California, Here I Am!

Yes, I am in sunny, warm (finally) southern California. But, not without challenges getting here. I'll recap the travels in another post devoted just to the mostly uneventful trip other than my eight day stay in Cherokee Village, Arkansas. But, this is the view from where I am composing this article today.

This is from the small yard, but adequate for my son, Pete's, (and currently, my) needs in the city of Hawthorne, California, one of the cities that makes up what most people call Los Angeles, the "City of Angels." His small house is actually a guest house located behind the small main house that faces the street. It's actually very quiet and secluded back here. I can't see anyone and no one can see me. . . READ MORE

Photo-of-the-Week #163 - Hurricane Sandy Recovery, Seaside Heights, New Jersey, June 13, 2014

Seaside Heights, New Jersey is one of my childhood memories. Most people who grew up in the Garden State spent some part of their childhood and adolescence at the Jersey Shore. I had the occasion, this past Friday (Friday the 13th) to visit Seaside Heights. The photo depicts part of the destruction that was dealt by one of the worst hurricanes to strike the New Jersey coast in history. . . READ MORE

This Is The Week That Was

I have refrained from making any comments about the horrific events of this week. There were, of course, two major events, the marathon bombing in Boston and the fertilizer factory explosion in West, Texas. I'm sure there were any number of other negative events in other parts of our country, but whatever they may have been, they were overshadowed by the media's coverage of the two main events.

One talking head commentator made a very interesting point this week. His point? There are about 312 million people in this country and about 311,999,500 of then arrived home safely each evening and share time with friends and family. In other words, the state of the human condition is very, very, very good. Unfortunately, some very bad things happen to some very good, innocent people - whether attacked by a terror attack at a marathon or shocked and shaken by a massive explosion in their community.

Also, unfortunately, bad news, negative news and sensationalism are the things that sell commercials on broadcast and cable TV, radio news and talks stations and newspapers. Good news is actually so common that it doesn't garner the headlines. The horrors of the Aurora, Colorado and the Newtown, Connecticut shootings have created a furor over gun control that has created massive controversy and debate. But, the reality, as I see it, is that it's still not really about the guns, the kinds of guns or the size of the magazines. It's about a very, very small fraction of a percentage of the population who are evil and it doesn't matter whether they have access to guns or not, they will perpetuate their evil deeds. This week was a perfect example as two young men took three lives and permanently maimed nearly 200 people - WITHOUT using guns. As a matter of fact, they carried out their evil plan with common household products available to anyone.

My point here is not to defend or oppose the current debate over gun control. However, considering that tens of thousands more people are killed each year by automobiles and trucks including some incidents that involve hit and run or even suicide by car. But, there doesn't seem to be any debate over banning cars or large engines or certain kinds of cars. And if you add to the reality that alcohol and some drugs, including prescription drugs, often precipitate tens of thousands of deaths by auto, how do we curb that. We already tried "prohibition" of alcohol in this country and that didn't work and actually caused the establishment and growth of an underground, criminal liquor industry.

I could go on and on. But, my point is simply this. There is evil in this world. This cannot be denied. There are people in this world who want other people dead. Who are the targeted people? They are Americans, British, French, Indians, Africans of all nationalities, Asians of all nationalities, South Americans of all nationalities. In other words, there are evil people everywhere intent on harming and killing other people for a variety of reasons. We can't ban pressure cookers, model airplanes and remote control cars, knives, guns, booze, automobiles, baseball bats, poisons (add whatever you want to this list) because that's not going to stop evil in its tracks.

We need to accept that evil exists and the more people there are in the world, the more evil there will be. And, for some reason, evil people have this need to deprive the overwhelming majority of good, peaceful people of their natural rights, freedom and happiness. Foiling these evil people is the answer and the only answer. No matter what laws we pass to control or ban anything whether guns, knives, explosives, cars, airliners, etc. it will not stop evil from wreaking havoc, murder and pain. The only thing that will win will be facing down the evil people, whether they are mentally ill, sociopaths, psychopaths, religiously or politically radicalized individuals. Unfortunately, there will continue to be "collateral damage" forever simply because there will be evil people who will slip through the cracks like the two young men involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.

