Fact or Fiction???

I recently forwarded a heartwarming email about a student and his teacher, that was not only poignant but tear jerking as well. A number of receipients have emailed me telling me that the wonderful story brought tears to their eyes. I also received an email from a Mr. Jones (not sure who he is) that informed me that the story in question is not true and has been circulating for some time and was even brought up on Paul Harvey, and by Dr. Schuller even though it is fiction.

Now I am not sure what motivated Mr. Jones to feel it necessary to "correct" the fact that the "heart warming" story was not fact. I am sure that Mr. Jones feels he is a keen intellectual, and able to discern fact from fiction. I only hope that he doesn't feel the need to correct the many millions of children in the world who believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. In fairness to Mr. Jones his correction was not made with derision or malice (that I could tell) but with even handed comment.

I do however feel that the line between fact and fiction is an elusive one. For instance the image of the rose above. Is it fact? Maybe! Is it fiction? Possibly! In fact it is an image that I took in Turkey that I rendered to be somewhat abstract, but still recognizable.

Fiction to me is what people believe to be false, and fact what people perceive to be true. JUST AN OBSERVATION, NOT A JUDGMENT!!!

Live well and prosper
Dennis

The Bird of Paradise

One of my favourite flowers is the "Bird of Paradise" or in scientific terms the "strelitzia reginae". It is a monocotyledonus flowering plant indigenous to South Africa and the scientific name commemorates Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Streilitz, the queen consort of King George III.

It is the official flower of the City of Los Angeles, although this image was taken in the front yard of our Hawaii home on the island of Kauai.

So now you know:-)

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Over the Moon!!!!

In my last post, I wished you the courgage to dream large, and take action to realize those dreams. I don't believe that it is so much important that you necessarily achieve those goals or dreams, but you sent a course of action in that direction. Sometimes the road presents forks along the way and our dream is modified, altered or replaced by another dream or goal. I have heard it said that: "only mediocre people are always at their best". Mediocre to me is not working toward a dream, goal or action that I enjoy. It always amazes me how good or proficient we become if only we take steps to improve. My experience is that the rise in expertise is directly proportional and exponentially related to the effort and enthusian I exhibit for my chosen interest.

Over time I have heard it said: "I would love to travel, but don't have the money!"; "You're lucky you have the time and money"; "I could never do ..........." and so on and so forth. It is not rocket science! By saving the paltry sum of $50 a month, a trip to Hawaii, Mexico, Cuba or the Bahamas can be yours in 2 years. As I said earlier in this blog: most people have the will to win, but very few do the preparation to win.

Let's set some large goals or dream big, and prepare to win them!!!

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Where Do Dreams Come From???

We had a discussion at work today about what our dreams are. Not the type of dreams at night time, but dreams and aspirations for the future. It was interesting that no one mentioned what they were going to do in order to achieve those dreams but just verbalized what I refer to as "WIBNIF's". I believe that for most of us our dreams are not action plans to achieve a goal, but WIBNIF's or "Wouldn't It Be Nice If........".

I think it would be nice if I won a multi million dollar lottery, but in the absence of me actually buying a ticket it doesn't seem that likely. In fact the odds are astronomical even with a ticket, but having one at least puts me in the game and demonstrates action on my part. This reminds me of a quote I recall from some time ago which I believe was uttered by some football coach, and that is: "most people have the desire to win, but few have the desire to prepare to win".

I have the desire to take dramatic images from all parts of the world, but this morning with the fog rolling in off the ocean, I didn't have the inclination or energy I suppose to leave my warm bed and go into the cold air before sunrise. Upon waking I looked out my living room window and thought: "Wow there are some real winners of images out there!" Again no preparation.

I am not one much for New Year's Resolutions, but this year I will make some that I will share with you in a New Year's post. Now I realize that making the resolutions and keeping them are two entirely different things. We will see if they last long enough to become habits.

Here's wishing you the courage to dream large and develop action plans to make those dreams reality.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

The Sun Sets on 2009

It is Christmas night and I am at work on a very quiet evening. Not many airplanes flying tonight that need my help, so thought I would take some time and reflect on the past year. For me it was a year of much photography in different places of the world, from the Falkland Islands in January, Arizona in May, Namibia in September and Hawaii in December with my family. I have met many new friends and acquaintances along the way and experienced new situations and hopefully learned a lot, if not about life, then at least about myself. Even though people come and go from our lives, once there they all leave a little of themselves for which I am grateful.

For me, one of the joys of the past year has been watching my grandson continue to grow in life as a now 3 year old, who sometimes displays the intelligence and wisdom of someone much older. The fact that I get to see him many times a week only adds to the significance of the experience for me.

So as I reflect on the past year, I give thanks for the wonderful people the universe has brought into my life, the exciting adventures I have seen through my camera lens, and most of all my family and the part we play in each others' lives.

What's up for 2010, I sometimes wonder. Well I will look through my camera lens in Venice in February, Arizona in April, Utah in May, probably Eastern Europe in September and back to Hawaii in December for Christmas and New Year.

I hope you have created an exciting 2009 for yourself, and will make 2010 everything you want it to be.

Live well and prosper.
Dennis

Merry Christmas to All my Readers!

I have recently returned from Kauai at least physically if not mentally. I thought I would show an image of Hanalei Bay and the Na Pali coast which I took a couple of weeks ago. I always thought it made more sense to spend the Christmas holidays at home, but this year I am not so sure. It may be a sign of age, or simply of those sunny +75F days with light warm breezes. As Christmas draws near I seem to think more and more of Hawaii and the relaxing days. I am however trying to get back into the swing of things here in rainy Vancouver which is after all "home" While I try to get back into the swing of things, I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with love, peace, and joy.

Live well and prosper,
Dennis

I'm Back from the Warm to the Cold!!!

Hi readers, I just arrived home yesterday from the warm breezes of Hawaii to the cold air of Vancouver. OK, OK, so +2C just does not compare to the -35C that Edmonton is now experiencing, but when you have been basking in +27C, 25 degrees less in pretty hard to take. While in Kauai I had the pleasure to visit the wonderful St. Regis hotel in Princeville for several breakfasts as well as an "out of this world" dinner in the Kauai Grill. The hotel is as posh as any I have ever visited and the food was beyond compare and the staff the friendliest I have encountered anywhere. The attached image was take from my breakfast table on the first morning. In adddition I spent my time there with my favourite people, namely my daughter, son in law and my buddy my grandson. I will have more to say about this wonderful island in future posts. In the meantime, live well and prosper.

