Cruztalking

It’s an RV: To JA Jance, the Wall Street Journal and others who need to know:

2012-02-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

What is an RV? It’s a group of vehicles that are used for leisure.

One sub-group of RVs is the motorhome. There are at least 3 flavors of motorhome: Class A, Class B and Class C. I have pictured a Class C which is built with a van front, and Class A motorhome which is usually built to look something like a bus.

MOTORHOMES,

Class C Motorhome

Class A Motorhome

Another group of Recreational Vehicles are those that are trailed behind a car or truck. They are called Trailers and there are many varieties of these. I’ve included a picture of a Fifth Wheel Trailer and a Conventional Trailer.

FIFTH WHEEL TRAILERS

CONVENTIONAL TRAILERS

Another group of RVs are campers that are put in the bed of a pickup truck. I’ve pictured two of those

PICK UP CAMPERS

SHELL CAMPER

The generic name for all of these vehicles is RV (which is short for “recreational vehicle). Some folks think a motorhome is an RV and the rest of those vehicles are not. WRONG.

What got me on this little tirade is a book I just finished. In JA Jance’s Damage Control she talks about a family who owns a Mobile Home Park where people drive their mobile homes to in order to enjoy the warm Arizona winter! You cannot drive a mobile home! (See picture below) You drive a motorhome. Big difference.

MOBILE HOME

The Wall Street Journal makes the same mistake. Several times a year, the WSJ will publish an article about folks driving their mobile homes down the highways and byways of the US enjoying the great outdoors. Again a mobile home does not move! Can you picture the above mobile home rolling down the street?

It’s simple. A mobile home cannot be driven and it is not mobile. A motorhome is part of the group of leisure vehicles called RVs. Other RVs include trailers and campers.

Sorry for my rant. I needed to set the record straight!

Morning Surprise

2012-02-06T02:11:00.001-08:00

This morning I found a natural archway made up of old oak trees. I've walked this park for a long time yet I've never seen this little grove before. It is fun to find a surprise in familiar a place!

Jalama Beach

2012-01-29T22:26:00.000-08:00

Today we drove to Jalama Beach, 14 miles off Highway 1. The drive was wonderful as it reminded us of “old California” before millions of people found this place.

We drove through miles of coastal mountain scenery seeing fewer than a dozen homes yet lots of cattle.

There were cheeky gulls all over the place, standing boldly on posts just daring us to chase them away.

The sun was shining on the ocean and

folks were kayaking

Then at the end of the road was a small county park right on the ocean.

Musings

2012-01-29T13:10:00.001-08:00

Yesterday a couple of trees started to blossom. The day before the trees were bare.

I like looking at the fine old oak trees in the Park.

Buzzards hide in the trees in the morning. Can you find 4 buzzards in this tree.

Movie Review: Star Wars redux

2012-01-28T13:35:00.001-08:00

After seeing the first 2 episodes of Star Wars we were not going to see the rest...but we owned the remaining DVDs in the set -- so why not see them just for continuity-sake. Guess what? They were pretty good. The first 2 episodes are dogs but the last 4 are pretty good. I don't think they "work" as well as they did in the 70s, but they are a fun trip down memory lane.

Movie Review: Star Bores oh I mean Star Wars

2012-01-22T01:28:00.001-08:00

We thought it might be fun to see the complete Star Wars sextet in order from 1-6. We rented SW-The Phantom Menace and it was awful. Bad acting, really horrible aliens, and not much of a plot. An action movie that deals with negotiations and Senate debates? Gimme a break!

Tonight we viewed SW--Attack of the Clones. It was a little better than SW1 but not good enough. We decided to drop the plan to see all six of the movies. I don't think we will even see SW4 which started the process back in 1976.

If you get the urge to see these movies you have been warned not to waste your time.

Great Blue

2012-01-20T08:32:00.001-08:00

Chasing a Great Blue Heron for a picture is usually a hopeless task. The heron in question hangs out at the park. I see it most everyday. Yet when I get the camera out it is gone. I never even hear the flapping of wings--just gone.

Well today I caught the heron. At first it was hunkered down and I almost missed it. A telltale white feather gave it away as it blended in with the background so well. Of course I stopped and got out my iPhone camera. (the perfect time for better optics but you take what you get.) I started snapping away. The heron stretched its neck and walked very slowly (as did I) as we danced around each other. What a treat.

Movie Review: Unstoppable

2012-01-16T11:45:00.001-08:00

Whoa! Do you want action and suspense all rolled up together? This movie does that. I sat on the edge of my chair hoping disaster would not happen.

The stars are a huge runaway train, Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. You know how big a train is...But a train careening down the track at 70 miles an hour is more than huge...it is a monster just one moment away from
wiping out the next "thing" in its path.

Rent the movie, grab the popcorn and be ready for suspense. We liked it a lot--far more than we thought we would based on the blurb on the DVD jacket!

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

2012-01-16T11:43:00.001-08:00

This is the second Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. If you are familiar with Sherlock Holmes, then you know there are some
expectations that have to be met. Sherlock has to be moody; he has to be smart; he has to be the "star" of the crime scene. In this story he runs across someone who might be smarter than him. Needless to say this does not go over well with our brainy sleuth.

Lots of fun action. The interplay between Holmes and Watson is good. Holmes is jealous that Watson is getting married as it means he won't have a good buddy to "play" with after the nuptials.

The setting in late 19th century London is fun to look at. A neat little story with action and suspense. If you see it, rent the first SH to get in the mood.

Movie Review: Mission Impossible

2012-01-16T11:41:00.003-08:00

Mission Impossible 4 was released around Christmas. This series is usually a good romp without much story and Mark 4 of the series proved to follow suit. Lots of action. Lots of Tom Cruise doing his stunts. Lots of the latest kill the bad guy toys.

To get ready for the movie we rented MI-1. I tried to see it, but it put me to sleep. Filmed near the beginning of the Internet age it featured lots of keystrokes and action music but I could not find the plot (maybe because I fell asleep). Nevertheless we saw MI-4 the next day in the theatre and it was great fun. But it referred back to stuff in the precious MIs so we rented 2 and 3.

The saga has one story line...someone has taken something and Tom and his team have to get it. In the process of getting it, they travel to exotic locations do astounding things and retrieve the item in the nick of time and world disaster does not happen!

Over the series you see Tom gently age--he's no longer that cute kid in the first episode. He's matured yet he still plays the same character who is brave and true. That's what makes it a fun series. The bad guy loses and the good guys win. I like it when the good guys win.

If you want pure escapist action happening in some interesting locations, see the movie.

Morning Reflections

2012-01-11T12:03:00.001-08:00

"Reflection" has a lot of different meanings. Is it an echo of an image or a thought process or what you see in the mirror?

Reflecting on that, I offer two pictures. One is a duck in the light of a clouded morning sunrise; the other of a pontoon boat floating on a relatively still surface of the lake.

As always reflections are hard to capture as they are illusive and ready to change without warning. So what are you reflecting this morning?

African Daisy and Climate Change

2012-01-11T11:57:00.001-08:00

I do believe that the climate is changing. (I am not convinced in the Global Warming theory as the climate on our pretty blue ball has changed repeatedly over the millennia without the help of people and our internal combustion engines.) Given that, flowers that are not supposed to be blooming in January are. Yesterday we saw this African Daisy growing wild in the median.

A month ago I posted pictures of my ceanothus in bloom. In fact the ceanothuses have so many flowers on them now, we had to put them back on a regular watering schedule.

While the flowers are early, I love seeing the color they bring to the landscape.

The Pink Light of Dawn

2012-01-08T00:17:00.001-08:00

This morning the lake was covered in "smokes" for lack of a better word. The water looked like it had steam rising from it. As the sun started to rise, a pink glow filled the sky and the water turned the same shade. Then in a blink of an eye, it was gone.

Mod-Cons for a 21st century RVer

2012-01-05T11:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I wrote about all the camping mod cons and I started to think what were those mod cons? Electricity cannot be called modern any more as RVers have enjoyed it for years. Indoor plumbing is not exactly new either. Most RVers have TV and radio (satellite for both no less). RVers have been using their cell phones for at least 2 decades. We have also been enjoying larger RVs with slide out rooms, washers and driers, double door refrigerators with freezers, microwave/convection ovens and even dishwashers. The modern RV is very well appointed with king sized beds and some even have 2 bathrooms! So what are the mod cons for the 21st century camper?

I've been pondering that question and I've concluded it's the emergence of readily available wifi.

In 1998 we took a cross country RV trip. At that time I was teaching an online class and I had to beg campground owners for a phone line so I could connect my laptop with an internal modem to a dial up server. I remember giving campground folks lessons on dial up and modems. All that has changed. In the intervening 14 years many campgrounds advertise free wifi. I'm still teaching my online class but I'm doing it from
the comfort of my RV on my own time schedule. I use my iPad and connect to my class without a hiccup!

This has led me to think what were the mod-cons for other points in time? What was the mod-con at the turn of the 12th century? Or the turn if the 18th century?

Enuf! I'll stick with wifi. What do you think?

Wintertime Camping

2012-01-05T02:00:00.001-08:00

We are camping in a hard sided, nicely insulated 5th wheel. We have all the amenities. But there are some folks who are true winter campers. They are in tents...or should I say intense? Whatever the case, they are hearty souls who probably enjoy going about life without the mod-cons of the 21st century every now and again. As for me, I will stay in my fiver.

