tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72214359501248547172024-03-13T03:52:19.358-07:00Hollace the MopsyHollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.comBlogger227125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-18566138373501176232016-08-11T15:42:00.001-07:002016-08-11T15:42:14.456-07:00Intimate and Organic<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AOfh3CLDntY/V6z-6JYd7mI/AAAAAAAAMF0/sZMvTXAcEB8/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-49-45H%25255B23%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-49-45H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-49-45H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SutSdPZn5u4/V6z-7PfKT7I/AAAAAAAAMF8/w2FwE3KzqI4/16-07-16-12-49-45H_thumb%25255B22%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="389"></a> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We received an invitation from friends to join them on a special vineyard and winery tour. They had purchased at auction a package which included hors d'oeuvres and wine tasting in the Willamette Valley Sojourner Vineyard and Walter Scott Winery. <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ce7HAR7g9Tw/V6z-79_sEWI/AAAAAAAAMGE/Cx1ooaqLmtg/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-50-33RI%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-50-33RI" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-50-33RI" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jblfI2OzBJg/V6z-8gKpB9I/AAAAAAAAMGM/FZTc5i86eWs/16-07-16-12-50-33RI_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></font> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">So we drove one overcast Saturday morning to the hills outside Salem, Oregon to meet our friends and make new acquaintances while learning about some of the intricacies of growing grapes for wine production. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mKv_b1SI2Xs/V6z-9bcZ_NI/AAAAAAAAMGU/8-aKcSUtnN4/s1600-h/16-07-16-11-59-44H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-11-59-44H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-11-59-44H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nE5w9WG7G3I/V6z--J2M1DI/AAAAAAAAMGc/h9fAdw1hPcY/16-07-16-11-59-44H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The Peseau family told us their story and the success they have had since taking a risk and buying the rocky hillside acreage. We learned some of the complexities of soil pH, rain and sun, temperature, wind, and the impact of soil conditions, whether sandy or clay or rocky or fertile. The hillside elevation has a critical role in producing certain varieties of grapes. Pruning at the right time and to the right extent is essential to producing the best grapes.</font> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pDnoVI_jedU/V6z--0cd6DI/AAAAAAAAMGk/Ey4gCxKOEq8/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-06-48H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-06-48H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-06-48H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NxdhBUUCocM/V6z-_s8QupI/AAAAAAAAMGs/RWuJ1uMk6Js/16-07-16-12-06-48H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="597"></a> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Thelma Peseau read from John 15, the passage where Jesus compares the relationship between himself and the disciples to the vineyard they are standing in.</font> </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y6RfvJaKzLY/V6z_AjIZWQI/AAAAAAAAMG0/QiBuG1-1mnY/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-09-24H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-09-24H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-09-24H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z4tiv8O7xzM/V6z_BTOnVHI/AAAAAAAAMG8/jwWaNDCuo8w/16-07-16-12-09-24H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p> <h3><font face="Arial Narrow">John 15 The Message (MSG)</font></h3> <h5><font size="4" face="Arial Narrow">The Vine and the Branches</font></h5> <p><font size="4" face="Arial Narrow">15 <sup>1-3 </sup>“I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.</font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>4 </sup>“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.</font></font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>5-8 </sup>“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation <font color="#9b00d3">intimate and organic</font>, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.</font></font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>9-10 </sup>“I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.</font></font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>11-15 </sup>“I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.</font></font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>16 </sup>“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.</font></font> <p><font face="Arial Narrow"><font size="4"><sup>17 </sup>“But remember the root command: Love one another.</font></font> </p> <p><br><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The phrase <font color="#9b00d3">"intimate and organic"</font> caught my attention and imagination. As a Believer my relationship with Jesus Christ is intimate --close and personal, known and loved--and organic --living, growing, and systemically connected. My life force flows from the Vine in which there is every good thing necessary for life and godliness. The relationship produces healthy and abundant fruit in the hands of the Vinedresser as long as the branch remains attached. It is a relief to think that as the branch I am the recipient of life and godliness and do not have to scurry about manufacturing my own worthiness (or fruit.)</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QFmNJ2iDLVQ/V6z_CBrCDNI/AAAAAAAAMHE/r6wS47dcl5w/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-19-59H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-19-59H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-19-59H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g0rVs6SppuQ/V6z_C989IsI/AAAAAAAAMHM/GxOYUFO9WOc/16-07-16-12-19-59H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6hg8kt_WZ-s/V6z_DiF57aI/AAAAAAAAMHU/GRYhn_GBmTw/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-51-05RI%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-51-05RI" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-51-05RI" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iDn64aGmTFE/V6z_EqUbMaI/AAAAAAAAMHc/xq9dm7M_0QI/16-07-16-12-51-05RI_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We went further into the Eola-Amity Hills, now famous for their wine production, to the Walter Scott Winery. A youngish couple with experience in wine--he from the agricultural and distribution side and she from the marketing and restaurant buying side--are making award winning wines in their winery. There are as many complexities to the making of wine as there are to the growing of suitable grapes. From picking at the critical moment to processing and storing to aging in differing types of wood there are many more details than I am aware of when picking up a bottle of wine at the store. There are potential disasters at every juncture. Each year has a different story depending on weather and other variables.</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6ymCvxhcC0s/V6z_FLE-GvI/AAAAAAAAMHk/HQ1BWlBOBmY/s1600-h/16-07-16-13-40-06H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-13-40-06H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-13-40-06H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5sCyAwnlSBA/V6z_GEFr8eI/AAAAAAAAMHs/paZ5oUfjW4Q/16-07-16-13-40-06H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a> <p> <h3 align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pr0rpF9-fAk/V6z_G-mz5gI/AAAAAAAAMH0/eFKS5crEuj8/s1600-h/16-07-16-14-22-17RI%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-14-22-17RI" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-07-16-14-22-17RI" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-68UavF-U9Zk/V6z_HmzB_QI/AAAAAAAAMH8/ZC-YkR73aUU/16-07-16-14-22-17RI_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></h3> <h3 align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z2x7QDldHVM/V6z_IaTUXAI/AAAAAAAAMIE/AFY_gFoZbhg/s1600-h/16-07-16-14-41-50H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-14-41-50H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-07-16-14-41-50H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kn1_L10PGwA/V6z_JIEQDbI/AAAAAAAAMIM/gkdpWX1-uMM/16-07-16-14-41-50H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></h3> <h3>Here are the observations my husband wrote for his blog concerning our winery tour:</h3> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">My wife and I were recently privileged to participate in a tour of a Salem area vineyard and winery. The vineyard was Sojourner, owned and operated by Denny and T, friends of our hosts, Dave and Nancy. The winery was Walter Scott, owned and operated by Ken and Erica. Here are some of the highlights that I recall. </font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">The vineyard has 16 acres planted to three clones of Pinot Noir: Dijon 115, Pommard and Wadenswill and 3.26 acres of Chardonnay (I didn't remember that part - I looked it up on the Walter Scott web page). The process of growing grapes involves very careful monitoring by the managers with short bursts of intense labor needs about 3 or 4 times a year. There is a consortium that manages the labor pool and allocates the available workers to the vineyards that are ready for them. </font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">The climactic event is obviously the harvest. It needs to be done as quickly as possible and for Sojourner, they need about 20 pickers. Depending on how many other vineyards need the workers at the same time, some days they may only get 6, so that requires some scrambling. There are scientists who come out and measure sugar content and other criteria to give them an idea about when the harvest should begin but the final decision comes from the buyer. Ken from Walter Scott has an agreement to purchase some of their crop and will go into the vineyard and make his own judgement based on taste and feel.</font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6d7j-KfDXx4/V6z_J8sI1yI/AAAAAAAAMIU/Q5Z_qcxGFtM/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-50-45RI%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-50-45RI" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-50-45RI" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Upv0cwAf14/V6z_KvNVxKI/AAAAAAAAMIc/6gBffcysrWg/16-07-16-12-50-45RI_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="800"></a></font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">The other labor intensive events that I recall are pruning (cutting everything back to the point of looking almost dead), trimming (selecting the best 2 canes on each side of the vine) and then selecting the best bunches to preserve at a later stage. Apparently there is a shoulder that develops on some bunches and whether that is desirable or not depends on some other criteria that differs depending on the variety.</font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">On to the winery:</font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">Ken and Erica had both been in the wine business for several years before they took the step to take on a winery operation. They started in 2008 and gradually grew until they were able to lease their current location in 2012. It then became a full time venture for them in 2014. Their vision is to produce very high quality wine but not to get so large that they have to start hiring more help. They have reached their target goal of about 4,000 cases a year and now want to continue to improve their quality and also have a small vineyard for their own vines.<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9pm5IJ5u0Zs/V6z_LXIboKI/AAAAAAAAMIk/VcHXPXyxz3s/s1600-h/16-07-16-13-46-59H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-13-46-59H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-13-46-59H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g6jurpAe0W4/V6z_MQLAVPI/AAAAAAAAMIs/N5DfI0cUtB8/16-07-16-13-46-59H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">Side bar: The state regulatory body for the industry is the Oregon Wine Growers Association. That struck me as funny. How do you get "Wine Growers" from the process of growing grapes and making wine?</font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">One of the most interesting elements to me was the process of barrel selection. A particular batch of wine will be a combination of several barrels. After the harvest the wine is distributed to barrels and as it gets close to the time of bottling the owners start trying different combinations. Each barrel gets a mark to show where it ranks on a scale of one to three. The barrels themselves contribute significantly to the flavor of the wine. One of their favorite barrels comes from a maker in France. They order about 30 new barrels a year.<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s-EfmjhzRQU/V6z_NJcd0gI/AAAAAAAAMI0/c1bkMSvAGOI/s1600-h/16-07-16-13-31-15H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-13-31-15H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-13-31-15H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-flFlFqY59Ss/V6z_OfuoTnI/AAAAAAAAMI8/0vqlPAD1_ic/16-07-16-13-31-15H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a> There is a distinct difference between a new barrel and an aged barrel that is evident to them for each of the first 4 years. After that, there is no continuing change as the barrels get older. You would think that the best wine would come from the best barrels and the highest ranked flavors, but actually it is better to have a combination of "lesser" and "better" contributions. </font> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">As the time gets closer to bottling there is a careful judgment process that must take place. The test tasting involves combining a small measured amount from each of several barrels. Ken and Erica have quite different tastes but seem to arrive at a very similar opinion of the right combination of barrels that they choose for a batch. They offer several different varieties of Pinot Noir. One of the most popular is from the Sojourner vineyard. They do a much smaller offering of Chardonnay. It wasn't one of the selections they had prepared for us but Ken climbed up and decanted a small portion straight from a barrel so we could have a taste. Holly and I preferred that one, probably showing our lack of sophistication.</font> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J75mOe-1EH8/V6z_PHrhybI/AAAAAAAAMJE/9YIOkVm52ag/s1600-h/16-07-16-14-43-40H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-14-43-40H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-14-43-40H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZJRfBI63eQs/V6z_PhqQv6I/AAAAAAAAMJM/UQmdXTAaauk/16-07-16-14-43-40H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">There are many spiritual lessons that can be learned from this understanding of the process of making wine. One that sticks in my mind is the type of soil required for good grapes. It must be relatively difficult. Good grapes only come when there is a struggle to survive involved. That is why good vineyards are on rocky hills. Spiritual fruit is better when it comes at a price. The struggles of life for a follower of God yield sweet fruit of the Spirit.</font> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ES6rL6dPhdQ/V6z_QnjRSvI/AAAAAAAAMJU/imD6pmYQqm8/s1600-h/16-07-16-12-51-20RI%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-07-16-12-51-20RI" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-07-16-12-51-20RI" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vBdoE36DpdE/V6z_RfYGCwI/AAAAAAAAMJc/jsy8biAXY-c/16-07-16-12-51-20RI_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="450"></a></p> <p></a> <p><font size="3"><font color="#0000ff" size="4" face="Calibri">[</font>Above: My friend Nancy and I have known each other since we were 5 years old. </font><font size="3"> When we were 21 we traveled through Europe together for a summer with another friend.]</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-68358849208852173412016-06-18T12:20:00.001-07:002016-06-18T12:20:50.730-07:00Cape Foulweather? Cape Disappointment? Not A Bit<p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">We went camping last weekend in spite of cloudy skies and a dismal forecast. I am a firm believer that you don’t give up an opportunity for fun on the chance, even prediction, of rain. Even in a tent. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">The skies were full of showers as we drove west along the Columbia River. </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JgY3jmwwvCY/V2Wdi_d0qgI/AAAAAAAALkM/Z7GGIidjHzI/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-36-19H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-18-36-19H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-18-36-19H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uBvLuddt-g0/V2WdkoGzHWI/AAAAAAAALkY/zVVhbGqYOKs/16-06-10-18-36-19H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Bypassing Astoria</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1u75irhZUuc/V2Wdlc6u_PI/AAAAAAAALkk/DnEOQ3ERgkQ/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-40-58H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-18-40-58H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-18-40-58H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FUxoWNIz0qA/V2WdmS8gN1I/AAAAAAAALkw/MMcGqpdKhwY/16-06-10-18-40-58H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="406"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Going across the wonderful Astoria bridge to Washington</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9cOx-QMAmfM/V2WdnWX5cuI/AAAAAAAALk8/qcbqAvbQPWI/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-54-20H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EUKSwEv5UCM/V2WdqIFA1XI/AAAAAAAALlI/rHAwO7cy00A/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-54-20H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-10-18-54-20H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-18-54-20H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r5D0HHWSASE/V2Wdq44rr7I/AAAAAAAALlU/X1m3HDMwSqE/16-06-10-18-54-20H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pWl4VIjWR7s/V2WdrhJVfqI/AAAAAAAALlg/4_9XY2TSR1Q/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-55-30H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-chxF8JKDd8c/V2WdsSfxmmI/AAAAAAAALls/gRR3ZiXzQ4o/s1600-h/16-06-10-18-55-30H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-10-18-55-30H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-18-55-30H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nmPDPYmsKwg/V2WdtYT5qPI/AAAAAAAALl4/7stHRANhgH0/16-06-10-18-55-30H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">A little pioneer church in Ilwaco</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qCYEsOQOxb0/V2WduXWFR8I/AAAAAAAALmE/Fb6rd60PCMI/s1600-h/16-06-10-19-01-13H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-19-01-13H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-19-01-13H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WLkIdcD8IKA/V2WdvKjI3KI/AAAAAAAALmQ/vEoOVb-vdFM/16-06-10-19-01-13H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="413"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">The road inside our campground—do you see that blue sky! Lewis and Clark’s Cape Disappointment was not disappointing us a bit!</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">(Nearby is another stopping place of Lewis and Clark which they named Dismal Nitch which I think is so droll. I ‘m sure it wasn’t funny then but in today’s context it is very funny. I don’t think I’ll camp at Dismal Nitch.)</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-25o88TDfrF8/V2WdwCXoSLI/AAAAAAAALmc/87EtPCM4wEI/s1600-h/16-06-10-19-25-57H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ekp1uG5dV9g/V2Wdw4B8lyI/AAAAAAAALmo/I0igqTjKwZ4/s1600-h/16-06-10-19-25-57H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-10-19-25-57H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-19-25-57H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d4A2Ey4AAYY/V2Wdx0zid2I/AAAAAAAALm0/nbA_UqiHu0A/16-06-10-19-25-57H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Two new tents on their maiden voyage, ours in the background and our friends’ in the foreground. We were so happy that it was dry while we were setting up (and figuring out) these new tents. We also had a new shelter to cover the cooking/card playing area. Our last shelter ended up on someone’s roof while they were borrowing it! Our last tent took on water. We found that our new tent is too small, really, if you want to dress inside it or get up at night.