The Tamarisk

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Art for Housewives

Day 8

My daily walks to Krios continue.

from afar, Krios Beach

My destination is right in front of me.

Blue Star leaving Paros

But, luckily, not everyone has the same destination.

Livadia, Paros

In the distance, you can see a row of tamarisk trees creating shade for the sidewalk.

Livadia Beach, Paros

Not everyone shares the same kind of shade.

palm tables at Livadia

Two years ago, the red beetle plagued the palms of Paros and many had to be destroyed.  This one was born again in the form of tables.

Tamarisks at Livadia

Tamarisks at Livadia.

If I were to write an ode to a tree, it would be to the tamarisk. (As you can see, I’ve already written about them HERE). The tamarisks have long slender branches and even longer tap roots than can suck up water that’s deep in the ground.  They even like the salty water found near the sea and for this reason populate so many beaches. I am grateful for their presence as their shade shelters me from the harshness of the sun.

tamarigi drawing

The mantra for today comes from The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”. In this song, we’re warned that war is just a shot away and life is threatened. Today, in life outside of the song, there are so many wars going on and indications of an even bigger one to come. Shelter is needed by a multitude of people and in a heavy duty way.  I am lucky and have that shelter.  So my mantra today is a prayer of gratitude:  “I have shelter, I have shelter”  chanted with a smile on my face.

In this version, Lisa Fischer  lays on the vibrations!

related links: Gimme Shelter Lyrics +Did the manna mentioned in the Bible come from the tamarisk?

Volver the cat

And many thanks to Pier for taking Volver to the vet while I took my walk!

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On The Road Again

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Art for Housewives

Day 7

I started this series of posts by stating that walking can be a spiritual practice.  My walks are not about arriving at Krios as much as they are about walking and what happens to me from within when I walk…The Journey Is The Destination.

Livadia from afar, Paros

It takes me about 30 minutes to get from here to there.

map of Paros

Map of Paros at the Marina

Marina at Livadia, Paros

Marina at Livadia, Paros

Boats at the Marina have names like Eleni, Jannis, Anastasia, Apostolis, ΑΓΙΟΣ ΦΩΚΑΣ (St. Phokas), το όνειρό μας (our dream), το κύμα (the wave) and άνεμος (wind).

Blue Star, another departure from Paros

Blue Star ferry, another departure from Paros

taverna at Livadia, Paros

Taverna with a view of docked boats

Taverna Octopus, Paros

The fotos for these posts have been taken with a very standard Noikia mobile phone (no smart phone or tablet for me) and, obviously, are of very poor quality.  So I try to jazz them up with my limited Photoshop skills which basically means turning up the tonality and using the oil painting filter. While I’m doing all this abracadabra, I often listen to YouTube documentaries. This morning’s documentary was about DMT experimentation. DMT is a psychedelic compound that can be produced in labs but it’s produced in the human brain for reasons unknown.  It’s also found in plants used by Amazon natives (see ayahuasca).

In this particular video, people who had participated in the DMT experimentation, explained the sensations they had had. Many of these sensations, for me, were rather spooky but most said at a certain point they felt time no longer existed and that they were one with the universe. This made me think of some similarities found with the teachings of Buddha and of Jesus…the Divine is to be found within us for we are created in the image of God. And this leads to our search for  The Way.

There is a universe inside us all to discover and, while walking, I try to find the road to that universe.

My mantra for today comes from Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” and is “[I’m] Seein’ things that I may never see again.”  The road stays the same but it’s not always travelled in the same way.  Panta Rei.  

 

related links:  On The Road Again Lyrics + Everything Flows + Terrence McKenna wrote much about the use of drugs in FOOD OF THE GODS, the search for the Tree of Knowledge + Was Jesus a Buddhist Monk | BBC video + DMT The Spirit Molecule FULL DOCUMENTARY + DMT: The Spirit Molecule book

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Walking A Straight Line

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Art for Housewives

Day 6

past port. ParosMy walk changes drastically after the port going towards Livadia.  Finally, a boardwalk and the chance to stop zig-zagging and walk a straight line.

