A did a piece of writing after hiking an area in Bermuda called the "Blue Hole."

The Blue Hole has an interesting history and contains some amazing submerged caves and private pools. One of the very few unsolved murders in recent Bermuda history occurred there, and it is the location of the oldest rock type on the island.

THE BLUE HOLE'S HOLD

Your now seldom trodden paths fall under new feet, withstanding each impact of soul and sole, bearing up upon unyielding and ancient rock the weight of another exploration, an adventuring spirit, another of the millions of creatures that you have felt wander across your very spine, and with thoughtless query your impatient question of 800,000 years rises again...

Will this be the one? Or will this be only another impertinent and transient creature that errantly uses the earthy mystery of this space for gathering dirt and stone, or ripping foliage aside for consumption, or splattering in fury, another's blood upon you hoping you will shroud its evil form detection? Or will this one impede the conquest and domination long enough to pause momentarily, stand still enough - long enough to allow your archaic message to creep from the core of this vain of our origination and stir as deeply within them as it resides within you, the tendril of impervious and undaunted myth that is your message?

Labels: blogging, prose, spirituality, travel, vacation destinations, word play, writing

In the tropics, the air whispers tales of the end of the journey and the beginnings of breathing. The horizons appear endless, barely even the fine line dividing planet and heavens can be seen, and that as only the obligatory nod to the proclaimed laws of physics. Seas pool in transparent marine, crystal refractors of laughter and indulgence. If the breeze blows, it is the compilation of every faded caress, every long lost lover, as the humidity clings, mocking her absent touch.

In the heat of these places, a man’s metal is tested, not by the level of his strength or the length of his endurance, but rather by the depth of his passion. For the blasting sun will lay siege to all muscle and cause even the fittest flesh to run dry. Left only with emptiness where fictitious power did reside, the soul of the man of the tropics must find relief and value elsewhere. In time, in his weathered smile - carved with canyon lines of today’s joy - can be seen the scars of victorious battles with self and the final surrender to all that surrounds and captures him. The paradox of surrender and freedom combine on the shore as waves meet sand.

There, where the deep is found in one man’s being or lost in the darkest of sea resides my destination.

Labels: blogging, sacred moments, travel, writing

Time at home has allowed me to dig out some old CDs and take a musical ride through time. With the holiday season and all of the festivities associated with it all but over, we have cleared away the torn wrapping paper, empty boxes and some of the Christmas decorations. Today I’ve managed a few minutes to simply sit in the living room and listen to music. I would normally listen to satellite radio or an iTunes play list, but today I’ve dusted off some of the CDs stacked about the room and found an array of music that I haven’t heard for some time. Right now, it’s Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung.”

With this music comes a specific memory. This album takes me back to 1975, Myrtle Beach, SC where I grew up. I remember one very specific day in May, an afternoon after my birthday but before the summer break in between my junior and senior year of high school. I was still driving the hand-me-down family car, a 1966 Chevrolet Bellaire, and at that particular moment was cruising north on Highway 17 between Murrells Inlet and Myrtle Beach headed into town to join friends for pizza and some night time fun. The car stereo was blasting, powered by an 8-Track tape player as I listened for the first time to “My God.” What I remember today, is somehow in that drive I felt very free, and I knew that even though I didn’t fully understand what Tull was saying – I knew two things: There was more about God to learn than my parents had taught me and I liked this crazy, in-your-face, music.

I still know those two things.

"My God"

People -- what have you done --

locked Him in His golden cage.

Made Him bend to your religion --
Him resurrected from the grave.
He is the god of nothing --
if that's all that you can see.
You are the god of everything --
He's inside you and me.
So lean upon Him gently
and don't call on Him to save you
from your social graces
and the sins you used to waive.
The bloody Church of England --
in chains of history --
requests your earthly presence at
the vicarage for tea.
And the graven image you-know-who --
with His plastic crucifix --
he's got him fixed --
confuses me as to who and where and why --
as to how he gets his kicks.
Confessing to the endless sin --
the endless whining sounds.
You'll be praying till next Thursday to
all the gods that you can count.

Labels: emotion, sacred moments, songs, spirituality, travel

It is very interesting what one can learn from listening.

I treated my appetite and ignored my need for low a cholesterol diet (shhhh! If you don’t tell my doctor, it doesn’t count), and had breakfast at Waffle House "the other day." As I ate, I listened.

