The Walls of Jerico

Yesterday Danesh, Navid, Dustin, Jeremy, Brian and I went for a long, long, walk into an area of mountainous Jackson County called the Walls of Jerico.

Jeremy took a little time out to reflect on the serenity of it all (I think :-).

Dustin tried to fly off a make believe runway ... he finds them everywhere.

The 'Walls" is a preserve along both sides of the Alabama and Tennessee state lines and good wilderness. Most of the way the trail is single file...

More photos from the 'Walls of the intrepid group are forthcoming. I really struggled climbing out...it was a long walk (did I say this?), very steep down and much steeper coming back up.

Thanksgiving 2007

Thanksgiving 2007 has come and gone.

So, here was almost all of the crowd that gathered at the Foroughi's.

You may know everyone...if you don't, just ask.

It was a good time to get some shots of the grandparentals and at least a couple of the great grandchildren.

Last Vestiges of Fall

These are truly beautiful days in the Tennessee Valley.
The temperature hovers around 60 degrees ... no humidity ... extremely pleasant ... but there are signs that winter, or something approximating winter, is approaching.
The local insect population is gathering the last of the nectar ... and there has been some color to the end of Fall despite the drought.
How do I know that this could be one of those years when we have snow and ice? The squirrels have all grown thick coats of fur and have built larger-than-normal houses in the tops of the trees.
So, we'll see what kind of climate change we get this year.
Stay tuned.

Baby Visit

For all too brief a time, Jameh and Taleh came by for a visit at the end of last week. Everyone took turns with the babes...here is a selection from hundreds of shots.:-)
Amelia was able to share some moments with us...as did the Ms. & Mock kiddies.





Where was Katrina?:-(

Just a nice stroll in the woods...

Last weekend (sorry it has taken so long), we packed up who we had and grabbed Maria and the boys, and ex-officio family member Dustin, and headed up to Huntsville Mtn.

It was a beautiful day...'cept Amelia was already tired and really not up to us getting lost first thing on the newly designed trails...fortunately a guy wandered by and told us we were already going down the mountain before we had started up!

We even saw a car that apparently had been deposited in the woods from the 1989 Airpport Rd. tornado (our guess anyway).

It was grueling, legs burning, lungs pumping, and a darned good thing it wasn't Colorado!

But we found our way

and had a picnic lunch, finally getting to use the expensive picnic backpack I bought for Rosana's March birthday in advance of our eventual wanderweg trek in Switzerland.

Everyone recovered.

(photos courtesy of Jeremy.:-)

Water, Water .....

What a contrast global climate change brings on the same day. Areas within 50 miles northeast of Huntsville are absolutely running out of water, while other areas in Mexico are submerged.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21590403/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21582319/

http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?q=Orme,+TN,+United+States+of+America&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=34.71904,-86.550293&spn=2.022725,5.108643&z=8&om=1

's been a busy time

Well, I have been very busy since coming home from Ohio. Getting caught up back in the flow of things.

One of the first events to get me back-adjusted was the Birth of the Bab observance.

As a part of our Book 4 study circle group, we put on a story telling program hosted by Ruhi. She gave us an inspiring brief talk about life in Shiraz as a girl and how it felt to grow up in the spiritual and historic birthplace of this religious Cycle of human history...

we were graced by a performance from Semina, too.

Our study circle presented a part of the story of the Bab's early years. Following brief narratives from Rosana, Diana and Maria, I took on the portrayal of Shaykh Abid, the Bab's school teacher and told the story of his first years in school (see pages 50-51 of The Dawn Breakers). It was a moving and enchanting performance (once you get past the period costume...you kinda have to guess about the period) to be sure.:-)

Then, the "sister act" performed an unforgettable ahhhhh-kapella ...

Jessie Wolfe presented a wonderful rendition of a poem...

and Darren presented a brief talk on the Titles of the Bab, with Carolyn leading us all in song at the end.

The food, as always, was plentiful and good. Our guests seemed very pleased.

'twoo Blave......wins!

The polls have closed and I see a growing tendency that my viewing habits are a little predictable. 52% thought that I would watch A Princess Bride over and over again, 35% thought it would be Lost Horizon, 17% thought the Lord of the Rings trilogy would keep me entranced, and I have a deep suspicion it was Navid's lone vote that I would be spell bound by King Kong (the original version). The vote for King Kong was the first vote cast!

Hummmm, could be a difference between those voters who know me now, and those who know the deeper inner me (indeed, a scarry place to dwell).

I think that, perhaps, I would watch Lost Horizon for ever by myself, and A Princess Bride with people. Lost Horizon kept me glued to the set when I was a kid, and the intro to the book says it was one of the first anti-war books and subsequent movie of last century. King Kong, the original, is one of my favorities and I watched it and Lost Horizon once a year, several times a weekend, when KCMO TV in Kansas City played it like Turner movies plays the same old movie back-to-back. My mother could plug me into a chair or with a blankie and pillow on the floor and there I would stay all weekend.

And, LoR is certainly a favorite when watching with a crowd.

So thanks for the interest and I will query you further on matters of extreme importance later.

:-)

Marathon Runner for AT

I had the pleasure of meeting Tim, Michelle, and Colton Borland at breakfast Saturday morning at the B&B in Findlay (daughter Kailey was still sleeping). Tim is running across the nation, doing a marathon a day! He is trying to help draw attention to the childhood disease Ataxia-telangiectasia.

He is currently on day 39 of his tour, and his is also being followed by a documentary crew filming his efforts. Look for his appearances on Good Morning America, CNN, and others as he makes his way to the New York Marathon in a few weeks.

B&B at its Best

Here are some views of the extremely restfull B&B I found in Findlay, Ohio...the Red Cottage B&B.

It is just west of downtown Findlay. It is a very old re-worked home but it is a very quiet place.
For someone my age, it is exactly what your grandmother's home felt like.

The side entrance to the B&B also presents a very restive view...and is reflective of the overall nature of the place.

The living room is divided into a reading room and a room where all the old dolls live...they know you are there because they are always staring at you.

Making My Way Back Home

Whew...it has been a busy week closing down my part in the Ohio disaster. What a quick week, and I am finished after coming here Aug. 25! I am in Findlay, Ohio at The Rose Gate Cottage B&B and I want to tell you that I have not slept this well since coming to Ohio. You have got to try it. I will post some pictures later today. It is a blast from the past!
Well....gotta get on down the road to Columbus and fly home tomorrow. I have some historical and hysterical stories to share...so stay tuned.

Climate Change & Universal Interdependence

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided the strongest non-aligned assessment of the impact of global warming on the planetary systems we depend upon for most of our existence. In additional to the sheer strain on daily physical life, there are certain spiritual ramifications to this potentially catastrophic situation.

My weekend whimsical trip to Kelleys Island, Ohio was certainly a stark reminder for me about the current dramatic conditions in the Great Lakes area. Some folks making the trek with me thru the heavily wooded nature trail part of the island stopped to look for treasures along the shore. A year ago they would have been looking for things six feet back toward the shore line.

On the southeastern shore, the images were also dramatic. Last year the water line was at the grass line.

Erie Underground

En route to my destination Sunday I happened on a little historic footnote that I think we'd all find interesting.:-) R suggested I take the picture along the wharehouse row along Lake Erie in Sandusky and I am happy it turned out so well.

Waldo on a Whim

There is more forthcoming on this story, but I whimmed to Kelleys Island, Ohio today.

It is another "one-size-fits-all" peddling adventure (see the Put-In Bay story below), but much a more ergonomicaly designed machine...and a much bigger piece of real estate.

Where is Waldo (ah, today?)

This has been a busy, busy deployment. On a "normal" day, I check on my media contacts in Mansfield, then drive the 15 miles north to Shelby (their newspaper doesn't have an effective web site that carries their articles, thereby hard to monitor from afar), thence 15 miles to Bucyrus (where I can check almost all of my areas newspapers at one gas station), thence 20 miles to Marion, thence 20 miles to Upper Sandusky, thence 5 miles to Carey, ten 15 miles to Tiffin, and all the way back.

This is not an every day routine, but most, depending on regular weekly radio interviews in Mansfield, Bucyrus, Marion, Upper Sandusky, and Tiffin.

It all gets crazy when the Columbus or Cleveland TV stations come into the area...like the morning this Columbus crew showed up and I had to roll back to the county courthouse in Bucyrus for the interview.

BTW, Bucyrus got its unusual name this way: the founding guy wanted to name the town like no where else, so he combined the word "beautiful" with Cyrus The Great, thus Bucyrus. Now ya know.

Have a nice day.

Whim en Roam

When finally given the chance to have a day off from the grind of working with the media in the Ohio disaster for more than a month, I did my logical rest routine: Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. But, both are small and it was clear I had to find a way to fill last weekend with more activities.

So on a whim, looking at the map, one couldn't miss the obvious presence of Lake Erie and its

islands about an hour away...so thusly, I set out on a quest for Put-In Bay.

I decided not to take my car to the Island (via ferry) but I would rent a bike on the Island. It was a 12-mile Ferry ride and it was very pleasant. The Island itself is a well-used weekend and summer retreat.

It is also the site of Commodore Perry's defeat of the English Navy to end the War of 1812.
The 30-story tall monument "downtown" is the only International Peace Monument in the US (the peace between the US and Canada.

The public can ride an elevator to the top, but you first have to navigate a very tight circular corridor up about 30 steps inside. I tried but could not do it. I became clostrophobic in the corridor and had to retreat...sorry Commodore (in my best Jack Sparrow voice)!

I had a great time on the Island. The weather was just right. I asked a group of students han ging out on the waters edge to take my picture. I must have been pretty relaxed.

I had plenty of time, so I thought I would just peddle my one-size-fits-all bike around the Island. One size does NOT fit all, but it was a good workout for me and I was sure I had plenty of time to circumnavigate the place.

The harbor was very pretty and very neatly kept. All along the harbor are restuarants and tourist stops. This has been a tourist, and summer home, since the 1800's.

What I did not realize by just looking at the map was that this Island isn't like just any Island in the South.

Just past the harbor, at a point of no return (I had fully committed to rounding the Island) there was a roadside historic marker.

The marker detailed how the Island resembled the Island of Gibraltor in contour.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise it wasn't just the image of Gibraltor from above in resemblance, it also had a good rise too (especially for someone peddling a "crank and go bike") which meant I would be huffing and puffing a lot on the north end of the Island to get to the Ferry to come back!

The West end of the Island was the most scenic with a lot of coves and some cliffs and park areas.
By this time I was pretty tuckered out. Thankful for the exercise, but fully committed to getting a 10-speed when I do the Islands again!

I had first thought that I would stay out on the Island until the last Ferry went to the mainland at 7pm....but on review of my energy expenditure, I decided that 5pm was good enough. :-)

It was a good decision as the clouds rolled in and the sun was going to set early.

It was a very pleasant ride back and a lot of large motor boats and sail boats came back early, too. It was, by my account, a near perfect day. A good adventure...except you all weren't with me!.