Showing posts with label Rocky Mountains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocky Mountains. Show all posts

Friday, February 10, 2023

La Festa dell’ Inverno: Winter 2023 - Part 4

Mackay Is The Most Criminally Overlooked Town In Idaho

The other day I tried a 25.3 fl oz aluminum container of Proud Source Spring Water, bottled at the source in Mackay, Idaho in the Rocky Mountains. It doesn't have the taste of most mineral water brands/sources; just a clear taste. I remember my father used to bring home "mountain water" which he collected himself during winter from way up on the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as he was a truck driver. Proud Source has the same taste.

 

From the bottle....

Crafted By Nature

Our natural alkaline spring water is bottled at the source near the base of Idaho's majestic Mount McCaleb. It's naturally filtered by thousands of layers of ancient volcanic rock. Leaving minerals and electrolytes that deliver a smooth, crisp taste.

Proud Source Water

 



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Goat Lake in the Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho

Sarah Goeckner




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Mom's Guiding Light

"Today Will Be Great"

I can think of once when I was a teen, hiking the nearby mountain trails at twilight one June evening. I had one of those early Sony Walkmans, which played the old audio cassette tapes. The air was warm as the darkness overcame the mountain. I felt energized by the blackness, but I hadn't brought a flashlight. I remember walking a wooded trail, pondering my life, but never thinking that this evening would stay in my memory. To me, it was just another evening. I started to make my way back home, listening to the music. When I came upon the final stretch of trail, before some street light would illuminate the environment a little, I remember listening to 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper. There seemed to be a great meaning to the song, but I didn't really understand what it was. The lyrics almost suit the idea of that warm night and the guiding light.

The mountain itself--along with the elevated community and our home--symbolized guardian spirits, as there were problems not far below. Now I'm far away from those old cornerstones of my life, and it's both easier and harder to be nostalgic about them. Finally I made my way to the big neighborhood water tank; that beautiful light blue tank resting along the mountain slope, some trees surrounding it, with a paved road leading to the street below. There were two other water tanks on the mountain, serving other communities up there, but this one was ours. Somebody then, or now, could walk up that paved road, place a fold up chair on the grassy area in the back, take out a beverage, and look out and see downtown San Francisco, downtown Oakand, the Marin Headlands, much of the Bay, like being in Heaven. If there were a little house on that spot, I would rather live there than the greatest mansion in the city!

I made my way down to the street, and continued to walk a few blocks, downward on those steep streets, back home. As usual, my mother had left the porch light on for me; something she did my entire life. She used to get the cats in, and flip that switch if anyone else was still out. Even just a couple of years ago, living there, when I was out after dark, she would always turn it on, even after she had gone to bed. At that point, she would also turn on the living room lamp as well. She was always my guiding light.

Two days ago, while shopping, I saw one of those little "Be Inspired" hanging canvas banners. The ones that hang on a little wooden stick, with a small rope onto which to hang it up. It was a light-beige canvas with pink flowers and brown lettering that reads "TODAY WILL BE GREAT," with a fancy pink tassel hanging from the v-shaped bottom. I have it hanging from the ceiling on an old hook in one corner. It reminds me of my mom, because every day was great when she was here. Maybe it can bring a little bit of that energy and mood back.


Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after time



'Porch Light'

Traditional Realism night Painting

by Paul Keysar



"Become the bright light for others, when their world becomes dark"
-- Anthony Douglas Williams; 'Inside the Divine Pattern'


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Time After Time

Cyndi Lauper

2.74M subscribers

12,402,557 views - Jan 25, 2017

Provided to YouTube by Epic
Time After Time · Cyndi Lauper
Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some
℗ 1983 Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
Released on: 1994-07-19

con't....

