Clouds, the friendly skies and more ...

In my last post I explained why our trip to Orange County in California and back had been a challenge; click here if you wish to read it.  What was upsetting to me was that I did not remember the name of the person at Southwest Airlines who helped us find our lost luggage.  That made all the difference for our attendance to our daughter's wedding, the next day.  When we came back to Georgia I wrote a letter to Southwest relating our experience and asking if they could locate their staff member who had found our luggage and give her our warmest thanks.  A week or so later I received an email from Southwest acknowledging my letter with a reference number and a telephone number.  A couple of weeks later I did call the number, curious to see if they had found the luggage person.  I am not sure whether they had found her or not, but the SW employee told me she was sending me two vouchers for $250 each to be redeemed on their airline before August 2017.  Then another couple of days later, I received an email, from another PR Southwest employee, giving us 50% off saver coupons good on any of their flights, and valid until the end of January 2017.  Yesterday, I received another email from an executive in Southwest PR with profuse apologies about our challenging trip and an offer for reimbursement of any extra expense we incurred on the trip.  I had not even sent a letter of complaint, just a letter to express our gratitude to one of their team members ...

After all this I guess we have to get back on a trip in the friendly skies, -:).  I am checking Southwest's route for a possible destination for a short winter trip - somewhere warm.  I would not mind going back up in an aircraft to watch the clouds from above.  Looking at my photographs I noticed that I have a very large number of cloud and sky pictures, both from above and below.  Habits that one started in childhood are often kept throughout adulthood.  When I was a wee child in Paris - I am talking 4, 5 years old, during World War II, my mother and I would look out of the living room window (pictured below) to see if any German planes were flying our way.  Then later, every morning my mother would ask me to look out of that window to check the weather.  The habit was formed to look at the sky.  We would often walk up the 15 minutes to the Sacre-Coeur of Montmartre in Paris.  The view of the sky from the hill was striking.  When my parents bought the house in St Leu la Foret, a Paris suburb, I would hike to the forest top with my dog.  If the sky was clear I could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.  Here in Georgia we are close to Kennesaw Mountain with a great sky view to Atlanta from the top of the mountain.  (Click on collage to enlarge.)

As I was looking often from the window mother would ask me: "Are you seeing some cumulus? Or nimbus? Or nimbostratus?"  Then she would add "You should know, you always have your head in the clouds ..."  My favorites are the cumulus clouds.  They are fluffy, look like cotton candy or even look like a nice head of cauliflower.  I also thought they resembled little sheep in the sky.  Below are the different types of clouds (courtesy US and French Wikipedia.)

I really was surprised at the number of cloud and sky pictures I have accumulated.  My husband looks at clouds every time we go shopping, or anywhere.  As I drive, he will tell me to look up at a nice cluster of clouds.  Often I have to stop, park the car and look up - then I take a picture.  I found many pictures of lovely cloudy skies from the trips we made.  It is difficult to choose from some of the pictures I took on our coastal voyage from above the Arctic Circle to Bergen, Norway, as the Norwegian fjords were breathtaking under any sky, any weather, as shown below.

Even if one is not of a poetic inclination, it is difficult not to become lyrical while looking at these beautiful clouds and skies from Norway.  A quotation from the Prince of Roeulx, of the Royal House of Belgium, comes to mind: "Clouds are fantastical dream machines - wondrous and magical, and in touch with infinity."

For about 26 years I worked in an aircraft manufacturing plant here in Marietta, at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Air Force Plant No. 6.  It is a huge facility containing about 4.2 million-square-feet.  There, I was the Customer Liaison in the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft division for about 15 plus years.  Then I worked for about 11 years as an Analyst in the C-130J Super Hercules' Supply Chain Management for one of our customers, the Italian Air Force.  The production floor is huge, with no windows, just two grand openings at each end of the building.  When I drove the trainees or customers to the various labs, such as the Avionics lab, or Power Plant lab, the first thing I did was to look up at the sky, always.  There could be one of our C-130s flying, or a C-5 ...

