Michael

My sister and her family arrived today. So, everyone that is getting together in our group this year is together. We have several traditions that we follow year after year. I love our traditions and I love the thought of traditions in general.

Traditions are important in several ways. They create points of sharing across time. They bring groups closer together by the thread of the experiences that occur within the tradition. They bring a level of excitement and anticipation that gives meaning to all who share. Most importantly, they are fun!

Some of our traditions are:

1. We have a big family dinner on Christmas Eve containing more food than could be possibly eaten in one evening.
2. We open our presents on Christmas Eve evening.
3. The kids get an additional set of presents from “Santa Claus” on Christmas morning.
4. We have a large family breakfast on Christmas morning.
5. We have another large meal (some time around lunch) with everyone.
6. We go see a movie together on Christmas Day in the afternoon.
7. Some years, several of us go and play pool at a local hangout.
8. We play games together with a little friendly competition. In the past, we have played dominoes, video games (DDR, Guitar Hero, Wii sports), card games, Pictionary and etc.
9. We go take a walk or hike near or on Louisiana State University.
10. We take a trip to get some authentic beignets (sort of like a doughnut) from Cafe Du Monde.
11. We have as much fun together in the time we have as humanly possible.
12. We usually go out to eat at least once to one of our favorite restaurants in the area.

The traditions have already started. I’m glad to be a part of them again this year.

What are some of your traditions?

Michael

TA BASS CO Statue

Around mid-morning we left Baton Rouge for Avery Island, the home and birthplace of Tabasco®. It’s about 85 miles southwest from where my parents live. It’s a fascinating area full of history.

Avery Island (Wikipedia link) is one of five salt domes that can be found in Louisiana. It is approximately 5 miles (3 km) long and 2 ½ miles wide. Our guide told us that that the dome is deeper than Mt. Everest is high. Wow! It has one of the largest salt mines in the world. The indigenous American Indians were probably the first humans to extract the salt from the dome through evaporation of brine water.

Today, the island (it really is an island), in addition to the salt mine, houses the manufacturing facilities for Tabasco® brand products (Wikipedia link), has a rich botanical garden and a bird sanctuary.

Buddha

We toured the Tabasco plant first. I grew up with Tabasco. It’s a staple in Louisiana and is typically found with the salt and pepper on every table. The ingredients are simple: Tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens var. tabasco), salt and vinegar. The peppers and salt are ground up into a mash and aged in white oak barrels for up to 3 years. The vinegar is added and stirred for about a month. The sauce is strained and then bottled. That wonderful flavor comes from three ingredients!

After the tour, we tried many of the Tabasco products in the country store. We also shared some crawfish etouffee, hot link sausage, boudin, Tabasco ice cream and Tabasco soda. Hmmmmm! All were very good.

We toured the Jungle Gardens which is a huge botanical garden built up with exotic plants and local species by E. A. McIlenny (Mr. Ned for short). The best time of the year to go is March as many of the species are blooming at this time. Today we saw multiple species of camellias, bamboo forest, very old live oaks covered in Spanish moss, cypress forests and many palm varieties. Unfortunately, the alligators that live there were buried in the mud because the sun wasn’t out.

Bridge Near Buddha

In 1936, friends of Mr. Ned gave him a Buddha statue from China that is centuries old. It now stands in a beautiful area of Jungle Gardens surrounded by water on three sides. Very unusual. It must stand 8 feet high.

Another amazing part of the gardens is Bird City. Mr. Ned found this bird colony around 1895 to save the white egret which had been hunted to near extinction for its plumage. He raised 8 birds here and then released them for the fall migration across the Gulf of Mexico. They returned the next year and brought some of their friends. The colony now hosts numerous bird species that return in the early spring to roost.

I highly recommend this unusual place. It’s close to New Orleans and Baton Rouge and makes for an excellent day trip. Try to visit during March or April.

Michael

I have finally completed all I needed to do to prepare for the Xmas holiday next week. All the presents I plan to give have been gathered. All the preparations have been made for traveling this weekend.

