per·i·pa·tet·ic
ˌperēpəˈtedik/
adjective
  1. 1.
    traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
    "the peripatetic nature of military life"
    synonyms:nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant,migratory, unsettled
    "I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle"
  2. 2.
    Aristotelian.
noun
  1. 1.
    a person who travels from place to place.
  2. 2.
    an Aristotelian philosopher.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Smiling Faces and "Caret" Motives


Now that things appear to have changed for the better in this country, we may be expected to pick up the pace. I am talking about walking instead of driving, taking the stairs and not the elevator, drying clothes on the line, growing our own vegetables; i.e., we must be about the business of making our lives more "green." Does all of this carbon offsetting sound like a lot of work? You bet.



...Alice looked around her in great surprise. "Why, I do believe we've been under this tree the whole time! Everything's just as it was!"
"Of course it is," said the Queen. "What would you have it?"
"Well, in our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else--if you ran very fast for a long time as we've been doing."
"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"



--from Through the Looking-Glass, Chapter II, "The Garden of Live Flowers," by Lewis Carroll--



On our recent trip to visit family in distant homes, we stopped on the way back to our home at a National Seashore site and wildlife refuge near Cape Canaveral. The alligator pictured above immediately attracted our attention, even though it never appeared to move at all. It might seem a little strange for wildlife to be sheltered so near a site laden with TCE (trichloroethylene) and its degradation products such as vinyl chloride. Hubby has been to the Cape before but not as a tourist. He once tracked contaminant plumes in the soil and groundwater there.


"Rockets' red glare" is still seen here occasionally when the shuttle blasts off into space. We may not be in a race with the Russians anymore, but there is much more work to be done in space. Since the economy is in such a meltdown, I wonder where the money will come from to pay for this work?

This building (above) looks a little like a condominium, but it serves a more important purpose than fattening the bank accounts of developers. Can you guess what it is?


We found another building with a lot of history as well as significance for the future close to home. The National Naval Aviation Museum has become a major tourist attraction for NW Florida and serves an important purpose in educating people about naval aviation. Admission is free, so it's a good place to take a large group. Children seem especially impressed with the vast collection of carefully disassembled, restored, and reassembled aircraft and aviation memorabilia.


This type of green-washing would never work for our daughter. Even with a low-flow showerhead, she consumes more water than you would think humanly possible. I wish I could somehow rig up a mandatory one-rain-barrel shower for her. Initiatives seldom seem to work with some consumers, but carefully enforced mandates just might do the trick.



I know these objects are just carets. You know, ^^, empty, lacking things like engines or people to make them fly.


Only imagination can truly take flight in this place. And it does, even for earthbound bloggers who like to walk and then write.


It takes a very large prop to move a ship, and, it appears, even larger props like "carbon offsets" and "RECs" (renewable energy credits) to move a movement. Empty of meaning or purpose, except maybe to enrich some savvy business owners--oops, I mean directors and stakeholders of nonprofit organizations--they have become the watchwords for a new generation of green optimists.

15 comments:

  1. It's quite intriguing how the metaphor weaves its way in and out and around and seems to be whispering loudly as it walks along.

    I thought this article: http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2007/02/ethanol_too_muc.html
    was also pertinent.

    (I couldn't guess the purpose of that building. Is it the one the aviation museum is in?)

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  2. Nice trip to the aviation museum. Great works of men who tried to mimic our winged chums. In one of our India states (Gujarat), there exists a small rivulet (you could call it a lake), crocodiles live in huge numbers, that too near residences and they're least bothered about people moving about them! There have been almost no accidents heard of!

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  3. TC, I'm not sure which metaphor you are referring to. Is it animal, mineral, or vegetable? Or a by-product thereof? No, the building is not the museum. It's at the Cape, not in Pensacola. Hey, you're the first one to drop by this time. Glad to see ya. I've enjoyed your lively posts and discussions lately. Gave me a jumping-off point. You would think I'm a daredevil who adores free-falling.

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  4. Chandramouli, thank you. Here in the U.S., alligators may be hunted at certain times of the year for their meat and hide. Not the ones in the refuge, of course! And it probably wouldn't be a good idea to eat those anyway. Probably contaminated. I think the area is considered a huge outdoor lab for studying the effects of certain environmental hazards. I guess that's why there is no fresh/running water available at any of the parking areas. Wells would most likely be contaminated. I think crocodiles and alligators are due some respect. Amazing creatures!

