My last post was 13-weeks ago, the day I left Victoria to cross the Rockies to sit and serve for 9- weeks at the Alberta Vipassana Meditation Centre.

Seeking a quiet place to contemplate what’s next in my life. This is my 70th year upright on the planet and still in relative good health with a genetic legacy of 90+ years of longevity on both sides of my gene pool. What do I want to do with the last 20 years…Finish Well. Declining eyesight and balance restrict only my driving at night and fly fishing. I avoid driving at night and that affects only a few favourite cultural activities, mostly theatre. I see more matinées in my future.

One would think that a monastic life would lead to fewer distractions and difficult engagements with others, but they would be wrong. As Brother Augustine used to say, “a monastery is filled with highly individualist, strong-willed people trying to live in community, no different than the village down the road. Every problem that exists in the world exist in the cloister.

I did not expect so much drama but learned my response was just as triggering as another’s bad behaviour. I went there to practice and was given the perfect scenario. I learned more by my failure than I would have in the calm atmosphere I expected. But that is life, our expectations are often designed to allow us to affirm our constraining beliefs rather than challenge us to a better understanding. I did not get what I wanted but what I needed. Three new dear friends helped me walk the path with greater clarity. I am grateful for their wisdom and friendship.

I left knowing what I need to do and headed east, then a 10-day stop in Portage la Prairie helped me accept when I needed to do and after a call with a dear friend in Nova Scotia I knew I had to delay no longer. I turned around and headed back to BC to execute what was no longer a theory and needed to be acted upon. Large changes in life are often not easy but inevitable.

I missed the conversations with those few dearest friends that strangers along the way can never replace. I missed the familiarity of a place long lived and new excitements and grand vistas shrink by comparison. Trust comes hard for those where trauma ran deep and takes too long to establish when compared to where it already exists. Nova Scotia is the only place I have ever called home and its few flaws (mostly weather) are minor in comparison to its advantages. So I am heading back to Nova Scotia to re-establish my residency and settle down from my life of wandering to listen more, talk less, observe deeper those few cherished moments and chase less shallow connections that prove disappointing in hindsight.

Few things in life are really necessary.

1. Sleep

2. Movement

3. Fresh air

4. Sunshine

5. Pure water

6. Whole food

7. Cleanliness

If I have these seven daily the rest that life offers is optional. Remove one of these and the rest of life starts to fall apart. My Practice is simple, be aware of the impermanence of life. Observe the world’s distractions with calm balance and be a good person. Easily said, but surprisingly difficult to consistently practice.

Yet easier to practice among those who know you and still love you, flaws and all. Wisdom comes late in life and not by study but time and experience. More often than not wisdom is a synonym for experience which takes time to acquire.

I have learned to enjoy my solitude which I knew would be valuable the older I got.

The older you get the more time you spend alone.

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Along the Trans-Canada Highway

Over the last 20 plus years I have criss-crossed Canada more times than I can count. There are Four main highway routes across Canada. I call them the Border route just above the US Border, The Lower route (TC1), the Middle route (Jasper to Calgary) and the Upper route (Jasper to Edmonton) both of which drop down to the Lower route under Lake Winnipeg. Everything else is a backroads and often gravel the further north you go. In the Plains the “Town roads” run east-west and the “Range Roads” run north-south. at 90 degrees with few diagonal roads, making travel slow and interrupted. Crossing the Rockies at Jasper is magnificent with grand mountains, but I also enjoy the crossing the Rockies lower through Nelson and Fernie just as much with its grand vistas as in the first photo above ad the post photo at the top.

Airstream Courtesy Parking

Airstream owners often offer free parking for fellow travellers and Dirk in Maine is no exception. He is also a member of Harvest Host and Boondocks International. And a five star host on all three platforms. Thanks Dirk.

What I am Reading and Watching…

• Leonard, Elmore (xxxx) Riding the Rap - first of the Zealand Givens novels.

• Leonard, Elmore (xxxx) Fire in the Hole* -collection stories adding to the Raylan Givens series of novels. Adapted into Justified TV series - 4

• Leonard, Elmore (xxxx) Cuba Libre - 4

• Leonard, Elmore (xxxx) Raylan - 4

• Burke, James Lee (2026 Hadacol Boogie - latest Robicheaux novel. - 4

• Burke, James Lee (2023) - Flags on the Bayou set in 1863 the novel describes the tragic violence of both sides during the civil war.