Karen is in her mid thirties, has two children and hates it when her kids stay home for snow days. She drives an older Nissan. She has a small space between her two front teeth that she tries to hide by rolling her lip over them when she is laughing. It doesn’t work.

The cook, an all but kid in his twenties, plans to get his GED this year and then study at the community college, or maybe join the Navy. He likes his job, and doesn’t cook rubber eggs. I think that is considered an accomplishment. I know my eggs were very tasty. I think his name is Mack, or Mick. He didn’t have on a name tag.

Betty is clearly the matriarch of the group. She smiles as she listens to the banter of the ‘younger’ staff. She moves effortlessly from one task to the next, often working ahead of the others. She greets regulars by their first name, or with a knowing nod. Her under the cuff comments to the others often brings a smile or a giggle. Betty is, and wants to be the Queen of the WaffleHouse.

As I sat at the counter, eating my cheese eggs, grits and butter soaked raisin toast, gazing at the laminated menu pictures of the many heart-stopping, artery clogging, cholesterol enhanced foods, this thought crossed my mind: Is there really a difference between any of our lives, other than the package that that life might reside in?

Labels: blogging, coffee, emotion, life on life's terms, meanderings, travel, writing

I launched this website and moved my blog over here just a few months ago. Now that I've settled into the new design and look, I'm very pleased. Thanks to the folks over at BEM Interactive (my employer - nothing like a little brown nosing) for helping me set things up and hosting the site.

Labels: blogging, family, social networking, travel, twitter

The other day I went on an eight day, seven night canoe trip with three other men through a section of the Okefenokee Swamp. I had never been on a canoe trip beyond a paddle in the local lake, so I was excited about spending some time doing manly things with other manly men in a manly environment. The swamp is home to snakes, alligators, wild mammals and amazing bird and other wildlife.

I wasn't disappointed. Everything that this type of adventure offers hit us full force, face-on impacting out lives and saturating our thirst for manly excitement and bonding. Perhaps I will share more about that trip someday, but this post isn't about the actual trip, it is about the beginning – the beginning of all things, in a way.

The four of arrived at our launch point and soon had our gear packed in the two canoes full to the top leaving barely enough room for each of us to sit – one in front and one in the rear of each canoe. We had to take everything we needed for the next eight day – food, tent, water, coolers, etc. we had gotten to the launch point later than we had expected and had to talk the ranger into letting us launch late, knowing that we would be pushing the end of daylight before we arrived at our camping platform hours away in the middle of the swamp. Once he saw us safely in the canoes and ready to shove off, her got in his truck and left. We were off!

What awaited us was to be the adventure we all had anticipated for months now. Days of gliding through still dark water, observing wild life, and risking health and hygiene for the sake of doing it! We had miles to go and only days to accomplish it in – the adventure was upon us. Paddles in hand…

Then I discovered one small problem. Although I understood the concept of steering a canoe in open water, I didn't know how. As the lead canoe launched into the swamp, my partner for the week began providing momentum for our travel from the front seat of the craft, while I sat in the back with the duel task of paddling and guiding our boat by using my paddle as a rudder, as well. We zigged. We zagged - and quickly lagged behind.

Point – If you are going to paddle a boat to an adventure, learn to paddle.

The lesson is simple enough, but how often do we get it wrong? Life is a journey – vocations, relationships, self actualization and countless other adventures await us, and how often do we impatiently launch into one thing or another with out taking the time to allow ourselves the learning we need to be able to successfully navigate the trip.

I’m not suggesting we have to be an expert before we try anything new. I am suggesting that some adventures need a mix of experience, maturity and competency before we jump into them. I’ll leave the specific applications of this ‘point’ to your own thought processes. I’ll also state that the greatest lesson I've ever learned is that if I’m going to navigate this vessel of my ‘self’ through life, I needed to spend some time learning the art of doing just that.

In the swamp that day, I had three experienced men who helped me learn what I needed to know – enough to get the boat straight and roughly on course. They never let me forget it, but we did make our first platform just after dark.

Labels: blogging, gender stuff, life on life's terms, meanderings, spirituality, travel, vacation destinations

Last night as my wife and I ate dinner at Wendy's in Brevard, NC (yes. I know we are big spenders), we overheard five ladies talking. Here is the truth.

