wall

Photo of Berlin Wall by Henri Cartier Bresson

The following quote is from a 1962 brochure from the East German government (GDR) defending the Berlin Wall. It was published in English for foreign distribution.

"We no longer wanted to stand by passively and see how doctors, engineers, and skilled workers were induced to give up their secure existence in the GDR and work in West Germany or West Berlin. These and other manipulations cost the GDR annual losses amounting to 3.5 thousand million marks."

Attempts to scale the wall varied in their success. Some figures show that out of approximately three thousand attempts, around two thousand were successful. Two hundred and thirty-nine people died while attempting to cross into West Berlin - the last of these was 20 year old Chris Gueffroy, shot on February 5th, 1989.

The wall "fell" on Novemeber 9, 1989 in the wake of mass demonstrations against the East German government - it was clearly time for it to go. 80% of East Germans went on holiday for a week and streamed across the border. Official demolition of the Berlin Wall started June 13th, 1990 by East German border guards and demolition experts from the West German Federal Defense Force.

In July of 1990, Roger Waters lead a star-studded performance of "The Wall" on the no-man's land of Potsdamer Platz, a location where escapees from East Berlin had been gunned down by border guards. Ticket prices were far too expensive for most East Germans, but they gathered on surrounding rooftops to watch. After a few of the opening acts performed, concert security opened the gates for all to enter.

The GDR ceased to exist on October 3, 1990.

does not strive

"The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao."

- Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching, Eight

new island surf frontiers?

All Photos N.Y. Times

On the top is an image of the Faroe Islands, located halfway between Norway and Iceland - cold and lonely islands with lots of swell exposure. The islands are officially a part of Denmark now, but the inhabitants are descended from Norse Vikings. If any of the locals surf, you probably want to give them extra respect in the water.

The two lower photos are of Socotra, Yemen. This island has great exposure to some of the same Indian Ocean swells that would hit the Maldives and the horn of Africa. The island also sounds safe for foreigners (or at least much more so than the mainland), has a unique and isolated local culture, and is loaded with exotic flora and fauna. The travel articles linked below don't mention surfing, but what does a surfer think of first when he reads about an ocean island?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/travel/tmagazine/03well.faroes.t.html
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/travel/tmagazine/03well.socotra.t.html?ref=tmagazine

P.S. No surprise, but Yemen has been surfed, as has Socotra Island. There's not much info out there so it would still be quite an adventure. As for the Faroes, there is no info on surfing that I could find. But check out this beautiful photo showing some wave action there - http://www.phototravels.net/faroe-islands/N0006/faroes-streymoy-tjornuvik-12.html

el nino summer

Photo of Topanga Point by Colvin

There were days and days of continuous swell and really warm water. The highlight of it all was the very cooperative Hurricane Guillermo, which slowly churned for one solid week from south of Cabo slowly to the west northwest, driving swell up the entire coast from Baja all the way to Alaska. So. Cal. surfers started getting lazy and normally zooed spots became less crowded. And even when the spots were big and firing, there were plenty of waves and lots of surfers passing on the sets. I don't know if El Nino is a natural or man-made phenomenon, but summer '97 made me not care for awhile. The condition continued into the following winter, which broke all kinds of records for rain, snow, swell, and general havoc.

suckers

1970's promotional photo for Trojan Nuclear Plant, Oregon.
Gee, with a team this groovy looking, nuclear must be the way to go!

Ever get really pissed off about advertising? Happens to me all the time, especially with TV commercials. I try to avoid TV and thereby avoid the problem, but sometimes I gotta catch the Daily Show and South Park, man. I often foolishly think this advertising crap will get to people -that they'll get off their asses and shout, "No more!" But the masses are complacent suckers and I've known that for a long time. Even a lot of the programs and movies themselves have become patterned after the pacing and style of advertising (not to mention the omnipresent product placement). Some good examples are the fluffy "reality" shows on HGTV or VH1 or MTV. So why do I still get riled over all of this? Maybe it's because I stay away from this crap enough that I'm shocked anew when I do catch it. Or, maybe I'm just a dork and I need to chill.

"Maybe Partying Will Help" - Minutemen

mountain meadows

What is it about a mountain meadow that is so relaxing? It's kind of like the beach - you just want to set up a chair and enjoy the view.

I've never been much of a mountain photographer, in part because when I'm up in the mountains I just want to kick back, explore, and observe without documenting everything. Another issue is carrying equipment when trying to travel light. That said, I do enjoy seeing mountain images of all kinds. If you haven't seen the work of Galen Rowell, check out the 'Mountain Light' link on my blog - he was one of the masters.

First photo of High Sierra meadow by Brian Klinowski

Second photo of Horsehoe Meadow, Golden Trout Wilderness, Sequoia National Forest by Cristalen

wasteland fun

Triangle Park, North Portland: during its industrial lifespan (early 1900's to about 1990), this property served as a lumber mill, concrete packing plant, ship building facility, dry dock, ironworks, and power plant. Suspected contaminants on the property include PCBs, hydrocarbons, PAHs (whatever those are), and heavy metals. After almost a century of nasty soil, groundwater, and Willamette River pollution - the public can readily trespass on this toxic wasteland. Grafitti artists use walls, skateboarders find challenging terrain among the loading docks and refuse, and others just wander, ride bikes, or drink beer. All of this will change when the University of Portland and federal, state, and city taxpayers start paying for environmental cleanup in the near future. The University will purchase the property to relocate and expand its athletic facilities. It won't be a toxic wasteland anymore, but sadly it won't be as interesting either.

Photos copyright Gazelle 2007

http://www.up.edu/expansion/triangle.htm