Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
As part of striving to be a traveler rather than a tourist and wanting to be awake to the wonders of life as I walk this planet, I take photographs to aid my failing memory. Sometimes they are snapshots. Sometimes I am more mindful of trying to capture the light or capture the “story” in front of me.
I am reading and studying as much as I can about observing and photographing. The article “How Photography demands your presence” caught my imagination:
Sherry Turkle: “What is a place if those who are physically present have their attention on the absent? The Internet is more than old wine in new bottles; now we can always be elsewhere.”
Daniel Levitan: “The suggestion is that taking a picture, especially when done thoughtfully, can enhance your experience by making you pause and reflect on the significance of what you are witnessing. In other words, the act of photography actually promotes ‘mindfulness’, as it prompts you to examine and appreciate the world in greater detail.”
With a camera — and perhaps especially the ubiquitous smartphone — you are able to document your life in a way that preserves memories and potentially deepens your understanding of your personal history. Photography acts as a tool for reflection, helping you to revisit and relive past experiences. Rather than detracting from the present, capturing an image can promote future reflection, making it easier to appreciate the richness of your experiences over time.
For me the smart phone is much more of the latter. Taking photos of our meals and the wines we encounter preserve memories that I never had access to in the past. When the photo is combined with GPS coordinates on a map to show where we were at the time of the photo, it is much easier to retrospectively reflect and write about an experience.
Tracy Kidder: “Every story has to be discovered twice, first in the world and then in the author’s study.”
Is this true for photography as well? I believe so.
“The origin of the proverb ‘every picture tells a story’ can be traced back to the growing recognition of the power of visual imagery in the 20th century, particularly with the rise of photography and visual media. This saying highlights how a single image can provide insight, capture a moment, or communicate complex ideas in a way that words may not be able to. It also emphasizes the idea that visuals, whether through art, photographs, or other media, can be just as powerful, if not more so, than verbal communication in conveying meaning.”
I want all of my photos to tell a story.
Each time I pass this long abandoned car, I ask myself again what is its story. How did this car get here? The nearby road has only been in place for a few years, long after this car was abandoned. Was it just dumped here or did some folks get liquored up and wrapped the car around this unsuspecting unmovable tree? Why has the car stayed here for decades? So many questions.
I wonder if my photographs are art, even if they don’t tell a story.
“On the personal, internal side are two questions: What are your interests? How do you respond to your interests? The first question asks what is important to you. It’s unlikely, maybe impossible, to do good photography with subject matter that don’t interest you. The second question points you in the direction of how you want to express yourself, and even how you want others to respond to your imagery. Or, stated differently, how do you want your photograph to look, so that others will get the message you want to convey?”
— The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum https://a.co/hkkrsjW
I have a deep interest in sunrise colors, particularly the pre-sunrise colors of Seattle sunrises.
I have thousands of sunrise photos that capture the colors and the location of the sun as it moves between the winter and summer solstice. The colors wake me up each morning. I have to get out of bed to chase the light. Yet, what is the story. Are these snapshots or something more? Does a single photo tell the story or is it the curation of the many different colors and locations?
How thoughtful am I as I compose the shot of a sunrise. Should I focus in with my zoom or do a panorama shot?
Is there enough visual power here or do I force the user to zoom in to see the Seattle skyline?
“Understanding composition and applying it separates the artists from the snapshooters. A single, interesting object of exceptional visual power may sometimes be enough to produce a wonderful image, but rarely. Usually it is the relationships of lines, forms, colors, etc. that create the exceptional compositions and the most insightful photographs. The savvy photographer looks at all parts of the intended image to uncover hidden relationships that produces the extraordinary image; she rarely confines her seeing to a single object of interest. There are two aspects of good composition that are of prime importance. The concept of a unified thought is one; simplicity is the other. The two are strongly interrelated.”
— The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum https://a.co/e1ihirg
I am fascinated with architecture. Most of my fascination is cathedrals and ancient buildings.
“In the examples of my own work just discussed, I attempted to express a bit of this second consideration. The slit canyons overwhelmed me in a very specific way—as cosmic analogies, or as analogies to force fields—and my imagery is based on conveying that impression to others. Similarly, the cathedrals struck me as grand, musical, and infinite in their marvelous forms. Again, I tried to emphasize those qualities in my imagery. I did not simply conclude, “These things are interesting!” and begin to shoot, but rather I responded to the specific ways that I found them to be interesting. I approached them in an effort to express my strongest feelings about them photographically.”
— The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum https://a.co/gC0J1Jx
I try to get interested in modern architecture, particularly skyscrapers. But I have such a hard time figuring out how to photograph them.
“The unity of forms amidst the complexity of the architecture is a vivid example of Goethe’s statement that “Architecture is frozen music.” This is also an example of positive/ negative space in which the nearby columns and archways form the positive space, and the distant nave the negative space.”
“I dislike the architecture of all but a very few commercial buildings. They are cold, austere, impersonal, and basically ugly. I feel that these giant downtown filing cabinets are built for function with little thought given to aesthetics.”
— The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum
“Buildings as giant downtown filing cabinets” is a wonderful flipping of a photo concept.
Just as I strive to progress from a tourist to a traveler, I endeavor to become present to creative photography.
“Understand what you want to say! Understand how you want to say it! Then say it without compromise! Now you are thinking in terms of creative photography!”
— The Art of Photography: A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression by Bruce Barnbaum https://a.co/bwJZ330
I still love my sunrises. I really love being present to my sunrises.