 

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"I have been hearing this song since I was a child. Thank you for giving us this beautiful song, Cyndi! ❤️"
--  Débora Almeida

"Song always holds a special place in my heart."
-- Lonezewolf Gaming

"Driving late at night and this song came on the radio feel so heavenly. I've forgot about everything for a moment and enjoy the wind and this song."
-- Gen Rex

"This song reminds me of being on a road trip with the windows down and having a good conversation. The song will always hold a special place in my heart"
-- Jade

"Weird because I'm 23 and I feel like I was alive during that song. I absolutely love it"
-- Louis Dnd

"The beat to this song timeless! Love it"
-- Ohemaa Katrine

 

 

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'Time After Time'

Song by Cyndi Lauper

Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say, "go slow"
And I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside (deep inside)
And the drum beats out of time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time
Time after time

I've got a suitcase of memories that I almost left behind
Time after time
Time, time, time
But you say to go slow but I fall behind
Time after time after time (after time, oh)

 

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For those who do have a deity....

At least for the ones who do live up to this level of dedication, can we match this? With the overall decline of Christianity, I think there is also a resurgence in some circles. For most folk pagans, their gods are not cosmic dictators, but more like members of their family; their kindred. I don't think the gods would want us to think about them every moment of every day! I think they want us to be near, and live by principles of logic and honor. Ritual is important, but I don't think they seek to be objectified in every waking moment.

I remember when I had cable tv some time ago now, I was channel surfing and came upon Joyce Meyer speaking upon the "impure thoughts" that she always has, and that she claims to say aloud "Get outta there Satan!".... using her hands to show her interaction with her own head. So thinking about "Sin, Sex, and Satan" all the time probably leads one right to it! I think our gods want us to have a more grounded set of principles to develop and live by. I recall another time that I came upon a channel with Donnie Swaggart speaking. He openly "claimed" Japan for Jesus Christ. All because... "he said so," although he would proclaim that "god said so." I do think we as small groups, can lay some spiritual claim on certain public lands; to interact with them, and care for them, and the creatures that dwell there. To me, the gods and spirits very much include our own ancestors.
 

 


 

 

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Torres Del Paine National Park (Chile)

[Windows 10 Spotlight]





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These Bizarre Photos Are so Creepy We Wish They Weren't Real



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A quote that almost got him burned at the stake. Copernicus was Polish, but it showed the power of the Catholic Church over governments and institutions far and wide.



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Love Will Find A Way

Pablo Cruise - Topic

1,358,919 views  - July 29, 2018

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Love Will Find A Way · Pablo Cruise

Worlds Away

℗ 1978 A&M Records

Released on: 1977-01-01

con't....


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PabloCruise.com

"In a world that's going crazy, I say maybe we take a time out. And break away from all the madness, the sadness, and just breathe."
-- Pablo Cruise



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Mysteries of China

One thing I noticed about China is despite its massive population (1.4 bil), a Google Maps examination actually shows a lot of open green mountainous land. Also, There are large ominous entirely empty cities which have been constructed in rural looking regions for some strange economic purpose having to do with internal Chinese investment. These empty cities have no fittings or cables for water or power, and are strictly for investing, mostly of the condo-like units of large high rises. I suppose that someone could break into one of them and just live there, but there's no food or water, and there's the risk of prison if they were caught. However, foreigners can just visit these empty cities, which are poorly constructed and are already crumbling! It's also curious that the politically paranoid Red Chinese government allows its citizens to emigrate, which is almost an admittance that their leaving for "something better."

China Military Official Site (in English)

 





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Bowen Island, north of Vancouver, Canada

[Windows 10 Spotlight]



 
 

 

 

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Google Chrome 666 Logo

If dice keep coming up with "snake eyes," usually it means the dice are fixed.



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Sia - Unstoppable (Lyrics)

Loku

2.58M subscribers

357,455,987 views  - May 24, 2020

con't....



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A society without the means to detect lies and theft soon squanders its liberty and freedom."
-- Chris Hedges


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"Most people are wrong, when it's most important to be right."

-- Author unknown



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Are there bats in Alaska?

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Many residents are unaware that we have bats in Alaska, but seven species of bats are known to occur here. The little brown bat is the most common and widespread bat in Southeast Alaska and is the only species known to occur in Southcentral, Interior, and Western Alaska.

