Puma Studios

For many years now, one of my favorite quotes has been: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

I’ve learned that this quote is not by Goethe as is commonly held. It does have it’s origins in Goethe’s writings and was actually introduced by John Anster in his paraphrased translation of Faust to English in 1835.

So perhaps a better way to attribute the quote is to say that it is Goethe as paraphrased by John Anster in 1835.

Further defining the power of this couplet is this, apparently from W. H. Murray in The Scottish Himalaya Expedition, 1951:

But when I said that nothing had been done I erred in one important matter. We had definitely committed ourselves and were halfway out of our ruts. We had put down our passage money–booked a sailing to Bombay. This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!’

References:
http://www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html
http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth12.htm

[simage=42,512,y]

Seen in Japan…  Did he forget what he’s wearing?

Imagine my surprise as I’m driving down the road to have my little buddy here climb onto my lap.  I kept driving as he jumped up onto the steering wheel, ran across the dash and stopped on the passenger side door.  Got this shot after pulling to the side of the road to let my friend out at his new home.

After a day of snorkeling at the Kapoho Tide Pools, Sharon suggested we see what the road back home via the Government Beach Rd. was like. On some earlier exploring we had started from the north and quickly determined that the road was too intense for the miata. Since we had the Truck this time plus Nick and Angel visiting, it seemed like a good time to explore.

Things started out fine.  A very passable dirt road going through some varied terrain.  At times we were driving through old lava flows with little in the way of vegetation, and sometimes more lush and heavily wooded areas.  We were probably about half way along the road when things started to get…  well… tricky.

Read the rest of this entry »

As I was talking to our 5 year old grandson yesterday on the phone he started breathing heavy and I say “What were you doing? You sound like you’re out of breath.” He responded, “That’s silly Papa, then I’d be dead.”