“Into the Mystic” in Van Morrison’s 1970 Moondance Album
We were borne before the wind Also younger than the sun Ere the bonnie boat was won As we sailed into the mystic Hark, now hear the sailors cry Smell the sea and feel the sky Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic And when that foghorn blows I will be coming home And when the foghorn blows I want to hear it I don’t have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul Just like way back in the days of old And magnificently we will flow into the mystic When that fog horn blows You know I will be coming home And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it I don’t have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul Just like way back in the days of old And together we will flow into the mystic Come on, girl Too late to stop now
“Into the Mystic” — the words and melody ethereally flowing together as one — is about a spiritual quest. But over the years the song has become much more — an affirmation of life for me, and I would like to think for my generation, as well, should we choose to embrace its sentiments, an anthem of lives lived as we float down that stream, merrily or otherwise, after leaving this mortal coil. I am honored that my path intersected with friends departed, and I am a better person because it did. The fog horn has blown for them and they will be coming home.
On this Labor Day Weekend, we are not on vacation. although it may look like we are. We are at home, pool-side in what may look like our private pool, but it’s our community pool located about 50 yards from our house. It might as well be our private pool, since on this beautiful day, we are the only ones in the pool. Goes to show you how people can take things for granted — not for Joy, she has a regular swimming routine at the pool. It’s nice when everyday can seem like a vacation, but don’t assume we will get bored, we mix it with plenty of work — this was my first time in the pool. Still, “We wish you were here!”
kenne
p.s. . . . another couple did share the pool after these photos were taken.
It was a glorious day for an amazing autumn hike in the Pike National Forest of Colorado. The hard part was figuring out just exactly which hike to take! Eventually photo associate and I decided upon the Anne-Marie Falls hike on the western slopes of Pikes Peak which we had done in the spring and discovered the home of a friendly and colorful Wilson’s Warbler. Many Thanks to Kevin for shooting this picture of me hard at work in the midst of the icy water!
Well the warbler appears to have made the flight to more temperate climates for the winter but there was still plenty of color to be found! The aspen groves on this particular hike are in peak color right now 🙂 It was a bit chilly to start with, the pond was actually frozen over in spots and there was still frost on the foliage when…
Old Jules, does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
Power corrupts. It doesn’t need to be absolute so much as it needs time to work and a closed system to work within. It has that in the combination of a two-party system, career politicians, Congress abdicating its responsibilities to the Executive so’s to avoid blame, and a Judiciary that sees itself as a lawmaking body.
Combine that with polarizing propaganda to point fingers away from the agenda and a spoiled, worthless spectator sports distracted population of semi-literates and you have 21st Century US using insurance sales and health care issues making up the gross national product.
Old Jules, what if you made up your own government?
Public officials elected by candidates nominated by sectors of the population and conscripted to serve a single term similar to selection of jury duty members. Zero deficit spending on pain of death to everyone voting for…
Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods, And mountains; and of all that we behold From this green earth; of all the mighty world Of eye and ear, — both what they half-create, And what perceive; well pleased to recognize In nature and the language of the sense, The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul Of all my moral being.
— from Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour by William Wordsworth
Once I held a 30-30 to my head, a blessed friend saved me. I have learned, now I have lived and I have learned. I am too old to die young, lived long enough to know, we shall know sadness, we will know joy. We will know the sweet taste of love and we will cry tears for love lost. Our teachers will teach-us and they will leave us. We shall cry for them and we will try to remember their lessons share. I know now, each of us, are here for a reason. To be saved and to save another. Today the sun will rise and the moon shall fall. We must try to lead with delicate words and teach the children, love is life, be kind and generous to each other. We are here just here for a while, just ships…
“In our finest hours…the soul of the country manifests itself in an inclination to open our arms rather than to clench our fists; to look out rather than to turn inward; to accept rather than to reject. In so doing, America has grown ever stronger, confident that the choice of light over dark is the means by which we pursue progress.”
― Jon Meacham, The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels
I like writing about where I am, where I happen to be sitting, the humidity or the clouds, the scene outside the window— a pink tree in bloom, a neighbor walking his small, nervous dog. And if I am drinking a cup of tea at the time or a small glass of whiskey, I will find a line to put it on.
— from In the Room of a Thousand Miles by Billy Collins
Looking Forward to Hiking Soon In The Catalina Mountains
Affective September 21, 2020 some of the trails are now open in the Santa Catalina Mountains after closure after the Bighorn Fire. These trails remain closed at the burn scar boundary due to hazards that can cause injuries.
“Mother and Son” Katie Turner Bailey & Kenne Jaxon Bailey (September 14, 2014) — Image by kenne
It was a glorious day for an amazing autumn hike in the 
Balsa Wood Rafting On The Tuichi River In The Bolivian Amazon (8/21/19) — Image by kenne