• Crews, Harry (xxxx) A Childhood: the Biography of a Place - this was my favourite English professor’s favourite author. He liked Crew’s gritty characters, descriptions, and Southern gothic atmosphere. -4

• McCarthy, Cormac (1994) The Crossing - Chapter 2 - the story within the story of the Heretic is an essay in in the philosophy of religion and the concept of being witness of god - 5

• Bolano, Roberto (2008) 2666 - 4

• Padua, Leonardo (xxxx-xxxx) Havana Quartet - Havana Blue, Havana Gold, Havana Red, Havana Black - 5

• Rudd, Richard (2022) Art of Contemplation - 5

• Batchelor, S, (2000) Verses From The Center - 5

• Parr, AJ, (2018) Eckhardt Tolle: His Life and Quest For The Power Of Now - Unauthorised biography - 4

• Wolfe, V., (xxxx) Mrs. Dalloway for book club - 4

• Tolle, Eckhart, (1999) The Power of Now - rereading a classic - 5

• Project Hail Mary (2026) - great Sci-fi novel - Visually stunning adaptation. - 4

• Crimson Rivers (2000) - French thriller with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel - 4

• Battle of Algiers (1966) - 4

• The Duel - (2016) - 4

• Litvineko (2022) Russian dissident and British citizen poisoned in London by Putin/FSB agents in 2006 with Polonium 210, the deadliest radioactive material on earth only manufactured in Russia. - 4

• Monsters: Dark Continent (2025) - boys learn war is not a video game. - 3

• White Sands (1992) - 4

• Hemingway: a Ken Burns Film (3 part series) - 4

• A Farewelll to Arms - 3

• Trumbo (2008) - 5

• Trumbo (2015) - 5

• Fargo (season 1 of 4) 2014 - 4

• Truce - adapted from Primo Levi’s memoir of his return home to Turin from Auschwitz. Starring John Turturro - 4

• Hannah Arendt: Against Tyranny (xxxx) - on Kanoply the Public Library Fillm app. - 5

• John Wick (series 1-5) - 4

• Midwinter Break - a vow made after a Belfast shooting comes back to haunt an elderly couple on vacation in Amsterdam. - 4

• A Dry White Season - about Apartheid in South Africa starring Donald Sutherland and Marlon Brando - 5

• 12 Angry Men - still one of the greatest films of all time - 5

• The Settlers (2023) die: Gálvez - Chile 1901 removing the indigenous population from a majestic landscape. - 4

• First Reformed (2017) - a priest struggles with his own loss of faith amidst all the other crisis in his life. - 4

• First Man (2918) - Neil Armstrong bio pic - 4

• Revenant (2015) - guide for fur traders left for dead after being mauled by a bear returns to seek vengeance on those who killed his boys and left him to die - 5

• Four Season in Havana - novels by Leonard Paducah. Each episode is a visual feast of shunning cinematography and lyrical masterpiece of detective fiction. I have watched this series several times and enjoy it more each time. The main character and supporting cast are engaging and fully formed. A Cuban James Lee Burke or with better adaptations. The scenes of Havana are stunning think Night Train to Lisbon or Ripley. - 5

• Unfinished Sky (2025) - award winning Australian film about transformation, connection, and recovery. - 4

• 2073 - fearful possibility. - 4

• The Power of Chi (2025) - 4

• Mindcage - 1

• Jack Ryan: Ghost War - 4

• The Hours - 5

• Jurassic World Rebirth - 3

• Hamnet - 5

• Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene - 5

• Da (xxxx) - 5

• Hipnotic (2023) - 3

• Life of Chuck (2025) - 4

• Relay (2025) - 4

• Byron (2003) - 3

• Nuremberg (2025) - 5

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

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No Posts for the Next 9-Weeks

I will be on a silent retreat from March 15 through May 18 in Youngstown, AB and will have little or no access to communication or the internet. There will be no posts or replies to any communication during that time.

I am in need of stillness, mentally and physically and believe in the importance of retreating from society at times to sit still with oneself. Throughout my life I have sequestered away at times to nature, a monastery, retreat centre, or cabin in the woods to just sit and be silent and still.

I do not recall when I first read Pascal’s quote below, but as a young boy I immediately headed out to the woods and sat beside a tree for an afternoon.

Over the next several years I sought out opportunities to hike a trail or camp in the mountains, or just sit in a quiet room. Later during my working years I took a week twice each year to sit with the monks at a nearby monastery. For fifteen years I retreated to Seaside, FL from the day after Thanksgiving to the day after New Years, and rented a cottage by the beach.

These times of quiet have always been transformative, and I return anew with a deeper stillness within and greater joy. I learned to love the desert for its stark stillness and though I love sitting upon a rock beside a mountain stream, nothing compares to the quiet of four walls, when the only sound is the beat of your heart in your temples.

Thank you all for your interest, comments, and encouragement over the past several years. Be well. Big hug. Until May, Lloyd

Next post (every other Sunday)

I just returned to Victoria, BC after six months of travel across the USA and am in need of a long stillness. I have decided to post every other Sunday going forward on the even weeks of the year. The following are some photographic highlights from my six-month travel in the States.

