Isn’t this one of the most beautiful pictures of nature you have ever seen? Well, my opinion of course. I would like to share some others.

I know that many people don’t like snakes but once long ago when Mother Nature was the Goddess of humankind and our loving benefactor, they were her totems. The Judeo-Christian-Islamic rulers took that connection and turned it into the evil snake in Eden – what a crock! Check out the beauty of this guy.

 Bush viper

http://bit.ly/2mV0p6n

How about this playful dolphin! Guts ball, no?

A seal getting some chow. Doesn’t look so sweet here eh? Opportunistic Cape fur seals have found a way to both subdue and process large octopuses whenever they’re fortunate enough to catch them. Like energetic dogs with their chew toys, the seals use the speed of their own movements and the resistance of the surrounding water to their advantage. By repeatedly shaking, dragging, and slapping their prey across the water’s surface, the mammals begin to gain the upper hand—stunning the octopus at first and then, slowly, tearing the mollusk’s body into bite-sized bits. Lets have no more talk about the vicious Orca.

 http://bit.ly/2rNtPY7 (Photo by Wim van den Heever Wildlife Photographer)

And how about this beauty. I see it as the epitome of freedom, lightness and grace.

 

Great White Heron. I see them often here.

Ahhh......nature, nature, nature. I love the "wild" critters!!

Speaking of nature, I am lucky to have this view when I walk down to the beach from my trailer.

 Cacachileso Range or maybe the north eastern tip of The Sierra de la Lagunas

I can’t even imagine what people feel when they walk here.

 LA at night

And leave this behind in order to have it.

 

Mining operation hidden from view.

Speaking of cities and/or cultures, here’s one old one to look at and marvel.

 The early (4,000 BC) settlement of Merv in today's Turkmenistan. At the height of IT'S GLORY in the 12th it was the largest city in the world.

http://www.abandonedspaces.com/uncategorized/merv-largest-city-world-12th-century.html

Which kinda gets me into science. You didn’t think I would skip that now, did you?

Here’s a real photo of deep space.

 Deep space: yeah that's what it REALLY looks like out there!

Tens of billions of galaxies containing trillions of planets. How do we know? Well we have been able to identify over 3,500 just in the local part of our own galaxy and we are finding more literally every day. Almost every star is the center of a solar system – it’s about chemistry and if you missed that in school, I’m deeply sorry, it is the basis for understanding the universe. Anyway here’s the famous Drake-Sagan equation for determining the possibility for other life on those trillions of planets. Play with the formula and you will still be surprised.

 

 https://www.universetoday.com/39966/drake-equation-1/

Are we alone??? That’s utterly ludicrous!

Seeing that we are going to Mars relatively soon, check out NASA’s vehicle for cruising the surface.

https://www.universetoday.com/136009/wed-like-one-earth-nasas-new-mobile-mars/

An F16 fighter jet costs 47 million. What do you think this runabout might cost?

Ahhh.....and more mystery around the always delightfully mysterious astronomical Black Holes. Can you even begin to imagine the FORCES at work near these two giants and what mysteries they hold deep in their singularities?

https://www.galaxymonitor.com/astronomers-observe-two-super-massive-black-holes-orbiting-first-time/

One last science thing:

What’s this you ask? How about liquid light! A new form of matter. Big deal?? Hah!

http://www.sciencealert.com/fifth-state-of-matter-liquid-light

OK – back to earth. Check out this guy. My mom, brother and I used to camp at camp 4 in Yosemite before hitting the high country trails. Camp 4 is real close to El Capitan. We saw climbers attack it occasionally. This guy does it solo free climbing (no ropes, pitons etc) up the 3,000’ face in 3 hrs and 56min.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/

For those who enjoyed the movie, “The Last Samurai”, here’s the true story – really happened – well, most of it.

 http://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/true-history-behind-film-last-samurai.html

Something a bit more futuristic and certainly a sign of what is to come. Of course if you are an SF fan you have accepted the following as inevitable long ago. Meet "Sophia"!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4584770/AI-good-world-insists-Sophia-humanoid-robot.html

If that interests you then I suggest you read this; SF doesn’t get any better. 

Before that Android business gets out of control, and it will as long as WAR exists, we have the following to take care of. Cartoons but powerful, a little grim but we live in dangerous times.

 

 

REMBER THIS: 

  OK - the political statement I told you I would include at the end of these blogs. 

 

My latest rock painting. A real test of the steadiness of my hand. I gave it to one of my dearest friends here in Baja Sur. May it give her strength and joy.

A bit more ambitious project. This is a most recent crop circle in England. 300 ft across. Overnight, no lights, no sound, MARVEL at the intricacy; damn drunkin’ Irishmen right?

 http://reflectionofmind.org/newly-formed-crop-circle-uk-amazes-research

Here are some other human constructs that I found worth sharing – of the millions I would if I could!