Kissing Tree

2012-01-05T01:53:00.001-08:00

I wish I could say I thought of the phrase, but it was not me. I overheard a little girl tell her grandfather to come over quick as she was under the kissing tree and she needed a kiss! As you can see, the tree is covered with mistletoe.

Two Veteran RVs

2012-01-01T15:15:00.001-08:00

We have been playing with RVs for the last 40 years. During that time we have owned 5 and we have looked at countless others.

When we were first bit by that "RV Bug" In the early 70s, one of the cutest class A motorhomes was the Cortez. It was a self contained unit, not too big at 18 feet long and it had all the mod-cons. We went looking for one but alas none were to be found in the Sacramento area. I've just discovered why--only 3211 Cortez motorhomes were built between 1963-1989. It's no wonder we did not find one sitting on a dealer's lot. They were pretty rare. Nowadays they are very rare!

What we did see was a cute little Winnebago Brave at 18-20 feet. Not nearly as cute but available. We decided that the Winnie was not cute enough and we ended up buying a Chinook Class C motorhome. If you are interested, see my March 29, 2011 post for a picture of our little Chinook motorhome.

Right now we are staying in an RV park where 2 of those old motorhomes are still being used and enjoyed. I wonder how many miles they have on them? Our Chinook had 125,000 miles on it when we sold it in 1983.

The first picture is a 1971 Winnie and the second is the Cortez (I don't know the exact year, but I'm guessing 1966). A good motorhome never dies.

One More App

2011-12-31T02:04:00.001-08:00

Did you know a smartphone can be a flashlight? It's true! The App store has several flashlight apps for free. I believe they are all pretty much the same. The idea is to get the app and when you need a flashlight you have one ready.

BTW I've had this app a long time but we were talking about great apps at Christmas and "flashlight" was mentioned ... And we all had stories about how useful it was.

Regarding smartphones--I was in a long line the other day and everyone in the line was playing with his or her smartphone. They were reading email or texting or playing games. No one was bored and everyone in the line was calmly waiting for his or her number to be called. I don't know what that means, but it was interesting to see. Smartphone as adult pacifier?

Random Learnings from 2011

2011-12-31T01:51:00.001-08:00

In 2011 I:
-Discovered the wonder of a good pedicure
-Learned that Roman ruins are everywhere in Europe
-Visited my 97th country
-Loved seeing "things" anew through the eyes of my friends
-Learned again and again that each day is special and to live it the best I can
-Learned that good health is fragile
-Learned that the "chore" of walking every day is enjoyable (and it's not a chore anymore)
-Learned wildflowers are ephemeral so it's all right to pick them
-Learned its not about the camera but the memory
-Saw Pompeii and Florence and Venice as well as Monaco and Lisbon. WOW
-Had Lots of fun
-Am ready to make more memories for 2012

Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T01:45:00.001-08:00

I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

Action by the Pond

2011-12-23T18:32:00.001-08:00

There was a lot of action by the pond this morning. I could hear the rustling in the bushes when suddenly an egret and a heron popped up and flew away. I was even more surprised to see that I captured the event with my iPhone. On the other hand, the flotilla of mergansers on the pond just stayed put--i guess they were not afraid of my approach at all!

Regarding smartphone cameras-- makers of point and shoot cameras are finding that their sales are falling. People with smartphones are not buying additional cameras as they are finding out they don't need two cameras.

Some Pictures I Like--Part 2

2011-12-21T21:08:00.001-08:00

The next two pictures are identical. One is rotated 180 degrees from
The other. Can you tell which one is right side up? The reflection was so clear even I had a hard time figuring it out.

Some Pictures I Like--Part 1

2011-12-21T21:02:00.001-08:00

It was cooler this morning. The grass was stiff with ice, but it was this lone leaf that caught my attention. The thin coat of frost covered the leaf yet the underlying color shone through.

Christmas in the Country

2011-12-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

In the city people decorate their front doors. In the country people decorate their gates. Same idea--different format. Here are two examples.

Apps

2011-12-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Every so often I recommend some iPhone and iPad apps that I have found helpful. Today I’m recommending websites that talk about apps. Since there are over a half million apps around, it’s nice to have a source where you can find out information before you buy an app.

AppAdvice is for Apple only iDevices. It has reviews, guides, charts, and so much more. It’s updated daily and has links to the Apple Store.

Appolicious is another compiler of apps, but it is good for both Apple and Android devices. It’s been developed in association with Yahoo, so it has a “Yahoo-type interface” that is easy to use.

If you are a teacher, go to Top 50 iPhone Apps for Educators. Created by the Online College Database, it gives a short explanation of each app and a link to the App Store so you can buy it!

I use these three to find out more about an app before I download it.

Now there are four!

2011-12-17T09:02:00.001-08:00

There have been vultures around here for as long as we have lived here. They usually perch on the fence posts on the property line far from people. Then I saw a pair on a power pole near my home a few days ago. That was a first. Since then, the same pair (I think they are the same pair anyway) shows up most days. Today, however, was different. There were 4 of 'em! The view from the poles must be grand! Given that, I needed to tell them that I'm not dead yet.

A little later it looked like they were getting worried as they were moving their heads up and down (maybe they do not like to be watched) and the fellow on the top of the pole stretched out his wings to soak up the sun before taking flight.

You never know what you will see in the morning. Life in the slow lane.

Natural Paintbrush

2011-12-16T17:28:00.001-08:00

Tonight we had a wonderful sunset. Mother Nature was having a grand time painting the sky in oranges, yellows, pinks and blues. My camera and I tried to capture the color -- here are a few samples.

Pedometer Mark 2

2011-12-15T16:05:00.001-08:00

I've been using the pedometer app for 3 days now and I love it. Not only does it keep track of time and distance, it maps exactly where I've been. The full version has a price tag of $2.99 and frankly I don't know what else it can do. If you are looking for an easy and informative pedometer I highly recommending Pedometer GPS+. I'm sorry to report it is only for Apple products right now. To find out more go to http://mobile.viaden.com/pedometer-pro.html.

Watercolor World

2011-12-15T15:54:00.001-08:00

We had a trace of rain this morning. The air had that clean, after-the-rain smell. The bare tree limbs had drops of water clinging on for dear life...just a soft breeze away from falling to earth. The few trees still decked out in fall colors were beacons of bright light contrasting against the gray sky. A good morning for a walk.

Pedometer App

2011-12-13T08:54:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder how far you walk in a day? Or how far you walk when you take your constitutional? I do and to that end I started looking for iPhone aps to measure that distance. After looking at several I decided on Pedometer GPS+. I downloaded the free version which I will try for a few more days in order to decide if I want the upgraded version that does more.

The ap has a timer letting me know how long I have walked. It also tells how many miles I have walked, the number of calories I've burned, my heart rate and the piece d'resistance a map of where I went. It's a kick to see every place I put down my feet.

I don't know if there is an android version of the ap but I'm guessing there is. (It cannot be that difficult to make an ap for both platforms.) I downloaded mine from the Ap Store from Apple.

Are you wondering what I found out about my morning walk? This morning I logged 1.683 miles or 3487 steps; I burned 132 calories and my average speed was 2.6 mph while my fastest speed was 3.8 mph. While this is far more information than I wanted it will provide a baseline for subsequent morning walks. I'm happy with my new ap!

Things Have Not Changed

2011-12-07T08:47:00.001-08:00

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance."
- Cicero - 55 BC

3 Seasons

2011-12-06T09:10:00.001-08:00

Right now there are 3 seasons in our yard. Some of the trees are still decked out in the fall colors. The Pyracantha are ready for Christmas with their bright red berries and the ceanothus is starting to get spring blooms!

Is this an example of climate change? Or, is it normal? I don't know the answer I just find it interesting.

Friends

2011-12-03T23:42:00.001-08:00

Every morning there's a little surprise for me. Today it was two vultures sitting on the phone pole. I've been walking the same path for years and I've never seen a vulture on the pole, let alone two! I think of vultures as loners, but these guys looked like friends!

Christmas

2011-12-01T08:07:00.001-08:00

The politically correct silly season has started. This year we are seeing Holiday trees and Winter Festivals.
In fact I'm not seeing many ads for Christmas sales either.

I just did a small sampling of the online ads for retailers. Here's what I found. Best Buy is advertising "Great Gifts" but it's business as usual. Macy's is having "Holiday Sales" and K-Mart ads show their "little blue light guy" in a Santa Hat but there's no mention of Christmas. Sears is featuring a robot type critter with a Santa Hat again no mention of Christmas. Bed, Bath and Beyond has seasonal specials and gifts--their concession to the "season" is a boxy graphic surrounded by "Christmas" lights...but no mention of Christmas per se. Old Navy has the "Merry Mall" and the "Happiest Holidays" but again no Christmas. Walmart, the nation's biggest retailer does mention Christmas but you have to look at the online ad hard to find it in the small print. Like many retailers they are touting CyberMonday with "bright ideas for the Holidays." Penney's is having a Thank You Appreciation Sale. At the bottom of their homepage they say "Who's your Santa! Shop Best Gifts."

Online retailer Amazon talks about CyberMonday. The only graphic on their main webpage that looks a little bit Christmas-like is a black box with a red bow in the corner saying you can shop with MasterCard.