I start looking forward to the holidays about a week or two before they happen. I start remembering all the fun things we have done in the prior years. I remember all the gifts that were given and received. I remember all the movies we picked to see on Xmas day (It’s a tradition for us).

I remember the piles of food that were consumed. I remember the new additions to the family experiencing Xmas for the first time. I remember holiday decorations brightening up the rooms. I remember that some years were really cold while others were almost summer like. I remember the games we played as a family.

I remember feeling content just being in the same room with everyone else. No need to do anything. No expectations. Only enjoyment in sharing another holiday with the people you care about.

I’m ready to add more memories to the wonderful ones I still carry.

Michael

Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons. – Ruth Ann Schabacker

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That’s why we call it the present. – Babatunde Olatunji

I love this time of year. Last night, I spend some time looking for gifts for friends and family. The entire gift giving adventure is fun to me; looking for the gift, getting it wrapped and then giving it to the person. That’s the most fun.

The most important gift is always spending time with family and friends, especially those you don’t get to see very often. I look forward to seeing my daughter since it’s been a couple of months. I haven’t seen my parents or sister for many months. It’s been way too long.

Each day we get to share with each other is gift. I plan on unwrapping mine everyday.

Michael

I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up – they have no holidays. – Henry Youngman

It’s that time of year in the United States for two of our largest holidays. Thanksgiving is two days away and Christmas is just around the corner. These are my favorite holidays.

I love getting together with family and friends, preparing special dishes to eat, playing games, talking, eating some more, giving and receiving presents, watching movies and relaxing.

It’s a time to be thankful for all we have and cherish the time we have to share it. My favorite part though is all the laughter. I find it contagious and try to make it last as long as possible.

I also remember all the past holiday gatherings and the wonderful times we experienced together. I can’t wait to add another memory to the bucket full I already carry.

Have a great day!

Michael

Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. – Henry James

I don’t know about you but when I read the newspaper or watch the news, you would think that kindness was something rare and unusual, rarely happening in our society. But, I know better. The news is skewed so far to one side that it rarely reports accurately the “good” things that are happening in the world.

We are bombarded with numerous problems, a terrible crisis somewhere in the world, someone attacking someone else, one human tragedy after another, disease, environmental disasters and on and on and on. It’s so bad that I rarely watch or read the news. I don’t want to be affected by all of the negativity. It’s the best change I’ve done.

But, I know something different. I see numerous acts of kindness every single day between total strangers. In fact, so many in a week that it would completely take up the entire news time to report them. Despite the terrible things that are reported in almost every news outlet, we live amongst some of the most amazing people ever. Miracles occur regularly. People are doing good deeds every day. Innovation and creativity are alive and well solving problems that “plague” our society.

Kindness is rampant. Are you part of the movement? Have you practiced any kindness today? You get an exponential return on your effort. Don’t wait.

Have a great day!

Michael

My Daughter at the Top

My daughter, her boyfriend and I hiked to the top of Lembert Dome yesterday. Lembert Dome sits on the eastern side of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite.

Our 2.8 mile (4.5 km) hike started at 8500 foot elevation (2550 meters) and rapidly climbed to 9400 feet (2825 meters). If it hadn’t been for my daughter giving continual words of encouragement, I might still be walking to the top.

It was quite difficult for me due to two things: 1) I wasn’t used to the altitude and 2) I’m not in that great of shape at the moment. So, I made it by focusing on 75 yards at a time. It was a tough one but well worth it when we got to the top. The wind was blowing quite hard which made it difficult to hold on to hats and things.

Me at the Top

If you look at the photo on the top left, you will see a sliver of road on the bottom right. The small green trees surrounding the road are full grown pine trees; i.e. 70 – 100 feet high. It was like being on the top of the world. We could literally see for miles.

We stayed for a little while, but the wind was getting harder and it seemed to be turning colder, so we decided it was time to walk back down.