We live in dangerous times. Actually, I don't believe the times are anymore dangerous than any other time in the history of human civilization. I simply believe that in the continuous march toward progress, we continue to create more and better and more efficient means of killing and maiming. We as a nation (as all nations do) call it National Defense. We say we are creating these weapons of mass destruction for protection of our own citizens (regardless of the name of the country making the statement) and as a deterrent against attack or for preemptive reasons. However, once these weapons are created, they will eventually find their way into the hands of the evil people. It's a vicious cycle that doesn't seem to have an end other than the potential annihilation of all of humanity and civilization. Pandora is out of the box and we're trying to put her back in, but she's having none of it.

I would be remiss if I didn't salute the many law enforcement agencies and individuals, the firemen and EMS people and all the other first responders at all levels - in Boston and its suburbs and in West, Texas - for their fantastic efforts this week. While I might be a bit critical of some of these agencies and people sometimes, I have to salute them and praise them for their effective efforts this week.

My thoughts and my prayers for peace and overcoming the pain, both physical and emotional, of these horrendous events - the most recent being the Boston Marathon bombing and the West, Texas explosion and fire, but certainly not forgetting a long, long (all too long) list of horrendous terror attacks, acts of war, major accidents and natural disasters. There is never an answer for "Why me?" or "Why my loved one?" For those of faith, I hope they receive and feel comfort from their faith. For those who don't subscribe to a formal belief in some faith, I hope they find peace and consolation in whatever way works for them.

I wish I could end this post with some kind of concrete ideas or prescription to heal all the hurt and defeat all the evil in the world. I can't! I simply have to accept my own humanity and do my best to do no harm to others, to not infringe on or deprive my brother and sister humans of their natural rights, especially freedom and happiness. And, I have to hope that I'm fortunate enough to never find myself as the target of a horrific event whether precipitated by evil, human accident or nature. Life is fragile and very short. We are all vulnerable. My very best to you for your safety and health and especially to enjoy your personal freedom as you define it for yourself and for your happiness. 

So Far, So Good! I'm Still Here!

Today is the day! Yep, the day that something is supposed to happen to the world according to the Mayan calendar. Of course, it seems that there is this propensity for the "doomsayers" to turn these "events" into the End of the World apocalyptic events.

Well, I'm still here and if you're reading this post, you're still here, too.

In reality, the Mayan calendar didn't predict the end of the world, at least as we know it. In fact, today is the end of a 5,000+ year cycle of the Mayan calendar. Actually, the Mayan calendar continues beyond December 21, 2012. So, if the world were going to end today, why would the calendar continue into the future?

There are a lot of people in the world who probably need to GET a life, as opposed to spending way too much time worrying about the future or lack thereof and not enough living in the moment.

There is also another group of people called the "Preppers." Now, personally, I don't have a problem with the Preppers. Yes, some of them might be slipping over the line separating reality and -- well, let's just say unreality. But, many of them simply realize that there are natural events and potential human events that might cause a period of challenge at some time in the future. So, they build an environmentally controlled, off the grid powered shelter, often underground. They stock it with non-perishable food stores, water and other necessary supplies. Some will maintain cache of defensive weapons. And they have various forms of communication and entertainment including books and such, all stashed in this shelter "just in case." Good for them. As long as they aren't hurting anyone else, I say, to each his own.

Maybe they are actually on to something. Supermarkets, for example, only inventory about three days worth of food on the shelves. So, if a particularly catastrophic natural event like the recent superstorm, Sandy, on the east coast or the wild fires that burned large parts of our country earlier in the year or a super blizzard or a 9.0 earthquake with a possible Tsunami like the one that hit Japan a year or so ago were to strike, perhaps these Preppers will appear to be the smart ones. Perhaps 25 or 30 years ago I wouldn't have said that, but climate change does appear to be real to some definitive degree. It could, and probably will, become more challenging. So, having a "bug-out bag" and being prepared to do what you may have to do to survive for a few days, weeks or possibly even months, may not be all that unrealistic.

As a nomad, my "bug-out bag" is always packed and I'm ready to move on a very short notice, actually, an hour or less.

So, here we are, December 21, 2012. The day has come, there's a big weather event covering much of the U.S. and there have been a few weather related injuries and fatalities. This is pretty common. But, I fully expect to be here tomorrow. And, I fully expect my nomadic travel plans for 2013 to roll-out. But, IF some planet or giant asteroid is going to plummet into the Earth's atmosphere and collide with us, I believe I'd like to be at ground zero and end instantly as opposed to survive in a world that may no longer be habitable.

