Stories from Lockdown

June 22, 2020

Del Mar, CA

 

 

Travel’s Moments

 

 

Everyone has to figure out what they are looking for when they travel. It often takes some trips to know what is personally meaningful in the world of travel. There are a lot of visitor choices to make such as outdoor activities, museums, churches, scenery, historic landmarks, and cities.

 

Our trips evolved as follows. Typically, we would do a hiking trip organized by MT. Travel/Sobek. We would hike with a group for a week or ten days in the Dolomites, Alps, or Pyrenes. Following the organized part of the trip, Vicki and I would often go to a city or country town in a mountainous area. The organized trips took us to areas we could never find on our own, and I loved them, but I also enjoyed discovering areas through our own explorations. Here are some examples.

                                                                                    

 

Ticino

On the tip of a fellow traveler, we booked a stay at a beautiful hotel on Lake Maggiore after a hiking trip in Switzerland. In the mornings we swam, had breakfast, and then walked through some fields by the lake into the local town, Ascona. This little lakeside village was quaint and peaceful. Our routine was to have espresso, read the paper, and watch the boats and people go by. It was a moment of quietude and beauty.

Zermatt

 

Zum Zee

 

We took a cable car up to Plateau Rosa from Zermatt with friends Fred Blumenstein and Laura Rafal. We decided to walk several hours it would take to descend to the town and our hotel. Our journey took us through fields of wildflowers and past cows with large bells that rang under the alpine sun. Partway down we came to a small village, Zum Zee, that was very scenic. Fred remarked that it was like walking from one postcard to another. At Zum Zee, we had homemade apple strudel and fresh milk. We didn’t want to leave.

 

                                                                                    

Zermatt

 

(to be continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stories from Lockdown

May 27, 2020

Del Mar, CA

 

 

Back in the Zone

 

                                                                                  

 

 

Today I spent some zone time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my zone.  Vicki and I played golf with Rob Schannon, a retired psychiatrist from Kaiser Permanente. If he didn’t make a putt, he was close. His stroke was smooth and effortless, and his speeds and lines were good. He couldn’t miss. He was in the zone.

 

                                                        

 

 

Years ago, when I taught at CSPP, I sometimes would find the zone. Zones I think go hand in hand with creativity, and this was so in my case. If I felt secure and engaged with the class, I discovered a phenomenon. Student questions seemed to slow down and drift across the room. By the time one reached me, I had several responses at the ready. I could use humor, go Socratic, or move in other directions. Such times were fun and effortless. I was in the zone.

 

                                                                            

 

Steph Curry of the Golden Steph Warriors is a zone guy. Watch him. When he moves to the basket, he doesn’t know what he is going to do. He creates as he goes. It is as if he is on another frequency than the other players on the floor. 

 

                                                                                        

 

Listen to Take Five by Dave Brubeck. If that isn’t zone work, I don’t know what is. Create, improvise and create and improvise. Jazz in the zone! Torvill and Dean, the famous English ice dancers, who won Olympic gold in Sarajevo in 1984 were residents of the zone. They flowed across the ice and seemed to surpass human limitations. The created magic in the moment.

 

 

Guacamole Italian Style

 

                                                                 

 

Mash some avocados in a bowl. Leave the mix chunky

Add chopped tomatoes and chopped white onion

Add juice from a fresh lemon

Add a little white vinegar

Add salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic salt.

Serve with robust chips from Whole Foods

 

 

 

 

Stories from lockdown

June 21, 2020

Del Mar, CA.

 

 

Pandemic Notes

 

                                                                                

Boston

 

The pandemic has been a terrible experience across the world. The loss of like has been devastating. Economies have plunged. People have suffered in so many ways. Have there been any positives?

 

Each person has to evaluate the above question for themselves. I have found people reaching out more than in the past. Life became less certain for a time, and I have to wonder if some of the petty issues that keep people apart didn’t fall by the wayside. People connecting seemed more important than ever. 

 

                                                                                

Positano

We spent more time at home, and that was good. There was less running around and more focus on the simpler aspects of living. We spent more time planning for meals, shopping for food, and resting. A less complex life felt strange but satisfying and meaningful. It was fun to enjoy my home and yard. Once I started playing golf again, life seemed to flow and be natural, though I was doing less than usual.

                                                                                    

Sorrento

 

Politically things shifted. New heroes emerged in the form of both Republican and Democratic governors. Who couldn’t be captivated by Andrew Cuomo or not admire Governors Newsome and Baker? On the other hand, the callousness of 45 and his cohorts became ever more evident. If crisis defined Churchill, it further exposed Trump’s ineptitude, administrative incompetence, and inability to feel for others.

 

                                                                            

Venice

                                                                                

 

I belong to ten or so Facebook Photography pages. You post and people may or may not react and comment. It is a nice way to learn. Many of the members are professional photographers, and everyone is supportive. One man suggested I do street scenes in black and white. I did, and that is what I do now. It is interesting that some of my more “popular” photos are not my favorites. The sites help you define your photographic voice.