CURRENTS OF CHANGE

     Have you noticed the changes swirling around us as we re-enter life?

    Our friend Marcos, visiting from Scottsdale, watched the walkers, surfers and beach denizens on a busy afternoon in Cayucos and observed "I just can't believe how quickly we have gone from such isolation and carefulness to this," pointing to what could easily have been a pre-pandemic California beach scene.

    Some express a sense of guilt the US has opened while many nations are still gripped by fear and soaring death rates. 

    We've heard the callous, those who are dying now "have it coming" because they have refused vaccinations.

    People talk about  variants, a possible breakthrough, whether to mask again when flu and cold season return. 

    And I've noticed we have some remedial work to do in our social skills. After a year and half of limited social contact, listening, waiting a turn to speak, and sharing the floor can all use some polishing. 

    As we expected, normal is not like it used to be, but we are intent on living it fully.

Photo by Babak Tafreshi

The Great Jaguar Pyramid

        I was fascinated to see the above photo by Iranian science journalist and photographer Babak Tafreshi. He captured the Pleiades above the famed Great Jaguar Pyramid at Tikal, a Mayan site in the jungles of northern Guatemala. 

        An assignment took me to Tikal as I worked on a documentary about Mayan culture and the mysterious pyramids of central America. 

        The Great Jaguar was built in 732 AD and was part of a Mayan capital that existed until 1450. My photos are less sensational, but our videographer captured marvelous scenes.

        Thought to be a funerary temple it is nine levels high, symbolic of the Mayan underworld. We climbed those steep steps, carefully. 

        There is superstition and legend around Tikal, sometimes referred to as the place of voices. I have a theory about that.

        Our crew was scheduled to stay at a camp lodge just a few miles from Tikal, but a few weeks before our arrival it was destroyed by a fire as a result of a gun battle between rebels and government troops. We persuaded the local government to let us stay at Tikal in thatch roofed huts used by archeologists when they were working on the site. The only power was from a generator that had to be turned off by 10PM. 

        When the overhead fans stopped it was hot. We were under triple canopy and the air barely stirred. When the lights were out you could not see your hand pressed to your nose. Complete darkness. And yes we heard the "voices."

        The place is infested with Black Howler monkeys.

    One Guatemalan source says the sound is "like the lament of one of the tortured and bellicose demons of Mayan mythology." It's been described as the sound of the "devil retching."

     My memory of sweating and sticking to damp sheets in the stale air of a thatched hut as the Black Howlers climbed over the top of the roof while howling is vivid. In was in that setting I surmised the "voices" were in fact the monkeys. Others who have spent more time at Tikal say those voices are more spiritual. 

            As Babak's night photo reveals, the plaza at Tikal is a marvelous place for night sky, not so in the dense jungle.

        Cambria is like that too. In the trees it's not so good, but in open areas our night sky views are magnificent. 

        I applaud Claudia Harmon and Beautify Cambria's efforts to preserve the heritage of seeing our celestial neighbors.

        Cambria has its share of astronomical photographers and I wonder how many of us spent more time looking at the stars in the last year and half. 

        

        How are you and your pod fairing in the changes of reopening? In our case we helped hold on to sanity by gathering with a 4 other masked friends every other week in either a court yard, back deck, garage in inclement weather, or Diane's delightful back garden.  

        It was human contact in a slightly more relaxed context. At a time when we were wary of being too close to others, it was wonderful to be with friends. Now that we can dine out, shop without masks and enjoy being vaccinated, we still like to return to Diane's because it's just lovely. 

        That's another Cambria blessing isn't it? We have so many lovely gardens, meditation spaces, places to sit and enjoy.

        I'll let you in on a little story about surfing these currents of change. Our little pod decided we'd take a lunch out. First week it was grand, and not surprisingly we ran into other Cambrians we had not seen for a while. Emboldened by that we thought we'd try again and at a what had been a neat little place by the water, but out of the village. We arrived to find the afore mentioned Diane sitting on a bench, having gotten there 30 minutes early to put in our names for a "45 minute to hour wait." 

    We all assembled and stood around wondering if we were in a crowd for an amusement ride or maybe kayak rental. After another 20 minutes we were told there were still nine parties in front of us. Enough of that, we bolted for the place we had been successfully the week before only to be told it would be "45 minutes to an hour." 

        Starting this week, we are back to each other's deck, court yard and Diane's garden. 

        Guess we had forgotten that "normal" sometimes meant "the wait will be about 45 minutes, we'll call you when your table is ready."

        Bet there's a table or a bench or chair closer to home and with no wait. And Cambria is as lovely as lovely can be.

        See you down the trail. 