See you tomorrow.

#2 - 90 Seconds to Living Freer - Now, That's The American Spirit

Here are two quick stories that raise my hopes. First, and you've probably seen the clip on the news and seen the photo on the Internet. A young NYC police officer, in a selfless act, used his own money to buy a pair of boots for a homeless man who had no shoes or socks. That is what made America great and that's the spirit that a band of rag-tag immigrants bringing almost nothing to the new world used to build a great country.

The police officer wasn't looking for or expecting any reaction to or notoriety from his act of kindness toward a fellow human being. His act was captured in a photo by a tourist visiting New York. Hopefully, his example will motivate many others to selfless acts of kindness and generosity for those less fortunate.

The second story is about a 95 year old man in Amityville, New York (on Long Island) who lost his home and virtually everything he had to super storm Sandy. It was not likely this elderly gentleman was going to be able to rebuild his home. A building contractor learned of his plight and gathered a band of volunteers and the materials and rebuilt the man's home and gave him a new lease on life. Another example of the  spirit that built this country and made it great.

This is the way it should be done. Neighbors, friends and even strangers helping one another when a disaster strikes. It's not the government's responsibility. The government makes great promises, but they are an inefficient machine when it comes to getting things of this nature and magnitude done. Additionally, the government penalizes everyone by using taxpayer funds designated for other things leaving the country as a whole in a bigger hole.

These are only two stories and acts of kindness and generosity. There are literally thousands of these acts everyday. They go unnoticed by the public at large. If each of us would donate a little time, some resources, some of our talents or gifts and, if we have any, some surplus cash. A little goes a long way.  If only half the population contributed $10 each there would be a fund of over a billion and a half dollars. That certainly won't replace everything lost, but along with the time and other resources, it's surely a good start,. This is how America should work. This is why we were great and can be again. 

Tuesday Thoughts - The American Dream Revisited

Good morning on this overcast, damp, chilly day at base camp. Fortunately, I'm sitting inside my friend's house in a warm comfortable room looking out at My McVansion parked out front.

A few things have crossed my mind this morning. First, I believe there are a lot of people who may believe I'm a bit radical with some of my thinking or, perhaps, at my "advanced" age, some of the tungsten in my light bulb is no longer active and I'm not shining at full brightness - put another way, I'm getting a little dull. Well, let me assure you, from what seems to be a mainstream perspective, I probably am a bit radical . . . and I'm PROUD of it. As far as the brilliance of my light bulb, I can also assure you, it's still shining very brightly. But, if I am bothering some people, perhaps, even you, with some of my ideas, opinions and attitudes, then I'm achieving my objective which is to make people think. I don't care if you agree with me, buy into my ideas or not - I just care that you are thinking.

Revisiting Sandy and the American Dream

So, revisiting Sandy and her devastation, I have some very strong feelings and thoughts. First, I certainly sympathize and feel a certain empathy with the millions of people impacted by this super storm. And, certainly, I feel for those tens of thousands or, maybe it's hundreds of thousands, who have lost their homes and all their possessions. There is no question that losing everything (materially) is more then huge. Of course, some lost loved ones and that is even more devastating. But, everything material (for the most part) can eventually be replaced. Life won't be easy or convenient or comfortable, but it goes back to what I said before, life isn't fair.

I also put forward the question as to the use of federal funds to rebuild homes and businesses and I reiterate that federal funds is a misnomer. These are the funds of private citizens and businesses that have been involuntarily appropriated by the government(s), supposedly to be used for the common good, not for financing the misfortunes of individual citizens. Since no one knows the future, especially with regard to nature and natural events, there is no way to appropriate funds to finance Mother Nature's various and frequent tantrums. So, where does this money come from? It has to be reappropriated from it's common good purpose, possibly education or police, fire or national defense or other areas of common good. This either reduces their allocated funds for the common good or money has to be borrowed, thus, increasing the government(s) debt.

The Question!

So, the question I have to ask is simply this, should taxpayer funds be used to rebuild private lives and businesses? My answer has to be, with no malice towards anyone, anywhere who has suffered a loss to nature or natural disaster, an unequivocal, NO! And, while that may sound mean spirited, I'm not alone in that opinion. I read an op ed in the New York Times this morning (and, believe it or not, I do actually read the generally regarded mainstream news media, living free doesn't mean I'm a complete dolt) that explored that very question. It was also the op ed author's opinion that taxpayer funds should not be used for this purpose. And, further, virtually all the comments supported his opinion.

