Bailey's on the Glacier

Bailey's on the Viedma Glacier - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

I don’t drink martinis, but there was something about an article I read in the New Yorker ten years ago that stuck. The piece, Dry Martini by Roger Angell, discussed the drink in great detail, but the fact I remember is the importance of the quality of ice when making the perfect beverage.

The Viedma Glacier in Argentina’s Patagonia rests against the eastern side of the Andes but is only 800 feet about sea level. It is easily accessible by boat provided the powerful Patagonian winds are not so strong as to make the 30 minute ride across Lago Viedma too perilous.

As the catamaran approached the glacier, we occasionally saw water blown off the surface of the lake, an indication the wind was blowing in excess of 50 MPH. After docking near the glacier’s foot where it meets Lago Viedma, our group spent a couple hours traipsing around the glacier in crampons peering into crevasses and marveling at the colors and forms of the ice flow.

At the conclusion of the tour one of the guides took his ice ax and began chopping at the ice. Within a few inches from the surface clear, pebble sized ice pellets fell from the hole in the ice wall.

The ice had its beginnings 300 years ago, when it fell in the form of snow high in the mountain passes separating Chile from Argentina. Snow piled upon itself as it was compressed into ice and began its journey downward towards the lake miles away and thousands of feet below. By the time it reached its final destination before calving into Lake Viedma, it had been exposed to so much pressure that no air remained to affect its clarity. The result was the clearest, hardest ice one can imagine.

The guide removed plastic cups from his back pack and filled each one half full of the newly exposed ice. Into each cup he poured a generous portion of Bailey’s Irish Cream. The result was remarkable. The ice supercooled the Bailey’s but did not melt appreciably in the process. The size of the ice was small enough that beverage seemed to cling to each pellet, allowing one to only sip the liquid. It forced one to savor each taste and allowed only a few ounces to last for several minutes. Now I know what Roger Angell was talking about when he extolled the virtues of ice in making a martini.

The Company We Keep

Swing in Nepal - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Politicians are like unscrupulous tycoons bequeathing their fortunes on their death beds in order to widen the gates to Heaven . W.R. Priskna 1973

In April 2008 I received an Email from a friend who voiced concern about Michelle Obama's derogatory remarks about the United States and the “coincidence” that after her husband was elected Senator from Illinois, she landed a high paying job in a field where she had little experience. It provoked a response comparing what people say and what they do.

Dear Pete,

Thanks for your insight into Ms. Obama's financial success. I wonder if there are any more job openings in her company? I'll have my wife send her resume.

Ultimately, I wonder if Michelle Obama's remarks or conduct will have any influence on the election. The press is polarized to such an extent that the left will ignore all these uncomfortable facts, while the right will bombard us day and night with the slightest transgression. I remember Teresa Kerry as being one of the least endearing potential first ladies, but in the end all her haughtiness and disdain for the common folk made little impact on the election.

More troublesome is the Obama's relationship to Reverend Wright. I am aware Obama minimized the connection in a nationally televised address. However, under these circumstances he is free to say anything to cast himself in a more favorable light. It is better to pay attention to a man's actions than to what he says when found in a difficult situation.

Most of us join religious, professional, or social organizations, because we are comfortable with the group's message. If one desires to remain with the group but disagrees with its philosophy, then it is customary to make every effort to change the course of the institution. Membership is elective. For example, there is no compulsion to belong to a particular church. There are a variety of sectarian options available to fulfill the parishioners spiritual and social needs.

Listening to Reverend Wright rant and rave and spew his racist sermons, one wonders why Mr. Obama continued to worship at this church. Perhaps he is a discriminating adult who can discount the vitriol of an old friend, but why would he subject his two children to this hateful invective if he were not comfortable with Reverend Wright's message?

We find it abhorrent when radical Muslims or white supremacists preach hate and violence. What is different in this case? What reasonable person would continue to embrace such venom if he did not harbor similar feelings? Why would one willingly subject his children to this grotesque interpretation of morality?

What is one to believe? - a canned speech of a few minutes duration or years of complacent association with Reverend Wright?