14 Day Adventure In Sicily – by Gary Smolker

                   

This post is about Sicily.

I recently spent fourteen glorious days (March 20 through June 4, 2017) with my daughter Leah Graham Smolker seeing great art and eating classic Sicilian food with wild abandon in Sicily.

During those fourteen days, my daughter Leah and I had one tense adventure and one eye opening experience after another.

My trip to Sicily resulted in me gaining a better understanding of how the “world” works, a better sense of what is going on in the world today, and improved my perception of reality.

PASSION

This trip gave me a new perspective on the differences between how we live in the United States in comparison to how people live in other parts of the world.

This trip made it very clear to me, that the United States doesn’t have a history; that is to say that compared to other countries the United States is a very young country.

This has practical consequences.

For example, where I live in Los Angeles very few buildings are more than 50 years old.

In Sicily many buildings are more than a thousand years old.

The buildings that I saw everywhere I went had a big impact on my perception of the place of the United States on the world stage.

Seeing those buildings and how the businesses conducted in those buildings are conducted completely changed my mind about how prepared the typical person in America is to make good decisions about the top echelon of people who are the leaders in America, the people who “lead” and make and determine what happens in America and in the rest of the world.

During my trip to Sicily I stayed in a farm house which had been converted to a bed and breakfast (bnb), the Tenuta Cammarana.

The Tenuta Cammarana bed and breakfast hotel is owned and operated by a married couple, Silvia and Giuseppe Pulvirenti.

Silvia and Giuseppe’s  farmhouse and their farm surrounding their farmhouse – which has been converted to a bnb by Silvia and Giuseppe – has been owned by members of the Pulvirenti family for over 300 years.

Silvia and Giuseppe Pulvirenti’s pride of ownership of their farm/their bnb and and feeling of responsibility they have for everything in and related to their bnb is obvious.

They maintain and operate their bnb farm at the highest standards all the way down to the table cloths they place on the tables on which meals are served to the silverware they set out for their guests to use to eat the dishes served during the courses served at meals served at the bnb.

Below photos of food lovingly placed on breakfast buffet table for the enjoyment of their guests by Silvia and Giuseppe.

Look at the design of that tablecloth.

Look at those tomatoes.

Look at that meat.

Look at the cheese.

Look at the cherries.

Look at the strawberries.

   

Below are photos of the breakfast I self-served myself during breakfast on two separate mornings while I was staying at the Tenuta Cammarana Bread and Breakfast in Ragusa Sicily.

In the photos below you are looking at real china plates, real china coffee cups and real china containers of milk/cream, sugar and coffee.

You are also looking at real silver, real silver silverware and a real silver plate under pitcher of coffee.

Leah and I ate dinner several times at Tenuta Cammarana.

Each of the courses served during each dinner each dinner Leah and I had at Tenuta Cammarana could only have been created and could only have been prepared by a passionate chef having the highest level of skill.

Cultural Inheritance

Sicilians have a cultural inheritance built up over millennia.

Arguably, Americans do not have a cultural inheritance.

If Americans have a cultural inheritance, the American cultural inheritance has been built up for a little more than 200 years.

Comparatively speaking, Americans don’t have a cultural inheritance.

That is to say: There is not one single American culture in the continental United States:

• the “culture” in the “South” of the United States is markedly different than the culture in the “North”;
• the culture on the East Coast of the United States is different than the culture in Middle America;
• the culture on the East Coast is different from the culture on the West Coast;
• the “culture” in the City of Los Angeles is markedly different from the culture in the City of San Francisco, and so and so forth, etc. etc. etc.

“The Godfather”

All I knew about Sicily and Sicilians, before I went on this trip, was what I saw portrayed in movies such as “The Godfather.”

The movie the “Godfather” does not accurately portray life in Sicily, the Sicilian people, the “land” of Sicily.

The movie the “Godfather” does not portray what I saw in Sicily or what I experienced in Sicily.

Real Food

The food (vegetables, fruits, cheeses, etc.) I ate in Sicily tasted different than the food I have eaten my entire life.

I have spent my entire life living in the United States.

As a result of how food in Sicily tasted I now believe we Americans don’t have/eat “real food” in the United States.

Lifestyle

The Sicilian/Italian life style I observed/ experienced in Sicily is on one end of a spectrum of possible ways to live which the extreme other end of the lifestyle spectrum compared to the way I live in the United States.

I don’t know anyone in the United States who lives the way people I saw people in Sicily are living.

Living Slow

Sicilians “live slow.”

Sicilians talk to each other while having a meal together.

Sicilians don’t look at their cell phones while eating a meal with someone else.

Americans “always” look at their cell phones.

The typical American looks at his or her cell phone while having a meal with someone else.

Sicilians don’t rush their meals.

Lunch in Sicily takes more than an hour.

Lunch in Sicily involves eating several courses.

While eating a meal almost 100% of the time someone else is eating a meal with you.

A Sicilian would feel lonely eating a meal by himself or by herself.

Eating a meal with someone else includes having an animated conversation with at the other person or persons a Sicilian is eating with.

Sicilians eat great food.

Sicilians savor their food.

Sicilian food is great; it is fresh and delicious.

Some Americans think the food they eat every day is great.

But it is nothing compared to the food Sicilians eat every day.

At all times Sicilians are surrounded by beautiful countryside and great art.

Sicilians are surrounded by art that is so amazingly beautiful that it is overwhelming to look at.

Family

Sicilians are family oriented.

It is every Sicilian’s obligation – an obligation for everyone in a family from father and mother, to grandfather and grandmother, to children to grandchildren) – to eat together at an extended family meal 0n Sunday.

That way cousins get to know one another and get to know their aunts and uncles and their grandparents.

Everyone stays in constant regular touch with everyone else.

Happiness

In my opinion, Sicilians are a people who have made pleasure, art, spirituality, family, family life, beauty and luxury complimentary experiences.

In contrast, people in the United States rush through life; extended family members in the United States don’t get together to enjoy an inter-generational family meal together every Sunday, cousins don’t see each other for years, sometimes they don’t see each other for decades, cousins don’t stay in touch with one another.

In America the only time friends and family get together is to

• celebrate a major positive occasion in a family member’s life, like a marriage, or a birth, or
• at a funeral.

In America it is not unusual for an adult to not know what is going on in his or his aunt or uncle’s lives, or in his or her cousins lives.

Americans are always in a rush, too busy to stay in touch with other family members.

Americans intensely pursue individuality.

As a consequence of their intense pursuit of individuality, Americans miss out on some of the best experiences of being human.

Sicilians, as a result of their joyous pursuit of family, enjoy some of the best experiences of being human that happen naturally (and accidentally) while being in constant contact with other family members.

Sicily

I felt the presence of human history every where I went while I was in Sicily.