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j-EQmFm4BJ4/V2Wdy6KduUI/AAAAAAAALnA/0Ka_lbI5BMo/s1600-h/16-06-10-21-48-20H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j-EQmFm4BJ4/V2Wdy6KduUI/AAAAAAAALnA/0Ka_lbI5BMo/s1600-h/16-06-10-21-48-20H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j-EQmFm4BJ4/V2Wdy6KduUI/AAAAAAAALnA/0Ka_lbI5BMo/s1600-h/16-06-10-21-48-20H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j-EQmFm4BJ4/V2Wdy6KduUI/AAAAAAAALnA/0Ka_lbI5BMo/s1600-h/16-06-10-21-48-20H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4WsXaz0onn4/V2Wdz2-2HnI/AAAAAAAALnM/Ju8li9pBuec/s1600-h/16-06-10-21-48-20H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-10-21-48-20H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-21-48-20H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AfdFn62M8Ng/V2Wd0dj_S4I/AAAAAAAALnY/ZGpM54hHv04/16-06-10-21-48-20H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></font></a></font></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">After the camp was established we hurried to see the ocean. In the distance is North Head Light. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-22-01-27H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-22-01-27H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yHD8cepix0M/V2Wd1SrM-KI/AAAAAAAALnk/Jo5Tp0cFtoQ/16-06-10-22-01-27H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="442" height="590"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Two brown pelicans amidst the gulls.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JUp5nFftGeM/V2Wd2EARVVI/AAAAAAAALnw/zS5CeXXT-OI/s1600-h/16-06-10-22-02-54H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-22-02-54H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-22-02-54H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--4xhQ1OihZg/V2Wd24hb-fI/AAAAAAAALn8/fc7-Mp7hzeA/16-06-10-22-02-54H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="651" height="368"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rNpmEth4Zs0/V2Wd3t73omI/AAAAAAAALoI/9K2ZZXAJz5g/s1600-h/16-06-10-22-03-52H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-22-03-52H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-22-03-52H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xW1szG6CDBg/V2Wd44_Sy4I/AAAAAAAALoU/ZG8tW1F7nIk/16-06-10-22-03-52H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HZtzxH3Ec4E/V2Wd5utqmvI/AAAAAAAALog/Kts0U6Kvx6c/s1600-h/16-06-10-22-07-36H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-22-07-36H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-22-07-36H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y9BKuBKypYg/V2Wd6Q142WI/AAAAAAAALos/n6At_TplplY/16-06-10-22-07-36H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Enjoying my freedom to read, write, catch up on magazines, or do nothing at all.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XHBcABM67RE/V2Wd7dAkUAI/AAAAAAAALo4/qsNFORwj1Ok/s1600-h/16-06-11-10-27-37H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2Ie-wMJk60o/V2WeA0HWh7I/AAAAAAAALpE/RBsAphojHOY/s1600-h/16-06-11-10-27-37H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-10-27-37H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-10-27-37H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-04CZAPtYqQo/V2WeBq888rI/AAAAAAAALpQ/aM8Iv4j2_08/16-06-11-10-27-37H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ttz25LEuHRY/V2WeCaFw4MI/AAAAAAAALpc/jB2QvNwASP0/s1600-h/16-06-11-10-28-31H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bGzOkG1EO4M/V2WeDPodUaI/AAAAAAAALpo/-XUtNdc4gUI/s1600-h/16-06-11-10-28-31H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-10-28-31H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-10-28-31H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8nEATtg4fIk/V2WeD9An65I/AAAAAAAALp0/9uRtWDCXxT0/16-06-11-10-28-31H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="442" height="590"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Chatting with friends without time constraint is a gift!</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">(Okay, we did have to dig a little trench to keep the rain from streaming into the firepit. But it was only for a little while.)</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1c9KP5rMsWA/V2WeEozscYI/AAAAAAAALqA/zKDqia57v84/s1600-h/16-06-11-11-28-08H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7HfJZpoAK0Q/V2WeFoRlmLI/AAAAAAAALqM/kqy2Y0320Eo/s1600-h/16-06-11-11-28-08H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-11-28-08H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-11-28-08H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UcOepipAe1k/V2WeGaXiSGI/AAAAAAAALqY/TzHkNooQGZY/16-06-11-11-28-08H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nRYetQU2By0/V2WeHYltIeI/AAAAAAAALqk/DyABbBSFhV0/s1600-h/16-06-10-19-01-56R%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-19-01-56R" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-19-01-56R" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CGHoZyD0Z9c/V2WeHxAhyEI/AAAAAAAALqw/Fa-uJh1B5Hg/16-06-10-19-01-56R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="319"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ytAtHnv6gcg/V2WeIu3cZ1I/AAAAAAAALrA/YxWmP1Faroo/s1600-h/16-06-10-19-09-38R%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-10-19-09-38R" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-10-19-09-38R" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nppVXMG3s4g/V2WeJ4h8LQI/AAAAAAAALrM/lY2O82CcZyw/16-06-10-19-09-38R_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="319"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">This beach gets a lot of driftwood. I talked with an older man who comes every year to photograph the changing driftwood on the beach. I encouraged him to put his pictures in an album to share at the community center, or to enlarge his favorites to frame.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RC6X4CCEmXk/V2WeKuzqczI/AAAAAAAALrY/-O6eFQKXqNw/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-37-44H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0tlExy48RHE/V2WeLUWdOQI/AAAAAAAALrk/YP6AUzCIVQw/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-37-44H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-13-37-44H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-37-44H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XtQmMV9to_U/V2WeMPOs-iI/AAAAAAAALrw/GUky_0WTAH4/16-06-11-13-37-44H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hNk2grwAVmg/V2WeOOLVYrI/AAAAAAAALr4/0MiZ15vuQCQ/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-38-17H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-11-13-38-17H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-38-17H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U5UYhWFTWqY/V2WeOxMrEMI/AAAAAAAALsE/7Qpeu0NWQxc/16-06-11-13-38-17H_thumb%25255B23%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="601" height="399"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">And here is some—drift metal? What a story it could tell! I wish, wish, wish we could have brought it home with us but getting it off the beach and into the car was problematic. It looks like part of an old motor; our friend postulates that it came from one of the ships buried off the coast. (The entrance to the Columbia River from the ocean is known as “The Graveyard of the Pacific”.) It must have been a fantastic storm to get it up onto the beach like that.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jGVpCmoOeXU/V2WeP9M1qvI/AAAAAAAALsU/ep2ZTswwBI0/s1600-h/16-06-11-12-47-54H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iC1Ayb1IcYo/V2WeRSakPpI/AAAAAAAALsg/cZq9r_6H8S4/s1600-h/16-06-11-12-47-54H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-12-47-54H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-12-47-54H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cfSSR0kycIU/V2WeR7g7T6I/AAAAAAAALss/ecVscXP2XRA/16-06-11-12-47-54H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Low tide, and calm as can be. We were exultant at the unexpected blue sky and sunshine.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bbYiOZpnUc0/V2WeS1XO86I/AAAAAAAALs4/hbVBFKQYPp4/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-04-30H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pm9gsZcOUJk/V2WeTiiZ1YI/AAAAAAAALtE/RsA6Mc8CMLI/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-04-30H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-13-04-30H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-04-30H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JsRMr8EWQDI/V2WeUFrxD2I/AAAAAAAALtQ/03hoiLuhUVs/16-06-11-13-04-30H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="632" height="379"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DLp6kVXdAy8/V2WeUw10XUI/AAAAAAAALtc/I-Aj6xKutN0/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-44-22H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4pLG6VPw-f4/V2WeV6T0DRI/AAAAAAAALto/ch5wugvfn2c/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-44-22H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-13-44-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-44-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YmUEYsagdRY/V2WeWrA0FOI/AAAAAAAALt0/vB3eIoexO1g/16-06-11-13-44-22H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x88EQJ3lH_I/V2WeXQk9nuI/AAAAAAAALuA/39hf8QekVns/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-39-33H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ECnTjuA6sy4/V2WeYclKw9I/AAAAAAAALuM/uqEiLy5OgKY/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-39-33H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-13-39-33H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-39-33H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xLr25jz_HGA/V2WeZMjerRI/AAAAAAAALuc/r5F_LOc7pzI/16-06-11-13-39-33H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sSqAyFsUCZA/V2WeZ7vv1_I/AAAAAAAALuo/tIqFaDAtWcg/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-42-41H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zfmJA1BABqk/V2WeakOaITI/AAAAAAAALu0/-_1-Dpl-o2Y/s1600-h/16-06-11-13-42-41H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-13-42-41H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-13-42-41H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vuJ7FcxdmJc/V2WebqXJkUI/AAAAAAAALvA/ijSZYHQUNZI/16-06-11-13-42-41H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-slPlK0xdzVw/V2WecbHeJwI/AAAAAAAALvM/GjkQNbIzOUY/s1600-h/16-06-11-18-59-06H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mZDR6GDDn_o/V2WedbbcPkI/AAAAAAAALvY/D--NoW6hG70/s1600-h/16-06-11-18-59-06H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-18-59-06H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-18-59-06H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L0oM1iqSeTk/V2WeeLjEt_I/AAAAAAAALvk/Ej1v3uAui80/16-06-11-18-59-06H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AaTnv6gyoKo/V2Wee94Ic7I/AAAAAAAALvw/Y4uqqKWHZXc/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-41H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AaTnv6gyoKo/V2Wee94Ic7I/AAAAAAAALvw/Y4uqqKWHZXc/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-41H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AaTnv6gyoKo/V2Wee94Ic7I/AAAAAAAALvw/Y4uqqKWHZXc/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-41H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AaTnv6gyoKo/V2Wee94Ic7I/AAAAAAAALvw/Y4uqqKWHZXc/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-41H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IpOvuLQnUgE/V2Wef2qYUJI/AAAAAAAALv8/xqqmlYPb0MU/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-41H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-19-52-41H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-19-52-41H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aVlxDfSa6wA/V2WegwU2L_I/AAAAAAAALwI/S3_ve6QjkeU/16-06-11-19-52-41H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></font></a></font></a></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Juj-BAaLG6A/V2WehllUq4I/AAAAAAAALwU/TvpufdGFPFE/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-52H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UwXa6zc2Yf0/V2WeioVleKI/AAAAAAAALwg/u9rSAkBVQQg/s1600-h/16-06-11-19-52-52H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-11-19-52-52H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-11-19-52-52H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ChW_nkHSHoM/V2WejURRTLI/AAAAAAAALws/lZLQSqkxDzM/16-06-11-19-52-52H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">We hated to leave. It was just one day too short. Camping requires enough set up and dismantling that you really need 3 nights to balance the pain and pleasure. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Goodbye to the ocean.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rLUO1ugWQnE/V2WekIirQLI/AAAAAAAALw4/idsQaCurSPE/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-32-22H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eFqI6wncgg0/V2Wela9b20I/AAAAAAAALxE/eCVb7ZIvYgs/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-32-22H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-16-32-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-16-32-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cnrsm8pV-5A/V2WemKilbTI/AAAAAAAALxQ/wYIAFqfDugI/16-06-12-16-32-22H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H5OKlJo-Id4/V2Wem_gkySI/AAAAAAAALxY/8aOamsQ2R2c/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-37-34H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4tP9_VMwff4/V2Wen7yXp-I/AAAAAAAALxk/gBHNKs6TrBw/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-37-34H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-16-37-34H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-16-37-34H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z8SxNHKqRMc/V2Weov_6D0I/AAAAAAAALxw/N_pssk5PfNE/16-06-12-16-37-34H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="445" height="590"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Heading back across the Columbia to Oregon, Saddle Mountain behind the Astoria bridge.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4qaCuffYQeg/V2Wepe2AEKI/AAAAAAAALx8/aSApyfVWBAQ/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-55-47H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7CH3MhnQG7M/V2WeqR7sMkI/AAAAAAAALyM/kUPn9K4PwSU/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-55-47H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-16-55-47H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-16-55-47H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HjqfqqtD-q4/V2WerG1b8lI/AAAAAAAALyY/8RuQaLQekTA/16-06-12-16-55-47H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="651" height="368"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WNMQ67Cgosc/V2WerxIjZEI/AAAAAAAALyk/4DbX0eK_LsY/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-56-22H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-469komksFz8/V2WesnDBzbI/AAAAAAAALyw/yu6aADCYkOU/s1600-h/16-06-12-16-56-22H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-16-56-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-16-56-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rPK3QBnuH7A/V2WetcP_NHI/AAAAAAAALy8/uIFL7X69nvk/16-06-12-16-56-22H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">The red building is the Cannery Pier Hotel (distant) where I’d like to stay on a non-camping, non-budget weekend!</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SOTzegQgi_E/V2Weuajep3I/AAAAAAAALzI/ofijh10e5sk/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-03-05H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yNZksanKnQA/V2WevcOdW4I/AAAAAAAALzU/-BHWHkbByHo/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-03-05H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-17-03-05H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-03-05H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C_smsp0ddL0/V2WewBSxXWI/AAAAAAAALzg/UkHf8eyIlOo/16-06-12-17-03-05H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">The Columbia is a busy waterway for vessels big and small</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xVwzQIHAGV0/V2WexGeifNI/AAAAAAAALzw/GYLZdsEO5aQ/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-31-00H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1eo7A8bfaXI/V2WeyKwWr2I/AAAAAAAALz8/kB1jqgoDBH4/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-31-00H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-17-31-00H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-31-00H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IlEiWR0UHCg/V2Wey6762UI/AAAAAAAAL0I/hCnt3ND9Bs4/16-06-12-17-31-00H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6cmhk5u9Xmk/V2WezhY5QQI/AAAAAAAAL0U/mCYa0qlIOXo/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-30-46H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JeG_hvZZFas/V2We0VbDbSI/AAAAAAAAL0g/K_y4IjYMQaQ/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-30-46H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-06-12-17-30-46H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-30-46H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ehsFrZ6-eNI/V2We1L3pF8I/AAAAAAAAL0s/PmsTg9X7ZGc/16-06-12-17-30-46H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">and really small.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eiciTeU--Sc/V2We2MoqbNI/AAAAAAAAL04/sblvk27np4o/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-31-17H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-31-17H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-31-17H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qcWRqHW0oqM/V2We2-KhZuI/AAAAAAAAL1E/wx5gWzxD9H0/16-06-12-17-31-17H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Before leaving Astoria we drove around parts of the old town looking at houses. This window detail caught my eye and a nice elderly gentleman on the porch gave me permission to take the picture. </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4OrMdMIknnM/V2We3kj0axI/AAAAAAAAL1Q/jjylIFqrlxI/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-36-19H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-36-19H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-36-19H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pSk1G28fpA8/V2We4fGWx6I/AAAAAAAAL1c/1mVBlqYOcrk/16-06-12-17-36-19H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--94slzUg8jk/V2We5Rko9nI/AAAAAAAAL1o/fHHj-mY2TOU/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-36-52H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-36-52H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-36-52H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DhWZD0J-QyE/V2We6Cox6WI/AAAAAAAAL10/0dta6wMlJ5w/16-06-12-17-36-52H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">Then we drove around a newer development called the Mill Pond neighborhood which was extremely charming. We were looking for sale signs to check prices, but there were none! Apparently everyone wants to stay put, here. We talked about the pros and cons of retiring to a harbor/beach town but the truth is, everything looks more delightful on a sunny day. Astoria has a LOT of wet, dark days and even though I started out by saying you don’t give up on a fun opportunity just because it MIGHT rain, I didn’t say you should MOVE IN to a certainty of it.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oaa1einVVFg/V2We7MDwpwI/AAAAAAAAL2A/SrgpEdGinMs/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-45-36H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-45-36H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-45-36H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EShEySmH5bs/V2We7wj473I/AAAAAAAAL2M/wQUoN_gFWm4/16-06-12-17-45-36H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n6x1R7Lw6so/V2We8nNwG4I/AAAAAAAAL2Y/AINqVILLlkA/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-45-57H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-45-57H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-45-57H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ib6EIBdDcac/V2We9r1r5vI/AAAAAAAAL2k/ku0-9kMNuWY/16-06-12-17-45-57H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="474"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BfCsJqbyepc/V2We-d582DI/AAAAAAAAL20/g9mLCIggCFo/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-46-13H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-46-13H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-46-13H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sPcl8iST2WU/V2We_GNmDjI/AAAAAAAAL3A/b6_vFc16vGI/16-06-12-17-46-13H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HB7exlhosoA/V2We_17J93I/AAAAAAAAL3M/_2V35LEAjIQ/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-47-56H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-47-56H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-47-56H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CXDzR_tRawI/V2WfBd9FECI/AAAAAAAAL3Y/f0D7TGFDDKM/16-06-12-17-47-56H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana">A front porch covered in geraniums!