After having such wonderful wine tasting experiences in Italy, I went searching for an out of the ordinary wine tasting experience in the Rioja region of Spain. I came across this article “Exclusive Rioja Wine Tasting Masterclass in Laguardia.”
“Mikel didn’t stop learning there – he continued on to get a two-year degree in Viticulture! He also obtained a Wine Tourism degree through the Basque Culinary Center. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe Mikel! Between managing PR, wine tourism, and sales for the fancy Gómez Cruzado winery, taking care of his two young kids, and teaching Rioja wine classes, he’s also squeezing in a master’s degree in Wine Business Management! Needless to say, he is energetic and dynamic!
“Mikel’s Rioja masterclasses are superb. His objective with the private, personalized tastings is to introduce cult, tiny batch, garage, and super collector wines to high-end wine lovers visiting the Rioja region. He includes the small producers and vignerons that are part of the new wave of Rioja wines. They are also personal, dear friends of Mikel’s. Therefore, he has unprecedented access to rare wines.”
Yes. This experience is exactly what I was looking for. But I could find nothing in my searches about Mikel Ruiz de Vinaspre other than this article. He wasn’t on Linkedin or Facebook or Twitter. I couldn’t find any pointers for how to communicate with Mikel. The blog post shared that he worked at Gomez Cruzado in Haro, Spain. But there was no mention of Mikel on the website. I took a chance and reached out to Mikel through the winery information email address. Finally, he responded.
We had a lengthy email correspondence both about taking his Masterclass as well as enjoying one of his winery experiences at Gomez Cruzado.
The day finally arrived for our appointments to visit Gomez Cruzado AND later visiting Mikel for his Masterclass at his home in Laguardia Spain.
Haro, Spain, is home to many winery tasting rooms within easy walking distance. Unlike most of the wineries in Spain, you don’t need a reservation to have a tasting. However, we wanted to experience as much of what Mikel was involved in as possible. So we booked the Premium Experience.
Gabriela gave us a very informative tour. She shared about the whole Rioja wine region, the Basque Rioja wine region, the history of the Gomez Cruzado winery, and the process of making their fine wines.
I am fascinated with the architecture of each winery. While on the outside of the winery the walls are made of stone, on the inside beautiful old wooden beams predominate. I love the different aging barrel sizes that populate European wineries. In the US, one size of barrel tends to dominate. I couldn’t resist poking my head into the large oval wooden barrels.
After our tour, we climbed the stairs to the private tasting room above the barrel room. We tasted eight wines while enjoying a sampling of local specialties. The range of newer and older vintages of Tempranillo grapes were a joy to behold.
After leaving the winery, we wandered into the old town of Haro and enjoyed a slow “watching the world go by” lunch.
We had some time before our meeting with Mikel at his home in Laguardia so we wandered the narrow streets of the old hilltop village.
Mikel shared that there are no automobiles or trucks allowed in Laguardia as the town is built on top of layers and layers of old tunnels and caves.
At the appointed time, Mikel greeted us at his front door.
As we stepped inside, Mikel explained a bit about his home.
Mikel introduces us to his home in Laguardia Spain
Mikel asked if we wanted to get started with the tasting or explore the tunnels under his home. Easy decision. Lead the way to the tunnels.
On our way to the tunnels, Mikel stopped on top of a glass floor which looked down on a 500 year old fermentation vat carved into the stone foundation of the home.
Mikel showing us the 500 year old stone wine fermentation tank
Our first stop on the way to the tunnels, was to look at the “spout” for pouring wine for the townspeople of Laguardia several hundred years ago directly from the fermentation tank.
As we descended the ancient stairs to several layers of tunnels, Mikel explained that when his father bought the house he decided to excavate the tunnels under their house. He also got permission to excavate the tunnel that runs under their neighbor’s houses. I realized that there was no railing to hold on to. Being very unsteady due to my surgically repaired right leg, Mikel said it was OK to hold on to the rock wall.
I was mortified when I dislodged one of the stones from this 500 year old stairway. Mikel assured me it was OK, but I felt like I had desecrated a piece of history.
At each level, Mikel stopped to share a bit of the history of these tunnels and caves. At this stop, he explained how the Basque and the Romans agreed not to fight with each other.
Mikel explaining how the Basque and Romans had a truce
We descended to the lowest tunnel.
Mikel shared that after his father excavated this tunnel, they tried to find out what this architected cave was used for. Their home is close to the Church of Santa María de los Reyes. From their research, they believe this tunnel was used as a hidden church during times of religious persecution. We came for wine. We received a historical experience of a lifetime.
We came back to the kitchen of Mikel’s home. He prepared a collection of four very small boutique wines for us to taste.
Mikel offers his masterclass in Rioja wine to celebrate the innovation of his friends and colleagues exploring non-traditional grapes and wine making techniques in Rioja. He shared that most wine tasting experiences will only present very traditional Rioja Tempranillo wines. He wanted a way to let those of us passionate about wine know what will be coming from Rioja in the future.
Mikel describing the Rioja wine region and innovative winemakers
What a day for Rioja wine tasting of the traditional and the innovative.
As we left Mikel’s home, I asked about the Athletic Bilbao flag above their door.
Mikel explained that everyone in Basque country is very proud of their La Liga futbol team. I didn’t realize that in order to be a member of this Basque team, you have to be born and developed your futbol skills in the Basque country. Athletic Bilbao is one of just a few teams that have never been relegated from the premier division. When you consider this residency restriction, the success of the futbol team is amazing.
