park is a nice idea for the Keams community, though.

I could have bushwhacked a bit and gone up the hill, just to reminisce about those first fleeting days of our acquaintance, which became an enduring, if sometimes harrowing, love story. It wasn’t far from this spot that your trailer sat, and where I camped out in the snow, the first time I visited you. It was all to keep up a sense of propriety, for your Hopi and Mormon neighbours. It was worth the hassle, though, and I felt akin to the small Dineh children who were traditionally thrown out in the snow, to toughen them up.

Tonight, though, there is no snow or cold, just a light rain. I am not sleeping outside, but in the comfort of some new friends’ apartment. We had a lovely dinner of cod fillets, cauliflower over rice and steamed avocado/cucumber salad. I gave them a set of books about the Hopi and one about Dineh. They are resuming the work we did in the ’80s and ’90s, and will take it to the next level.

Hopi will always be special, even if my time here is fleeting, and only occasional. The people have shared their wisdom with the world, and deserve all our support and understanding. You knew that, back then, when you sought to calm my peripatetic self and got me to devote weekends to attending ceremonial dances, instead of going off into mountains and canyons.

That, ironically, is why I am here tonight, absorbing the gentle spiritual energy that lies within these mesa lands, just prior to my embarking on journeys of homage and transition. Soon, our first grandchild will be joining the world. I will not be surprised if she looks up and smiles at a space where no earthly being can be seen. I will know that she is looking at you.