Dennis

What is Art?

This morning (at work, but don't tell anyone), I was following an online thread about what was art and what was not. The original question involved images from the Hubble Telescope of galaxies and solar systems many millions of light years away. Since the images were altered with color to emphasize the gases and stars, about one half of the people thought this represented "art" and the other half argued that the representations were merely scientific representations.

The above image is taken from a photograph taken a couple of years ago at Guilin, China. From a "normal" photograph I have utilized by significant photoshop skills :-)) to give it a purple sun and a very "artsy" look. Do you think that makes it art or not????

Live well and prosper

Dennis

If You Thought What You Did Yesterday Was Terrific, You Obviously Haven't Done Much Today!

I came across the above quote today which kind of set me back a bit. It pointed out to me at least that we have to live one day at a time. We cannot rest on our laurels and bask in the glow of past achievements, but rather live one day at a time and enjoy life to the fullest. In a similar vein, we cannot feel guilty about past mistakes or inadequacies and allow that to translate into fear of the future. Each day is like a new life or blank canvas presented to us with all the appropriate brushes and paints to create our masterpiece for the day. What will you decide to use for your new day? Watercolors? Acrylics? Oils? Or will your new day be a mixed media day?

Happy creating!

Live well and prosper.
Dennis

How Do They Get the Buildings in There, Grampa?

A few weeks ago, my grandson and I were on one of our most excellent adventures. These adventures usually involve taking a bus, the skytrain and occasionally the sea bus as well. They are usually conducted rain or shine and recently mostly rain! On this particular trip we ventured forth to Lonsdale Quay which involved all three methods of transportation on a rainy day. Fortunately I decided to take my camera along and took the above image from a bus stop downtown, when Tyler asked me how they get the buildings in the other building. I of course tried to explain how reflections work. The more I explained, the more questions arrived. I was saved by two things, the garbage truck that passed by, and the fact that our bus arrived.

I often wonder, how do they get those buildings inside that other one???? I will let you know when I figure it out.

Live well and prosper,
Dennis

Me and the Tropic of Capricorn

Here I am several months ago exactly at the Tropic of Capricorn. I am sure that out of the many thousands of visitors to this blog, at least one or two know not of what I speak.

The Tropic of Capricorn is an imaginary line running in an east west direction, exactly 23.5 degrees south of the equator, and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil and northern south Africa (would that be similar to southern north Africa???). In the above photo me (on the extreme right) and my photo colleagues are in Namibia which is in northern South Africa. The significance of this imaginary line is what you may ask. The areas between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north of the equator) and the Tropic of Capricorn is known generally as "the tropics". This area does not experience seasons because the sun is always "high" in the sky. Areas to the north of the Tropic of Cancer, and south of the Tropic of Capricorn experience significant seasonal variations in climate.

More simply perhaps, the tropics are the two lines where the sun is directly overhead on the two solstices near June and December 21st and depending on whether you live in the north or south, the longest or shortest day of the year.

And now you know all about the "Tropics"

Live long and prosper,
Dennis

Dinner is Served

Some years ago I took my mother on a tour of Ukraine to visit the birthplace of her parents. Originally I thought I would just take her and we would find our way around by ourselves. When I went to buy some travel books of Ukraine, the owner of the store asked me who I was going with. I responded I was taking my mother. He asked if I spoke Ukrainian or Russian and when I replied "no" he asked if my mother spoke either language. Again I had to reply "no". He strongly suggested that we go on a tour with an organized group and gave me the name of a tour lady and I was glad I took up the suggestion. If I had tried the trip myself, it would have been a disaster!

The point I was starting to make had to do with the attached photo, which is a wonderful dinner we had in the back yard of some wonderful people in Lviv, Ukraine. As our bus arrived at the hotel in Lviv, our tour leader was to meet her cousin, as she was invited over to their home for dinner. When her cousin realized that there were 14 people on the bus, he insisted that we all join his family for dinner. The table you see was set up in his back yard and we all enjoyed wonderful Ukrainian hospitality of a most unexpected nature. It was a perfect evening and an unbelievable welcome to Ukraine.

Live well and prosper,

Dennis

"Today was Twice as Hot as Yesterday"????

Today when I got to work (at 0600 - yes I know it is Sunday), one of my colleagues asked me what the temperature was on my drive in to work. I exclaimed it was +2C. As the temperature yesterday was +1C when I arrived, he mentioned that today was twice as warm as yesterday. Initially I thought this made sense, 2 being twice as big a number as 1, however as the morning went on I realized that this didn't make any sense. I started thinking about a range of temperatures and remembered from University physics that the lowest possible temperature was "Absolute Zero" which is -273.15C or -459.67F or "0" on the Kelvin scale. Upon further research I found that this is the lowest "theoretically attainable" temperature at which the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules is minimal. WAIT A MINUTE: THEORETICALLY ATTAINABLE??? Now I find out this temperature cannot be reached by natural or artificial means because it is impossible to decouple a system fully from the rest of the universe!!!

So what this means is that this is just a concept to try and prove a hypothesis thereby developing a theory which many have taken as fact for these many years.

I began thinking "if this is the lowest possible (albeit theoretically attainable, but not really) temperature, then what is the highest temperature attainable??" Previously unknown by me. there is an "Absolute Hot" which is the highest attainable temperature by any form of matter. WHO KNEW?? And dear reader, because you are just dying to know, current cosmological models posit this highest temperature as 1.416785 (71) x 10 to the 32nd power degrees K. This is the temperature at which conventional physics breaks down. I know you are reaching for a pencil to do the math, so to save you the trouble, it works out to 100 million, million, million, million, million degrees. Above that temperature (so scientists would have us believe), particle energies become so large that the gravitational forces between them become as strong as any other forces and gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces become a single unified force. Knowing how that happens, the so-called "theory of everything" is one of the greatest goals of theoretical physics today.

To me trying to understand this is: LIKE TRYING TO TRAVEL SOUTH FROM THE SOUTH POLE!!!.

