Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Through My Lens - Salt Lake City

Labels:
Salt Lake City,
Through My Lens,
USA - Utah
Monday, September 29, 2014
The National Park Road Trip - Salt Lake City, Utah

Bob and I started out early and arrived at Temple Square about 9 a.m. That's when things begin to open and it worked out perfectly. We started out in the South Visitors Center which houses a historic display of Brigham Young's arrival in Utah and his pioneering efforts to get it to become a territory.

At the center we learned that we could go to the 26th floor of the Office Building on the Square and view the Salt Lake Valley. That sounded like an excellent idea so we headed off in that direction pausing only to stop and take pictures of the Temple and some of the gardens. The whole area is full of flower gardens and it is a joy to walk among them.





We said goodbye to our friends and promised we would catch up again at home. We only live across town from each other but this was the first we'd connected in a while. Their road trip was half over. Ours was just getting started.

Labels:
National Park Road Trip,
Salt Lake City,
USA - Utah
Friday, September 26, 2014
Through My Lens - The Great Salt Lake
Thursday, September 25, 2014
The National Park Road Trip - The Great Salt Lake

The lake is huge and can be seen quite easily from space. It's 75 miles long and 35 wide. The lake is salty because tributaries bring in a certain amount of salt even though they are fresh water and the Great Salt Lake has no outlet. Through evaporation, the salt remains.
The lake is too saline to support fish and most other aquatic species but brine shrimp abound. You remember brine shrimp. Their eggs used to be sold and hatched in kits that advertised, "Grow your own monkey fish." Ah, but I give away my age again. The brine shrimp are a great food source for many of the bird species found around the lake.

Each October the herd is rounded up and put in corrals to be checked and vaccinated and excess animals are sold often to those wishing to start a herd of their own. It is quite a spectacle as they use horsemen and helicopters to gather the bison and get them into the corrals.

The ranch was previously owned by the Mormon church and Fielding Garr was assigned to establish it so that they could manage church tithing herds. When the railroad came to Utah so did the Federal Government who did land surveys. The ranch was the only place on the island that was developed so the rest of the island was open to homesteaders. An entrepreneur named John Dooley stepped in and bought the island for one million dollars. He introduced twelve bison to the island to raise for hunting purposes. Eventually the farm turned to sheep and at one point was the largest sheep ranch in the west expanding its numbers to 10,000. When the operation became unprofitable they turned to cattle and then in 1981, the farm became a part of the state park.
The buildings show the history of the ranch farom the 1860s through the time when the park took over. You can self guide your tour and even try your hand at roping a steer--wooden of course.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The National Park Road Trip - Idaho

We spent Sunday catching up with our friends in Boise and enjoying a wonderful home cooked meal. On our way back to our hotel we discovered a place called the Villages at Meridian. The area was an outdoor shopping mall with lots of shops, restaurants, and several entertainment centers. It was all landscaped beautifully and was a great place to walk around in the cool of the evening. As we walked, we came upon the dancing fountain. On the hour a song plays and the fountain waters dance to the music. We've seen the big ones in Vegas and Dubai and this was just as good. A lovely evening to celebrate our anniversary.

The canyon was stunning even in the dreary cloudy day we had. After the Kodak-picture-taking, we strolled around the displays of old photographs and information on the hydro electric plant across the river from us and some of the history of the area including a map showing where Evel Knievel made his jump across the canyon on Sunday, September 8, 1974.


As we neared Utah, the mountains were growing and the skies were clearing. The deep blue of the sky starkly contrasted with bleached white clouds against which the mountains were silhouetted. As I drank it all in I took a deep breath .and wondered at God's creation.

Labels:
National Park Road Trip,
Shoshone Falls,
USA - Idaho
Monday, September 22, 2014
The National Park Road Trip

Our trip begins with visiting friends in Boise, Idaho. We'll be there on a special day, our forty-six anniversary. Our friends, who pastor Valley Shepherd Church in Meridian, were with us for our silver anniversary. I won't make him sing for this anniversary though.
From Boise, we travel to Salt Lake City and will take a look at the Mormon Tabernacle before heading to our first National Park, The Arches near Moab, Utah. Then it's on to Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the Grand Canyon ending in Albuquerque, NM for the International Balloon Fiesta.
Lots of miles. Tons of scenery. A fun fiesta! It's been a while since we've been on the road. Let the travel begin!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Happy 46th Anniversary!

Ah, the memories. We've traveled lots of miles together.
Happy Anniversary, Honey!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Soup From A Toilet Bowl?

