The Rescue Airboat
And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that never were. –Rainer Maria Rilke In German, the ancient knot is called, palstek. In Kiswahili, the word is mstari wa matumbo. Polish call the loop that holds a sail, bulina. The English, Spanish, Finnish and French call that rope a bowline. In February, 2007, frigid winds blasted over the ice fields that buried the Allegheny River. As I hiked across Pittsburgh’s Seventh Street Bridge, a loud and fierce roar from below frightened me. Then a tiny boat zipped from the shadows and zoomed toward the Ohio that feeds the Mississippi, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico then the Atlantic Ocean and around the world. Robert Krebs of City of Pittsburgh River Rescue told me what I saw was the River Rescue airboat. He said that it comes out in winter to rescue people by riding on top of the ice. Sailing above the ice. No bowlines. Marvelous! As a new year begins and ‘things that never were’ await, the photograph I snapped of the flying boat reminds me of Mark Twain’s words, Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. SkyScapes CollectionThrow Pillows Decorate in beautiful style. Relax in lovely comfort. Details: Fabric: 100% spun polyester poplin Reversible, same image printed on both sides A concealed zipper Choice of over 70 background colors Removable insert can be requested Pillow sizes: 14×14, 16×16, 18×18, 20×20, 26×26 and 20×14 See All Throw Pillows Thanks for shopping!
Solstice
Face the Sun, and all your shadows fall behind you. – African Proverb A meditation When hydrogen atoms become helium deep inside the sun, gamma ray photons erupt releasing light and heat. After a 40,000-year journey to the surface, sunbeams are launched. Earth intercepts one in every half billion. On December 21st, the space between this planet and its closest star is ninety-one and a half million miles (147 million kilometers). The distance shortens in the planet’s northern hemisphere as it again tilts toward the sun. Solstice. Winter and a celestial new year begin. Before kindergarten, I knew a sunbeam took eight minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth because of a cereal commercial about raisins. My family lived on Delmont Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. Across the brick lane, McKinley Park was filled with trees. Buttercups grew along the walk. I had a puppy and a tricycle that my mother painted with polka dots and wove ribbons through the big, front wheel. Back then, I believed I could run fast enough to keep up with the sun as it slow-poked across the sky. I also knew not to zoom beyond our neighbor’s yard. So, maybe I’ll try outracing the sun next year. The Wisdoms Collection Shop Enriching and Beautiful Posters Click Here