"There is a certain feeling of courage and hope when you work in the field of the air.  You instinctively look up, not down.  You look ahead, not back.  You look ahead where the horizons are absolutely unlimited."  Robert E. "Bob" Gross, Lockheed's Chairman/CEO 1932-1961.

I also like to look down at clouds while flying.  I never get tired of watching clouds, as long as there is light, rather than watching a film or using a laptop or iPad.  All these ethereal clouds let you imagine that you are in the land of dreams, with no stress or constraints, with infinity ahead.

Pictures must be taken quickly when flying over a group of clouds.  They pass by in an instant or change shape, from transparent to fibrous or silky.  They can be soft looking with opalescent colors or have a somber aspect, with menacing dark shapes.  They can form a halo or be quite dense, thin or semi-transparent.

Clouds have inspired painters.  Below are two such paintings.  On top left is Cloud by John Constable, English (1776-1837) next to Study of Clouds by Simon Denis, Belgian (1755-1813.)

They have also inspired poets and novelists.  Below is an excerpt from Marcel Proust's school writings, 1885-1886.  I'll translate it below. 
« Dans tous les temps, dans tous les pays […] les nuages ont dû séduire l’imagination de l’homme par leurs formes changeantes et souvent fantastiques. Toujours l’homme a dû y deviner les êtres imaginaires ou réels qui occupaient son esprit. Chacun peut y trouver ce qui lui plaît. […] Il peut découvrir alors dans les nuées […] toutes les fantaisies brillantes de son imagination exaltée. […]Ces belles couleurs de pourpre et d'or donneront à son rêve un éclat magnifique et grandiose  […] Puis, se laissant aller presque involontairement à une rêverie qui l’absorbe, l’homme oublie peu à peu les objets qui l’entourent ; ne voyant plus rien, n’entendant plus rien près de soi, il prête à son illusion le caractère de la réalité, donne la vie aux formes qu’il a devinées et assiste à un spectacle grandiose que lui-même il a créé. »  (Les nuages).

Translation:  "At all times, in all countries [...] the clouds had to capture the imagination of man by their changing and often fantastic shapes.  Man had to always guess in them the real or imaginary beings that occupied his mind.  Everyone can find in them whatever he wishes. [...]  He can then discover in the clouds [...] all the brilliant fancies of his exalted imagination. [...] These beautiful colors of purple-red and gold will give his dream a magnificent and grandiose radiance.  Then, almost unwittingly indulging in an absorbing reverie, man gradually forgets the objects that surround him; seeing nothing, hearing nothing close by, he lends to his illusion a character of reality, gives life to forms that he fancied and attends a splendid spectacle that he himself has created."  From "The Clouds" Marcel Proust, French (1871-1922.)

I just also realized that for a heading, when I started this blog, I selected a photograph of clouds over Newfoundland, Canada - I did not think about it until just now as I looked up.  I like to take pictures of cloudy landscapes whenever I see them.  Below are 3 pictures taken in Hawaii, (starting with the palm tree) then on the left column is Long Island, NY, above a bridge over the Mississippi in Memphis, TN.  On the right column, below the sunset in Honolulu is a beach at St Pierre et Miquelon, French island near Canada, then all the rest are pics of New York City.

We flew to New York City numerous times.  I was there for a visit in October 2001 - see post here.  Then we were there again in October, 2011, to visit the 9/11 Memorial, see post here.

 As I am writing this post, it is past midnight now, and it is September 11, 2016.  We remember that day with sorrow but also remember that we all came together in this nation, and many other countries joined us, people of all religions or no religion, to stand together to mourn the victims and to stand against hate.  It has been fifteen years since this horrible tragedy, but we will never forget, we still grieve.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Addendum -  We live close to Kennesaw National Battlefield Park.  This afternoon as we were driving around the north side of the mountain, near the visitors' center, we saw a multitude of flags.  

It was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze.  We stopped and sat under the shade of an ancient tree and watched the flags waving in the wind.  They are there to remember and honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day.