Kohl's online ad says CHRISTMAS! Target's online ad has Christmas written in small blue letters and an emphasis on gifts. Lowe's online ad says "The Joy of Christmas" but Home Depot's ad just talks about holidays.

Thank goodness not every big name retailer has decided to abandon the name of the day we are all celebrating.

So much of our media is promoting Winter or Holiday as words to use so as not to offend people. Well, I part of the people, and I'm offended! The Holiday we are celebrating is Christmas! I want to hear traditional Christmas music. I want to see Nativity Scenes. I want to celebrate with the 3 Wise Men about the birth of Christ.

Long Legs

2011-12-01T08:01:00.001-08:00

I like to walk every morning (weather permitting...I'm not fond of windy or rainy days). Mornings are so quiet -- the rabbits are still in their burrows and every so often I surprise one. A sleepy rabbit is fun to watch as it zigs and zags down the hill. We've clocked them at 25 mph!

Here's a picture of me (going a lot slower) as the sun is rising over the mountain. I look about 10 feet tall!

My Favorite Blanket

2011-11-29T13:59:00.001-08:00

As you know I crochet blankets for Project Linus. I just finished a "teddy bear" blanket that looks like sunshine. It feels happy. I know a little kid will like it a lot.

Josh the Computer “god"

2011-11-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

This morning I talked to Josh my own private (at least for today) “computer repair god.” Most computers are relatively reliable but every so often things happen. Last night one of those “things” happened. I was logging off for the night and my computer would not let me do anything! It had locked up! NOW WHAT? I tried all sorts of methods to make the computer work, but all I got was a screen that jiggled. A jiggly screen is never a good sign.

I called the computer help line, even though it was midnight and of course no one was there. The nice voice at the other end of the line said “Hello...we are closed...call again in the morning.” SO, I called this morning. Of course, everyone else who had a computer glitch this long weekend was calling too. After a 13 minute wait (not too bad when you consider it) Josh came on the line. He’s the “computer god” I was talking about.

Very calmly, Josh said “we can fix that!” WHEW! That was nice to know. He said first do this and this...I did... and the computer stopped working.

He said there’s another route we can take...do this and this...I did...and the computer stopped working.

He then said...”this looks like a bigger problem than I thought at first, but we can fix it!” It was nice to hear his encouragement.

He then gave me another set of directions and the screen turned black! A black computer screen is never a good sign...then some white letters started scrolling down the screen. There were a few words I could understand but most looked like "/fn/ - qrs”What does that mean? Finally it stopped printing letters and I saw :/ root -- something I could read and understand.

Josh gave me detailed instructions on what I should type next, one letter at a time. After a few seconds the computer started to fix itself. It had 43 items in a directory that only needed 42 (I have to wonder how an Volume fixed! Then :/ root appeared on the sreen.

Very gingerly I typed “reboot” and the computer rebooted and a familiar screen appeared. My name appeared...then it asked for my password and the password worked! There was no jiggling. HOORAY!

One more thing to be thankful for...calm computer gods who know how to fix your system!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-11-26T08:47:00.001-08:00

The big day was Thursday: American Thanksgiving. I say American because Thanksgiving is celebrated on other days in other countries. In Canada it occurs on the second Monday in October. Germany calls it Erntedankfest and it's celebrated the first Sunday after Michelmas which is usually near the end of September. In fact most cultures celebrate their thanks to a bountiful harvest.

And that's what we did -- and we also celebrated another year of good health, good friends and good times. I cooked the traditional bird and some of the trimmings as I did not wish to become thankful for more weight gain than necessary! I took one picture of the turkey as I put it in the oven and forgot to take more. Rest assured it was a tasty bird and we will have even tastier leftovers for a few days to come. I still want to know why the leftovers always taste better?

This and That

2011-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

It’s always fun to write in a blog when we are doing exciting things...it’s less fun when we do the normal day to day stuff. But then, for us, normal is being on the move and the day to day stuff is definitely not normal.

I’m thinking the US Congress has 3 days to fix the deficit debacle and I’m guessing they will not get it done. I’m guessing they needed more of a stick to force them to some sort of action. They knew from the get go that if they did not act, some cuts would automatically be set into place. While those cuts are not nice, they are a lot easier to agree on than anything else. Makes we wonder what happened to the idea of compromise!? OK, I know, I’m being a Pollyanna, but geeeees...these guys needed to do something and it’s clear they have not done anything. Might I suggest cutting the Department of Education?

In the other DrCs blog, COTTonLINE, there’s a link to this excellent article by Tom Friedman, where the bottom-line is READ TO YOUR KIDS! As a reading teacher most of my life, I know how important it is to read to your kids...now folks who are not reading teachers are saying the same thing. His article states that the crucial time to read to your children is during their primary school years. I’ve always backed the notion of reading to kids from birth! No matter, we are on the same page...read to your kids. The kids who are read to are those who are most likely to succeed!

Never fear, I’ll get back to the pretty pictures soon.

Home Again

2011-11-16T09:21:00.001-08:00

We were gone for 38 days! My that's a long time. Now we are back home and dealing with reality away from a cruise ship. Gosh--we have to buy groceries, do laundry, house keeping, gardening, and everything else. Jorge is not our steward, Paul and Ljubica are not our waiters. Damiano is not supplying us with endless fresh chocolate chip cookies. We are coping. Yet, I would be remiss not to thank these hard working folks for making the cruise wonderful.

Bird feeder

2011-11-10T04:45:00.001-08:00

Sometimes other critters get to enjoy.

The Smokies in Autumn

2011-11-10T02:44:00.001-08:00

Surprise! We arrived in time t enjoy some fall color. Fall in the Smokies is beautiful. We drove to New Found Gap, which is the border between North Carolina and Tennessee and looked at the views along the way and it was wonderful.

Next stop was Gatlinburg. I remember driving through Gatlinburg sometime in the early 70s in our motorhome. It was summer and crowded and we did not like the place. Yesterday, on a warm autumn afternoon it was delightful. We had a great lunch at Calhoun's and enjoyed our friends.

In Tennessee

2011-11-10T02:31:00.001-08:00

We arrived in Tennessee this afternoon. In 2 days we drove a little over 950 miles. For folks who try not to drive more than 250 miles a day (when we RV) these are long days for us.

As we drove north the scenery became prettier. Just outside of Atlanta we started to see trees dressed in their autumn colors. By the time we got to Tennessee the trees were in their glory. Prettiest of all was the golden light shining on the Tennessee River. No pictures just memories.

We will be here till Friday (which is 11-11-11 btw) then back to the real world with real responsibilities.

In Georgia

2011-11-06T19:10:00.001-08:00

We landed in Ft. Lauderdale this morning. I must say it was one of the tidier disembarkations I've ever done. We were told to meet in Explorer's Lounge at 7:50 and within 10 minutes we were heading for the gangway. We left the ship and without too much ado we found our luggage. The next stop was the bus to the airport to get our rental car. I had the car scheduled for 10 AM and we got there at 9:30.
Princess did a good job!

We are renting a Chevrolet Traverse, which is some type of crossover vehicle. It's very comfy--and it has all sorts of things my 11 year old car does not have including Bluetooth, a USB port, a 110 outlet, a DVD player with headphones, at least 3 different types of radio and Bose speakers. It also has 3 rows of seats so a whole army will fit in it. So far we have driven it about 400 miles and we are liking it a lot.

Our drive through Flat Florida was long and uneventful. We drove the turnpike most of the way, then when the tollway ended we joined up with I-75. I hope we get some rolling hills to look at tomorrow in Georgia as we have seen a bit too much flat today. We are supposed to arrive in Maryville, TN

Time to say Good-bye

2011-11-04T17:29:00.001-07:00

We have been on the Ruby Princess for 4 weeks...we boarded her on Friday, October 7. During this trip we have visited Rome, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Venice, Monaco, Barcelona, Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, Split, Lisbon, Ponta delGado (there might be more too). We have been on one of the tiny electric trams in Lisbon and a 4x4 on the back roads of the Azores. We have walked in the ruts made by carriages 2000 years ago in Pompeii. We seen some of the splendors of Venice and revisited the beauty of Pisa. I've taken pictures of laundry hanging out of windows all over the Mediterranean too. It's been some trip.

Now however, it's time to say good-bye to the friends we have met. We have spent 1/12 of the year on this boat. It's been our home away from home. Our respite!

We have filled out the "You've Done a Good Job" forms for the various folks who have made the cruise such a complete escape from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. If you are looking for a way to relax, consider a cruise!

Tomorrow we will pack up our bags and get ready for the next stage of the adventure. When we disembark the ship on Sunday morning, we will pick up a rental car and drive to Tennessee to visit old friends.

Sea Days

2011-11-03T05:38:00.001-07:00

We are on the crossing part of our cruise now. In case you didn't know, there is a difference between cruising and crossing. Cruising means stopping at different ports of call; crossing means sailing from one side of the ocean to another. So we are crossing the Atlantic and we will make landfall on Sunday.

Many folks like crossing better than cruising because it is more relaxing. All you have to do is enjoy the ship which is relatively easy to do on these floating cities. Other folks like cruising as you get too see so many interesting places. It just depends on what you like to do. With a 30 day cruise, you get to do both.