However dear reader, I have illustrated this concept in a perfectly understandable and simple was in the image above, which I title "The Theory of Everything"

Live well and prosper

Dennis

I'm Going As Fast As I Can

The faster I go, the further behind I get! I have often wondered about that statement and why it seems to be so true, especially in my case. Then it hit me! It seems the faster I go, the more work or tasks that I take on. When I say work or tasks I am not talking about unpleasant chores or duties that I feel I must do, but activities that I freely choose to do, such as photographic workshops, family trips, writing a book, making entries to this blog, working at my job on an overtime basis and generally filling my days. So am I a work-a-holic? Do I have an unrealistic sense of what I can achieve? Do I believe I can do more of every kind of activitiy? Or do I feel that the universe would not survive if I was there guiding it? Or do I simply think that time is moving along quickly and I have much to do before I say ta-ta to this physical manifestation? The answer dear reader is probably a combination of all of the above, or maybe it is simply a character flaw. It is true that at times I say: "stop the world I want to get off" (I think that line came from a movie), and at other times I say sure I can do that, yes I can do another radio broadcast, and yes I would be happy to help you out and so on and so forth.

So I am either a "can do" kind of guy or hopelessly unaware of my deficiencies. Either way it is fun to be me (I think!). Until next time.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

The Beauty Within

I am sure we have all heard the phrase that beauty is within and not on the exterior. Here is an image that proves that. This is Reed Flute Cave in Guilin, China. The interesting thing to me is what defines exterior and interior? I am sure we could all agree that this scene is interior in relation to the area above and "outside", but that is only relative to the outside. Once I am on the "inside" of the cave, perhaps the interior becomes the rock formations insides. If I break a rock formation and see crystal formations which I am sure are beautiful, we could then agree: "yes, beauty is indeed on the inside". But then along comes a scientist with an electron microscope and we peer inside the rock formations to see the molecules and their beautiful formations. Ahh finally we are inside and it indeed is beautiful. However a larger microscope is brought in, now we see the atoms and electrons that make up the molecules! WOW! the beauty is overwhelming. Surely we are now inside! And then we find out about the world of quantum physics where things only exist when there is an observer, and life becomes more beautiful and mysterious. This is the realm that I long to "know" and understand. I begin my journey now, care to join me??

Live well and prosper,
Dennis

I Miss Summer Already !!! :-))

Here it is, only November 8th and I miss summer already! Today was rainy and very cool. My daughter tells me that she was already snow shoeing on Grouse Mountain where there was 50" of snow. Here at work I was reviewing some of my images and came across this one which was taken during the summer in Stanley Park while my grandson and I were playing in the childrens playground. As I gazed at the photo I was taken back to the park and the warm breezes of that day while the brilliant sunshine frolicked between the trees. The only saving grace for me is that I will be in Hawaii in less than a month.

Aloha
Dennis

What Is The Story???

It is said that we all have a story to tell. I took this photograph in Turkey a few years ago and often wondered what story this room would tell if it could talk. This room was upstairs in a restaurant that used to be used for residential purposes. I surmised that in its day, this room was a very elegrant master bedroom. It evoked images straight out of the Arabian Nights, even though this was Turkey. Its current run down condition added mystery to what may have been and exciting history. If I was a novel writer, I would take inspiration and intrigue from this room that still had sheer curtains blowing gently in a warm breeze wafting through the large cathedral like windows.

If someone asked me "what is your story", I am not sure how I would respond. Perhaps to say that I am a social philosopher with a generalist view of life and a need to explore both inner and outer space (on earth not in the heavens) as well as express my creativity and being as best I can. It would be interesting to know the "story" of the many thousands of readers (viewers??) to this blog. Anyone care to share?

Live well and prosper

Dennis

It's Just Black and White Isn't It???

We are often told that the world is black and white! Things are either right or wrong or up and down, left or right, and so on and so forth. I decided to practice rendering some of my images in black and white and have discovered that they are anything but black and white. It really appears that everything is a shade of grey. Some light grey tones (almost bordering on white) and some darker grey tones (tending toward black), but all grey nontheless. It does seem to me that "black and white" images are more "dramatic" than color images, and I wonder if this is because the image is more "foreign" to our eyes that a color image that seems more normal? The one thing that black and white does is accentuate the lines in an image very precisely, while color seems to blend more.

The next time someone tells you that everything is black and white, remember it is only different shades of grey. If you disagree with this I am OK with that as even my opinions are just various shades of grey.

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Don't Judge Yourself Too Quickly!!!

Today I heard a fellow employee judge in severe terms a project that was at best 50% complete. It reminded me of a recent email I received that said: "Any attempt to measure one's progress in life with an assessment of their present physical surroundings, or even a panoramic glance at their life and times to date, is just plain "wacked". The reason being is that each journey, kind of like a haircut, should never be fully appraised until it's complete. Otherwise one might mistake a miracle-in-the-making for a setback"

This also got me thinking about how often we feel like a failure if events or realities do not meet our expectations as to result, time, amount, or quantity. Maybe we should cut ourselves some slack and let the universe worry about the results, and just live our lives one day at a time to the best of our abilities and desires.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

"Another Saturday Night and I A'int Got Nobody"...

A typical slow Saturday night at work, and the question was asked who recorded the above mentioned song. I do know that at least one or two of the many thousands of readers would be interested in the answer. The answer dear readers is Sam Cooke, and the song was recorded on February 28th in 1963. Of course most of you were probably not born yet.

The attached photo was taken in Coal Harbor, near my home one dark evening and I am not sure whether it was a Saturday night or not. I just thought it went with the nature of this blog entry which I admit is a little light in content. However, I did want to wish you all a Happy and safe Halloween.

Live well and prosper.
Dennis

If All Else Fails - Hang On !!!

Life is not what you see, but what you've projected. It's not what you've felt, but what you've decided. It's not what you've experienced, but how you've remembered it. It's not what you've forged, but what you've allowed. And it's not who's appeared, but who you've summoned.

And this should serve you, well until you find what you already have.

I thought of the above in relation to the above image which I took on my recent trip to Namibia. It was sent to me from a site that I follow and I thought it applied to this small lizard who decided to hang on for dear life. I wondered what was going through his mind, although it is debatable I suppose if "mind" is the right term here. I think he thought he was in control of the situation by firmly hanging on, and perhaps he is right. The above quotation does indicate that we are in control at all times, even if it appears otherwise. In fact we have "summoned" all the people in our lives either consciously or unconsciously. Our past is a series of how we have remembered the "experiences". And life is not what we feel, but how we have decided to feel.

So dear readers, I offer you the courage and wisdom to remember all past experiences in joy, summon beautiful people into your life and to allow all manner of good into your life.

