Waiting for the World Series to begin, I'm posting from the Yavapai Lodge in the Grand Canyon Market Place because they have WIFi. On the big screen, broadcasting in its fair and balanced way is Fox News (We are in Arizona after all). The current host, Brett Bauer, is busy, along with his panel of "experts", vilifying Hillary for the latest unsubstantiated e-mail bombshell lobbed by Director Comey of the FBI. That's not what interests me. What interests me is the gaggle of gabbing gooses (About eight of my fellow Americans) who are scratching and squawking like they're fighting for the last speck of Havasupai corn meal. One comment, "There is a God! Lock her up!" Another, "Most men talk like that. I don't hold that against him, but If my husband had done what Bill did to Hillary, they'd find him in the Bay (San Francisco). Another, "Finally, the powers of justice have overrun the Corrupt Clinton machine." The talk ratcheted up like a shark feeding frenzy until the same guy repeated as he walked out, "There is a God; keep believing!" I can appreciate a difference of opinion, but I'm at a loss when people jump to conclusions. If I'm not mistaken, the FBI found no cause for criminal prosecution in July, and what's more, any conclusions from this latest vacuous disclosure by Director Comey is premature. He hasn't even had time to read the e-mails on Weiner's machine, much less validate and determine consequence. Why then do my fellow Americans think it's OK to convict Hillary on the face of it? How is it even conscionable that the Republican nominee can equate this "News" as the greatest scandal since Watergate. I stand amazed. It's especially stark in contrast to the way our spirits were nourished today. We drove East, viewed every way point we could stop, and stood awestruck once again at this awesome natural spectacle. Our favorite stop of the day was a building designed by Mary Colter, the architect responsible for several of the buildings in the park, and it's worth noting one of the few female architects of her time. Once again, it's clear that she not only respected the indigenous peoples, but she studied their culture, and paid homage to their contribution. Her Desert View Tower is more of a cathedral than anything else. When I entered, I felt as if I'd been transported back in time. As my hands gripped the worn leather wrapping on the worn scrub oak handrails, I gazed upward, looking, I suppose, for something greater than myself. I love Colter's appreciation of other humans. She knew none of them; she wasn't one of them; yet, she captured the essence of their dignity, as humans worthy of respect. It's a stark contrast to this belching babble of brazenly brackish bile (I guess it's safe to say I'm not one of them). But where has our respect for each other gone? What about innocent until proven guilty? Have we really been reduced to this mirky mud? Are others really less because they are not us? I hope not. I hope the better angels in us prevail. I pray that we give others the consideration we'd like to be given. I'm a firm believer in prayer, so I continue to pray that Mary Colter's attitude will take hold in all of us: Study others. Respect differences. Revere. Make life good, especially today.
Her art oozes from the rock.
The ceiling rafters intertwine; perhaps a metaphor for human existence.
Native art hangs like stations of the cross in a Catholic church.
Paintings climb the walls to the ceilings.
Murals tell stories of a distant time.
God forms represent native truth.
The remains of a Kiva, or family residence, at the Tusuyan ruins near the East Portal of the Grand Canyon.
Selfie of the Day: A view from the tower.
Even as the sun began to set, we felt glad to be alive.
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