From the Photo Album: Flight 93 Memorial, 2008

Like so many people, I feel a special sense of gratitude toward those passengers and crew on United Flight 93 who somehow mustered the clarity and courage to rally against their attackers on 9/11. Theirs was a defiance both outrageous and admirable, and their leap past shock and denial to a point of unification, strategy, and action was nothing short of astonishing.

High Cross with Various Offerings

These were ordinary people suddenly caught in a horribly extraordinary event; yet, despite their fear, they refused by vote to go down without a fight. In asserting the tiny measure of freedom left to them and enlarging upon it, they not only defended freedom on a larger scale but affirmed life to the hilt.

I'm usually quite cynical when it comes to "heroes," but not in this case. I deeply honor the memory of these people, their courage, and their strength of will and spirit. Long may they roll as vital to this nation's history, respected not only by today's generations but by those to come.

Today the Flight 93 National Memorial is well underway, with Phase 1 of its construction completed. In June of 2008, when I visited the site, the facilities were temporary and much simpler. Nonetheless, I have rarely been so moved by a place.

The Temporary Memorial in June, 2008

It was deeply thought-provoking in many ways, from the sight of a distant American flag marking the crash area to tidy rows of little wooden angels that commemorated the passengers and crew. The photographs I've included here were taken that day, and I share them with the hope that anyone who has not yet visited this important memorial will put it on their list of essential travel destinations. It is definitely on my list of places to revisit in the future.

A Panoramic View Including Sitting Area & Memorial Fence

A Local Volunteer Provides Information on Flight 93 & the Site

Some of the Angels Commemorating the Passengers & Crew - Very Moving

Memorial Fence with Offerings Left by Visitors

St. Frances & Rosaries

Flags with the Cross & Field Beyond

   

"Teach Peace" - Digital Composition by Me with Cross Base & Offerings

I hope these images from the photo album leave you with a sincere prayer for peace in the world and for all of those people whose lives were tragically lost on 9/11. 

Very best wishes from PrettyGonzo - Note (9/11/21): Please excuse the Photobucket watermarking, which somehow popped up on my photos. (Will be fixing soon.)

From the Photo Album: Mono Lake

Have NASA researchers discovered a new, arsenic-based life form in California's Mono Lake? The agency's recent announcement that findings from this desert lake suggest there is more to life than was thought has spurred a host of scientific criticism. Whatever the truth, the fact remains that Mono Lake would be the perfect place to find absolutes and expectations overturned.

Looking westward toward the Sierra Nevada, with tufa and birds in the distance

Just how interesting can a desert lake be? Well, this one is very interesting indeed, and beautiful as well. It's geologically active, with a geothermally active island (Paoha) that arose only 350 years ago, another island (Negit) formed from an intriguing cinder cone, and an active fault line running along its western side near the base of the Sierra Nevada. In certain areas on its shore rise towers of tufa, "lake-sculpted" calcium carbonate, that are wondrously strange and get the imagination rolling. And Mono is 2 to 3 times more saline than the ocean, and 80 times more alkaline.

A magical-looking hot pool with beautiful greenery despite the cold

Mono also supports an intricate and unusual life cycle that includes algae, brine shrimp, brine flies, and birds, and except for various microbes, supports no life other than those. It majestically mirrors the sky from its beauty spot not too far from the Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park and an easy drive from Nevada's White Mountains and its forest of bristlecones pines—among the oldest living things on earth. Closer by are Mono Craters, the youngest mountain chain in North America, and Panum Crater, with its plug of shiny obsidian. An ancient lake, Mono is no younger than 760,000 years old, and seems the genuine caretaker of a lost world.

Looking across the lake at a low-lying cloud trying to deposit rain

I fell in love with Mono Lake in the late '80s, and luckily this special place is currently protected after decades of stream diversions for LA's water supply came close to destroying it. The people who worked to save the lake, known as the Mono Lake Committee, are not just national heroes, but global ones. This lake, one of the oldest in the world, can be counted among the greatest treasures on earth. And although the tufa is pretty, it does belong under water, not above it, and was a sign of the lake's decay due to those diversions. Someday perhaps the lake will reclaim its "bones," but for now they remind us that our resources are truly precious, and that what is ancient can revolutionize our thinking and make us wonder about the constituents of life itself.

Please note: All photos are from the late 1980s.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's wee installment of "From the Photo Album." Good luck with your holiday shopping! Season's greetings from PrettyGonzo!

From the Photo Album: A Buddhist Shrine in Chicago

A few years ago, I visited the Windy City and came upon a small Buddhist temple in Chinatown. I believe it was associated with a Buddhist peace fellowship, although I'm uncertain about that. What I do know is that I wish there were such an island of peace amid the hubbub in my corner of the world. The place was astonishingly beautiful.

The highlight of the shrine is shown below—it's a statue of the Bodhisattva Kuan Yin in a thousand-armed aspect. I was practically speechless when I first saw it. Kuan Yin is beloved for compassion, and this is the face of compassion indeed!

I love how Buddhist offerings tend to include fruit. That seems so right and meaningful, and reminds us how precious the fruits of the spirit are.





My final photo for now shows a statue of Kuan Yin in a more traditional aspect. Very lovely, if not quite as magnificent as the first statue.

I hope you have enjoyed this week's little installment of "From the Photo Album." The holiday rush is upon us, so please be careful out there! Season's Greetings from PrettyGonzo!

From the Photo Album: Tober Nault — An Irish Holy Well

 Thursday is photo day at Greetings from PrettyGonzo. Hope you enjoy!

The photos here were taken at Tober Nault, a holy well in County Sligo, Ireland. I've been to Ireland three times, and have explored many of the rich antiquities of the Irish landscape. Stone circles, ancient dolmens (and court tombs), Celtic high crosses, and passage graves such as Newgrange all rate high on anyone's list of those antiquities. But few people seem to realize that Ireland has many holy wells, and most of these are centuries' old. Holy wells have pre-Christian origins, and, clearly, in Ireland the Christian worship at wells has pagan Celtic roots.

I've visited over fifty holy wells in Ireland, some in disrepair but the majority still in use (at least judging by the offerings at them). Each well had something unique about it, and I was able to observe their use by people on several occasions. Tober Nault is one of the best known wells, has a history that can be dated back to ancient times, and must be one of the most peaceful places on Earth.

 I hope you have enjoyed these photos! Happy Holidays from PrettyGonzo!