A crystalline dagger from prehistory. Ceremonial certainly. Our local California Natives did the same with quartz.

The new 8ft statue of King Arthur on top of Tintagel Cliffs, Cornwall, UK. Legend, semi-legend; just powerful!

 Unfinished obelisk in Egyptian quarry in Aswan. One piece of stone 137ft long. 

 http://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/06/26/10-amazing-ancient-wonders-that-still-remain-a-mystery/

The western staircase leading to the roof of the Temple of The Goddess Hathor, Egypt 2300 years old.

Kaldveer’s ultra new “Umbra Cone”; a NASA concept, 1975, with my kids Kersti and Zack.

 My most recent, 2017, “beach digs” in Baja Sur (I seem to keep simplifying) 

Just a bit of levity as I leave these human creations:

Here’s why the German’s never win The Iditarod (please DO NOT take this as a slight to The German people, especially now, just really tickled me – now that dates me doesn’t it?)

SCIENCE TIME !!

 

The migration of humans over the earth is far richer than I was exposed to in college. Part of that was unfortunately due not to ignorance but to Nationalistic preference (Columbus “discovered” America, Cro-Magnon people arose in Europe etc). Here’s a new discovery in Canada putting an early Native group in British Columbia far earlier than thought. It also suggests using coastal sea travel rather than the “land bridge” exclusively during the ice age. So much to learn under the waters of the world’s coasts; this is but one.

http://inhabitat.com/researchers-discover-14000-year-old-canadian-village-one-of-north-americas-oldest/

 The migration out to the other planets and moons of our solar system, not to mention the other trillions of habitable extraterrestrial planets boggles the mind. And if we Earthlings don’t do it, it matters not. There are plenty of space faring cultures out there already on the “greatest of adventures”. I would sign up in a New York minute if the opportunity arose. Here is one of the ways we may colonize. I was introduced to this concept in one of Freeman Dyson’s early books. Not to worry, there is PLENTY of room to roam! 

https://www.universetoday.com/104919/what-is-a-dyson-sphere/

A little local cool science stuff:

Beautiful clouds. Yes, that’s science too, it’s called Nephology and tells us a great deal about our very, very, VERY thin atmosphere, also a bit about gravity waves.

A spider’s web in the morning. 

The latest and most spectacular dinosaur find ever. The Fundamentalists are going to have a bit of trouble with this one.

 http://www.geologyin.com/2017/05/new-dinosaur-fossil-so-well-preserved.htm

 Check out this Spanish Ibex (unfortunately endangered). Talk about a climber! 

Trees talk to each other. This ought to get you back to watching “Avatar” again.

 

 http://mysticalraven.com/news/2934/study-finds-trees-have-feelings-make-friends-and-look-after-each-other-like-an-old-couple

Yes, yes give me more science – it frees me (me as a child when I discovered that I was being lied to by the church, the government and my teachers)

And my alter ego

 Courtesy of Brandy Johnson - student and friend

Who I am. Getting older, getting more free. Feeling the presence of The Great and Sacred Mystery more every day.

To continue:

Our earth has become ever more interesting as scientists probe it’s history. The deepest hole ever dug, and limited any further (7.6 miles referred to as the “door way to Hell”- please don’t take that literally! because of the extreme temperature at the bottom), is the Kola Super Deep Borehole. Check this site for some really interesting surprises: huge amounts of water, unexpected gases and minerals, microbial fossils etc.

https://simplecapacity.com/2017/02/discovery-science-kola-superdeep-borehole/

Got to include a little astronomy, Jesus!

Gravity waves. This could open whole new doors in our understanding of space-time. “What good is that” you ask. Well if you have to ask there’s no way I have the time to explain or debate – sorry. It also brings ancient wisdom into the picture (no surprise there – in this case Egyptian – again no surprise though erroneously accredited to the Hebrews).

https://www.sciencealert.com/gravitational-waves-could-be-the-key-to-discovering-extra-dimensions-in-our-universe

Some of the beauty within our own solar system. I volunteered for the Mars colonization but was rejected on grounds of age – oh well!

 

 Put this in your pipe and smoke it: Do not misinterpret this – I do not assume to be in this league.  

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-link-between-disorder-and-genius-an-interview-with-dr-gail-saltz/

Nuclear Fusion possible!!

http://www.sciencealert.com/tests-confirm-that-germany-s-massive-nuclear-fusion-machine-really-works?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Branded+Content&utm_campaign=ScienceNaturePage

And then there is simplification!

 

One of my very first heros, Peter Freuchen

http://historydaily.org/peter-freuchen-used-frozen-poop-to-escape-blizzard/

OK, that was fun – now my one political statement. Bail out quick if you don’t want to see it!

May The Great and Sacred Mystery guide us all.