So far, the crossing has been pretty good. Yesterday we were steaming along at 21 knots, it was 72 degrees outside and a mild 15 knot wind was blowing...not too bad. (In other words you can walk outside, on the decks, and your hair will stay on your head, but it will be messy.) If we had a 30 knot wind, forget hair and bundle up! It will be dangerous out there! When on a crossing you rarely sit outside on your balcony as it's too cool and windy. Balconies are for cruising in warm still waters.

Ruby Princess has a huge open air theater on board, so I watched a movie on deck 16 at 1 in the afternoon while enjoying the sun and the breeze...only on a cruise ship can you do that.

Sea days are pleasant...no ports to worry about, no tenders to board, no excursions to meet...the only worry is getting to the event you want to see on time, and of course, eating. By this time in the cruise, no one is eating very much, so even that is not a concern.
I stopped eating 3 meals a day over 2 weeks ago.

So we have 2 more days of crossing and then back to reality. We will need to find our own food, make our beds, and get back to serving ourselves. I think we can do that.

Ponta Delgado, Sao Miguel

2011-10-31T08:50:00.001-07:00

Our last landfall was a tiny Portuguese island in the Azores. A pretty little island too. We had a gray foggy day and the beauty of the place came thru.

So while we did not see the crater with green lake and the blue lake we saw where they were--just too foggy to see the color. We tried to see the 7 tiny towns built into the craters of the island but alas--no views were available.

We saw some cows; horse carts carrying jugs of fresh milk; pretty little churches: clean tidy houses. A delightful little place I would like to return to in order to see it on a sunny day.

P.S. Our driver said it took about 2 hours to drive around the whole island. It's tiny.

Lisbon

2011-10-29T23:41:00.001-07:00

Ah! Lisbon! What a treasure! I did not have big expectations for this port of call and I was stunned. What a pretty little city. We had beautiful weather too, and that always enhances a situation. (maybe if we had a warm sunny day in Firenze my opinion would be different of the city??)

The name Lisbon means pretty harbor in some ancient language (a descriptive name much like Hong Kong for "fragrant harbor" or Buenos Aires for "good air"). When said in Portuguese there is a slight lisp to the /s/ so it comes out as "Lish-boa" which is the city name on Google maps.

Lisbon sits at the Tajes River and the Atlantic ocean at Greenwich Mean Time, so it'd directly south of Jolly Ol' England. Like many port cities, it is cradled in hills, 7 to be exact (each with the name of a saint) so there is a grand view from the "top" of the city to the port below.

To get from one place to another in the old town you either walk a bunch of steps or ride the tiny electric tram. We road the tram for about an hour winding through ancient streets that were just as wide as the narrow trams. The cars for the tram system were all made in 1922 and they are lovingly maintained and used by everyone.

The narrow streets are lined with houses, San Francisco style, that are decorated with tiles. Lisbon can get quite hot and we were told the tile reflects heat. So instead of painted houses there are row after row of houses covered with 3x3 tiles on their facades. Sadly I was not able to take any pictures of these tiled houses as the little tram did not linger when it moved.

We learned more about Prince Henry the Navigator (the fifth son of the King--never destined to be king--so he studied the sea and made all sorts of wonderful discoveries). We stopped at the exact place where Vasco daGama set sail in 1488. There's a church there now to commemorate the event. As I walked along the promenade I thought of the excitement and fear of those early day adventurers as they headed out into the great unknown in their tiny caravelles. This was THE place from where "it" all started. How history would be different if deGama did not set sail?

We looked at the famous Belem Tower which was the fort for the city. We visited the Monument to the Portuguese Navigator. We saw the "Christ the King" statue (sister to Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janiero) and a Golden Gate Bridge (made by the same CA firm that made the one in SF). Maybe the city was wonderful because it was filled with familiar stuff? Whatever, it was an interesting and wonderful visit.

Then as we drove from Old town to New town was see a marvelous aqueduct that was built in the 1700s to bring water across all the mountains. It took our breath away!

As we wandered the streets I felt we were in San Francisco of another era. The trams are similar to cable cars; the narrow windy streets sometimes with stairways on the side; the beautiful vistas on a clear day; yet we are half a world away.

We had a short time here but I'd like to return to explore more.

Florence aka Firenze

2011-10-25T03:34:00.001-07:00

We went to Florence today. We saw what we needed to see without going into any museums. Museums are closed on Monday, so that was not an option. In fact, I planned to take tours when the museums were closed as I thought they would add more confusion to the already lengthy 10 hour shore excursion.

I don't know what I expected but I saw a big city with ancient buildings covered with grime. The narrow streets were clogged with too many cars. The streets while relatively clean were used and dark. We had a gray day and that made it all seem darker.

Aside from that we did see the Duomo, the famous doors on the Baptistry, the huge ornate cathedral, the statues of David and Perseus and Neptune, the Ponte Vecchia and Santa Croce Basilica (where a lot of famous people are laid to rest). All of this was interesting. I learned about these in Art History too many years and it was interesting to see the actual "things."

It was a long day--I saw some interesting things--but I'm afraid I had a Mykonos experience. What is "it" all about? I missed something I'm sure!

Firenze is a monument to the past. It seems to be hanging on to it's past but I don't know where it is going in the future? I'm sure there is more to Florence than I saw but I'm not that excited to return to find out what "it" is.

Pisa

2011-10-25T03:33:00.001-07:00

We visited Pisa for the second time yesterday. The Tuscan town is small, and famous for it's Leaning Tower in the Field of Miracles. The tower is dramatic in that it defies gravity by listing several degrees away from straight. It is a pretty little wedding cake monolith, but to me the star of the Field of Miracles is The Baptistry.

Back in the 12th century when the Baptistry, Church and Bell Tower were started, you needed to be a Catholic to gain entry to the Church and of course entry into Heaven. The Baptistry of any Church was designed to be the first step toward Heaven. It was supposed to MAGNIFICENT! The Baptistry in Pisa is magnificent. This little jewel still brings about shock and awe by it's majesty. To me, it has far more charm and beauty than the rest of the structures on the Field of Miracles.

The Bell Tower is famous because it leans. It has been leaning since it was 3 years old! Not only does the Bell Tower lean, so do the Church and Baptistry. The structures lean because the subsoil is sandy. If they had completed an environmental impact study in the 1200s they might have discovered the proposed structures were just not right for the territory.

It was good see the pretty little Baptistry again and marvel at one of the unsung wonders of the known world.

Pompeii

2011-10-23T18:38:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to go to Pompeii since the 4th grade when I created a "volcano" for a class project. (I did not know at the time that "the volcano" was a pretty common class project.) Anyway I created the volcano, saved up my money in order to buy the chemical to make the explosion and on the day of class project presentations I had the curtains drawn and I put in the chemical and my paper mâché volcano exploded and I told the story of the great eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD.

Yesterday I saw the remains of the real Vesuvius. We had seen Herculaneum a week earlier, so we were ready for the experience, but it was better than I expected.

Pompeii was a big city at the time of it's death. It had paved streets (with ruts made by ancient wagons). Under the streets was a sewer and water system. The houses had running water and most had a cistern that caught rainwater for uses other than drinking. Painted on walls of some of the houses were frescos and then wax was applied to the fresco to preserve the masterpiece. The color was still vibrant after being buried for over a thousand years.

The houses we saw were quite large with a vestibule, a small temple to pray to the gods (they were pagans), living area, bedrooms off the main living area, and an outdoor garden or peristyle where folks ate with rooms off the peristyle. These folks lived well.

We walked the cobbled main street and saw houses that had shops in front and living quarters either in the back or upstairs. Did you know there were 100 bars yet only 34 bakeries in Pompeii? We did not learn how many shops there were. We saw the "red light district" where the frescos described what happened in each room.

There was a forum, not as large as the Forum in Rome, but good size. In addition there was a gymnasium with an attached outdoor stadium that had a retractible cover (similar to that of the Coliseum in Rome) for sport, and an indoor auditorium for plays.

Pompeii was a city with religion, government, sport, culture, commerce...and in a heartbeat it was destroyed. We saw a few of those haunting plaster bodies. The plaster bodies fascinated me as a child...now they held a different type of fascination...they told of the painful death of a person. With mouths open they were gasping for precious air, but the noxious gases from the explosion left the air poisonous. There was no escape.

Pompeii was an interesting experience. I'm still amazed we had a chance to see both of the cities that Vesuvius destroyed almost 2 millennia ago. Tomorrow we are in Florence for another type of culture.

Interesting Factoids about Venice

2011-10-21T23:23:00.003-07:00

1. Venice is made up of 118 islands, but not one of those islands is named Venice. In reality it is an archipelago.
2. There are 150 canals and 400 bridges connecting the islands.
3. In the old days each island had it's own church so on Sundays the church bells ring and ring and ring.
4. The old Jewish quarter is on Judica Island, and it is said that the word ghetto was first used in Venice to indicate where the Jews lived.
5. The Doge's Palace is connected to the old Prison by the Bridge of Sighs.
6. The Bridge of Sighs was named by Lord Byron. Before that it was just the prison bridge.
7. The "sighs" are those heard by the prisoners as they were being led to prison.
8. There are no cars on most of the islands. There are also no roads. However, most families own small boats which they "park" in the canals near their houses.
9. St. Mark's Square (next to the Doge's Palace) was flooded 250 days last year as it is the lowest point in the city.
10. The Venetian Empire lasted about 400 years until it was brought down by Napoleon.
11. The name Venice comes from the Latin word "venir" meaning "come."