I felt the history of a multitude of civilizations literally oozing out of stones everywhere while I was in Sicily.

Sicily is a place where the presence of early history is everywhere.

Archeological traces found in and around the present day City of Siracusa (in Sicily) confirm human presence in Siracusa Sicily in the XIV Century BC.

In the 5th Century, Siracusa was the bastion of Greek Civilization in the West.

Evidence of the Greek presence is everywhere.

There are archeological parks in Sicily that contain Greek ruins.

There are Greek ruins in Sicily that are better preserved than the Greek ruins which still exist in Greece.

Below are photographs of a few of the Greek ruins I visited in Sicily.

After seeing these well preserved Greek ruins, I kept asking myself questions:

• Why are these ruins still standing?
• Why weren’t these ruins knocked over by an earthquake? There have been lots of earthquakes in Sicily.
• The largest active volcano in Europe is located in Sicily.
• Did the Greeks know something about geology, volcanoes, earthquakes we don’t know, (a) like how to locate structures where there will not be earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions, or (b) how to build structures that will withstand earthquakes?
• How in the world did they lift those columns/pillars/cross-beams upright?

Without a doubt the ancient Greeks were master builders and engineers.

The Cathedral of Siracusa

While in Sicily, I visited the Cathedral of Siracusa in the City of Siracusa Sicily.

• It is one of the first basilicas of the Christian era; it was built in the 5th Century AD in a Doric temple dedicated one thousand years earlier to the Goddess of the City, Athena.
• Its Christian reuse saved the pagan architecture from destruction and oblivion and gave new life to the sacredness of this ancient place.
• Entering the cathedral is like stepping into the past.

Below are photographs I took of the exterior of a church on June 3, 2017.

  

On June 3, 2017, I had lunch (main course fish soup) while sitting at an outdoor table bordering the plaza in front of that church.

While I was sitting at my table, I listened to an accordion played by a musician who was sitting on the steps leading up to the front door of that church.

Below are two photographs of the fish soup I ate at lunch that day as a main course, as I was listening to the live musical performance, and also two photographs of my dessert.

   

At One Time Sicily was The Middle of the World

In the Fifth Century, the Mediterranean Sea was the middle of the civilized world.

At the height of Greece’s splendor, in the Fifth Century, the Greek Colony at Siracusa was as splendid and magnificent as Athens, in no way inferior to the capital of the Greek homeland.

The City of Siracusa Today

I explored the City of Siracusa on June 3, 2017.

The idea/concept of architectural beauty has a whole different meaning in Sicily than in does in the United States.

In the opinion of many scholars,

• In ancient Sicily, leaders built beautiful buildings because they believed in beauty for its own sake.
• In ancient Sicily leaders built beautiful buildings because they wanted beauty to be the essence of their buildings.
• A multitude of beautiful ancient buildings in Sicily have been recognized by UNESCO as being worth preserving as a historical site, in perpetuity, for the benefit of humanity.

Going further:

• The City of Siracusa Sicily has everything it needs to become one of the cultural capitals of the Mediterranean.
• For historical, geopolitical and strategic reasons Siracusa has the qualities necessary to become the motor for the rebirth of an idea for the rebirth of Europe.
• The City of Siracusa is qualified to play a role in the future as the fulcrum (heart) of  Mediterranean-European culture, the beating heart of the Mediterranean.
• The logos of Western Thought was born in Siracusa.
• Historically Sicily has been the meeting place of all the arts.
• In a cosmic sense emotional solidarity exists between Sicily and every human inhabitant on Planet Earth.

I saw “soulful art” everywhere I went in Siracusa.

I saw recently painted/created/designed/artwork painted on furniture, painted on canvases hanging as paintings on walls, designed into and part of highly functional furniture.

All of this art tugged on my emotions, made my heart beat faster, increased my feeling of alertness.

The art I saw made me feel more human more alive with every step I took as I walked around Siracusa.

Photos below taken by me in MOON, a vegetarian cafe in Siracusa.

MOON stands for Move Ortigia Out of Normality.

Note that the “bar” table top is the top of a piece of furniture containing a multitude of drawers.

Ortigia is one of the oldest sections of Siracusa.

By the way, the women in the above photographs are absolutely stunning, amiable, graceful and fun to talk to.

One of them to told me, “She is twenty-three years old and has the soul of an eighty year old.”

She asked me to come back Thursday night to hear her sing and play the guitar.

The Street Scene in Siracusa Today

Below are photographs I took while walking along the streets of Siracusa on June 3, 2017.

Modern Day Magnificence – The Liberty Hotel in Catania Sicily

Leah and I spent our first two nights in Sicily at the magnificent Liberty Hotel in Catania, a bnb (bread and breakfast), located at Via S. Vito,  40, Catania, Sicily.

The above photos were taken by me in the Liberty Hotel.

Italian/Sicilian Elegance In Attention to Details

The first photo is a photograph of the green carpet and gold carpet I saw directly ahead of me as I passed through the front door entry to the Liberty Hotel from the street.

One must go through the gold curtains at the end of a marble entry way when entering Liberty Hotel from the street in order to proceed to the lobby of the Liberty Hotel.

The lobby of the Liberty Hotel is located on the other side of the gold curtains.

There Was A Slight Delay in Our Arrival at the Liberty Hotel

Leah and I flew together to Rome from Los Angeles.

We were supposed to both catch the same connecting flight in Rome to Catania, Sicily.

Things didn’t work out that way.

Leah missed the connecting flight we were supposed to fly on together from  Rome International Airport in Italy to Catania Sicily.

The Airline we flew on didn’t take all passengers to airline terminal from the plane in an orderly fashion.

Once deplaning passengers got to the terminal in Rome, via bus, there was no-one to greet the passengers arriving from Los Angeles or to give guidance on how to find the gate for the the connecting flight to Catania.

It was mass confusion — I luckily took the appropriate escalator to the appropriate floor in the terminal to go to.

Once on that floor, I couldn’t determine [after looking at a list of constantly updated departing flights, flight numbers, airlines, destinations and gates] out of which gate my flight to Catania would board.

I couldn’t figure out where I was supposed to proceed to in order to catch my flight from Rome to Catania.

Luckily, another passenger in the terminal (a native Sicilian) who was a complete stranger took my hand and led me to the gate at which I was supposed to board my plane to fly to Catania.

When I boarded I asked if Leah had boarded.  I was told she had not.

I caught the connecting flight, thinking it would not depart until Leah arrived; Leah didn’t arrive.  The plane took off without Leah.

Once I arrived at the airport in Catania, I contacted Leah by cell phone.

Leah advised me that she had been misdirected by Alitalia Airline personnel several times to the wrong gate and that is why she had missed our flight from Rome to Catania, but that she had been re- ticketed and would be catching the next flight from Rome to Catania.

