Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942) was an American avant-garde composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Barack Obama.
I am celebrating women with the strength to follow their conscience, their passions, their dreams despite the risks associated with doing so. Without them the world would not be as rich and beautiful as it is. [Click on Full Screen icon in the lower right corner to best appreciate the video]
I can relate. Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. [Click on Full Screen icon in the lower right corner to best appreciate the video]
Happy Solstice! As good a day as any to talk about ” . . . Celestial transients, which are astronomical objects that appear suddenly from nowhere and usually disappear soon after, that contradict the standard truth that the universe changes predictably and slowly over billions of years. They include what the typically staid National Academy of Sciences called “the most catastrophic events in spacetime.” [Quote from a Scientific American newsletter article titled, Mysterious Bright Flashes in the Night Sky, December 16, 2025, by Ann Finkbeiner and Clara Moskowitz. [Click on image to enlarge].
This is a relatively long read, but well worth the time it takes if you are feeling self-important at the moment. Prepare to be humbled by the immensity and the mysteries of the cosmos. Astrophysics is experiencing a golden age, thanks to the tools . . . orbiting telescopes, ground based radio telescopes, stellar and interstellar probes, etc., and the ever greater computing power available to process data. Of still greater importance is the international cooperation of scientists made possible by the World Wide Web.
Go to www.scientificamerican.com to sign up for the free Today in Science newsletter. You can then choose from specific newsletter topics like: Mind & Brain, Health & Medicine, etc.
I’ve volunteered for the Oregon Mozart Players off and on for over 25 years and was happy to usher once again for this year’s Candlelight Concert. Beautiful music for the season. The program included Alessandro Scarlatti’s Christmas Cantata, as well as a Concerto Grosso by Archangelo Corelli, and Suite III from Ottorino Respighi’s Ancient Airs and Dances. Even the names are musical. My favorite was a 20th century Christmas Suite by English composer, Alec Rowley, based on traditional English carols. [Photo 
Max Vollmer, Click on image to enlarge]
I took the photo on August 28 when Kat and I took our walk along the West Bank. Today I walked the Willamette River Trail from Skinner Butte to this spot and beyond in 60 degree weather and full sun. The message is as clear as ever. In loving memory of Kathleen “Kat” Jenison, October 8, 1955 – December 10, 2025. [Photo Max Vollmer, Click on image to enlarge]
The open road and the Southwest, especially Utah, are never out of my thoughts. Spring and Fall are the best times to visit the desert. [Photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
Young adventurer and lover of wild places , Everette Ruess, disappeared without a trace in 1934. He was last seen camping in Davis Gulch south of Escalante, UT. His remains were not discovered until 2008 near Comb Ridge, northwest of Bluff, UT. I’ve been reading Ruess’s letters and journal entries in A Vagabond For Beauty by W. L. Rusho.
I love this. El Cascabel – The Bell. [Click on Full Screen icon in the lower right corner to best appreciate the video]
[Photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
Light, Love and Life. [Click on Full Screen icon in the lower right corner to best appreciate the video]
PREAMBLE
Having first written the journal entry below, I’m coming back to acknowledge that it may have some value for the uncounted number of people who struggle to create and maintain healthy romantic relationships, but it is myopic at the same time. The greater value in understanding and incorporating unconditional love into our lives is to apply the principles of acceptance and respect to ALL our human relationships! I am reminding myself daily to not judge others near and far, but rather to accept that everyone . . . everyone is involved in their own struggle through life.
JOURNAL ENTRY
The following comes from Psychology Today: ” When love is unconditional, these three signs are usually present. 1) When your partner loves you unconditionally, they love the version of you that’s right in front of them. There’s no secretly hoping that you’ll change with time, no ideal version they’re waiting on; 2) A lot of love is lost in the expectation of having it returned . . . Keeping score doesn’t help . . . this type of love turns bitter and eventually falls apart; and 3) When your partner thinks of the relationship and what would make you happy before their own ego, pride, and selfish desires, it shows more than just commitment. Feeling completely safe to be yourself around your partner and experiencing a deep emotional connection without fear of judgment is one of the biggest signs of unconditional love.”
[Psychology Today continues . . . ]
“A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology proposed a comprehensive theory of love, identifying four core factors— attraction, connection, trust, and respect—that interact to create lasting love . . . Among the four essential components of love, the roles of trust and respect are especially important for creating emotional safety and prioritizing a partner’s happiness.”
[Photo Max Vollmer, Click on image to enlarge]