Thank you, Antonia. Having only subscribed about a year ago I have not read your earlier posts and will look forward to the pleasure. And it is always a delight to hear your voice. I much prefer it to that laden voice that rolls around my head when I'm trying to sleep. Thank you for the much needed interlude. And I love the photos. They are testament to why photography is often referred to as painting with light.
The local media here in the Treasure Valley are giddy today as they report on the grand opening of Idaho's first ever In-N-Out Burger joint. Extra police have been hired to direct the anticipated onslaught of rabid consumers happily idling in their motor vehicles. A group of hungry patriots was photographed camping overnight on a nearby strip of concrete so that they might be one of the first in line. A nearby shopping center has paved four previously vacant lots to allow "stacking" (whatever that is) of the endless lines of cars and trucks expected to clog adjoining driveways and roadways. A gentleman from California (where the chain originated) has driven 800 miles to take part in this iconic frenzy of mindless consumerism and carefully cultivated brand identity. At long last, Idaho has arrived! At long last, we have deliriously thrown ourselves on board the progress train! Private vice unleashed for public benefit! Hooray for us!
Sometime soon I might wander off alone and co-imagine the future with a stand of trees, or with a river, or with a twinkling star, or perhaps with my dear old friend, silence.
I've always hated the expression "your camera takes great pictures". This Substack captures your introspection and inspiration consistently and I always love your photos. They complement your story and that is not easy. That is why it is rare I guess.
Coming to this a day late. I saved it until my post was done and I could give it my full attention.
I just love the voiceover. I'm glad you're planning to continue those.
“Co-imagine the future with the people hurt by the present.”
That's a pretty wide net. It's almost easier to count those who are not. I love it. It's a wonderfully inclusive way to phrase it. It centers those hurt the most, and no one is excluded.
That light....is just everything. I love those long shadows, the way that the slanted light speaks to me of poetry (I see you Emily Dickinson) and of quiet, and of deference. Co-imagine a future with the people who are hurt in the present is going to become something that I suspect is going to stay in mind each time I read the news and my rage begins to erupt at the cruelty we inflict on others--whether human, animal, or whatever other ridiculous hierarchical categories we insist on ascribing to what makes up this world. Thanks for sharing that--and those pictures of snowy blue grey light. 💙
Oooooo East India Company! I'm about to finish The Anarchy by William Dalrymple. It's taken me ages to finish it. It's so well written, but it's also so heavy.. I have an audio passage marked for recording to post. It's some of the best writing I've read!
I am here for all of it - the building of the future together, taking land and its beauty more seriously, to stop and admire the impermanence of it all - alongside you Nia. 💜
¨It’s hard to believe this river was a Superfund site not that long ago, that its waters were siphoned off and temporarily drained to allow a massive cleanup from a century of contamination from the rail yard.¨
I am maybe 300 yards from a cleanup site, an old factory. They put up soccer fields, which OK - I guess nobody wants to live there or they don´t want anybody to live there?
¨I imagine each of us walks with that idea very differently. What do those words mean in your own life?¨
Which people? To fix things carbon dioxide-related you have to build better things, but we have the usual equilibrium: the people against building anything ever and the people dead set on keeping everything exactly the same, especially the bits that produce the carbon dioxide.
I was told (by a friend who happens to be very righty) that at COP they were proposing balloons to capture cow farts. If so, I said, that was likely put forward by people who wish to continuing pumping carbon dioxide, or rather, as much methane as possible for burning. (It was held in Dubai.) Also, fixing pipe leaks would be expensive. So: balloons for cow farts, and coal for Chinese-produced solar panels because it would immoral for anybody to buy the solar panels produced by other nations because free trade. Etc. A whole lot of BSing to make it look like certain people are Very Concerned while they do absolutely nothing and do their best to make sure nobody else does anything about the problem.
So, yeah, which people?
¨May you and the weather find peace with each other, wherever you are.¨
It´s been super cold for around here, and then actually warmish , and then a whole lotta damp, but I will continue working in it (which is why I am behind).
elm
roasting a chicken - possibly some staring into space and then more work
What comes to mind is a really cool collaborative in my city to reimagine and co-create the future of our major urban highway. When it was built it cut off the city from the Hudson River and also cut off an immigrant and Black majority neighborhood from the rest of the city. Many other injustices followed suit, and today’s Albany Riverfront Collaborative is prioritizing the voices and leadership of those hurt by the present highway. Thanks for this post!
"… it’s a reminder of how precious it all is, how easily these gifts are used up and discarded. Yet with a change in perception and a clarification of what we value, it’s just as easy to respect and care for them. The more people I listen to, the more it’s clear how many yearn for a reality that reflects those values. They just want to know how to get there."
All true Antonia, and I agree.
I don't like being a buzzkill, but this is where we all are right now:
"It's still underway in Dubai with the outcome, so far at least, looking somewhat underwhelming. If only to suggest the urgency of its tasks, the UN Environment Programme unveiled a chilling report, which seems to have had little exposure beyond here. The authors concluded:
Close to $7 trillion is invested globally each year in activities that have a direct negative impact on nature from both public and private sector sources—equivalent to roughly 7% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)…. In 2022, investments in nature-based solutions totaled approximately $200 billion, but finance flows to activities directly harming nature were more than 30 times larger.
“Nature-based solutions are dramatically underfunded," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. Government spending on environmentally harmful subsidies in four sectors—agriculture, fossil fuels, fishery, and forestry—is estimated at $1.7 trillion in 2022."
Thank you, Antonia. Having only subscribed about a year ago I have not read your earlier posts and will look forward to the pleasure. And it is always a delight to hear your voice. I much prefer it to that laden voice that rolls around my head when I'm trying to sleep. Thank you for the much needed interlude. And I love the photos. They are testament to why photography is often referred to as painting with light.