At the end of this wonderful day, Mikel shared that we were the first “students” of his Masterclass that did not come through his booking agency. He let us know that we were the first visitors that ever found him on our own. I guess my research for these European trips is pretty good.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
I keep my sanity in this crazy world by trying to walk in the woods on Bainbridge Island every non-rainy day. I love the immersion in the deep greens on my walk no matter the time of year.
My walks start by passing the small flocks of sheep and chickens at our nearby neighborhood ranch.
I check to see that the flocks are the same size as the day before. Cougars and big dogs have thinned the flocks in the past. This spring there is a young noisy youngster sheep who has a strong pair of lungs.
As I meander along the Bluff Trail, I encounter this small grove of trees. I particularly like walking through at golden hour or stopping to look up at the sky. It seems like somebody tends this grove regularly, but the neighbors claim that this grove emerged naturally.
As I descend a short hill, I look for the first of two gnome homes. Some crafty soul has placed tens of these around Bainbridge for the enjoyment of hikers like me. I appreciate today’s adornments by fellow hikers looking to add a little greenery or color to these gnome homes.
“The origin of the proverb ‘every picture tells a story’ can be traced back to the growing recognition of the power of visual imagery in the 20th century, particularly with the rise of photography and visual media. This saying highlights how a single image can provide insight, capture a moment, or communicate complex ideas in a way that words may not be able to. It also emphasizes the idea that visuals, whether through art, photographs, or other media, can be just as powerful, if not more so, than verbal communication in conveying meaning.”
Each time I pass this long abandoned car, I ask myself again what is its story. How did his car get here? The nearby road has only been in place for a few years, long after this car was abandoned. Was it just dumped here or did some folks get liquored up and wrapped the car around this unsuspecting unmovable tree? Why has the car stayed here for decades? So many questions.
As I get to the end of the Bluff Trail, I search the containment ponds for ducks. I wonder if the ducks will have a family before the pond evaporates or a predator finds them. Another photo that generates so many questions.
More recently, Paul and Debbie Brainerd funded the creation of a labyrinth and small oasis on a bluff overlooking Blakely Harbor. Sometimes I stop if the light is just right to capture the sun’s rays as it traverses the spirals of the labyrinth. Sometimes the grands are with me to follow each twist and turn in the labyrinth to arrive at the magic pumpkin in the middle.
As I continue down the hill to Blakely Harbor and Log Pond, I scan the pond to see what the tides have brought in today. This interesting stump showed up one day and then stayed for months until a king high tide took it out to sea.
While observing the stump one day, I thought I saw another stump move in the pond. To my surprise, the moving stump was a river otter. It swam right toward me wondering why I was invading its privacy.
Our local artists regularly decorate what remains of the sawmills at Blakely Harbor’s Log Pond with colorful graffiti. I slow down to see what has changed since my last walk.
During really low tides, I have to wander out to the temporary spit of land so that I can show up in Google Maps as walking on water.
As I climb back up the bluff, I walk respectfully through Port Blakely Cemetery. I am surprised that many of the graves date back to the 1800s. I finally stop one day to read the inscription on the tallest gravestone.
The inscription reads “Sacred to the memory of brother knights drowned by the sinking of the streamer “Dix”, Nov. 18th 1906.” I think I am about to learn some local history as I return home to learn about the Steamer Dix.
“On Sunday, November 18, 1906, the inland passenger steamer SS Dix collides with the steam schooner SS Jeanie two miles north of Alki Point and one mile west of Duwamish Head. The Dix, traveling from downtown Seattle to Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island with 77 passengers and crew on board, sinks within five minutes with a loss of at least 39 lives. It is the greatest maritime disaster ever recorded on Puget Sound.”
Some days I walk in the woods for exercise. On my better days, I pay attention to the gifts of nature and small slices of history hiding quietly in the woods.
As I return home late in the evening from another walk in the woods, I watch the setting sun reflect its rays off of the Seattle skyline.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
I joined the May Day 2025 protest march in Seattle that started at Cal Anderson park on Capital Hill.
My favorite message from the day of passionate speeches and a committed mass of protestors, was the green sign above “Now you pissed off grandma.” These wonderful ladies of a certain age made this man of a certain age laugh. I needed this boost.
Our peaceful group from a wide age range and all walks of life came out to celebrate both our union workers and strongly protest against all the wrongs of the current administration.
The main stream media did our protest no favors by estimating only 1000 people showed up. By my count through my own photos, there were at least 5,000 marchers and many more. The media should be actively pointing out that millions marched in every major city in the US yesterday. Note: I’ve red circled my marching self as I proudly wore my Bainbridge Bay Hay and Feed orange laughing pumpkin hoodie.
For the first couple of hours, several speakers shared their passion about May Day and what it means to each of them. The crowd was a relatively equal mix between union members and those of us protesting the current lawless and grifting federal administration.
I was impressed with the members of the SEIU union who all wore purple Tshirts and constructed a 20 foot puppet to accompany our march.
I loved the mothers marching with their six year old children or walking with their well behaved dogs. To help us out on this first hot day of spring in Seattle, many volunteers pulled little read wagons full of free water and masks for the marchers.
I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the Bud Light truck we had to walk around on Capital Hill as we started the March. I was hoping that Anheuser-Busch was really supportive of the March and was going to share a few beers on this hot spring day. No Joy. The beer truck in the middle of the March reminded me of my protest days at Duke when the carillon at the top of the Chapel Bell Tower played the Mickey Mouse theme song during our Vietnam protests. You have to laugh a little even in the midst of such government madness.
I was incredibly impressed with the May Day Seattle 2025 organizers and all that they did to keep us safe. At each intersection a group of the volunteer bike brigade members closed off the street. The Seattle Police car brigade supported these efforts by closing down all the major intersections. Here the bicycle brigade and the police stop traffic and public transportation at the Broadway intersection on Capital Hill.
Fortunately, there was not much in the way of counter protestors. There were a few right wing nut evangelical Christians shouting that none of us would be saved carrying signs sharing that we would all burn in hell. Somebody at the top of the Hotel Theodore decided that they needed to spray water at us with a fire hose from the top of the hotel. These distractions were easily ignored and did nothing to change the peacefulness of the March.
I was glad to see several signs pointing out that “Trump is killing us.” I mentioned yesterday that his policies to not approve the next Covid vaccine, shutting down all safety inspections for agricultural products, cutting Medicaid, stopping medical research and hundreds more atrocities are all aimed at killing more of us that his actions during the Covid Pandemic. We have to stop Trump and all his Republican supporters who are trying to kill us. These government actions are why I protest and march.
As I returned to Bainbridge Island, I was delighted to honk my horn in support of the protestors at the Highway 305 and Main Street intersection. I am proud to be one of the millions of citizens who took to the streets this May Day to support our unions and protest the actions of the Republicans and SCOTUS.
I have no idea when the 70 million people who voted for this Trump felonious, grifting, lawless administration will wake up. I only hope it is soon so that we can reclaim this amazing country which has given me and my extended family so much these last 75 years.
“The path to healthy aging is not centered on the consumption of health care services. The path is instead centered on developing the ability to adapt to changing circumstances—the ability to bounce back from an illness, injury, loss, or any other setback. In a word, resilience. Don’t be fooled by the ads. You don’t procure resilience; you build it.“
Over the course of the last seven years after my serious auto accident, I worked hard at building resilience.
To build resilience, I put together a “team” of healthing professionals to work on my physical, cognitive and spiritual practices. All of these team members are in their own special ways constantly pushing me to go past any real or perceived boundaries. My cognitive therapist after hearing about my resilience building efforts immediately asked “for what? You can’t stop at resilience building. You must push on to the next level of transformation,” she urged.
As you might guess, I am not catching any sympathy from my wonderful therapists.
To this hike in February 2020 at Joshua Tree National Park:
While laying in my hospital bed at Harborview hospital after my third major surgery to reconstruct my left ankle in May 2018, the pain was close to unbearable. I’d never experienced pain of that magnitude. It took over 24 hours to get the pain under some kind of control through a mixture of drugs and a nerve block in my left calf above the ankle incisions.
As the pain subsided, I looked at my leg immobilizer, my ankle cast, and my left arm cast and despaired of ever walking again. When I was by myself, usually in the middle of the night, I would quietly sob, thinking that I would never be able to walk normally again, let alone hike in some of my favorite places. I thought I would have to be satisfied with the memories of a lifetime of hiking in the Presidential mountains in New Hampshire, the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, the Olympic Mountains of Washington, the National Parks in Utah, and my beloved high desert of Joshua Tree National Park.
However, with all of the unbelievable skills and patience and dealing with my hard headedness, my team of medical professionals and therapists helped me walk again. While it took two more major surgeries to get my left femur stabilized, I was able to start walking and hiking on Bainbridge Island in 2019. I was still limited to about three miles on any given hike before the pain in my ankle and knee would rise to a level where I needed a dose of Advil.
After two months of slow painful hiking, I decided to try a different type of compression sock (Copper Fit knee high) and purchased some ankle high Hoka lightweight hiking boots. Slowly but surely I pushed through the three mile barrier without any increased pain or need for Advil. Over two months I was able to build up to hiking 8 miles at a time.
However, it was a challenge to get long walks in while it was raining so much during the month of January 2020. As I wrote this in 2020, it was the first official sunny day in 80 days. For months I knew I needed to get out of the PNW weather. I wanted some heat and sunshine. I neededsome heat and sunshine. Joshua Tree beckoned. It took a couple of weeks to find a date that we could sandwich between a family friend’s funeral and my son needing some help transporting household goods to his new home in Santa Barbara, CA. Finally, on February 9th we got away and headed south.
We arrived at Joshua Tree late on February 12. I couldn’t wait to get up early the next morning to climb Ryan Mountain with Jamie. This hike was Jamie’s first in Joshua Tree. I neglected to tell her how hard it would be. While a relatively short hike (3 miles round trip), it is pretty steep (1500 feet elevation gain in 1.5 miles). The entire trip is composed of an endless series of stone steps.
We made it to the top in good shape. Jamie and I celebrated the 360 degrees of views from the top of Ryan Mountain with trail mix and lots of water. In the background you can see the smog that rolls in from the LA Basin to cover Palm Springs. Not only did I make it to the top, but I carried a backpack for the first time since I started hiking again.
I knew that the easy part was over. With each step up, I tried not to think about the degree of difficulty coming back down. I can walk up steps relatively easily now. But going downhill requires much more work from my right leg.
The concentration required to place my hiking poles in just the right spot and place my feet correctly and safely gets quite tiring. My right quad still needs a bunch of strengthening for this kind of downhill workout.
Over the last seven years and seven major surgeries, my constant mantra is: I will get out of my wheelchair. I will walk again. I will hike again.
I will walk again.
Building Resistance
When I became somewhat conscious after my first four days of surgery, I looked at the cast on my forearm, the external fixator on my ankle, and the full left leg brace, and it occurred to me that I wasn’t going to be getting on a plane to go to Denver, NYC, Paris, Orlando, London, and Sydney Australia over the next three months for planned business trips. I knew I had to adopt something very different than my professional skeptic cynical analytic personality. In an instant I realized I already had an inspiration in Kathryn Hardie who I had worked with for 18 years at Attenex and FTI Consulting.