The point is simply this. If anyone chooses to take risks, they must assume individual responsibility for their actions. Let's look at a few simple examples. If one chooses to be a sky diver, a rock climber, an extreme skier or snowboarder, a NASCAR or Formula race car driver, a wing walker, you get the idea, or participate in any other risky and hazardous behavior, who is responsible if something disastrous happens? If you choose to work on tall towers, be a construction worker on skyscrapers or choose any other kind of known, hazardous work, who is responsible? So, with that same thought in mind, if you choose to build a home or a business (or both) in a hazardous and risky location, who is responsible? In every case this was a personal choice and with those choices come the burden of responsibility. Now, I don't have a problem with anyone choosing to do any of the things I enumerated (and a myriad of other possibilities). Go for it! But, if disaster strikes, don't expect everyone else to ante up to fix your problems.

But, some will say, there has never been a disaster of such a magnitude here before, so it was unanticipated. This is not an excuse. Anyone who lives near any coastal area knows that nature is unpredictable and just because she never displayed this level of devastation before doesn't mean anyone else holds any responsibility for what happened now. There are some pretty simple measures of risk. If the private sector, who exist to make profits and by minimizing their risks against losses, choose not to build factories or provide insurance, etc. in a certain region. There is a reason private insurance companies do not provide flood insurance. They will provide secondary water damage insurance like a roof leaking, for example, due to some wind damage. But, that's different then water rising from oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, etc. That should tell one something. So, the federal government went into the flood insurance business - something they should not be in. Currently, they are something like $19 billion in debt in the flood insurance department. That could put several private insurance companies out of business. That's why they won't accept the risk.

What Insurance Companies Know That Some, Otherwise, Intelligent People Seem to Miss

Private insurance companies won't provide fire insurance in regions where wild fires are common. They won't provide earthquake insurance when someone chooses to build a home or business on a known earthquake fault. The same goes for mudslide, rock slide, avalanche, active volcano regions and similar high risk areas. That doesn't stop anyone from building anything they want to in that area, but AT THEIR OWN RISK. If you read your property insurance policies - homes, businesses, vehicles, etc. you'll notice a pretty standard clause that excludes damage due to Acts of God (i.e. nature), Acts of War and negligence. Why do those clauses exist? It's simple, really. An insurance company is in the gambling business. They make a bet that they'll never have to pay a lot of money out on covered claims for most policies, thus, they make a profit. But, they know that one can't bet against God or nature, the greed, corruption and inhumanity that is war or just the stupidity of human beings and their negligence. So, they opt out.

If these businesses know something we don't know, do you think we could figure it out by analyzing their reasoning? The reason the government(s) is (are) in so much financial trouble is because, first, they don't have the reasoning ability of private sector businesses who go out of business if they lose money. The government(s) don't really worry about that because it's not their money at risk - it's OUR money they risk and usually lose. Further, just as is being debated right now in Washington, DC, the government will simply find some obvious or nefarious way of taking more money from the taxpayer to fund their folly. Anything new here? Nope! What's new is that more and more people expect the government(s) to cover their asses rather then making good choices, limiting their risks and taking responsibility for their own actions.

No matter what position you or I take on the changing climate FACT, it's happening and it appears to be happening faster then predictions. Rebuilding coastal or flood prone cities that are below sea level is not only not smart, it's idiotic. Rebuilding the terribly devastated areas of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and other massively destroyed coastal areas is just as idiotic. But, we'll do it. We'll build sea walls, jetties, dredge up and replenish the sand on the beaches. And, we'll believe that man can beat nature at her own game. New Orleans will suffer more devastation in the future, it's inevitable. The coastlines of the U.S. will suffer more frequent storms and the water levels will rise. The tunnels connecting New Jersey and the various boroughs of New York with Manhattan Island will flood again and again. The subway tunnels will be underwater as well. And that's just part of the areas that will be impacted.

I for one, will miss the Jersey Shore of my youth. While I haven't lived in Jersey for more then 45 years, it's still part of me and I'm saddened to see the losses. But, I don't think it should be my responsibility as a tax payer to rebuild something that I KNOW is going to be devastated again and again. If those people who have lost their homes and businesses choose to rebuild and remain there, I have no problem with that, just assume the responsibility for your choice, do it with your own money and hope, as the movie "Field of Dreams" suggested, "build it and they will come." Then you can count on voluntary funding by those visitors and tourists who will spend their money at the local businesses. But, I will also say that whether these areas are rebuilt or not, I will still spend some of my time returning to the ocean.

