Day One.
o perfect potatoes and onions prepared delicously over mesquite coals in a cast iron skillet “aromafying” the rio frio campsite
o a brisk refreshing two hour-swim by this arthritic old fish from the dam at Garner State Park at ten that morning
o a thoreau walk … and learning about concerted natural living with elementary youth
o asking all we meet their place of origin? where they went to high school? and their livelihood?
o zipping freely like a tour de france racer on my trek two-wheeler across the handsome hilly homeland landscape
o melting like a beat-up rag doll into the tent cot for a long night’s rest
Day Two.
o this most southern appalachia has to be the earth’s most perfect, lindissima!!, landscape
o the early morning sunlight kisses the leaves of a diversity of sweet gum, maples, hickory, buckeye, dogwood, and more … surrounding our mountain campsite
o let’s hotfoot it to ana ruby falls and pass in surprise those in their youth
o oh if only i’d made (sustainable) ag entomology in tifton, georgia a lifelong livelihood
o to bed, to bed. we MUST get some rest!
o and we’ll immensely enjoy tender flavorful venison cooked over a hickory fire in the morning
Day Three.
o now i’ll mind-travel to the east of saint george island with my beautiful beebopping bets’ for a week’s rest
o we were here about 50 years ago, newly-weds … in our youth
o a powerful tropical storm has ecologically, successionally disrupted the landscape
o but we find an assortment of beautiful molluscs looking like jewels on the white sands … and arthropod horseshoe crabs and echinoderm sand dollars strewn around our campsite
o collecting is our imaginary livelihood
o then dreaming mexican gulf wave-induced perfect, peaceful visions until morning
Day Four.
o warm and tasty pão de queijo (perfeito … better than chipas mato-grossense, i think) for café da manhã in Leme, Rio de Janeiro this morning
o brown beauties—with a sprinkling of gringos, both the elderly … and the youth
o beach athletics and enjoyment is their livelihood
o the atlantic is like sparkling glass this eve … a wondrous mountain-embraced landscape
o tonight we will get no rest
o carnival on the praia copacabana will be our “incrível” campsite
Day Five.
o going to intriguing places, lugares perfectos, like La Paz to learn—even if on el tren do los muertos—is an important part of a sustainable livelihood
o indigenous women with their bowler hats and colorful alpaca blankets laid down on the walkways as a “campsite”
o laid down for making life-giving sales (incluyendo de hojas de coca) … AND for rest
o for these hard-working astute leaders in bolivian ecological community … EARLY … comes the morning
o as with all sustainable cultures, they must knowledgeably, wisely, and prudently care for their up-and-coming youth
o at two miles up … perhaps we didn’t so prudently care for ours?—ages about two, four, and six, but my gosh, what an amazing people! what an amazing culture! what an amazing landscape!
Day Six.
o no, gatorland gainesville is not what it was in our youth
o but it is perfect–with the devil’s millhopper sinkhole, community ecologist archie carr’s paynes prairie, ichetuchnee springs, and our beloved immediate homeplace, lake alice–it continues to be a marvelous landscape
o as a struggling grad student with newborn son, lake alice’s corry village was our “campsite”
o in this period of the cia killing of allende, energy crisis, vietnam, kissinger, watergate, and khmer rouge, …we’d rise hopeful early in the morning
o in this small complex of basically one-room university apartments–we’d had just a bit of rest
o and with a new day we attempted to fortify our hope that we were getting closer to a sustainable livelihood
An Almost Perfect Almost-Week of Days.
o for perfect days we must have–as touched on herein—a sustainable livelihood and quality rest within a suitable nest
o we must experience some morning landscape of wonderous beauty
o we must learn to be learned along with our youth and truly take care of our campsite–for self for sure–but for all individuals of all species who are around and those which will come
pbm 6/10/20
[ 7 S’s / VV->^^ ]