 

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The little brown bat is the one I'm used to seeing, when I lived back home. It's not just southeast Alaska, but they live right up to central Alaska. Alaska is fascinating in that it's entirely different than Greenland. In fact, "Greenland" would be a more fitting name for Alaska, as there are massive woodlands even in the far north. I guess it can't be too surprising that there are bats there. A cave would offer them a safe place to hibernate, without enduring the full harshness of winter.

Bats in Alaska! (video footage of little brown bat species in Alaska)

 

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No Snakes in Alaska (Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

There are no lizards, freshwater turtles, or snakes in Alaska. The only reptiles in Alaska are rare sightings of sea turtles.



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Forggensee, a lake in Bavaria, Germany

[Windows 10 Spotlight]

Well stocked with trout, eel, and pike, this large lake is a prime fishing spot. And, by the looks of those mighty mountains rising above the lakeshore, this is also a great place for sightseeing. Located in a part of Bavaria that's blessed with truly breathtaking scenery, Forggensee is shadowed by the Ammergau Alps, a subgroup of the Northern Limestone Alps. The sharp, rugged contours of the towering mountains contrast in photo-worthy fashion with the placid waters of the lake and the area's lush forests. If you look very closely at the foothills in the center of our image you may glimpse something else of a spectacular nature: Neuschwanstein, a 19th-century castle and one of the architectural gems of the region.

 


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Eddie Money - Two Tickets to Paradise (Lyrics)

Tridon64

Two Ticket to Paradise by Eddie Money with lyrics on screen. My soon to be honeymoon destination with my very special lady.



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"Great song & images! Makes me want to fly away with my lady!"
-- Tom Maxwell

 "I'm ready to pack my bags and leave tonight. I wish I was on a nice vacation far from where I live."
-- Margaret Nicola

 

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"The escape to paradise"

This is a silly story, but I remember years ago I had a friend who was living in Antioch. I was speaking to one of his neighbors one afternoon, a young woman who was 18 and just graduated from high school. Blonde, really cute; more in a girl next door sort've way. I wasn't interested in her as such, but she was nice. She really really wanted to get out've Antioch, and really the area in general. During another subject of conversation, I mentioned another friend of mine who was living in Birmingham, Alabama at the time. Somehow the concept of just being able to go to some place to get away from things for awhile came up, and I just mentioned as an example going there for a time, but wasn't really serious. She then said: "YEEAH, LETS GOOO!!!" I really think she would have gone! I wonder how many couples got their start by just... going! What if I had just.... gone..??


I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here

I've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear

 

[Above: 'Angelina' by Doris Joa]


...or maybe just to escape from fate..

I remember when I was at the hospital with my mother, I recall thoughts for split seconds, of... maybe there's a way to just escape this? To escape from the danger. I imagined just taking her to the car and just driving up some mountain, to a place of safety. But there was no place to escape to..

 

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'Two Tickets to Paradise' (Eddie Money)

I've got a surprise especially for you
Something that both of us have always wanted to do
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
I've got two tickets to paradise

I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here
I've got two tickets in my pocket, baby, we'll disappear
Know why?
We've waited so long, waited so long
We've waited so long, waited so long

I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight
I've got two tickets to paradise
I've got two tickets to paradise



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The Peasant Window

Carl Moll, 1893



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Regina Angelorum

"Queen of the Angels" (sometimes "The Virgin with Angels")

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1900



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Sunlight and Shadow

Stanley Royle. 1926



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The gate to Warmond

Floris Verster, 1894



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Mad World - Gary Jules

orijimi

167,936,249 views  - January 9, 2006

The original video of Gary Jules' and Michael Andrews' cover version of Mad World, directed by Michel Gondry. Throughout the video children are making animated figures on the sidewalk below. (the song was featured in the movie Donnie Darko. If you haven't seen it, seriously consider it.

con't....


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A good cover; a young female voice:

Mad World - Gary Jules (Janet Devlin Cover)



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'Mad World' lyrics

'Mad World' would go perfectly with images or footage of those empty Chinese cities, such as the ones posted above. Also, it would go well with the current social climate; depressed, vaxxed, medicated, young weebs... wandering around not even knowing if they're a boy or a girl.