A manga is basically a comic book series originating in Japan. There are all sorts of mangas as there are all sorts of comic book series in the U.S. The particular one that inspired the Modern Toilet Restaurant is set in Penguin Village and the inventor in the village creates a robot-girl who is desperately in need of eyeglasses thus she gets into all sorts of trouble. There are 18 volumes of the manga and the anime series developed from it has 243 episodes. The stories contain lots of puns and toilet humor and parodies of Japanese and American culture.
Back to the toilet humor. After reading Dr. Slump, the "muckrackers" as they call themselves started the toilet restaurant idea. It began mainly serving ice cream--chocolate in small squat toilet replica dishes. It has branched out since then. The fixtures in the restaurant are clear table tops set on bathtubs and of course toilets for seating. The website assures everyone that the toilets, urinals, etc., food is served in are just replicas of the real thing and have never actually been plumbed.
Well, how is the food, I wondered. So I headed over to TripAdvisor to get a first hand accounting. They have a a three green dot rating (average) and are #634 out of 9150 restaurants in Taipei. Here are a few comments:
It suits the Aussie humor: Took my mum and best mate, had a good laugh the whole time!
Then went back with the wife and her Nanna.... When the hot pot arrived and it was a toilet.... The look on her face, an 80-something year old Taiwanese lady.... Priceless.
A South Korean visitor said: You sit on toilets overtop of a clear counter topped bathtub or sink. Food is brought in various bathroom-themed dishes such as toilets, urinals, and squatters. The entire thing is good fun and worth going to at least once just for the fun of it.
Most reviewers agreed you don't go for the food. And a New York visitor said "Modern Toilet is a go there once, never come again type of restaurant." Then ended with this, "Note: Ironic that Modern Toilet does not have a sit-on toilet." I guess unless you squat well, you'd better go before you go.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
The Wonder of a Sunset

Key West knows how to celebrate a sunset and it's done every night. The square fills with people, most just observers and some entertainers. There are jugglers, singers, magicians, musicians, and dancers to name a few. The entertainment stops though as soon as the sun begins its dip into the ocean. The sunset receives a round of applause and the fun continues.
A few of the places mentioned by TripAdvisor are unusual like going to the top of a building in New York City to watch the sun set. I'm more a fan of watching it away from a city but I expect you could get some terrific silhouettes of the buildings with just the right conditions.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Logging Sea Days

At sea there are more opportunities to enjoy guest speakers or learn a new dance step, a new language or your way around a computer program. Some programs include art lessons or crafts. Certain ships, like the Queen Mary 2 with its planetarium, have spectacular features. Celebrity's Solstice Class ships have glassblowing demonstrations. Water parks, zip lines, Flo Riders, and golf simulators are popular ways to pass the time as well.
The Cruise Critic Newsletter has listed eight ships that are especially fun for sea days. We've been on several. As a matter of fact, our week aboard the Oasis of the Seas a few years ago has us longing to try it again. The ship is so much fun, who needs ports?
Each new ship that sets sail seems to have at least one outstanding feature that makes it unique and beckons exploration. While ports are fun to explore, don't discount those days at sea. Even if you do nothing more than curl up in a lounge chair and relax with a good book. I have several I can suggest--but you knew that.
Monday, September 15, 2014
My Packing Personality

It turns out I am a Last-Second Lightweight Packer. Here's the result:
You prefer spontaneity over careful planning -- and your packing style is no exception. You're a bit of a fatalist. You feel that if you're going to forget to pack something, then you're going to forget to pack something, and there's not much you can do about it. You like to travel light, thereby avoiding airline baggage fees, pulled arm muscles and exhaustion. You've probably headed out the door with a few things left behind that you wish you had packed, but you never let it ruin your trip.
So, "fatalist" that I am, I will wait for the day before we leave to set out all the clothes and sundries we need to take for this jaunt out West and as usual, lay it all out on the dining room table to check over one last time before putting it all in the suitcase. And if we should forget something? Well this time there'll probably be a Walmart around the corner.
Want to take the Packing Personality Quiz? Just click on the link.
Friday, September 12, 2014
World Cruise - Repatriation of Remains? What??