Venice, Again

2011-10-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

We spent 2 1/2 days in Venice...one day of good weather, the rest with rain! We braved to look at the city on the morning of our last day and we were rewarded with fog, rain, gray skies and cold! When you travel you get the weather you get, not necessarily the weather you want! The idea is to have fun no matter what.

To that end we went to the islands of Burano and Murano. They are known for lace and glass respectively!

We saw a lace "factory" (for lack of a better word) where the lace is made by hand in an elaborate process. On
display were some examples of their work and it was incredible. It's good to know there is a place for this type of craftsmanship in today's world!

Burano is also known for colorful homes. If you have been in Curacao or LaBoca in Buenos Aires, then you might have an idea what that means. As in those 2 locations the houses are brightly painted with color ranging from bright red to lurid lavender. It's a kick!

At Murano we saw a glass demonstration but I was not able to take pictures. By then the rain was coming down in buckets so I did not take any shots of the village either.

After we returned to the ship and dried off, we attended the sail-away. Our big ship sailed out of the Venice Lagoon giving us a view of the city. I've posted some pictures of that.

At last we left the many islands that make up the Venice Archipelago and headed for the Adriatic. It's strange-- we had never sailed in the Adriatic before, but we have been here twice this year!

Venice

2011-10-18T13:24:00.001-07:00

We are in Venice for the very first time...it's something else. We did the typical tourist stuff and it was perfect.

We rode a water taxi to the Doge's Palace, toured the Palace and then St. Mark's Square. Next we took a gondola ride, and we ended our visit with a tour of the oldest Murano Glass factory in the city.

I was trying to keep my mouth closed at the Doge's Palace, but it was hard to do. I've read about the palace for years so I was just soaking it all in!

The gondola ride was great too. We had perfect weather on our watery street thru the smaller canals. The Grand Canal is big and busy, where the smaller canals are less frequented, have less traffic and no big boats are allowed.

STRIKING Greeks

2011-10-17T06:01:00.001-07:00

The Greeks handle crises by striking...and they are striking today.

The ship is stopped at Katakolon, which is site of the first Olympics way, way back when. There's a nice old set of ruins to visit, including the place where the Olympic torch is lit...but no one can go, as the guides are on strike today!

Since the country needs money and since there are boatloads of tourists waiting to spend it...seems strange to be on strike! But then, I'm only a tourist!

In Split

2011-10-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Today we visited Split. We were here in May so I did not think we needed a tour (as we had a great tour then)--instead I gave a small tour of Diocletian's Palace! We did not visit all 3000 rooms of the 8 acre establishment, (see the picture of the 3D map) but we looked at the Church and Mausoleum, walked the narrowest street in Europe and then sat in a side walk cafe and looked at the people go by. It's always great fun to people watch. Tomorrow we start a 3 day stay in Venice!

Lovely Corfu

2011-10-17T05:58:00.001-07:00

We are returning to some favorite places on this trip--and Corfu is one of those places. Corfu is a green Greek island unlike Mykonos or Santorini which makes it more friendly to look at. Then it has accessible beaches to enjoy--great views of the water--and a lovely old town with an arcaded (if that is a word) esplanade.

Today we walked around the old town, and soaked up some of the ambiance. Life is good. Next stop is Split.

Can You Read Greek?

2011-10-14T04:43:00.001-07:00

I saw this sign today...I truly don't know exactly what it says, but I'm betting you can figure most of it out, if you take a bit of time. Give it a try?

In Mykonos

2011-10-14T04:41:00.001-07:00

This is our second visit to the tiny Greek Island of Mykonos. The first time we came here we were not that impressed yet everyone told us it was "the highlight" of the stops we were making. We needed to have someone explain to us why it was the highlight.

We were told it was the starkness of the island that everyone likes. The contrasts between barren land and white washed homes.

Given that we had to see the island again to see if we could "get it." The island is dry, the beaches are tiny, the houses are white with either white or blue trim, the land is barren and bleak. I see the starkness...and the tiny churches and windmills...it has a quiet beauty, but I'm afraid it is not the highlight of the trip! I'm glad we came back as it does offer some wonderful views of the Aegean Sea.

Herculaneum

2011-10-13T00:49:00.003-07:00

We visited Herculaneum today. What a place! Granted, it's not anything like Monaco, but it is something else!

Herculaneum was an ordinary working class village in 79AD when on August 18 Vesuvius started to blow. The people in the village ran to the arcade by the sea for shelter. They left their homes because massive tremors were shaking the floors, walls, roofs, fountains and streets. The arcade was the safe place to be. After 18 hours of major rock and roll, the earth stopped quaking. The villagers waited awhile then went to inspect the damage--and that's when Vesuvius exploded sending a pyroclastic flow of molten lava and ash upon the village. The people in the arcade were trapped and as the ash and lava fell, a surge of water from the bay inundated the arcade and no one survived. I posted a picture of the arcade, which is no longer on the water, but on the edge of a swamp (the water is at least a mile away).

What is left of Herculaneum is a snapshot of one day in the life and death of a village. The amphora are lined up in a row on a "mom and pop" store. Urns are waiting to be filled with wine and honey. The baths are tiled with mosaics welcoming the next visitor .
The homes are modest, but there is a condominium. There is also one house with a cross and altar implying there were Christians living here in 79 AD. (Rome was not Christian at the time.)

The masonry is covered with plaster and painted with frescos. The rooms are rectangular with tall ceilings but low doorways (the average Citizen was about 5 feet tall). The columns are made to look like marble but they are just plaster. The roads were crowned to help with drainage, and you can see ruts made by wagons and chariots 2000 years ago. There is little decoration left on-site as it has been housed in a museum downtown.

The mosaics were wonderful. They reminded me of the Roman mosaics we have seen in Romania, Delphi, Ostia Antica, even Albania. The craftsmanship needed to make the intricate designs probably cannot be repeated today. I especially liked the fireplace that I posted below.

There is so much more to write about Herculaneum and neighboring Pompeii but I'll close with the fact that Vesuvius can blow again!

What is Wrong?

2011-10-13T00:49:00.001-07:00

Take a look at the two pictures? Can you find the error?

Look carefully...remember that aft means "back of the ship" and forward means "front of the ship." Now look at the outline drawing of the ship in the middle of the first picture...where is the bow of the ship pointing? Is it correct? Now look at the outline drawing of the ship in the second picture. Is the bow pointing in the same direction?

The other DrC saw this today and we knew it was worth a picture. I wonder if Princess even knows an error was made? At least one of the signs is correct!

Santorini

2011-10-13T00:48:00.001-07:00

When it comes to pretty Greek Islands, Santorini has to be near the top of the list. It's a rocky outcrop in a blue, blue ocean. In 1600 BC (or there about) the outcrop (called Thera at the time) was a volcano that blew her top! The result was a huge caldera (now Santorini) and a 200 foot tsumani that wiped out the Minoan culture. In other words, it was one mighty explosion. It was so great that stuff from the blast has been found in Scandanavia!

Today the island is the remains of that event...a quiet caldera that is shaped like a crescent. Clinging atop that crescent are several villages with whitewashed houses, white and blue domed churches and spectacular views of the sea.

To get to the villages, you have to take a vehicle up the meandering road; ride of cable care, or walk up the wiggly donkey path. All 3 methods are fraught with problems. The road is just too wiggly for the faint of heart; the cable car is cursed with long lines; and the donkey path is filled with donkey poo. We have taken the road and the cable car, and I think the road is the least worst way to see the villages.

Over the millennia the island has been ravaged by earthquakes and tsunamis and it's easy to see the record of the past devastations that have happened to this place. As you look at the pictures, you can see its "rocky" history (please forgive my pun).

Given that, it's still a very pretty place. If you have a "bucket list" you might consider putting Santorini on it.

License Plates

2011-10-10T01:43:00.003-07:00

I "collect" license plates--well pictures of license plates. Yesterday I got a rare one: Monaco. It's not a member of the EU so it has a distinctive and different design from the other plates in Europe. We have traveled all over Europe and have never seen the plate before either (that's why I called it rare).

In Italy

2011-10-10T01:43:00.001-07:00

We flew to Rome, stayed overnight in Civitivecchia, boarded the Ruby Princess and made our first landfall in the tiny Principality of Monaco.

Monaco was something else. Tiny, built up, sparkling clean, and filled with yachts. One more thing...the weather! Monaco is part of the Riviera and the weather is spectacular!

We toured the Palace and the cathedral . Saw the royal tombs, the royal guard but alas, none of the royals. We found that in order to become a citizen of Monaco you have to be able to live there six months on your own income then buy a residence. But here's the hitch, a residence is going for €75,000 per square meter. Our guide told us that a square is about the size of a toilet...so...do the math. There's one more catch. To keep residency you need to stay 6 months plus one day. If you can do that then you do not pay income taxes. I don't think we will be moving to Monaco anytime soon.

Yesterday we stopped in Livorno and we did something that is truly enjoyable...we stayed on the ship. When the other folks are off the ship, it's like having your own yacht with a crew of 1000 anything is possible. Ruby Princess is a pretty ship with lots of venues so there's someplace to go or something to do and it's great to be able to take advantage of that when most of the pax are away.

Today we are in Naples and we are going to Herculaneum. I hope I can find a wifi to post this. We have wifi on the ship but according to the computer guru here, iPads are too fast for their system. Who knew?

