Sheron Long's Blog, page 22
August 1, 2016
Japanese Traditions in Yakushima Photography
The primeval rainforest of Japan’s Yakushima Island
© Kodo Chijiiwa
Photographers Show Reverence for Nature, Beauty, and Time
Yakushima is an island in the North Pacific that seems to have its own spirit, its own magic. It is rich in Japanese traditions, as well as exceptional natural beauty—with its lush vegetation, wild coast, ancient trees, and proud mountains.
I had not heard of Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before wandering into a gallery at the famous Rencontres d’Arles—a massive annual photography event in southern France.
Thousands of photographs are presented at this summer festival, from vintage treasures to the trends of tomorrow. But there was something special about the collection of images from a group of Japanese (and Japan-inspired) photographers.
The powerful forces of nature
© Antonin Borgeaud
The connection to nature was...
July 25, 2016
First, Dare to Be Wild
The Art of Gardening to Save the World
Up close, a wildflower is a world.
© Joyce McGreevy
Here’s what happens when landscape designers dare to be wild. Lavender hyssop, maroon prairie smoke, blue quamash, and frothy calamint run rampant in all directions. The work of creative problem solvers, wild gardening centers you in the heart of nature.
Native spiderwort and wild grasses grow knee-high in Midwestern fields.
© Joyce McGreevy
A Wild Surprise
Now, look skyward. See the skyscrapers. You’re standing in the center of America’s third largest urban area. Welcome to Chicago, city of wild surprises.
Meadows in an ultra-urban setting draw 4 million visitors
annually to Lurie Garden, Chicago.
© Joyce McGreevy
Wild in the City
The urban oasis of Lurie Garden is part of a cultural trend toward New Wave Planting. Inspired...
July 18, 2016
Sweet Dreams of Ice Cream and Primal Rhythms
The unifying power of music
© Lex Fletcher
Conquering Cultural Barriers in Rwanda
An open-air truck bumps along the rutted streets of Butare, Rwanda. The beaming woman in the back broadcasts through a crackling microphone.
Hello. Hello. You are about to experience something new.
Do you want to have a good life?
Do you want your children to grow up healthy?
Sweet dreams. The answer to your prayers.
Ice cream.
If you’re old, it will make you young again.
Come and see the dreams of women.
Ice cream.
It will change your life.
Her words are true. The ice cream in this African town has changed lives.
Sweet Dreams: The first taste of ice cream
Courtesy of Liro Films
The first ice cream shop in Rwanda, Inzozi Nziza (translated as “Sweet Dreams”), broke cultural barriers in many ways.
The shop changed lives...
July 11, 2016
A Ticket to Surf (No Fear)
The shark fin—native to its ocean habitat and symbol of horror films.
© DigitalStorm/Thinkstock
Creative Thinkers Invent Shark Repellent
Ahhhh. A beach vacation with adventure—
Catching a wave in Australia
Diving in Hawaii’s coral reef
Kayaking the coast of California
You won’t be alone . . . dunah . . . dunah. That’s right, there will be other tourists there too! And of course, marine life, possibly sharks.
Surfers, who decide to play in the playground of a predator, are used to taking a ration of fear along for the ride. But now ocean enthusiasts and other creative thinkers have teamed up to develop a shark repellent that relaxes the mind and eliminates the fear for surfers.
And it just might provide an answer for coexisting with sharks, who are essential animals in the ocean environment.
Beach tourism is no longer two...
July 5, 2016
Decluttering to Become a Digital Nomad
I downsized from two bedrooms and countless books to one suitcase and a carry-on.
© Joyce McGreevy
Minimalism and the Art of Travel
It was my travel posters that made me hesitate. For years, I’d decluttered my condo with the passion of Michelangelo releasing sculpture from stone. Then last year, decluttering took on new purpose: I wanted to become a digital nomad.
But those posters anchored me. So I took a break from filling bankers boxes to contemplate the art of travel.
Toddler at Large
Dad savors a rare moment when I am sitting still, as Mom takes a snapshot.
© McGreevy Family collection
I’ve been a happy wanderer since age two. That January, I wriggled out of my snowsuit, ran naked into our New York garden, and scaled a redwood fence.