Live well and Prosper

Dennis

Be Careful What You Wish For !

Last night was one scary night!! My 3 year old grandson had been talking for weeks about going into Stanley Park and going on the Halloween train. This ride meanders through part of the park and into tunnels and heavy forest areas. During this time of year, scary ghosts and goblins jump out as the train travels along. This was very exciting to him prior to the event, but as the ride unfolded it seemed a little more than he had imagined or bargained for. Very soon after we started he exclaimed: "I am ready to go home now". This was impossible as we were underway. His Dad and Mom talked him through the fear and he seemed to cope OK until the end. To add to the scare factor, it was pitch black out and a strong wind had been blowing the leaves and howling through the large trees in the park.

I thought it was an interesting parallel to life in general where we wish for things and sometimes have no idea how we will cope with the wish should it come true. As we walked home in the howling wind, I took the above image that I now share with you.

I wish for you, that all your wishes come true, and when they do, I hope they make you happy, and you do not say "I want to go home now!!!"

Live well and prosper.

Dennis

An Angry Cat

Hello to my many thousands of viewers!! A fairly slow day at work today, and thought I would share this image of an angry cat. The guide who assured me that he would jump in if the cheetah attacked me thought that this was about a 1.5 year old juvenile. He assured me that cheetah's were not agressive like lions or leopards. This guy however thought I was a little close and commenced a series of fake charges and snarling. He would charge forward about 6 inches and snarl and then move back 2 feet. As a result he kept getting further away from me, but still trying to show me he was the boss. Strangely enough I felt quite comfortable standing eyeball to eyeball with him. I don't think I would have been as comfortable with a lion or leopard.

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday morning! Here I am at work at my supervisor's desk watching (ah supervising that is) my air traffic controllers being not so busy. While I was sitting here I was looking at past photo images and thought I would share one of my past favourites with my many thousands of readers/viewers;-)

This image was taken on the west side of Vancouver Island near Tofino at sunset. I was struck by the individual contemplating life (or whatever) on the hill watching the sun decend into the ocean.

I wish you all a wonderful week of contemplation of life, nature and whatever you feel like creating for yourself.

Caio for now

Dennis

Abstract or Realistic???

I have often been amazed that some people refer to images as "abstract" as opposed to realistic. I was once asked of an image that had a flower and the moon against a black background; "is that the real moon?" I replied of course it is the real moon! I of course did not say that I actually took the image of the moon from the parking lot at work during the full moon, and the image of the flower was taken in France some years earlier. Through the magic of photoshop and my creative instincts the image was "rendered" as opposed to "captured".

To me "abstract" means an image that one cannot tell what the image is. In other words an image where color and light define the palette and not lines. The image on the right is definitely not "abstract" in my opinion. While it is obvious that I have manipulated this image by make it more saturated and contrasty, it is obvious at the same time what the image is, namely a water lily captured in Monet's Estate in Giverney, France. My thought in altering the captured image was to give it more life and also to capture some of the color of the red flowers in the background.

Whether "abstract" to some people or "realistic" to others, the only important thing to me when I look at any image is "do I like it or not?"

Until next time, live well and prosper

Dennis

Making New Friends

During my recent trip to Namibia and specifically a Himba Village, I was struck by how similar we as human beings all are, even though we live in different cultures and many thousands of miles apart. In this photo I am making new friends with 2 young Himba boys who are very interested in my camera. They were most interested in pushing all the buttons, and changing the image on the monitor. They especially liked the photos of themselves.

I then realized how their behavior was the same as my grandson who is about the same age. He is forever fascinated by buttons and levers and anything that needs pushing or pulling to make it go or change something.

The only conclusion I can draw from this and other examples is that when you strip away the color, creed, religion or political affiliations that we are all the same. We just express ourselves in a different format or skin color and language, but we are just people. If we can throw away our prejudices and illusions when we look at or "judge" other people we will find that we are just "looking" at ourselves. I think I will use a new affirmation for myself:

" For today and just for today I will see the god in all people and cast aside my illusions and prejudice"

I will try and say this every day, and my goal will be success one day at a time. Care to join me?

Live well and prosper

Dennis

Everything is Perfect in the Universe

It was Wayne Dyer who said that: "Everything is perfect in the universe, even your desire to improve it". Several weeks ago I was in the Twyfelfontein area of Namibia and took the above night shot of the nearby mountain which was lighted by the hotel lights and the dark sky. I was hoping to get one of those beautiful shots that one sometimes sees in magazines which include the Milky Way and the millions of stars that it includes. The best I could do was the above. I learned that any exposure longer than 4 seconds shows the stars as trails, and that one needs a "star tracker" to freeze the star in its position relative to the earth and the camera. So even though the above image is perfect for the tools I had to work with, I desire even more perfection in my image. Perhaps the next time I take night shots I will have the requisite equipment to show the Milky Way. In the meantime, I must be content with my less than perfect perfection.

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Where Is My Inspiritation ??

It has been a little over a week since I have returned from Namibia and I keep waiting for some insightful message to post here on the blog. So far: zilch, nothing, nada, bupkus, zero and zip !! Not that I think that I should have some pearls on wisdom on every entry, but really how about something even moderately significant. I sit here at work typing this message and am at a loss of what to write. So in the absence of anything brilliant, I will simply share the above image that was taken from the Robinson R44 helicopter with the door removed as we travelled above Sossussvlei, Namibia. Hopefully some brilliant insight will come soon, so my many thousands of readers can be guided in the right direction :-))

Live well and prosper

Dennis

The Sands of Time

Well I am back! After 45 hours enroute from Namibia, I have had almost a week to return to normal and think I am getting close. The above image is of the amazing sand dunes near Sossussvlei in southwest Nambia. On this day we experienced a thunder and lightning storm with no rain! I will be sharing many exciting images of landscapes, animals and the Himba village people in the days to come, along (hopefully) with some words of wisdom or at least near wisdom in the days to come.

Hope you all have been creating wonderful days for yourselves.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

On My Way Home

The long workshop in Namibia is over. I am sitting in the Johannesburg Airport waiting for another 4 hours for my flight to take me to Amsterdam and then finally home to Vancouver. We awoke this morning at 0500 and drove the 4 hours to Windhoek where I wasn't scheduled to take my flight until 1845 in the evening. However as luck would have it, an earlier flight was leaving at 1140 which I was able to get one. I then arrived in Johannesburg at 1330 rather than 2030 in the evening. It didn't make sense to sit around here for another day, so I was able to get on the evening flight departing at 2330 and arriving in Amsterdam at 1045 in the morning on Friday.