In Rome

2011-10-06T03:49:00.001-07:00

We made it to Rome. Lovely Rome. It's a beautiful sunny warm day. It's good to be here. The two flights were perfect. In fact I did not even feel the landing in Rome!

As I awoke this morning I was treated to a gorgeous sunrise. The first rays of the sun gilded the sky. Then ever so slowly the fiery red ball of the sun pierced the golden light. The sky was on fire and it was absolutely beautiful. I tried to take pictures of it but the colors were so intense that the pictures are worthless. It's something I will just have to remember without a prompt.

Tomorrow we board the Ruby Princess. We are ready.

One More Thing

2011-10-05T14:05:00.001-07:00

As with any RCL, not all United Clubs are created equal. SFO is very nice. This one is in a basement and has low ceilings. It is filled with chairs -- and just about everyone is interacting with a smart-type gadget. The place
is quiet as we are all playing with our respective toys. I guess some folks might be working (it is Wednesday) but most seem to be doing something with email. The myriad of smart tools is fun and amazing to look at too. Lots of iPads, laptops of all varieties, iPods, iPhones and Droids...but I see one lone person WRITING a real letter. All is not lost I guess a few folks still know how to put pen to paper!?

Oops--it is The United Club

2011-10-05T13:18:00.001-07:00

I made a mistake last post. The Red Carpet Lounge has been renamed -- who knew? We are making progress toward Rome. We are at The United Club at IAD aka Dulles International Airport near Washington DC.

RCL SFO

2011-10-05T05:55:00.001-07:00

First stop is the Red Carpet Lounge in San Francisco which is very nice (unlike the one in Denver). Our next stop is Dulles then Rome.

Cruzin'

2011-10-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Cruztalking is going cruzin again! Watch this spot for tales from the next adventure! I’ll give you a hint...we fly to Rome and then... ... ...

Odds and Ends

2011-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few pictures that are funny or interesting or something...

The street benches in Afton, WY have a very different western flavor.

Then, there’s this sign in Winnemucca, NV. We were looking for fuel, but ended up on the wrong street. Lucky for us there was a big parking lot where we could make a U-Turn.

Lastly, a lovely sunset in Reno.

Fall is in the air

2011-09-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

It’s almost fall...about 2 days away. The signs are clear, especially if you know what to look for. In the hills, the Mountain Mahogany started to turn red this morning! Sadly, I don’t have a picture of that phenomena as it just does not show up on my camera. The other leaves are turning golden.

The aspens and conifers are displaying a lot of contrast right now. Earlier in the

summer they blended together a lot better.

The asters are forming fuzzy heads, getting ready to spread their seeds for

yet another year of purple flowers.

Even the goldenrod is going to seed! It was an allergy hazard before this happened

...and it’s still an allergy hazard.

I love the contrast of the green and the gold. The leaves look tired. They are crisp and ready to drop.

And, one more sign that fall is on the way: The nights are getting cooler as are the days.

Rainbows

2011-09-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

The other day we saw a perfect rainbow in Jackson. I really tried to get a decent picture of it and discovered it was a moving target. On another note the "ends" of the rainbow were both golden!

Project Linus Addendum

2011-09-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

I finished the 5th blanket of the summer. It’s my favorite design: a teddy bear. I brought it to our local True Value Hardware store (as this store sells everything from hunting gear to yarn) and they loved it. They asked me if I had the pattern and I said I had it memorized. Yesterday I spent about an hour trying to recreate the pattern from memory, which I gave to the store. Now, here’s the fun part...they are going to make a blanket and then teach others to crochet it during one of their crochet lessons. The Teddy Bear will live on and on!

Butterfly Season

2011-09-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

The end of the summer seems to be butterfly season around here. We have had a few of these visitors fluttering by but I’ve only been able to capture one with a camera. The camera is an iPhone...which takes surprisingly good pictures given it’s size. Do you have any idea what type of butterfly this is. I did a quick search and did not find anything that looked similar to it. This is when “photo search” is needed...just paste in a copy of your photo and let Google or some such search engine find the item!

Project Linus Again

2011-09-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

It seems I need to have a crochet hook nearby to keep my idle hands busy.

This summer, I’ve only made 4 3/4 blankets for Project Linus. My normal count is 10 to 12. I believe Words With Friends has taken up some of my crocheting time...shame on me!

I do not know the exact number of blankets I have made as

I stopped counting when I reached 150.

This is what I’ve finished this summer!

While my count may be down, I enjoy the process. I also like the fact that they are doing some good somewhere!

Testing

2011-09-10T17:40:00.001-07:00

This blog is part of the huge Google complex and just today it released an app so I can blog from my iPad and iPhone and post pictures. Just a few days ago I was lamenting that it was not possible to post photos from an iPad -- but now it is!

Here's my test photo. Too cool!

3 more apps!

2011-09-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are three more free apps that you might be interested in downloading. I’m having a lot of fun with them.

I just discovered an app for Yellowstone! It’s only for the iPhone now, but the website says the android version is coming. The app gives you information on places to visit, things to do, lodging, where to find food and other services as well as general park information. There’s an excellent map of the Park as well as links to podcasts, Facebook, and Twitter. There’s a lot here to look at and the price is right...it’s free! On the downside, you cannot make reservations from the app, but it does give you phone numbers and maps to each location.

As I was looking for the link to this Yellowstone app, I discovered there are many Yellowstone apps available. I downloaded “Yellowstone National Park, The Official Guide App” but search for Yellowstone Apps and see how many there are available.

There’s also a Grand Teton National Park, The Official Guide App that has the same format as the Yellowstone app. I’m completely delighted with both of these National Park Apps. Next I’m going to explore apps for the NPS in general.

The third fun app is Photosynth. It turns your iPhone camera into a panorama camera! Is that too cool! Here’s a shot of the Tetons I took the other day! There’s no way I could get this much “mountain” in a regular photo.

ZAGGmate Review

2011-09-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

As you know I am an iPad user. Today I received a companion for my iPad...a ZAGGmate case with keyboard. I've been playing with it for less than an hour and so far so good. It is very easy to set up. The keyboard is tiny, but it solves the problem of not having a "real" keyboard on the iPad. The keys are in the right place; the general feel of the keyboard is good; the keys however are small and closer together than a regular keyboard (much like the keys on a small netbook computer). The case is sleek aluminum and it fits the iPad to a tee affording very good protection. Just click the iPad into the case and there's no way the screen will get scratched or the iPad will fall out. I looked at a lot of iPad keyboards before deciding on this one. The deciding factor was a good review from Mossberg, the tech guru for the Wall Street Journal. He liked it...and what he said agreed with other reviews I had read. There are many places to buy this keyboard and I chose Amazon.com because it had the best price and it also has a very good return policy. I'm writing this from the keyboard...I would like to post a picture, but alas, this blog does not accept pictures from an iPad. That is something that Apple and Google need to work on.

Last Gasp of Summer

2011-09-05T10:06:00.001-07:00

Off to the Tetons for a few days! I can hear the mountains calling me! Be back soon.

Boomerang Cloud

2011-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Nothing special...just a strange shaped cloud. The green is slowly fading, and autumn is on the way!

Cool Bike

2011-09-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

In the summertime there are a lot of motorcycles in Jackson. Folks and their bikes come to Jackson for at least 2 major motorcycle attractions. The first is the Harley-Davidson Rally in Sturgis, SD (held this year from August 8-14). The second is the Beartooth Highway, which is considered the best motorcycle drive, and the most scenic road in America. One of the best ways to get to Sturgis is to drive the Beartooth and to get to the Beartooth, you need to go through Jackson!

Given that, we see a lot of bikes in town. I was attracted to this bike because it was a big touring bike, obviously for 2 people,

It is well equipped with dual cup holders!

Lots of shiny chrome!

And, a badge telling the world that this bike is ridden and enjoyed!

It cannot get any better!

Water water everywhere

2011-09-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

In 2011 we have been blessed with just the right amount of water unlike most of the USA. Unlike Minot that had floods at the beginning of the summer, or the east coast which has had a very rainy summer, or the Texas which has not had enough water, we are still enjoying greenery and no water shortages. But all is not rosy.

On the first day of September, I can say that our rivers and lakes are full. In “normal” years, the Snake River is running very low and the two main reservoirs around here are being emptied out to make room for the winter. Right now, I don’t know where that winter water is going to go as there is no room in the reservoirs and the rivers the reservoirs feed are full to the top too.

What I’m showing today however is a picture of the record run-off we had from a local creek earlier in the summer. Normally, this tiny creek is about 8 to 12 inches wide and about 3 to 5 inches deep. Then on the 2nd of July, we had a record snow melt and the river ran over it’s banks and cut channels 12 feet deep. The repair crews are just getting around to fixing the damage. As you can see, the street is still closed; the trees are still down and at the very bottom of the chasm there’s the trickle of water.

Clouds

2011-08-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last evening as we were driving the Snake River Canyon we were treated to some of the best clouds.

The clouds were the harbinger of a huge lightning storm a few hours later!

iPhone Apps

2011-08-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today starts the first of my recommendations for iPhone (and possibly Android) Apps. As the owner of both an iPad and an iPhone, I like to be up to date with some of the best apps (short for applications) out there. Here are few that I find helpful. I hope you agree.

Do you have a score or more of those loyalty cards that supermarkets and pharmacies and airlines give out? Until recently, I had a keychain filled with these little cards for stores such as Albertson’s, Smith’s, and CVS, as well as cards for United, Continental, and/or American airlines. Now I have all my loyalty cards listed on a convenient iPhone app called CardStar. The app lets you take a picture of the loyalty card bar code so you don’t have to enter the pesky numbers. Then when you get to the store, just click on the CardStar app find the name of the store (which is nicely alphabetized) and you’re done. Since I have my iPhone with me all the time, it’s a great way to access all those cards and I don’t have the wad of cards to deal with in my pocket! Because the app is connected to a location map, the right loyalty card will appear on your screen when you “tell” it to!

The other day I told you about Words With Friends. This is a fun way to stay in touch with friends, keep your mind active, and if you are in a long line, you can always pull out your smartphone and play a round or two.

One of my favorite news apps is Fluent News! It’s a compiler of headlines...click on a headline you want to read, and the article appears. It has variable print, so you can make letters larger in order to read them on a small screen.

If you are a camper there are 2 apps to find campgrounds in the USA. Instead of carrying the huge campground directories around, get one or both of these apps and let your smartphone do the work. You can search for nearby campgrounds; call or email the campground; and look at the maps for detailed directions. In addition, you can save your favorite campgrounds so you can find them again and again. RVParking.com and RVPark Finder are both free and useful.

Lastly, there’s DocScan. Just the other day a check was mailed to me and I needed to tell the person who sent it to me, that I had received it. I clicked on DocScan and it took a perfect picture of the check and placed it in an email. Of course you can do the same thing with the camera function on an iPhone, but it’s hard to crop the resulting picture and oftentimes, small print appears fuzzy. Not with DocScan. It’s made to focus on small print and it’s really easy to crop a document.

BTW, I usually “buy” free apps and if I like them, I upgrade to the paid version. Sometimes, the free app works so well, it does not need upgrading.

The Flower Eater

2011-08-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

We live in a forest. There are hundreds of aspens. There are lots of wildflowers. There are deer. The deer eat the aspen leaves. The deer munch on the wildflowers and the wild berries; AND, they chow down on the “domesticated” flowers that I have scattered around the house.

Here’s one of our “blossom browsers.” She’s so pretty it’s hard to get angry at her. This year her twins are chomping on the flowers. The young buck is too. I’m beginning to wonder if the young buck is her fawn from last year?

Notice the flowers are gone!

WWF

2011-08-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

For those who know, WWF is an acronym for a smartphone game called Words With Friends. It’s a type of Scrabble that is played with other folks who have the game on their smartphone. I’ve been playing the game on my iPhone and iPad.

I became hooked on the game at Christmastime, when my niece was on disability and a lot of us were trying to keep her occupied as she recovered. I guess it worked, as she recovered...but by then I was addicted to the game. At any given time I have several games going at the same time with friends and family from east coast to west coast!

As with Scrabble, it’s a vocabulary/strategy game. The goal is to score the most points while blocking your opponent from getting more points. It can become a “cut-throat” game if you let it get out of hand!

The most points I’ve ever scored with one word is 179! The word was THIMBLES (can you find it above). THIMBLES was a 7 letter word that went through a double word space, a triple word space AND a triple letter space on the board. Seven letter words automatically score an additional 35 points, and they are the hardest words to make.

Recently, playing a game with my sister, I scored 3 seven letter words in a row...ANGRIER, PILLOWS and OCTANES. I’ve never had that happen before.

When we went to the Adriatic in May, I discovered I could play the game wherever there was a wifi...so I played with my WWF friends while I was in Corfu, Croatia, Albania, Greece and Slovenia!

I play a “non-cut-throat" version of the game with 2 of my WWF friends...we are not looking for point value as much as we are looking for word length! I believe this version of the game is more fun and really stretches our vocabulary!

If you would like to play a game of WWF with me, just ask. It’s great fun and it’s a good way to keep your mind working! If you look at the boards above, you can see my handle is cruztalker.

PS: I play a pretty mean game! I’ve been doing crossword puzzles for years, I read a lot and I’ve always had a great vocabulary...three assets when playing WWF.

Young Buck

2011-08-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

This past week a young buck has been hanging out at our house. He’s quite pretty and very camera shy! So far all I’ve been able to capture are the tops of his new antlers ,

his backside!

and him running away!

If he is going to survive, he needs to have these qualities!

End of an Era?

2011-08-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

17 years ago I wrote a book that became a best seller...and had 4 different editions. From that book, I did a lot of consulting nationwide and wrote 72 more books and launched a university class. Today that class ended! Lack of enrollment! It’s a sign of the times. For the first time since I was 17 I am not gainfully employed!

Life goes on...and a new era is beginning. I don’t know what that era will bring, but I’m excited to see what it has to offer!

Dewy

2011-08-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

I love looking at the huge puffballs that are rampant this time of year.

This morning I caught one that still had dew on it!

Amazing

...look at the tiny droplets clinging to the plant.

Mother Nature (captured on a iPhone no less)!

The Puzzle from H#$%$##@

2011-08-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

About 4 weeks ago four of us started a puzzle. It was supposed to be a fun puzzle of the Grand Tetons. We bought it at the visitor center in Moose and we were excited about the prospect of doing the puzzle together while talking about the wonderful time we had just had in the two parks.

WELL...that was then, and this is now.

Generally speaking, we tackle a puzzle from the edge pieces to the inside pieces. Generally speaking there is a lot of information on the edge pieces, so all we needed to do was match the design and put the pieces together. This puzzle however was different! Instead of a design, all of the edge pieces were the same color! Not fun, but we thought we could do it! Look at the shape too...they are all the same!

Following the same tactic, we then divided the inside pieces into color groups and started to put them together based on the design. We divided the pieces into 8 color groups and discovered there was not much definition in the color groups: blue where all the pieces were the exact same color; beige with the same problem as the blue; mountain made up of beige, blue and light gray that was impossible to sort; two-tone with a definite line to follow; trees with jagged marks; water with a shoreline to follow; and two different lettering groups. Of the 8 groups, only 4 had some clues to use. After several days (and long after my guests left) we were able to put together the two groups of lettering! We felt a small surge of success because we were not having any putting together the beige border, the blue, beige or mountain groups.

We tackled the tree and water groups and found some small success, although it was difficult. Again, the puzzle pieces were all the same size and most were the same shape! While we had lines to follow we discovered that many of the pieces looked like they fit into “space A" but really belonged in “space B."

This is when we decided to work on the two tone group. There was definite line to follow and the outer edge was beige (because it was going to fit into the beige border). We put these pieces together with relative ease and the puzzle now had a rectangular shape, albeit unfinished.

All that was left was the beige, blue and mountain groups. I used “brute”force to get some of the beige pieces together. In fact, you can see where there are beige pieces left inside the puzzle because who knows where they go. To get that far, I picked up each beige piece and tried to put each “outie” into each “innie” and I actually got about a dozen pieces to stick together! However, when I tried to place the beige pieces within the finished parts of the puzzle I was not able to find where they all went.

Then came the blue of the sky and the mountain group. We tried. I mean we really tried...but there was no way we could put the pieces together. We finally admitted that the puzzle defeated us! We are not used to quitting, but we needed to quit and get the table back! Afterall, the blanket-y-blank puzzle had been hogging the table for 4 weeks!

The “Puzzle from H#$%##" is now back in the box and I’m going to donate it to the puzzle room at the community center. Maybe someone with more stamina can finish it! In the meantime, if you should see this puzzle, please avoid it!

Traffic Circle

2011-08-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Traffic circles are common in the UK and now they are cropping up in the US. I’ve never liked them in the UK because all my driving reactions are based on the “wrong” side of the road. In this country, I don’t have that problem...I’m not used to them so I find them a bit of a nuisance.

Given that...Idaho Falls has decided to install a number of traffic circles along some key routes. Most of the circles are ordinary looking...then there is the one on S. Utah! It’s a bit over the top!

This traffic circle is decorated with a pair of larger than life eagles, a mountain lion (about normal size) and waterfalls. The traffic circle completely dominates the street. Forget about seeing oncoming traffic, all you see are the huge eagles coming in for a landing. (double click on the photo to see the details)

Judge for yourself...is it good or bad? I’m still undecided!

Finding Bone

2011-08-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

Several years ago we heard of a hamlet called Bone, Idaho...and today we went there! When I say hamlet, picture teeny tiny. I think we saw exactly one building in “central” Bone, and only a few ranches in “greater” Bone. Bone does not even have a town sign telling you the population or the elevation. What it does have is a well maintained dirt road named guess what -- “Bone Road.” The folks out here are creative when it comes to naming streets?!

While trying to find Bone, we came across some sandhill cranes.

We drove through miles of empty land...no telephone poles, no electric wires, and no traffic! It was something else.

We saw pretty barns,

and tired cabins

and a fence style we had not seen before...not a buck and rail fence, but a buck and barbed wire fence...when the ground is too hard to dig holes for fence posts, crossed beams are raised...and normally between the crossed beams are wooden rails. This fence had the crossed beams, but that’s where the similarity ended.

The land is mainly used for grazing, and we saw some cow-calf operations. Once in a while a cow would look at us, but mainly they sat in the meadows and ignored us.

