Land of Tranquility

Land of Tranquility is a short story about a small child who's passion for space and search for answering the oldest question in the world. "Is there other forms of life others than ours out there?" Throughout the story the author takes you on a long ride filled with Scientific and Biblical facts. In the search for answers regarding the Space Race, Global Warming and searching for his missing father. An Astrophysicist who disappeared at the peak of his discovers. Within the story of discovery. A young mans love for the environment, culture and ancient civilizations take the reader on a ride of a life time.

Barefoot, shoes in hand my legs carried me across the sand. The only two possessions made of our mother earth were the cloths on my body and a bible in my pocket. Beneath the sand lay the crust of our earth. Hundreds of miles thick withstanding the tales of time and industrial rape. Coastal images of the forgotten land hung on the walls of a cafe. Ansel Adams no more. Photos of fiction by todays standards. Western sun stood silent, bloodshed in color. Resting on the horizons lap. Gravity lowered me to the ground. Sitting and facing our dying sun. The heavens opened up as the sun’s tear drop appeared quietly. Passing another day. Orion, Cassiopeia, Jupiter and Venus peeking around our celestial moon. Wallpapered my vision. Questions lingered in the darkest corners of my brain. Planetary suicide? Environmental ravage? Industrial execution? All these prominent around me. Technology, transportation, government, and debt no more. She cried almost hourly. Letting out quakes and molten lava. Post geological wonders lay a desperate foundation of hope. Time as we once new it stood silent. Hidden in the shadows of the scar’s we wept with her. Nothing could survive the obvious outcome of such self destruction. The silence of darkness wept me in my sleep. Dreams of historic color and meaning gave me emptiness. Colors of her post Armageddon shroud wore grey and black. Daylight was met by the blueish and orange skies. Our celestial satellite cracked in two. Showing itself to earthly onlookers. If only the artifact of time could be turned back. But her clock stood silent. For she had taken her last movement by axis alone. “Was I the only survivor shielded by her crust?” When impaired ones vision is dim. With clarity, understanding on hold. The oceans waved no more. Plants, animals and microbiological species stranded by the environmental drought on its surface. She was dying and fate lined the way. Beneath her earthly shroud a mantle was consistently changing its alignment. Like the yoke in an egg shell the core was stealth. The environmental wasteland. From above our planet one could only see absolute disgrace. “What became of the Shadow People and Eden?” In complete darkness I held tightly to the key as my journey embarked...

Born and raised in San Diego, California in 1963. His parent married in 1958 in Kansas. His father joined the United Staes Navy and they relocated to southern California. His mothers parents were Irish and German. Brought up and raised as a Catholic. Ken's father was the oldest with six sisters. He grew up on his grandfathers farm as a Protestant. Before marrying my mother he converted to Catholicism. Ken was the second born of four siblings. For his first nine years he was the middle child. Growing up and being raised as a Catholic, he attended church every Sunday. Attending private schools up to the eighth grade. He was a introverted child. Mostly shy around strangers. Keeping and entertaining himself through his child hood. He would spend a majority of his time outside. Playing in the backyard and keeping himself entertained. Loving to smile and laugh made it easy for him to make friends. Always loyal and spending time with his child hood friends adventuring out to the local canyons. Picking up rocks and searching for fossils. Ken always has had a interest in space and science. Growing up he spent time and served as an alter-boy in the Catholic Church. His Uncle, a priest was a huge impact on him growing up. Faith, accountability and family values played a huge role in making him who he is. Ken always athletic, would spend time playing touch football, soccer and being a part of the track team in high school. Somewhat of a jock, Kens friends in High School shared similar interest. However, they would take different paths in careers. He found himself influenced and fascinated with electricity and star gazing. After turning sixteen, and being a Junior in High School. He started working for the World Famous San Diego Zoo. It was this job which would become his career that played a huge role in his passion for the environment and survival of endangered species. Working his way into management. Kens passion for the Environmental Sciences and Sustainability became one of his strongest roles. Supporting and working for the organization for over thirty years. In connecting people with wildlife and conservation was a dream come true. Creativity, dreaming and writing became an outlet from all the day to day duties as a employee, husband and step father. Its been during these time when his love, passion and curiosity for the understanding of faith. The search for life on other planets and biblical/spiritual wisdom. Combined have offered him the ideas and stories which have flooded his Apple computer.