Kathyrn fought cancer for 10 years with the most positive attitude and full of life force I ever experienced. I figured if she could fight cancer that long, I could be positive during the surgeries and the rehab for a year. I wanted to let her know what an inspiration she was for me so I sent her several emails and she so kindly replied and sent a hand written note to Jamie. Unfortunately, she died suddenly during my third week in the hospital. It took me awhile to realize that her inspiration will always be with me.
About three weeks into my stay at Harborview, the PT folks showed me how to get from my bed into a wheelchair. I roamed the halls of the sixth floor somewhat at will a couple of times a day. One day Nurse Felma stopped me and shared “you know studies have shown that if you have a positive attitude after severe trauma or disease your chances of healing much faster increase dramatically. And you are off the scale with your positive attitude. None of us can believe it.”
I looked around to make sure that she was talking to me. I am not exactly known for a positive attitude. There was nobody else there. I guess she was talking to me.
While I am no medical or health expert, I am an expert on my own recovery. I have gone far beyond what my orthopedic surgeon expected. I have gone far beyond what the US health care “system” supports or even encourages.
I believe resilience building starts with having a positive, creative forward looking attitude.
In my corporate consulting I often share/teach my clients and colleagues about the Blame Frame versus the Outcome Frame that I first heard from Robert Fritz and John Grinder.
What is the difference that makes the biggest difference?
Once the important difference that makes a difference is identified, then that difference becomes the place to start for implementation of the vision/goals.
The other primary form springs from the work of John Grinder who created what he describes as the Outcome Frame orientation.
What are we trying to create?
How will we know we created it?
What resources do we have to get started now?
What other opportunities does this lead to?
Every time I use the Outcome Frame process, I am amazed at the creative energy that is released in a group.
Grinder contrasted the Outcome Frame with the process that most of us had drilled into us in our schooling or business careers – the problem or blame frame:
What is the problem?
How did it get this way?
Who caused it?
What are you going to do to fix it?
The normal “me” would have wallowed in the Blame Frame. However, it was very clear to go through the rehabilitation to be able to walk and hike again I needed a serious change of attitude. I had to rigorously adopt the Outcome Frame in order to Build Resilience.
I will walk again. I will hike again.
The difference that will make the biggest difference that I can visualize is making it to the top of Joshua Tree’s Ryan Mountain AND descending.
A Resilience Building Model
In my professional life I am always synthesizing and building models to try and understand the world around me. As I reflected on the complexity of creating a resilience building model, I needed a starting point that could quickly show the interlinkage and flow of the resilience building complexity. My starting point for such models is the Enneagram.
Socializing – it takes a village to build resilience and to support someone building resilience. This is community. This is my Catholic parish praying for me each day. This is all the visitors and those bringing meals to me. It is the interaction with other sentient souls.
Entering – this is the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) sense of reaching the bottom. I’ve now fallen so far in my health, I recognize that I need to change. This is Rohr in Falling Upward talking about moving from Life 1 to Life 2. This is the challenge. Being there when somebody hits bottom and is looking to change.
Diagnosing – have I reached the bottom of this life pit? While I am focused on trauma resilience, what is the diagnosis of my other health problems (like looming Alzheimer’s) so that I can begin to make the life style changes that will help me move upward and forward. The changes needed are to switch to a completely Vegan diet or Mediterranean diet and exercise more.
Nourishing – there is a positive and negative to this. What kind of food do I need to take in to reduce the risk of all chronic diseases? What does my body need to reduce my chronological age to a younger biological age? I need to work against no carcinogens in my life – the no smoking, no heavy metals, no exposure to mold – any of the things that cause bodily harm. What kind of nourishing do I need to do for my mind and spirit?
Learning – now that I have a diagnosis and have started nourishing my body what do I need to learn more about. What is the unique learning I need to do for my N=1 healthing system. What are the resources I need to learn about to help me form my Team Resilience. UltraLearning is a good process model to follow. This is learning with the intensity of getting to a life worth living instead of being warehoused in a nursing home. I started writing again and began experimenting with acrylic painting.
Teaming – now that I have learned about my situation, what is the Resilience Team I need to put together that can translate their expertise into what I uniquely need for my n=1 health. For me the team looks like:
Jamie – my spouse, my partner, my friend, and my nurse. She is the foundation of the Journey of the Foot and all that has transpired during the last seven years.
Orthopedic Surgeons and all the nurses and residents that supported them
Physical Therapist
Occupational Therapist (while I only had three weeks of interaction with an OT, I received a lifetime of expertise and encouragement) and Health Coach
Lee Hood – model of biological age (69) versus chronological age (82)
Right brain psychotherapist
The grand kids – Katherine James Schuitemaker pointed out that they are my mentors for understanding the next generation.
Family – our children, their families, my brother and sister, Jamie’s siblings – all have been beyond amazing in helping me recover.
Exercising – to build resilience, all aspects of body, mind, spirit need to be exercised. The body aspects are to build aerobic and strength capabilities. The Mind component is to exercise the brain through work or hobbies or life’s passions. Ultralearning is a good process for intense brain exercise. Spiritual learning runs the gamut from mindfulness to the different spiritual traditions and their exercises. Cursillo exercises are in the categories of piety, study and action.
Programming – taking the diagnosis and teaming resources and learning to develop the unique “protocol” for making the life style changes to reduce risks of chronic disease and reduce biological age. For Alzheimer’s the starting point is Bredesen’s Recode protocol. A key component of programming is to take into account all aspects of body, mind, spirit. This protocol is the synthesis and meta level of the nourishing, exercising and socializing creative triangle.