What on EARTH are you doing? my mother shrieked as she bundled me back inside. Apparently, I answered in a tone that...
June 27, 2016
The Art and Philosophy of the Doggy Bag
Did someone say “Doggy Bag?”
© Meredith Mullins & Charlie Meagher
How Different Cultures Look at Leftovers
Are restaurant leftovers going to the dogs?
That depends on to whom and where you pose the question. Different cultures have different approaches to taking restaurant leftovers home. The history of the doggy bag is a bit furry . . . er, blurry.
The First Doggy Bag
Some say the idea dates back to Roman times, when food was often taken home in a napkin from multi-course, recline-while-you-eat meals.
We can trace the first doggy bags back to the U.S. during WW II when food was scarce and waste was unthinkable.
The idea was to give diners a way to bring leftover meat and bones to a canine best friend waiting eagerly at home. The dog was sometimes just a pretense, as the doggy bag was also a way to stretch food a little bit further in struggling...
June 20, 2016
Bookmarking the British Library
As designer of the iconic main gates, David Kindersley was truly a man of letters.
By C. G. P. Grey – C. G. P. Grey’s Photography, CC BY 2.0
Online Treasure Hunt of the World’s Cultural Heritage
Search engines—including some that rhyme with kugel, king, and kazoo—are the world’s “auxiliary brain,” the one we count on to have all the answers, all the time. But when it comes to repositories of cultural heritage, literary artifacts, and linguistic wisdom, all search engines lead to London. There you’ll find the ultimate must-know for all who must know: The British Library.
Every year, six million searches are generated by the British Library
online catalogue–more than 12 times the number of on-site visitors to the building.
Global Treasure Trove
The British Library is that figurative extra room that householders often dream...
June 13, 2016
When the Catch of the Day Is a Cultural Experience
The catch of the day
© Eva Boynton
Fishing Lessons to Share
Travel is a sea of opportunity, but often one in which people and places come and go in a kind of “catch and release” game. And yet, travelers who take the time to dive into local waters, engaging with people from within the culture, often go home with a rich sense of satisfaction, anchored in the authentic cultural experience.
I know. I learned about that during an “Oh, I see” moment in Mazunte, Mexico, when fishing lessons from Melchor, a local fisherman, turned into a bigger catch of the day.
Melchor on his way to catch a fish
© Eva Boynton
Fishing for Local Knowledge
In Manzunte, my travel companion stumbled upon a group of local fisherman and struck up a conversation. Her show of interest and inquisitive mind were enough to land an invitation from Melchor to a day of...
June 7, 2016
Travel Adventures in Afghanistan
People play a key role in travel adventures of the memorable kind.
© Meredith Mullins
Memorable Moments Live On in Rekindled Travel Stories
Sometimes a journey is so memorable that you can relive every detail—every sensory impression—decades later. My travel adventures in Afghanistan were such a journey.
The powerfully felt “Oh, I see” moments are rooted deeply in my memory.
The colors—from the lapis blue of the Band-e Amir lakes to the jewel tones of the women’s burkas.
The tastes and smells—from juicy mulberries washed fresh in the mountain streams of the Hindu Kush and crispy nan (Afghan bread) to the smoky incense of the wood fires.
The summer heat—from the unrelenting sun above and the baking earth under my feet.
And the characters—weathered by hard life, but hospitable and generous with what little they had.
The journey begins...
June 1, 2016
Cultural Heritage: Listening to Ireland
While I’m sleepless in Chicago, dawn arrives in Ireland. I can almost hear the birdsong:
© Joyce McGreevy
Audio Postcards from Galway
Travel articles emphasize the visual: the view from the room, the lay of the land, the unique color palette of a place.
Ireland is visually dazzling, but to appreciate its cultural heritage, you also need to listen.
© Joyce McGreevy
Longing to Listen In
My favorite example of the visual is a webcam overlooking a pedestrianized street in Galway, Ireland. The view is so intimate that, as a former resident, I’ve recognized friends among the passersby.
One night, knowing it was daytime in Ireland, I logged on. An unapologetic voyeur, homesick for my other country, I wondered what folks would think if they knew they were being watched over by some sentimental Chicagoan in rumpled pajamas.
A view of Quay Street,...