I have just over 4000 images to process and hope to make a good start in the next few days. So, loyal readers I will be sharing soon and passing on my impressions of Namibia.

Talk to you soon.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

Hello from Nambia !!

Hello Readers:

I am still in Namibia, but had a few moments in a hotel that actually has internet that works (at least so far:-)) I am nearing the end of my trip and as usual I am anxious to come home. A trip of about 1 week or so seems to work best for me. Any longer and I miss home and my life there including work.

I only have several days to go and I must say that this is one hot country except for the coast. The temperature today I would guess is near +40C with clear skies and no clouds for relief. This morning we photographed a Himba Village. I would say there were about 100 people all together plus cattle, chickens, and goats. Instead of giving them money, we went to the supermarket and bought cooking oil, flour, bread and the like and presented them to the chief who them welcomed us into his village. The only no-no we were giving was not to stand or walk between the chief and the cattle as he must at all times have a view of his cattle???

The above photo was taken near Sossussvlei from a helicopter that two of the ladies and I took. To enable better photography, the doors on boths sides of the helicopter were removed. I will be sharing more of my images in blogs to come.

In the meantime, live well and prosper !

Later,
Dennis

See You Later !!!

Just a short note to wish the many thousands of my readers a Happy September. I will be leaving for Namibia in south west Africa soon and will be photographing for the next 3 weeks. I hope to have many images to share when I return.

In the meantime, be good to yourself and continue creating a wonderful reality for yourselves.

Talk to you soon.

Live well and prosper

Dennis

An Angry Sea !!!

When I took this image some time ago on the west coast of Vancouver Island, someone remarked: "boy that is one angry sea !" I started thinking recently about the way we have of attributing human emotions and attributes to non human elements. I doubt very much if the sea in this case was really angry. To be more scientific about it, a large Pacific storm had entered the area with strong winds which resulted in the height of the waves being larger than normal and crashing on the shore of Chesterman Beach which is normally quite placid.

I guess as humans we have no choice but to see things through our eyes and the brain filters that we have put in place throughout the years. As a result, the great white shark becomes a "man eater", the Orca whale becomes the "killer shark", and hurricanes unleash their destructive force on human populations as if it were planned or intended. And yet we do exactly the same thing. We destroy the planet with pollution, non sustainable habits in our living styles, such as carbon emissions etc. I haven't heard us refer to ourselves as unleasing our destructive force on the health of the planet, or referring to ourselves as "cow and chicken killers" when we sit down to a meal. No dear readers, it is all about perspective. It all depends where you stand at the time. As I like to say: "It is all relative". Some years ago I either coined a phrase or "borrowed" from someone unkowningly as follows:

"Everything in the world is relative. Except that statement which is absolute"

If in fact that was my quote from years ago, good for me, if not I apologize to whoever came up with it. I recall further expounding on this quote as being a Divine Paradox. It is a totally correct statement, even though it has a conflict within. I took a philosophy course in University many years ago and the final exam consisted of one question: On the attached card, which statement is true and which is false? We were presented with a small card which had a statement on both sides. On one side the statement was: "The statement on the other side of this card is absolutely true." I turned the card over to read the other side and the statement said: "The statement on the other side of this card is absolutely false."

Dear reader, I leave the question with you, which is true, which is false???

As always live, love and be happy !

Dennis

"The Less You Know, The More You Believe"

The above quotation is attributed to Bono and I came across it this morning and have been wondering about it ever since. I am not sure in what context he said it, but my thoughts are unclear whether he meant it as a good thing for a bad thing.

I would tend to interpret it as saying that the less knowledge you have, the more inclined you are to "believe" something. In other words without direct knowledge of an event or situation, the more likely we are to believe someone else's comments about it. For instance, many people believe everything they read in the newspaper or see on television or hear on the radio. I think some (maybe most) of us agree that it is quite dangerous. We all know the media in particular is always looking to make a "story" where one may not actually exist. The more critical they can make an event seem, the more newsworthy it appears to be.

A recent example involved a Cathay Pacific flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong. As the aircraft took off, the crew was unable to retract the flaps. As a result the captain decided that he would not continue the flight, but would return and land at the airport that he had just taken off from. Of course the aircraft had a full load of fuel for the intended trip and was too heavy to land. As a routine procedure the captain went 40 or 50 miles offshore and "dumped fuel" to lighten his load for landing. This procedure took a little over an hour, and the media outlets were in heaven.

As an air traffic controller, I was aware of the situation, but was surprised when one of my colleagues on a day off phoned and asked what the crisis was at CYVR. He told me that on television they were interviewing people that were "evacuated" from the Macdonalds restaurant near the end of runway 08 right, and that emergency vehicles were standing by for this impending doom !! I of course inquired around the room and nobody knew of any emergency. Someone said: "they don't mean the Cathay flight do they?" Of course to the media that was the event that made it to "The Situation Room" !!!, "Breaking News", and "A Major Development".

Sometime later the aircraft landed without incident and it was revealed by the Airport Authority that no emergency ever existed and the Captain never declared one, but to the media this was "Hot Stuff".

So dear reader, when something major happens, take a deep breath and analyze the situation and inform yourself of the facts and make your own judgment.

Live well and prosper.

Dennis

"The Less You Know, The More You Believe

Piano Concerto No. 2

From time to time I am asked what is my favourite music piece? I usually answer that I am not sure how I could have a favourite with so many wonderful classical works along with a lesser number of modern scores. And if pressed, I thought to myself and forced to answer, I would have to choose Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff. And while I know the melody and movements of the piece fairly well. I know very little about the composer and the background leading to this work.

Well, that is what the internet is all about. This work was written between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on December 2, 1900, and the complete work was premiered on October 27th, 1901.

Rachmaninoff's first was premiered in 1897 and derided by the critics. Although now it is considered a significant achievement. This along with problems in his personal life, let Rachmaninoff into a bout of clinical depression for several years.

It is interesting to note that such a wonderful piece of work was at first derided and then praised. This goes to show that breaking new ground and the life of a pioneer is not easy. Difficulty arises for us when we depend on the acceptance of others for our self esteem.

