Blossoms in Nagarkot Nepal

Posted on May 27, 2014 by rfljenksy

The month of May was come, when every lusty heart beginneth to blossom, and to bring forth fruit. ~Thomas Malory

The photos were taken in Nagarkot, Nepal. This is a little village area that supposedly is considered one of the most beautiful places on earth because you can see the Himalayas from almost all of the hotels on a clear day.

The area is at about 7,200 feet and is completely covered by a variety of farms. Sadly for my guests and I we were clouded in during the entire weekend and never actually got to see the Himalayas. We did however see some other beautiful sights and was able to walk through a few local fields and trails.

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We met a very nice Nepali family. We also ran into some other random Nepalis who were super friendly and loved the little instant printer my friend had brought along. He actually ended up leaving it with me so I could continue to take photos of people and leave a photo gift with them.

Ailsa’s Travel theme: Blossom inspired me to take some blooming photos. I hope you enjoyed.

A Tale of Two Cities – Spokane and New York City

Posted on May 26, 2014 by rfljenksy

Ok.. so I love my job. I love my life. I am blessed with it all. However, I’m still a little homesick and sometimes envious of so many of my friends. Maybe it’s Facebook’s fault.. seriously. There is a thing called Facebook envy. This is something that revolves around how our self esteem and even our happiness is negatively affected by spending so much time looking at the perfect lives that our friends and family are projecting on this and other social network sites. Everyone I know seems to be spending their time with family and long time friends. everyone is having a great time and toasting the holidays.

Realistically we all know that we all post only the best portions of our own lives and our best looks on social media. Even knowing this, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for myself on a bad day and wish I was also hanging with my family and friends. (Picture me stomping my foot, pouting or throwing myself on the couch and crying about how everyone in the social media world is spending so much lovely time with their family and close friends.)

The Daily Post’s May 5 prompt “A Tale of Two Cities” made me go back and look at my favorite places in the world and I finally narrowed down the two places I would split my time with if I could only split my time between two places. In fairness it only took me about all of 2 seconds to decide on these 2 places however, it was fun looking back at all of the places I have been.

My first choice is an obvious one. Spokane, Wa because that is where the majority of my family is. Spokane is where I grew up and where I finally returned to raise my kids. Spokane is the place where I always wanted to leave but always love returning to in order to reconnect with friends, family and just the city. I especially love Spokane in the Summer. My city has a beautiful river that runs through it, a giant park in it’s city center that was once a rail station and became the home of the 1974 World’s Fair which ended up transforming the city. (World Fair Spokane, WA) It was the smallest city to host the world’s fair and it was also the first to focus on environmental issues rather than on futuristic themes.

Then:

Now:

Other events Spokane is now Known for:

Bloomsday, Lilac Festival, Art Fest, Hoopfest, Pigout In The Park, Spokane Interstate Fair, First Night Spokane

My own personal visions and memories of Spokane.

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My second city would be New York. I love it so much that I have actually been requesting it adopt me. I love New York for virtually the same reasons I love Spokane. I have a variety of friends and family living there. Every trip I have taken there has been loaded with fun and great memories. New York will always hold a special place in my heart and mind. Even if it doesn’t adopt me. Though I don’t know why it wouldn’t. Maybe there is a law against it. I’m not sure. I do love New York and I love my friends and family who live there. There is always something going on in New York and always someone who is willing to do it with you. Whatever IT is.

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Till they all come home….

Posted on May 24, 2014 by rfljenksy

Whether you support the policies or the politics, conflicts or peaceful resolutions…Please support the people… Hate the game not the player

Happy Memorial Day…

This video was created by Joe Curtain. He is still an active Navy officer… The only link he has is his Twitter page. His Twitter handle is: @FR33SpeechMusic

I spent 20 years and 9 months in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves. I joined when I was 16 years old and went to bootcamp between my junior and senior year in high school.

I spent a year on a ship and visited dozens of foreign ports. I learned how to create and be a part of an extended family that your biological family may never even know about. Like a biological brother or sister, sometimes you hated them and sometimes you loved them but you always supported them. I was trained to have very high work ethics for self and how to expect and obtain the same from others. I grew up to be adaptable, creative and accepting of others and to reach out a helping hand to those life long friends I have made over the years as well as to random strangers on the street. I made friends I may never, ever see again but know that at the drop of a hat if I did see them we could reunite as if no time at all had ever passed between us.

I was trained to give and receive orders. I took entire courses on how to build things and how to immediately tear them down. I practiced the art of self-defense and learned how to shoot a variety of guns, studied crowd control measures and sometimes fought the art of self-control. I had to practice how to never use these skills unless under extreme duress and then I was trained in how to handle extreme duress. Most of the people I have worked with over the past near 21 years have considered themselves peacekeepers and not war mongers. Through all of these times I was fortunate enough to mostly serve with people who could laugh at themselves as often as they laughed at me.

We have all believed in our country and gave up a lot to support it. Most of us would do it again if asked with absolutely no hesitation. We do not expect everyone to agree or believe in our purpose when we leave. However, we do hope that we will be accepted and welcomed home on our return.

“I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”
― John F. Kennedy

There are always two sides to every story. Two opposing thoughts to every situation.

We must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have ‘guardians at the gate.’ – Allen West

“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

“The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country” ― George S. Patton Jr.

“As long as a population can be induced to believe in a supernatural hereafter, it can be oppressed and controlled. People will put up with all sorts of tyranny, poverty, and painful treatment if they’re convinced that they’ll eventually escape to some resort in the sky where lifeguards are superfluous and the pool never closes. Moreover, the faithful are usually willing to risk their skins in whatever military adventure their government may currently be promoting.”

― Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All

“This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of herd life, the military system, which I abhor… This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how passionately I hate them!”

― Albert Einstein

So long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you’ve served us – because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home. – Barack Obama

The basic problems facing the world today are not susceptible to a military solution.– John F. Kennedy

I started to make a study of the art of war and revolution and, whilst abroad, underwent a course in military training. If there was to be guerrilla warfare, I wanted to be able to stand and fight with my people and to share the hazards of war with them. – Nelson Mandela

The U.S. Military is us. There is no truer representation of a country than the people that it sends into the field to fight for it. The people who wear our uniform and carry our rifles into combat are our kids, and our job is to support them, because they’re protecting us. – Tom Clancy

We shall listen, not lecture; learn, not threaten. We will enhance our safety by earning the respect of others and showing respect for them. In short, our foreign policy will rest on the traditional American values of restraint and empathy, not on military might. – Theodore C. Sorensen

Save our Self Esteem – artistic renderings in Nepal

Posted on May 19, 2014 by rfljenksy

Another great Hash in Nepal under my belt. Several photos from this trip and an additional hash really caught my eye and fell right in line with the Daily Post’s weekly theme of work of art. The following are my top picks for the theme. Water and people walking away from me seem to be the most beau-tee-ful thing.

During a recent hash we visited the Changu Narayan Temple area. Aside from ending this particular hash lost and walking through a variety of farms with a raging hail and lightening storm it was one of my favorites. Seriously. Except for the frozen fingers, hail and lightening. Oh and our leader kept saying, “we really aren’t lost.”

These are some of the people we stopped to get directions from and some random men dancing.

An area directly around the temple.

The Changu Narayan Temple is a World Heritage Site and what was great about it is that it is a lesser known and more out of the way temple to visit. This is great because you can actually walk through the area and really look at things without being jostled by crowds of tourists.

Even the small city entrance to the two-tiered pagoda style temple was quite lovely. Steep steps with little shops along the way where you can watch local people gather their water, shop for trinkets or just watch people walk by.

All around the shrine there were lions, elephants and other animals I didn’t recognize guarding the intricately designed structure.

There was a statute inside that shows Vishnu as Narayan, the creator of all life. There are so many beautiful and ornate decorations that I plan on going back to get a better look at the area.

I consider many things in life works of art. My favorite is that of nature and smiles. The following photos fit nicely into this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Work of art. Even the area outside of the temple was quite beautiful. I hope you enjoy the photos. I’ve included some photos from one other hash that really show how beautiful many areas outside of the city here can be.

I love the water but don’t want to be a fish

Posted on May 15, 2014 by rfljenksy

Wild rivers are earth’s renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away, and eventually always winning. — (Richard Bangs & Christian Kallen, River Gods)

The following entries and photos are really from past water fun activities as well as from a trip I took to Catatumbo in Venezuela. As I was looking through other blogger’s entries on Ailsa’s theme.. I couldn’t help but want to revisit my own favorite times on water from Venezuela. The following pictures and videos were from Merida, Barinas and Catatumbo in Venezuela. I really miss those times and I really, really miss Venezuela. I hope you enjoy.

Canyoning in Venezuela – (2 more links you can view) 2nd link , 3rd link – Scared, hot, cold, falling, jumping, sliding, wet. Energy, Exhaustion and Emotion. Rushing water. Drowns thought. High-low-tired-wide awake. Heart racing. No worries only the moment. No thinking only moving. Laughter. Fear. Laughter. Memories.

Rafting in Barinas, Venezuela – Tranquil. Floating. Momentary rush. Popping, Falling, Jumping, Pressing, Screaming, Laughing. Heart racing – muscles burning. Mind high. Jungle around you. Instructions = movement. Movement = rush. No worries. Unity. Teamwork. Co-operation. Happy. Wet. Memories.

(From my post Extreme Simplicity – July 19, 2012)

“Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.”
― Emma Smith

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Lastly, a shout out to my favorite touring company.

Guamanchi Tours – Merida, Los Llanos, Barinas, Los Nevades

To see more posts featuring rivers go to Ailsa’s Travel Theme page.

“I thought how lovely and how strange a river is. A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowing through it is never the same water and is never still. It’s always changing and is always on the move. And over time the river itself changes too. It widens and deepens as it rubs and scours, gnaws and kneads, eats and bores its way through the land. Even the greatest rivers- the Nile and the Ganges, the Yangtze and he Mississippi, the Amazon and the great grey-green greasy Limpopo all set about with fever trees-must have been no more than trickles and flickering streams before they grew into mighty rivers.

Are people like that? I wondered. Am I like that? Always me, like the river itself, always flowing but always different, like the water flowing in the river, sometimes walking steadily along andante, sometimes surging over rapids furioso, sometimes meandering wit hardly any visible movement tranquilo, lento, ppp pianissimo, sometimes gurgling giacoso with pleasure, sometimes sparkling brillante in the sun, sometimes lacrimoso, sometimes appassionato, sometimes misterioso, sometimes pesante, sometimes legato, sometimes staccato, sometimes sospirando, sometimes vivace, and always, I hope, amoroso.

Do I change like a river, widening and deepening, eddying back on myself sometimes, bursting my banks sometimes when there’s too much water, too much life in me, and sometimes dried up from lack of rain? Will the I that is me grow and widen and deepen? Or will I stagnate and become an arid riverbed? Will I allow people to dam me up and confine me to wall so that I flow only where they want? Will I allow them to turn me into a canal to use for they own purposes? Or will I make sure I flow freely, coursing my way through the land and ploughing a valley of my own?”
― Aidan Chambers, This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn