GRATITUDE AT TWILIGHT

PEACEFUL EVENING

It would not be a particularly illuminating read for you

if I enumerated all of the reasons I am grateful.

Suffice it to say I try to live in a 

state of gratitude.

I worked on a story years ago and got to 

know an elderly gentleman who had one 

of the brightest and cheeriest dispositions I've 

encountered.  A widow by then, he said frequently

how fortunate he had been. It was a kind of 

mantra in his life.  It reminded him of

all those touchstone moments he had lived

and brought the joy of them forward again,

in gratitude.

A theologian friend put it another way

he said "after you have seen the throne of grace

all you can do is to give gratitude."

Today Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press

wrote how giving thanks makes you happier.

The evening light of the Central Coast

and the time to capture it is certainly

a reason to say Thanks.

These "specks" are crows, enjoying the evening ride.

Thanks for visiting this blog.

See you down the trail.

A DAY THE WORLD CHANGED

NOVEMBER 22

LOSING LIONS

1963.  Senior year of high school. The bulletin

came before our last class of the day, sociology.

Stunned as we filed into the class room, no one spoke, a few were in tears. Teacher Wendell Roberts, usually at his desk, was not there.  A kid, a member 

of Young Americans for Freedom and a Goldwater supporter

went to the chalk board and wrote Revolt!

Roberts walked into the classroom, saw the board and asked who did it. The kid lifted his hand.

Roberts moved to the boy's desk, grabbed him by the collar

and walked him into the hall.

That was how the emotional and tragic weekend began for me.

I was stringing for the Indianapolis Times and our 

high school basketball game with a southern Indiana team was not, like most, cancelled.  I covered the game and called in the score.  A kid by the name of Kennedy scored a lot of points.

JFK was young, dynamic and he engaged a generation.
Politics and government was no longer the province
of only gray men.

I couldn't believe that he, or any American President

could be gunned down, not in modern America.

The world changed that day in ways we would not 

understand for years.

CS Lewis

Pretty much lost to history is that Author CS Lewis passed away on that same November 22, his death overshadowed by the assassination of Kennedy.  My appreciation for Lewis came later.  He was one of the 20th Centuries most remarkable thinkers as well as writers. Most know him

for the Narnia Chronicles.  He wrote and lectured volumes
of more important work; philosophy, classical scholarship,
theology and adult literature.
In the halls of history, Lewis touched and will touch and will have more influence than the man whose passing eclipsed news of his own.
And on this November 22nd I sadly note the 
passing of Ann Dennis, our neighbor on
the ridge top.  She was a gracious, vibrant community activist and leader.  Lana saw her yesterday as she
was leaving to teach a stretch class at the community 
center.  Ann was 92, perhaps 93.  It was never 
polite to ask. Her wonderful smile was ageless.
DAY BOOK
MORNING LIGHT &
RAINBOWS

SOMEWHERE, OVER

See you down the trail.

BEAUTY, LINKED ARMS AND MALARIA MED DREAMS

SERENE BEAUTY 

I've told Lana to kick me if I ever take the beauty of 
the California Central Coast for granted.
I caught this moment as I was working on a forthcoming
post on twilight.  The shape on the right is the back
of Mount Hollister.  The dome on the left reminds me 
of old lava dome caps I've seen.  That or one of the
Mayan temples I saw in Guatamala or Belize that had
been "claimed" by time and jungle growth.
ABOUT LIFE IN THE MALARIA ZONE
I read with more than a little personal interest the US Army has suspended use of the anti-malaria medicine
Mefloquine.  It was called a "Zombie drug" by Dr. Remington Nevin who published the report that got it banned.
"It's dangerous and should have been killed off years ago," said Dr Nevin.  There have been complaints that it casued
psychiatric and physical side effects.
For several years my assignments took me into
malaria zones in the world and I went through several 
cycles of anti-malaria meds.  One cycle was with
Mefloquine.  I recall Mefloquine was 
prescribed for this trip because I was also getting a strong yellow fever shot in combination with another inoculation and Mefloquine was apparently the reccomended protocol.  The infectious disease doctor said it can cause vivid dreams in some and it can also cause stomach troubles.
My photographer began having stomach issues on the long
Atlantic crossing.  I remember arriving in Athens, exhausted from the flights, getting to the hotel mid afternoon just as a thunderstorm began to rumble the city.
I thought I was dreaming, but realized I was awake as 
I watched the stained glass lampshade over the light above the bed, "bleed down" into the room.  A loud thunderclap
caused the the "melting" light to vibrate like the line
on an oscilloscope. When I realized I was awake and not 
asleep I thought I was loosing my already tentative grip on reality.  Then I remembered the doctor's admonition about
vivid dreams. I switched to taking the daily pill earlier and that helped a bit, but a couple of weeks later as I tried to sleep on a cot in a tent on the edge of the Great Rift Valley in Africa, the night sounds of big cats, varieities of monkeys, birds, water buffalo snorts and elephant all seemed to swirl around the edge of my tent with kind of menace. Interesting trip.  That was the last time I took
Mefloquine.  Probably a good thing it is being dropped by the Army, but malaria kills close to a million people a year.
PEACEFUL AND NON VIOLENT
The UC system has been ordered to review the police response policy and tactics after the pepper spray incident at UC Davis and the baton incident at Berkley. 
One account quoted an official as saying 
the Davis students, sitting with locked arms were
being violent and were not using non violent civil disobedience.  Have we forgotten that linked arms
is a symbol of non violent protest?

I've covered a fair share of marches, demonstrations, sit ins and other protests.  I was knocked out by a flag pole
being wrestled over by a cop and the demonstrator who was waving a Viet Cong flag.  I've felt the sting of tear gas
from canisters fired to break up a demonstration.
Once I was slammed against a bus and my tape recorder
was yanked from my hands by a zealous cop.  Another cop came to my rescue and dressed down the jerk.  By the way
that jerk was, a couple of years later, busted, indicted and convicted on corruption charges. 
America has been through this sort of thing many times, but
it seems we forget the lessons. 
Occupying a sidewalk could have a principle behind it, but it  sad for a movement to find their watershed moment is
the occupation of a sidewalk.
It is sad that authorities feel that power must be displayed 
and demonstrated in the face of people who are 
sitting or marching with linked arms.  
From where I see things, it seems both sides in these
incidents have so tunneled their vision they have
lost sight of larger principles.
What is gained by occupying a sidewalk?
What is gained by violently disrupting people who are
sitting peacefully and chanting?
Will the Republic rise or fall on either?
The movement can find more powerful and effective ways to shape the public debate?
Law enforcement can meet non violent demonstrations
in non violent ways.
Before the UC investigation is released perhaps
we should all read and recall
the Chicago Police Riot
and the Walker Commission Report.
We should all know better by now.
See you down the trail

THE WEEKENDER :) A CHUCKLE & A WONDER

NOT THE LIKE THE OLD DAYS

Nothing too heavy since this is a weekend, but

things in the media have changed and gotten very silly.

Jon Stewart's Daily Show often shows how

there is a parrot like mindlessness to what is

said on TV.  Suffice it to say, before huge cutbacks

and before people with seniority were let go because

their pay checks were what they were, it 

didn't used to happen.  You know, the good old days.

Enough!  Just click on this and "enjoy(?)" the

vapid.

By the way despite the disclaimer

at the beginning-it is simply laziness,

  and not editing the copy that was sent to the

smaller news stations rather than some kind of control issue that led to "pushing the envelope."

NOW FOR ANOTHER KIND OF SHILL,

BUT WHAT WONDER

See you down the trail.

IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

BREATHING DEMOCRACY

LIVING A REPUBLIC

One of the great joys, and thus a reason for

gratitude in this season of thanks, is the 

vitality of conversation and political engagement

at Lilly's, one of the world's most unique coffee shops.

On any day you will see animated cliques of 

conversation as various knots of people gather on the deck.

Actually it is a kind of porch, partially under roof, set

amidst a trellis and arbor like construct that works

only in our mediterranean style climate.

The charm of the place is not the story.

It is the people and the earnestness of

the conversations.  There are conservatives, liberals, libertarians and critics. Musicians,

artists, writers, free thinkers, business people

and educators also abound and everyone

comes with a life of experience. So,

as you might imagine, the conversations

are vivid, eclectic, sometimes loud,

and always completely switched on.