</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q0gio6wWF44/V2WfCJbZLiI/AAAAAAAAL3k/x-NYpqVgWS4/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-52-14H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-52-14H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-52-14H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F4pV5Oj1O6U/V2WfC95zf3I/AAAAAAAAL3w/sWBTGu3GwDY/16-06-12-17-52-14H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="421"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ES4yipFGcVk/V2WfDsrSNMI/AAAAAAAAL38/CUtemCseA-0/s1600-h/16-06-12-17-52-29H%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Verdana"><img title="16-06-12-17-52-29H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="16-06-12-17-52-29H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AWWbBswF8Vc/V2WfEUgQrOI/AAAAAAAAL4I/gBVuK8fzm74/16-06-12-17-52-29H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></font></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-17281438822197689402016-04-02T16:14:00.000-07:002016-04-02T16:28:44.089-07:00California Craftsman<p><font size="4">When I was in Pasadena a few weeks ago, my friend Patti and I went on a self-guided walking tour of Craftsman bungalows in a quiet residential neighborhood. Craftsman architecture flourished in California’s boom days.<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sPrxYde3O2U/VwBRTjaJz9I/AAAAAAAALOQ/iSIxE7oRJEQ/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-39-47H.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-39-47H" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="16-02-19-14-39-47H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vWf16cktaSo/VwBRUvuRB-I/AAAAAAAALOY/Bdn8BiA3AXk/16-02-19-14-39-47H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="360"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ErkUMzgc0Uk/VwBRVCTIHGI/AAAAAAAALOg/tLOwASLdyA4/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-32-22H22.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-32-22H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-32-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nRo4RtldKEM/VwBRV3-8V7I/AAAAAAAALOo/UUyVSZRA7gk/16-02-19-14-32-22H_thumb19.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4">I love the Craftsman period for both its philosophy and its practical expression. Basically it began in England as a reaction against the Industrial Revolution which mechanized and mass produced everything, undermining jobs and profitability for individual artists, crafts people, and guilds. William Morris was a leader in this movement in England to keep hand production of the arts and crafts alive which consequently was called the Arts and Crafts Movement. [<em>Purists today still hold to the nomenclature “Arts and Crafts Movement” rather than “Craftsman” because “Craftsman” is considered a misapplication of the title of Gustav Stickley’s magazine for artisans during the early days in the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The magazine title became overgeneralized into a name for the whole period. But, language is fluid and purists are in trouble. American Craftsman is commonly understood as the movement in the States that originated in England as the Arts and Crafts Movement.]</em></font></p> <p><img title="Craftsman" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="The Craftsman 1901 - Gustav Stickley" src="http://www.arts-crafts.com/images/1545706105_1dc2635063.jpg" width="565" height="859"> <blockquote> <p align="center">The Craftsman 1901 <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ULcOgV3NeCI/VwBRWnwkI8I/AAAAAAAALOw/NkN4s5LFj8A/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-13-44H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-13-44H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-13-44H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dh0Jz0XdX5A/VwBRXeToxKI/AAAAAAAALO4/zZLoNJgg0G4/16-02-19-14-13-44H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="754"></a> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wPTpF5-ZyBQ/VwBRYPvu1_I/AAAAAAAALPA/VbM0ZPVKQ_s/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-40-14H%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-40-14H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-40-14H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ht5toysoq-U/VwBRYrYvMHI/AAAAAAAALPI/AvMhctTcoq8/16-02-19-14-40-14H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="564" height="423"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cWEfn6ops2Y/VwBRZWJCOVI/AAAAAAAALPQ/_DhI2IpAxUM/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-43-44H.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-43-44H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-43-44H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XNyuQf6MdAA/VwBRaPEYz0I/AAAAAAAALPY/LsMHYKMZbPg/16-02-19-14-43-44H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="600"></a> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sd1y5XcIVo0/VwBRa4dPlWI/AAAAAAAALPg/E-BXZQuGGwI/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-56-11H%25255B40%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-56-11H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-56-11H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YuRMz2brZfs/VwBRbhQIB1I/AAAAAAAALPo/r-rfTXcFbK4/16-02-19-14-56-11H_thumb%25255B41%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cSPBf4q9GS0/VwBRcSSCybI/AAAAAAAALPw/iP1WOMQDv5g/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-02-45H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-02-45H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-02-45H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oEubpXgkDlM/VwBRdBdmsRI/AAAAAAAALP4/mWz8av233dQ/16-02-19-15-02-45H_thumb%25255B25%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="540"></a> </p> <p align="center"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-scDykDeUXJ0/VwBRdzrzp9I/AAAAAAAALQA/s732uCPiTrE/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-33-46H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-33-46H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-33-46H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jtCSOkigheo/VwBRenLcBHI/AAAAAAAALQI/HwYOC9zPe8Q/16-02-19-15-33-46H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pACJM_2lBWQ/VwBRfDE45eI/AAAAAAAALQQ/G16UpBiSohY/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-22-11H%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-22-11H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-22-11H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OH7d6yNbbmE/VwBRfwv6ZlI/AAAAAAAALQY/OY2mLaNul2M/16-02-19-15-22-11H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9iaCr4Juvk0/VwBRgjSZmVI/AAAAAAAALQg/147B5jN1vj8/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-24-22H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-24-22H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-24-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ykb-b8LTWew/VwBRhewGbyI/AAAAAAAALQo/msf-lwkTgrg/16-02-19-15-24-22H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W6emjnByTgo/VwBRiIfhmxI/AAAAAAAALQw/GOHgHkf1Zvo/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-24-59H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-24-59H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-24-59H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Yh-MldIleQ/VwBRiopLNgI/AAAAAAAALQ4/0ReD9Itq58Y/16-02-19-15-24-59H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a> </p></blockquote> <p><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana">So how do you recognize a Craftsman bungalow when you see it? Typically, it will</font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana">Incorporate hand crafted details</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5sfbAg-x4pQ/VwBRjbDsjfI/AAAAAAAALRA/JdQ0UspEOyA/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-36-16H4.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-36-16H" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="16-02-19-14-36-16H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-leyLr1Rc63k/VwBRj9F2lEI/AAAAAAAALRI/eQv9Kwq9bkM/16-02-19-14-36-16H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="442" height="590"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9IfQ_3AVznE/VwBRkh5mv8I/AAAAAAAALRQ/CrZ7zNTED-Y/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-17-09H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-17-09H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-17-09H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AyAkEyCrP2M/VwBRldS1lvI/AAAAAAAALRY/Hnd44qZ2Lnw/16-02-19-14-17-09H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="667" height="359"></a></p> <hr> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"></font></font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000">Have a low pitched roof</font> <font size="3"><em>(which was particularly suited to California’s dry and snow-free climate)<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J6IEt1XrQLI/VwBRmCmVpjI/AAAAAAAALRg/ryvOR4K4wkg/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-54-28H11.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-54-28H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-54-28H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z2SL6ji1mGo/VwBRm6wphvI/AAAAAAAALRo/aVTB9VAnXyk/16-02-19-14-54-28H_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bHkZAbrAT2k/VwBRnrnS-vI/AAAAAAAALRw/i79fcfC2k4k/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-32-54H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-32-54H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-32-54H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pJ0XeOg-B10/VwBRoDF406I/AAAAAAAALR4/MUKroYF1_yw/16-02-19-14-32-54H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="323"></a></em></font></font> <hr> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000">Be of modest size</font> <font size="3"><em>(the goal was affordable housing for everyone)<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YtKCjOJFK1k/VwBRo_cvKNI/AAAAAAAALSA/T61T3ZmAsjM/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-45-38H10.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-45-38H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-45-38H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-itYNvc8bv7E/VwBRpr_vvcI/AAAAAAAALSI/4YOPOTAbI7A/16-02-19-14-45-38H_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></em></font></font> <hr> <p><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana">Have wide eaves</font></p> <p> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U3t86afawVU/VwBRqGTE1FI/AAAAAAAALSQ/SD0VR5v1eTg/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-56-11H%25255B42%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-56-11H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-56-11H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rO1fmM84GYU/VwBRq0Iqd1I/AAAAAAAALSY/ls2RquodokM/16-02-19-14-56-11H_thumb%25255B43%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QwWd5PCDuwY/VwBRrsBNlWI/AAAAAAAALSg/E6OiHXWmDzE/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-55-16H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-55-16H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-55-16H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fUSL0DdbaMA/VwBRsSOQKyI/AAAAAAAALSo/SnClXF_vGbg/16-02-19-14-55-16H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="665" height="359"></a><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana"></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana"> <hr> <p>Have exposed rafter tails, often decoratively cut, sometimes showing Asian influence</p> <p></font><font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana"></font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UHy4w7fHZrk/VwBRs1LMHbI/AAAAAAAALSw/qeaJEolMJrg/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-54-48H%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-54-48H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-54-48H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9594TprIRzA/VwBRtiE_LFI/AAAAAAAALS4/Ct1Omqx044Y/16-02-19-14-54-48H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1_bkt5ucks8/VwBRubnIAPI/AAAAAAAALTA/NJS7l2BD130/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-18-53H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-18-53H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-18-53H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G6yMFiDk5gc/VwBRvCLjm7I/AAAAAAAALTI/lK29GSK9snE/16-02-19-15-18-53H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Have a strong horizontal emphasis</font> <font size="3"><em>(though this is a crossover with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School which was occurring in the same time period)<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BsqAMPryZ7g/VwBRv0hoALI/AAAAAAAALTQ/CJPZJV7NI-U/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-36-03H%25255B2%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-36-03H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-36-03H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cuGmXy33TPs/VwBRwXfi2VI/AAAAAAAALTY/ve8y1h3nRGI/16-02-19-14-36-03H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></em></font></font> <font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Use knee braces decoratively and other handwork details</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4ycqkfSIyI4/VwBRxJbQEKI/AAAAAAAALTg/W7SJ5WOjJAo/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-31-20H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-31-20H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-31-20H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mxu02O6z1w4/VwBRx2ZIYEI/AAAAAAAALTo/IrCp7m6D_rw/16-02-19-14-31-20H_thumb%25255B17%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="336"></a></font> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EQmOMkN8Y7A/VwBRylC2xMI/AAAAAAAALTw/5eSdhlTmES4/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-31-20H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-31-20H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-31-20H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O8303jwu8vg/VwBRzVz9HzI/AAAAAAAALT4/ew6fRSO38x4/16-02-19-14-31-20H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="495"></a><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Have a front porch that extends the width of the house or a partial width</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CzZCGf8r3S0/VwBR0IW1d8I/AAAAAAAALUA/hgVyoSpS1Tk/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-49-09H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-49-09H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-49-09H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CgALfO3WT90/VwBR0whogjI/AAAAAAAALUI/8n_FRgyp4mk/16-02-19-14-49-09H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="296"></a></font> <font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana"> <p> <hr> <p>Have steps up to the porch which is raised to allow for a basement or crawlspace below <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-irzqpnnpifY/VwBR1x0hFcI/AAAAAAAALUU/ZCojmyskkR0/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-34-02H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-34-02H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-34-02H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MfDoMwhJW4k/VwBR2sXz1XI/AAAAAAAALUc/MIgmn1jo03c/16-02-19-14-34-02H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Have posts which are slightly triangular resting on piers holding up the porch roof</font> <em><font size="3">(though smaller double posts were also used, such as in top photo)</font></em></font> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pXLWMi3EuNI/VwBR3BmgUOI/AAAAAAAALUk/WgiU1gXvoiA/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-54-28H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-54-28H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-54-28H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vsOVqncfyDU/VwBR37Sp1yI/AAAAAAAALUs/FYWyNQOSc5U/16-02-19-14-54-28H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="442"></a><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Piers and foundation are typically large rock or brick</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kqBNlO-QVLI/VwBR4nCQpcI/AAAAAAAALU0/86DxuMb5fQs/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-34-02H7.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-34-02H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-34-02H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jJBVOyIDBgI/VwBR5WcaOvI/AAAAAAAALU8/vwEb7xHR9mo/16-02-19-14-34-02H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font> <font style="background-color: #ffc000" size="4" face="Verdana"> <p> <hr> <p>Front doors have upper window with horizontal wood trim below</font> </p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Incorporate stained glass and handcrafted tiles </font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2qKxehUYPWA/VwBR6AAlH2I/AAAAAAAALVE/WYqXNK6Mwb4/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-32-29H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-32-29H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-32-29H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uQX0moDjTgg/VwBR64iKw0I/AAAAAAAALVM/2gxkEF3xAXU/16-02-19-14-32-29H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="547" height="437"></a></font> <font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Lighting fixtures are rectangular with metal trims</font> <em><font size="3">(Copper, brass, bronze, hammered metals) also used in interior hardware, drawer pulls, etc..</font></em></font> <font size="4">[see above photo]</font></p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Have a wide single dormer</font> <em><font size="3">(as opposed to the small separate dormers of the Cape Cod style)</font></em></font> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DtoWg-J9_IU/VwBR7kaDSfI/AAAAAAAALVU/72pSNqKgbZw/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-17-09H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-15-17-09H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-17-09H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9azyq9b77mw/VwBR8P6tXjI/AAAAAAAALVc/UdIvreM8JDw/16-02-19-15-17-09H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="301"></a><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Multi-paned upper windows with single pane below, often grouped together with wide trim</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_M753BZR6N8/VwBR8xx0d2I/AAAAAAAALVk/qUf2iaeebQk/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-29-01H%25255B1%25255D.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-29-01H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-29-01H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pbaS-5-SxpU/VwBR9vM-ESI/AAAAAAAALVs/AYwWa82QbBY/16-02-19-14-29-01H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="408"></a></font> <font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Natural earth colors, brown and green,with highlight trim</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ITnBytPi1OQ/VwBR-dQQYEI/AAAAAAAALV0/BJI7sUDQPCU/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-40-35H11.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-40-35H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-40-35H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gsNE0fBwGHo/VwBR_HfIv-I/AAAAAAAALV8/e2N74rE6NFg/16-02-19-14-40-35H_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5pPdTrdOA6g/VwBR_qy6CsI/AAAAAAAALWE/QkpUigFtCtw/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-39-18H.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-39-18H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-39-18H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ymYBsyb3Tjs/VwBSASXuLkI/AAAAAAAALWM/pC7QilTXono/16-02-19-14-39-18H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="449"></a></font> <font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Have shingles or wood siding though some are stucco</font><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X8cFoVQl2QY/VwBSBF3nJlI/AAAAAAAALWU/XEBYi4jdb1s/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-36-45H11.jpg"></p><img title="16-02-19-14-36-45H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-36-45H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d4GsbwdZdT8/VwBSCFkD79I/AAAAAAAALWc/bIQ1BiJbtv8/16-02-19-14-36-45H_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AIZ-Hj4P3QU/VwBSCgUBBlI/AAAAAAAALWk/W6alr8QQ9YE/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-40-14H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-40-14H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-40-14H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DCvKrxtaK9g/VwBSDTyxRhI/AAAAAAAALWs/nlHXoNxW3DE/16-02-19-14-40-14H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="587"></a><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Use natural materials exterior and interior</font> <em><font size="3">(wainscoting, wood trims)</font></em></font> </p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font style="background-color: #ffc000"> <p> <hr> <p>Use designs from nature: trees, ivy, grasses</font> <font size="3"><em>(to bring nature closer to the average Joe) <hr> </em></font></font> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">The homes we saw in Pasadena were not architect designed but were mostly kit homes. In the early 1900’s Sears Catalogue offered house plans for Craftsman-styled bungalows which were popular and affordable for middle class folk. Sometimes not only the house plans but a truck with all the building supplies would arrive at its destination. Liberties could be taken with the initial design as the owner saw fit. Consequently some of the homes I photographed are not quite classic Craftsman. Additionally, over the years people have remodeled and glassed in their open porches and painted their interior woodwork (heavens!) and otherwise corrupted the ideal. But again, progress is fluid and purists are in trouble.