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had


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Symbolism

I believe that the song was specifically contracted to go hand-in-glove with the film, which had a certain Satanic occult meaning. I don't buy the official line put out. I'm not knocking the film or the song. I just think there's more to it. This image of the "rabbit" almost reminds me of 'The Wicker Man', and there could be a pagan connection to it. Not surprisingly, there is a lot of artwork based on the film, which is cool. I like when people try to interpret things with art. We should all try to find some types of romantic realism in our lives; for us, or for that which we are close to.

 

'Mad World' (Wikipedia)

'Donnie Darko' (Wikipedia)

Mad world Song Interpretation - lyric meanings (video)

Donnie Darko meaning (video)

Donnie Darko pinterest (art)

Donnie Darko deviantart (art)

 

I saw 'Donnie Darko' many years ago, and I guess I just watched it late one night, and didn't get much from it. I was just sort've out to lunch. Sometimes it depends when you see it! The morning is the best time. I remember watching 'American Psycho' the first time, and didn't especially care for it. Then I really got it when I watched it the second time. Lots of symbolism and mystery. Somehow.. I never got around to seeing DD again, but I will.

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Friday, September 5, 2014

'Jeremiah Johnson' - movie review





'Jeremiah Johnson' (Wikipedia)

Jeremiah Johnson is a 1972 western film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Robert Redford as the title character and Will Geer as "Bear Claw" Chris Lapp. The film has been said to have been based in part on the life of the legendary mountain man Liver-Eating Johnson, based on Raymond Thorp and Robert Bunker's book 'Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson' and Vardis Fisher's 'Mountain Man'.

The script was written by John Milius and Edward Anhalt; the film was shot at various locations in Redford's adopted home state of Utah. It was entered into the 1972 Cannes Film Festival.


I try to be somewhat objective when typing movie reviews, but I think I will put my own stamp on this one. I saw a lot of symbolism that I wanted to delve into. I think 'Jeremiah Johnson' was a great movie, an original western, and it's a distinctly Ameican story. When I viewed it again recently however, I saw even deeper connections. I saw Odinic connections for one thing. The rugged White characters, with their long beards and survivalist mindset, reminded me of the perception of what Germanic tribesman were like. Perhaps something like the Langobards, and the Camunians were a mountain people. Also, the Amerindians represented the northern Mongolians who have historically shared the northern stretches of the Earth. The "son" at the end of Johnson reminded me of a Norse or Viking name, of which it probably has strong connections to. One scene referred to "Jeremiah" as a "Christian name," and I suppose that it could be said that "Johnson" was symbolically his "Odinic name." The movie portrays pure evolutionary struggle.


All of the actors and actresses were good in their roles.. and I thought that the three primary mountain men (Robert Redford, Will Geer, and Stefan Gierasch as Del Gue) were great.. real "characters" in the other sense of the word. Robert Redford and Will Geer are/were so totally different in every way than their characters here... the magic of the movies. The Pagan Amerindians, as well as the White mountain men (my symbolic "Odinic" survivalists) were pure fighting machines.. and I think the movie gave at least a glimpse of that. Apparently, the real man about whom the film was based, "Liver-Eating Johnson," was so fearsome that the Amerindians--rather than hate him--actually honored him. At one point, Johnson asked a settler what the neat collection of artifacts were near his cabin, and the settler told him that it was a monument to him (Johnson). "Some say that you're dead on account of this. Some say that you'll never die on account of this."

There was an actual Del Gue, who was his trapping partner according to the real account. There were a lot of French who came into probably Quebec mostly, and worked their way down into the United States frontiers like the Rocky Mountains, and established rural trade economies. The Rocky Mountains encompass such a vast highlands region in the center of North America, not just Colorado. They stretch from northern New Mexico to northern British Columbia. According to Wikipedia: Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). The movie at times, sort've symbolically, showed the Rocky Mountains as "the top of the world"... a tremendous allure.

