Cape Town is featured in Lufthansa's In-Flight "Magazin" in the spot-lighted satellite photo article for this month. It reminds me of San Francisco in its shape and its curves and size, however, it differs in that there is a dominating rugged rock, dark and fierce on the map -- as seen from space. Table Mountain is 1,083 meters high and 600 million years old, frequently covered in a daily "table cloth" of clouds, yet in this particular photo it is clear, crisp. The photo shows how the city hugs the slopes of the flat topped mountain. Slopes which were once covered by "Silver Trees" (luecadendrom Argenteum, or something like that) which fell to the axes of cold and weary settler. Now all that is left is a Silver Tree here and there or a couple as a specially featured precious plant in Cape Town's famous Kirsenbosch Botanical Gardens.
If Cape Town is not in your travel plans, Strybing Gardens in San Francisco has a number of these glimmering silver leaved trees in the South African section -- good for viewing all year round.
The denuding of the slops of Table Mountain isn't the only lasting impact of the settlers .. not the only devastating remains. Not only on th slopes of Tabe Mountain, but in other places too all over the world.
Looking down from space through the magazine --I wonder about the kind of lasting impact I have made wherever I have settled. I've left my own fair share of devastation and blessings. I've settled on points of view, and inside of opinions an I've used up things, resources and who knows what else.
I was recalling a conversation about using up resources from the evening before I left, in which I learned that the Sonoma Land Fill, is Full. (Here comes the in-flight service, I love it with the tiny portions each in their own place on the compartmentalized tray, each wrapped hygenically in plastic, plastic wrapped utensil set with individual portions of sugar and salt, milk and butter [each with foil and paper wraps] and here comes the clean up crew down the aisles behind carts, in a hurry, whipping up stuff and jamming it into the cards -- packing up so much garbage, so much un-consumed individual portions - all that salt and pepper, all of it.).
Isn't someone on the planet hungry? Isn't some landfill somewhere full? What is the right thing to do?
(I. have to stop writing, the duty free shopping has begun - I love how they package the merchandise)
I am also remembering a conversation I had somehere on the planet with someone about all kind of existing eco-friendly technology. But it's not known, or used. Why? Perhaps because it's more expensive and sometimes less convenient. Or maybe it's because there is no strongly moneyed market to draw investors. The people and places who needed it most are penniles... I don't know. I know cost has played a major role in deciding between eco-frendly tiles and less expensive composite-something-or-the-other tiles in several of the places I have settled.
"I want to be better an opening for God - to make me stronger"
Oh, to do the right thing!
Noble
Right.
Good.
Oh to do that thing and to settle there. Perhaps if I sit very, very still, I will cause no harm today.
Ps. Lufthansa's in-flight Magazin is printed on 100% high quality recycled paper. That's the right thing to do. Or - is it a strategy?
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