There are days… and they are coming all too frequently now, where the extremes of the socio-politico left and right, incessantly brought to us—by the streamers, the pop-citizen-journalists, and the traditional media—are just horribly unbearable.
The fix?
I go outside and walk. The quiet breezes from the forest and lake clear away the gaslighted, scum-generated tensions.
And the day begins again.
Today and tomorrow only.
56 years of dedication, discipline, service and inspiration…
So what, you might cynically ask?
The first snowfall of the winter…
We are in… the Northern Hemisphere, the first snowfall, the hope of Christmas and the first week of Advent—I want to celebrate.
In mid-career, CJ, in the Jungfrau Region of the Swiss Alps, seeking to balance his personal and professional life, discovers an ethereal link between culture and landscape.
—so here is a great story I have written about how the landscape heals personal hurt—Crystal Vision. Free ebook—short time—DOWNLOAD NOW. IT’S FREE UNTIL MIDNIGHT, 15DEC2025—GET IT NOW—here’s the safe WeTransfer link: https://we.tl/t-S34P0CJPHr
They tickle the trees.
They massage the mountains.
They make their own music.
View in full-screen mode–many times–until you hear the music of the clouds.
Summer’s recreation boats—gone.
Winter’s cold gray—not far.
What do YOU see here?
Healthy vegetation? Plentiful water? Rich soils? Successful human endeavor? Life? Inspiration?
It’s all there.
In my last post, I referred to winter towns squeezed between the mountains and the lake at the shore line. Upon closer examination, they are not squeezed–they just fit. Like we’d all like to fit…and not be squeezed, not be forced.
I think, winter spring, summer or fall, I would have fun walking this village, don’t you agree?
Late December 2020 in the northern range of the Swiss Alps.
I crossed the line.
What? Which line?
Did I stop wearing a mask?
Did I stop supporting local populism?
Did I walk the wrong way on a one-way-street?
No.
I stopped seeing winter as cold, naked and heartless. I stopped seeing winter as death to be abhorred.
No leaves? No problem. No sun? No problem. Huge landscape? Big time. Mountains, sky, lake. Along the shoreline in the middle ground and background, the big landscape squeezes three towns into mere nothingness. And, by God, I saw beauty. I had crossed the line.
I looked out the window today. Fall had snuck in, big time. Nearby a huge old linden tree was freely droping leaves. It made me think of snow flakes, large snow flakes drifting down on a day with no wind.
1.European linden, Tilia x vulgaris
It was mid afternoon. There was still an autumnal warm sun. I had to take a walk.
2.I wanted to take my peeps for a ride on the nearest lake; but along the way, I became distracted. This image made me think, if I was looking at a city, would I be looking at something as diverse as this? Then I thought green ferns and gray rocks. Such a pleasant combination. Then I headed to the lake.
3.When I showed my peeps the boat, they said no way. Not sea worthy.
4.Then they pointed to the ship they wanted. I looked. Instead of the ship I saw the fall color in the backgroud forests.
5.I followed the forests along the lake edge until I saw this town. Then I thought, no need to go out on the lake. It would be more fun following paths in the forest.
6.Ahhh, yes, this was my pleasure in the Lauterbrunnen Valley away from the tourist route.
7.And as usual for me, I had to look not only at the large forest landscape but also at those life forms that were sheltering under the forest canopy. And as I examined, I was unfortunately forced to ask if this was a diverse village. Upon closer inspection…one bite makes you larger and another makes you small…
It was time for me to get back home for dinner.
The presence and absence of sunlight…
…on earth, water and air.
Deep in the back row of the upper, upper balconies, which are all full today, you can do whatever you want because no one will see you. Can you hear the sonata?
Clouds fill the upper balconies.