Leah directed me to wait in the baggage claim area in Catania Airport for Leah to arrive on the next flight and that Leah would arrive in Catania in two hours.

I waited in the baggage claim area of the airport in Catania for Leah to arrive on a later flight.

Our Arrival at the Liberty Hotel Catania

Leah and I arrived at the Liberty Hotel in Catania in the early evening on May 21 instead of arriving there in the late afternoon.

The second photo above, of a red/pink carpet, is a photograph of the red (or pink if you see pink instead of red) carpet we walked on when we walked from the lobby (located on the second floor of Liberty Hotel) each morning down one floor to Liberty Hotel’s intimate cozy brilliantly decorated dinning room.

The third photograph is a photograph of one of many couches in the small intimate lobby of the Liberty Hotel.

All the furniture and furnishings in Hotel Liberty are artist.

Whoever decorated the Liberty Hotel has great sensitivity and created an environment in every room which provokes sensory delight.

Walking through the common areas of Liberty Hotel is more of exercise in art appreciation than walking through most museums and most churches containing great works of art.

The fourth of the photographs above is a photograph of an outdoor patio located adjacent to the Liberty Hotel’s lobby.

One entire perimeter wall of the outdoor patio in the photograph above is covered with blooming jasmine plants, jasmine flowers galore and the patio is filled with the rich smell of Jasmine.

The remainder of the above photographs were taken by me while at breakfast in the small (but elegant) dinning room at the Hotel Liberty.

The Almond Milk served at the breakfast at the Liberty Hotel is/was divine.

By comparison, Almond Milk I’ve tasted/consumed in Los Angeles is watery diluted something which pretends to be Almond Milk.

More Attention to Details

You should see what the bedroom (with Tiffany Lamp above my bed) and bathroom (exquisite tile work) looked like in my suite of rooms at Liberty Hotel.

 Attention to Women

You should see how the dinning room in the Khalisah Bed and Breakfast in Palermo, located at Via Scopari – Palermo, is decorated.

Below are photographs I took of three paintings hanging of the walls in the intimate dinning room at the Khalisah Bed and Breakfast in Palermo.

I was told:

• The first painting is a current painting of the owner’s 18 year old daughter. Painted by the owner’s wife.
• The second painting is of the owner’s wife.  Painted by the owner.
• The third painting is a painting of the owner’s mother when she was a young woman.

The owner is an architect, Arch. Sergio Sanfilippo.

You should also see what the bathroom in my suite at the Khalisah Bed and Breakfast looked like.

The shower was/is illuminated with/by a blue light source in the shower.

The shower curtain was/is green.

The sink was/is a bright orange.

Each bedroom suite in this bnb had/has a different decor.

More Attention to Detail

You should see what the grounds, the dining room and my bedroom suite at Casa Talia Bed and Breakfast look/looked like and hear me describe and/or read how I describe the City of Modica, Sicily.

Modica is known as “The Chocolate City” of Sicily.

Each and every part of Casa Talia is a work of art.

My stay at the Casa Talia was a hypnotic experience.

While in Modica, I saw the cutest most charming bookstore I have ever seen.

Below are two photographs I took of one of the murals in that bookstore, which I took while I was in that bookstore.

 

 

Tense Moments

First Tense Moment

Leah and I had several tense moments during our trip.

The first tense moment occurred when I summoned Uber to pick me up at my home and then then pick up Leah at Leah’s home and then take us to LAX, Los Angeles International Airport, to catch our flight to Rome.

After I pushed all the buttons on the screen of my cell phone, I was informed (by Uber) that my order could not be processed because I did not have the latest version of the Uber app.

Second Tense Moment

The second tense moment occurred when I discovered Leah was not on the flight from Rome to Catania that with me that Leah was supposed to be on.

Third Tense Moment

The third tense moment occurred when we arrived in the bus station in Palermo to purchase bus tickets for a 10:00 a.m. bus ride from Palermo to Erice.

When we arrived the bus station we were informed that the bus drivers were on strike, and there would be no bus [scheduled or not scheduled] leaving Palermo at 10:00 a.m. bound for Erice.

However, we were also informed the bus strike would end at 10 a.m. and therefore we could purchase bus tickets for a 1:30 p.m. bus trip from Palermo to Erice.

We purchased bus tickets for the 1:30 p.m..

We then waited in the bus terminal for the 1:30 p.m. bus to arrive and load passengers.

Fourth Tense Moment

The bus leaving at 1:30 p.m. finally arrived.

We loaded our suitcases in the cargo bins under the bus; then we stood in line to board the bus.

When the line got to the front of the bus we looked up through the entry door to the bus at the bus driver standing at the top of the stairs collecting bus tickets at the top of stairs leading into the bus.

When it was our turn to give the bus driver our tickets, the bus driver said, “No! Only one you can get on the bus.  There is not enough room for both of you on the bus.”

I told Leah to take that bus to Erice, I would take the next bus to Erice and to take her suitcase and my suitcases off the bus when when she arrived at the second bus stop in Erice.

We had arranged in advance to meet a personal driver at the second bus stop in Erice.

Fifth Tense Moment

The fifth tense moment occurred when Leah realized she had to go to the bathroom, and there was no bathroom on the bus.

More Tense Moments

A description of additional tense moments will be added later.

 

Copyright © 2017 by Gary Smolker, All Rights Reserved

Gary S. Smolker, Traveler, Blogger, Social Commentator, 
Movie Reviewer, Book Reviewer, Publisher
Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog
www.garysmolker.wordpress.com

Gary Smolker, Fashion Blogger
Dude's Guide to Women's Shoes
www.dudesguidetowomensshoes.com

Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion

 

 

Nature vs. Nurture by Gary Smolker

I take my coffee seriously.

So do Sicilians.

Background

At dinner last night (February 23, 2017), my youngest daughter Leah (age 29) and I decided that we would go to Sicily together instead of going to Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, or Russia.

We discussed possible things and places to see and experiences to have in Sicily.

Leah

Leah is presently attending law school full time.

Lean and I  “plan” to take our trip to Sicily either during Leah’s Spring Break or during Leah’s Summer Break.

Leah has traveled to 30 different countries.

Leah publishes a travel blog at https://easytospell03.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/beautiful-and-unique-places-in-europe/

Leah loves traveling.

I love Leah.

I love taking trips with Leah.

The Big Question

After she got home from dinner, Leah sent me the following note, via email:

“Do you still want to see nature over city? 

“Do you want me to make an itinerary that favors nature in Sicily over urban scapes.

“Sicily has a balance of both beautiful nature and Baroque cities.”

My Answer

“That sushi place you love in Santa Monica started following me on Instagram @garyspassion.

“I think I prefer nature over man built but I am open minded … whatever is the best example (if there is such a thing) of what it is is what I want to see.