Dear reader, I think this is a lesson for all of us. Let's please ourselves in our work and artistry and if the rest of the world loves it, that is great, but if the world says "nay", then we have still done the best that we could.

Live well and prosper.

Dennis

Eliminate Stress and Worry !!

How to eliminate stress and worry from your life??? There are many ways that vary in effectiveness. Sit down in a quiet area with a nice rose or flower of your choice and contemplate each other. You can be sure that the rose is contemplating you:-)

I am lucky in that I have a close relative who is a great stress reliever. My almost 3 year old grandson has allowed me to be a part of his life on an almost daily basis. Yesterday he phoned in the morning and asked if I would take him to the airport on the new skytrain. I must admit that I had other things to do and also had to work the evening shift starting at 1:30 that afternoon. My adult self was saying "you don't have time", "you have been to the airport many times", "maybe we could just have a short visit", blah, blah, blah. My more adventurous child self was saying: "go and have fun", "you did say you wanted to see the world through the eyes of a child", "don't be lazy", and "it would mean a lot to Tyler". Well the long and short of it was that Tyler and I went off to the airport.

We started walking to the bus stop hand in hand. The short walk was punctuated with stops to examine various plants, flowers and waterfalls that connect our two apartment buildings. Tyler brought smiles to people walking and those on the bus when he exclaimed loudly: "Grampa look, a GARBAGE TRUCK !!!" Even more treasures were to be revealed to me as we stopped at each skytrain station and tried to determine where the people who were getting on were going. "Where do you think they are going grampa??" Much excitement ensued when a skytrain passed going in the opposite direction and when the airport came into view. Such small events and sitings became wonderful discoveries and time passed with nary a thought from me. The return trip was just as exciting as the outbound leg and there were no end of the adult smiles that Tyler created with his running commentary of life on our big adventure for the day.

To say that stress and worry were eliminated from my adult life during our journey may be a bit of a stretch, but I can tell you that they were relegated to the unthought of regions of my brain for the time. Who would have thought that one could get so much enjoyment out of riding on a bus, skytrain, looking at flowers and contemplating were other people were going.

If you want to see life in a different perspective, then take your grandkids, borrow someone else's for a few hours and see life as they see it.

I GUARANTEE, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE WAY YOU SEE THINGS !!!!

Much love, to the child in you.

Dennis

The Courage to be Outside Your Comfort Zone

Anais Nin is quoted as follows: "If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it."

I captioned this blog entry as the courage to be outside your comfort zone. Which I try to do by my writing and image taking. At the same time I try and be adaptable while outside that comfort zone. This also ties in with the above quote in the sense that if I do not put my artistic self (both intellectually and emotionally) into my work, then the images and writing will appear "flat" and devoid of any compelling reason for my audience to read or view them.

In my humble opinion, we must strive to develop our own style in all our endeavors. Conventional "opinion" has no real place in your life. While I want people to like and enjoy my images and writing, I cannot do it by copying others, or compromising my integrity (either artistic or personal) just to please others. The more I photograph, paint, sing, write, or act just to please others, the less of "me" is evident in my work.

So dear reader, please yourself in your daily endeavors and firmly place your passion, emotions and thoughts into your work. If you are a teacher, then teach, a painter, then paint, a photographer, then photograph, a singer, then sing. Always remember that when the student is ready, a teacher will appear. If the world is interested in your work, then they will find you. Let the world decide if your work is for them. In the meantime you are working to please yourself.

I continue to photograph to please myself, write to please myself and I am humbled when the world is interested in what I am doing.

Wishing you all the courage to enjoy being outside your comfort zone and the adaptability to express your perfection while there.

Create a wonderful reality for all the days to come.

Love, peace and joy
Dennis

Reflected Calm.....

Yesterday I was off early in the morning to do some blueberry picking with my grandson, daughter and my mother. I of course had my trusty camera with me. I had hoped to take some reflected images in the rivers around the farm. Reflections of course only occur when the waters of the lake, river or pond are still and calm. The reflected image to me reflects a scene of calm and serenity. It got me thinking of life in general (what doesn't really?) and how our beings reflect our personal images when we are calm and serene. When we are turbulent and frothy in our spirits I believe that those around us "shut us out" and prevent that reflected turbulence from reaching the universe. It then remains within our own beings, causing even more turbulence and unease. All things considered, I will go for the reflected calm every time.

Here's to happy, calm and serene reflections in your life !

Love, peace, and joy;

Dennis

A New Way to be an "Artist" !!!

I have always had a keen appreciation for the abilities of those who could paint. I liked water colors, acrylics, and oils and thought that some "mixed media" images were great. Some time ago I thought: "how complicated and difficult can this be"? After all I could look at an image and reproduce it couldn't I?? Well the answer was no I couldn't (at least not to my expectations). I took some classes but was never satisfied with my progress, although I admit my expectations were completely unrealistic. Because I see the world in vivid contrasting color, I naturally gravitated to photography, with emphasis on nature, wildlife, and landscape. As I developed my photographic skills in the areas of light, composition, and editing of such images, I started to experiment with certain software applications that could make my "realistic" images captured in camera to more "artistic" renderings which started to look more like paintings.

The above image is a still life taken in Cappadoccia, Turkey a few years ago. I liked the image which was taken in a pottery factory, but think I like it even more, now that I have placed my artistic touch to it.

It is almost as if I have come full circle. From wanting to be a good painter, to actually becoming a good photographer, to hopefully becoming a good "artist" through my photographic images.

Cheers for now;

Live well and prosper
Dennis

Let's Cross That Bridge When we come to It !

We all (except for the perfect ones!) have a tendency to "put off" those things which we may not enjoy doing, in favor of doing the things we love to do. Basically, there is nothing wrong with that, except that the unfun things or marginally distasteful things never seem to get done. "I will cross that bridge when I come to it"! This is a phrase that I haven't actually uttered, but have thought consciously or subconsciouly many times. I am leaving for SW Africa in about 2 weeks and I just noticed that my "TO DO" list has grown to gigantic proportions. Perhaps some magic angel will wave a wand and all items will be done, but I will not hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

I believe that is our tendency in many areas of life. Each morning I get a message from the "universe" in my email box. Today the message is: "You're waiting for that magical day when someone makes the connection and recognizes you for who you really are. Maybe they'll first catch the sparkle in your eye. Or perhaps they will marvel at your insights and the depth of your spirit. Someone who will help you connect the dots, believe in yourself and make sense of it all. Someone who will understand you, approve of you and unhesitatingly give you a leg up, so that life can pluck your ready, ripened self from the branch of magnificence.