There were not a lot of flowers in bloom as this is the season when the flowers are going to seed. We did some some magnificent plants, including this one. I have no idea what it is, but it’s evil looking. I sure would hate to see this guy growing in my yard.

About a mile from Bone, we saw an old white schoolhouse sitting by the Flying Hearts Ranch. On the front of the building, was a sign exclaiming it as Glennore School, 1916-1939,

Then the road changed. The dirt was replaced with pavement! Civilization was encroaching upon this lonely and lovely place. There was a turbine farm of all things!

Huge, white turbines with 3-bladed propellers were planted in the fields. Then came more houses...and finally the “city” of Ammon, ID a few miles from Idaho Falls.

The last building we saw harked back to earlier times. It was a Pillsbury grain elevator, very similar to the grain elevators that are common in Canada.

Once in Idaho Falls, we went about our business--as though we had not traveled about 65 miles on a dirt road that went through some mighty pretty country!

Lupines in the Pod

2011-08-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

A lupine is a member of the legume family.

To prove that fact, take a look at the pods that grow from the flower.

Just like pea pods. When you open one of the pods you see small beans, which I’m told are edible! The lupine flowers are gone, but we do have the lupine pods.

Of course there are asters in the garden...lots and lots of asters! There seem to be more this year than in the past! I wonder why?

There are few other flowers in the garden, but the most impressive are the huge puffballs. When the salsify goes to seed, we get the enormous puffballs. Mother Nature had a good time designing these creations.

Riddles

2011-08-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have a series of riddles for you. Don’t worry, they are easy...I think you will get them quickly!

Do you know the difference between a working and a non-working refrigerator? It’s really quite simple...the working refrigerator is cold on the inside. The broken refrigerator is hot and sitting in a puddle. On Sunday morning we awoke to a puddle in the kitchen, thawed food and a broken refrigerator.

Have you ever tried to get service for a refrigerator on a Sunday? The “broken” fridge is a Kenmore from Sears, so I called Sears. The nice man who finally answered the phone said he might be able to make it to my house by Friday! This is not workable. What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Needless to say, Sears did not have an answer to that riddle.

That’s when we called a refrigerator repair man we had used 16 years ago. He answered the phone, remembered us no less, and then asked if 9 AM on Monday would work? The answer to that riddle was YES!

He walked into the kitchen, listened to the fridge for a couple of seconds, immediately diagnosed the problem as a broken relay. He gave us a choice of relays. Do you want the $65 relay from Sears that just failed? Or, do you want the $15 after market part that has never failed me in all the years I’ve been in business? The answer to that riddle was easy too...we’ll take the $15 part.

The new relay was installed in less than 30 minutes. The fridge was repaired! Then we spent the next hour talking about what we had each been up to during the intervening years.

For my last riddle: who would you rather repair your fridge...a cold impersonal company on a tight schedule or a local fellow who remembers you from years past and does an excellent job for half the price?

That riddle is just too easy to answer.

Late Summer Garden

2011-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

The summer garden of wild flowers is coming to an end! The asters came out on the 17th of July...and they are the harbinger that says summer will end in 6 weeks!

Now the other flowers are catching on. The salsify has bloomed and is starting to disperse seeds.

The “susan’s" are becoming their prettiest. I happen to like them the best when they are just over the hill.

Lastly, the berries are starting to appear. I see the telltale signs that say the deer have been munching away. Yesterday I had a wild strawberry, today it’s gone! BTW a wild strawberry is about 3/8 of an inch long and filled with sugar....the deer love them!

County Fair--Part 4

2011-08-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

Today was the auction! After months of caring for an animal, the kids took one last official walk in the arena with their critter. The Grand Champions were the first to go on the block. The prize beef sold for over $4000! Next came Grand Champs for the sheep, pigs and goats. After the Grands were sold, the “ordinary” critters were sold. While these might not have won Grand or First in Class, they were all cared for by their person.

Folks were free to bid in the auction, or they could buy “add-ons” to support their favorite 4H club, or person or animal. We chose not to buy animal, but we did buy some add-ons to support the cause.

Once again, 4H did well. The kids were smiling on the outside, knowing full well that their animal was going to the slaughter house and provide many good meals for the highest bidder. That takes a special type of bravery for a youngster! Congrats to the kids!

County Fair--Part 3

2011-08-05T23:32:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the pig judging! Who knew there were so many ways to judge a pig...production, shoulders, feet, length, tightness/looseness...and probably a few other criteria. Taken out of the pig arena, I know what each of those words mean, but frankly, I have no clue if a pig looks like it’s a good production unit? Or if it's loose along the back? Then there are the varieties of pigs...I’m sure that most 4H pig folks knew exactly what the judge was talking about.

We’ve seen our little friend walk his pig so I expected the pigs to walk calmly into the arena and strut their piggy-ness...but I did not expect to see six to eight 250+ pound pigs walking in the arena at the same time. It was more like a pig free for all with their respective kids trying their best to keep their pig calm, and away from the edges of the arena. Of course, the pigs headed straight for the edges of the arena. When that happened, their minders needed to prod, lead, tap, pat or poke their pigs toward the correct location.

All the while, the judge walks the arena and looks at each pig according to his specific set of criteria. After a few minutes of semi-organized pig walking, he picks up the microphone and makes his announcement as to which pig wins first thru sixth place for that weight class. There were 11 weight classes, ranging from 225 pounds to 283 pounds! The kids ranged in age from 9 to 17.

It was rather delightful to see teenagers managing a pig. I could not imagine some city kids even wanting to get near a pig, let alone raise one from a tiny “weiner” to a full grown hog!

I don’t know if the judge was fair or not, as I could not truly determine if a pig had the right shape belly or was loose enough. Some kids won, some kids lost...and all the kids took it like adults! Good for them!

After the pigs were judged for what we considered genetic characteristics that could not be trained into or out of the pig, the kids were judged on showmanship! This time the kids were placed in one of 3 age groups. I have no idea how the kids were rated on showmanship. The judge asked each participant a set of questions and then looked at how well they walked their pigs. To me it seemed like an out and out flirting contest with the judge. The kids smiled and managed their pigs at the same time. In the end, winners were chosen in each of 3 age classes...senior, intermediate and junior.

The last event was for the peewees or kids under 7. It’s truly amazing and wonderful to see little people weighing in at less that 50 pounds trying to manage a 250+ pound pig! And, they did it. The judge picked one of the little guys as winner and the event was over. The little guy below was too young for the peewees, but look at him...he all dressed up with his hat, jeans, boots and spurs! He’ll be ready next time.

The kids who are working with 4H are learning so much. The parents are doing a good job too. The parents are doing more than helping their child raise a pig...they are teaching their children some important lessons in life: Not everyone is going to win; Life is not fair; Do your best and don’t give up; Think of others before you think of yourself; Be polite; Smile; The list goes on and on! Hats off to 4H and to the kids and their parents who make it work so well.

County Fair--Part 2

2011-08-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

After looking at the animals, we went to the “event” of the night...the horse pulls. Fascinating comes to mind. In the old days large draft horses were used to pull farm equipment. These magnificent horses are today used to pull some equipment, but mainly for sport! These athletes are strong...pure horse power!

The horses are huge...mainly Percheron and Belgians, but once in awhile a Clydesdale. They are trained to work as a team to pull loads as heavy as 10,000 pounds! There are 3 categories: pairs that weigh in at 3200 pounds; 4000 pounds; and 4500 pounds! The larger the pair, the more they can pull.

Unlike some contests where there might be points for style or beauty, the winning team is judged by how far it can drag a sledge filled with weights. The team that pulls the sledge the farthest is the winner! To qualify for the next round, the team must pull the sledge 20 feet.

The event started off with the smaller horses pulling 2000 pounds. Having never seen the event before, I was not all that impressed. The horses were able to pull 2000 pounds without too much effort. Then the weight was increased to 3000 pounds...still not too much of a problem...then 4000 pounds...now we were starting to see what this was all about. These massive steeds dug into the ground and pulled. If the team was well trained, they pulled as a unit, and that’s the trick! The teams need to work as a unit! The winner in this category pulled 6000 pounds!

Next came the mid-sized horses. They started out pulling 3000 pounds and the winning team pulled 7000 pounds! Last came the big horses. These guys are huge! they started out pulling 3500 pounds and the winners pulled a whooping 9500 pounds!

I took a few videos of the event. I’m not an expert at editing videos...so these are unedited. Don’t worry, they are not long...but it will give you an idea how massive and wonderful these horses are!

County Fair, Part 1

2011-08-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the County Fair last night to see the 4H pigs, and other animals...and to see the horse pulls!

The pigs we’ve been “following” are at the proper weight now, 260 and 261 pounds. They are also cleaned up and ready to be shown on Friday. I’ll let you know more about that on Friday. However, here’s the piggies, Bubble and Double Stuft. Have you ever gotten a pig to pose? I asked my small guide about that and he said sometimes “pigs are stubborn!"

It’s not that bad waiting to be shown at the fair...this pig looks to be in Hog Heaven. Do they know that after the auction on Saturday things will be a big different? I don’t think so!

We also looked at the other critters. Some of the prettiest beef was on display. The 4-H kids take good care of their animals.

Then came the horse pulls! Read the next post!

Lots and lots of white hats at the fair too!

91st Birthday

2011-08-03T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today my Aunt is 91 years old! Happy Birthday Auntie Ruthie!