Measuring – if you can measure it, you can improve it. If you can’t measure it, you don’t know where you are going. Peter Drucker shares “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” With all of the mobile digital devices like the Apple Watch, you can monitor passively and log many of the steps in any protocol.
Sharing – and the cycle repeats at a higher level of organizing. Once you have gone through the loop and are measuring progress, share the results with others. Step 12 of AA – spiritual awakening and delivering the AA message – share with others. This is the most powerful of the socializing activities.
Now that I have a model for Building Resistance and have tested it through seven (and soon eight) major surgeries, it is time for me to start Sharing. My original intent was to write a book. However, in this modern age a more appropriate medium is the mobile app. Now that AI application building tools exist, I can build that app without needing a staff of programmers.
The next phase of my Building Resilience Journey begins – helping others to build their resilience after serious trauma. Maybe I am finally pushing on from resilience building to transformation.
We all need to build resilience to combat the current administration and their commitment to killing the citizens of the United States. In 2020 during the Covid crisis, Trump, his administration and the Republican party killed 750,000 Americans through their wrong headed Covid policies. Now through the Trump administration and the Republican party with very specific policies (Project 2025 Playbook), the US Government is trying to kill even more citizens. By stopping Covid vaccine approvals, allowing measles and salmonella outbreaks to go unchecked, stopping USDA and Agriculture department safety policies and inspections, and hundreds more unlawful actions, the current Republican administration aims to kill more citizens than they did with Covid.
Today is May Day. It is another day of protest. We must stop the coup and the policy led killing of Americans.
“WASHINGTON D.C. (WICS) — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement ahead of her “Alive Day,” the day she almost died in a shootdown that took both of her legs and partial use of her right arm:
“Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of my Alive Day, the day I almost died in a dusty field in Iraq after our Blackhawk was shot out of the sky—but didn’t. I’m only alive today because my buddies—who thought I was dead—refused to leave my body behind. As our nation marks Veterans Day, I’m thinking of their heroism that gave me the opportunity to not only live, but live a life so much fuller than I ever imagined.”
I should have died. Lt. McBride estimated I had only about one minute left to live as I was not breathing. I was pinned between the compressed steering wheel and my drivers seat. The cynic in me is pissed because I don’t remember seeing the white light. Evidently when I got to the Pearly Gates St Peter said: “it’s not your time. I am throwing you back. You are part of our catch and release program.”
Due to retrograde amnesia I have no memory of my first four days in the Harborview Medical Center Intensive Care Unit (ICU). I do not remember anything about the first two surgeries to repair my many compound fractures. I have no memory of three inches of bone removed from my left femur. I have no memory of this photo taken four days after the accident while I was in the ICU.
Over the next year I asked my orthopedic surgeon if I would ever be able to walk and hike in the woods again. She always answered “we’ll have to wait and see how you heal.” It wasn’t until four years later during a deposition in our litigation that she shared:
“So, I never thought he was really going to walk much again.”
“From defendant counsel cross examining my surgeon: Q: And how would you describe his recovery from his injuries? I mean it sounds like he had a very good recovery, would you agree with that? A: Yeah. I’d call it miraculous. I think he’s had terrible, life changing, really bad injuries into his joints, some of the worst that I’ve seen in my 17 years here (at Harborview), and that I — I think he’s stoic and pushes through; so, his recovery to me is outside the spectrum of what I expected at all, and that’s sort of how I summarize him. Q: And you believe — you characterize that as really a miraculous recovery, then, correct? A: I think his function is miraculous given his injuries by x-ray and what they were, yes.”
Remembering that she is an orthopedic surgeon at a Level 1 Trauma Center that serves four states in the Pacific Northwest, I couldn’t believe that she said I was one of the worst cases she had ever seen. Then I realized that if I had worse injuries I would be dead.
I am glad to be alive.
I am glad to be alive to see how our three children and our four grand children and their families are growing and thriving.
Little did I know before this accident that I had a non-bucket list bucket list. I had made it 68 years (and hoped to make it a lifetime) without encountering any of the dreaded non-bucket list items below:
Requiring a first responder to save my life
Riding in an ambulance
Needing to go to a Level 1 trauma center (Harborview)
Being a patient in a hospital
Having one or more broken bones
Not being able to walk
Having to use a bedpan for functions of daily living
Having to worry about becoming addicted to oxycodone
Learning how to self-administer twice a day shots of blood thinners
Understanding the difference between a physical therapist and an occupational therapist
Using a wheelchair for many months
Becoming a repository for the outputs of a titanium mine
Learning how to pole dance (just to get out of bed)
The most insightful quote of the nine weeks in the hospital is from a nurse at Harborview:
“Doctors fix. Nurses heal.”
I extend that to:
“First Responders save. Doctors fix. Nurses heal. Therapists rebuild. Friends and Family love.”
While I was flat on my back in a hospital bed for nine weeks and most of the next seven months, I dreamt of hiking in the woods on Bainbridge Island again. I read a lot and a quote from Parker Palmer kept me looking forward. I broke down in tears as I read wondering if I would ever be able to make it back to hiking in the Olympic Mountains. Or even if I could return to hiking in the woods on Bainbridge Island. My “one day at a time” mantra was failing me.
“A few words about “grace, gravity, and getting old.” I’m writing this Prelude in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For over a decade, my wife and I have come here in the late spring for a couple of weeks of hiking, writing, napping, eating Southwestern food, and enjoying spectacular sunsets.
