AN INCREDIBLE LIFE, A HUGE LOSS
RBG hung on for a very long time through multiple bouts of cancer. What a trouper she was and what a magnificent justice and advocate for equal rights! Such an impressive woman. Thank you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for your powerful intellect, your undiminished passion, and for all you achieved. You will be missed.
The Chief Penguin and I had the distinct privilege and pleasure of hearing Justice Ginsburg speak in Aspen a few years ago, and it was both: a privilege and a pleasure.
A RESTORATIVE
Selby Gardens in Sarasota is a favorite place of ours and we often take family and visiting friends there. Since Covid, we had not returned for a long while, but today made a brief visit. I wanted to see the glass art on display and was very ready for a change of scene.
We arrived about ten minutes before opening and joined three other masked couples ahead of us in line. The experience was wonderful. Very few people, lots of plants in bloom (can’t recall ever coming in September), and I saw the glass on the exhibit’s last day.
It was overcast with a light breeze and not at all hot. We meandered through the conservatory and then outside among the plants, claiming a bench to take in this view of the bay. I left feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. For a time, life seemed normal.
NATURE ON SCREEN
Islands of Wonder: Madagascar (PBS)
This is part of a series on unique islands around the world. The listing caught my eye because the Chief Penguin and I spent three weeks in Madagascar in 2009 when we worked at the California Academy of Sciences. The Academy had several research projects underway there, and our fellow travelers were the chief botany curator, a trustee, their wives, and a local guide. We flew in and out of the capital city airport in Antananarivo, informally known as “Tana,” and then traveled by van to rainforests, desert, and mountains.
Madagascar, east of mainland Africa, is the oldest island on earth. Due to its isolated location, it has an astounding number of species found only there. Perhaps best known are the many varieties of lemurs, and they feature extensively in this visually stunning show. From ring-tailed ones to dancing sifakas, one learns how lemurs have adapted to challenging habitats. Add to that unusual lizards, strange birds, and the cute, hedgehog-like tenrec.
Madagascar’s topography is also awe-inspiring from its dense rainforests on the east to the spiny desert in the west to the needle-sharp limestone Tsingy mountains. For anyone interested in nature and biodiversity, this is a fascinating introduction to a very special place!
Note: Photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is the bay and Sarasota skyline.