1. They are all over 60.

2. They have dinner and play cards there at Wendy's every Sunday night after church -every Sunday.

3. They were feeling a bit racy last evening since they had 'skipped' church and started playing cards an hour earlier than usual.

Wild times in Brevard, I tell you. I'm not sure it is truly safe to be there on a Sunday evening! What will happen next - Dogs and cats sleeping together?

Seriously, I found the entire scene delightful and worthy of a movie script.

Labels: blogging, emotion, life on life's terms, travel, vacation destinations

It is all gone now - the world of air breathing creatures and screaming sounds demanding, requiring something every moment of all days. Gone. This viscous shell into which I have plunged protects me and presents to me colors vibrant and dancing on the scales of fish and small bubbles of relief, ascending, taking with them each a small measure of my former dependence on demands and oxygen. I grasp razor edged rocks with delicate fingers ignoring pain for freedom and beauty of this moment. I will soon need to return, but not now – not for an eternity of heart beats measured in a few more clicks of the clock – the clock that ticks still, up there.

Labels: blogging, emotion, life on life's terms, travel, vacation destinations

First. I am NOT a juggler. Nope. Notta.

Labels: 2009, meanderings, travel

I'm a bit late with the second phase my public writing journey. Here is what I've 'carved' from the raw block of words - so far.

I grew up in Myrtle Beach, SC one of the largest beach tourist destinations on the east coast. In many ways I was a beach rat, spending my summers working at my family’s ocean front hotels and making friends with our weekly guests, and their daughters. Mine was a life filled with those summer days of youthful zeal, sun-tanned skin, wind blown hair and new beginnings. Every week was a new start with clean rooms and new guests. The four month vacation season dominated all that we did. It seemed that school, and all things winter, were simply the time we spent remembering or preparing for summer. Summer was our time. Summer was the time when we thrived economically and personally. I always lived in summer. The heat of the sun blazed down from the sky and up from the sand. The sea tossed its mist into our air and we breathed in the damp essence of life. Living so close to the sea, we drew our life from it day in and day out. The sea held us and brought life to us. Its vast reservoir, pulsing with each tide, offered to and collected from everything it touched. It is this giving and collecting, that I have witness many times.

 

The sea gives. My grandfather and father were both sailors. Their comfort with the sea and its gifts of food and fellowship were passed to me. I can remember the day my brother and I spent a day catching hundreds of small ‘spots’ only to face the task of scaling and cleaning them into the night. My grandfather taught us that day about finishing the tasks we started and about the sequence of work to reward. It was fun to catch. It was work to clean. We had to do both to eat. It was the sea, as it lingered in the marsh and inlets that gave us this opportunity.

 

The sea gives. I have witnessed many occasions of children and adults finding the sea for the first time. They had been inlanders all of their life and never seen the sea. That seems strange to me, even now. What a change of perspective that must be – to see the sea, to see and feel for the first time the sea from which we are created…

Labels: blogging, emotion, family, father's wisdom, sea, travel, word play, writing

Clinging to branches among the oaks

Timeless observer of time’s passing

You sway through breezes and revolutions

Directing humanity’s passage

As if orchestrating a divine symphony

 

With nothing but a wisp connecting you

To the lofty vantage from which you observe

Coy and unaffected

Your slight presence fans our dreams

As a winter wind stirs the smoldering fire

 

Little more than air feeds you

A hint of sea salt to spice your tasting

Of our adventures and chaos

You remain, lingering luscious

As the memory of a lover’s sigh

 

Eternally upon us

Labels: blogging, emotion, family, poetry, spirituality, travel, word play

Below are some excerpts from an essay I'm developing.

Labels: blogging, coffee, emotion, meanderings, spirituality, travel, writing

Remember when

We found the forest

Together

Intense, alluring and terrible

We cowered in fear

Shadows danced

Masked marauders set on our capture

Thorns, impenetrable barriers

Pole arms of razor steel

To strip flesh and life from bone

 

Time

 

We eventually found our way

Safely among these harrowing acquaintances

Shadows became nuances of light

Painting images of complex contrast upon

Canvases of hope

Spears’ edges, properly marked and navigated

Became safe havens

Briar patches of protection

 

Time

 

Now, you and I

Are bored and dumb

Silently wishing for

Another forest to conquer

 

Labels: blogging, emotion, gender stuff, poetry, spirituality, travel

We are far enough into the New Year that I have heard and read my fair share of New Year’s posts and opinions.  I guess I’ll take a moment and share my thoughts.