I love it.  By nature, and training,

I want to hear all sides, so just listening is a joy.

It reminds me of an assignment in Brazil years ago.

It was just after the military dictatorship ceded control

to the first elected government in 20 some years.

The place was intoxicated with ideas of democracy

and republic.  Newspapers and radio stations that had

been shut down and boarded by the dictatorship

were opening again.  The cafes and bars were alive

with conversation.  Brazilians were quoting

Jefferson, Madison and American principals.  It

was a heady time.

We are lucky to have a little of that every day at Lilly's.

Thanks.

UPDATE FROM BOB

Here's the latest from my friend and former colleague

Bob Foster.

It's all good. My prayer has been that God would show the doctors what He wanted them to do. He has. Loudly. Clearly. 

One of the Mayo doctors consulting on my case recently attended an international symposium on CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia). Research conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA, proved that CLL patients, meeting certain criteria, do not need to have their bone marrow below 50% involvement to successfully transplant. 

I meet that criteria. Further heavy chemotherapy only increases the risk of an infection closing this window of opportunity. We will maintain my relatively good health with weekly, low toxicity chemo treatments until transplanting in late January 2012. We are again moving forward.

Transplant is a 50/50 proposition. There is a highly promising, post-transplant clinical trial underway at MD Anderson. That is our back-up plan. Failure is not something I dwell on, but at least we know there is a "plan B." Anyone who worked radio field production with me knows that I lived for plan B. In this case, plan A would be just fine.  

Foster

DAY BOOK

AT THE MARKET

CHEERS!

SEE YOU DOWN THE TRAIL.

TUMBLED BY THE PACIFIC

IN SEARCH OF DRIFTWOOD

Easy assignment.  Help find driftwood for an art project.

The perfect spot is the beach at Shamel Park

in Cambria, just around the bend from Moonstone Beach.

Perfect day for the "task."  Glad to be of assitance.

Lana had very specific dimensions in mind and

she found the right trove.

Depending on season, this beach is a driftwood collector's

dream.

There is always a structure of some sort built

by driftwood architects.

Mission accomplished.

What?  You thought there was real work involved?

See you down the trail.

EXTRAORDINARY MATTERS

THE WINNINGEST

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

THE SUPER K's

It was an historic moment when Duke Coach Mike  Krzyewski and his mentor, former Coach Bob Knight

embraced after Coach K surpassed Knight as the 

college basketball coach with the most wins.

And it was special. Touching even.  Coach K

played for Knight at Army and was an assistant to Knight.

I consider it good fortune to have spent time with both

men.  I covered Bob Knight for a couple of decades.

The men admire each other.  Both are brilliant students of the game and they have an unequaled success. And as Knight mentored Coach K, Coach K has mentored many others.  Before moving from Indiana, one of our "farewell tour" events was watching Duke play IU at Assembly Hall.

My WISH TV sports anchor Anthony Calhoun arranged for tickets immediately behind the Duke bench.  What a show!

When Coach K, stood, his assistant coaches stood.  When

he unbuttoned his blue blazer, his assistant coaches unbuttoned their blue blazers, and so it went.

My all time favorite coach was the great Johnny Wooden

who combined class and decorum with brilliance.

Coach K is cut from that cloth. The kids who emulate him

are getting a good pattern of excellence.

Last night as I watched Mike and Bob embrace

I thought that if Bob had better controlled his

emotions and had found, at times, a better and more appropriate channel for his 

extraordinary perception of the game, Mike

might still be trying to better Knight's record.

ONE MORE TIME

GET THE BIG MONEY OUT OF POLITICS

Tea party or OWS activist, conservative or

liberal, regardless of your stance, all should

agree that getting big money out of politics

will make for better government.

In fact experience leads me to believe until

corporate and big dollar influence is limited

we'll continue to see a deterioration of the quality

of government and a sell out to denizens of greed.

NPR presented a brilliant demonstration of the problem

with a focus on how the Nixon administration sold out

to the milk producers.  What was illegal then is noW

appropriate.  This might raise your blood pressure.

Link here for the audio.

DAY BOOK

COASTAL SCENES

 The Big Blue (and turquoise)

 Dunes Hiking

 Well off the beaten path

See you down the trail.