For instance, what if we were to fall and need more medical attention than the locals could provide? What if one of us had a stroke or a heart attack? At our ages, we need to begin thinking of those things and in this case, we could be a long way from the care we would need/want and or home if our cruise were to end that way. Medical evacuation is very expensive and could cost as much as our cruise fare or more.
There is also insurance available that will cover the cancellation of our cruise or the portion we couldn't finish if we ran into medical circumstances that meant we needed to come home.
All of that being considered, insurance is also costly but in this case and at this stage in life, we felt we needed a cushion should an emergency arise. Our major concern being a medical evacuation, Bob zeroed in on the policies that provided for that as well as any local medical expenses that might occur along the way. (And of course covers the repatriation of remains.) Medicare and our supplemental insurance would not cover all medical situations out of the U.S. that might happen.
On the other hand, adding to a travel insurance policy the portion that would cover the premature cancellation of our cruise--all or a part of it, also adds a hefty premium to the insurance. Bottom line is that we are comfortable with the medical part and the cost of that. If we lose a portion of the cruise, so be it. After all, all insurance is a gamble of sorts. We're hoping we won't need any of it.
Bob has settled on a policy from FrontierMedEx called TravMed Global. I'm trusting in his judgement but if I have to repatriate his remains, I'm still finishing the cruise. I expect he'll do the same.

Labels:
Travel Insurance,
Travel Tips,
World Cruise
Thursday, September 11, 2014
The Spam Connection

During the war the product became a staple to the armed forces. It didn't require refrigeration as long as it was in the can and made for a perfect ration in the warmer climates of the Pacific. Once the Hawaiians got hold of it, it became a favorite. SPAM seemed to go well with many of the Asian dishes popular in the area and many kids grew up on it thus making it a fond memory of childhood, perpetuating its popularity.
To quote the SPAM page at Hormel's site: "No single product in history is better known for its heroics during wartime, its accomplishments during peacetime and its popularity during mealtime than SPAM® classic. After more than seven decades in the marketplace, the SPAM® family of products is still the tasty, high-quality kitchen staple made of 100 percent pure pork and ham that the world has come to know and love."
So if you're ready. . .here's a recipe for SPAM fried rice"
Heat a small amount of sesame oil into a skillet and brown spam pieces on all sides. Mix in the rice. Mix the egg with the soy sauce and stir into the hot rice and spam. Stir gently until the egg is cooked. Sprinkle green onions on top and serve. |
Ah, if all that creativity could only be used for good. Enjoy your fried rice!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Books For The Road - Sky Walking by Tom Jones

Jones drove me a little nuts with all the acronyms in the beginning but as I got further along in the book, they began to make more sense and/or were easy to ignore. There are some minor technical places and some references to physics I'm sure readers more learned in those would have no difficulty with. My slight brush with physics leaves a lot to be desired.
Still, the book is fascinating and each time you lift off with him (he was a part of four missions) you can almost feel the Gs and sense the weightlessness. His descriptions of re-entry and the amazing displays of light that accompany it were interesting to see through his eyes. Going through his three space walks with him gave a totally different perspective than anything I ever watched on TV.
This would be a great read for anyone interested in the space program and who has watched some of the missions on television. I missed the one opportunity I had to see a shuttle launch because I was sick but my family was duly impressed. I'm eager to see what my husband says once he's read the memoir. He saw the launch and he took physics and actually learned something.
Can't wait to hear Dr. Tom Jones when he speaks during our cruise. I'm sure it will be fascinating.
Monday, September 08, 2014
A Walk Through CVNP's Beaver Marsh

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This is the first time we've seen these guys. Usually we see mallards. |
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The sun's angle made the blue of this heron really stand out. Hope he fills his belly here and not at our pond. |
Friday, September 05, 2014
There's Always Room For One More Beach

But there are lots more to explore according to the list. Two are in the US and look very interesting. In Georgia there's a driftwood beach and in California a beach that has tons of sea glass making up its shoreline. My brother and I as kids used to find "sea glass" at Put-In-Bay, Ohio, near the downtown docks. It was from all the broken bottles from the weekend revelers on the boats in the harbor. The motion of the lake smoothed the sharp edges and give it a frosted look. It was pretty but who knew it would be a fashion statement in jewelry down the road?
There are a couple of hidden beaches mentioned in Mexico and British Virgin Islands, one with lots of penguins in South Africa (maybe that's on the World Cruise agenda?) and one in Bermuda with pink sand. The other interesting beach is in China. It's called Red Beach because of the red seaweed that covers it. It is also a nature preserve and doesn't look like the type of beach for sunbathing and swimming--unique, nevertheless.
Check out the TripAdvisor list of unique beaches and see if there's one that needs to be on your bucket list.
Thursday, September 04, 2014
World Cruise - Madagascar

The movie shows several different species of lemurs on the island, the only place in the world where they are known to exist. It highlights the work of Dr. Patricia Wright in trying to help these unusual creatures to survive and avoid extinction. She spearheaded a conservation project that led to the establishment of Ranomafana National Park where the lemurs environment is protected.

Madagascar promises to be one of those unique opportunities we love to partake in. I'm eager to see what else Crystal Cruises comes up with to explore.
Wednesday, September 03, 2014
Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, September 02, 2014
Through My Lens - Late Summer Blooms
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