Oil on Canvas

Grandson, Jordan Aman with his senior BFA art show.  We live on through the shared energies and expression of innate talents. 

finding the Light

“They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

Rock Harbor lighthouse on Isle Royale in Lake Superior was the start of our trip to circumnavigate the island.  After 110 miles we celebrated another milestone and checkoff on my bucket list.  We traveled on to the Apostle Islands after returning on the Ranger III ferry out of Haughton, MI.

The seacaves on the north shore of Devil's Island were spectacular and my third time to reach the northernmost island in the chain.  Another 60 miles made the total trip 170 including Isle Royale.

coolville

everywhere i go lately seems like the best place to be.... yesterday i was accepted for another 13 week assignment here in Fairfield, Iowa, home of Maharishi University of Management.... perhaps a chance to return to my TM practice and ayurvedic knowledge... time to pick up my beggar's bowl and the path to enlightenment.

key to the clubhouse

before the potomac froze over last month i paddled from the washington canoe club to chain bridge and back and on this trip paddled under the key bridge to washington harbor in georgetown.  as a member of the club i can paddle from there any time i'm in dc and can use one of their boats if i don't have mine.  pays to be an "out-of-towner". 

bridges over untroubled waters

it hardly seems that long ago i was cruising on the C&O canal, parallel with the potomac river in virginia, but after a couple trips on the river and joining the washington canoe club it froze up completely and i was back to memories only. 

open water on the C&O Canal in Georgetown, VA

now i'm back in iowa and able to find open water below red rock dam on the des moines river.. my usual winter paddling routine.  today it is -5F and there is enough snow on the ground to xc ski so guess i'll find solitude in a different place.

“Water is sufficient...the spirit moves over water.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo

absentee balance

it's amazing how out-of-balance you can get at times when you have so little direction.  opportunities for an old man in today's working world seem to be slim to none.  attempts to secure a traveling job on the east coast, or even here in iowa, have been frustrating to say the least.  i've occupied my time working out: swimming, spinning, running, paddling and doing yard work.  the leaves continue to fall and yesterday i paddled on whitebreast bay with whitecaps and steady headwinds blowing 15kts, while viewing what is left of fall colors.  being in shape is superseded by the breathlessness of waiting for the phone to ring with someone saying "i want you".  i'm not holding my breath, mind you, but it is always possible to imagine.

for the first year i don't have transitional pics of the tree outside my office window because i don't have an office anymore.  the lake is my office now and my co-workers are pelicans, gulls, ducks and geese.  things could definitely be worse...  we should celebrate good health and the time to enjoy it.

lost

without my camera i'm a bit lost for posting and journaling but am a bit more inspired after listening to Chris Howes, jazz violinist, last night.  i even got an invitation to piano lessons by a minister also attending.  this am while surfing youtube i listened to leonard cohen's "anthem" and the phrase that caught me was, "there is a crack in everything, that's what lets in the Light".  i'm back to the beginning of my blog (i know some people don't like the word 'blog') where mention of "Light" had the original meaning for me.  now to reestablish some meaning in this disorganized world in which i exist....