Summer, Travel, & Super Powers

"Summertime and the livin' is easy."

Time to slow down,  soak in the sun,  relax with a few good books,  refresh, re-inspire, have fun, and let your imagination run free.

Summer in Parts: Imagination

"Beam me up Scotty."

As a kid I was lazy, and often imagined having the ability to move from place to place effortlessly and instantaneously... like getting from home to school and back without ever walking the walk. No heavy books to carry in my arms or tired feet dragging through the streets. Instead, in the blink of an eye...

I'd be simultaneously relocated!

Years later, I learned there was a name for my imagined ability, which I saw demonstrated on the television program, 'Star Trek'. The characters on the show, Captain Kirk, Spock, Sulu, 'Bones', Scotty, Uhura and Chekov used this technology to travel in nano seconds from planet to planet and back to the mother ship, 'The USS Enterprise'.

The word for this instant mobility was 'Teleportation'.

Back then, my fantasy travels were limited to what I knew... a few blocks here, a few neighborhoods there. As an adult, with horizons broadened, the power to teleport long distances could be even more useful and thrilling.

One day I could visit 'The Queen' and Big Ben, another the Eiffel Tower, and a few days later, dine on calamari in Venice, all without ever having to pack and carry luggage, wait in airports, spend hours on planes, and stay in strange hotels. Magically, I'd be able to take off on a whim and just as quickly, return to the comforts of home whenever I wished.

I could explore places like the Pompidou, have lunch at Alcazar, known as AZ, 'beam' myself home for a nap, and head back to Paris for an evening stroll along the Seine. This would be the perfect starting point for such a stroll.

Here's an outside view of The Pompidou.

Michael and I never got inside to view the collection even though we tried on two separate occasions. Each time we arrived at the museum, we were told it would be closing in just minutes. How did we manage or mismanage that ...twice?

Paris, so much to see, so little time to see it.

Another time, we walked the streets of the city all day and into the wee hours of the next morning, only to learn the Metro had stopped running. We were forced to walk miles and miles back to our hotel, The Francois 1er, in the Champs Elysees, to discover the doors locked! Who locks a hotel... and in 'The City of Lights'???

Ahhhh... the adventures, surprises, and joys of travel. I've touched on so little, barely mentioning London, my favorite, or the list of places I've only dreamed of but would love to see, like...Brussels, Barcelona and Bangkok just to mention a few of the B's.

Logically, I should probably start with the A's, and when in Asia, I'd like to teleport to Tokyo to spend time with Japanese artist Natsumi Hayashi. She seems like an interesting person and her photographs are truly amazing! She too has special powers, only her power of levitation is real and she uses it to float without any tricks or fancy software like Photoshop.

See for yourself.

Here are a few links you might find interesting:

More on Yowayowa Camera Woman Diary...artist Natsumi Hayashi here.

And for levitation in the news, see "The Ascent' here.

For fun, create your own Super Hero character here.

Here's a sample of mine... Mz. Tela Portaysha.

Her pigtails represent a youthful spirit, the blonde hair, a change from reality, giving the saying 'blondes have more fun' a whirl. The clothes and sneakers are practical and comfortable with the insignia of an eye to see all things near, far and invisible. The swirling aura acts as a field of protection when teleporting,  along with the umbrella, which combats the elements, pokes at evil things like mosquitoes, and when opened, instantly brings her (me) back home... safe and sound.

Questions:

If you could have any Super Power, what would it be and why?

What are you imagining for this summer?

May all your travels, real and imagined, be good ones :)