Locations in order of images: Airstream International Rally in Pennsylvania, Flyfishing in Vermont, Niagara Falls, Louisville, St Louis, Port Townsend, Quartzsite, Lake Havasu, and Yosemite National Park

Most of my travel and planning circled around being some place new every other Monday. Travel days were normally on Sundays. I read Oliver Burkeman excellent book Four Thousand Weeks (CAD / US) in 2021, and began to think, plan, and play on a bi-weekly basis. I was remind of this schedule early this week by Devine, a dear friend in Victoria. Though I live one day at a time, that day resides within the context of a larger week, like a sentence rests inside a longer paragraph. Thinking this way gave greater meaning to each day and more space to build context over the week(s). When I stayed longer in an area I was not rushed to do everything in a few days and enjoyed each day more.

One of the things I missed in the past several years is a regular silent meditation retreat and I hope to do several this year. Starting March 15th I will drive straight through to Youngstown, AB and will be in silent retreat for the next 10-weeks at the Alberta Meditation Centre. I will be mostly out of communication in all forms. A digital sabbatical. So there will be few if any updates until after my silent retreat. Then I will work my way east and be back in Nova Scotia for August to visit with dear friends from that coast.

What I Did

• Updated RoamingForLife and pinned the photo essay on my Five Favourite Photos of 2025 to the top of the page. I have also posted the photos from Yosemite National Park which is my favourite US National Park.

• Enjoyed walking around the Victorian Seaports of Port Townsend, WA and Victoria, BC.

• Connected with dear friends here in Victoria over meals and coffee conversations.

• Decluttered the truck and Airstream and removed anything I did not use over the past year. Removed from storage and added to the trailer a few of my all-time favourite books that I want to have with me on the road.

What I am Reading and Watching

• Conrad, Joseph (1899) Heart of Darkness - 5

• Penny Dreadful (seasons 1-2) - 5

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every other Sunday)

Port Townsend is the home of the Wooden Boat Festival and what drew me to this small sea port town many years ago. I returned later to the Trawler Fest when I first considered moving onto a boat. I have returned here over the years to enjoy the pastries from Pane d’Amore Artisan Bakery in Uptown and the bookshops Down Town on Water Street.

lt was overcast day I arrived and the sun kept peeping out around the clouds.

The hillside divides the town into the Down Town infamous Victorian business district by the water and the Up Town residential district that flourished from the profits.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Faulkner, William (1929) Absalom, Absalom - despite its period and regional racism, Faulkner captures a time with perfect clarity and authenticity. The writing is a feast of long lyrical sentences. - 4

• Macleod, Alistair (2001) Island - my favourite collection of short stories set in the Maritimes. He is the master of creating a realistic atmosphere that the story lives within. - 5

• In the Heart of the Sea (2015) - 4

• Cider House Rules (1999) - 5

• Calvery (2014) - 4

• Batman Begins (2005) - 5

• The Dark Knight (2008) - 5

• The Dark Knight Rises - (2012) - 5

• The Complete Unknown (2025) - 5

• Fall Guy - 3

• Lord of War - 2

• The Tomorrow War (2021) - 3

• Transformers: The Last Knight 2017 - 3

• The Bluff (2026) - 4

• Moby Dick (2010) - (series) William Hurt / Ethan Hawk

• I, Frankenstein (2014) - 4

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

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Despite the recent fires that have left most of the underbrush charred and the trees standing like matchsticks, the magnificence of Yosemite is its grand mountains and waterfalls.

The tunnel view of Yosemite Valley is still one of the most overwhelming visual experiences anywhere, think standing on the rim of Grand Canyon or first view of the Rocky Mountain National Park from the road to Estes Park.

The Valley around Three Brothers was severely burned. But the view was still stunning.

Sunrise over the Merced River is always a joy. It has been many years since I last stood by these waters. Few rivers have as stunning a landscape.

The fields are just begining to rise from their winter hibernation. Most look like harvested fields after a morning frost.

Half Dome is the result of the glacier that carved out Yosemite Valley grinding the valley-side face off the mountain.

John Muir stood in. this valley when he first arrived and ran the saw mill for a lumber company. Later he was instrumental in preserving this beautiful valley.

Ansel Adams and Yosemite are nearly synonymous. He visited here every year after his first visit, married a local photographer’s daughter and photographed some of the most iconic black & white landscapes of all time.

This is a National Park for everyone. The valley offers flat paths along the Merced River and the mountains are filled with hiking trails and climbing runs of the more adventurous.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Life (2007) 2 seasons - Detective falsely convicted is released after 12 yrs in prison and returns to being a cop and searches for who set him up. - 4

• Genius (2016) - rewatched this excellent bio pic on editor Max Perkins and novelist Thomas Wolfe. - 5

• Tempest (2010) - saw this performance live at the Stratford Festival while they were filming the play. - 4

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

One of the many benefits of being an Escapees member is the access to the Escapee (SKP) Parks that are scattered around the States. These are large, well maintained communities of Escapees RVers, living together on leased or purchased lots with Boondocking and/or transient parking.

