THE NEW BLACK? REMEMBERING A GHOST TREE

CHOOSING THE NEW COLOR

       So it seems orange is the new "in" color of the season.
What do I know about fashion and color? Trips to France sensitized me to shifting color preferences. Friends wanted to know what the new fashion season revealed as the color we'd be seeing more of so I made a point of paying attention. 
         This year I saw a lot of orange in Palm Springs and environs, among some of the lovely patrons of the Indian Wells Tennis tournament, in shops and I see it is showing up elsewhere. I certainly have no pedigree from Ralph Lauren University, so I could be entirely wrong. And as a further qualifier, my idea of good color is blue and grey.  

        Anyway, California's central coast is painted by nature. It's a seasonal switch that cranks up the swatch palette. 

A FINAL STAND

   Aside from humans and elephants, trees get my vote for favorite life form on this blue planet. Old trees get  maximum respect. They don't travel of course but they observe the years, even centuries and leave a record. Talk about zen mellow!
    Seeing a stump serves an encouragement. Old roots remain in mother earth and the space above is reserved for the memory of a sentry or watcher.

  See you down the trail.

DIRTY AND THEN JUST NICE

DIRTY FIRST

    Jeremy Scahill is a savvy journalist who has survived war and produced major sets of information.  His latest, Dirty Wars is gripping, troubling and one of those pieces all Americans should see, but wont.
    It's a new day in world politics and the exercise of military might. Answers are not easy, solutions are complicated, but the operation of JSOC is something Americans need to come face to face with.
    The documentary draws you in from the first scene.  Scahill has a point of view, but when he gets information from the inside, to validate and expand what his reporting in Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere has shown, you realize this is not your daddy's warfare anymore, nor of course is the nature of the enemy. If you care a whit about the future of this nation and the exercise of power, you need to see this film.  Here's a trailer.

Now, here's a little antidote to help you chill.

NATURE IN BALANCE

See you down the trail.