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  5. I am wracking my brain to think of a use for that huge building, but can't. I so truly enjoyed the tour of the museum, carets and all-it looks so nice! Big too and the price is right:)

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  6. I think that huge building is the lauching site for the shuttle. Am I at least warm? I enjoyed this newest walk and laughed out loud when I read about the great shower debate. Our son, who can shower for hours, called tonight to find out how to turn the hot water off because his roommate wouldn't get out of the shower!

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  7. Tina, you could fit 3.75 Empire State Buildings inside of it, if that information helps. And you can find some real SRBs inside, if you're fortunate enough to be allowed in. When you and the family come to NW FL, you really should visit the museum. I think the Jimster would be impressed. There is even an IMAX theater, not with free admission, of course.

    PJ, you are close, and if you're warm right now you must have the heat on. It sure doesn't feel like FL outside this morning. So we're not the only ones to have a conspicuous consumer in the family? At least your son has moved out and is discovering for himself the cost of indulgence. Just when we thought daughter was ready to leave the nest, the economy tanked, so did her business, and her income has not kept up with her expenses. You know, when I hear people complain about having to survive on a fixed income in this economy, I just shake my head. It would be nice to have an income that ain't broke! I need to catch up on your posts.

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  8. I am going to guess the hanger for the shuttle! We have a facility over the river in SC called Savannah River Sight (SRS) Lots of secret stuff goes on there. They have a refuge for animals and they study them to see the effects of the facility surrounding them. Nuclear stuff...

    Last weekend after yard work, I jumped into the shower. The Saint took his shower after me. Saint said he had a cold shower. Ops, I had started the washer before I jumped into the shower. This was after we have picked up horse poop so I needed a long hot shower… Sorry honey!

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  9. My daughter didn't appreciate the cost of utilities until she had her own place. The first time we went we turned on all the faucets, the lights, the heat and opened the door. "Hey that stuff costs money" said she.

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  10. Skeeter, you're pretty close to being right. Known as the VAB (vehicle assembly building), it's a multi-purpose facility. Good thing it is; the darn thing cost a fortune to build and another fortune to maintain! Here is a link to some interesting info:

    http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/facilities/vab.html

    I'm guessing you mean you went to someone's barn to gather manure for fertilizer, not that you had a bunch of irresponsible equestrians trotting through your yard! You really are living with a Saint. And all he said was he had a cold shower? No muttering under his breath or yelling so loud the neighbors were alarmed? I'm in awe!

    Michelle, kids really are clueless, aren't they? I know I was until I moved out and the bills started rolling in. It's amazing what a little dose of reality can do to a person's concept of conservation. That was a priceless object lesson for your daughter!

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  11. Yeah, I was close! Do I win a prize? tee hee... Saint is a good one indeed! Takes a lot of punishment from me and does little complaining. :-)

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  12. You're already a winner, Skeeter! You have the Saint. And he is an even better kind of VAB--not at all costly to build or maintain--a very accommodating beau. Where would we be without them?

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  13. W2W - I enjoyed your post and especially the smiling 'gator. It reminds me so much of professional politicians. Hard to believe the 'gators are still smiling since their habitat is being destroyed and they swim around in a toxic soup. Maybe we should try that with the politicians and see how they like it. Throw them in the Deleware River and tear down all their plush offices. Just kidding... maybe!

    Amon

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  14. Hi there! I am glad to see that you are still reading my blog. I was afraid to offend people that I didn't expect to be reading it. I promise to pick up the pace with writing as well as being more green. I've already started growing my seeds in flats for this year's garden!

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  15. Anonymous, those gators are almost as resilient as Gaillardia, I think. As for the "reptiles" in D.C., well, they are human, believe it or not, maybe just with thicker skin, so we'll leave them alone to face another fate. The toxic ones will eventually reveal themselves.

    Clementine, please don't ever be afraid to offend people. Your blog is part of you, and you should be proud of what you've accomplished so far. I can't wait to read whatever else is residing in that clever brain of yours. Thanks for joining me in my walk. I promise I won't be goose-stepping!

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