A DAY IN WINE COUNTRY

A GALA AT JUSTIN

        I can hear a couple of friends saying "it is so California" and well, I guess it is.  While waiting for the market hammer to fall this weekend, we joined a few hundred other people

at a wine gala.  No usual gala, this was at one of the class wineries in the US and just happens to be in the Paso Robles appellation.

        Our host was Justin, maker of great wine and giver of

great parties despite the economic dread most people wanted to overlook, at least for a sun drenched and joyous few hours with great food, world class wine and on a unique 

campus that always reminds me of a scene from that great 

British TV series The Prisoner.

       So as we hope for something better from our political

parties and leaders, and an improved economic report, let's be Californians and enjoy what is good.

The man in middle is Justin, the founder of 

Winery and maker of extraordinary wine.

See you down the trail.    

  

THE WEEKENDER :) THE MISSING HITCH AND THE JETMAN

PURSUIT

My English Grandmother and her sisters, who shared a

home, was a fan of Alfred Hitchcock. They all were, the great aunts and uncles, so their boarding house like home paused when that distinctive Hitchcock theme came from the television. As a boy I was fascinated. I'm also a fan of 

his moves.

So I took a special joy when this story broke this week. Link here.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THIS?

FLY LIKE A BIRD-SORT OF

I've had dreams like this. What a thrill it would be.

Have a great weekend.  Remember to have fun.

See you down the trail.

ASSIGNMENT SNIPER SCHOOL

ONE SHOT, ONE KILL!

        (Ft. Benning) An intriguing and challenging assignment was to cover a group of Army Rangers as they underwent six weeks of intensive training at US Army Sniper School.

       We spent the six weeks in the bush and on the massive Ft. Benning, documenting

the rigor of gaining a 'Bravo Four' certification.  It is a specialized infantry skill, earned not for a medal, patch, insignia or bragging rights, rather it is a tool used by combat teams. These 20 something year old soldiers, already Rangers and tough fighters, were being trained to become long range killers.  

       "One shot, one kill!" is not bravado as much as it is the mantra and operating directive

or imperative of the sniper.  The Rangers were trained to spend hours, perhaps days

 stalking a target.  When the moment comes, they likely have only one shot.

      Under watchful eyes, they are trained in the skill of field craft, range estimation,

trajectory, minutes of angle and marksmanship. Snipers work in teams of two-a spotter, who helps with targeting and the rifleman.  In training they keep a detailed log of each

shot including wind, atmosphere, humidity, visual conditions, range and accuracy.

       Each sniper constructs his own "gillie suit" made of native growth and camouflage  material to allow him to blend in with the environment.  One of the make or break tests during the six weeks of training is the ability to find an a shooting position that instructors can not spot, even with sophisticated scopes.

        Even with our advantage of being in the bush with the sniper team, and being in front of them, the sniper is difficult to spot at a close distance.

       We were able to use the long reach of our jib camera mount to "sneak up" on a sniper in a hide position.

        The Rangers were pushed 12 to 14 hours a day, hiking everywhere.  During their final

field training exercise they dug "hide holes" in the ground where they slept.  Food, in the form of MRE (meals ready to eat) was taken on the run.  They were given specific assignments and missions and tested every step of the way. The training was in forest terrain, in a desert clime and in urban or village training sites. 

        By the end of the six weeks, some of the class had been cut and dropped from the school. Only the very best were awarded the certification.  They were then returned to their units, armed with a special skill, and awaited future deployment and assignment.

        During our six weeks, we saw young men being tested, pushed to their limit and saw as they gained a unique skill, built a special camaraderie and evinced a loyal devotion to duty and each other.

        I have often wondered how the young Rangers have fared in their postings around the globe.

       See you down the trail.

THE SENSITIVE PLANT AND SENSITIVITY

WHEN LEADERSHIP FAILS

       The doubles tennis foursome is a mixed group, conservative, liberal, democrat and

republican. In all the time we've played there is never conversation about politics.  We cover a lot of stuff and it is an affable group, but today there was anger, disappointment and outrage over the sad, sad, political sideshow of the debt ceiling issue. 

        Republicans embarrassed, democrats disappointed, all felt there was a lack of leadership and an ignoring of national best interests. 

        Broaden the conversation beyond the tennis court and I hear respected republican analysts admit the nation is almost ungovernable. Conservatives who are sensitive

about loosing a claim of integrity because of tea party "legislative terrorism", liberals

angered that Obama moved so far to the right and caved to what they consider to be

extortion.

        For my two cents-we continue to spend Trillions on two wars of dubious value, one of which was started based on lies and fabrications and should never have been launched.

