We used to live in a college town. That meant there were endless lectures and performances to attend all year round – dance companies from around the world, music groups from Montana to Mongolia, and talks on topics from astronomy to zoology.
I had front-row seats for Stephen Hawking’s lecture; I almost saw photographer Galen Rowell except that my friend got immediately sick and I accompanied him out moments before the probably-stunning presentation began; I even won skis at a Warren Miller movie night.
I miss those opportunities. When we moved to Orcas Island it was so unique, in that you could attend fabulous performances of all kinds at Orcas Center, and there were always phenomenal outdoor concerts dotting the summer calendar. Isolated we were not; the world came to us.
COVID sent all of that to a screeching halt, but activity is bubbling again, and event planners are doing their best to work around the virus. (Thank you, all of you!)
I thought I’d pass on a few fascinating things to watch from your living room…
This is an interview by Lex Fridman of Avi Loeb, author of Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. My husband listened to the fascinating audiobook and found this interview on YouTube. It is downright captivating stuff.
On the other end of the fascinating spectrum of human knowledge, this is Kiliii Yuyan, a traditional kayak builder and a National Geographic photographer presenting on a group of people committed to re-engaging with stone-age living.
Go here to read more about Seattle-based Kiliii on his website, and make sure to watch the short video called Storytelling Fellow about what he does.
There is also a really nice article about him here on The Sierra Club’s online magazine. Again, totally captivating! This is Kiliii, taken by photographer Oliver Ludlow for the article.