Jojoba Hills sets in the Southern California hill country south of LA. Has a large pool, library, community hall, wood / metal shop, many events and activities throughout the month. I have stayed here twice before on trips north and enjoyed myself both times. I will return again in the future.

Back in the mountains next week. Yosemite National Park.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Burke, James Lee (2026) Clete - 4

• Death in Holy Orders (2003) - adaptation of PD James detective mystery. - 4

• Play Dirty (2025) - Shane Black’s latest comedy thriller. - 3

• Playdate (2025) - Reacher’s Alan Ritchson in a comedy action movie. - 1

• Civil War (2024) - 3rd viewing. In the near future photojournalist travel across a war-torn USA during a civil war. Do not miss this realistic story. Outstanding. - 5

• Gladiator II (2024) - rewatched this compelling sequel - 5

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

This is my last week in the Arizona desert. Monday I head west toward the California coast and will head north during February to catch the Coho Ferry to Victoria, BC on March 1st.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Pizzolatto, Nick (2018) Galveston - novel by the writer of *True Detective* - 4

• Burke, James Lee (2020) A Private Cathedral - 4

• Eldric, Rowan (2025) Dokkōdō | The Art of Walking Alone: A Deep and Practical Exploration of Miyamoto Musashi’s 21 Samurai Teachings to Navigate Solitude, Discipline, ... the Modern World with Strength and Clarity - 5

• Tengelt, Selwyn (2025) Dokodo: Reflections From A Journeys End - 5

• Galveston (2018) - Adaptation of Pizzolatto‘s novel. - 3

• Seven Dials (2026) - Agatha Christie mystery in three part series - 4

• ANON (2018) - technology thriller - 5

• East of the Mountains (2021) -outstanding - 4

• Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - classic - 5

• William Faulkner’s Old Man (1997) - movie adaptation from Faulker’s short story. - 4

• Andromeda Strain (1971) - an old classic - 4

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

The photo above has all four in a perfect balance. We are drawn into the photo by the light in the upper left corner, then cross the sky, curving down and to the left through the water, then back to the right and up over the logs. The light softens in intensity as the eye moves over the photograph. The shadows contrast with the light in the belly of the clouds above the horizon, on the rocks at waters edge, and between the logs. The structure of the composition carries the eye across the clouds and diagonally down to the shore where the rocks of the jutting shoreline direct the eye back across the water to the reflected sunset that pulls the eye down to rocks and logs in the lower left corner. And the logs guide the eye across and up to the sky again. The story of the earlier storm, that tossed the logs violently upon the shore, is contrasted with the calm of the water at sunset. What was once violent is subdued.

This minimalist image is full of shadow, and makes the light of greater value. The diagonal structure focuses the eye like a funnel to the details of line. Did the light call the music or the music call the light?

Grand vistas change at different heights. If this had been taken from the valley floor the mountains would have greater majesty and the observer would feel more humility. If it had been taken from a higher peak the world would be grand in scope yet feel diminished to the observer in majesty. The viewer would seem more god-like. Here at mid-height we have more of the later and less of the former. An individual walking down alongside the river would look like an insect. Without a human comparison, the trees are more like sprigs of grass. I prefer the humbled viewing from the valley where the trees and mountains are majestic and I feel more a part of nature, rather than superior to it.

Above the heavy canopy has muted the light and dulled the shadows. This makes the path more inviting and feels less like a walk in the dark woods. Paths have their own structure and story. Trodden over decades or generations they invite us to wander over their well-worn twists and turns.

Almost all my photography boils down to a “Decisive Moment,” as Henri Cartier Bresson would say. What I have come to call the “Everyday Sublime.” Though I do not normally photograph wildlife, this monochrome butterfly captivated me and was a patient model. I prefer the slower pace of Landscape and Architectural photography to the fast shutters and reflexes needed for Wildlife or Street Photography. My wandering nature also is better suited to walking through a landscape or cityscape rather than sitting in a blind or stalking pedestrians.

I hope you have enjoyed these musing.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Burke, James Lee (2019) New Iberia Blues - 4

• Blue Eye Samurai (2023) - 4

• Mercy for None (2025) - 2

• Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - 5

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

Rocks For Sale

Quartzsite host an infamous Rock, Gem, and Mineral Show

Vendor tents exist everywhere in and around town.

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Moving to Plomosa Road

This week I moved form La Posa South LTVA (Long Term Visitor Area) to the BLM land north of town where all the RV rallies occur. I am meeting with the Escapees Solos this week.

Rubber Tramp Rendezvous

If you saw the movie Nomadland, this is Bob Well’s event and it grows larger every year.

Sheath Making

Handles and More Blades

Big Tent RV Show

The RV show draws a million visitors. The entire south side of the highway is covered in new RV’s to sell.

What I am Reading and Watching…

• Night Manager (season 2) - Jonathan Pine on a mission in Columbia. - 4

• The Tank (2026) - Eastern Front, 1943, a German tank crew on a special mission behind enemy lines. - 4

• Alto Knights (2025) - Two 1950’s New York crime bosses are friends and rivals.

• Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012) - 4

• Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014) -

• Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014) -

• Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final (2021) -

• Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning (2021) -

• The Rip (2026) Damon & Affleck in new thriller.

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

Grinding, Filing, and Sanding

The first stage of sanding will take the blade from 320 to 2500 grit before hardening.

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Hardening and Tempering

Below is a one minute of my blade being hardened in the forge.

I want to thank Tim Brandenburger, my instructor and Master Knife Maker for his clear instruction and excellent examples of finished knives. He guided us through every step and was patient with my endless questions. Thank you, Tim. I also want to thank The Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem and Mineral Club for the excellent facility and equipment that made the classroom experience outstanding.

Polishing

Handle Making

Below is a teaser for next weeks post about Leather Sheath Making

Second and Third Knifes

The Practice of Craft

Knife-Making is one of those activities like photography, flyfishing, and my earlier sculpting that possesses my full engagement and concentration. Time flies bye in pure pleasure as my eyes and hands indulge in the craft. The slower I move the better the results and the more it becomes a practice.

What I am Reading and Watching…

• Musashi, Miyamoto (1988) Book of Five Rings - 5

• Journey’s End (2018) - WWI haunting trench drama through the eyes of a young officer. - 4

• 3 Body Problem (season 1) - rewatched because season 2 is expected in 2026. - 5

• Polar (2016) - When you try to kill the wrong retired assassin. - 4

• The Accountant 2 (2025) - as good, if not better than the first. - 4

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

For several years this was my favourite place to wander day or night. The boats and friends in the marina and the spectacle of lights in the evening.

The coast line is constantly changing as the storms deposit something new every day.

I started the year parked at the Salish Seaside RV Resort at the mouth of the Harbour and this was my view every night.

I prefer the spectacle of light more than the spectacle of colour.

Of all the great architecture found in Victoria this is the most iconic and for my first years in Victoria was the first thing I saw each morning.

Despite the violence of storms they create a beauty all their own.

One of my favourite bookstores. Booksellers are always great conversationalist and Alex is no exception.

Parks and gardens do not have to be large. I often find the small ones more intimate and interesting.

Taken from the corner by the Union Club this is Victoria.

Paths that lead to someplace hidden have always attracted my attention and my feet follow.

Stone buildings capture the texture of light like nothing else.

Where are the beachcombers of old?

Architecture makes me look up, we spend too much time looking down.

Who can resist a small bridge, I can’t.

Grand design, many voices, and silence.

I look for the Everyday Sublime. It often is found in simplicity.

The organ music was only enhanced by the light.

Craftsmanship is everywhere, just look.

Nothing needs to be said.

I love bicycles, the single most efficient means of transportation and simplicity incarnate.

Surfing must be man’s greatest expression of freedom.

A walk along the beach reveals something new every day.

I can imagine the hand that collected these, then left them behind.

Something about a winding path in the woods, calls me forth.

A little tug with a big job.

Scenes like this make the west attractive to me. Every direction is majestic.

The spring run off has a roar of power that few things can divert.

Blue skies are lovely when walking and looking down, but clouds make the landscape dance.

I prefer the valleys over the peaks. I am humbled by mountains when looking up from the valley and walk gentler upon the earth in their presence. Looking down from skyscrapers in cities I feel more important and view the objects moving beneath me as mere insects. I need to look up to the mountains and avoid looking down in the cities.

Occasionally architecture brings a whimsical smile to my face, that’s when I pause.

At other times I am struck silent by the thunder of raw power or grandeur.

Than a sublime simplicity captures my attention and beauty appears.

Life is short and death is certain, what will I do today? Thank you all. Big hug.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Burke, James Lee (2012) Creole Belle - 4

• Rebel With a Cause (1955) - James Dean’s second movie - 3

• West Wing (season 7) - 5

• Wake Up Dead Men: A Knives Out Mystery - quirky mystery, liked the first one better. - 1

• Jay Kelly - George Clooney as an actor trying to find himself. Goofy comedy with a good message. - 2

• Red Joan (2019) - British granny spy from the 40’s - 4

• East of Eden (1955) - James Dean’s first movie - 3

• The Pledge (2001) - staring Jack Nicholson - 3

• Knight of Cups (2015) Terrence Malick’s adaptation of Pilgrim’s Progress. - 2

• Traitors (2019) - following WWII Americans place a female spy into the British government. - 4

• Good Omens (season 2) - 4

• Onimusha - Musashi Miyamoto animated series. - 4

• Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) - trilogy adapted from novel, Musashi, about the life of Musashi directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (1905 ‑ 1980) and starring Toshirô Mifune (1920 ‑ 1997) - 4

• Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Tempke (1955) - 4

• Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956) - 4

• Meet Joe Black - a lovely parable - 5

• Brothers in Arms - documentary about making of Platoon - 4

• Midnight Diner - a small restaurant opens at midnight and the scared chef prepares a special dish for each guest. No one knows the chef’s story, his customers bring theirs. One of my all time favourite movies. Midnight Diner, original series 3 seasons 2014, Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, sequel series 2 seasons 2019, All three are outstanding and worthy of bing-watching. (Subtitles). - 5

Key: 5 loved it, 4 liked it, 3 ok, 2 didn’t like it, 1 waste of time

Next post (every Sunday)

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No photo essay this week. I spent most of my time at the machine shop prepping a new knife to be heat treated. I was not wandering in the desert landscape. More photos next week.