    

CONTOURS OF BLACK FACE & PAYING DUES ON THE ROCK ROAD

     ocean rock off fiscalini ranch preserve  cambria

      A place of sanity and civility is a tough spot to find these days. The most recent black face blow up might offer a ledge, precarious though. 
     And ahead in this double post is a photo essay on paying dues on the music highway.

the rutted road of black face

       spanish moss tunnel on jack creek road templeton 

       Black face had its origins in Europe. It was used in theatre to permit white actors to play dark skinned characters, including Othello. It did not begin as an act of racial denigration.
       The "racism" of black face began in the early 1800's in  theater when characters with demeaned qualities were played by actors in black face. British theatre of the 1800's also used black face to portray Black people in stereotyped and derogatory ways. They were portrayed as stupid, lazy, slow talking, sexually aggressive, easily frightened, and worse. That same hurtful poison was poured by American theatre. By the mid 1800's actors in black face did music and comedy skits feeding the stereotypes. Minstrel shows toured and carried the racist stereotypes far and wide. 

even disney

     In the 20th century film, animation and even Disney cartoons perpetuated the stereotypes.
     This occurred in an age when racism was rampant, but ignored. White government and majority white society functioned as though it was blind to, insensitive of or ignorant about the damage and hurt caused by the perpetuation of the stereo types much less the under girding de Jure and de Facto segregation and racism. Such behavior is inevitable in a nation where many of the founders owned slaves.
    These are undeniable truths. It is also true that not all people who have put on black face are racists. They may be stupid, but not necessarily racist. 

stupid

    If this nation did a better job of teaching real history, and respecting the truth of our heritage, contemporary Americans would know how hurtful it is. 
    I wrote here earlier that Megyn Kelly was not automatically a racist when she raised the issue of black face, stupid probably, ill advised and her network bosses succumbed to perceived outrage and she was released. 
    Now that black leaders and community leaders have come to the defense of the Virginia Governor, it may offer that ledge to have a conversation about a couple of things.

in the national dna

     First, the US must acknowledge its racist and genocidal heritage and then teach it. Our government, our system of life, perpetuated, enabled and encouraged racism and ethnic genocide. 

not fully human

    People of color were not recognized as full human beings, that was in our charter. Before that we did not recognize the sovereignty of the first citizens of this continent. As terrible as it has been for African Americans, it has been worse for native Americans. This nation slaughtered millions of native inhabitants. When the murder stopped, we then lied to and cheated them. That is who we are, and what we did. Thank God men and women of conscience and increasing intelligence have reshaped, refined and corrected our national establishment, but it has been a long battle and it continues.

reason, don't screech

    Second, and this needs saying. Stupid things done by a student 35 years ago should not be the automatic disqualifier for a person who otherwise has demonstrated good judgment, citizenship and character. Who did not make poor judgments in their youth?
     There are limits here. Dressing up like Michael Jackson, or Al Jolson may have been stupid but it is not like doing a crime of violence. Being overtly racist, abusive, discriminatory or committing sexual assault are more serious than dressing up. We need to acknowledge that.
     There is a screeching factor in American politics today that borders on hysteria. It is loud and it drowns out common sense, civility and due process. It makes victims of the system and can injure people more grievously than some of the so called alleged offenses.  To those who are calling for the Virginia governor's dismissal, I urge you to point some of that venom toward the American mass culture and educational system that has failed to teach just what black face is, the whole story. 
      It is offensive and dangerous when a society fails to know and learn from history. We have much to learn, and a lot of making amends to do. 

 the music road

   the pour house  paso robles

    Davy and the Midnights do a sound check at a tap room in Paso Robles. Their tour of the California coast takes them from LA to San Francisco and north.

   Haven't heard of them? You may someday. They play country, blues, rock and the sort of fare that keeps you alive playing bars. Their own music is good and they are refining it in an LA studio. 
   They are young, on the road and paying their dues.
   Lead singer Davey Allen is also the keyboard player for Eric Burdon and the Animals and has played with other big name rockers. He's got a great band.

    Guitarist Greg Cahill is a superb player. Full disclosure-His dad is a life long friend. We've watched Greg from when he first sat at a piano as a tyke.  He's true LA pro. 
    But that doesn't make life on the road easy.

      cayucos saloon and card room  the"tav"  cayucos

     After the Paso gig it was on to a place to sleep, briefly. An early morning wake up put them on the road to Carmel Valley for a three hour acoustic performance at a winery. The long drive back slammed into showing up in Cayucos to set up for the Saturday night show at the old Saloon.

    These guys are not in the music royalty, yet. They are their own roadies, engineers and set up men.

     On the road, you never know what kind of set up and acoustics you'll find.

     It takes a little psychology and musical alchemy to get a sense of the crowd, what they want to hear, and then feed them.

