Today
I am so happy to report that
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
A TALE OF ÆSOP
has become a bestseller!
Thanks to all of
YOU!
I am grateful beyond words
When I was informed of this
it was even more exciting than receiving
my first
GOLD RECORD
Soon
I found myself
reminiscing about this journey
and thumbing through
many media pieces...
I came across
my first blog
and
I want to share it
with you
although some of the humor is
dorky
It kinda put things
in perspective for me
Hope you enjoy it!
Here it is
btw
While there is some cool information in it
It is lengthy
so if you opt out here
who will know?
And if I ask you about it at a cocktail
party sometime,
Just say something like
"Yeah, I enjoyed your book"
My first blog
Let's start at the beginning...
It was in September 2008
we sailed to the island of Samos, Greece
aboard Chase Leavitt's
magnificent
Oyster 72...
As we approached from the south
and Samos came into view,
I perched myself on the
second rung of the
bow pulpit
like Leonardo DiCaprio in "Titanic"
I felt a strong sense of homecoming
I had been studying
all known sources of information
about ÆSOP since 1979
and told his story
that had come to me over these years
through several different forms...
now I was about to walk where he walked...
see the landscape he saw...
I was beyond excited
Samos
is among the most lush
and verdant islands in all of Greece
boasting
two prominent mountains
Kerkis and Ampelos
with the latter bisecting
the island from east to west
as you can see in this
NASA photograph
from space
On
this island Pythagoras was born around 600 B.C.
this was an
extraordinary time in history
as superstition began to give way
to
methods proven by their ability
to repeat the outcome of the feat in
question
take Thales for instance
during this time,
he placed a stick in
the ground
and by measuring the speed
at which the shadow caused by the
sunlight
moved around it
Thales calculated the speed
at which the
earth revolves around the sun
(much later
the Vatican's book of
history
must have had pages stuck together
around this subject...see
Galileo)
so the Greeks called Thales
the "Father of Time"
btw
Thales is also considered the
first philosopher
and one of the
'Seven Sages of Greece'
who's quote:
"Know Thyself"
was so revered
that it was placed upon the front façade
of Apollos Temple in Delphi...
Find these tidbits interesting?
They are all integrated into my novel
of ÆSOP's life entitled:
"Anything Is Possible"
While
my story of the life of ÆSOP
is re-imagined,
so was his first biography
which was written in 400 B.C.
The writer remains
anonymous
(coward)...I'm admitting to it...:)
Legend
has it that ÆSOP was born
on the island of Samos
other areas
such as
Thrace, Phrygia and Lydia claim him as well
I chose Samos...
For the first historian
Herodotus
writes of ÆSOP
as being a slave there
Back
to our first visit to Samos
when we arrived at the marina in
Pythagoria Harbor,
our captain Will had arranged
for someone to show us
the sites
as we had but two days scheduled there
Irene Haralambakis
became our guide
When we told her about my enduring love
for ÆSOP and his history,
Irene engaged us with interest...
She was a superb guide
as well as an authority
on many antiquities of interest on
the island for,
in addition to being a top notch guide,
Irene is also an
archeologist!
Lucky us...
Over
time, Irene has become my contact in Samos
and has arranged for an
apartment
for me to use as my base
as I now return for an extended
research trip
for my next book.
I'll
begin my research
in Samos
with the first aqueduct,
the Eupalinos
Tunnel
constructed in 600 B.C.
(see how many cool things were going
on in 600 B.C.?)
For more information on this aqueduct, CLICK HERE
The
Eupalinos Tunnel was constructed
with the aid of the
Pythagoras Theorem
and
dug out of limestone
over a period of 10 years
using hand tools!
The dig began simultaneously
from two points as illustrated in the sketch below
for more information, CLICK HERE
It was a feat
that Herodotus proclaimed
as one of the greatest achievements of mankind...
This
tunnel will play an important role in my new book
it was built by
prisoners from the island of Naxos,
known then as the 'prisoners
island'
any prisoner alive at the completion of the tunnel
would be
set free
interesting concept
San Quentin
are you listening?
Also
on the island of Samos is the Heraion
believed to be the birthplace
of the
Goddess Hera
wife to Zeus
yup
right there under that tree
well...a tree...probably not that one
the
legend says that it was a Lygos tree...
The temple of Hera (the Herarion)
was first constructed in 800 B.C.E.
it was a wonder of achievement.
It boasted
155 columns
each 20 meters tall
(that's over 60 feet!)
Created as the
greatest tribute to the Goddess
(See overhead sketch below)
This
temple also plays a key role in my new book
I am enthused about
spending time
in and around this ancient ground
to see what my
characters saw
to experience the elements
that do not change
significantly over time
From
Samos I'll venture to Sardis
the capitol of ancient Lydia
where King
Crœsus ruled
who is, by the way,
one of the principal characters in my
first novel of
ÆSOP
entitled, you guessed it
"Anything Is Possible"
Do you remember the phrase "Rich as Crœsus"?
I grew up hearing it every so often and wondered what it meant
here's the 'Tom Notes'
(Cliff is so last year)
about him...
Crœsus' Lydia
became the richest
and most powerful kingdom in the world
through the
gold gathered and mined in an around
Mount Tmolus
which you can see in
the background of the picture
above
I am eager to walk this land as my characters did
I want to gaze up at mount Tmolus' majesty
then walk on the banks of the River Pactolus
kneel to savor the cool waters of that body
that transported so much of the gold
that built the Lydian empire
For more information about this river, CLICK HERE
ÆSOP
after a long life of slavery
became, as a free man,
ambassador to King
Crœsus.
(Do you see what drew me to him?)
He then lived in Sardis
representing the King Crœsus,
traveling over the known world on his
behalf
sometimes things went according to plan
other times...
well
that's what's fun to read about...isn't it?
I shall also travel to Egypt
Where Crœsus' good friend Amasis ruled as king
I am eager to walk that land and see what Amasis saw
Point
of interest
there is little left
in regard to ruins in Sais,
now
called Sa el Hager
(wow...Sammy Hagar has a city named after him!)
due
to water damage over the centuries
as well as the pillage of stonework
taken south to Rosetta
and yes,
the Rosetta Stone came from Sais
These are the places I'll research on my journey...
I
am excited to experience
the energy of these historic cities
that play
such an important role
in my books about ÆSOP
and the people that were
in his life.
I invite you to join me on my journey
(End of original blog)
And today
Thank you to all my friends
for making
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
A Best Seller!
Love to all,
Thomas
Tommy
Thom
T