Blog Intermission No. 21 (entr'acte) - Villes, a poem

Traveling in nature is one of the great joys we have.  We can watch a sunset over the sea, snow on a mountain and brilliant flowers in a garden.  Experiencing the splendor of nature brings powerful feelings I think, feeling of joy, of gratitude even for being part of all this magnificence.  I'll share some of my pictures below such as a sunset over mountain in Alaska.

But we are also attached to the place where we spent our childhood and young years, and we carry it with us. Until I was 21 I spent most of my life in Paris, the capital of France.  It is a large city where I felt at home because it was home.  So I feel at home in large cities also, in any country.  In a city you encounter a diverse range of people, from many backgrounds.  The sounds, the architecture, the smells can be so different and exiting - the food too.  The culture, the arts - there is no monotony.  You can find a quiet place in a city too, like this bench I found in a park.

Or enter (and exit, as my husband is doing) the CNN Center in Atlanta with its quick pace.

There is such a diversity of happenings in a large city - you may be witness to unpredictable gatherings, such as these two men below we saw in a busy street in Oslo, Norway - one acting like a statue, the other wearing a pink dress.

Or you can feel part of a happy event such as the bride answering my wave in a street of Marseille, France.

Or watching another bride and groom walking by in the Montmartre hills of Paris.

You can study appealing architecture, such as the tall buildings in Manhattan below

and the professionals with their vehicles coming to peoples' assistance anytime they are needed.

Or spend a peaceful evening on a roof garden in Tunis, Tunisia where we could smell the flowering jasmine.

Or you can stop in the middle of a bridge to watch a boat float by, as we did a Sunday morning on the Danube River in Vienna, Austria.

 One of my favorite things is to be on a high point and contemplate the city below, such as Los Angeles from my friend's Naomi's home in the hills of Hollywood

or observe the port of Oslo on a overcast day.

And my favorite view, of course, is the view closest to my former home - the Paris panorama from the Montmartre hills near the Sacre-Coeur.  But I embrace all the cities I have known.

Below is a poem by Andree Chedid (1920-2011.)  She was of Lebanese descent and born in Cairo, Egypt (another city I like, home of my late aunt and cousins.)  She studied in a French school and in an American University.  She spoke French, English and Arabic.  She moved to France with her husband in 1946 and they both took the French nationality.  For over 50 years she created a body of work in France that includes 40 volumes of poetry, novels and plays.  She won the Goncourt prize for literature and many other literary prizes.  Below is a picture of Cairo, Egypt.

Le Chant des Villes     

Je m’attache aux pulsations des villes
A leur existence mouvementée
Je respire dans leurs espaces verts
Je me glisse dans leurs ruelles
J’écoute leurs peuples de partout
J’ai aimé les cités Le Caire ou bien Paris
Elles retentissent dans mes veines
Me collent à la peau

Je ne pourrai me passer

D'être foncièrement :

Urbaine.  - Andree Chedid

Window cleaners in Paris in May 2011

Translation:

The Song of cities

I cling to the pulsations of cities

To their animated existence

I breathe in their greenspaces

I slip into their alleyways

I listen to their people from everywhere

I have loved the cities like Cairo or Paris

They echo in my veins

Stick to my skin

I could not live without

Being fundamentally :

Urban.  Andree Chedid

Paris seen from the roof tops by Robert Ricart, French born in 1948

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-  

Note:  Post pre-programmed - this is a blogger break. 

Glimpses of New York

Before my husband and I left for Ohio last month, I saw a Delta Airlines fare sale. A room was available in the hotel where we usually stay in Manhattan so I went ahead and booked two tickets for New York City. We just came back after having passed nine days there, 4 in New York City and 5 in Long Island, which we had not visited before. I’ll write posts later on several of the places we visited, including the park where the “Occupy Wall Street” protesters are located. This post covers several glimpses on this last trip. The hotel in New York is a “no-frill” budget hotel but it has beautiful views of the Hudson River. I had to take the pictures through the window glass and screen so they are not too sharp. The picture above was taken from our hotel room looking straight ahead. The picture below is looking to our right.