Often I find myself looking in to the New Year and thinking about what new things I want to accomplish. Resolutions are often about what we want to make different in our lives: loose ten pounds, run a marathon, get a better job, save money, reduce debt, stop smoking, etc. There are a few things I hope to accomplish this year, and the truth is that my bets hope of accomplishing these new things isn’t a magical New Year’s resolution. 

I do well to look not so much at what I want to change, but what I am currently doing that is working. Even a momentary reflection on the characteristics of my life that contribute to my success reveals simple habits that, while often difficult to follow, are essential to getting anything done. This year I am beginning with a New Year’s Renew list. I am renewing my commitment to the habits and actions that are a part of my success and then looking at a few things I want to accomplish with these proven, daily habits. The difference is that I am focusing on resolute living rather than living a list of resolutions.

 

Resolute Living

1. Each day I will decide to abstain from alcohol and other drugs. I have made this choice daily since July 10, 1999 and it has made all the difference in my life
   
2. Pray each morning for “Knowledge of God’s will for me and the power to carry that out.”
3. Respect other peoples (and my) time – be where I have agreed to be when I have agreed to be there. I am not perfect at executing this, but I am committed to the value of it.
4. Be mindful of the Rotary Four-Way Test – Of The Things We Say and Do
1. Is it the Truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build good will and better friendships?
4. Is it beneficial to all concerned?

 

5. Listen to others and seek to understand their point of view.
6. Pay my bills on time.
7. Exercise multiple times each week.
8. Keep my weight between 145-155lbs.
9. Take the medications prescribed by my doctor as prescribed.
10. Hike.
11. Get a full night’s sleep (6-8 hrs) most nights.
12. Read books for fun.
13. Read books for education.
14. Maintain a blog.
15. Save some money each month.
16. Tell jokes (no matter how lame).
17. Read the comics.
18. Volunteer to help others in some way every month.
19. Work the steps of the simple program that I have chosen to help me better live my life.
20. Never take the advice of someone more messed up than I am.
21. Write about the creative ideas and images that move me.
22. Work faithfully and dependably for my income.
23. Take a vacation with my wife. 

Resolutions for 2009 

1. Attend a writing workshop/class.
2. Speak publicly ten times.
3. Submit something written for publication.
4. Hike the Alum Cave Trail.
5. Purchase a new Audio/Video system for the den.

 

I am sure there is more, but this is what I have for here, for now…

Labels: 2009, blogging, emotion, exercise, family, hiking, music, poetry, spirituality, travel, vacation destinations, word play, work out

We are back from out Thanksgiving trip to New York City. This was my first trip to the City, so I wanted to make the most of it. My wife and I met up with my daughter (she is doing an internship with the David Letterman Show) and we were off and running. I've listed below a quick, and I am sure incomplete, rundown of our activities. Once I get some sleep and the pictures in order I am sure I'll have more to share - photos and links to come.

NYC in Three Days

Wednesday
6:00 a.m. travel to Charlotte, NC
9:10 fight to Newark, NY
1:00 South-West Manhattan Marriott Downtown – check-in
2:00 - First subway ride to Uptown (47th and 7th)
Walked Broadway, Lincoln Center, Time Warner Plaza - until 3:15
3:15- 5:30 – taping of David Letterman Show Thanksgiving Eve (Terri Hatcher and Ludacris)
5:30-7:00 – walk to and dinner at Carnegie's Deli with friends
7:00-11:00 walking Broadway, Times Square, then to Shubert theatre for Spamalot
11:00 – 2:30 – walking Uptown, Central Park, Watching the Macy’s parade balloons filled up, subway back to hotel (accidentally via the Bronx. Darn subway detours).

Thursday
2:30- 6:00 slept - sorta
6:00 – 8:00 up, eat, dress and walk to Battery Park – ferry to Liberty Island
8:30-11:00 Liberty Island - Statue and museum tour
11:00 – 3:00 Ellis Island and tour of Immigration Museum
3:00 – 3:45 back to NYC and nap until
4:50-8:00 – subway back uptown, walk, eat (Carnegie's again), Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Saks Fifth Ave (great Christmas Windows), Empire State Building (from a distance)
BACK TO Manhattan

9:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m. slept better, ate, showered, planned

Friday
8:45 – out for coffee at Star Bucks
9:30- World Trade Center site debris
10:00-1:00 St. Paul’s Chapel, SOHO, Greenwich Village
1:00-2:00 Tour of Madison Square Gardens – Nicks and Rangers locker rooms (size 21 shoes!)
2:00- 5:30 Madison Avenue, Park Avenue, High Tea at Lowell
5:30 - 10:00 Central Park, Roosevelt Plaza, Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, ST. Patrick’s Cathedral, The Plaza, Grand Central Station, Wall Street

10:30 – Lights out..

