On October 1 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las Vegas Strip, Stephen Paddock opened ire from a hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and killed 58 people and injured 546 people.  It was the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in the United States.  We do know that there is no “gun” law, which could have been written which could have prevented this event.  Authorities and experts have yet to identify Paddock’s reason for his actions.  There is so much we do not understand.  The picture shows people trying to flee the scene and is taken from:

http://mashable.com/2017/10/02/uber-lyft-las-vegas-shooting/#jQQBOm4cHEqR

Peace within our lives is there only if we look for it.  The world around us is bigger, and more eternal than we could ever hope to be.  There are two ways to look at the towering peaks of Zion National Park north of Springdale, Utah.  One is the feeling of insignificance feeling so small.  Standing on the narrow canyon floor beside the Virgin River, we looked up and up thousands of feet above.   The other is an inner sense of incredible pride that we live in a organic world with such wonders and we have the opportunity to experience these settings.  This “morning” picture of the western canyon rim on the southern edge of Zion was taken from the parking lot of our hotel in Springdale.  The views just got better as we went deeper into the canyon.

On our way back to the train station from the suffrage march we passed Los Angeles Plaza Park.  A group was holding their own festival and we paused for a few minutes to watch the dancers in their spectacular dresses perform.  It was fun to watch the adults pass on to the young children their beautiful heritage.  It felt reassuring to see people celebrating their ethnic heritage and I felt privileged that I was allowed to share a glimpse of their fascinating culture.  We should all be so fortunate.

So much going on the last few weeks.  Surfing contests, horse shows, and group activities, such as the Junior Lifeguard Training and Beach Cleanup.  Here the Junior Lifeguards are marching toward the ocean for a training exercise.  I smile and my gratitude goes out to these young people, developing their skills and sharing the pleasure which comes from helping others.  By the way, as they were marching across the sand, I could see there was a lot of fun involved along with training. 

With my friends passing I was reminded that living is this incredible adventure of the here and now.  We are placed in this moment of time.  All we truly have is the present.  The past is behind me and the future is completely unknown.  All I have is the present and it is rushing past me.  Every second gone is a second spent that cannot be reclaimed. I have to make the most I can of the “now”.  Looking over England’s Parliament from the London Eye, I found a tranquility being up above the crowds and was able to see things from a new perspective.  I am not the center of the universe.  There is a comfort to continuity knowing there is continuity to life which does not depend on me.  I have permission to play occasionally.

Most of the stones are gone but enough remain, along with the chalk wall, so there is no doubt to the path and scope of the outer circle.  The two inner circles are plainly visible from the top of the chalk wall. Each stone is where it belongs and it belongs there for a reason. 

This trumpet player stood in the center of the square and connected with the people around him.  He used a back-up sound system with the track of several show tunes, pop hits and ballads with his trumpet singing the lead.  It set a nearly mystical experience as people stopped listened and applauded.  People dropped money in his open case on the cobblestones before him. We bought two CDs. 

Of course we stopped for lunch.  http://www.angelinoaifori.com/  The sausage and mushroom pizza was excellent and the Pollo Romana (chicken with tomato sauce and red bell peppers) was tender and flavorful.  Turn down the most uninspiring alleyway/side street (or at leas that is what we would call it) and around the curve there will be a couple of restaurants, a clothing store, a pharmacy and usually a small market.  Every turn holds adventure.