Getting Places – Europe Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

First glimpse of the European continent

The first view of the European Continent coming into view.

Rural European land from 30,000 feet

Farms in the Netherlands.

Farmland in Germany

Farms in Germany. If you are looking for more details, you won’t find them here. We are exhausted and have been traveling for fifteen hours now.

German city from 30,000 feet

More of Germany from high in the sky.

Approaching Frankfurt and passing the Main River in Germany

Approaching the Frankfurt International Airport and passing over the Rhein River as we do so.

Arriving in Frankfurt and greeted by Stephanie, Katarina, and Klaus Engelhardt with Caroline Wise

Best welcome at an airport ever! Caroline and I were met by Stephanie, Katharina, and Klaus Engelhardt here in the city of Caroline’s birth, Frankfurt, Germany. We are on vacation and will be moving further down the road at a point, but for now, we are here to visit family.

John Wise, Jutta Engelhardt, Caroline Wise and Katarina Engelhardt in Frankfurt, Germany

After a small snack with the Engelhardt’s, we walked over to our dinner reservation, which, when I made it I didn’t know was around the corner from Klaus and Stephanie. Shortly after we arrived, Jutta was delivered by taxi, and we were ready to grab a table. This was my first time seeing my Schwiegermutter (mother-in-law) in five years; back then, it was an emergency visit due to her breaking her hip. Although I was incredibly jet-lagged it was still a wonderful moment with all of us sitting down for dinner.

Hand cheese (handkaesse mit musik) with onions

“Handkäse mit Musik” was my appetizer of choice as this is one of the typical Frankfurt dishes and is never found in regions beyond the state of Hessen.

Calf schnitzel with green sauce

My entree was “Schnitzel vom Kalb mit grüner Soße” or schnitzel with green sauce. This is another taste of Frankfurt, difficult if not impossible to get anywhere else. I could have eaten this for dessert, too, but vanilla ice cream with hot raspberry (Heisse Liebe or Hot Love) spoke to me.

Asparagus and boiled potato with Hollandaise

Caroline opted for asparagus and boiled potato with hollandaise. White asparagus is not available year-round, and we were lucky to get this dish as we are moving closer to the end of the season; of course, she shared it with me.

Speissekammer Restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany

Our re-acquaintance with the traditional flavors of Frankfurt happened here at Speisekammer Restaurant, where we opted for a table outside. By the end of dinner, I was falling down tired from the jet lag; as a matter of fact, for a moment, I nearly fell asleep at the table and had to excuse myself to walk around. The first day of this vacation is now firmly set in the column of perfection.

Due to being in the air the better part of our day, we only collected 3 miles of walking or 5 km and hiked up a minuscule four floors.

Going Places – Europe Day 0

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

John Wise and Caroline Wise

Flying somewhere to do stuff elsewhere. So where is that elsewhere?

Grand Canyon from 30,000 feet

The first clue is that we are passing over the Grand Canyon National Park, and if you look closer, you might notice the Colorado River winding its way through this Big Ditch, not that the Colorado plays a role in this adventure.

Clouds over America

You won’t glean any hints from this amorphous landscape of our direction or location, but it’s beautiful up here.

Clouds over America

Our ever-present travel companions for the past hour or so.

Caroline Wise at Mo's Seafood & Chowder at the Portland Airport, Oregon

With two-and-a-half hours between flights, we certainly had enough time for a cup of slumgullion from Mo’s Seafood & Chowder at the Portland Airport in Oregon. Slumgullion is clam chowder topped with bay shrimp, in case you weren’t already familiar with this coastal Oregon treat.

Mount St. Helens in Washington

This is the peak of Mount St. Helens in Washington, so you can glean that we are still traveling north’ish.

John Wise and Caroline Wise

There’s a serious clue in this photo about our ultimate destination, but spelling it out would spoil the fun.

Sunset over Alberta or Saskatchewan, Canada

As the sun sets, we are somewhere over either Alberta or Saskatchewan, Canada, heading in the general direction of Hudson Bay. After a bite to eat for dinner, we tried to get some fitful sleep for the next five hours; a baby that had other plans worked hard to ensure we got as little rest as possible while it screeched like a wounded hawk/seal demon hybrid.

Encoding

JWise Moments

I'm looking at you

Slicing the blade of time along the disappearing edge, we begin to approach the sharpest point where the event horizon distorts: we are about to collapse into an alternative universe. This current space we inhabit is another launchpad for extra-dimensional exploration. Our minds have been packed with the tools of interpretation that will allow us perspective shifts upon cultures not yet experienced.

The influence of previous proximity is largely negated by the time delta. Nearness can be enhanced momentarily for those best prepared for newness. How does one become equipped for such encounters? We tune in to being wakeful. Brevity demands we act now and embrace what we may have otherwise not known.

Are we headed somewhere without? Is that even possible? Regardless of where we are on the physical plain, we are still within. No matter where we embark or where we land, we will still be inside the entity only known to us. Should we decide to expand the universe, the plasticity of our conditioned mental environments will dictate and limit the breadth of our ability and discovery. Malleability is not a desired trait aside from those who have managed to cultivate themselves as creators and leaders; even there, we enforce hard limits.

With conditions ripe, we manifest a reality alteration. Automated systems of support are aligned for the occasion, and all that is left is to act and be present. What patterns emerge and sequences coded will be largely dependent upon all that preceded these days. A record of this journey will be forthcoming.

The Fiber Guild

JWise Photo of the Day

Arizona Desert Weavers and Spinners Guild in Phoenix, Arizona with Caroline Wise

This is the outgoing board of the Arizona Desert Weavers and Spinners Guild in Phoenix, Arizona, with my wife Caroline Wise on her last day as president. For the past two years Caroline, at many times quite nervous about her role, held the gavel and directed proceedings at the monthly meetings. Today also marks the end of her obligation to produce and edit the guild’s newsletter which she has done for the past five years. With this, she will no longer be a board member which is a bitter-sweet reality, but a break is needed and well deserved.

138 Countries

JWise Photo of the Day

world-2169041_1280

I was just looking at my stats of who visits my blog and found that over the course of the last year people from 138 countries of Earth’s 195 recognized countries have stopped for one reason or other right here. I guess it’s appropriate seeing how America-centric my blog is that the largest group of visitors is from the United States. Filling out the top 10 are China, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Germany, France, Netherlands, South Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Taking me up to 100 is Myanmar, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Haiti, and Mozambique. Down bottom closing it out are Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Belize, and Guam. In between those are nearly 120 other countries where a search engine suggested that they should visit www.johnwise.com. For whatever reason, I’m happy that so many people on Earth find my site and catch a glimpse of how I see things.

Bach Didn’t Have Patch Cables

JWise Patch of the Day

Kermit and Sloths

Industrial Music Electronics (IME) Piston Honda MK3 (untreated sound at end of the piece) with no modulation, being fed into Mutable Instruments Clouds with the following modulation: Position by IME Kermit, Size and Blend by Non-Linear Circuits Sloths, 1V/Oct by IME Stillson Hammer MK2. No other effects or modulation.