At my age, the napping, eating, and sky-gazing are no stretch. But out on a mountain trail, I feel both grace and gravity more keenly than when I first came here in my mid-sixties.
The grace is that I have the health and resources to get myself out to the high desert; that, after a couple of days, my heart and lungs are still able to adjust to the 7,000-foot difference between Santa Fe and my Midwestern home; that I can stand at a trailhead and still feel confident about getting partway up, maybe even to the top of a trail that climbs from 9,000 to 10,000 feet; that every foot of the way I’m surrounded by beauty that a lot of people never get a chance to see.
But as I climb, gravity kicks in. I hike more slowly than I used to, stopping to catch my breath more often. I have to be more attentive to where I’m putting my feet lest a momentary imbalance pitch me into a fall. The tug of gravity is an inescapable part of aging. As they say, “Everything goes south.” Energy, reaction time, muscle tone, the body itself—they’re all headed back into the earth, as far south as it goes.”
Palmer, Parker J.. On the Brink of Everything . Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kindle Edition.
After months of physical therapy, I was finally able to walk in the woods:
I am more anxious this year on my Alive Day as I have one more major surgery to go through to repair damage from the accident. Sometime this summer I will have a full ankle replacement on my left ankle. Each time I undergo surgery (seven and counting) I wonder if I am going to be able to walk and hike again. I’ve had my ankle CT scanned and a new ankle replacement 3D printed. The silvery bits are the titanium 3d printed sample ankle replacement in the photo below:
Now I just have to wait for a surgery slot to open up at the hospital.
Thank you to all the first responders, doctors, nurses, therapists, family and friends who have kept me alive and thriving these last seven years.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
We are blessed with an eastward facing home that looks over the Puget Sound towards Seattle. As the earth turns, each morning I see the sun move on its seasonal journey venturing either north or south of Seattle.
I did not realize how much I needed the colors of sunrise until I spent a year in my “invalid cave” otherwise known as our piano room. In my cave I recovered from five lengthy surgeries repairing my left arm and left leg, knee and ankle. I loved watching the twinkling lights of Seattle late into the night, but I particularly loved the many colors of a Seattle sunrise.
I really liked my invalid cave – except at 5am on a summer morning when the sunlight streams into the room shouting at me to wake up. My incapacitated foot loves the view and the colors, but doesn’t like the early rising time.
I archived my first sunrise photo on September 13, 2010 when we moved into our current house. This day while the yellows dominated, the purples, pinks and grays of the marine layer framed the rising sun.
I have thousands of photos of the Seattle sunrise. I have a long term goal of capturing the sunrise every day of the year so I can show how far north and south the sun moves on its yearly journey. However, I didn’t reckon with the five months of gray and rain we have during the winter months. For those months I have to be content with the occasional sunbreaks of early morning.
My favorite sunrise colors shine over the Washington State ferry as it passes below our house.
I love capturing panorama photos that show the pre-sunrise oranges and pinks against the muted gray expanse of the sky above the cascades. The shadows of Mt.Rainier and Mt. Baker lurk at the edges.
While I love the spectacular reds, pinks and oranges of a September sunrise, I feel sad that the brightest colors are coming from wildfires in the Cascade Mountains.
At times the bright reds of the pre-sunrise during wildfire season are breath taking.
In early January, the sun’s journey is almost as far south as SEATAC airport.
The colors show in layers in early December as the clouds and water reflect the sun’s struggle to rise above the Cascade mountains. The subtle pinks, yellows and oranges tint the winter gray of the ever present clouds.
While I love the moment when the sun rises above the mountains, the best colors and contrasts occur about thirty minutes before the sun rises. The twinkling lights of the ferry and Seattle herald the coming sunrise.
As I get ready for my next major surgery to do a full ankle replacement on my left foot, I look forward to returning to my “invalid cave” to be awakened by the many colors of sunrise.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
On our visit to France in Fall 2024, we wanted to experience both the right and left bank wine Chateaus of Bordeaux. We sought recommendations from our host Valentino at Chateau Tanesse de Tourny near Bayon-sur-Gironde France. He strongly suggested Chateau Franc Mayne near St. Emilion as the best right bank winery to visit.
While we expected to taste excellent wines, we didn’t expect that we would be walking into a living history museum. The ancient history started the minute we entered the vineyards. The entrance road was part of the French Way of the Camino de Santiago.
Because the Camino passes through the vineyards and winery, the road must remain open 24 hours a day in order that pilgrims may freely pass through.
As our tour guide led us through the vineyards and to an old hostel house for pilgrims on the Camino, we walked on a 2000 year old Roman Road that passes through the vineyards.
We walked on this 2000 year old road to a several hundred year old hostel that provided accommodations for the Camino pilgrims. As I write this six months later, I still cannot believe that we just casually walked along a 2000 year old road.
The stone wall that we faced as we walked out of the hostel had a door that led into the start of 200 kilometers of limestone caves surrounding the village of St. Emilion.
The limestone caves are what remains of 200 km of ancient Roman mines. The limestone from these mines was used to build great works throughout the Roman empire.
Since we tourists always need something more than just winding our way through ancient mines, Chateau Franc Mayne provided several curated scenes of historical events which occurred in the mines.
Chateau Franc Mayne Limestone Cave
The ancient mines were not just a tourist attraction. Chateau Franc Mayne and many of the other St. Emilion wineries use the cool dark caves to age their barrels of wine.\
As we exited the caves, we looked up to see the iconic oak tree that serves as the logo for the Chateau Franc Mayne winery. As I walked around this cave entrance, I looked up to see the incredibly thin layer of soil that held the oak tree along with the acres of vines. Our guide shared that all of their Merlot vines grow in this very shallow soil that sits atop the thick layer of limestone. It always amazes me how grape vines can grow in seemingly impossible conditions.