The local media here in the Treasure Valley are giddy today as they report on the grand opening of Idaho's first ever In-N-Out Burger joint. Extra police have been hired to direct the anticipated onslaught of rabid consumers happily idling in their motor vehicles. A group of hungry patriots was photographed camping overnight on a nearby strip of concrete so that they might be one of the first in line. A nearby shopping center has paved four previously vacant lots to allow "stacking" (whatever that is) of the endless lines of cars and trucks expected to clog adjoining driveways and roadways. A gentleman from California (where the chain originated) has driven 800 miles to take part in this iconic frenzy of mindless consumerism and carefully cultivated brand identity. At long last, Idaho has arrived! At long last, we have deliriously thrown ourselves on board the progress train! Private vice unleashed for public benefit! Hooray for us!
Sometime soon I might wander off alone and co-imagine the future with a stand of trees, or with a river, or with a twinkling star, or perhaps with my dear old friend, silence.
Words as eloquent as the photos are beautiful...
I've always hated the expression "your camera takes great pictures". This Substack captures your introspection and inspiration consistently and I always love your photos. They complement your story and that is not easy. That is why it is rare I guess.
Coming to this a day late. I saved it until my post was done and I could give it my full attention.
I just love the voiceover. I'm glad you're planning to continue those.
“Co-imagine the future with the people hurt by the present.”
That's a pretty wide net. It's almost easier to count those who are not. I love it. It's a wonderfully inclusive way to phrase it. It centers those hurt the most, and no one is excluded.
Your strolls seem nice.
That light....is just everything. I love those long shadows, the way that the slanted light speaks to me of poetry (I see you Emily Dickinson) and of quiet, and of deference. Co-imagine a future with the people who are hurt in the present is going to become something that I suspect is going to stay in mind each time I read the news and my rage begins to erupt at the cruelty we inflict on others--whether human, animal, or whatever other ridiculous hierarchical categories we insist on ascribing to what makes up this world. Thanks for sharing that--and those pictures of snowy blue grey light. 💙
Oooooo East India Company! I'm about to finish The Anarchy by William Dalrymple. It's taken me ages to finish it. It's so well written, but it's also so heavy.. I have an audio passage marked for recording to post. It's some of the best writing I've read!
I love how the light changes after fresh fallen snow 🤍✨
I am here for all of it - the building of the future together, taking land and its beauty more seriously, to stop and admire the impermanence of it all - alongside you Nia. 💜
(Look how far I fell behind.)
¨It’s hard to believe this river was a Superfund site not that long ago, that its waters were siphoned off and temporarily drained to allow a massive cleanup from a century of contamination from the rail yard.¨
I am maybe 300 yards from a cleanup site, an old factory. They put up soccer fields, which OK - I guess nobody wants to live there or they don´t want anybody to live there?
¨I imagine each of us walks with that idea very differently. What do those words mean in your own life?¨
Which people? To fix things carbon dioxide-related you have to build better things, but we have the usual equilibrium: the people against building anything ever and the people dead set on keeping everything exactly the same, especially the bits that produce the carbon dioxide.
I was told (by a friend who happens to be very righty) that at COP they were proposing balloons to capture cow farts. If so, I said, that was likely put forward by people who wish to continuing pumping carbon dioxide, or rather, as much methane as possible for burning. (It was held in Dubai.) Also, fixing pipe leaks would be expensive. So: balloons for cow farts, and coal for Chinese-produced solar panels because it would immoral for anybody to buy the solar panels produced by other nations because free trade. Etc. A whole lot of BSing to make it look like certain people are Very Concerned while they do absolutely nothing and do their best to make sure nobody else does anything about the problem.
So, yeah, which people?
¨May you and the weather find peace with each other, wherever you are.¨
It´s been super cold for around here, and then actually warmish , and then a whole lotta damp, but I will continue working in it (which is why I am behind).
elm
roasting a chicken - possibly some staring into space and then more work
Looking forward to reading these older posts! Thanks for your great essays, Antonia. Hope you and your family have a peaceful December.
What comes to mind is a really cool collaborative in my city to reimagine and co-create the future of our major urban highway. When it was built it cut off the city from the Hudson River and also cut off an immigrant and Black majority neighborhood from the rest of the city. Many other injustices followed suit, and today’s Albany Riverfront Collaborative is prioritizing the voices and leadership of those hurt by the present highway. Thanks for this post!
"… it’s a reminder of how precious it all is, how easily these gifts are used up and discarded. Yet with a change in perception and a clarification of what we value, it’s just as easy to respect and care for them. The more people I listen to, the more it’s clear how many yearn for a reality that reflects those values. They just want to know how to get there."
All true Antonia, and I agree.
I don't like being a buzzkill, but this is where we all are right now:
"It's still underway in Dubai with the outcome, so far at least, looking somewhat underwhelming. If only to suggest the urgency of its tasks, the UN Environment Programme unveiled a chilling report, which seems to have had little exposure beyond here. The authors concluded:
Close to $7 trillion is invested globally each year in activities that have a direct negative impact on nature from both public and private sector sources—equivalent to roughly 7% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)…. In 2022, investments in nature-based solutions totaled approximately $200 billion, but finance flows to activities directly harming nature were more than 30 times larger.
“Nature-based solutions are dramatically underfunded," said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. Government spending on environmentally harmful subsidies in four sectors—agriculture, fossil fuels, fishery, and forestry—is estimated at $1.7 trillion in 2022."
From <https://daandelman.substack.com/p/twtw-the-world-this-week-episode-e6e?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=414036&post_id=139649981&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=8nxwh&utm_medium=email>
Fabulous. ❤✅❤
Gorgeous writing and photos. I look forward to reading the older work, Insha Allah.