(Click images to enlarge)
. . .and the mute explosion of colors in its twilight sky.
...to make a difference let your life's footprints mark the way for others to follow. However, be prepared to be made a fool for Christ.
RESPICE AD FINEM.
Looking at your photos caused me to take a look at where exactly Tracy is on the map. I don't know why I thought your hometown was closer to SF than it is. I always loved the "dead grass covering hills" look that is so typical California. The first time I saw it was from a bus window heading north from MCRD San Diego to Camp Pendleton. It's unmistakable and there's no place else like it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Phil, that is the uniqueness of California's mountains and hills. They turn mostly brown and on the dark side, that also ushers in the deadly fire season.
ReplyDeleteBut heading toward the Sierras, like toward Reno, the scenery is green and lush the whole year around. Beautiful place to be in anytime during the year, except during blizzards. And the foothills are also adorable places to live in. Someday, I will go visit and tarry a while.
Oh yah, I did some hiking and camping in the Sierras during my marine days stationed at NAS Alameda. Good times.
ReplyDeleteJust read from our local paper about a 75-year-old senior who passed through Tracy on his way to DC, walking alone and pulling a solar-powered cart.
ReplyDeleteSince I knew that somehow he has to cross the Sierras, I had quietly thought that maybe I could go with him. He has done a similar hike one time before.
Now that would be quite an experience.
Or what about traversing the Continenal Divide from near the Mexican border all the way to Canada, Phil?
Not with my feet!
ReplyDeletePulling a solar powered cart? I'm confused. Why? What is it doing, pushing him while he "pulls" it? Shouldn't something solar powered be accomplishing something, like providing a means of transport?
His cart contains all his gear in addition to two heavy batteries, so I surmise that power generated is not sufficient for riding it. And also because the news item said that he does ride it on downgrades to steer and regulate speed.
ReplyDeleteThe senior is an engineer and he built the cart himself. Quite a resourceful guy.
Earlier another guy from the Bay Area, this time a very much overweight guy, traversed a different west to east route. He had expected to lose all that extra weight during the trek. As I recall he had a running on-line commentary of his trip and his URL was something like FatManWalking.com. Another very intrepid guy.
Oh yeah, he had been a marine in his younger skinnier days. I stopped following him. How's he doing? I guess I'll try to find out...
ReplyDeleteYou all right man? Its been awhile since you posted. I'm worried about ya!
ReplyDeleteHi, Phil:
ReplyDeleteJust got busy with a lot of small chores. But have had time only to surf some websites. My daily rituals include looking at the stock markets, reading economic news, and some political sites mostly here and a few over there.
Not very encouraging reading the few popular sites I visit over there. Those who congregate on those sites obviously have a lot of time and resources to engage in a lot of minutiae about political events happening there. A number are so utopian (or maybe, just too idealistic or divorced from realities) in their attitudes, their heads may as well be above the clouds.
Wish they'd spend a lot of those hot air, or to embellish the language, apply the steam of hot air extruded to turbine engines of actionable efforts. Talk is cheap and invariably, weightless.
When will the "enlightened" there learn this simple lesson.
Gorgeous photographs. You certainly are making good use of your new camera :)
ReplyDeleteEric, these were taken by the old 2.0 megepixel camera.
ReplyDeleteI am surmising that shooting objects from that distance cameras of different specifications will not make much differences to the naked eye, unless one is into using filters, different lenses, and all that professional stuff involved in commercial photography.