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Where are you? (in the book you are reading) - please read 1st post

I am plying the Atlantic Ocean on board a vessel called San Sebastián captained by Antonio de Iturribalzaga heading to Terranova . Taking advantage the northeast winds, we already are sailing toward the 60º parallel under full sail . Our mission in this trip is the cod fishing although also we are learning new words in the Algonquian–Basque language .
 
I'm retracing the Doug Coombs steps in La Grave, vallons de la Meije (( France )) with Robert Cocuzzo . I already got my skis on, that is, the fat with more rocker and we are ready to ski the Trifide's couloirs . Yesterday we had a meeting with Pelle Lång, we talked about the enthusiastic personality of Doug - always upbeat-, also about his perfect turns at remarkable speeds, his sense of the perfect line and some conversations with him about Jackson Hole and Valdez'92 . In fact, he told us that Doug decided moving to La Grave for 2 reasons . First, cause he had found the same « wild & steep skiing » like in his memories in Valdez . Second, by his strongh admiration to Patrick Vallençant and Pierre Tardivel . (( Btw, Doug met both ))
 
I am with Piero Ghiglione and Ottorino Mezzalama in a long skiing trip from Cervinia to Gressoney (( il sentiero del Duemila )) . Both are teaching me « timeless things » about their modified ski gear and other skiing skills . Piero has invented something similar to Twintip skis, he calls it « attrezzi a doppia spatola » he says this will be very useful for the Telemark skiing . He doesn't still know it...Freestyle, rather
 
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I'm going from book signing to book signing doing the odd spot of gardening in between.
O and there's wine, a lot of wine.

(Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author)
 
This Monday of June at 4.36 pm (( my watch is 2 minutes fast )) I am in an adjacent waiting room to Dr. Jung's consultation in Switzerland . I am helping him to find an empirical explanation about the Synchronicity , that is, about « meaningful coincidence» and we have made major advances . While I am waiting my turn, i just realise that on the opposite wall the professor Jung has hung 2 watercolour paintings both with inscriptions, I read quietly... The first, Uetliberg - Zollikon and the second, Barrage d'Émosson ;-p
 
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In full snowstorm with hurricane winds, I'm abseiling via the Northwest ridge of Gasherbrum IV next to Voytek Kurtyka, Robert Schauer and the Third man- this last « man » a bit more friendly -. Each downward step takes enormous effort, because we are manoeuvring between funnels for avalanches with only 10 remaining pitons, fighting exhaustion . The climb of the Shining Wall ( West Face ) in alpine-style had been of great technical difficulty - mixed terrain, exposed rock, extreme risk -. The wall offered few cracks into which they could placed protection . Their belays were often « psychological », because the rock was either completely rotten or of compact marble .

The initial motivation of Voytek was trace an aesthetic, elegant, futuristic line . He had been mesmerized by the architecture of this mountain and he was willing to achieve it, but he had a very clear limit...never go beyond of your own death
 
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In an archeological site of the ancient city of Ur ( southern Mesopotamia, the modern-day Iraq ) with Leonard Woolley and Max Mallowan ( A.Christie's husband ) we're digging small trenches around the Royal Cemetery at Ur... Have been discovered 16 tombs in good conditions, there was a lot of sumerian objects such as : clay vases, limestone bowls, small bronze objects and assorted beads, but standing out the Queen Puabi's tomb where has been discovered a magnificent, golden headdress made of golden leaves, rings, and plates, a superb lyre complete with the golden and lapis-lazuli encrusted bearded bull's head, a profusion of gold tableware and jewels made out of beads of gold, silver, lapis-lazuli, carnelian & agate
 
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In the bowels of the Earth, that is, inside a coal mine called « Mearns Pit » at High Littleton in the county of Somerset . Into the half-illuminated gloom, I'm with William Smith, we are musing about the Stratigraphical order in which the different types of rock were arranged ( their lithology )... From top to bottom, we can read Sandstone, Siltstone, Mudstone, Non-marine Band, Marine Band , Coal, Seat-earth, and then again Sandstone, Siltstone, Mudstone and on top of everything, the Red Marls ( I love it this kind of readings !! )
 
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