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7tzzGi7IQN0/VwBSEBWfRYI/AAAAAAAALW0/szJLd4_QI2M/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-26-43H8.jpg"><font color="#249fa3"></font><img title="16-02-19-14-26-43H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-26-43H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YwMLab_4sZs/VwBSE6_vwVI/AAAAAAAALW8/P3uXNyW0GDA/16-02-19-14-26-43H_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"></font> <a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oWAidH3gZEE/VwBSFpA_ELI/AAAAAAAALXE/iFORsVEzPj4/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-07-00H%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-07-00H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-07-00H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5yDQs_P58x8/VwBSGdb9A0I/AAAAAAAALXM/4CZ2kHZ3knE/16-02-19-15-07-00H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">The interiors of Craftsman Bungalows (which is not the subject for today as we did not get to go inside any of them on our walking tour) (but you should see the Gamble house) featured central fireplaces with large wooden mantles, tile surrounds, and built-in bench seating and book cases often forming an inglenook. (Oh, how I want one. I would never leave.)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">Other built-ins were buffets, window seats, and the kitchen breakfast nook which brought the family into the kitchen to eat, a departure into informality from the Victorian ideal that kitchens were only where the hired help prepared food. (I could live with that.)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">Eventually the Craftsman Movement gave way to the Mid Century Modern style which led us to Ranch style homes. Nowadays we are having a huge Craftsman revival.</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xDEXI20l2Hw/VwBSG_nS4EI/AAAAAAAALXU/ApgwNv43jEg/s1600-h/16-02-19-14-17-39H.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-14-17-39H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-14-17-39H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GgZZH4JZtTc/VwBSHq0pTUI/AAAAAAAALXc/gDvQJGNy744/16-02-19-14-17-39H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="753"></a></p> <p><font size="4">I noticed these other two women out walking and was quite charmed by them. </font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--VPkyjeL0Uw/VwBSIqMqCcI/AAAAAAAALXk/c01Du_IoMfo/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-31-39H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-31-39H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-31-39H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Cxv38mzSIi0/VwBSJb3voEI/AAAAAAAALXs/pjSJ8pAjz1I/16-02-19-15-31-39H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="475"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yD-lRXen5Wc/VwBSKM5XaHI/AAAAAAAALX0/5eb7WtWc-24/s1600-h/16-02-19-15-31-46H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-15-31-46H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-15-31-46H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IhtVg-RCgWY/VwBSK7jmJMI/AAAAAAAALX8/yVy1F-h4uFI/16-02-19-15-31-46H_thumb%25255B17%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="537"></a></p> <p><font size="4">Later this day we went on a tour of the penultimate Craftsman home, the Gamble House designed by architects Greene and Greene. That is a subject for another day!</font> </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JIN5JdxMsVo/VwBSLtBqanI/AAAAAAAALYI/WqLSDxTQUs0/s1600-h/16-02-19-16-05-06H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-16-05-06H" style="float: none; margin-left: auto; display: block; margin-right: auto" alt="16-02-19-16-05-06H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZF07JbA_DAs/VwBSMkCHB_I/AAAAAAAALYU/mipkzFgbooU/16-02-19-16-05-06H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZmlNNpdQHBg/VwBSNaGnflI/AAAAAAAALYg/FYUXi-KZsx8/s1600-h/16-02-19-16-04-16H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-19-16-04-16H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-19-16-04-16H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jXptmNeOOGo/VwBSON2iajI/AAAAAAAALY0/FOvyTZ7H4do/16-02-19-16-04-16H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="319"></a></p>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-43585961152150505912016-03-08T21:19:00.001-08:002016-03-08T21:19:45.214-08:00Not Your Grandma’s Quilt<p><font size="4">Two weeks ago I went to Pasadena for QuiltCon, an exhibition of quilts, a convention of quilters and vendors, workshops and lectures, attended by both experts and novices. I was the novice going with my friend the expert quilter who could open her own gallery if she chose. There were hundreds of quilts on display, many done in response to a challenge from the Modern Quilt Guild. I don’t know the exact parameters of the contest but I understand that contributors were given a palette of Michael Miller fabrics and individuals as well as groups could participate. Here are some of the entries to the MQG contest:</font></p> <p><font size="4"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7CgvhWYjFoY/Vt-xEV8FzRI/AAAAAAAALEI/dY4yVub6pKI/s1600-h/16-02-18-14-09-46H30.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-14-09-46H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-14-09-46H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mliJv6-NAAA/Vt-xGxFRTKI/AAAAAAAALEQ/iKiJOP4Xycc/16-02-18-14-09-46H_thumb33.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="590"></a></font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWNumiX7TGc/Vt-xJumJLMI/AAAAAAAALEY/6jo5EXcoec4/s1600-h/16-02-18-14-11-04H24.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-14-11-04H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-14-11-04H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFr9PgEz4Ps/Vt-xMuO8R8I/AAAAAAAALEg/Xukzocs2nk4/16-02-18-14-11-04H_thumb18.jpg?imgmax=800" width="569" height="428"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W2cCkpo8VFM/Vt-xQYJCt2I/AAAAAAAALEo/GkgYFDnDvUo/s1600-h/16-02-20-14-09-26H25.jpg"><img title="16-02-20-14-09-26H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-20-14-09-26H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0i-oTtHKrTY/Vt-xS6QzYAI/AAAAAAAALEw/o_ilcSkxRk0/16-02-20-14-09-26H_thumb27.jpg?imgmax=800" width="569" height="725"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1_nbrAeR_Lk/Vt-xVTVloJI/AAAAAAAALE4/D1rXNCJZsRw/s1600-h/16-02-20-14-09-41H1.jpg"><img title="16-02-20-14-09-41H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-20-14-09-41H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TKSjzOTW7FU/Vt-xXTKyCMI/AAAAAAAALFA/xMafT9dnDaU/16-02-20-14-09-41H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="569" height="428"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UF_pXqnH2hg/Vt-xZtx2DnI/AAAAAAAALFI/iZzHk6bWM6c/s1600-h/16-02-18-13-58-49H.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-13-58-49H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-13-58-49H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Eu_LaGM0WA0/Vt-xcsyKDmI/AAAAAAAALFQ/wWR6Rv6RjfQ/16-02-18-13-58-49H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="569" height="687"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W0_SW1LmKpQ/Vt-xfyVcyII/AAAAAAAALFY/iBoARLCu-88/s1600-h/16-02-18-14-13-50H6.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-14-13-50H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-14-13-50H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VUTTHiJi1uo/Vt-xiQpXdiI/AAAAAAAALFg/dJOsDXgLDqA/16-02-18-14-13-50H_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ijkRBh5Hcks/Vt-xk2Uz00I/AAAAAAAALFo/Sa9ebAGDPpQ/s1600-h/16-02-18-15-39-49H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-15-39-49H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-15-39-49H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ohzs3lfRkuw/Vt-xna3P25I/AAAAAAAALF0/54dyDLkeUac/16-02-18-15-39-49H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="545" height="439"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YBphhLcjhrc/Vt-xol22w1I/AAAAAAAALF8/mdeOLFd1sTs/s1600-h/16-02-18-15-39-39H14.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-15-39-39H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-15-39-39H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t5iWeDPbVUE/Vt-xrLt5ySI/AAAAAAAALGE/0BFpfxvs4iE/16-02-18-15-39-39H_thumb17.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="506"></a></p> <p><font size="4">Besides the Charity Quilt Contest there were many, many more quilts (that I took pictures of) in all kinds of categories: Minimalist, Modern Traditional, Piecing, Handwork, Applique, Use of Negative Space, Improvisation, and more. They were fascinating and sometimes inspiring. Some were so far beyond my skill set and patience that I couldn’t imagine even wanting to do them. </font></p> <p><font size="4">But the most encouraging thing was the lectures we went to: “Art History and the Modern Quilter” by Casey York, “Great American Quilt Revival” by Mary Fons, “Creativity and Play” by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, and “Liberated Quiltmaking: It’s About Making It YOUR Way” by Gwen Marston. These four guest speakers are well known in the publishing end of this craft besides being well respected and loved by their protégées. They have been the movers and shakers in the resurgence of quilting in our generation. Hearing them speak was quite stirring as well as mind-opening to the possibilities of quilting as Art.</font></p> <p><font size="4">I was trying to explain what I had learned to my son at dinner after I’d come home. It’s not about the old traditional patterns anymore, the Wedding Ring and the Bow Tie or Geese Flying, I said. You don’t have to match corners perfectly and repeat the pattern 50 times. In fact, if you mess up the corner you just cut it off and put it in a different way. You can make it up as you go. It’s FREE. You don’t have to follow the rules anymore. You can take an old idea and tweak it to fit your inspiration. The important thing is to do it and have fun with it. And my son noted right away that the cultural revolution had overturned his Granny’s quilts.</font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SWAKBh9s_Vw/Vt-xs8deK2I/AAAAAAAALGM/YugMjm6wRsY/s1600-h/16-02-18-16-51-23H%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-16-51-23H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-16-51-23H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iiJXpP-MOO4/Vt-xvM0AgnI/AAAAAAAALGU/Q0hnJEfPsI0/16-02-18-16-51-23H_thumb%25255B22%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="618"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EsZwEsJLrdA/Vt-xxFmFy5I/AAAAAAAALGc/iGRRazvE65g/s1600-h/16-02-18-16-52-22H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-16-52-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-16-52-22H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BqQElmJSVsQ/Vt-xzDc5e4I/AAAAAAAALGk/gYgEjzF_Dx4/16-02-18-16-52-22H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="754"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EYUJmiDqDFs/Vt-x1NT5d4I/AAAAAAAALGw/WbtaPtEoi0M/s1600-h/16-02-18-16-59-30H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-16-59-30H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-16-59-30H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LZBO5sfOEK0/Vt-x2KXY28I/AAAAAAAALG4/uywEQfht39c/16-02-18-16-59-30H_thumb%25255B21%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="619"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yx_z-_2wLWQ/Vt-x4L51jaI/AAAAAAAALHA/rPR5PP9htOU/s1600-h/16-02-18-20-37-46H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-20-37-46H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-20-37-46H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rE8dHEZjd_E/Vt-x5yRqvoI/AAAAAAAALHI/QX9lBXTDXl8/16-02-18-20-37-46H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="581"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ky2G5YB24b0/Vt-x749r8pI/AAAAAAAALHU/DH-VtG1wuj0/s1600-h/16-02-18-20-41-27H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-20-41-27H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-20-41-27H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0_FT1GBkfbI/Vt-x9jQt00I/AAAAAAAALHc/aDlpXKSx1IQ/16-02-18-20-41-27H_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="583"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KRTA6nl5m0M/Vt-x_857aFI/AAAAAAAALHo/CNcCf_Nb0yU/s1600-h/16-02-18-15-55-28H%25255B26%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-15-55-28H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-15-55-28H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OhgMR0MTpsQ/Vt-yCrw7VaI/AAAAAAAALHw/0FuUqtK3EeM/16-02-18-15-55-28H_thumb%25255B25%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="402"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hc3CVP9Hl48/Vt-yFs6WtiI/AAAAAAAALH8/bMqiavhLBVs/s1600-h/16-02-18-20-54-35H%25255B24%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-20-54-35H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-20-54-35H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mGcTSUaiI8/Vt-yHifuvwI/AAAAAAAALIE/bogUXjuzlHU/16-02-18-20-54-35H_thumb%25255B26%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="557"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TTnGpPj6qh8/Vt-yKPgR3iI/AAAAAAAALIQ/fEbwiRPu3Zk/s1600-h/16-02-18-20-54-29H%25255B28%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-20-54-29H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-20-54-29H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-99ZLjeJsXq8/Vt-yMTCR_1I/AAAAAAAALIc/phJEA51tNLM/16-02-18-20-54-29H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="424"></a></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W7ZLPxAY4Mc/Vt-yPDOPWKI/AAAAAAAALIk/WL60C3WfCfI/s1600-h/16-02-18-21-05-32H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-21-05-32H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-21-05-32H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E0e8TiN1_cc/Vt-yRWslvHI/AAAAAAAALIs/MjYY97OX998/16-02-18-21-05-32H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="561"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--ChW9e_ybp8/Vt-yUVHKt3I/AAAAAAAALI0/3mFschX9Cnw/s1600-h/16-02-18-21-16-04H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="16-02-18-21-16-04H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-21-16-04H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x_j0juhnLow/Vt-yWj2MIKI/AAAAAAAALI8/2hc9GBcB4N4/16-02-18-21-16-04H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="754"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vd-12MBwMBI/Vt-yZZ-6WII/AAAAAAAALJM/kR-TEIrowL0/s1600-h/16-02-18-21-16-12H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="16-02-18-21-16-12H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="16-02-18-21-16-12H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rB9Iu648bIk/Vt-ycA1r2lI/AAAAAAAALJg/x11wfAoZhf8/16-02-18-21-16-12H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="565" height="754"></font></a></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4">I came home with a head full of ideas and a suitcase full of fabric and a spirit full of optimism from having been given “permission” to play with my ideas and quilt with freedom. I am working on an idea right now and it excites me. I hope I see it through to completion.</font></p>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-3079964844122748972016-02-11T18:34:00.000-08:002016-02-11T18:48:46.792-08:00Photo Books, An Attractive Nuisance<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-l_DkPbbZmg8/Vr1EtDiZdYI/AAAAAAAALCg/d_eAe7IEvVg/s1600-h/15-09-08-08-54-15H%25255B24%25255D.jpg"><img alt="15-09-08-08-54-15H" height="375" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fb3uVScCQTM/Vr1Etg3eV-I/AAAAAAAALCo/PmrCdwlhZnI/15-09-08-08-54-15H_thumb%25255B21%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="15-09-08-08-54-15H" width="500" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Today I noticed that 2 of my 3 wall calendars are still in January. So am I, apparently. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Last weekend I decided I should use my coupon for a free photo book before it expired in April. Plenty of time, I thought. The coupon had come with a new camera I purchased before our trip to Maine and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I planned to make the photo book a memory of that anniversary trip. I had already narrowed our 1,349 pictures down to 826, but that was still way too many so I began the sorting and editing process. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Okay, everyone knows I am not a fan of technology. I admit that I would not be writing this very blog if it weren’t for some help from the computer age, but the human spirit can only stretch so far before it snaps in frustration and mine was about done in by the photo book. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">I had 826 pictures to upload to my working file. I should have only done a quarter of that but eliminating excess is not my strong suit, either. Every picture (except the fuzzy or accidental ones) was a memory. So I uploaded the 826 which took forever! During the process I played around with page layouts and style options for my book, becoming very irritated that I had to choose one style (out of the 245 they offer) to get the colors if not the embellishments I wanted. Looking through the 245 choices and checking their options of color, layout, and “whimsical” quotes and whatnot made me very sure that </span><span style="font-family: ArtBrush; font-size: large;">I prefer doing things by hand, my own way, with my own choices and no cutesiness forced on me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Somehow the process of putting pictures into page layouts caused an interruption of the photo uploading process and the whole thing was lost. Not once, not twice, but three times. I had already yelled loud enough for Tech Guy to come by and he kindly offered to use the coupon himself for a photobook if I gave up on it (he hates to waste a good coupon) but no way was I going to let him have a shiny glossy professional book arrive in the mail in 3 days without suffering as I had. He would just have uploaded 20 pictures, dragged and dropped them into the first format and been happy with it. No suffering. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">So I began to rethink the whole photobook idea. I am a hands on, slow processing, perfectionist, my own worst enemy. But I am jealous, too, and I wanted to use my coupon myself. So I decided to choose my top 20 favorite pictures from the trip and just let it be a book of pretty coastal pictures, not a detailed record of what we did every day. (Similar to what Tech Guy would have done in the first place. Okay, so I can learn from him.) Well, my top 20 pictures is actually my top 41 pictures, eliminating excess being too much of a challenge, but I can pay for extra pages beyond the coupon’s allowance of 20. </span><span style="font-family: ArtBrush; font-size: large;"> It’s just that I love things so much, you see. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: ArtBrush; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;">My daughter has made a few photo books so I consulted with her several times during this long process of having the internet send me messages that it had failed and they were searching for the solution. She said that she could actually get into my computer from her computer at home and walk me through it. Now that I have narrowed it down to 41 pictures it seems a lot more manageable especially if she is remotely controlling my computer. And me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">And after I get my shiny professional looking photobook back from the publisher in 3 days I can spend the next few months putting the 826 chronological, record-keeping, detailed photo history of our trip into an album. By hand. Choosing my own background colors. Adding text. Gluing in ephemera such as maps, napkins, brochures, and ticket stubs. Puttering along having a good time with no computer messing with my mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">You can see why the calendars don’t get turned. I just don’t know where the time goes! </span>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-19693538589807090832016-01-10T20:51:00.001-08:002016-01-10T20:51:28.912-08:00A Very Happy New Year to You<p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YvWRwxqMWOo/VpM0oJmUP_I/AAAAAAAAK3Y/XuRqnmHGvvk/s1600-h/IMG_071518.jpg"><img title="IMG_0715" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_0715" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nP8JvV1RkNw/VpM0pAHhXMI/AAAAAAAAK3k/oySn93jD3Lg/IMG_0715_thumb21.