In the aftermath however large corporations are making big money on both war material and reconstruction. Smart?  Smart in a time of financial crisis?  The end of Afghanistan will be a departure with a toll of trillions spent and thousands of broken bodies, lives and far too many deaths.  The result will be for Afghanistan to return the old Testament tribal world that is has always been. Smart?

       So we spend trillions there, but we cut funding to education and infrastructure.  We cut in these areas while the Chinese invest. Which nation do you think will be best equipped to deal with the future and demands of jobs of the future?  And here I'll anger some of you.  We cut social spending but refuse to provide a revenue increase because we refuse to tax fairly. In some cases we refuse to tax.  

      How can Warren Buffet, who by the way is willing to pay more, actually pay less than his secretary in taxes?  How can a corporation pay almost no taxes and in some cases pay none at all?  This is while their CEO is earning millions in bonus money because the profit margin is so high?  How can a congress allow companies who are providing no bid contract services in Iraq and Afghanistan to be sheltered in the Cayman Islands so while they are taking US Tax dollars and paying their employees they are withholding no tax money because "they are not a US company?"  How can a congress be held hostage by a small sect of "true believers" who would rather see the nation fail at meeting it's obligations than think of a big picture and the future? How can Republican leadership and Democratic Leadership and the White House fail so miserably at something that has been done 102 times previously without a government crisis?  

      Compromise is not a problem nor an evil.  It is what gave us the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and our Constitutional Amendments. The history of this Republic is written by leaders who understand compromise is the glue of legislation.

Yes we have problems.  Yes government costs and spends.  Life is more complicated than a simple notion of a smaller government and no taxes.  Compromise is a road map to problem solving.  Not to compromise is to create a government or a state where totalitarian regimes rule.  Joe Stalin and Adolph Hitler were pretty good at refusing to compromise. 

How can such weak leadership prevail?  We have struck a low in American history.  Where is vision? Where is a sense of the future? Where is the art of governance? Where is creative problem solving?  Where is the skill at providing leadership for a nation on the ropes?  Where indeed? 


Sorry for the rant.  But these are days that demand response.

       

DAY BOOK

THE SENSITIVE PLANT

      The popular name is the Sensitive Plant. The fern like leaves restrict and close when touched.  In a few moments they begin to open again.  The bloom is something we've never seen before.

      In these shots, the time of day was perfect to capture a nice bit of shadow play.

See you down the trail.

WHERE DID THEY GO & TROPICAL DELIGHTS

WHAT HAPPENED TO 

PEOPLE OF STATURE?

Seeing Marvin Kalb the other night 

served to remind me how far we have slid.

Kalb, the former CBS News Correspondent and his daughter Deborah have authored Haunting Legacy 

an examination of the foreign policy  of the

seven US Presidents since Viet Nam.

As he spoke with Charlie Rose he demonstrated the 

intelligence, sense of and respect for history and experienced knowledge that characterized not only his career but that of his generation of broadcast journalist.

That generation of correspondent and analyst

is vastly superior to most of what we get today.

It is the same with politicians as well.

Here's a little fun to make the point.

Read these insults and try to picture any of the current Washington crowd of being capable of such verbal skill.

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the
gallows or of some unspeakable disease."
· "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies
or your mistress

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with
great pleasure." Clarence Darrow 

 "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I
approved of it." - Mark Twain 

· "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring
a friend, if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
· "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second ... if there
is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder 

I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -
Groucho Marx 

DAY BOOK

TROPICAL SCENES

Palms in Florida evoke a real sense of the tropics.

 Floral blooms abound.

An exotic sense fills the air and your eyes.

As you travel to new climes, the native vegetation

helps establish that sense of vacation. 

Can we send official Washington to a summer boot camp?

See you down the trail.

SCENES OF A LOTUS & COURAGE

HEROIC

It was an extraordinarily moving moment.
Congresswoman Gabby Giffords back on the floor
of the House of Representatives. 
Politics was eclipsed in an act of courage by
a woman who is conquering adversity.
It was one of those moments where awe, emotion
and gratitude just overwhelms.
She is heroic.


AN EXQUISITE BLOOM

       This is one of those gifts of nature that is simply marvelous.  Enjoy these scenes of a Lotus bloom.

This is just the beginning.

Scenes today of an inner light
and brilliance.
See you down the trail.

MORE THAN A GREEN THUMB

ALL IN A CUL DE SAC

       It is amazing how gardening varies from climate to climate and region to region.  Frequent visitors to this blog have seen evidence of our work in Central California.

       Here in Naples Florida, our eldest daughter has a neighbor who has created his own version of a tropical botanical garden.  He has transformed a common space in a cul de sac and his back yard into an extraordinary display.

 A lotus is about to bloom.

 Bill has his own orchid house.

See you down the trail.