“I want to see the “best” of everything so I will be better able to compare things.

“Most people can tell the difference between something that is bad and something that is good, ut only a rare individual can tell the between the best and the very best.

“I want to be among those rare few who can tell the difference between the best and very best.

“You are already among the very few who can do that.

“Amazingly, you and your sisters Judi and Terra can do that in more than one field of expertise.

“I am so happy you share your good taste and discernment.”

Personal Information

I love good food, long meals and lazily drinking good coffee.

Below are photographs of two pages in one of the travel books that Leah and I looked at during our dinner last night.

Thoughts for the Day

You will not be able to figure out what you really want unless you try everything. – GSS

“Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or happier.  Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth.  Its the complete eradication of everything we imaged to be true.” – Adyashanti

There Is Always A Trade-Off

Copyright © Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved

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This is the sixth of a series of articles I intend to post on the Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog at http://www.garysmolker.wordpress.com on “LIVING THE ENGAGED LIFE.”

I have constantly made posts on Instant @garyspassion on “LIVING THE ENGAGED LIFE” and intend to continue to do so.

Follow me on Instagram @garyspassion

I intend to publish a series of articles on “HIGH ENERGY COMMUNICATIONS” on the Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog at http://www.garysmolker.wordpress.com.  I began writing the first article in that series this morning (Friday, February 24, 2017).

Gourmet Living – by Gary Smolker

There Are Many Forms of Gourmet Living

Freedom To Let People Know What You Really Think

and

The Kind of Person You Really Are

Below are photographs of women exercising their right to express their true real unashamed selves; they are exercising their freedom to express who they really are.

I took the photograph below of the woman who is announcing to the world that she is allergic to mornings, after obtaining her permission to do so, while she was standing in line behind me at the check out counter at the local Ralph’s store located a few blocks away from where I live in Van Nuys, California.

I took the picture below of the woman who loves weekends, coffee and dogs, after obtaining her permission to do so, in a coffee shop in the City of Simi while I was waiting in a coffee shop for my GTR to be serviced.

Freedom To Own Property and to Exercise Private Property Rights

I strongly believe in the right to own property and in private property rights.

One of the things I loved about visiting Ouray, Colorado was the number of “No Trespassing” signs I saw there.

I saw the same kind of signs in Colfax, Washington.

 

Freedom To Treat Different People Differently

Freedom To Eat Chocolate

I think one of the most important freedoms a person can exercise is the freedom to eat whatever they want.

Personally, I think chocolate is a health food.

 

Freedom to Travel to See Land Being Farmed

The photographs below were taken by my friend Saeed Yadegar, M.D. on a trip we recently took to Palouse, Washington to see rolling fields of crops growing.

Freedom to Choose to Eat A Variety of Sweet Things

I’ve been told that eating products containing refined sugar, i.e. “sweets”, is harmful to your health; that more people die from eating sugar than from drugs.

But what a way to die.

I get my chocolates from Belgium fix at Lady Chocolat in Los Angeles, California.

I took the photographs below at Lady Chocolat located at 12008 Wilshire Blvd. in West Los Angeles, California.

 

 

 

I took the photographs below pies which were on a desert table while I was having a Sunday brunch at the Swag in Waynesville, North Carolina, which is near the Eastern Border of Tennessee and the Western Border of North Carolina and a few feet away from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

I enjoyed a piece of each of the pies pictured below with two of my three daughters and my friends Ray and Sue Woodcock while my daughters and I were staying at the Swag.

I tasted each of the pies shown in the pictures below.

 

 

 

For pure luxury amid the full grandeur of one of the largest varieties of natural beauty in the world, the Swag is one of the places you ought to visit before you die.

The Swag is located a hop skip and away from a forest that contains 125 types of trees, more than 1,300 types of wildflowers and flowering plants, and more than 240 species of birds.

The forest that borders on the Swag is arguably the most diverse temperate forest in the whole world excluding the rain forests.

My Favorite Market in the World Is The Spice Market in Istanbul, Turkey

Below are two pictures of the Spice Market in Istanbul, Turkey, taken by my youngest daughter Leah while Leah and I were shopping in the Spice Market in Istanbul.

My favorite product sold in the Spice Market is raw honeycomb.

I bought a lot of raw honeycomb in the Spice Market in Istanbul, Turkey and brought it back with me to Los Angeles, California when Leah and I came back to the United States.

I had no problem bringing back the raw honeycomb I bought in Istanbul, Turkey to the United States when I entered the United States.

Leah and I flew back to the United States on a Russian plane, a commercial Aeroflot jet which we caught in Moscow at the Moscow Airport on our way back to the United States from Turkey.

 

Freedom to Enjoy A Variety of Desserts

 

 

Freedom to Travel For the Sole Purpose of Enjoying Nature

 

 

Freedom to Own and to Restore Classic Automobiles

  

  

  

     

Freedom To Meet New People

 

 

Freedom to Cook with Gourmet Cooking Wood

What Is A Swag and What Is the Swag?

In the Appalachian Mountains a “swag” is a dip between two mountain peaks not deep enough to be called a gap.

“The Swag” is a famous country inn in the Smoky Mountains.

Locale

The Swag is located in Western North Carolina, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains 500,530 acres, and is 40 times the size of Manhattan.

The Smokies boast more than 1,300 flowering plants, more than 240 species of birds, 125 types of trees and various types of wild animals ranging from black bear to bobcat and wild boar to red wolf, all of which can be seen when one hikes around the Swag or goes next door into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Smoky Mountains have one of the most diverse eco-systems in the world, and is arguably the most diverse temperate forest in the whole world excluding the rain forests.

Two thirds of the American population can drive to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in less than a day and a half.

More people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park than any other national park.

Each year 8 million visitors visit the Smoky Mountains National Park.

Buildings

The oldest part of the Swag dates to 1795.

Food Service

Full breakfast is served at the Swag from 8 to 10 a.m., Monday through Saturday.

On Sunday only a continental breakfast is served from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Sunday brunch begins at 11 a.m.

Luncheon is primarily a packed backpack lunch or a picnic lunch or snack lunch.

“High Tea” is served daily from 3 to 5 p.m.

Dinner: Hors d’oeuvres at at 6 p.m. and dinner is served at one seating at 7 p.m.

The food served at the Swag is fabulous.

The Sunday brunch at the Swag is unbelievable.

The dinner menu at the Swag is imaginative, creative and strictly gourmet.

Amenities

The private rooms at the Swag and the locale are soothing, relaxing and gorgeous.

The common areas at the Swag ( dining area, libraries, and grounds) are remarkable.

My Experience at the Swag

I enjoyed every moment of every experience I had while I was at the Swag.