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="359"></a></p> <p align="center">Below: Ages 1, 3,3,3,2,and 5</p> <p align="left"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-crHZjElUtf0/VpM0qOjuM5I/AAAAAAAAK3w/I2FYRvBZEsQ/s1600-h/IMG_126463.jpg"><img title="IMG_1264" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_1264" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sIKBZPvqX-k/VpM0reNvMNI/AAAAAAAAK38/7oGg8_lOHJw/IMG_1264_thumb65.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="329"></a><font size="4" face="Verdana">This is pretty much my world these days, these little guys. I haven’t been writing much (or sewing much, or painting much, or housekeeping much) but I am very happy to be involved with my grandchildren on a regular basis. Already I know that things will change next fall when the oldest goes off to kindergarten in his own neighborhood so I won’t be seeing him on a daily basis, and I want to hang onto the time I have with him. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">On the other side, my dad is almost 91 and lately has been needing more care than he used to. He still prefers (insists on) living in his own home and he still drives but needs some help with routine maintenance such as bill paying, etc. There is a reason why my peer group is called “The Sandwich Generation”: sometimes I feel quite squished in the middle.<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j5yaTwfK_JA/VpM0sAdboII/AAAAAAAAK4I/yOTHQbfKwE0/s1600-h/15-10-02-17-25-3516.jpg"><img title="15-10-02-17-25-35" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-10-02-17-25-35" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2zzXWSaYRwk/VpM0tia-zgI/AAAAAAAAK4U/TEGIL0wX8dY/15-10-02-17-25-35_thumb16.jpg?imgmax=800" width="498" height="466"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">I love my life and I am happy and grateful for it. Tech Guy Ron is still working full time although it is mostly from an office in our basement nowadays. He figures he has 2 more years until retirement. In the meantime we have vacations scattered throughout the year and find conferences and friends and ministry opportunities to keep us fresh. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">I went to Denver in December to accompany my dad and Portland brother in attending my nephew’s wedding. My Colorado sister and other (California) brother were also there so it was very special to have all of us together. This was right after Thanksgiving and a slew of family birthdays, so I came home to Christmas-in-a-Hurry, decorating the church and then our house in a toddler–proof style. </font></p> <p><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3CiobGU2EbA/VpM0vAF09XI/AAAAAAAAK4g/uM3VVpRVOog/s1600-h/15-12-16-15-46-01H5.jpg"><img title="15-12-16-15-46-01H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-12-16-15-46-01H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GZ-MCucUujM/VpM0v0CiebI/AAAAAAAAK4s/xUCTGpAUoVw/15-12-16-15-46-01H_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="582"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mNTg7SHHE_U/VpM0w1IsoEI/AAAAAAAAK44/YDP5201kcqw/s1600-h/15-12-16-15-41-57H4.jpg"><img title="15-12-16-15-41-57H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-12-16-15-41-57H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AtkInjiIx00/VpM0xzbxK_I/AAAAAAAAK5E/tSr0YVlHhRI/15-12-16-15-41-57H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HgmFvHI3HSM/VpM0yyz9EjI/AAAAAAAAK5Q/kjPfMX8de5o/s1600-h/15-12-16-15-43-23H4.jpg"><img title="15-12-16-15-43-23H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-12-16-15-43-23H" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1I3tn3Vg9lQ/VpM0z81n3TI/AAAAAAAAK5c/YPYex1PPaZE/15-12-16-15-43-23H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">I am just now finishing getting the Christmas decorations put away. The seasonal mugs and hand towels still need to be changed out. Sometimes I wonder how long I will keep doing this to myself and then I remember how I used to feel about old people who were (in my judgmental opinion) too lacking in spirit to have a tree or make an effort for the season. Now I see how easy that would be, what a slippery slope I stand on toward Old Fogey-ness. “Doing it for the grandkids” is my motivation now. Is this how it begins? </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">This coming weekend Ron and I are going to a missions conference and then next month I am meeting a friend in Pasadena for a quilter’s weekend conference. In between, we are hosting a book club which is reading <u>The Book That Changed Your World</u> by Vishal Mangalwadi, a fascinating read. So life continues to stimulate and delight even though everything seems to be coming at me faster than ever. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana"><font color="#ff0000">I hope <font size="7" face="Action Jackson">2016<font size="4"> <font face="Verdana">is full of joys for you, and strength for the times of struggle, good health and great peace. I am glad we are friends on the journey!</font></font></font></font></font></p>Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-10549196862235212752015-10-30T18:22:00.001-07:002015-10-30T18:37:03.322-07:00Everything’s Duck-y in North Carolina<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After leaving Hartford we drove through New York City and into New Jersey where we stayed the night in a very luxurious bed for which we were very grateful! It had started to drizzle as we got into New York. The photo below is us crossing the George Washington Bridge which somehow seemed momentous to me, perhaps triggered by a childhood memory. The photo, taken at moving speed and in the dark and rain, is not so memorable. (I also took a couple of the New Jersey industrial areas lit with bright golden glow and smelling just as I remembered from 50+ years ago. Ah, yes, the New Jersey turnpike!)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BlbqaBbSCyM/VjQWEGU-aUI/AAAAAAAAKno/ge5vDc8gAvw/s1600-h/15-09-12-21-55-05H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BlbqaBbSCyM/VjQWEGU-aUI/AAAAAAAAKn0/zdIgUz1pKd8/s1600-h/15-09-12-21-55-05H.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-21-55-05H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-21-55-05H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HtM_fN3KEp8/VjQWFvPfOHI/AAAAAAAAKPc/vMtaM9KlUzA/15-09-12-21-55-05H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xmWSRgBUsi0/VjQWGHWBbBI/AAAAAAAAKoA/H0TJ-wHWKC4/s1600-h/15-09-12-21-55-33H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xmWSRgBUsi0/VjQWGHWBbBI/AAAAAAAAKoE/cDBUD5125ZU/s1600-h/15-09-12-21-55-33H.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-21-55-33H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-21-55-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-azLiYJUv8lA/VjQWHYaGLkI/AAAAAAAAKP8/ZH_YlJXq1ws/15-09-12-21-55-33H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After a wonderful sleep we headed south, paying toll roads over and over again. I was excited to use the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel, an amazing engineering feat, but I also was a little nervous about 1) being underground 2) under the water 3) in an enclosed tube 4) for such a long stretch. I did check the tile walls for seepage as we drove through and I am happy to report that all was dry, no puddles on the road at all. ( I have this same feeling riding BART, the Bay Area Rapid Transit from San Francisco to Oakland, under the bay. I can’t help but wonder -fleetingly- if this is going to be when the Big One occurs…)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aPoT8zBs2Cs/VjQWIJKmwEI/AAAAAAAAKoU/mbHyD9vWYkE/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-17-30H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aPoT8zBs2Cs/VjQWIJKmwEI/AAAAAAAAKoc/ldLQ7_EzFsY/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-17-30H3.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-16-17-30H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-16-17-30H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p-3kx7i45CI/VjQWJngopAI/AAAAAAAAKQc/I1FaUX2ru-M/15-09-13-16-17-30H_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="349"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KPw2hYdnq9o/VjQWKSLQ6GI/AAAAAAAAKoo/loRf2bfOXhM/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-21-51H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KPw2hYdnq9o/VjQWKSLQ6GI/AAAAAAAAKo0/dsJnqf5ktBk/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-21-51H2.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-16-21-51H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-16-21-51H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1cmbrDY5Ejk/VjQWLuzDzpI/AAAAAAAAKQ8/vl6GzyVhtoc/15-09-13-16-21-51H_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="255"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8iyVhfsLGRo/VjQWMZG_NOI/AAAAAAAAKpA/0e8Rl5WNcM0/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-23-25H11.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8iyVhfsLGRo/VjQWMZG_NOI/AAAAAAAAKpI/hoN3wJ-wop8/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-23-25H.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-16-23-25H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-16-23-25H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tIqsGMyESyM/VjQWNet1K2I/AAAAAAAAKRc/S04kwLHsRXQ/15-09-13-16-23-25H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="457"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cJt-tZB4nk0/VjQWOEVVCFI/AAAAAAAAKpU/Ca7msn_XHHE/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-26-54H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cJt-tZB4nk0/VjQWOEVVCFI/AAAAAAAAKpc/FkZ1kL_Ctw0/s1600-h/15-09-13-16-26-54H4.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-16-26-54H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-16-26-54H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-92JrGWvLH2o/VjQWPjAhUNI/AAAAAAAAKR4/m2E6pWzboOk/15-09-13-16-26-54H_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And at last we got to Duck. Honestly, it was different than I expected. In October, 2007, we drove a portion of the Outer Banks and I expected it now to be undeveloped in much the same way, with fences staggering along the dune ridges, the ocean warm on one side and the Sound only knee deep on the other with<u> very little traffic</u> in between. At that time, we took the ferry in the south from Cedar Island to Ocracoke and only drove as far as the first bridge to the mainland which is in Manteo. This time, we came in at the bridge to Kitty Hawk and drove north to Duck. It seemed very developed with restaurants and condos and resorts and beach shops tucked in everywhere. The roads were full of cars and bicyclists and families walking, a very fun and beach vacation atmosphere, but more congested than I expected. </font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ewqcfpjdE8g/VjQWQdHVkeI/AAAAAAAAKpo/vhb4mv9jLcQ/s1600-h/image2.png"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ewqcfpjdE8g/VjQWQdHVkeI/AAAAAAAAKp0/jHlHWONzEQ0/s1600-h/image1.png"><img title="image" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2yJ7ywnISMQ/VjQWT5gZEOI/AAAAAAAAKSk/pQTWTU3xnjs/image_thumb1.png?imgmax=800" width="606" height="840"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MAh1R3KcCPs/VjQWVggX_vI/AAAAAAAAKqA/XBKgnSdZIoE/s1600-h/15-09-18-19-06-11H31.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MAh1R3KcCPs/VjQWVggX_vI/AAAAAAAAKqI/c4Guv9ZufFA/s1600-h/15-09-18-19-06-11H3.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-19-06-11H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-19-06-11H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NLKTP1B_Dfk/VjQWXshTDPI/AAAAAAAAKTE/7VPLQes5lYc/15-09-18-19-06-11H_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="811"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Our resort was an exchange for our timeshare and it was enormous, stretching one half mile from Currituck Sound on the west to the Atlantic on the east. </font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Km2ciIT-Los/VjQWYkfKORI/AAAAAAAAKqU/L4RQh8PUjqk/s1600-h/15-09-14-07-24-56H7.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Km2ciIT-Los/VjQWYkfKORI/AAAAAAAAKqg/-2e97Zxo9vU/s1600-h/15-09-14-07-24-56H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-07-24-56H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-07-24-56H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GxBFIKTfQxI/VjQWZ5gJmfI/AAAAAAAAKTg/Lb8lOdu93G4/15-09-14-07-24-56H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> We were in the farthest most east building and I was delighted to be as close to the ocean as possible. Our unit was <em>enormous, </em>complete with dining room, Jacuzzi in the bedroom, and two decks, more space than we really needed but it was nice to have the dining table to spread out our books and writing materials. It made me appreciate our own timeshare management company, though, which has the units always perfectly outfitted and in top-notch repair. This one was a little worn and out-dated but they are in the process of remodeling.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The first evening we dashed over to see the sunset, complete with palm trees. A nearby bar carried the sound of happy voices over the water.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8Wk0a41ny0/VjQWaodwUsI/AAAAAAAAKqs/xLl6MlXZ1rk/s1600-h/15-09-13-19-05-29H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8Wk0a41ny0/VjQWaodwUsI/AAAAAAAAKq4/BUtenElrRrk/s1600-h/15-09-13-19-05-29H1.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-19-05-29H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-19-05-29H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QgpDG-00TfA/VjQWcccOrkI/AAAAAAAAKUA/0Nt78H-tVFU/15-09-13-19-05-29H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5A-dn0XA0f8/VjQWdP1AoII/AAAAAAAAKrE/K-cevaNKy8Y/s1600-h/15-09-13-19-10-01H19.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5A-dn0XA0f8/VjQWdP1AoII/AAAAAAAAKrQ/_OIhYI4dDz4/s1600-h/15-09-13-19-10-01H.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-19-10-01H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-19-10-01H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Lk5jXyTJvkI/VjQWeQLES-I/AAAAAAAAKUg/r8alZxUVt_I/15-09-13-19-10-01H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lKqKkt2e_tk/VjQWfCGimGI/AAAAAAAAKrc/7759rwq55NE/s1600-h/15-09-14-19-54-19R.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lKqKkt2e_tk/VjQWfCGimGI/AAAAAAAAKrk/l_lyW9k3I9g/s1600-h/15-09-14-19-54-19R16.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-19-54-19R" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-19-54-19R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BZdt_J04qCc/VjQWgfh9ZoI/AAAAAAAAKVA/JjCCqonQdqY/15-09-14-19-54-19R_thumb16.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="190"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">From our deck early the next morning the sunrise beckoned me to hurry. The little lights mark the stairs up and over the dune, not as far as it looks in this picture below. We had the most marvelous morning wake-up, sticking our feet in the WARM ocean and watching the birds come to catch hapless fish. The waves would wash these tiny fish up on the sand and the gulls would swoop down crying and fighting over these poor flopping minnows (or whatever they were.) I was happy when the next wave would roll in and pick them back up and take them out to sea but I did think they were foolish playing so close to the water’s edge. Where were their mothers? This went on over and over.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BRlngscU4X8/VjQWh93T5PI/AAAAAAAAKVQ/-NRJ-Mbhc4w/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-19-25H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-14-06-19-25H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-19-25H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7bKbkEu9kuY/VjQWiikYlFI/AAAAAAAAKVc/1JwPIhl-0p0/15-09-14-06-19-25H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CScxqKrxJuE/VjQWjZNPvyI/AAAAAAAAKVo/S3nz0iQT2ps/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-23-22H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-14-06-23-22H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-23-22H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZeqQ2AKSsso/VjQWlRoHtaI/AAAAAAAAKV0/zPzoUgtjATY/15-09-14-06-23-22H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xz8Cc-ZZz0A/VjQWmLSjYyI/AAAAAAAAKWA/Qw0Tty_mQRQ/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-28-25H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-14-06-28-25H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-28-25H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tdMkOb8CVHY/VjQWm8SoBkI/AAAAAAAAKWM/NLjvea0J0yc/15-09-14-06-28-25H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0Cqh9vIkB78/VjQWnrpRjFI/AAAAAAAAKrs/gaSe6rVDOMs/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-35-14H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0Cqh9vIkB78/VjQWnrpRjFI/AAAAAAAAKr0/_nUQUv29OVw/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-35-14H12.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-06-35-14H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-35-14H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WIpzewUNuEw/VjQWpIAWzzI/AAAAAAAAKWo/Htm4e6vabHI/15-09-14-06-35-14H_thumb12.jpg?imgmax=800" width="304" height="408"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrWqNeIUg8s/VjQWpjVyL4I/AAAAAAAAKsM/7M_FwdwFLKQ/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-49-23H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lrWqNeIUg8s/VjQWpjVyL4I/AAAAAAAAKsU/qadhOuL52no/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-49-23H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-06-49-23H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-49-23H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uaWfJXwhT1I/VjQWrYYaodI/AAAAAAAAKXE/w3yqt_UFxrU/15-09-14-06-49-23H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qPe8bsgl8vI/VjQWtQsEd0I/AAAAAAAAKsg/TFTfjhI3vng/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-45-12H14.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qPe8bsgl8vI/VjQWtQsEd0I/AAAAAAAAKss/YbuzD4WQ9V0/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-45-12H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-06-45-12H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-45-12H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9MOPDn-gdE8/VjQWvQzrHrI/AAAAAAAAKXs/w4xdOygX0Lg/15-09-14-06-45-12H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="513"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s7PPNtFjPBw/VjQWwDJ7xvI/AAAAAAAAKs4/R8H97_jWqW0/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-44-57H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s7PPNtFjPBw/VjQWwDJ7xvI/AAAAAAAAKtA/kwz3a6LLzrQ/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-44-57H1.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-06-44-57H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-44-57H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NXu7eoz-HuM/VjQW0uphy0I/AAAAAAAAKYM/5kndM9p9qs8/15-09-14-06-44-57H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uik-McBCnHw/VjQW1XTIQwI/AAAAAAAAKtM/lkArjJDKZXw/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-45-32H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uik-McBCnHw/VjQW1XTIQwI/AAAAAAAAKts/ASkrBYx5PZs/s1600-h/15-09-14-06-45-32H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-06-45-32H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-06-45-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OL39sLJxYnA/VjQW276ewwI/AAAAAAAAKYw/tgy3QjwHP1s/15-09-14-06-45-32H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I was amused later in the day and all week long to see people laboring up the ramp, up the stairs and over the dune with both arms loaded with equipment for going to the beach. I saw beach umbrellas, coolers, books, towels, beach blankets, bottled drinks and sand toys. Oh, yes, and beach chairs. I took some pictures of how labor intensive it was. You don’t see that on the West Coast, maybe because it’s too cold to sit long on the sand.</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e1AKjZJB4mQ/VjQW4HGFjeI/AAAAAAAAKt8/nck9i6qPSus/s1600-h/15-09-15-09-51-54H41.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e1AKjZJB4mQ/VjQW4HGFjeI/AAAAAAAAKuM/fRRuYyYr7z0/s1600-h/15-09-15-09-51-54H4.jpg"><img title="15-09-15-09-51-54H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-15-09-51-54H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yqc9hyNwHEs/VjQW5bi2kRI/AAAAAAAAKZM/sxic-oBMK-Y/15-09-15-09-51-54H_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y4InHYjJSKg/VjQW6zhvMVI/AAAAAAAAKZg/aUzZgqZT90U/s1600-h/15-09-15-09-52-27H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-15-09-52-27H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-15-09-52-27H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qr8PXIwCS3A/VjQW8u8DPNI/AAAAAAAAKZs/zVGqoS2fBQc/15-09-15-09-52-27H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PKi0QdPmV4Y/VjQW9Z0jldI/AAAAAAAAKZ0/m0f-zexgt6Y/s1600-h/15-09-17-14-10-34H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-17-14-10-34H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-17-14-10-34H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q901YP4LS5Y/VjQW-L-DBeI/AAAAAAAAKaE/qWWdHMtdWR8/15-09-17-14-10-34H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZRU4_ZfO2RU/VjQW-5tyXxI/AAAAAAAAKaQ/LNCVnsKDmh4/s1600-h/15-09-18-13-37-20H4.