Our guide through the property was also our guide through the tasting of Chateau Franc Mayne wines.
Chateau Franc Mayne wine tasting
The wines were so good, we had to buy a few for our continued journey through France.
While we enjoy experiencing “profoundly France” wines and the food, it is the unexpected history lessons we gain along the way that make venturing into rural areas so enlightening. I had no idea that there were 200 kilometers of ancient Roman mines under St. Emilion. I also had no idea how many ways the mines were used to protect local citizens during times of war and to hide fugitives and refugees during those wars.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
Living on Bainbridge Island, we travel by Washington State Ferries several times a week. Over the years, we’ve travelled on many different types of ferries, including the tiny Wheatland Ferry in Oregon.
On our recent trip to Basel, Switzerland, to visit my wife’s college roommate, we enjoyed a nice walking tour of Basel. Bonnie showed us around old and new Basel. As we walked to the river bank, I asked how we were going to get across the river. Bonnie laughed and pointed down to the small wooden unpowered ferry called the “Ueli”.
The four Rhine river ferries “Wild Maa”, “Leu”, “Vogel Gryff” and “Ueli” link Grossbasel (Old Basel) to Kleinbasel (New Basel). They are attached to a long wire cable and are driven purely by the current of the Rhine itself. The “driver” simply moves the rudder to steer us into the current and across the river.
“The ferries will silently bring you to the opposite shore all year round. Experience the way in which time seems to stand still during this brief crossing.”
Ferry Ueli in Basel crosses the Rhine River
With my balky surgically repaired left leg, I was a bit worried about getting into the wobbly ferry from the unstable dock. However, Bonnie wanted to introduce us to her favorite brew pub in Old Basel. Knowing there was alcohol in my future, I braved the unsteady steps onto the ferry. We enjoyed our river current driven fun ride across the Rhine.
Ferry Ueli in Basel Crosses the Rhine River
We safely crossed the Rhine and walked through the narrow streets of Old Basel to find our brew pub.
Longtime friends. Good beer. Great food. And a foot ferry ride on the Rhine. Life is good.
No matter how long I live, I am always amazed at how friendships forged fifty years ago are easily rekindled even when many years have passed between interactions.
Stop the coup in the United States!Vote! Resist!Persist!
I love the Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course. Every year, I eagerly watch and listen to Jim Nance describe “a tradition unlike any other.” I scramble to find some pimento cheese for my “Masters pimento cheese” sandwich and pull out my worn 2010 Masters plastic glass for my beer. Then I sit back and enjoy the golf.
When the action reaches the eighth green, one of the announcers will share “Bruce Devlin made a double eagle on this hole in 1967.” I shout back at the TV “I was there. I saw it go in. I was there.”
It took more than 30 years after Sarazen’s feat for another to be recorded. That came in the first round in 1967 by Australian Bruce Devlin, who called it a “perfect golf shot.”
“It hit on the front of the green, rolled right around the corner and went right in the hole,” said Devlin, who used a 4-wood from 248 yards on No. 8. “I could understand it if the flag was in the middle of the green, but it’s almost impossible to get a wedge up there.”
But Devlin never saw the ball hit the green or roll into the cup. He was 200 yards back down the fairway below the top of the hill. What he described was accurate. There were only 10 of us standing around the green as it was early in the day. We saw this ball come from out of nowhere, hit at the front of the green and it was like the ball had radar. It rolled in an arc and rolled and rolled and slowed, hit the flag and plopped into the hole.
Because it is the Masters where no electronic devices are allowed and no patron cameras are allowed, we didn’t know who hit the ball. We also didn’t know if it was their second or third shot. And we didn’t know it was a double eagle until 10 minutes later when the manual scoreboards were changed to show Devlin’s score. The other golfers congratulated Bruce, but nobody made a big deal out of it.
I was there, but I didn’t know what I had seen.
There were no TV cameras trained on the green so there was no proof that it happened. Ten of us saw it. But nobody knew what we saw.
We saw Bruce Devlin on the scoreboards gain the three shots of the double eagle. And then we watched him bogey the next four holes giving all the shots right back.
I was there. And I have no way to prove the memory.
That memory was 57 years ago. I was with my dad and he saw it as well. But he died 30 years ago so he can’t confirm the memory.
I am of an age where I can’t remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, but I can remember that double eagle by Bruce Devlin on the Par 5 eighth hole at the Augusta National Golf Course.
While I have many memories of the Masters tournament, at least I have proof of another great day at the Masters. At the 2004 Masters we had the great fortune to attend with one of the members of Augusta National who offered to put our chairs on the 18th green for us for the Sunday finale. As a member he got to stay in one of the “cabins” (in reality a 4000 square foot six bedroom home) behind the Butler cabin. He said he would get up at 6am and place our chairs by the green.
In the photo below, I’ve circled the location of my brother and me in the first row. We were in the process of leaping to celebrate Phil Mickelson’s made putt to win his first green jacket in 2004.
Thanks to a photographer from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the publishing of the photo on the first page of the Monday paper, I have a record of this Masters memory. I can prove it.
But I’ll never be able to prove the memory of seeing Bruce Devlin getting a double eagle on the eighth hole at the 1967 Masters.
Fortunately, I will always have the memory of that beautiful spring day amongst the azaleas of Georgia.
On the Way to Somewhere Else 