Lake on the mountain

Nihau overlook, Kauai

This has been a very productive year blogwise, at least in a number's sense. Not sure if it has been very satisfying on a personal level. Haven't written any decent fiction in two or three years. The Blast has reverted to a pretty clinical and reactive beast. Just haven't felt much like sharing so I am reduced to playing current events referee and not dishing much personally. Not feeling it.

I am reminded of one of the i ching commentaries, the third line of the 31st hexagram hsieh, a passage that I have often paused to consider:

First, a man should not run precipitately after all the 
persons whom he would like to influence, but must be able to hold back 
under certain circumstances. As little should he yield immediately to every 
whim of those in whose service he stands. Finally, where the moods of his 
own heart are concerned, he should never ignore the possibility of inhibition, 
for this is the basis of human freedom.

Sorry about the paucity of communication of late. And what has been a slow drip is about to grind to a dead stop. I am flying to Canada and upon my return will soon go under the knife. Hope that I can type again before the end of the year. We will see. Probably one or two at the end of next week.

In any case, I really enjoyed your best of 2012 pictures last year and would like to encourage all of you to send me a favorite picture or two from this year. Don't have to be artistic or professional, maybe a snapshot, or even a drawing. Let's try that again.

Thanks to all of you for reading, thanks to the occasional commenters, thanks to all of you who make my life such a blessing. Let's remember the immortal words of Robert Hunter, "without love in the dream, it will never come true."

***
Got this message and photo from Ted this afternoon:

Took this picture looking the opposite direction of where you took a picture of Leslie and me with Niihau in the background on the 550 near the call box pull off.