In “Howl” Allen Ginsberg says:
Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!
Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!
The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy!
The nose is holy! The tongue
and cock and hand
and asshole holy!
Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is
holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an
angel!
The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is
holy as you my soul are holy!
The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is
holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy!
Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy
the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the
mysterious rivers of tears under the streets!
Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the
middle class! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebell-
ion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles!
Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria &
Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow
Holy Istanbul!
Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the
clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy
the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch!
Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the
locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucina-
tions holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the
abyss!
Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours!
bodies! suffering! magnanimity!
Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent
kindness of the soul!
by Allen Ginsberg, excerpt from “Howl”
Listening to the rain holy rain, drinking the holy holy wine, life is holy, travel is holy…
I reflect on this year once again and want to share these holy highlights…
2019 started off with a bang for a year of holy travel and trips…
starting with a New Year’s eve holy lightning storm at my dad KC’s lakeside home in Tennessee where he and his wife have lived for a few years now. We flew home by way of holy Denver where we hit the holy slopes for two days each in holy Winter Park and holy Steamboat Springs using our holy Ikon Pass.
skiing in July at Mammoth
For the rest of the season, we were at holy wooly Mammoth all the way up to late holy July on a holy trip that included holy hiking, holy rock climbing, holy mountain biking, and holy fishing—in one holy day!
My holy son and holy spouse mountain biked the Santa Monicas and Big Bear while I climbed up a holy high mountain – holy Kilimanjaro in holy Tanzania on a holy trip organized by our holy friend holy Tony holy Fletcher with holy The Roof of Africa Adventures. While it’s not a technical climb, the top is over 19,000 holy feet making it very challenging—and I didn’t use holy oxygen or meds! On the way there and back, I traveled to holy Amsterdam, a city I found holy– holy cycling, holy walking, holy art, holy food, and HOLY HOLY HOLY public transit.
Over holy Labor Day, while I traveled to holy Burning Man for the 19thtime, M and R did an overnight rafting trip.
Next trip for me came in October when I went to France as one of the four member US Wine Tasting Team to compete in the holy World Wine Tasting Championship. While we didn’t win, holy wine writing partner and teammate Sue Hill and I had holy two week trip focusing on holy biodynamic wine in Champagne and the Loire.
Other holy wine trips included several holy LA trade tasting and holy lunches with the LA Wine Writers, and a holy trip to Napa for Battanage where we visited a number of wineries in Napa and Sonoma including Castello de Amorosa and Charles Krug.
In November, we went to San Francisco to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child for R’s birthday. We rode the cable cars, ate at Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown, and enjoyed hot fudge sundaes in Ghiradelli Square. Earlier in the year, we got our Harry Potter on with Order of the Phoenix at the Hollywood Bowl with live orchestra! The year was full of live music from Dead and Company to Sergio Mendes to Thom Yorke and more.
Now we’re gearing up for a ski trip to Utah and Colorado! No wonder Ginger Kitty sleeps on my duffle bag to deter me from holy trips!
I’ll get into my holy WINE highlights of holy 2019 soon! Stay tuned!
May 2020 bring you holy love, holy dirt, and the holy trips of your dreams!
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 
You sure packed a lot of experiences into a year. For me, 2019 would be one for the books, but you??..
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Yes indeed I did! I do my best!
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