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-18-13-37-20H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-13-37-20H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7CnlgDDWNCc/VjQW_0Jw49I/AAAAAAAAKac/OQLWoE6mrQI/15-09-18-13-37-20H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-khjZIZsscqU/VjQXAouzoLI/AAAAAAAAKao/zIn0niUgzRU/s1600-h/15-09-18-14-28-19H6.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-18-14-28-19H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-14-28-19H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-shzGPizuHgw/VjQXBmX1jGI/AAAAAAAAKa0/3CoiSZ4j2Y0/15-09-18-14-28-19H_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="328"></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">This is an entirely different kind of beach than the rocky coast we had in Maine, and our week was entirely different here. We actually watched some TV (Dame Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple) and read books, bobbed in the ocean and walked along the water’s edge. We did drive north to see Currituck Light and did a tour in what was once a fine hunting lodge for the fabulously wealthy, the Whalehead Club.</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O70sYddLMjw/VjQXCcR8ujI/AAAAAAAAKuc/5WqyRJJhT4c/s1600-h/15-09-14-12-47-42H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O70sYddLMjw/VjQXCcR8ujI/AAAAAAAAKuk/XE_cbIQ5pJg/s1600-h/15-09-14-12-47-42H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-12-47-42H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-12-47-42H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_vE9TLNC2Xk/VjQXDsozmEI/AAAAAAAAKbc/h6NhXXgMT78/15-09-14-12-47-42H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="806"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wPCnW9DfDAc/VjQXEm1jY_I/AAAAAAAAKuw/-P9a1a0jWS0/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-29-48R7.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wPCnW9DfDAc/VjQXEm1jY_I/AAAAAAAAKu8/rWfFmEkkz6s/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-29-48R.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-13-29-48R" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-13-29-48R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CMqaaHo2xYM/VjQXGaY5rsI/AAAAAAAAKcA/LpK6GUmEMUI/15-09-14-13-29-48R_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="345"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zE_5BqCLfnc/VjQXHArcRuI/AAAAAAAAKvI/HnP3fHA-i0U/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-32-17H7.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zE_5BqCLfnc/VjQXHArcRuI/AAAAAAAAKvU/B6fJ4lgQl5U/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-32-17H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-13-32-17H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-13-32-17H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-acrZbaJhGDA/VjQXIn_HQdI/AAAAAAAAKco/CepdPwbkvQ4/15-09-14-13-32-17H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="367"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6BGy2iZ_dX8/VjQXJgRR_kI/AAAAAAAAKvk/a-NshdnuNRg/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-45-09H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6BGy2iZ_dX8/VjQXJgRR_kI/AAAAAAAAKv4/0wq_KDuZo4E/s1600-h/15-09-14-13-45-09H.jpg"><img title="15-09-14-13-45-09H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-14-13-45-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bY1cL-fzS4s/VjQXK-Wtr9I/AAAAAAAAKdM/_vQsIfpMqAs/15-09-14-13-45-09H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We drove south to Kitty <strike>H</strike>awk and Bodie Island Light and Cape Hatteras.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bPg6CL61Bqo/VjQXL0KfyHI/AAAAAAAAKwI/AYpZfmRhxMw/s1600-h/15-09-16-11-50-08H19.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bPg6CL61Bqo/VjQXL0KfyHI/AAAAAAAAKwQ/c28I8BtgOY4/s1600-h/15-09-16-11-50-08H.jpg"><img title="15-09-16-11-50-08H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-16-11-50-08H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gpXdFBH7XNk/VjQXOViPi5I/AAAAAAAAKd8/yEISsDn-eTk/15-09-16-11-50-08H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="806"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Every half mile or so there is a boardwalk over the dune to the ocean.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jPSZJqFugLI/VjQXV26OJgI/AAAAAAAAKwc/Us5qr0EJ_38/s1600-h/15-09-16-13-05-37H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jPSZJqFugLI/VjQXV26OJgI/AAAAAAAAKwo/vVM7829lhfI/s1600-h/15-09-16-13-05-37H.jpg"><img title="15-09-16-13-05-37H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-16-13-05-37H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KvzNwjAGvTA/VjQXX4oUbkI/AAAAAAAAKew/4zhHphH4bDg/15-09-16-13-05-37H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1-CJgz-wRKw/VjQXaVuWHAI/AAAAAAAAKw0/hzM-DtDVglI/s1600-h/15-09-16-15-00-03H14.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1-CJgz-wRKw/VjQXaVuWHAI/AAAAAAAAKw8/54bwW77S17o/s1600-h/15-09-16-15-00-03H.jpg"><img title="15-09-16-15-00-03H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-16-15-00-03H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zj0g6Q9_w1g/VjQXbe_TzwI/AAAAAAAAKfU/pGafAe1JlVo/15-09-16-15-00-03H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="806"></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The ferry to Ocracoke was full and the next one was also full, so we decided to skip that even though I was trying to find what I had seen years before. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We saw colorful beach houses</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zx6qv6HELOk/VjQXcQ85jzI/AAAAAAAAKxM/8HsPIpX1JVA/s1600-h/15-09-16-11-26-08H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zx6qv6HELOk/VjQXcQ85jzI/AAAAAAAAKxY/tGxY94N1Ms8/s1600-h/15-09-16-11-26-08H.jpg"><img title="15-09-16-11-26-08H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-16-11-26-08H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W42EzRWclvY/VjQXd33wPHI/AAAAAAAAKf0/PjxwHUafW1Q/15-09-16-11-26-08H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and immense beach cottages</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A54i5RC-3V8/VjQXf-lAU9I/AAAAAAAAKxk/QJy_T8Xp7UM/s1600-h/15-09-16-14-29-23H7.jpg"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A54i5RC-3V8/VjQXf-lAU9I/AAAAAAAAKxw/7ifG1inzzW0/s1600-h/15-09-16-14-29-23H.jpg"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-16-14-29-23H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-16-14-29-23H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wg9_g6QdO9Y/VjQXhdqLeyI/AAAAAAAAKgs/QPTqpOpKXyM/15-09-16-14-29-23H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="389"></font></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and a few modest beach homes, almost all built on stilts</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w8LkCOFwlGA/VjQXirUZvTI/AAAAAAAAKx8/fdNXqFJHE9c/s1600-h/15-09-18-17-01-07H3.jpg"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w8LkCOFwlGA/VjQXirUZvTI/AAAAAAAAKyI/A38QyX7Z03Y/s1600-h/15-09-18-17-01-07H.jpg"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="15-09-18-17-01-07H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-17-01-07H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-caQzPD8FsO8/VjQXk1rAK4I/AAAAAAAAKhc/0DxSolAvO80/15-09-18-17-01-07H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></font></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CT8qTo0JZIo/VjQXrWArnJI/AAAAAAAAKyU/ZNDmmXMSeAw/s1600-h/15-09-18-17-01-33H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CT8qTo0JZIo/VjQXrWArnJI/AAAAAAAAKyg/Zaid2Fw95Y0/s1600-h/15-09-18-17-01-33H.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-17-01-33H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-17-01-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BUIIbB_HoD8/VjQXtvCvgXI/AAAAAAAAKic/9Vf88nGK8UE/15-09-18-17-01-33H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We ate “in” mostly, but sometimes ate “out”, and sometimes both:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nCNZyjpmx4U/VjQXvdP_VaI/AAAAAAAAKys/JGK61bTkRFg/s1600-h/15-09-18-18-17-58H3.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nCNZyjpmx4U/VjQXvdP_VaI/AAAAAAAAKy8/_oRLw0Go5A4/s1600-h/15-09-18-18-17-58H.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-18-17-58H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-18-17-58H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zDoHpxycnLo/VjQXxfowl0I/AAAAAAAAKi4/Z54S9H5a-BQ/15-09-18-18-17-58H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qTPyIdJbNC0/VjQXyu92WnI/AAAAAAAAKjI/oyphkByGJPA/s1600-h/15-09-18-18-18-13H.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-18-18-13H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-18-18-13H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-szpH0PlT2e8/VjQXz7mnqwI/AAAAAAAAKjY/lpKv9xTlXkA/15-09-18-18-18-13H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">This was the sunset on our last night. The next morning we drove very early to Richmond, VA, to have breakfast with Ron’s brother and fly home refreshed and relaxed.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kDR9U5DBP4A/VjQX1FKuQUI/AAAAAAAAKjo/C-g90nhvuCU/s1600-h/15-09-18-19-20-52H.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-19-20-52H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-19-20-52H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hd3Ii5Bx2ik/VjQX1yx3DYI/AAAAAAAAKj0/L9mrcBUryYQ/15-09-18-19-20-52H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DegltsP-Y8I/VjQX2z3uzJI/AAAAAAAAKkI/ckc4tUaGi7I/s1600-h/15-09-18-19-21-59H1%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-19-21-59H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-19-21-59H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-os2GyCQB7zA/VjQX4ohCUJI/AAAAAAAAKkY/O14h1kS_324/15-09-18-19-21-59H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3B5AABw-1tA/VjQX6fmW33I/AAAAAAAAKkw/qV_F39OaccE/s1600-h/15-09-18-19-18-35H.jpg"><img title="15-09-18-19-18-35H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-18-19-18-35H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gvQyniRVrnc/VjQX7aD7a8I/AAAAAAAAKk8/TvpO5CLvHJI/15-09-18-19-18-35H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="606" height="456"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Just this morning I read this quote on Facebook:</font></p> <p><font color="#408080"><font size="3">Dale Partridge</font> · </font> <p><i><font color="#408080"></font></i> <p><font color="#408080" size="3" face="Verdana">VACATIONS LIE. Culture tells us to spend an entire year saving for a week to escape our life. We call it vacation. Even as I'm on this incredible road trip across the Northwest with my family, something doesn't feel right. Vacations are meant to be new, they are meant to be fun, but they are not meant to be better than your normal life. I've been all around the world, and I would never trade travel for what I have at home. Life isn't about the 50 vacations you'll take while you're on this planet. It's about the 25,000 days between them. Stop creating a life that you need a vacation from. Instead, move to where you want to live, do what you want to do, start what you want to start, and create the life you want today. This isn't rehearsal people. This is YOUR life. </font><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/makehomeyourvacation"><font color="#408080" size="3" face="Verdana">#MakeHomeYourVacation</font></a><font color="#408080" size="3" face="Verdana"> </font><a href="http://ift.tt/1iff7m1"><font color="#408080" size="3" face="Verdana">http://ift.tt/1iff7m1</font></a></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In response to Dale Partridge:</font></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">As much as I love the ocean I cannot conceive of voluntarily moving to a place away from my children and grandchildren. I feel so fortunate to live in the same town as they do and have a part in their lives and be available to help. Dale Partridge has a good point, I understand what he is saying, but he has a young family that is still portable and a writing career that he carries in his laptop. Not everyone is so unentangled. I admit that I really, really look forward to the vacations we plan every year because I value variety and seeing creation’s diversity and –face it—getting away from the telephone and routine demands on my time. But I love my life and love being in a family and having a church family that I support and who support me. Sometimes I fantasize for a moment about being a hermit in the woods or a writer at the ocean just so I could get through the day uninterrupted or so the dishes would stay done and the kitchen clean for more than a minute, but I wouldn’t change my life for a moment, not really. I might just get a housekeeper.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-40116591325800886992015-10-25T15:02:00.001-07:002015-10-25T16:37:05.876-07:00Where I Am From<p><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><em><u><strong></strong></u></em></font><font size="4" face="Verdana">We decided to drive rather than fly on our trip from Rockland, Maine to Duck, North Carolina. At my husband’s suggestion we drove through Hartford, Connecticut, my childhood hometown. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see what had become of my home; I was afraid of the changes that might have occurred. I didn’t really want to overlay my happy memories with disappointment and we didn’t really have time to look up any of the old friends. I knew my home address, of course, but didn’t have a clear idea of the layout of the city so we couldn’t find some of the landmarks we looked for. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Verdana">It was a relief to see my home looking as nice-or nicer-than ever. Generally Hartford seemed rundown and my part of town had become trashed in the intervening 55 years, but my house stood clean and well-cared for and just as I remembered it! As I timidly stepped out of the car to snap a photo from the street, a head popped up in the screened porch inquiringly. So I went up the stairs (I hadn’t planned to approach the house or knock) and asked the man, “Are you the R------?” never dreaming that he would be the same family that had purchased the house from us in 1959. But he said yes, he was the son, now the current owner! And his sister was there visiting on the porch, too, so I not only had the pleasure of seeing the house but had the real joy of hearing about all the kids we both knew from growing up in that house. They were able to tell me what had become of the kids across the street, and those naughty neighbor boys, and the old neighbor lady who gave us candy at Christmastime, and the fancy funeral for the dance teacher down the street. That was so unexpected, that the current owner would be someone who moved in as a kid when I left as a kid and that he and his sister would have played with all my old friends and knew what had become of them. Wonderful!</font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><em><u><strong><font size="5"></font></strong></u></em></font> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nmsELq2tXjs/Vi1RPjxMRpI/AAAAAAAAKHE/r0zzyjqEou8/s1600-h/15-09-12-17-45-50H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-17-45-50H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-17-45-50H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SvVHMssg8Js/Vi1RQeEe7WI/AAAAAAAAKHQ/f8vVM5bSc0M/15-09-12-17-45-50H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xQl48dy1wFY/Vi1RRJYkHyI/AAAAAAAAKHc/2HWTHqMLmCs/s1600-h/15-03-08-17-28-11%25255B32%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-03-08-17-28-11" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-03-08-17-28-11" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hpu3KK1JqJI/Vi1RSJX8p2I/AAAAAAAAKHo/rWN4-nEhw4c/15-03-08-17-28-11_thumb%25255B39%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="255"></a> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><em><u><strong><font size="5">I Am From</font></strong></u></em> </font> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from rainy day popcorn and Betty Crocker and Kodak and Winnie the Pooh. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from the upstairs bedroom of the house on a hill, from storm windows on the porch and sweet lilies-of-the-valley on the bank.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from mountain laurel, daffodils and acorns, from grapevine tendrils and from jumping in fall leaves. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from going to the library and from no TV. I am from family reading together at bedtime, from Dr. Doolittle and Mary Poppins dusting the stars.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from dungarees and sneakers, from davenports and patent leather.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from the Kikendalls and Howatts, the Marshalls and Taylors, from the first cousins and the second cousins and the cousins once- or twice-removed. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from road trips and Sunday night drives through downtown after evening meeting, from following fire trucks and search lights and from sharing “Awful-Awfuls” at the Friendly.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from having “just a little something” and “The children would like some ice cream”, from making paper chains when we were sick and from Mommy's soothing palm scratches at church.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world” and flannel board lessons, from the Gospel Chapel and Sunday School picnics.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I'm from Hartford and Cedar Rapids and Portland, from Broadview Terrace and Fir Dell Drive and Clay Street. I am from 2015 Washington and Alameda Streets. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from hamburger soup and brownies with ice cream, from meat-and-potatoes-and vegetable-and-salad dinners, from setting the table and loading the dishwasher and the chores chart. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I'm from bologna at John's Market and counting the train cars at Rocky Neck Beach, from swimming at Barkhampstead Reservoir and walking along New Britain Avenue. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I'm from riding on Dad's handlebars and hide-and-go-seek, from “ally ally oxen free” and looking through the windows at Jane Hart's dance studio.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from the Brownies, from FeeFee and Dodo, from Denise and Wendy and the horrible neighbor boys. I am from Mrs. Macris' ribbon candy and Rosemary babysitting and the cleaning lady. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from playing 'School' and 'House', from trading cards bought at the Five and Dime, from roller skates with a key and ice skating on the pond. I am from loving my dollies. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from a tidy big sister who kept her things nice and from two little brothers who fought. I am from the seat in the car right behind my Dad at the wheel. </font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from nurturing parents and grandparents who taught me their special ways. I am from trips to the zoo and circus and Beaver Park, from airplane rides and train trips to see Grandma and Grandpa.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from Grandma's long dining table set for friends and family, young and old, a feast of conversation and food and love. I am from her Singer Sewing Machine.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I am from a committed circle of family and friends, Aunties and Uncles who watched over me. I am from happy days of running through the neighbors' backyards in the summer evenings and coming home when we heard Dad's whistle blow.</font> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I expect that's what going to Heaven will be like, running home at the end of the day.