The end of the year is around the corner. I use the last few weeks of each year to review the past. I look for alternative paths in the present to navigate the uncertainty of the future. Besides using tools from Intelligent Change, I often look to a few old friends.

Oracles and the Future

I have never believed it was possible to predict the future. The infinite uncertainty built into the web of life makes foretelling an impossibility. But I do believe in the power of imagination, when triggered by our senses. Something we hear, see, taste, touch, or smell can spark our imagination;. And change the way we think and behave.

Yi Jing ( I Ching)

An Uncertainty Engine

I bought my first copy of the I Ching in the early 1970’s. It held great wisdom that triggered my imagination. I often consult it by counting willow sticks as done for several millennia in China. Not to divine the future, but to give me alternatives for the present. Will Buckingham, a British philosopher, wrote an excellent article about the I Ching. He said it is more like an uncertainty machine, helping us to imagine different paths. Link to article by Will Buckingham.

The I Ching is my favourite tool for alternatives. They may not have occurred to me without consulting its hexagrams. Other oracles are of value for different reasons.

Tarot

Marseille Tarot (Dodal & Noblet)

The Tarot it visual where the I Ching is verbal. Some of us are more influenced by images and at times I prefer this method. The Tarot is archetypal in nature. Many creative writers looked to the Tarot for inspiration. Some imagined new scenes or characters in novels or plays. Others discovered a differnt path.

Tarot is a divination tool for most, yet its roots lie in the guilds of the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Enrique Enriquez turned the Tarot world in the West upside down when he arrived in New York years ago.

A documentary about him explains the origin, history, and practice of Tarot. See Tarology Moviehere. He also wrote Tarology. Book link: Amazom.com / Amazon.ca here, I prefer the movie as the better introduction.

Wild Unknown Tarot

Kim Krans’ Wild Unknown is a modern Tarot. It does an excellent job helping one see alternative responses to the triggers in our lives.

Murder of Crows Tarot

Corrado Roi’s Murder of Crows Tarot is also a favourite. The illustration help me better understand the Jungian Shadow side of my experiences.

Each of these tools helps to trigger a memory, an experience, or an idea long forgotten. At this moment that remembrance may change the a thought or behaviour. And that can change your future.

I hope you have had an excellent 2025. I wish you are well today and celebrating the Everyday Sublime of your daily life. May 2026 be your Best Year Ever. Thank you.

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Next post: Every Sunday

Day One

Friday I started the Knife Making Class at the Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem and Mineral Club. Six students meet 3 ½ hours each day for twelve days with Tim Brandenburger, Master Knife Maker, at the club’s machine shop.

Friday I started a 12-day knife making class at the Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem and Mineral Club. We were each given a steel blank and could design any style knife we desired that fit on the 9” blank. I drew a small Bowie skinning knife, because it will make a nice camp knife.

The cutting and belt sanding were much faster than I expected. The swedge on the top of the blade will be removed after the shallow V bevel is shaped.

A small round file added the notch that defines the end of the sharpened edge.

Three star rivets will attach the Ironwood handle sides to the blade.

The additional glue holes will allow the epoxy to penetrate from one side to the other and better secure the handle sides.

The bevel machine was broken and I will have to do the long, hard work of flat filing to bevel both sides.

Bevelling is a difficult step and requires full concentration of avoid any slips that will scratch the unsharpened portion of the blade.

Three and a half hours passed in a moment. The focused concentration was exhausting and I took a long nap after lunch. I am excited to return Monday for Day Two.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Clarke, Suzanna (2024) A Wood At Midwinter - short story from the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

• West Wing (season 6) - Aaron Sorkin writing at his best.

• City of Shadows - Detective series set in Barcelona.

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Joseph Fremont Coné (1892-October18, 1971) was an artist and worker of ironwood. He was well-known in the area for being a lover of nature. Both buildings were built in the late 1800’s (credit: Wikimapia)

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Keegan, Claire (2010) Foster - a long, short story by one of Ireland’s best writers.

• Endurance (season 9) - final season for prequel to Inspector Morse.

• Inspector Morse (season 8) - final season of my second favourite detective mystery series Colin Dexter was a wonderful author. Sherlock Holmes always holds first place.

• The Quiet Girl (2022) - adaptation of Keegan’s ***Foster***.