Livadia, Paros

This sidewalk often is populated by fishermen sitting on the ground mending their nets. Mending is something I’ve often blogged about both for environmental and aesthetic reasons (see HERE).  But these men aren’t being trendy when they mend. They do it simply because you aren’t going to catch any fish if you have a hole in your net.

ducks on Paros

Maybe the  fishermen feed these ducks some of their catch as the ducks are always there.  So many tourists have photographed them that their images exists all over the world!

fishermen on Paros

I’ve been told that many of the fishermen are Egyptian.  If they aren’t mending their nets, they can be seen hanging laundry or eating a meal on their boats.  So often I’ve felt like taking their foto but don’t because it seems kind of rude.

fishermen mending nets on Paros

Paros

I love the Parian hills cluttered with sugar cube houses.

 infographic fish

There is a major decline of fish in the sea.

 

Today’s mantra comes from Toto’s “Hold The Line” and is simply Hold The Line. Because “hold the line” basically means “don’t give up”.

 

related links: “Hold The Line” lyrics 

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Walking Past the Past

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Art for Housewives

Day 5

My walk continues past the port.

Port of Paros

 Port of Paros, boat to Krios Beach

boat to Antiparos

 Port of Paros, boat to Antiparos

At the port there are also boats that go to Krios Beach as well as boats that go to Antiparos.  Antiparos is Paros’ “little sister” and is about a 20 minute boat ride away. Tom Hanks has a summer home there but Antiparos is better known for its cave (with Lord Byron’s signature) and for the archeological site of Despotiko where alot of digs have been going on in recent years.

Paros’ wealth in the past was due to its marble quarries because the marble was considered to be of such good quality.  That’s why the Louvre’s Nike of Samotrace was made from Parian marble. In Parikia there’s an archeological museum with alot of interesting artifacts. My favorite is the gorgon.  

gorgon on Paros

But you don’t even have to go to the museum to enjoy Parian antiquities.  Just further up the road next to the super market is the Ancient Cemetary “active” from the 8th cen. to the 2nd cen. A.D. There are a number of marble sarcophagi visible from the sidewalk.

Ancient Cemetary, Paros

Ancient Cemetary, Paros

Ancient Cemetary, Paros

 The Past 

My mantra for today comes from Manu Chao’s “Bongo Bongo” and it’s: I’m so happy there’s nobody in my place instead of me. No explanation needed.

 

related links: THE GORGONES +  lyrics to Bongo Bongo+

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Why not walk like a garden?

Posted on August 3, 2014 by Art for Housewives

Day 4

The fourth day of my daily walks to Krios and my body is beginning to feel it in both a good way and a bad way.   It would probably be a good idea to do some warm-up exercises but I’ve convinced myself that I don’t have the time.

farmer's market, Paros

This little church in Parikia is right at the port. Next to  where the trees are is a little farmer’s market  (I have already written about it HERE). Parian farmers come here to sell their produce as well as cheese and homemade wine and souma.  I buy there as often as possible because the produce is local.

"She was a walking garden", drawing by Cynthia Korzekwa

I enjoy it when women with flowered dresses and large buttocks walk in front of me. The flowers sway back and forth and it looks like a walking garden.

Todays’s mantra comes from Carlos Vives’ “Fruta Fresca“.  It’s about a man who kisses a woman and then feels the taste of fruit on his lips. This taste won’t go away so the man prays and prays but the memory stays.  The man is going crazy and ends up saying “Si si si!” (yes, yes, yes!). Now I know why they invented fruit flavoured lip gloss!

Si, si si. Om. Si, si si.

“Yes” is an affirmation and today much is written about the power of affirmations. Self-help books are full of theories about them. Amulets and talismans are often used as physical reminders of these affirmations. So another project on my already overdosed To Do list is to make a talisman from plastic debris found on the beach.  What do you think Irini Gonou?

related links: Fruta Fresca lyrics + Baked eggplant with haloumi and kasseri (pseftomousakas) + How to Make Zucchini Noodles + How to Turn Limp Affirmations Into Mantras for Success! + PLASTIC BOTTLE CAPS UPCYCLED INTO BRIGHT MODERN OBJECTS

Richard and Judith Lang

NEW LOVE!  plastic debris art by Richard and Judith Lang…

Making Beautiful Art out of Beach Plastic + Plastic Forever + Facebook Beach Plastic
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