 

 

Copyright © 2016 by Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved

 

Nature-Deficit-Disorder – by Gary S. Smolker

Live A Little

I’ve concluded that life is for living.

I have concluded that the best type of life for me is one in which I stop being afraid of wasting my time by going out or by going to new places or by meeting new people and instead that I should travel to new places, meet new people, have new experiences and learn new things while doing so.

Medicine Is A Way of Life.

In my opinion life is beautiful and how I live my life is either good medicine for me or poisonous.

The key to being “healthy” for me is knowing how to live.

I’ve found I can –

• Be Happy, Healthy and Full of Wonderment.
• Relieve stress, regenerate my spirit, laugh and be joyful.
• Go out in “nature” and see directly in front of my eyes that all living things (plants, animals, fish and fowl] that live naturally in harmony with their nature flourish.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

I recently went on a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee with my three adult daughters.

One of the great things I discovered while being high up the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is that there is no cell phone reception there.

Consequently it was a place where I could relax and (re)connect with nature.

While I was in the Smoky Mountains I was able to decompress, relieve stress and regenerate my spirit as a result of  being in nature with no distractions – as a result of being in a place where there was no cell phone service.

I personally experienced the value of (a) breathing fresh air, (b) seeing clear clean running water in streams creeks and rivers, (c) seeing picturesque waterfalls, (d) hiking in pristine woods and (e) solitude.

As a result of “being “n nature” without the distractions imposed on me by cell phones, Internet connection, talking texting or emailing I was able to see clearly the way things work “in nature” and as a result of that after I returned from my “retreat” in nature with my daughters I have been able think clearly without distraction about several things of concern to me.

Additionally, my trip to the Smokies was an amazing bonding experience with my daughters, nature and myself.

During the entire time I was in the Smoky Mountains I was happy, healthy, full of wonderment and stress-free.

The kinds of experiences I had on my trip to the Smoky Mountains have provided memories which I will enjoy for years to come and a reference point and base line to use when thinking about things in my daily life that are important to me.

The experiences I had and the observations I made on that trip have increased ability to think many fold about how I spend my time and other resources and about medical, financial, family and emotional issues of great concern to me.

The Area In and Around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The whole area in and around the Smoky Mountains is quite stunning – light traffic on the freeways, lush green all around the hills and in the mountains.

“Nature” is preserved in a pristine state in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

People Who Know How to Live

The people I met in the areas in and around the Smoky Mountains during my vacation/retreat in the Smoky Mountains with my three daughters know how to live.

They live rustic sensible refined remarkable and somewhat “funky” lives.

Every one I met was good -natured, calm, friendly, hospitable and grounded, and seemed to be alert and happy.

The people I saw and met in cafes, restaurants, and grocery stores during my sojourn in and around the Smoky Mountains were striking different from the people I typically see in similar places in and around Los Angeles.

The people I met in the South (in and around the Smoky Mountains) were all very calm, relaxed and laid back.

I didn’t meet or see anyone during my sojourn in and around the Smoky Mountains who was up tight, anxious, or stressed out.

Below is a photograph I took of a man a man I met in the “Lil Black Bear Cafe” in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

I’ve never seen anyone wearing a T-shirt in Los Angeles like the T-shirt the man in the photograph above is wearing.

By the way, the chocolate Bear Claw served in the “Lil Black Bear Cafe” in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is something to write home about.  I ate one.  See photos below of the Bear Claw I ate in the “Lil Black Bear Cafe.”

I survived eating the Bear Claw pictured above.

I purchased a T-shirt to celebrate my accomplishment.

See photograph of the T-shirt I bought.

The people I met, and the culture and way of life I observed, in and around the Smoky Mountains was tremendously different from the culture I experience every day in Los Angeles.

I think people in the South (at least the people I met and interacted with) are more “natural” and more in tune with their core human nature that people in and around Los Angels that I see when I go out to eat or to a grocery store or to any other public place in Los Angeles.

Below is a photograph of a man I met in a grocery store in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and a close up photograph of the T-shirt that man was wearing when I saw and met him.

I’ve never seen anyone in Los Angeles wearing a T-shirt like that.

 

Popularity of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular park in the National Park System.

Ten million people per year visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Everyone Needs A Perfect Place to Think

Everyone needs a perfect place to think without distraction, a retreat.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is such a place.

All four of us (Leah, Judi, Terra and me) found the Smoky Mountains to be a perfect place to think.

My Search for A Clear Mind

The search for a clear mind is one of my fundamental goals.

The search for a “clear mind” is the fundamental goal of “all” creative and highly productive people.

During my trip to the Smoky Mountains, the solitude I experienced and my interaction with (a) my daughters, (b) nature and (c) the people I met gave me a clear mind.

My Trip to the Smoky Mountains

I left my in Encino, California on May 14, 2016 and visited the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee for ten days, from May 14 to May 24, 2016, with my three daughters Leah, Judi and Terra.

As a result of taking my trip to the Smoky Mountains, I feel totally connected to life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

It is clear to me that the state of my energy, my health and of my over-all-well-being are dependent on being connected to nature.

The Best Way to Live

Life is about choice.

I advocate relieving stress, being healthy and living a creative down to earth purposeful gratifying meaningful healthy life.

I’ve found that the best way for me to live is by being connected simultaneously with my natural core and nature.

I’ve discovered it is okay for me to enjoy a glass of wine, to have a beer, to have a shot of whiskey; it is not crazy or a waste of my time to go for hikes in woods, to do yoga, to read a book, to think and reflect in solitude, or to go to car shows, or to take photographs with my iPhone of whatever strikes my fancy, and that it is beneficial for me yo travel to new places to meet new people and to see new things.

In my opinion going to new places, meeting new people, connecting to nature, and having new experiences should be part of everyone’s life goals.

As a result of my recent vacation in the Smoky Mountains I have concluded that –

1. I will achieve clearer thinking and better health by connecting myself to nature.
2. My live is energized by experiencing a sense of oneness in the energy flow I make when I am in the moment.
3. My life is about making choices.
4. The best “medicine” for me is living the way of right relationship – I found that living a healthy  LIFE is about doing that.

Failure and Making Mistakes Are A Natural Feature of Life and of Making Progress and of Making Something New

Creativity is a resource we continually draw upon to make something from nothing, to make the non-existent come into being.

Part of being healthy is to not be afraid of trying something new, or trying to do something new.

Inevitably active alive and creative people experience failure and make mistakes.

Healthy people realize mistakes are not a necessary evil.

Mistakes are an inevitable consequence of doing something new, and as such, they such be seen as being valuable; without them, we’d have no originality.

Mistakes and failures are learning experiences.

Think of failure like learning to ride a bike; it isn’t conceivable that anyone could learn to ride a bike without making mistakes – without toppling over a few times.