• Troll - Swedish fairy tale was real and threatens Oslo.

• Troll 2 - outside the box communication helps to solve a failure in negotiation.

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Sky Full of Clouds

Campsite Video at La Posa South LTVA

Click on image for look around my campsite for the next month here at La Posa South - Quartzsite.

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Seren8y Cooks & Desert Denizens Deliver

Seren8y cooks in an outdoor kitchen and a group of her friends here in Quartzsite, the Desert Denizens, prepare a weekly meal for travellers who have no transportation or limited access to services.

Thanksgiving Day they prepared a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimming and delivered them to twenty-five individuals who would not have had Thanksgiving otherwise.

For more information about this work and the opportunity to support them:

C. ‘Seren8y’ Van Ventures Substack

Thinking Globally - Acting Locally: Fleeing the Cities Towns That Have Criminalized Sleeping in Vehicles

My partner, KrisP and I are reaching out and filling needs of other homeless nomads here in Quartzsite, AZ. First there was the man whose shelter and belongings needed rebar stakes to keep them from …

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10 months ago · 7 likes · 3 comments · C. 'Seren8y'

Drums Manifest Truth’s Thanksgiving Potluck Drum Circle

The Drums Manifest Truth band hosts a weekly Friday night drum circle and for Thanksgiving they hosted a Potluck. I brought Honey Cornbread and a pot of Sautéed Mushroom Rice.

Sixty-plus people showed up for the Thanksgiving Potluck and Drum Circle.

One Last Photo of Clouds

One never tires of magical clouds…

What I am Reading and Watching…

• George, Harry (2025) All the Quick Light: Poems

• This is Going to Hurt (2022)

• Neil Gaiman: Dream Dangerously (2016)

• Endeavour (seasons 7-8)

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Arrived in Quartzsite after a two and a half hour drive from Casa Grande. I will winter here. More to come.

I enjoyed my time in Casa Grande with fellow Escapees Club members.

The desert has a stark beauty and an eerie silence.

The sunsets are stunning,

The starkness is off-putting for some, yet I find the sparse scenery only highlights its miniature scenes.

The big sky offers a lot of canvass for cloudscapes.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Gardiner, J.E., (2014) Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven

• Faulkner, William (1929) The Sound and The Fury

• The City & The City - adaptation of China Miéville novel that blends a murder mystery with weird fiction.

• Absentia (season 1-3) - Great female lead FBI agent, rest ok.

• Fodor and the Talking Mongoose - wild adventure on the Isle of Man

• Pluribus (Episode 1-4) -

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An abbreviated photo essay this week. I split the week between my last few days in Benson, AZ at the Escapees Park celebrating Veterans Day with some wonderful veterans and few days in Tucson with a dear friend just out of the hospital and his wife.

The Escapees Park hosted a Veterans Luncheon on Veterans Day. I detest war, but respect the soldiers who went and fought for a cause they felt necessary. Many vets I have spoke with over the years felt they were lied to and have mixed feelings about their tour of duty. For some the band of brothers they fought beside are some of their closest relationships.

These men and women deserve our respect for their courage and commitment in the face of danger. Despite the intentions and motives of governments, corporations, and leaders who instigate and start wars, it’s those brave men and women on battlefields, who left their homes and families, that we honour. Thank you for your service.

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Shock and Awe (2018) - Knight Ridder got the story right about the White House’s lies about the Iraq war.

• 84 Charlie Mopic (1989) - camera man with a unit in Vietnam War

• Gettysburg (2011) / a special presentation commemorating the 150th anniversary of the war.

• Gallow Walkers - Zombie Western???

• Ecco - assassin finds retirement difficult

• A Private War - Marie Colvin, war correspondent.

• The Alto Knights - Robert De Niro in a dual role as two different Mafia bosses.

• Father Brown (Season 1 Ep 1-5) - G.K. Chesterton’s classic clergyman-detective series

• Sand Castle - experiences of an Iraq War veteran

• Just Mercy - civil rights attorney working for inmates on Alabama’s Death Row

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Tombstone, AZ

SKP Saguaro Coop of AZ

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What I am Reading and Watching…

• Popova, Maria (2013) Why War: Einstein and Freud’s Little Known Correspondence on Violence, Peace, and Human Nature - https://www.themarginalian.org/2013/05/06/why-war-einstein-freud/

• Burke, James Lee (2008) Swan Peak - another Robicheaux novel.

• Burke, James Lee (2010) The Glass Rainbow - another Robicheaux novel.

• Moonraker (1979)

• Octopussy (1983)

• Never Say Never Again (1983)

• A View to a Kill (1985) 

• Tenet (2020) - trying to stop a global time disaster.

