Happy Earth Day Mom

Photo by Steve Agrella
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
John Muir



On this earth day let us give thanks to our over-burdened mother. Let us breathe deeply of the perfume of her blossoms and allow our eyes to be bathed in her unending beauty. Let us refresh and restore our spirits by soaking in the splendor of vast panoramas and marveling at the infinite variety of her creations. Let our muscles warmed by the sun be cooled with a scintillating breeze after the exertion of a walk on her shores, or a climb to her mountain tops. Let our gaze go the velvet skies sparkling with pricks of light ruled by a glowing orb. Let us give thanks for the abundance rained down upon us by our good, generous and restorative mother. Let us think today about how we might ease her cares, protect her from industrial scars and gashes and gluttonous appetites for more. And let us say a prayer of thanks to our mother and think of ways that we might lift the heavy load we have placed upon her shoulders bending beneath the weight of our demands.

In the name of the Great Mother Earth
www.lindaballouauthor.com

#2 of my list of things you must do before you can't!

Hike up Soldiers Pass Trail at sunrise or sunset to the top of Brim’s Mesa. Once aloft you will see what Sedona, Arizona is all about. Sandstone hoodoos, buttes, mesas and cathedral like buttresses float on a purple horizon. Stay here long enough and you might find yourself thanking the Great Spirit for these wonderfully imaginative creations.
Heading for the spirit well to drink deeply again next week!

Pound of Prevention

Gutsy Women: Travel Tips and Wisdom for the Road by Marybeth Bond


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an indispensable handbook full of information that can save you time, trouble and maybe even your life. Women make up the largest segment of the traveling population and many of them are choosing to travel alone. When I was a student for a summer session in England I walked the streets of London cloaked in a red riding hood cape that covered me from head to toe. This might seem a bit over the top, but I truly did not want to be raped, mugged or noticed by would be Romeos. Marybeth Bond doesn’t suggest you go to these lengths but does give practical nuts and bolts tips on how to protect yourself on the road. Not just from predators, but from you own carelessness that can land you into a very uncomfortable place. She says this book is about more than travel. “It is about risk-taking, living, feeling, and learning, and loving.” In the “Travelers Tales” tradition, this little book is well worth the price of admission.
www.lindaballouauthor.com
Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales


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Dare to care about our planet

Review: The Clouded Leopard-A Book of Travels by Wade Davis

It is rare that a scientific-minded individual can write with the engaging fluidity of creative non-fiction author, but Wade Davis strides both worlds effortlessly. It never occurred to me that an ethnobotany could be so riveting. Wade Davis takes you to his homeland Canada, to the heights of Peru and the depths of the Amazon basin, to Haiti and Tibet in pursuit of the secrets of plants and how mankind has used them over the centuries. The accounts in this book of travels reveal mysterious practices of the shamans in Amazon, the horrid outcome of human intervention in nature’s plan, and the importance of our connection to the land. You will learn, you will smile and you will wonder why this author has not received more popular acclaim. The message is clear. We are living in an ecological disaster. It is our responsibility to understand and reclaim the natural order of things, but the medium is one of pure entertainment. A must read if you dare to care about our planet.
www.lindaballouauthor.com
Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales