On The Fly

Dubai, United Arab Emirates An image of a turquoise door popped-up on my computer screen, [Incoming video from 1740 Tsavorite Lane ]. Magically, his front door opened and Hercule Peridot appeared on my monitor. As always, he was impeccably dressed; a fine silk vest, and dashing gold necktie. His lean, congenial, smiling face radiating from my screen. Sensationnel, how in the world does he do it? I thought. He is always dressed to the T. “Adamas Bontemps, how are you my boy?” “I’m better than ever Peridot, and you?” “Fine, absolutely splendid. Have you considered the trip to Dubai?” “Yes, I’ve been reminiscing about my last adventure there.” “Your thoughts?” asked Peridot. “You mentioned visiting a Pearl dealer but . . . ” I hesitated a moment, “I’m wondering?” “Yes?” “Have you made plans for our accommodations yet? I asked.” “Well, interesting that you ask.” said Peridot. “I’ve narrowed it down to three possible hotels; The Emirates Tower, ...

Clay Jenkinson (click here) as Thomas Jefferson Recently I accepted and participated in the #ALSIceBucketChallenge . Subsequently, made a video, posted it to YouTube, FaceBook, and Twitter of me getting doused with ice water, made my donation to the ALS foundation , and challenged three friends to reciprocate. Currently over 1.7 million donors have contributed over $79.7 million. Honestly, it was fun, created awareness within my community, and was a refreshing summer cooler. The fact that this quirky social phenomena went viral, got me thinking. What would happen if people were challenged, no money involved, to build a better you. Would this in turn build a better social community?  The challenge: Recite out loud, in front of a mirror, the following oath every day for 32 days, I remember it well: “On my #honor, I will do my best to do my #duty to God and my country and obey the Scout Law; to #help other people at all times; to keep myself physically #strong, mental...

Finishing Strong “Tomorrow my plan is to bike ride at least 60 miles, we’ll see how it goes.” “What did you say?” asked Lori. “I thought we were riding 58 miles?” Since my 50th birthday my self-proclaimed yearly goal is to complete a bicycle ride, in one day, at least my age, on or near my birthday. On August 17, 2014 Lori and I completed this years ride; a total of 63.5 miles in 5 hours and 17 minutes. A metric century! With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets I’ve been able to shout from the mountaintop my proposed goal to all who will listen. Even to those who could care less. This serves two purposes, to sustain a foundational fitness level as I get older. Cycling provides a exercise regiment and long-range goals to keep me motivated. Two, it challenges me to live up to my time commitments in daily activities and relationships. Yes, I truly love cycling. I’ve been a devoted bicyclist since about 15 years old. The fact is, it’s not the ...

Still somewhat giddy from our adventure with the bear, we moved on. “Little Lakes Valley trail is very popular,” said Brendan. Expect to see more day-hikers than usual.” Trailhead parking was already full when we arrived. Quickly we found out why from one of the locals. “We love this place; it’s an easy hike with glorious views.” We consulted our map, and the elevation gain from the trailhead to Chickenfoot Lake was less than 600 feet. An easy climb. Obviously, many weekend visitors and fishermen came to enjoy the scenic beauty and fish the abundant lakes. I paused to admire the graceful arc of a fly-line as a fisherman stood casting his line to the edge of tall green grass at Marsh lake. The weather patterns changed constantly. Our hike began with intense blue skies, blanketed by wispy clouds and interspersed with low-hanging cumulous clouds that framed the mountain peaks. Human sounds faded. Nature took over; murmuring waters and leaves shimmered as the breeze lightly ca...

I awoke to the steady patter of rain on my tent in the black velvet darkness of our cozy mountain camp. Wrapped in my sleeping bag, I sat up and listened, there it was again, some strange sound. Anxiously, I reached for my watch and clicked the Indiglo light. It was just after 1:00 a.m. and sleep eluded me. What was that sound? Was it a Bear? The skies were ominous that night. The steady rain began at dusk, we had retired early camped near Chickenfoot Lake , in the Inyo National Forest, elevation 10,789 feet, in the Sierra Mountains just northwest of Bishop, California. This was the second night of our annual wilderness backpacking trek. Our evening conversation always centered on BIG , ferocious bears. It wasn’t that long ago campers simply hung their food in trees. Not anymore, the bears had wised up to that old trick. Proper precaution requires every scrap of paper, food, trash, toothpaste - anything that has a smell gets packed into the bear proof canister for the nig...

Over the course of a career teaching gemology, students have asked me many questions that gemologists tend to take for granted. This hit home recently at a writers group meeting when I casually used the term refractive index in one of my fictional works and the question immediately came up, “What is refractive index?” This brief column is devoted to you, the curious student. It is an opportunity to ask anything you ever wanted to know about gemology (within reason) but were afraid to ask. So let’s begin. What does refractive index (R.I.) mean? Gem-A Refractometer The amount to which a gem slows light is called its refractive index (R.I.). R.I. is calculated by the ratio of the speed of light in air to its speed in a gem. It is one of the measurable properties that gemologists use to assist with a gemstone’s identification.  For example, using your smartphone or computer, go to the computational database WolframAlpha . Type in “What is the speed of light in air?...

Summer on my calendar has officially arrived. The fourth of July celebrations have already come and gone and Le Tour de France is underway! This morning the sun peeked over the horizon in California at 5:45 a.m., a comfortable 60 degrees, the skies were turquoise blue, the winds calm, bird’s singing quietly in the background, and the fresh smell of the trees filled the air. Well, not exactly, you see today’s chore was to empty and completely scrub the cats litter box. As you might imagine the smells were not exactly that of a floral bouquet. Anyway . . .  For me, summer continues to build the anticipation of this year’s annual high Sierra adventure. This will be my fourth consecutive year wildness backpacking near Bishop, CA. It’s less than two weeks away and my motivation for training increases daily as the trip approaches. My challenge is to not overdo it, maintain a balance between workout and proper rest. As a devoted cyclist and French compatriot, anticipation al...

Little Lakes Valley “ Merde ! It’s only been five miles. My legs are dog-tired from carrying this backpack.” was the comment I mumbled inaudibly while hiking yesterday to begin the full regiment of training for this year's Sierra adventure.  Lori led the way for my first full backpack training exercise, “We need to get you out more these next few weeks; your trip is less than one month away.” “Wow, you’re right. How is it that all that work I’ve done, bicycling and hiking, is not enough? This getting older is a bitch!” We were hiking the Calavera Hills Nature Preserve in Carlsbad. I wanted to climb close to home to try out the new backpack. Granted, the 513-ft. Mount Calavera is not really a mountain at all but rather a 22 million-year-old volcanic plug—a mass of volcanic rock that solidified in its vent and feeding system millions of years ago. It is an excellent training area. This year, our intrepid team will explore  Little Lakes Valley,  nestled i...