Personality Plus

The first place I landed on my way to the Smoky Mountains was in Asheville, North Carolina.

Asheville is known as “Beer City, USA” because it has so many microbreweries.

We went to Asheville first because my daughter Leah is a beer connoisseur.

I saw “good humor” and “personality plus”, and experienced “positive energy” and “social commentary” everywhere I went during my three day stay in Asheville, North Carolina.

The people I met in Asheville had good nature, and were happy, hospitable, calm, and grounded.

It was pleasant to interact with each person I interacted with in Asheville.

Each of them exhibited a good sense of humor.

Below is a picture of a sign I saw posted in the window of the “12 Bones Smokehouse” in Asheville, North Carolina.

That sign made me laugh when I saw it.

By the way, the “12 Bones Smokehouse” is President Obama’s favorite rib joint.

While in Asheville I saw another which made me laugh.

See picture of that sign below.

It is a sign on the wall of a place where you can self-wash your dog.

The Most Famous Place in Asheville, North Carolina: Biltmore House & Gardens

I love chocolate.

During my trip to the Smoky Mountains, I visited the most famous place in Asheville, North Carolina: the Biltmore House.

The Biltmore House was built in 1895 by George Vanderbilt.

It is a 250 room house.

It is situated on a 8,000 acre estate.

It has gardens and trails, a conservatory, a bass pond, a boathouse, lawns and woods.

In “the house” itself, there are restaurants, a courtyard market, a bake shop, a ice cream parlor, and specialized stores for shoppers and highly specialized shopping experiences.

For shopping there is a store called “Christmas Past”, a store called “Bookbinder’s”, a store called “Carriage House”, a store called “Confectionery”, a store called “Toymaker’s”, and a store called “A Gardener’s Place.”

My favorite part of the house is the candy store (the confectionery).

I am a fan of tasty chocolate and good advertising.

My First Most Favorite Experience at Biltmore House

My favorite experience, while I was touring the Biltmore House, was seeing what was printed on boxes of chocolate for sale in the “Confectionery.”

See photos below.

I also love cupcakes.

I was thrilled when I saw the package below in the confectionery, advertising cupcakes, yum.

My Second Most Favorite Experience at the Biltmore House

My second best experience at Biltmore House was looking at the exotic flowers growing in the Conservatory at the Biltmore House.

Below are photographs of exotic flowers I saw growing in the Conservatory at the Biltmore House.

My Third Most Favorite Experience at the Biltmore House

My third best experience at the Biltmore House was looking at a group of flowers growing in a pond above the gardens.  Those flowers are shown in the photograph below.

Character and Assertive Individuality Have Been Alive and Well in the Great Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee for Many Years

For various reasons the Great Smoky Mountains have always been a very special place.

The people who lived in the Smoky Mountains in the recent past were famous for hiding their stills from tax collectors and for selling their homemade distilled spirits when it was against US Federal Law to do so.

Being surrounded by natural beauty and making homemade distilled spirits and having a great down to earth sense of humor has been a way of living in and around the Great Smoky Mountains for generations.

When it was illegal to manufacture or sell liquor, certain people [who lived in and around the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee were called Moonshiners and also called bootleggers] manufactured and sold homemade distilled spirits nicknamed “moonshine”; they manufactured and sold “homemade” wine and whisky (“moonshine”) in violation of federal law.

Doing that earned them a “romanticized” place in the history of the United States.

Today, it is not against federal law to manufacture or sell distilled spirits.

However, in an attempt to take advantage of romantic and nostalgic feelings about “moonshine” and “moonshiners” , major distillers pretend to sell “moonshine” — and promote the sales of their products (wine and whiskey) with sales messages associating their products to individualistic rebel character traits romantically associated with moonshine and bootleggers.

These messages are printed on ancillary merchandise – soft good items – such as T-shirts, pillows, and dish towels sold in “Moon Shine” stores and boutiques in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee.

For examples, at their stores in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge the “Old Smoky Tennessee Moonshine” company provides free moonshine tastings, live music, distillery tours and sells “moonshine” (jars of whiskey) as well as T-shirts, Sweat Shirts, and sundry other items.

Master Enjoyment of A Glass of Wine Because You Have Worked Hard and Traveled Far

Wine is a symbol.

The wine industry in Tennessee has made a successful effort to have me associate drinking wine with Individuality, Character, Relaxing, Relieving Stress and Being A Fun and Wise Person.

In their boutique wine and whiskey tasting stores near the Smoky Mountains their customer (me) can’t help but associate Being Fun with Drinking Wine, Wine Drinking.

Below are pictures of miscellaneous soft good items imprinted with messages celebrating and encouraging the consumption of wine.

I recently took the pictures below in a so called wine tasting store in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Notice that each of the items shown in the photographs below cleverly delivers the message that a person who drinks wine is a fun person.

Each message has a “fun”, “be fun”, “have fun” emotional arc I relate to.

I had “fun” reading each message.

I smiled when I read each message.

I took each of the above photographs on May 23, 2016 at the “Bootleggers Home Made Wine” store in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Gatlinburg is a small town located at the foot of the Smoky Mountains in Eastern Tennessee.

The Majesty of Nature

Seeing nature in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a spiritual as well as a physical and mental experience.

I can’t imagine any person with sight not being able to visually spiritually and mentally experience the majesty of nature on display in the Smoky Mountains and our deep rooted connection with nature.

Below is a series of photographs I took of the Smoky Mountains behind a layer of clouds I observed from my Majestic View cabin in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at 6:30 a.m.

Note: the clouds in front of the Smoky Mountains look like smoke coming up from and rising up from the Smoky Mountains.

 

 

Next are photographs I took of the same view from the cabin with the Majestic View four hours later at 10:40 a.m. – after the morning mist and clouds in front of the Smoky Mountains began dissipating, then dissipated and then disappeared.

Below are photos taken later in the day.

Below are photographs I took at sunset while standing on the deck outside the kitchen at my cabin.

More Than 40 Note Worthy Waterfalls

There are over 2,000 miles of sparkling rivers, prongs and branches and over 40 noteworthy falls in the Smoky Mountains.

During our time together in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, my three daughters Leah (age 28), Judi (age 31) and Terra (age 45) and I hiked together to several of those noteworthy waterfalls.

Below is a series of photographs I took at one of those waterfalls.

The first photograph is of one of those waterfalls.

 

The second photograph is of my one of my daughters standing next to that waterfall.

 

 

The third, fourth and fifth photographs below are photographs of my daughter standing behind that waterfall.

 

 

 

Below is a photographs I took of my two youngest daughters standing in front of another waterfall.

Below is a photograph of my youngest daughter with me in front of that waterfall.

Below is a photograph of me standing in front of that waterfall.

Below is a close up photograph of of the top of that waterfall.

