Debi's Birthday Wish

My birthday is today, March 26, and I have a birthday wish. I am asking all of my friends to donate $10 to
 Architecture for Humanity to support reconstruction efforts in Japan. Once communities move beyond crisis mode,
 Architecture for Humanity will bring their professional services to ravaged areas by:

• Supporting local professionals to perform damage assessments and provide technical expertise on the ground to
 local agencies to expedite the reconstruction of safe, sustainable housing.

• Providing financial assistance for community groups to engage local professionals in rebuilding the cultural
 and historic fabric of their communities.

• Supporting community groups and local professionals in planning and rebuilding civic infrastructure for those that
 could not otherwise afford services such as healthcare centers, daycare facilities, senior centers, art centers, etc.

With heartfelt thanks!

Debi       



"Of Gods and Men"

Of Gods and Men is based on the true story of the kidnapping and killing of seven French Trappist monks in 1991 in Algeria "during a gruesome, protracted civil war between the government — which declared martial law after annulling elections it appeared to have lost — and a ruthless Islamist insurgency." (New York Times)

According to John Kiser's The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love and Terror,

"The monks eventually became victims in a struggle among Muslims for a more just society, a struggle that had gone horribly wrong and had cost between 60,000 and 100,000 lives by 1996. Yet the monks were not martyrs to their faith. They did not die because they were Christians. They died because they wouldn't leave their Muslim friends, who depended on them and lived in equal danger."

A.O. Scott of the New York Times writes:

"Though it takes place in the recent past, Of Gods and Men has an unmistakably timely resonance, evoking as it does both the messy wars on terror and the rebellions currently convulsing North Africa and the Middle East. And yet while it takes pains to be historically authentic, the film, closely based on the true story of a group of French Cistercian Trappist monks caught up (and ultimately killed) in the violence, also keeps an eye on less worldly, temporal concerns."

For all its beauty, it is not an easy film to see. Gregorian chant and the monks' work with Muslim friends in their village steadies their lives — but at any moment that rhythm can be broken into by the violence outside.

The film becomes a meditation upon the approach to death. We follow journies that remain both individual and in another sense become one journey. And as we gaze for so long into each monk's face, amid the fear and turmoil, we also come upon moments of grace. But the resolution is never absolute. Nor do we imagine it could ever be in the face of a brutal death.

But what makes the film sometimes not-easy is also what makes it so beautiful and important to see.

Currently, Of Gods and Men is playing at a number of Bay Area and other locations.

Route 66: Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch

No, despite the signage, Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch isn't in Barstow per se.

But it's on the way there. Specifically, it's in Oro Grande, just outside Victorville — about two hours or so from the Pacific Ocean along fabled Route 66.

Elmer Long is "an extremely gregarious fellow and is happy to share of himself, his history, and seems to genuinely enjoy meeting people stopping by from around the globe to walk around and experience his yard art." [Stickup Artist: "Oro Grande, Route 66"]

So sit back for a minute...

...stretch out your legs — and maybe even take a little drive.

And see what Elmer's gathered...

...and composed

...along this storied highway.

 

The Peak of Fall

Is it ever any wonder what we have to be thankful for?

Is it a grape leaf at the top of Atlas Peak?

Or a maple tree at Rocky Creek?

It's just all so sweet this time of year.

A time to reflect on the beauty around us and the ones we love.

We give thanks!