I had a challenge coming down. As I was trying to find the best route down along the sloping face, I ended up going too far down and missed the turn for the trail. I then had to climb back up to the correct path. I found that incredibly difficult due to the altitude. My daughter and her boyfriend were getting concerned because they hadn’t seen me in a while. He came back down and found me sitting on the side of the mountain trying to catch my breath. How embarrassing! With his help I got back to the path to get off the dome.

After that the hike down was much easier. My daughter and I saw a mule deer and two osprey on the way up which added something special to the hike.

The lesson for the day was that if we are reaching for a big goal (hiking to the top of Lembert Dome for example), sometimes the best way to get there is just one step at a time. Don’t look to far ahead. Keep your focus on the goal but keep your attention on the next step.

Have a great day!

Michael

Tufa Towers Pre-Sunrise

Around 4:45 a.m. this morning, I dragged myself out of bed to drive from Lee Vining, CA to Mono Lake which is only about 10 miles. For a long time now, I had wanted to take sunrise photos around the tufa towers of Mono Lake. In my excitement about this opportunity, I woke up about 45 minutes too early since the sky didn’t become light until about 5:30 a.m.Oh well!

Tufa towers are composed of calcium carbonate that forms unusual shapes typically underwater. The reason that some tufa towers at Mono Lake can be seen above water is simply due to the fact that the lake level now is much lower than its original level.

Coming to the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve feels like being dropped onto an alien planet. The towers are so unusual that one cannot stop staring at them. Many birds use them as perches. In fact, I was able to see two ospreys that were tending to their nest on the top of one tower.

Tufa Towers at Sunrise

I feel very fortunate to have come here. Nature is never anything less than fascinating for me. I am continually amazed at how life adapts and thrives in harsh and seemingly unsuitable environments. The ecological balance in the lake is based on a very simple food chain. Bacteria and algae use the minerals and sun to proliferate. Brine shrimp and alkali flies eat them. 80 species of birds eat the brine shrimp and flies. That’s basically it in a nutshell.

I was the only human in this vast natural place on this very early morning. I enjoyed watching all the birds and other species (jack rabbits for example) go about their morning ritual of feeding, talking and generally hanging around.

I plan on visiting here again in different seasons. Mono Lake is ever changing naturally but new legislation in California will now help to restore the lake level to 6392 feet elevation. This is not as high as 1941 but it is a good balance for the wildlife in this region. Please go to the Mono Lake Organization website for detail information about the restoration.

I feel fulfilled and elated. Time stood still for a little while this morning and that’s a good thing.

Michael

One of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone is the gift of attention. – Jim Rohn

It’s a simple thing to give someone attention, but most of the time we choose to do something else. We are more involved with our own thoughts, actions and “responsibilities” and so we are too involved to give another our time.

The gift of your attention will be something that will be remembered, consciously or unconsciously. Sometimes the feeling of getting attention will be subtle and the person will not be clear on why they feel good when being around you. Others, especially children, will know and consequently will develop feelings of being cared for and liked.

True listening is one of the easiest ways to give another attention. A person practicing listening skills will not be thinking about what they are going to say next. True listening involves completely focusing on what the other person is saying and being totally in the present moment. Practicing this skill will be a gift very much appreciated by the other person. Nowadays it seems to be a rare experience. Maybe you can help change that.

Have a great day!

Michael

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music. – William Stafford

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. – Vicki Baum

Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another. – Author Unknown

I don’t want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance. – George Balanchine

As I said yesterday, I flew into Austin to see my niece dance after working hard in the three week Joffrey Ballet Workshop held in San Antonio, TX every year.

Well, I haven’t seen her dance in almost two years and the progress she has made is dramatic. There were moments where she seemed to defy gravity and float across the stage. How does she do that? I was very impressed.

It’s obvious she enjoys dancing. The glint in her eyes gives it away. The other thing I love is that she is fulfilling a dream. I believe when you do that, your life fundamentally changes in very positive ways. Thanks Morgan! You’ll be bringing a lot of joy to many people with your dancing ability. That’s a really good thing.

A bonus for me: I got to practice some technically challenging photography; i.e. low light, lots of movement and etc. Very fun!

Have a great day!

Michael