Below is a photograph of another water fall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we hiked to.

Sparkling Rivers Prongs and Branches

Professionally taken photographs:

My photographs:

Hiking To Abrams Falls

Below is a picture of my youngest daughter Leah (age 28) Leah took of herself while Leah and I were hiking together through the woods in the Smoky Mountains to Abrams Falls.

It took us five hours of hiking through woods in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to get to the Abrams Falls.

At Abrams Falls water water with the volume of a river plunges 25 feet into a large pool.

The force of the fall throws spray over 50 feet into rhododendron and hemlock on the bank opposite the trail we hiked on to get to the falls.

The deep pool under the falls has a very strong undercurrent.

A sign near the falls warns people not to swim in the pool under the falls – swimmers have drowned.  See sign below.

People are also warned to be aware of bears near the falls.  See sign below.

Below is a photograph I took of myself in front of Abrams Falls.

 

Below is a series of photographs of Abrams Falls.

Messages Printed on T-Shirts Present Moonshine as The Nectar of Pure Unadulterated Living

In Gatinburg, several breweries give free tastings in addition to selling “moonshine (whiskey)”; they also sell  T-shirts on which are printed provocative messages.

The photographs below were taken by me in the “Old Smoky Tennessee Moonshine’s” store on the Parkway, in Gatinburg, Tennessee on Monday night, May 23, 2016, after Leah and I finished our hike to Abrams Falls.

Knoxville Vibe

All of us (Leah, Judi, Terra and Me) got back to our homes by flying out of Knoxville Airport.

Leah and I spent the morning looking around the Art District and the Old City District of Knoxville.

Both are very cool places.

Below are photographs I took which express the “come on in” attitude I experienced in and around the Art District in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I Saw Art and Beauty Everywhere During My Trip to the Smoky Mountains

At the Curious Dog in Old City Knoxville, Tennessee

See photograph below I took of a  booth in the “Curious Dog” in the Old Town section of Knoxville, Tennessee on May 24, 2016.

Photos below are close ups of sections of the mural in the photograph above.

Photograph of a guy sitting in that booth.

Photograph I took the sign on the exterior street side of the entry door to the “Curious Dog.”

Paintings on the Two Walls in A Dead End Alley in the Old Town Section of Knoxville, Tennessee

While walking around the Old Town section of Knoxville on May 24, 20167, with my daughter Leah, we found ourselves walking down a blind alley, an alley the “dead-ended”, an alley which had no exit.

Below are photographs of paintings I saw painted on the two walls in that alley.

Chair In A Shop in the Chicago O’Hare Airport Terminal

Below is a photograph I took of a chair I saw in a shop in O’Hare Airport, Chicago, Terminal 1, Gate B-6, on May 24, 2016 as I was on my way to catch a connecting flight to Los Angeles International Airport, LAX.

I had started my journey home to Los Angeles from the Smoky Mountains on a flight departing from Knoxville Airport.

My trip home involved taking a plane from Knoxville Airport to O’Hare Airport in Chicago and then catching another plane at O’Hare Airport that flew me back to Los Angeles.

It took over 10 hours to get back home from the time I left the Knoxville Airport to the time my plane landed in Los Angeles at LAX, the airport in Los Angeles.

Art and Beauty Everywhere

On Saturday, June 4, 2016 I went to return a computer to the Apple Store at the Grove — a upscale shopping cent in Los Angeles.

While I was at the Grove I discovered there was an event, an auto show, at the Grove.

By the way, the Grove is located near the intersection of Third Street and Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Of note to me, as a father of three adult women and a lover of women, I saw more women then men looking at the cars on display on the street at the auto show.

So much for the cliche that boys like cars and girls like dolls.

Below are pictures I took of three of the multitude of  “classic cars” I saw on the street, on display, as part of the car show at the Grove.

Really interesting: on the top two cars pictured above, the rear view mirror is strapped to the spare tire.

 

 

Save Yourself from Nature-Deficit-Disorder, Get Out: Visit The Great Smoky Mountains; Travel to, Visit and Explore New Places

The Smoky Mountains are one of the most bio-diverse places on earth.

According to the National Park Service over 18,000 different types of animals and plants live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) are one of 19 species of fireflies at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  They are the only species in the Americas whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns.

No one is sure why the fireflies flash synchronously.

The fireflies do not always flash in unison.

They glow in the dark.

They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly.

Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness.

The Smoky Mountains is also the home of the “American Black Bear.”

More than 1,500 black bears live protected “in the wild” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

More statistics:

• More than 1,500 different specifies of wild flowers are found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, more than in any other North American National Park.
• More than 100 different species of trees grow there.
• More than 240 different species of birds have been spotted there.

The Southern Appalachians are one of the temperate zone’s hot spots for plants.  North of the tropics, only China has more species.

The climate of the park encompasses a range of conditions from warm to cold temperature, and rainfall is abundant everywhere.

Elevations in the park range from 850 feet to 6,643 feet.  As one moves from lower to high elevations the climate becomes cooler and wetter and cloud cover is more frequent.

Rainfall ranges from about 55 inches at low elevations to 90 inches on high peaks.

Differences in elevation and the ruggedness of the mountains – topographical features affect soil moisture – result in a vast variety of environments that produce a wide variety of vegetation.

Slope aspect, slope position and slope shape all combine to determine the amount of sunlight reaching a site, its warmth, and its ability to retain soil moisture.

Even if you stay in a narrow elevation range, the habitat changes dramatically.  And because habitat changes, the species of wildflowers and plants you see growing also varies.

As a result of its biodiversity and its closeness to population centers, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular park in the National Park System; 10 million people visit the park each year.

The National Park Services maintains 380 miles of scenic roadways, 800 plus miles of trails and bridges, 9 front country campgrounds, and more than 100 back country campgrounds in the Smoky Mountains National Park.

ASIDE:

• The National Cancer Institute and other groups have repeatedly visited the Smokies to take, under permit, small plant samples, looking for new medicines.
• Fully, 25 percent of our prescription drugs contain at least one ingredient taken directly from a higher plant.
• The Cherokee had documented uses for 60 percent of the flora in the Smokies.
• Over 600 species from these mountains were or are still used as medicines by the Cherokee.
• Generations of trial and error of uses of plants in these mountains represent a refined knowledge of plant biochemistry and the potential for use.
• A recent study showed that study of traditional cultural use of plants in an area is a faster route to discovering new medicines than blind screening of all plants in an area.

The prime directive of all national parks is to preserve not only native species, but also the natural processes that maintain them.

This year (2016) the American National Park Service turned 100 years old.

THE ART OF LIVING

I see art everywhere and beauty everywhere.