Click on picture to enlarge, and click again to see even larger

We have been to New York several times and seen the major sights, so now when we go we don’t follow a strict schedule. We do, what we call in France “flâner” – which is strolling while observing. As Charles Beaudelaire said a flâneur “is a person who walks the city in order to experience it." If we see something interesting, we stop. If we hear music or some unusual noise, we go and find out what or who made it. The first afternoon after our arrival we decided to just stroll in the neighborhood. A couple of blocks away are Theodore Roosevelt Park and the American Museum of Natural History. As we were approaching the park we heard clapping. So, we went closer. A security guard stopped us telling us that the Swedish and Norwegian Ambassadors were speaking. I told Security that I had been to Norway not long ago and would love to get closer, so he let us. Below is a picture of Wegger Chr. Strommen, the Norwegian Ambassador to the US speaking at the Nobel Monument.




The event was a Nobel Monument Inscription Ceremony co-hosted by Mr. Strommen, the Norwegian Ambassador to the US and Jonas Hafström, the Swedish Ambassador to the US. Two of the 2011 and two of the 2010 Laureates in Economics were in attendance as well as many other dignitaries. We stayed there and listened for a while. Then we came back on West 81st Street and looked at the interesting townhouses.



The next day we took the Long Island Railroad train to Oyster Bay Township in Long Island.

While there we saw the Long Island Sound in Great Neck, as shown below.




We had rented an automobile, a small Nissan, so we could travel to all the little towns along the North Shore of Long Island which is nicknamed “The Gold Coast” because of its affluent residents. Many mansions from the early 1900s still stand and some can be visited. Below is a side and back view of the Nassau County Museum of Art. Most of the 145 acres and mansion belonged to the Frick family (co-founder of US Steel Corporation.) Now the mansion is a museum of art and the land a preserve.




We walked though beautiful gardens (and I took many pictures – which will follow soon.) Below is a picture taken in the Old Westbury Gardens. It is a magnificent Charles II-style mansion surrounded by 200 acres of formal gardens, landscaped grounds, ponds and lakes. That day the sun was abundant which kept my cameras busy.




We visited another large garden located in a former Gold Coast Estate. The arboretum is 409 acres large (approx. 190 ares?) The estate still has the original historic buildings, including a 65-room Tudor Revival mansion called Coe Hall. Pictures were authorized inside the mansion and I took some. We were there just before closing time so I hurried to also take pictures in the colorful dahlia garden.




So much to see on the North Coast – the five days passed very quickly. I’d love to go back to explore this charming and historic area. Back in New York City we met two wonderful New York Bloggers. We met Frances of the blog “City Views, Country Dreams” and met for a second time Christina of the blog “Bowsprite” – both blogs are featured on the right side of my blog page. I’ll tell you more about these meetings in a future post. We went to South Street Seaport and sat a long time on Pier 17 looking at the ferries and ships going by.



It was not sunny that day but it was warm and it did not rain.



We saw more than tall buildings and ships. We saw people – many policemen




as well as dogs of all sizes and breeds.



We were fortunate to obtain two passes to visit the 9/11 Memorial. These are free (although they ask you for a donation.) You have to be at the Memorial at a time which is still available. Luckily I had reserved our passes a long time in advance. Our time was 3:00 PM on Tuesday October 4th. We arrived in the area a couple of hours early so we could stroll there and suddenly found ourselves in Zucotti Park. The park (formerly called Liberty Park) being across the former World Trade Center was heavily damaged in the September 11 attacks. It was rebuilt and is home to a couple of sculptures - a 70-foot tall sculpture of bright red beams called Joie de Vivre by Mark di Suvero and Double Check, a bronze businessman sitting on a bench by John Seward Johnson II. Pictures of empty park courtesy Wikipedia.




There were several hundred people in the park – regular people, housewives with children, seniors, businessmen, etc. The media only shows the most radical young students there, who were in the minority. I’ll write about this later as we did talk to several people at the park.




We had some sunny days, some grey days and a bit of rain, but we had a great time. New York is such a terrific city that there is always so much to see and do. I tried to take the picture below from my window on the airplane, but I did not get the K of New York….ah well …c’est la vie.