     There's no time to perfect the "room" for sound or staging. Just get up there and do it.

      After the second set at the Saturday night show, I told him it takes someone a lot younger than me to keep up the pace.                        

      In the next 8 days they'll be in San Rafael, Sacramento, San Francisco, Fairfax, Blue Lake, Arcata, Brookings Or., and Crescent City.

    Rock on!

     See you down the trail.

A WORLD APART

TORO CREEK ROAD

This new walk offers great vistas. You might find it hard to believe it is only a mile or so from the Pacific Ocean.

"It's the California I grew up in" was the comment from a

couple of hikers.

It's cowboy country to me, like scenes

from the old westerns.

You can find it off the Pacific Coast Highway

between Cayucos and Morro Bay.

Whatever you are dealing with today,

take this walk in a peaceful valley.

 Accompanied by the sound of birds, the creek and wind through the trees.

 Post card scenes of California that many do not know exists.

 Below, the sun splashes off Toro Creek.

 An old ranch homestead.

 A combination of cattle country and agriculture.

Below, old gourds wait to enrich the soil.

 Typical to ranch and farm country-a kind of museum of

old implements.

Probably some life left in this old boy.  Just waiting till it is needed again. 

 I particularly like the frame below.

Five layers of mother earth

including a fault line.

See you down the trail.

BRILLIANCE-A FILM AND SUN ON A BEACH TOWN

ACTING BRILLIANCE

REEL THOUGHTS

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

I came out of this film somewhat stunned.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn was mind blowing.

The acting, even to the bit parts was a tour de force.

I simply did not see it coming.

It is a bright, clever and even poignant film.

Based on the book by Colin Clark, who spent

time as a junior director in Laurence Olivier's company as the famed actor tried his hand at directing Marilyn,

the film is a reminiscence and portrait.

There are moments in the film where you forget

you are watching Michelle Williams play Marilyn.

So brilliant, nuanced, subtle and beautiful!

Williams mastered a technique with her eyes

that seemed to channel Monroe.  If Meryl Streep got

praise for her Julia Childs, Williams should get

a crown for her Marilyn. 

Boozy, pill sedated, insecure, manipulative,

William's Marilyn provides an intimate look

into the mega star that  became an icon.

In this film, you "get" how she became what 

she did. Williams was incredible.

But so was Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier. Olivier fans might quibble a bit with some of the quirks, ego and insecurity, still it was great acting.  Young Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark and Harry Potter's Emma Watson were great.

Then there were the superb "bit players"-Judi Dench was masterful as Dame Sybil Thorndike.  Julie Ormand as Vivien Leigh, and Zoe Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg were also masterful.  Michael Kitchen and Derek Jacobi had even smaller parts, but their cameos also shone.

This is an actor's film and Director Simon Curtis presided in such a way to let some real cinema magic happen.

There are bigger, more important films this year,

but this is sweet, luscious and so well acted.

DAY BOOK

Cayucos Bright

The great surfing and retro beach town just down the 

coast, wears the sun well.

See you down the trail.

GET OUT AND WALK

       It is hard to imagine ever being outside enough.  As a school kid, freedom seemed to breath, whenever we were permitted outside.  Working as a journalist gave me plenty of opportunity for being outside, until I began managing news operations or companies. Then I'd bound out, just to walk a few blocks, to get outside, whenever I could.  So as spring envelopes the country, let me urge you to take a walk.  In that spirit, here's a look at 

A WORLD CLASS WALK

          The Harmony Headlands State Park is 784 acres between Highway 1 and the Pacific about five minutes north of Cayucos and south of Cambria. It offers a spectacular approximately two mile hike out to a marine terrace.  It has become one of our favorites and it is often on the Cambria Walking Bunch's list.

          According to locals in the know, the land had been in the State Park System for some five years, but never opened to the public.  The story goes that Clint Eastwood, who lives about 2 hours north in Carmel, was down for an occasion and as a member of a state commission walked the trail.  He asked why it wasn't open and communicated with his friend and then Governor Schwarzenegger.  Shortly thereafter the trail was opened to the public.

            If you spend much time in this area of the Central Coast you get an urge to go wondering over the rolling hills and into valleys and canyons.

            The Headlands trail, gives you that opportunity and takes you by precious wetlands and fragile environs.

              After winding between slopes the trail opens to majestic views of the Pacific.

The trail works along pristine coastal bluffs.

In the spring, it offers a wild flower show.

lots of blooms this time of year

This is a somewhat exotic, called  Humming Bird Sage.

If you like hikes, and are in the area, the Harmony Headlands State Park is a great opportunity. Regardless of where you live, go talk a walk.
See you down the trail.