• The Little Things (2021) - noir thriller

• The Living Daylights (1987)

• Licence to Kill (1989) 

• GoldenEye (1995)

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

• The World Is Not Enough (1999)

• Die Another Day (2002) 

• Casino Royale (2006)

• Quantum of Solace (2008)

• Skyfall (2012)

• Spectre (2015)

• No Time to Die (2021) 

Thoughts on the 007 Movies

After watching all 27 of the 007 movies, here are my observations. When I asked people who they thought was the best James Bond, most men said Connery and most women said Craig. I personally thought Brosnan had the best balance of elegance and action. The early films starring Connery and Moore had poor dialogue and the choreography of the fight and action scenes were extremely dated. The Nevin, Lazenby, and Dalton’s films were the worst in my opinion. I preferred the last nine movies for having the best action, dialogue, storyline, and production quality. The cheesy humour of the early movies and John Cleese were improved by the writing of Haggis and Logan, who added real wit and spectacle. It took a long time to watch them all and the later films added an emotional character arc for Bond that never existed in the early films.

007 Movies

(All films listed below chronologically and sorted by actor)

Sean Connery

1. Dr. No (1962)

2. From Russia With Love (1963)

3. Goldfinger (1964)

4. Thunderball (1965)

5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

David Niven

6. Casion Royale (1967)

George Lazenby

7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Sean Connery

8. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Roger Moore

9. Live and Let Die (1973)

10. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

11. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

12. Moonraker (1979)

13. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

14. Octopussy (1983)

Sean Connery

15. Never Say Never Again (1983)

Roger Moore

16. A View to a Kill (1985) 

Timothy Dalton

17. The Living Daylights (1987)

18. Licence to Kill (1989) 

Pierce Brosnan

19. GoldenEye (1995)

20. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

21. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

22. Die Another Day (2002) 

Daniel Craig

23. Casino Royale (2006)

24. Quantum of Solace (2008)

25. Skyfall (2012)

26. Spectre (2015)

27. No Time to Die (2021) 

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Lover’s Leap Trail - Spring Canyon

Just south of Deming is the Spring Canyon Recreation Area, Florida Peak, Reynold’s Rock, and Lover’s Leap Trailhead.

Hiking up the trail I constantly looked for rattlesnakes, since the landscape looked like ideal habitat.

The trail rises inside the canyon just above the wash that descends in the bottom of the canyon.

Native plants and a few song birds fill the valley.

The path is rock strewn and the side rocks require inspection in the shade beneath them.

The landscape is harsh and looks thirsty, yet was surprisingly abundant.

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Relaxing Week in Deming, NM

I have been a member of Escapee RV Club for many years. They have a number of Coop-RV parks that offer a lovely site at a reasonable rate and the opportunity to meet interesting fellow travellers. I spent that week in Deming, NM relaxing in the shade and enjoying the silence and solitude of the desert.

What I am Reading and Watching…

• Cather, Willa (1929) Death Comes For The Archbishop - a peerless prose stylist, a master of the Midwest prairies, and one of the best novels set in New Mexico.

• Johnson, Denis (2011) Train Dreams - novella of the life of a railroad labourer, soon to be a 2025 movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29768334/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk, Netflix https://www.netflix.com/us/title/82020378?s=i&trkid=254567369&vlang=en&trg=cp

• The Old Man (season 2) - great thriller continues

• Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - WWII medic , who was a conscientious objector, dragged 75 men to safety on Okinawa.

• Outside the Wire (2021) - drone pilot and android share a mission.

• 12 Strong - the Horsemen of Afghanistan

• The Forgiven (2021)- affluence at its worse

• The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

• Hurt Locker - rewatched award winning movie about bomb disposal unit

• Geronimo: An American Legend - a sad episode in American history

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Wildlife West Nature Park & Albuquerque

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Carrizozo Lava Field - Valley of Fires

Museum of Space History

White Sands National Park

What I am Reading and Watching…

• Johnson, Denis (2007) Tree of Smoke - young spy in training during Vietnam War thought of himself as the Quiet American, Ugly American, Wise American, Good American, Real American, or F..king American.

• The Diplomat (season 3) - continuation of a great series

• Don’t Say A Word - psychological thriller about a young girl with a secret.

• K-Pax - NYC psychiatric patient claims to be from planet K-Pax.

• Jarhead - Marine snipers in a four days, four hours, and one minute war during Desert Storm.

• Black Crab - last mission in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Sweden.

• Pilgrimage (2017) - 13th century Irish monks escort a sacred relic across a treacherous landscape.

• Amateur (2025) - After his wife, a CIA agent, is kill he trains to eliminate her killers.

• The Lost Bus (2025) - bus driver saves 21 children in a California wildfire.

• Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025) - latest Ethan Hawk impossible mission.

• Bodyguard (2018) series - bodyguard to UK Home Secretary uncovers a conspiracy.

• Hold the Dark (2018) - madness in the Alaskan wilderness.

• The Old Man (2022) - the past never dies.

• A House of Dynamite (2025) - one intercontinental ballistic missile launches to US and all the practice falls apart.

• Spectral (2016) - a new weapon only science can defeat.

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