"The Rocky Mountains is the marrow of the world. I ain't ever seen 'em, but my heart tells me that the Andes is foothills and the Alps are for children to climb." --Del Gue

The soundtrack is worth mentioning. It's a blend of American folklore, the spiritual, and nature... and it worked well within the movie. It reflected both nature's harmonious and innocent side.. and it's harsh and violent side. The bear, to me, represents these dual sides of nature. The movie begins with Jeremiah Johnson arriving by river boat at a trading post at the base of the mountains, ready to begin his trek. Soon, a particular wise-looking Amerindian observes Johnson appearing somewhat buffoonish as he tries to catch fish in a river amid the snow. Much later, well after Johnson has been transformed into a legend, he runs into that same Amerindian... but I don't want to give away the powerful scene.

Numerous scenes during the winter show how harsh and lonely mountain life can be. The vast majority of people today could not survive long if they were placed in that environment, no matter how well equipped they were. The log cabins shown in the movie were great, with a particular wide and low to the ground design. To me, symbolically, this type of transformation of a person is well represented by the "werewolf" concept. Even a soft person could be transformed into a rough, survivalist, fighter if they were pushed to it... and they had the will to survive. In one scene, after he had to fight for his life, he gave out a loud scream... perhaps symbolically like a wolf's howl. A wolf can seem sort've happy-go-lucky... yet can become a ferocious fighter at the drop of a hat. The North American timber wolf is originally from Europe as their DNA has shown; having crossed an ice-bridge long ago. Coyotes are native to North America.

Part of the transformational concept is that a person living in the wild develops a "sixth-sense," which the movie portrayed. "Bear Claw," who became Johnson's mentor, said "The mountain has its own ways." I think he meant the cycle of nature, the cycle of life, the natural process of things. In this world, nature was in full command. That process is enhanced even more in the harsh mountains. There's a certain inherent morality to nature.

There is a book about the real person named John Johnson, known as Liver-Eating Johnson. It's called 'Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson'. The "Crows" were one of the Amerindians tribes, and he went to war with them after they killed his wife and unborn child. That's the account, and the larger "who did what to whom" is something that could be discussed all day. The struggle did symbolize the overall struggle between the two "northern races" over the course of history. Genghis Khan was a northern Mongol who invaded Europe. The earliest fossils in at least North America were proto-European ("Kennewick Man") and were apparently defeated by the incoming Mongols. However, basically these mountain men conducted peaceful trade with the native tribes, and there were missionaries, trading posts, etc.


The other book that the film was based on was 'Mountain Man', a fictional account of that period. I still remember that up to the late 70s, when someone liked a movie, there were no DVDs or even VHS tapes to buy. They would buy soundtracks, books, posters, or novelty items about a popular movie. This movie was popular, as it was the seventh highest grossing film in 1972.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but at one point the Crows kill Johnson's family in what was a revenge attack from their point of view. Johnson--my symbolic Odinic survivalist--gives them what appeared to be a "Viking funeal" by assembling the bodies and burning the cabin. I know, it probably wasn't intended to symbolize that... but I saw Odinic symbolism... or Pagan Amerindian symbolism for that matter. At one point, Johnson warned U.S. Cavalrymen not to enter Crow burial grounds... as they "guarded it with spirits."

The Del Gue character was a real wildman, with a real way with words. Near the end of the movie, he is riding away and gives a particularly great rant about being a mountain man... and it only really makes sense upon actually hearing it. Initially, his gregarious personality and headstrong manner overwhelmed Johnson... who was still a novice. However, upon meeting Johnson much later on, he appears somewhat in awe of the legend.. "Jeremiah Johnson." There were a lot of subtle messages like this that perhaps can't easily be put into words... but they helped make it a great movie.

Below, the theme song from the movie: 'The Way That You Wander'

The way that you wander is the way that you choose,
The day that you tarry is the day that you lose.
Sunshine or thunder, a man will always wonder.
Where the fair wind blows.


At the end of the movie... one extra line is added to the lyrics...

“And some folks say…he’s up there.. still…” 




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