The Volunteer Farm

Now, on another topic, I received an email this morning from my friend Bob Blair. Bob is a former government employee and long-time retiree. Bob has spent his retirement years in volunteer service. For a number of years after his retirement he volunteered for search and rescue missions during disasters, natural and otherwise. He had this huge dog that he took through specialized search training at his own expense. He then provided his and his dog's services through a faith-based organization, the Methodist Church, I think. When both he and his dog were getting long of tooth and not as capable of performing the necessary search and rescue tasks, Bob moved in another direction. He had acquired a 65 acre Christmas tree farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia either prior to his retirement or just after. Again, as he was getting older, the rigors of running a Christmas tree farm were becoming a bit much. So, with his attitude of service he decided, about nine years ago, to create a "volunteer farm."

He dedicated five acres that year and solicited volunteers from local groups, churches and so on, to prepare the land, plant, cultivate and harvest the crops. He had a yield of thousands of pounds of fresh produce that was all donated to the regional food bank. Of course, this donation was gratefully accepted as it helped feed families in several surrounding counties. Since that time, Bob has cultivated more and more of that 65 acres until this year he donated 82.5 tons of food and has helped feed over 150,000 people per month. All of this has been with volunteer help. Volunteers have come from all across the U.S. to assist Bob with his service of love that he provides. They come from high school youth groups, faith-based youth groups, civic service groups, local folks, Personally, I think it's pretty amazing what one man's dream has done for so many people.

I don't see Bob very often and most of my contact with him is by email and the occasional face to face encounter, but I know Bob has the dream and I know he's been working on it, to expand his "volunteer farm" concept to livestock volunteer farms, dairy volunteer farms and to spread the idea across the U.S. Think about it. The U.S. government actually PAYS (they call it subsidize) farmers to NOT grow crops or livestock. They turn the surplus of milk into dry milk and warehouse it, then send it to foreign countries when we have people in our own cities, towns and counties that are undernourished. If Bob is helping some 150,000 people - PRIVATELY - in just his region of Virginia, I know there are many millions of folks throughout the country who could benefit from this kind of volunteerism.

Bob has set up the Volunteer Farm in Shenandoah County, Virginia as a 501c3 non-profit organization. Unfortunately, this may and is probably already impacting Bob's volunteer venture negatively due to the economic crisis of the past several years and the Fiscal Cliff the government has created and may be about to toss all of us over. If the government cuts back on tax deductions for charitable contributions, Bob's and tens of thousands of other organizations will likely be severely impacted. It's too bad our generosity in this country is so based on "what's in it for me" tax deductions. There are several organizations, especially faith-based organizations who provide various kinds of services for their communities, the Mormon religion, the Salvation Army and others to mention only a few. I hope that people will still find it in their hearts to give something to organizations like these and to Bob Blair's Volunteer Farm.

And, here's the unique thing about organizations like Bob's farm, he can use financial donations, donations of cars, other vehicles and farm equipment. But, here's one that lots of people can donate who don't have large financial resources - TIME. One can volunteer their time - as I call it, tithing your time.

Living Free isn't about depending on the government. The government should have the smallest impact and influence on our lives possible. The way we make this all work is by first, determining our individual dreams and definition of personal freedom. Second, by taking full and complete responsibility for our own lives, actions and choices, including living in a beach house where it may be swept away by Mother Nature. Go for it, just don't expect it to be anyone else's responsibility if your dream is swept away. Third, let's see if some of Bob Blair's attitude about helping others can rub off on all of us. It doesn't matter if we're financially wealthy or poor as a church mouse, if as individuals (not a government collective) we can each do a little to help make this a better place, IT WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. Just saying . . .

By the way, Bob is facing a financial crisis this year. He may not be able to keep the Volunteer Farm going in 2013. If you're interested in knowing more about the farm and his needs, you can go to www.volunteerfarm.org or email Bob directly at bblair@shentel.net or you can even call him at 540-459-3478. You won't find much about Bob on the Web site. It's not about Bob. I know he'll be happy to hear from you and if you told him you heard about the farm from me, he'll know the connection.