Well I am here to tell you, your wait is over. That someone is here and it is YOU !!!"

Let's face it dear reader or readers (hopefully) if we don't rock our world, who can???

Like the image above, I have come to the bridge and it is time for me to cross it.

ROCK ON! AND LIVE WELL!

Cheers for now,
Dennis

Who Will I Be Today ???

In a recent adventure with my grandson, we came upon this wig shop and the above display which reminded me of the line from "Shakespeare's Play; As You Like It". The character said: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,....". This morning as I prepare to go to work (it is just before 5 am), I decide which "part" I will play today in my "play". Since I am an actor is in this play, but also the director, I choose which part and how to play that part. Talk about POWER in my own life. For today I choose to play the part of the hero and leading man LOL who has a most successful day and helps others and is admired by all.

Wishing you good choices for the "part" you will play and direct today and all days.

Live well and prosper.

Dennis

We Don't See Things as They are, we see them as We are !

The above quote is attributed to Anais Nin. I thought the quote was so thought provoking that I decided to see who this person is or was. This lady was born as: Angela Anais Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell on February 21, 1903 in Neuilly, France. She was of Cuban-French nationality and died on January 14, 1977. Her father was a Cuban pianist and composer, and her mother a classically trained Cuban singer.

Many of her quotes and beliefs seem to strike a chord in me. As a result, I will study some of her writings and I continue on my journey. Some other quotes are:

"Life expands or contracts according to one's courage"

"Dreams are necessary to life"

"People living deeply have no fear of death"

Wishing you all the courage to live deeply in your dreams.

Love, peace and joy

Dennis

What a Beautiful Day !!!

Today the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day! I have been working on my images on the computer since I awoke, breaking only for breakfast and soon for shower etc before heading off to work for a 1:30 pm start. I hadn't initially thought of posting today, but yesterday I received an email that touched me and I have since forwarded to many of you. The title was "The Wooden Bowl" and if any of you would like to receive it, just leave a request in the comment section of this blog and I will be happy to forward it.

The story of an elderly grandfather living with his family is both sad and happy and definitely heart rendering. In the end the author (unknown; at least to me) mentions things he has learned.

--you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle 4 things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights;

--making a living is not the same as making a life;

--life sometimes gives you a second chance

--you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes

--if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but if you focus on your family, our friends, the needs of others, your work, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you;

--whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision;

--even when I have pains, I don't have to be one;

--every day you should reach out and touch someone;

--people love that human touch - holding hands, a warm hug or a friendly pat on the back;

and lastly I learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Wishing you all a live of love, peace, and joy and continued learning.

Live well,

Dennis

Through the Eyes of an "Almost 3 Year Old"

Several times in this blog I have spoken about the need or desirability of keeping in touch with your inner child. A few days ago, my "almost 3" year old grandson invited me to go with him to Lonsdale Quay. This is a somewhat trendy shopping area on the north shore. Normally in my adult thinking I would just jump into my car and drive over the bridge, find a parking spot, do my shopping and return, probably within an hour. But this was to be an adventure! We would start off by taking the bus, then on a skytrain (our elevated and sometimes underground transit system), then the sea bus which is also part of our transit system. Through in a few escalators and elevators and the adventure is complete. As we walked from our homes to the bus stop, Tyler noticed that the bus had not come yet and was not in sight. He let out a hearty "HURRAY, WE GET TO WAIT AT THE BUS STOP". This was the first time in my life that I had heard anyone cheer because they got to "wait" at a bus stop. Other moments of joy included being able to "wait in line with other people" to get on the bus, and sea bus. For him it was a great adventure, and sadly I daresay that for most adults it would have been a chore and something that they had to do. I spent that morning trying to see the world through my grandson's eyes and experience what his "world reality" is. We have so much to learn from the little kids of the world. As I tried to "enter" his world as best I could, I started taking pictures of the many stores and buildings in and around our travels, and must say that this world is filled with interesting and colorful images and patterns. The image above was pointed out to me by Tyler as we wandered the mall looking for interesting things, he liked the "funny picture".

So the thought I came away with from our great adventure was that life is funny, interesting, captivating, and mysterious. It is filled with questions such as: "how does that work?"; "where is the sun/moon now?" ; "how does a diesel engine on the sea bus work?"; and on and on.

And when you really get down to it, how does the earth turn? And to finish off, "WHAT IF THE HOKEY-POKEY IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT??? Ponder that one for a while:-))

Live well and prosper

Forever Reaching Upward

I have recently begun producing a series of posters with some subtle and some not so subtle messages. Today I was looking at the attached image and the caption I chose for it. "Forever Reaching Upward" strikes me as a good thing, but is it really? I started to think why we always associate "upward", "onward" and other similar words with getting better or achieving a greater degree of perfection. In a similar way, heaven is "up there" and hell is "down there"

When I initially captured this image, in my mind I saw the branches of this plant clearly climbing upward to the sun. As I edited the image further, I saw the human form reaching up to strive for perfection. By applying some creative techniques both while I was shooting with my camera and then afterword with software adjustments, I had what I thought was a pretty neat image.

This is the kind of abstract image that some will find ugly, some will find colourful, some compelling, and others inspirational. I always marvel at the fact that a simple image can be so many different things to different people. My theory is that it is we who choose what we want to see and perceive in any image or situation. And we almost always attribute a "goodness" factor to it. In respect of the above image, I have heard comments that range from: "it's not really a picture of anything is it"; 'it is just a bunch of color with no meaning"; "it is a brilliant example of painting with light and color"; to "it is a study in man's striving for perfection in an imperfect world". My comment to you all is that you are all correct!!

It is all of those things and more (or less depending how you look at it). For me, I see the world in bright, saturated colors, with strong luminosity and vibrance. That is not the way it necessarily is, just how I personally view it.

And dear reader, the world is exactly as you choose to see it and experience it.

Live long and prosper (assuming that is your choice of course :-))

Dennis

Don't Shut off the Inner Child in You !

