Ray Jardine

Here is a quote from Ray Jardine that really struck me today:

Highway 90 led through a few small towns. Now in the afternoon, the headwinds grew stronger, laying the grasses over and of course slowing our progress further. I remembered something the last bicyclist we had met had said, when she described that first day of wind which had been so strong. She said it was "brutal" and that her whole day had been a battle. Ultimately, she could not reach her destination, so her husband picked her up in his van. That same day we had peddled nearly 90 miles, into the same wind. The difference was in attitude. What you focus on becomes your master, and it can and will defeat you. The past week we have experienced these strong headwinds, but have not battled them, nor tried to change them. We are not here to change anything; we are here to experience. And we are here to learn what nature has to teach us, and what the journey has to teach us. This difference in attitude is like night and day. When I mention the wind, I am making an observation, not a judgment. Most people tend to judge everything when they go into nature. Judging means comparing it to what they think it should be. And when you do that, you give it your strength and your power. We punch through this wind because we do not give it our strength. For us it is not brutal because we are not in battle.

This is from a 2004 bicycle trip he and his wife made across America. This couple have done so many amazing things I won't bother trying to even list them here. Probably the best thing he did for me, personally, was to get me thinking about traveling as light as possible in the mountains, indeed everywhere. Here is the link to his story about the bike ride.

The Sound of Music

I grew up watching this movie, it was a favorite of my mom's. To this day, if you catch me whistling, it'll be a song from the musical. Okay, in my darker moods it'll be "The Imperial March Theme" from The Empire Strikes Back, but otherwise it'll be something from the Sound of Music.

Kris and I were puzzled at how few Germans know this musical, and of that set how few like it (we found no one). Usually people make a funny face and object using the word "kitsch." "But it's a good movie," I'll protest to no avail.

I stumbled across this article about a showing of the musical in Vienna. The story took place at a painful time in Austrian history, and folks there found it easier to forget that many Austrians were happy about the Anschluss with Nazi Germany. But now time has passed and maybe people in Austria can see why the rest of the world loves the story so much (including the Lederhosen and other kitschy elements).

The Sound Of Music is one of the world's favourite musicals, but it has hardly ever been seen in Austria because a lot of it takes place during a very painful time in the country's history when it was annexed to Hitler's Germany. But now a new stage version is playing to packed houses in Vienna.

Read the full article here.

Another article illuminates the painful choice the family made to leave Austria:

When the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938, the von Trapps realized that they were on thin ice with a regime they abhorred. Georg not only refused to fly the Nazi flag on their house, but he also declined a naval command and a request to sing at Hitler's birthday party. They were also becoming aware of the Nazis' anti-religious propaganda and policies, the pervasive fear that those around them could be acting as spies for the Nazis, and the brainwashing of children against their parents. They weighed staying in Austria and taking advantage of the enticements the Nazis were offering—greater fame as a singing group, a medical doctor's position for Rupert, and a renewed naval career for Georg—against leaving behind everything they knew—their friends, family, estate, and all their possessions. They decided that they could not compromise their principles and left.

Climbing "tribes"

Somehow I missed this funny article a few years ago in the NYT. The author, Will Gadd, is a really amazing ice and mixed ice/rock climber. Here is a segment on "my tribe:"

The Trad tribe (short for traditional climber) believes that the bolts common to sport climbing are sacrilegious. A common trad bumper sticker reads, "Sport climbing is NEITHER!" Trad climbers use only removable or "clean" safety equipment. Beards, wool, third-hand clothing and Volkswagen vans are still common among the most holy of the Trads, but these climbers are not to be confused with mere hippies, although the priests of Trad climbing use the term "climbing bum" as an honorific. The Trads are the most evangelical and fundamentalist with their beliefs, which are well-documented in frequent ranting letters to the editors of the climbing magazines.

Check out the whole article here.

Neko Case

I'm really liking "Middle Cyclone," the new album by Neko Case. I think my sister in Oklahoma would really like it. Here is a review from the New Yorker. Also the song Challengers from the New Pornographers is great, she sings on that. Finally, for all things Neko Case you should also check out this music sampler from the New York Times, and the fascinating article that goes with it. I hope she'll tour to Munich sometime. Oohh, a double feature with Neko Case and the Handsome Family would be an amazing show!