I can’t wait to tell you about “the Swag” in Waynesville North Carolina; “Lil Black Bear Cafe” in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and, “Curious Dog” and a blind alley in Old Town Knoxville, Tennessee, which I will do in a future blog post article on the “Gary S. Smolker Idea Exchange Blog.”

The Swag

Below is a photograph of what I found on my bed when I went to my room at the Swag.

There was also a backpack on my bed.  See photo below.

There was a note explaining the materials inside the backpack.  See photo below.

On one of the night stands besides the bed was a book of poetry.  See photo below.

I adopted “Mr. Rocky”, the Black Bear I found on my bed in my room at “the Swag.”

I can’t wait to tell you more about “the Swag.”

Conclusion

We determine the trajectory of our lives.

We should learn how to see.

We should live with our eyes wide open.

We should travel to places we have never been to before and meet people we have never met before.

Having/enjoying good health is a way of life.

 

 

Copyright © 2016 by Gary S. Smolker, All Rights Reserved

 

THE SOUND OF SILENCE IN THE EASTERN SIERRA – Nature Does Not Have to Make A Noise to Be Seen, Heard or Felt by Gary Smolker

    

The Sound of Silence

You can feel and see and hear “silence” by looking at the absolute stillness in these pictures.

You can see and feel and hear the “absolute” stillness of the air and sky above the pond and see and feel and hear the absolute stillness of the water in a pond in the three pictures above.

Each of the above pictures is a photograph of the reflections in a still pond of the sky and clouds and mountain above the pond.

Each one of those four pictures was taken by me while I was in Mono County, California during a long weekend that began late in the afternoon on October 16, 2015, when I flew out of LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) to the Mammoth/Yosemite Airport in the Eastern Sierra.

Each photograph shows the reflections I observed as I walked along land adjacent to one side of a pond.

Each of those four pictures was taken before dawn.

There was no movement in the air.

There was no movement of the the water or in the water.

The still pond water acted as a mirror — reflecting the clouds in the sky above the pond, flora (bushes, shrubs, trees, etc.) next to the pond and a mountain range located far away from the pond.

Grass and part of a plant growing in front of the pond and the top of a rock in the pond is shown in the photograph below.

The photograph below shows the bushes, trees and other plants growing on the far side of the pond, as well as the bottom of a mountain range reflected in the pond.

Parts of a mountain and of a mountain range is shown in each of those four photographs.

 

Someone asked me if the above picture was taken by me while I was looking out the mouth of a cave.

Another Pitch of The Sound of Silence is Heard Felt and Seen in the Photographs Below

The next set of photographs were taken by me in the Town of Mammoth Lake, in the Eastern Sierra, on October 19, 2015.

  

Another Sound, Another Timber of the Sound of Silence is Felt, Seen and Heard in the Following Photographs

Below is a photograph taken by me on October 19, 2015 from a bridge over looking a lake in the Town of Mammoth Lakes, California, in the Eastern Sierra.

Below is a photograph of the same lake taken from a different place on the same bridge.

Below is a photograph of a doe, taken by me on Monday, October 19, 2015.

I stopped to photograph that doe, when I saw that doe from an SUV I was riding in.

The doe was standing on the path I was driving on.

The doe is standing near a growth of woods just outside the commercialized part of the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

 

  Daydreaming Aside A Slowly Flowing Creek

The poetic beauty of the brilliant groves of trees lining the banks of the slowly flowing waters in creeks I walked by kept me in a constant hypnotic state of wonderment.

Above and below are photographs of groves of trees which line many of the flowing creeks in Mono County, California.

I took last each of those photographs last weekend.

I was so far away from “civilization” when I took those photographs that even the sound – if any – of water flowing in those those creeks was inaudible to me.

 

Think Poetic Thoughts

I think it is impossible not to think poetic thoughts while you are in the environment shown in the three pictures below.

I took each of those three pictures as I was walking along a stream early in the morning on Saturday, October 17, 2015.

A Beaver Pond

Below are two photographs I took of a Beaver Pond on Saturday, October 17, 2015.

The Beaver Pond is to the right.

The first photograph below shows one of two dams beavers built in a slowly flowing stream to form a pond for them to use in that stream.

The second photograph (below) shows a dam at the top of the pond created by beavers and also shows the dam at the bottom of the pond built by beavers.

 

A Few Minutes Away from the Lake Mammoth/Yosemite Airport

I took the above photograph at McGee Creek, which is a few miles from the Mammoth Lakes/Yosemite Airport.

I immediately drove to McGee Creek after I arrived at Mammoth Lakes/Yosemite Airport.

The above photograph was taken by me in the early evening on Friday, October 16, 2015.

McGee Creek is lined with brilliant aspen groves and surrounded by massive peaks.

All the photographs in this post were taken by me with the camera in my smart phone, which is an iPhone.

Leaves Changing From Green to Other  Colors Make No Audible Noise

For two weeks during the year, in October each year, leaves on trees in the Eastern Sierra change color without making a sound.

 

Nature Doesn’t Have to Make Noise to Be Heard

The picture below was taken on October 19, 2015 when I stopped on a road I was on while going to the Mammoth Lakes/Yosemite Airport from the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

The bottom two pictures above were taken at Mono Lake, California, in the Eastern Sierra last weekend.

Tufa is the name of a rock that grows under the salty water of Mono Lake.

Tufa is created when fresh water from the many underground springs which lay under Mono Lake come up from under Mono Lake and hit the salty lake water.

That entire Tufa rock formation shown in the above photo was under the Mono Lake until the elevation of the lake dropped.

Over the past few years the water level in Mono Lake has receded dramatically.

Mono Lake is mired in drought.

Four dry years have depressed Mono Lake five feet in elevation and the lake is expected to lose around two feet this year.

The retreating lake (declining lake level) has exposed Tufa shoals, one of which is pictured above.

Expansive views from almost any vantage point in the Mono Basin tell a stark and undeniable story of four consecutive years of drought, above average temperatures, and the combined effects on Mono Lake.

Honesty

 

 

 

While hiking in the natural landscape of the Eastern Sierra, last weekend, I saw spectacular arrays of golden, crimson and orange aspen and cottonwood groves as well as free standing pine trees.

The above photographs say honestly and sincerely, without adornment, that the beauty of nature doesn’t have to make noise to be seen, felt or heard.

A Sense of Humor

The Eastern Sierra, especially in the area around June Lake, is a big fishing area.

The people in the areas around the fishing lakes are friendly and have a great sense of humor, which is expressed in signs sold in local stores.

Below are photographs taken by me of some of those signs.

 

 

 

Regarding Nature

“There is pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is rapture in the lonely shore,

There is society where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more.”

The photographs below were taken by me several months ago, in March, 2015, along the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County, California.

The poem quoted above and the poem quoted below was written by Lord Byron.

“She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.”

Copyright © Gary S. Smolker 2015, All Rights Reserved