Ahh, the inner child. A subject that is frequently discussed intellectually, but not that often expressed physically or spiritually. Today I was reading from the blog of a photographer that I follow and he had a lot to say about acting as a child. Essentially he thought we could do ourselves a favour and act like a kid once in a while. We don't have to have a reason to do something and we certainly don't have to do what everyone else is doing. I think we as a society try to slavishly follow the "rules". Children learn in large part who they are and what they can do by ignoring the rules and instruction books and sometimes even their teachers.

I think children find the limits of the "possible" by going beyond them into the "impossible". Something for us adults to remember. Free the inner child in you and you may be pleasantly surprised what you find. "You Devil You !!!"

So let's agree to do things in our own way and ignore convention or the conservative and right way. There was a slogan that floated around in the 80's and that was: "If it feels good, DO IT"

I think it was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said " Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

So I hereby pledge to willingly and enthusiastically accept responsibility for creating my own reality.

And furthermore, if thoughts are things, I personally am only going to choose the good ones.

Live long and prosper.

Dennis

The Same View Can be Different !!!

Yesterday I wrote that "if you look at things differently, the things you look at will change". Yesterday morning I decided to alter that saying a little bit. I unconsciously changed it to "if you look at things at a different time, the things you look at change". I awoke at 3:30 in the morning to meet a friend and photograph views of my skyline which I have seen many many times. However when you beat the morning sun to that location, a whole new world awaits. The above photo is taken several hundred yards from my home. I have been in that spot many times, but have not seen such a view before. I a way, I was seeing a familiar view for the first time. The moon was in the scene (for me, but maybe not for you if you were there) and a quiet and blue and peaceful environment presented itself to me.

It got me to thinking that we should be able to do this very thing with everything in our lives. We could include our homes, our community, our city or village, our country and even our universe!! How magnificent it would be if we looked at the people and loves in our lives in a different way. Perhaps looking for more magnificent qualities that we may have previously overlooked.

Why not give it a try and develop a whole new perspective in your life and see the exciting times that unfold.

Love and peace, Dennis

Always Be Grateful !!!!

The other day I went to see a fireworks extravaganza only 5 or 6 blocks from my home on the water. Ths is a festival held every year in which 4 countries participate. It turned out that my country Canada was the first up. We would be followed on alternate Wednesdays and Saturdays by Great Britain, South Africa, and tomorrow night China. As I sat in the throngs of people (approx 300,000) I started to think that every year the fireworks are the same. In fact there are only so many things one can to with a fireworks demonstration albeit in many different colors. I was actually aware of my blaze' attitude.

I thought that if the fireworks are the same every year, why do I attend? Then it came to me: I am not the same person who attended last year. I am a year older for one thing, I have had a whole year of different experiences, I look at life differently, I have different people in my life, and the people who are the same, are actually different people because of their experiences. It brought to mind something that I or someone said in the past:

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change"

With that thought in mind, I started to enjoy the fireworks with a new understanding. I was most fortunate to be living in a beautiful city, during a beautiful time of the year, with beautiful people in my life. As I write this message I send love, peace and joy to all those in my life, and if you are reading this, you are in my life.

Cheers

Dennis

Life is Now in Session - Are you Present???

The other day my grandson Tyler invited me to go along with his Mom (my daughter), and Dad and my mother on a boat ride. He was always interested in the "Paddle Wheeler" which plies the waters in front of our homes. He and his family live in the apartment building next to me. Well we had an opportunity to ride on that very boat, and being 2 1/2 years old he was of course interested in how the paddle wheel worked. I was trying to explain it (like I really knew) when the captain walked by and I of course stopped him and had Tyler ask him the question. I was happy to see him stutter and stammer trying to explain the intricate workings of diesel engines to a 2 year old. Tyler must of got something from the discussion, for when I asked him later how it worked, he told me "the diesel engine combusts, grampa". I gave some thought to the day and realized how precious is the gift of life, if only we are grateful for the opportunity to be with the people in our lives. We are so lucky to live in a beautiful city, and for me I am so fortunate to have wonderful people in my life, and today I honour each and every one of you.

The photo above was taken while on that wonderful boat trip where I spent a couple hours of life being with the ones that mean the most to me. What a wonderful day.

I wish you all many days of "wonderfulness", and a love of life that allows you to realize how lucky you are.

Love, peace and joy

Dennis

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!!

That great elusive and undefinable concept (thing, element, condition, constraint, threat or what have you) we call time is ever present in our lives. For instance, the title of this brilliant piece which I am about to write can be taken in many many ways. It could be used to berate myself because it has been a while since I posted to this blog and deprived my one or two readers from my insight on life???? Or it could be a simple statement that the subject of this musing is simply about the concept of TIME.

In fact if we study the concept of time, I am sure that the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase we have heard countless times "I didn't have time", "I don't have time", "where will I ever find the time?" "who has the time for that?" In fact, if I had the time, I would list more instances of phrases that we have all heard and no doubt uttered as we went about our daily lives floating through time. To say that time is a major factor in our lives is a colossal understatement. As a normal convention, we divide up the day (a concept of time) into hours, minutes and even seconds. Going the other way we organize days into weeks, months, quarters, semi annual segments, and continuing on into years, decades, centuries, milleniums and finally (I think) into light years. Light years are interesting, because we have now taken a unit of time and introduced space or distance to the equation. A light year is the distance that light travels in one year. At 186,000 miles per second, that is a pretty long way or time, or whatever. My old friend Al Einstein (you probably know him as Albert) even developed a "Special Theory of Relativity" which was more advanced that his plain old "Theory of Relativity" in which he discussed the relation about time and space, and something called the space time continuum and interesting concept about the warping of space and something about "warp speed" that I do not have time to get into (no pun intended, well may just a little one). In simple terms, he said that time changes according to the speed of the observer. If we travel on a jet plane, our watches move slower that otherwise!! I once had a watch like that, but I thought it was broken and threw it out. Those fake Rolexes are not what they used to be!

The fact is: (and remember all things are relative, except this statement which is absolute!) we each have all the time there is!!! It is simply a matter of choice of what we do in the present moment. As "Eckie" Tolle said "all we have is NOW" and we choose what to do with each NOW moment of "time". And I always thought that time was linear and moved from left to right in absolute terms. For my next moments of "NOW TIME", I choose to go out on the water with my daughter grandson and family on the boat and spend the next few hours (or many moments of NOW enjoying the sunshine before it is "time" to go to work.

It is about TIME that I wound this up, because I do not have much TIME before the boat leaves and I take the TIME to drive to work to spend some TIME there.

Caiao for now