Gloves

I never wear gloves when I'm doing fieldwork. Too hot, and maybe I have a feeling that they actually separate me from the organism that I am measuring, collecting, or putting a tag on. Rattans are different. Got the gloves shown above for use during the rattan survey in the Hukaung Valley. I was fearless about grabbing rattan with these gloves. I thought the orange color would help me not lose them.  It worked. [NOTE: The rattan that I am holding, fearlessly, is Calamus palustris Griff.]

Couple of Things

Couple of things. First, you may have noticed that I changed the header image. Have only done this three times. Seems to happen every two or three years. Image was taken by my Cambodian student, Neak Phearoom (see Earrings, Silk Scarf, and Maybe a Buddha), in the ruins of Banteay Srei (see Banteay Srei) at Angkor Wat. Second, I re-visited my pictures from the 2005 rattan survey in northern Myanmar (see Hukaung Valley Rattan Survey) yesterday and found that there are still a lot of nice images that I have never posted. So, image above is from Namyun, near the border with India, the morning we started walking south down the Ledo Road. Large black duffel bag on the left behind the mahout contains my tent, my sleeping bag, my clothes, a few books (e.g. The Best Buddhist Writing 2005), and a Spiegel relaskop. A lot of anticipation that day. [NOTE: And then, a quick drink of water and off we go].

Rattan Collectors

We met these guys walking down the Ledo Road (see Ledo Road) in 2005 and stopped to talk them about the different rattan species that they were harvesting. We were somewhere south of Mile 21 Camp, I think (see Hukaung Vista). Lot of great hats in this picture. And the subtle cheroot held behind the back. 

Doan

Doan's corner at the Empty Hand Zen Center. The doan is the one who rings the bells during service and before and after zazen, or seated meditation. The big bell to the left is called a "keisu"; the smaller one to the right is a "shokei". Each bell has its own striker. To the far right is the "inkin", or small, handheld bell. The wooden clappers shown to the right of the inkin are used during kinhin, or walking meditation. And then there's the clock. Used to time periods of zazen. Tells the doan when to hit the shokei. At times, this clock can move very, very slowly.  

Dog at El Rincon

This guy was waiting for us every morning in Santa Cruz, El Rincon (see What I Do) when we would walk over to the kitchen for breakfast. Never barked. Never looked at us. Occasionally a slight wag of the tail. Wonder how often he receives a random act of kindness? 

Huarache

Not sure what motivated me to take a picture of this mescalero's huarache during the community meeting at Acateyahualco earlier this year (see Mescal Re-Visited). Such noble footwear. And I reflect on the miles and miles that this sandal has walked through the dry forests of Guerrero, and the barrels of mescal that it has been involved with, and the daily hardships (and pleasures) that it endures. The huarache says it all. 

Almost a Book

I have finished most of the writing for the book that I am working on about the rattans of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam (see Lower Mekong Market Chain). Whew. Sample pages from Chapter II and Chapter III are shown above. [NOTE: I am also doing the lay out for much of the book, which will be printed in Hanoi; page shots generated from the InDesign file (.indb) for the volume].

Still Blessing

The red blessing string was tied around my wrist last summer by a wizened old Cambodian man (monk?) in one of the interior rooms (see Incense Offering) in the temple of Bayon at Angkor Wat. According to the traditional baci ceremony, the blessings will continue for as long as the string stays in place. This one has lasted a long time. And it appears to still be working, because my life has certainly been blessed. I've been pretty happy with the $27 Timex watch, too. 

15 Step

Something for Friday. If you are a fan of Radiohead, I think you will really like this. If not:

You used to be alright.
What happened?
Et cetera, et cetera.
Fads for whatever.
15 steps and then a sheer drop.

Clip is from 2008 live video album, In Rainbows - From the Basement; video direction by David Barnard. Full screen with some volume is certainly warranted here.

[NOTE: If you really are a fan of Radiohead, you've undoubtedly already seen this. Yorke is especially insightful from 3:30 on].  

Red, White, and Blue Backyard

I've got a red umbrella and an eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.) tree, a whole stack of white plastic chairs, and a blue, vintage NY Yankees baseball cap sitting on the table in the backyard. Ready to celebrate. Happy Fourth of July to everyone. [NOTE: Yeah, OK, the baseball cap is stretching things a bit].