The Storm of our Lifetime

I'd like to say it's all over but the shouting about Sandy the Storm, but that would be inaccurate since the substantial remnants of Sandy's siege on the east coast of the U.S. are still wreaking havoc on other parts of the U.S. This storm has been called "The Perfect Storm," "The Storm of a Lifetime," a "Super Storm" and a "Storm of Historical Proportions." In all, the highest estimate I've heard so far is that Sandy has impacted some 23 states and at least a couple provinces of Canada and claimed at least 40 lives in the U.S., so far.

I'm glad I made if back to my WV "base camp" from my Chicago revenue generating road trip before Sandy unleashed her fury. Columbus, Ohio is now engulfed in the storm and has about two feet of snow from the blizzard portion of the snow. Chicago and other Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan communities on the shores of Lake Michigan are facing 25 - 30 foot waves, perhaps, the largest waves ever on Lake Michigan.

Of course, the reality is that Sandy was only one third of the equation that created this "Perfect Storm." Sandy formed in the Caribbean. After hitting Jamaica, the western part of Haiti and the eastern part of Cuba came up the Atlantic coast through the Bahamas, taking 69 lives in the process, ultimately to make landfall on the southern New Jersey coastline also known to those of us who grew up there as the Jersey shore. However, as a simple Category 1 hurricane, she would have created enough damage and destruction. But, how ever nature creates these kinds of events, Sandy joined forces with a large Nor'easter and an Arctic cold front coming in from the west to create a storm, with Sandy as its center that had winds and rain spanning about a thousand miles from Sandy's eye.

Wow! If we can believe the meteorologists and the historical records, a weather event of this nature has never happened before in recorded history, certainly not in the U.S. but possibly in the world. While the winds were nowhere near as devastating as those of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, in this unfortunate circumstance a destructive force so large and menacing has just never happened before. Concurrently there were portions of the U.S. from North Carolina to Maine being pounded by record breaking tidal surges, winds strong enough to rip off the roofs and other parts of man made structures and dump two and three feet of snow in blizzard conditions in the higher elevations. Add to this that the main body of Sandy, the hurricane, itself, came in just prior to high tides and the tides were higher then normal due to the influence of the full moon.

Now, believe me, I do not fully understand all of the elements involved in this unholy concoction of meteorological occurrences. I just know that it was the weirdest storm I can ever recall and I've experienced the direct impact of numerous hurricanes, nor'easters and blizzards during my lifetime, just never all at the same time.

It was just three years ago when we experienced a winter weather event that has affectionately (???) become known as Snowmageddon that involved a blizzard with over two feet of snow in the mid-Atlantic region in December, something that hadn't happened since around 1925. That was followed by a double whammy of two back to back blizzards with one day between the two storms that left around five feet of snow on the ground where I was at in the Shenandoah Valley at that time.  I began to believe I had somehow moved back to Syracuse, New York where I saw that kind of snow in 1967/68/69 while attending graduate school at Syracuse University.

Now, on the good side of my experience with this Super Storm, my base camp, located in the small, rural town of Keyser, West Virginia seemed to be in a small, safe spot. Yes, we saw some heavy rain. Yes. We saw some winds probably in the 30 mph range with some gusts that probably topped 50 mph. Yes. We saw some frozen precipitation. But, the rain was never torrential and it never came in sideways. The winds were within coping range and, so far, to the best of my knowledge there was little serious property damage in this area. The frozen precipitation was in the form of sleet and never turned into a couple feet of snow. The temperature was in the low forties, so it was never cold enough to sustain snow and the sleet was mainly slush.

We did lose power at about 9:20 PM Eastern Time, but we were prepared for it, so we didn't experience any significant discomfort or inconvenience during the powerless period that ended about 12 to 13 hours later at around 10:30 AM this morning (Tuesday). Being a very mobile/portable tech oriented person, I was able to keep my computer and cell phone batteries charged using my 12 volt chargers and 110 volt inverter powered by the battery in My McVansion.

The one weird thing was the "extremely" loud thunder claps accompanying bright lightning flashes during the peak of the wind and sleeting. It was so loud that my friend, Carolyn, couldn't believe it was really thunder. We almost thought maybe the Earth was opening and swallowing up entire homes and blocks. My thoughts are that at that time we were at the juncture of where the Arctic cold front, the record low levels of barometric pressure of Sandy and the nor'easter were all converging at that particular time. I guess one could say this would be like a clash of the titans.