Saturday
2:45 a.m. up and out to the Airport…Zzzzzzzzzzzzs in flight
11:45 Back in Winston-Salem, NC!

Labels: family, New York City, travel, vacation destinations

The last cicada sings
Into the crisp fall air
A final call of
Fall’s end, winter’s era

Leaves cling
To branches high
Not one wants
To release and die

A father dreams
Of his son’s flight
But silence returns
From this season’s night

[Chorus]
Seasons change
Seasons go
Season remain
Ever so slow

Summer leaves
To find its fall
The stillness breaks
Upon us all

The last cicada sings
The final tear falls
We are cold
We are so small

A baby cries
Her first breath of life
Mother’s arms are gone
An women will live in strife

[Chorus]

Sometimes we must burrow
Deep into the earth
Waiting there, searching
For the matter of our birth

Remembering when we can
That as this begins
We can return as
The last cicada sings

[Chorus]

The last cicada sings
Into the crisp fall air
A final call of
Fall’s end, winter’s era

Leaves cling
To branches high
Not one wants
To release and die


NOTE: in the depths of a hike in SC, i heard a lone cicada. while only weeks before i had heard the deafening noise of thier community screaming, only one remained. the words above come from that last cicada's song.

Labels: blogging, emotion, hiking, poetry, songs, travel, word play

The sputter can surprise us
Running wide ass open
Taking no prisoners
Casting laughter like caution
To the wind
Blowing up a storm of passionate dreams
And friends cheering us on

The road turns, twisting
Thought and perceptions
Into unrecognizable shards
Broken, poured out, spilled
Across memories of tomorrow’s
Dreamers awake
When the fuel of creation
Runs dry

Thus fools rush in
Where angels fear to tread
And shout
"Fill’er UP!"

Labels: gas prices, poetry, spirituality, travel

Wandering in the woods

Labels: emotion, poetry, travel

Labels: poetry, travel

The Pelican

A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His mouth can hold more than his belly can,
He can hold in his beak,
Enough food for a week!
I'm damned if I know how the hell he can!

-Dixon Lanier Merritt, a Southern newspaper editor and President of the American Press Humorists Association, penned this famous limerick in 1910. It is carved in stone and displayed prominently at Brook Green gardens in SC.

Watching several Pelicans feed in the tributaries of Murrells Inlet, SC, I was taken by how often they fail to catch fish. It is fairly easy to mark a successful dive, as the stately bird will raise its beak skyward to send the fish wiggling down its gullet. I began keeping score. I counted a total of twenty five dives between four birds and could only verify a catch seven times. With a slightly better than 25% success rate, these gobbling fowl still are known as great fishers.

I guess nature confirms the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

1. Hunger for something will keep you trying.
2. The pain of failure is quickly forgotten once the benefits of success arrive.
3. Never give up.

Labels: life on life's terms, poetry, travel

ExOfficio™ touts that there Give-N-Go briefs are the most comfortable and functional underwear that you can buy. I have seen their ad displayed at a local outdoor supply store for a couple of years and thought, “What the heck. I’ll give it a try.”

The ad slogan reads - 17 countries. 6 weeks. 2 pairs of underwear.

I had eight days in Bermuda and took two pairs of ExOfficio™ briefs. As a safe guard (a man has to be careful) I also packed additional underwear – just in case.

Result – 8 ½ days. 1 pair of underwear (and a couple of swim shorts).

It isn’t a gross as it sounds. Honest. I would have used two pairs, but a lot of my time was spent in bathing shorts, so there was plenty of time for the 1 pair to dry in-between wearing.

All I am saying is that the briefs lived up to their claim of comfort, durability, and ease of use. Simply follow the instructions on washing, care and wear and you are good to go, and go, and go, and go…

I have even switched to the ExOfficio™ briefs for all my hiking.

I dub them the “Energizer Bunny of Underwear.”

Go get you some here.

Labels: meanderings, travel