A bonanza for the body and spirit, climbing Mt. Cadillac South Ridge Trail was challenging, but doable. Meeting wonderful people and sharing food and life stories made the day. The landscape turned from forest to stark bedrock, but life still thrived in rain pools, enlivening the barren landscape. View from the top was wondrous.
Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park, ME. Circumnavigating the lake was a perfect way to round up my sola trip. Inexhaustible beauty, from smallest details of the forest floor to grand vistas of mountains in automn colors reflected in tranquil waters. Using walking path over carriage road made hike interesting.
As automn is coming to a close, I kayak over the pond for the last time and take some loon pictures on location, with the row in my hand and the cellphone in the other. We enjoy a great getout with oldies music and beer. Eventually I pack up my wonderful trip, ready (kind of) to resettle in the Middle East…
Photo gallery. Desert rains in the extreme climate of the Southern Arava (2013-4) created magical landscapes composed of water, mud and vegetation. Some old acacia trees submerged mangrove-like. Old lakes and reservoirs filled up. Dormant seeds came to life.
Diet and environment are tightly linked. Vegetarian environmentalism had been around for at least 50 years, but takes a while to take root. Cutting down on meat consumption can prevent deforestation and ecological disasters that affect us all, from Ecuador to the British Isles.
Irreversisble ecological damage in the northern isles? How do the British and Scottish islands, Iceland and Ireland stand? Defining reversible. Sheep obsession, “sheepwrecked” treeless landscapes, green wastelands, soil degradation. Findhorn eco-agriculture as a possible model for redemption?
Is Australia sustainable? 250 years of bad agricultural practices informed by colonial thinking brought country to the verge of collapse. Land degradation, species extinctions, salinization. Aboriginal influence and genocide is discussed, as well as new schools of thought and action striving to correct and heal.
The early Israeli spring starts in January-February and is marked by the iconic almond trees blooms. All over the country white and pink petals abound. On the ground you also get anemones, cyclamens and other annual flowers. THe second wave comes March-May.
Wartime volunteering opportunities offered me my first opportunity at olive picking, or Masik, An uplifting experience, physically, mentally and socially. I discovered that a Jewish masik can be just as joyful as the Arab ones. We picked Manzanillo, an edible strain using rakes.
A high-tech olive press in Kibbutz Gshur, Golan Heights was visited. High quality olives, of various strains, uniquely grown, are used to create superb high-end oils and other products. Highly recommended visitor center and shop.
A bonanza for the body and spirit, climbing Mt. Cadillac South Ridge Trail was challenging, but doable. Meeting wonderful people and sharing food and life stories made the day. The landscape turned from forest to stark bedrock, but life still thrived in rain pools, enlivening the barren landscape. View from the top was wondrous.
Eagle Lake, Acadia National Park, ME. Circumnavigating the lake was a perfect way to round up my sola trip. Inexhaustible beauty, from smallest details of the forest floor to grand vistas of mountains in automn colors reflected in tranquil waters. Using walking path over carriage road made hike interesting.
As automn is coming to a close, I kayak over the pond for the last time and take some loon pictures on location, with the row in my hand and the cellphone in the other. We enjoy a great getout with oldies music and beer. Eventually I pack up my wonderful trip, ready (kind of) to resettle in the Middle East…
Photo gallery. Desert rains in the extreme climate of the Southern Arava (2013-4) created magical landscapes composed of water, mud and vegetation. Some old acacia trees submerged mangrove-like. Old lakes and reservoirs filled up. Dormant seeds came to life.
Diet and environment are tightly linked. Vegetarian environmentalism had been around for at least 50 years, but takes a while to take root. Cutting down on meat consumption can prevent deforestation and ecological disasters that affect us all, from Ecuador to the British Isles.
Irreversisble ecological damage in the northern isles? How do the British and Scottish islands, Iceland and Ireland stand? Defining reversible. Sheep obsession, “sheepwrecked” treeless landscapes, green wastelands, soil degradation. Findhorn eco-agriculture as a possible model for redemption?
Is Australia sustainable? 250 years of bad agricultural practices informed by colonial thinking brought country to the verge of collapse. Land degradation, species extinctions, salinization. Aboriginal influence and genocide is discussed, as well as new schools of thought and action striving to correct and heal.
The early Israeli spring starts in January-February and is marked by the iconic almond trees blooms. All over the country white and pink petals abound. On the ground you also get anemones, cyclamens and other annual flowers. THe second wave comes March-May.
Wartime volunteering opportunities offered me my first opportunity at olive picking, or Masik, An uplifting experience, physically, mentally and socially. I discovered that a Jewish masik can be just as joyful as the Arab ones. We picked Manzanillo, an edible strain using rakes.
A high-tech olive press in Kibbutz Gshur, Golan Heights was visited. High quality olives, of various strains, uniquely grown, are used to create superb high-end oils and other products. Highly recommended visitor center and shop.