Bottom line for me is that this was a very weird experience. However, other then having a sticks and bricks roof over my head, this was a pretty good opportunity for me to try out a lot of my technology and techniques for living (whether in the van or in a solid structure) with minimal conveniences and infrastructure. And, as I said, it all worked out, for me at least, with minimal inconvenience and discomfort.

On the other hand, I've been able to watch the various news channels since the power returned. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones, homes, businesses, cars and all their belongings through floods, wind damage and fire. There are just too many stories to even begin to describe the pain so many people are experiencing as I compose this post.

While hurricane Katrina certainly wreaked havoc on New Orleans, other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and some outlying states, Sandy has impacted an estimated 60 million people living in some 23 states. And, the amazing thing is that the people in this region knew the storm was coming (as did the Gulf Coast) and, for the most part, prepared for it more aggressively then their fellow countrymen did for Katrina. And, of course, it was just about 14 months ago when much of the New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, DC and Pennsylvania region were significantly impacted by Hurricane Irene.  And, just a couple months later they were, again, clobbered by a very early and destructive winter storm event. How can anyone measure disasters like this?

If you've been following the news coverage at all, you know I've only scratched the surface of the destruction, devastation and economic impact this is going to cause, both to the individuals involved and the country. And all this, virtually, on the eve of one of the most important general elections of our lifetimes. I urge you all to vote if you're qualified and registered. I've already voted by absentee ballot and I know where I stand in this election. I'm not here to tell you who to vote for, but I am here to tell you to get out and vote - PERIOD.

I've been lucky throughout my life. I've never suffered any significant or devastating losses from events like those of the last 48 hours or so. But, these events do cause me to take pause and realize that even those of us who choose a "living free" lifestyle by our own definition are still part of the larger society of humanity. We need each other in various ways. "No man is an island . . ." John Donne. How do we come to the aid of our fellow humans?

So, another facet of my living free philosophy is to evaluate how I can best prepare myself to not only cope with natural disasters such as this one (that devastated my New Jersey home town region) in the future, but, also, how I can reach out and provide emergency assistance as a volunteer. Perhaps, this may be where I can reactivate my hobby and volunteer emergency communication experience as an amateur radio operator. Help anyway you can even if only through prayer, positive thoughts or making a phone call or dropping an email to check on any family member, friend or professional contact/colleague just to let them know you are thinking about them and their challenges. A little positive support will go a long way. A lot of people are counting on our support. 

Photo of the Week #55 – The Angry Atlantic, Outer Banks, North Carolina

The power of Nature is always awesome. All at once it can be terrifying, beautiful, inspiring and spiritual. When Nature rears up and throws a tantrum we call the havoc it wreaks on us a natural disaster. I would guess man’s attempt to combat, prepare and defend him or herself from these events equates to “anger management.” The amazing thing is that Nature isn’t angry, it’s not really throwing a tantrum and natural disasters are what we make them because Nature is simply being Nature and creating a natural event and balancing everything on Earth.

This photo is of a very angry Atlantic Ocean in January of 2002. I was staying in a condo on the beach for a couple weeks respite and shot this photo from my balcony as this Nor’easter smashed the North Carolina coast on the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are a group of barrier islands along most of the North Carolina shoreline. At the closest, they are probably less then a mile or so from the mainland. At their furthest they may be 15 or 20 miles from the mainland or so it appears on a map.

We term it a natural disaster when a storm like this or a hurricane like Isabel or Irene come through and radically change the topography or the beaches and the land. However, that’s only because we have improved this landmass. If there were no human presence there, it would simply be Nature taking its natural course. In an earlier Photo of the Week I showed a picture of how the beach had been dramatically changed after this storm. A few miles further south from this location there were several beach houses that had been built on tall pilings. A couple of these houses had been blown off their pilings and were lying on their side on the beach. In other cases the sand under the houses was washed away leaving the septic tanks and drain fields exposed and the staircases leading to the decks or entry door 10 to 12 feet in the air. And, of course these were called natural disasters. I tend to think it was Nature sneezing and mankind just happened to be in the way.

This photo was one of the first digital photos I had ever taken. I bought a very simple, inexpensive digital-camera, it didn’t even have a zoom lens. But, even this simple, primitive digital-camera had me convinced that I had to make the transition to digital from 35mm, which I did over the next year or two.