</font> <p align="right">By Hollace Howatt Chandler</p> <p align="right">Based loosely on a poem by George Ella Lyon</p> <p align="right"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BgQudKM2X8Y/Vi1RSvUPusI/AAAAAAAAKHw/yMASgSyuz3Q/s1600-h/15-09-12-17-43-15H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-17-43-15H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-17-43-15H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-avix9O27ZGw/Vi1RTUtKs5I/AAAAAAAAKIA/Xobfi-HR9q8/15-09-12-17-43-15H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0ec9DPEnnqM/Vi1RUNYO5dI/AAAAAAAAKII/_GMY65trZgU/s1600-h/15-09-12-17-44-25H%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-17-44-25H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-17-44-25H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bkVLgZSz720/Vi1RU6GuxcI/AAAAAAAAKIY/ObzlLtTIDGo/15-09-12-17-44-25H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u96dEM_fT0s/Vi1RVdqEFtI/AAAAAAAAKIg/fF9ubD0ZLOI/s1600-h/15-09-12-17-45-53H%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-17-45-53H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-17-45-53H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AhP8YSDDf00/Vi1RWN7i8yI/AAAAAAAAKIw/Us0xHdyH-8Y/15-09-12-17-45-53H_thumb%25255B23%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="388"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2KwfL583qF0/Vi1RWwBYDKI/AAAAAAAAKI8/V2G6DFPJbdo/s1600-h/15-09-12-17-58-08H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-17-58-08H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-17-58-08H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S19ZwXcY8to/Vi1RXgvAwxI/AAAAAAAAKJE/4_7wiSSehHo/15-09-12-17-58-08H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-odSLC4nMpv0/Vi1RYVCbVTI/AAAAAAAAKJU/n3Y2TEfRPFo/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-05-33H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-05-33H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-05-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_qpz5-J4NaY/Vi1RZE7HvAI/AAAAAAAAKJg/xJCBIRnzVvQ/15-09-12-18-05-33H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="674"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R4KH0RTCK3Y/Vi1RZ2uQ34I/AAAAAAAAKJs/IqaeI96SjE4/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-34-28H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-34-28H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-34-28H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pwd2Xhv4Cw4/Vi1RakC5biI/AAAAAAAAKJ4/mrp3q6Peu2s/15-09-12-18-34-28H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gG8gjEdvAQM/Vi1RbaoZzlI/AAAAAAAAKKE/ACjVRuWbYIs/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-13-11H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-13-11H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-13-11H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rnu-HeoYr9M/Vi1RcAKumxI/AAAAAAAAKKQ/JnpGTl-ZZz8/15-09-12-18-13-11H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pOVO2B9SLAU/Vi1Rc7XggeI/AAAAAAAAKKc/l_ahrA5g8Xs/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-29-25H%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-29-25H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-29-25H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qk4rk1Opp1c/Vi1RdihYWXI/AAAAAAAAKKo/4tXpyVYiWzw/15-09-12-18-29-25H_thumb%25255B17%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-puBjfWNht7Y/Vi1ReGAYQlI/AAAAAAAAKK0/umK-KME9eOM/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-30-32H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-30-32H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-30-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wgepPJr-R68/Vi1Re14DwDI/AAAAAAAAKLA/lqCxs1UXXkU/15-09-12-18-30-32H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q6bVKPW-mCM/Vi1RfkiytSI/AAAAAAAAKLI/WHzOw6izwrc/s1600-h/15-09-12-18-31-07H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-18-31-07H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-18-31-07H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RSsS3tFGAL4/Vi1RgddmGwI/AAAAAAAAKLY/rCte283PDFA/15-09-12-18-31-07H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X_hFWedkPAQ/Vi1RhCmdKwI/AAAAAAAAKLk/LR9DLBL02kc/s1600-h/15-09-13-11-50-14H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-13-11-50-14H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; display: block; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-13-11-50-14H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iiLp6KPsIiU/Vi1Rh5x6azI/AAAAAAAAKLw/mtqRpnVu_jk/15-09-13-11-50-14H_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="299"></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-11362401517141168372015-10-09T17:40:00.001-07:002015-10-09T17:40:05.114-07:0038 years later…the Maine Event<p><font size="4">Who knew, when we married, what the years would bring? We didn’t. </font></p> <p><font size="4">We didn’t know about newlywed bliss or falling off pedestals, about financial pressures or gracious provisions, about grad school and working nights and going to class by day and never sleeping enough and babies coming willy–nilly. We didn’t know what the candidating after seminary was really going to be, or taking jobs just to make ends meet,or learning to do without and learning to wait for things we’d always taken for granted. </font></p> <p><font size="4">We didn’t know about the absolute joy of becoming parents, the sheer delight in a little person outside ourselves and yet somehow <em>of</em> us, about rediscovering life again through a little one’s questions and insights. We didn’t know how enriched we would become by enriching those little lives, or how their dependence would produce maturity in us. </font></p> <p><font size="4">We couldn’t imagine our aging, not really, and though we believed our love to be forever we couldn’t know how precious years later would be the little kindnesses, the toe touches under the covers, the words of affirmation, the forgiveness. Whatever drew us together initially, whatever sense we had that we were a good match, whatever we saw that was pleasing in the other has been tested and tried. The cementing of the years has been as effective as years of weather on a stone cairn. The stones settle into one another, dips and hollows subtly grinding and creating a place for themselves within the confines and allowances of the other. Nestled together. </font></p> <p><font size="4">And so we celebrated our anniversary with a getaway trip to Maine and North Carolina.</font></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UEv9UDPn8fo/VhhcRySP2xI/AAAAAAAAJaw/kbOws0e6m2c/s1600-h/15-09-05-05-11-38H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-05-11-38H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-05-11-38H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dzg0x6aI-ZU/VhhcSnppqpI/AAAAAAAAJa8/5jhbWLbu8hw/15-09-05-05-11-38H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="275"></a></p> <p><font size="4">We flew Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine by way of Albuquerque and Baltimore. Because of delays we reached Portland at about 2 AM and picked up our rental car. We had a 2 hour drive ahead to Rockland but decided to nap in the car first rather than get a motel room at that hour. Ron had the idea of going to photograph Portland Head Lighthouse at sun rise (since we were in the neighborhood), which we did with comic details of trying to find a place to park in the middle of the night in a strange town where we would be both visible for safety’s sake and invisible to troublemakers, and trying to find a public restroom open before sunup. We decided in retrospect that we are not as young as we used to be and this kind of adventure should be left behind. We did, however, find a wonderful bakery with very delicious doughnuts which we thankfully purchased in exchange for their facilities. We spent the rest of the day groggy after our short night and exhilarating start at Portland Head.</font></p> <p><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tXz6rCtOAMg/VhhcTsFYOQI/AAAAAAAAJbI/iOzICLmq4yE/s1600-h/15-09-04-10-25-59H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-04-10-25-59H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-04-10-25-59H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MafwFK7ftgE/VhhcUtySNOI/AAAAAAAAJbU/q95TXUsuHuQ/15-09-04-10-25-59H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AP_AGhcyICg/VhhcVgI9e8I/AAAAAAAAJbg/tpIhogrK7dM/s1600-h/15-09-05-02-59-34H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-02-59-34H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-02-59-34H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ITZfYaSYvng/VhhcWTgjGHI/AAAAAAAAJbs/9rYlsBvHqRQ/15-09-05-02-59-34H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-plt5KiFW5cg/VhhcXN9qHsI/AAAAAAAAJb4/IsQIVNOzOtA/s1600-h/15-09-05-03-12-00H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-03-12-00H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-03-12-00H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pfj_e0b6PHk/VhhcX6hB1UI/AAAAAAAAJcA/PFHXul-LT28/15-09-05-03-12-00H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m5PGDeMTKEM/VhhcYg80AsI/AAAAAAAAJcQ/NaaME0UQG1U/s1600-h/15-09-05-03-16-29H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-03-16-29H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-03-16-29H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9ZFNqQA_oPg/VhhcZtqn_cI/AAAAAAAAJcc/d5AKvCgjvq8/15-09-05-03-16-29H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BO4y3n1YyEo/VhhcaeI7j6I/AAAAAAAAJco/L8JyC5supWc/s1600-h/15-09-05-11-40-49H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-11-40-49H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-11-40-49H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nP9FLDeUeVI/VhhcbCQYuQI/AAAAAAAAJc0/kzpdAA-2tHM/15-09-05-11-40-49H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tfv4SqnSaKw/Vhhcb_2__XI/AAAAAAAAJdA/KlouoBMrZxk/s1600-h/15-09-05-12-13-37H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-12-13-37H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-12-13-37H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jn3cWyqxUxM/Vhhcc72qHnI/AAAAAAAAJdM/4WwUYV73vYU/15-09-05-12-13-37H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aMx1qAfRP-E/VhhcdmqR3eI/AAAAAAAAJdY/Nf0t1dQHsHU/s1600-h/15-09-05-09-39-48H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-09-39-48H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-09-39-48H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pheuAiwKz-s/VhhcevvJlWI/AAAAAAAAJdk/OrJxBKejNJc/15-09-05-09-39-48H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--7kViAiiuK8/VhhcfdQ0OLI/AAAAAAAAJdw/SCyKjcFtLIU/s1600-h/15-09-05-11-37-33H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-11-37-33H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-11-37-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BGj_tW3RmS8/VhhcgB4dYcI/AAAAAAAAJd8/yiSGwG49MVE/15-09-05-11-37-33H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">v Pemaquid Point Lighthouse v</font></p> <blockquote> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RW0vrOSzu1Q/Vhhcg6vOoHI/AAAAAAAAJeI/T2oQFqKdWfU/s1600-h/15-09-05-10-00-09H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-10-00-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-10-00-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dwz-KBLqXxw/Vhhchkz7rTI/AAAAAAAAJeU/MpiSbze4HLU/15-09-05-10-00-09H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><font size="4">^ Girlfriends finding a niche to hang out on the rocks </font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OfCuOHc8P1o/Vhhcisukr6I/AAAAAAAAJeg/dMpSqN2arAo/s1600-h/15-09-05-10-00-50H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-10-00-50H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-10-00-50H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-t1QaQ4SQiiY/VhhcjkTw_uI/AAAAAAAAJes/dbmaoLLAXsU/15-09-05-10-00-50H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p></blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bi---Ec2aC4/VhhckcQKB8I/AAAAAAAAJe4/p6fCG6j5Kic/s1600-h/15-09-05-10-07-04H%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-10-07-04H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-10-07-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dpvem4ZzhiI/VhhclMp6mmI/AAAAAAAAJfE/XzM6eZMBj6w/15-09-05-10-07-04H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T51MOAkasIs/Vhhcl72IboI/AAAAAAAAJfQ/go6Lb_MAWU0/s1600-h/15-09-05-13-05-02R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-13-05-02R" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-13-05-02R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O8avAoukwiI/Vhhcmgvu7zI/AAAAAAAAJfc/udkG_WBJa2s/15-09-05-13-05-02R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="288"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HSO3gEOQCYs/VhhcnZRlZHI/AAAAAAAAJfo/0fXS5ZC0Zhk/s1600-h/15-09-05-10-12-40H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-10-12-40H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-10-12-40H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L8RQiV50aSI/VhhcoU17RCI/AAAAAAAAJf0/HGyK1TfHyhE/15-09-05-10-12-40H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NFMDhYyQNQA/VhhcpfetQFI/AAAAAAAAJgA/GSlR9mH4zxI/s1600-h/15-09-05-11-28-26H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-11-28-26H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-11-28-26H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eXKE6pdakFQ/VhhcqW3GnNI/AAAAAAAAJgM/z5zx1ZA1HwI/15-09-05-11-28-26H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5zDH6A5rv2U/VhhcrNZwgNI/AAAAAAAAJgY/frJ2LqnSoWk/s1600-h/15-09-05-16-13-09H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-05-16-13-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-05-16-13-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wXb__xJp7tA/VhhcsFMB_WI/AAAAAAAAJgk/5UjhnKLTZLI/15-09-05-16-13-09H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><font size="4">^ Sunset on Penobscot Bay, Rockland, Maine ^</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">v Camden, Maine: Used bookstore, views from Mt. Battie where Edna St.Vincent Millay wrote </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">“I will be the gladdest thing under the sun” </font><font size="2">(Afternoon on a Hill, <u>Renascence)</u></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WXzIzxeGB9I/VhhctIKMSxI/AAAAAAAAJgw/sWnZWrwGKRI/s1600-h/15-09-06-13-31-35H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WXzIzxeGB9I/VhhctIKMSxI/AAAAAAAAJg0/r8rWdphkOpQ/s1600-h/15-09-06-13-31-35H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-06-13-31-35H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-06-13-31-35H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4J3tCqVLsuM/VhhcufGarfI/AAAAAAAAJhA/-40hFetAnB8/15-09-06-13-31-35H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OK0NWYt24OA/VhhcvYu7wtI/AAAAAAAAJhQ/lUeLCdDnNoc/s1600-h/15-09-06-14-26-51H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-06-14-26-51H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-06-14-26-51H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AyvszEDtDdk/VhhcwW1qrNI/AAAAAAAAJhc/nw2FM8chbHE/15-09-06-14-26-51H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qONgL3C61yY/VhhcxCfy8_I/AAAAAAAAJho/4LEg_fUP76A/s1600-h/15-09-06-14-39-54H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-06-14-39-54H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-06-14-39-54H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1MyLT_fFPLE/Vhhcx1mNLdI/AAAAAAAAJh0/tjARwaXnitE/15-09-06-14-39-54H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I09IRxFQM-k/VhhczOWHEMI/AAAAAAAAJiA/9adDl0gghIE/s1600-h/15-09-06-14-31-51H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-06-14-31-51H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-06-14-31-51H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2N1uowcczZE/Vhhcz7-EFjI/AAAAAAAAJiM/UxTObFfi4n4/15-09-06-14-31-51H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">v Early morning at Owl’s Head Point Light (trying to find it)</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><em>You can hear the hum of boat motors before the break of day, lobstermen going out for their catch. The air is still except for the sound of motors and waves slapping and faint voices calling to each other across the water.</em></font></p> <p align="center"><em><font size="4"></font></em><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bmP1eDmrOE8/Vhhc0xT1YYI/AAAAAAAAJiY/iFwn5ScLciI/s1600-h/15-09-07-03-15-00H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-03-15-00H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-03-15-00H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-43FpuoeNqsQ/Vhhc1-7Bq4I/AAAAAAAAJik/nPQI5SJF52M/15-09-07-03-15-00H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B7SLClGFlBI/Vhhc2omzPoI/AAAAAAAAJiw/jJy3uyEhr9Q/s1600-h/15-09-07-03-12-22H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-03-12-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-03-12-22H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5YAp1KEZDQc/Vhhc3eb639I/AAAAAAAAJi8/YmJChYW8L9M/15-09-07-03-12-22H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C5IWNp5yXK0/Vhhc4Ku1LjI/AAAAAAAAJjI/BBudMPKwjq4/s1600-h/15-09-07-06-37-02R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-06-37-02R" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-06-37-02R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Gd_-gn0ab2k/Vhhc41kS95I/AAAAAAAAJjU/wCspKywgqaA/15-09-07-06-37-02R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="288"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xdCoTEEjHO4/Vhhc520GHmI/AAAAAAAAJjg/C9hfihPNMlA/s1600-h/15-09-07-03-34-35H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-03-34-35H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-03-34-35H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PVJoqInecAs/Vhhc6-xDvzI/AAAAAAAAJjs/YOCG_akGbho/15-09-07-03-34-35H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="414" height="823"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-apcvRDLoPa8/Vhhc7koEIAI/AAAAAAAAJj4/1_HeQqCLuok/s1600-h/15-09-07-03-36-33H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-03-36-33H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-03-36-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I_mmKC4DsY8/Vhhc8n9rRhI/AAAAAAAAJkE/k-V-44evAVI/15-09-07-03-36-33H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nl9sXYbByqY/Vhhc9r66I7I/AAAAAAAAJkQ/1jjlVTvaIK0/s1600-h/15-09-07-04-21-47H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-04-21-47H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-04-21-47H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ebKoBuHcEsY/Vhhc-ql7NUI/AAAAAAAAJkc/ma7z9k4pvZQ/15-09-07-04-21-47H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></p> <p align="center">V<font size="4"> At the Farnsworth Museum, where 3 generations of Wyeths are honored, and Winslow Homer: v</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tkpNmX57VE0/Vhhc_gPGOYI/AAAAAAAAJko/yGadLAkQ-TM/s1600-h/15-09-06-11-53-32H%25255B27%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-06-11-53-32H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-06-11-53-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ll76Gav3flU/VhhdAte-1XI/AAAAAAAAJk0/yj9HCgTxizM/15-09-06-11-53-32H_thumb%25255B28%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="415"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">The Olsen farm, where Andrew Wyeth painted <em>Christina’s World</em></font><em></em></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4RvaEz0iVpg/VhhdBd4UUOI/AAAAAAAAJlA/gXIiKIPTb68/s1600-h/15-09-07-15-43-11H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><em><img title="15-09-07-15-43-11H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-15-43-11H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T4ab3F8swzc/VhhdCBHWzHI/AAAAAAAAJlM/BjsY-dszVF0/15-09-07-15-43-11H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></em></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--pnJYc0Kygw/VhhdDBKGkXI/AAAAAAAAJlY/5RTnuUeQ-Iw/s1600-h/15-09-07-15-48-45H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-15-48-45H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-15-48-45H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1UbZYKZELwE/VhhdEFIx07I/AAAAAAAAJlk/tlwZaEH9eLM/15-09-07-15-48-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a><font size="4">Ferry to Vinalhaven, an island where granite quarries flourished at the turn of the century, now supported by the fishing industry:</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Poju-fhDvjs/VhhdE5A-5sI/AAAAAAAAJlw/CA74SI8o0mk/s1600-h/15-09-08-08-33-10H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-08-08-33-10H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-08-08-33-10H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Srr68Jz_cfI/VhhdGNCSTFI/AAAAAAAAJl8/TxNE589_tBo/15-09-08-08-33-10H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OmOTH9YoqdQ/VhhdG5P7VPI/AAAAAAAAJmI/95AiUvNICLA/s1600-h/15-09-08-08-48-55H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-08-08-48-55H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-08-08-48-55H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mj6yubkq9XM/VhhdIFNptAI/AAAAAAAAJmY/pnw03oMH0e4/15-09-08-08-48-55H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vsnc0II3qs8/VhhdJOPEK8I/AAAAAAAAJmk/hlRgQTHrgxY/s1600-h/15-09-08-08-54-15H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-08-08-54-15H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-08-08-54-15H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ioo8V16j1iY/VhhdKBsdstI/AAAAAAAAJmw/HXn30xL8u1Q/15-09-08-08-54-15H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><font size="4">^ The Rockland Breakwater Light ^</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZHn3wpVZuKA/VhhdK2rUlgI/AAAAAAAAJnA/Mgk_X0INgKg/s1600-h/15-09-08-10-40-49H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-08-10-40-49H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-08-10-40-49H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ydau5FMoRu8/VhhdLxbBMlI/AAAAAAAAJnQ/Q6rSl4T_HZ8/15-09-08-10-40-49H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="4">Other random Maine scenes:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4fI55bKxGvI/VhhdM93QIiI/AAAAAAAAJnc/qX2q2YiIZ5A/s1600-h/15-09-07-04-23-58H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-04-23-58H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-04-23-58H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NRwhI6UI7PY/VhhdNrPMbVI/AAAAAAAAJns/afzcU0BKvVo/15-09-07-04-23-58H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">V These cows are Belted Galloways, a Scottish breed V</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6zyDsRrYo9w/VhhdOnazWnI/AAAAAAAAJn4/tDuuRc29Kqo/s1600-h/15-09-07-16-09-29H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-07-16-09-29H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-07-16-09-29H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9pJyoMHQRk0/VhhdPp91CUI/AAAAAAAAJoE/OvotnXi6cTM/15-09-07-16-09-29H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NnUuEFfAOXg/VhhdQvLmKiI/AAAAAAAAJoQ/8o2veUc0l3o/s1600-h/15-09-08-11-17-01H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-08-11-17-01H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-08-11-17-01H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ud28bliKh8Y/VhhdRTft8PI/AAAAAAAAJoc/7JlFXk_Qi_0/15-09-08-11-17-01H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ybh6dlPNnyA/VhhdSSWArXI/AAAAAAAAJoo/ayYwk4UL6bw/s1600-h/15-09-09-07-15-06H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-07-15-06H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-07-15-06H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FrW2i8zQBqI/VhhdTDbJ9DI/AAAAAAAAJo0/flZklSiOR6w/15-09-09-07-15-06H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nDk81hc0KJ4/VhhdUOYw3rI/AAAAAAAAJpA/IrSyCmmDS4Q/s1600-h/15-09-09-07-16-01H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-07-16-01H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-07-16-01H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g3djQfmFR7M/VhhdVJxCtKI/AAAAAAAAJpM/bXnxoepTH6I/15-09-09-07-16-01H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-44DhahV3MhI/VhhdVzJmyOI/AAAAAAAAJpY/WnIuymhAYL0/s1600-h/15-09-09-09-18-23H%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-09-18-23H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-09-18-23H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pRfh21qnI4s/VhhdWxnr9VI/AAAAAAAAJpo/Oj7xRHM74xg/15-09-09-09-18-23H_thumb%25255B20%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="501" height="385"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IPkKhj_3ZZs/VhhdYEkDtFI/AAAAAAAAJp0/X-258v6R1fA/s1600-h/15-09-09-09-43-04H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-09-43-04H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-09-43-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-D3kaoACe4WA/VhhdZAJCB4I/AAAAAAAAJqE/WjPWzYIuj1E/15-09-09-09-43-04H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="373" height="585"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nob-LsLHHEY/VhhdaJTcSWI/AAAAAAAAJqY/dlWWQ7PR9Og/s1600-h/15-09-09-10-20-09H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-10-20-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-10-20-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fd16_2qlL34/VhhdbJfSARI/AAAAAAAAJqk/mWbhtE1vutY/15-09-09-10-20-09H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Elz-6Chd5M/VhhdcINH9JI/AAAAAAAAJq0/rKRgv39CURA/s1600-h/15-09-09-10-22-24H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font color="#000000" size="4">For</font></a><font size="4"> our actual anniversary we had scheduled a cruise from Bar Harbor to nearby islands, lighthouses and homes of the rich and famous but it was so foggy that the Captain had to cancel for safety’s sake. [We had gotten up early and driven the 2 1/2 hours to Bar Harbor before we knew. The Captain just decides 20 minutes before departure.] We weren’t too sad because this is what we would have seen:</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">v <font size="5"> A GREAT BIG NOTHING!</font> v </font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Mk7YpcLf9qk/VhhddToZChI/AAAAAAAAJrE/QqvVW4sFoow/s1600-h/15-09-09-10-07-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-10-07-43H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-10-07-43H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VE05gXpTcig/VhhdeQxBgkI/AAAAAAAAJrQ/NCzZqSVqESU/15-09-09-10-07-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><font size="4">But we walked and drove through Acadia National Park and back roads finding a sunny deck for lunch and many small charms along the way. <em> It’s all good!<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LUA9_aLvcns/VhhdfbbkEHI/AAAAAAAAJrg/yYajr-7wdqw/s1600-h/15-09-09-13-58-58H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-13-58-58H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-13-58-58H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sNbSEt0_hBs/VhhdgZWrwBI/AAAAAAAAJrw/_y0DgGlA_vg/15-09-09-13-58-58H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5139hrpK2hU/VhhdhEtC_EI/AAAAAAAAJr8/1tEPS3jSuPM/s1600-h/15-09-09-14-05-45H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-14-05-45H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-14-05-45H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dEe-6QvRbkI/VhhdiMB7evI/AAAAAAAAJsI/kB7BAzGcetw/15-09-09-14-05-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5UfmpTKQwNg/VhhdjaCNL3I/AAAAAAAAJsc/bmXhowPxf8Y/s1600-h/15-09-09-14-52-10H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-14-52-10H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-14-52-10H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-35QBDEEYsqw/Vhhdke06U8I/AAAAAAAAJso/4FWznI0yXKU/15-09-09-14-52-10H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PUKchHXgNCY/VhhdlUqtIiI/AAAAAAAAJs0/04a3q22B1ms/s1600-h/15-09-09-15-00-19H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-15-00-19H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-15-00-19H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sYVA8_Ooqi0/VhhdmafUlSI/AAAAAAAAJtA/a88968Y8l70/15-09-09-15-00-19H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></em></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-htXWQuo5AUE/VhhdnaplJ4I/AAAAAAAAJtM/MZepeiJ1Jf8/s1600-h/15-09-09-10-56-38H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-10-56-38H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-10-56-38H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ELd0be6aDxg/VhhdoaIllhI/AAAAAAAAJtg/umNnYOFx0Zg/15-09-09-10-56-38H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Huv0wnC6vag/VhhdpVVcioI/AAAAAAAAJtw/YcJSGo-9PFY/s1600-h/15-09-09-13-26-57H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-13-26-57H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-13-26-57H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pcaxEM8LdbY/VhhdqYlLJkI/AAAAAAAAJt8/SdkFXRAXrmY/15-09-09-13-26-57H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ctI1eA_5KY0/VhhdrvnimmI/AAAAAAAAJuM/j73PVqWEPeE/s1600-h/15-09-09-16-12-23H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-16-12-23H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-16-12-23H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OdHP3N98mug/Vhhdsc8aLkI/AAAAAAAAJuc/BH0LtCUXFRk/15-09-09-16-12-23H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GKuCY6Xq73A/VhhdtfrzcmI/AAAAAAAAJuw/wONf4Drs1gs/s1600-h/15-09-09-15-02-04H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-15-02-04H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-15-02-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JYoWVeXxP4w/VhhduQToLxI/AAAAAAAAJvA/aSKIuEkD8R0/15-09-09-15-02-04H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94pd-ZlCIY8/Vhhdvc4w06I/AAAAAAAAJvM/DXVffthol48/s1600-h/15-09-09-15-26-10H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-15-26-10H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-15-26-10H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yu6GEioHuHU/VhhdwZgvtDI/AAAAAAAAJvc/j_-MduV0vck/15-09-09-15-26-10H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="277"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tGV8ouAj3Oc/VhhdxvUvNGI/AAAAAAAAJv0/-FmHvAwbO2s/s1600-h/15-09-09-15-35-09H%25255B25%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-15-35-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-15-35-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZWATNtxRwSI/Vhhdy6DJ1ZI/AAAAAAAAJwM/PsY0r5re_Kg/15-09-09-15-35-09H_thumb%25255B22%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A6yG0jRr57U/Vhhdz4Ts2iI/AAAAAAAAJwc/FBhU6e7--Ao/s1600-h/15-09-09-16-20-04H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-16-20-04H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-16-20-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iyV7sHV6O_I/Vhhd03Q0mBI/AAAAAAAAJws/yJS2DwNnPts/15-09-09-16-20-04H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gdw9NkVFxV8/Vhhd14_kToI/AAAAAAAAJw4/ETjvMM_OJQU/s1600-h/15-09-09-17-57-16H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-17-57-16H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-17-57-16H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eNauHTtA5D0/Vhhd23W_lPI/AAAAAAAAJxE/qBofhP2yar8/15-09-09-17-57-16H_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qbb4Bj1jQYw/Vhhd3jK9CdI/AAAAAAAAJxY/xA5aGxGBf7U/s1600-h/15-09-09-18-02-09R%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-09-18-02-09R" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-09-18-02-09R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6I9-RCpL_LU/Vhhd49hnFCI/AAAAAAAAJxs/2EKJb6bjmbA/15-09-09-18-02-09R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="288"></a><font size="4">From our deck: v</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fnN-iZDELuw/Vhhd50z0I_I/AAAAAAAAJx8/_OVIZ_Dnxz4/s1600-h/15-09-10-03-10-22H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-10-03-10-22H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-10-03-10-22H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iKVfw5m3jfc/Vhhd62mL09I/AAAAAAAAJyM/PNdskEHB0BI/15-09-10-03-10-22H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="292"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-US-zxenz_3U/Vhhd8fKdt1I/AAAAAAAAJyg/aI2nNuWJ9L8/s1600-h/15-09-10-03-09-09H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-10-03-09-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-10-03-09-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P5lN70SEpmM/Vhhd9EvZVYI/AAAAAAAAJys/_4wDDDgEeKQ/15-09-10-03-09-09H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zIRfuUriX1Q/Vhhd-My6ywI/AAAAAAAAJzE/HRb5dBi9nIE/s1600-h/15-09-11-12-39-11H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-12-39-11H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-12-39-11H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2oAkWUue00Q/Vhhd_Bsd-6I/AAAAAAAAJzY/iH6_277-LCA/15-09-11-12-39-11H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-po233vwRgOk/VhheAO1ivzI/AAAAAAAAJzs/-Kz8cJ29Gyc/s1600-h/15-09-10-17-03-17H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-10-17-03-17H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-10-17-03-17H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--HIhRLv50o0/VhheBU-7KMI/AAAAAAAAJz8/GoqIXVwzWbI/15-09-10-17-03-17H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ExTEQ-ERg5E/VhheCW7MBJI/AAAAAAAAJ0I/ZADVv6EVk6Y/s1600-h/15-09-11-11-20-48H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-11-20-48H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-11-20-48H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_BUqfaOtgic/VhheDZxhHnI/AAAAAAAAJ0U/jKoBjL9ifGA/15-09-11-11-20-48H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Sw4ZAGogUxk/VhheEUoWBzI/AAAAAAAAJ0s/Gj3NTgE3Ir4/s1600-h/15-09-11-11-47-49H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-11-47-49H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-11-47-49H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FzCPcdklpgI/VhheFS0TF9I/AAAAAAAAJ1A/imMozS73Enk/15-09-11-11-47-49H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="356"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lJ5NDu1dSgw/VhheGdttKBI/AAAAAAAAJ1M/OTzCzMv3B5c/s1600-h/15-09-11-12-28-33H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-12-28-33H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-12-28-33H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PCd7MNued-A/VhheHcqqT0I/AAAAAAAAJ1g/ZD7Fcq1sSfc/15-09-11-12-28-33H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iPhQmQVOYsY/VhheIU12VlI/AAAAAAAAJ10/wVrQ3TfFeqk/s1600-h/15-09-11-12-25-47H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-12-25-47H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-12-25-47H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZYbJaSUBUWU/VhheJeD0HfI/AAAAAAAAJ2A/y-yLtIfUJ5E/15-09-11-12-25-47H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yA3Gos8eKV0/VhheKWqGH2I/AAAAAAAAJ2M/-nJa8X1AaDg/s1600-h/15-09-11-13-04-00H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-11-13-04-00H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-11-13-04-00H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LrtPAj3Ms_U/VhheLeyI7NI/AAAAAAAAJ2Y/7Hv-4bJDi3A/15-09-11-13-04-00H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="672"></a></p> <p><font size="4">v As close as I could get to Edward Hopper’s<em> Nighthawks</em> painting, though I tried at night and several other times. Too many cars! and people! But you should have seen it glow at night! v</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wfGW9GuY3ng/VhheMQFSxnI/AAAAAAAAJ2s/NS_TiVSvA0E/s1600-h/15-09-12-07-09-09H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-07-09-09H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-07-09-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ns7Aq393KI8/VhheNjCXIzI/AAAAAAAAJ28/mVOpvimFpzY/15-09-12-07-09-09H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zofaytGICg0/VhheOsBSwII/AAAAAAAAJ3Q/dZfWBphbHIQ/s1600-h/15-09-12-07-10-34H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-07-10-34H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-07-10-34H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ToqIkofulA0/VhhePSsgASI/AAAAAAAAJ3c/Pncut_QmRco/15-09-12-07-10-34H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><font size="4">v Hawkers to the cruise ships in Portland. Yes, they caught me even though we weren’t cruisers. v</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4sMUmic22xc/VhheQmJTvgI/AAAAAAAAJ3o/0c5eRfPkAOE/s1600-h/15-09-12-11-30-03H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-11-30-03H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-11-30-03H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4VbNw5yoiQI/VhheRx1-VUI/AAAAAAAAJ38/6WN8WGxzSEI/15-09-12-11-30-03H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></p> <p><font size="4">At Two Fat Cats Bakery in Portland, Maine, featured recently on PBS. Outstanding blueberry pie!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OcAEf4u1db0/VhheS7EsfAI/AAAAAAAAJ4M/9DBM___VREI/s1600-h/15-09-12-11-12-48H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-11-12-48H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-11-12-48H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-25bOv6O6A-o/VhheULqLq5I/AAAAAAAAJ4k/Rcw2vP73CjA/15-09-12-11-12-48H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a><font size="4">On Chandler’s Wharf in Portland, Maine. Sadly, no relation. And sadly, we are leaving Maine. Next stop, next blog, a week in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Not sad about that!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MLRPZx8vbJQ/VhheVJLtuwI/AAAAAAAAJ4w/QbdnqB-CgYA/s1600-h/15-09-12-11-46-53H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-11-46-53H" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-11-46-53H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jQsYm-W6-3M/VhheWGpQPcI/AAAAAAAAJ5M/9IDBIBsNDdI/15-09-12-11-46-53H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="625"></a><font size="4"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6LSIRSc5n-I/VhheXXL2B_I/AAAAAAAAJ5g/spuGwrgTfGA/s1600-h/15-09-12-11-56-41R%25255B24%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-09-12-11-56-41R" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="15-09-12-11-56-41R" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B6gVT690nZ4/VhheYiEvwrI/AAAAAAAAJ5w/a1sFSqkTVss/15-09-12-11-56-41R_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="582"></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-24224190144828516722015-07-26T19:45:00.001-07:002015-07-26T22:28:06.819-07:00Long Live Victoria!<p align="left"><font size="4">The short version is that while I was looking for vacancies to take our extended family to the beach for a week, I stumbled across two nights available in Victoria, in the penthouse, in a two bedroom unit (sleeps six) and was able to add on a third night in a different room making a wonderful Saturday through Tuesday jaunt to Victoria. We invited our friends Don and Gracie and Angie to join us and we had a perfect time. Perfect.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rSIH31e-iXU/VbWaxast8UI/AAAAAAAAJP0/TtV11CNOZEI/s1600-h/15-07-11-13-02-00H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-13-02-00H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-13-02-00H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VDF9WOwqZ_A/VbWaybW7gjI/AAAAAAAAJQA/daDJsWREjvM/15-07-11-13-02-00H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="339"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">^On the ferry from Port Angeles, just imagine the deep blue sea out the window</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HKv8qiZUZ_I/VbWazF5xymI/AAAAAAAAJQM/OXIQZGhL-m8/s1600-h/15-07-12-19-03-13D%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-12-19-03-13D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-12-19-03-13D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iNsAVinuNRo/VbWazksX52I/AAAAAAAAJQU/Kzz4rr3_zNo/15-07-12-19-03-13D_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="235"></a></p> <p align="left"><font size="4">We drove up the Hood Canal which is the western shore of Puget Sound, leaving early enough to pick up our friends and make it to the ferry by 11:45 AM. Along the way we recited the Indian names of the communities we were passing: Dosewallips, Hama Hama, Lilliwaup, Quilcene, Potlatch. </font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4">Our reservation the first night (which I added on to make a fuller weekend) was for a 2 bedroom in a “less desirable location.</font><font size="4">” I didn’t know what that meant exactly for this resort, so I was a little nervous for our guests’ sake, but our timeshare hasn’t disappointed yet and I knew it would be fine enough for sleeping the first night.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4">But it was beautiful, way more than fine! We had a balcony overlooking the harbor and succumbed to an early glass of wine on the deck watching the boats and water taxis come and go. Then we went for an exploratory drive of the St James and Oak Bay areas, reviving memories of earlier trips. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kmhoMTQZjeI/VbWa0XUM0ZI/AAAAAAAAJQk/oIP6Rs_TnJ0/s1600-h/15-07-11-17-37-09H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-17-37-09H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-17-37-09H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1pZqG6qf-gw/VbWa1Aq6VmI/AAAAAAAAJQw/1ljSlOBxrPc/15-07-11-17-37-09H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="404"></a></font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4">^We went by the Emily Carr house, a BC author and artist that I am enamored with because of her life long determination to express herself with or without family or public support. This was her family home where she grew up and later used as a boarding house to help pay for her paints. She tells this story in<em> <u>The House of all Sorts.</u></em> I was impacted by her struggle to become an artist in her book, <u><em>Growing Pains</em></u>. Now, of course, she is lauded as one of BC’s great historical figures, but she is long gone. This home is a museum and was closed when we were here but that didn’t stop us from looking in the windows!</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6fWoWRVJvFw/VbWa2Cb-fII/AAAAAAAAJQ8/XxQuPurEgMM/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-10-22D%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-10-22D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-10-22D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s-C6OQSBBok/VbWa2yIeTLI/AAAAAAAAJRI/hNSHPs9N0oQ/15-07-11-18-10-22D_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="671"></a></font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EsMDuIoEEFg/VbWa3oyneTI/AAAAAAAAJRU/trhZRNfBVb0/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-10-01D%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-10-01D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-10-01D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AhqQ1e0ojvQ/VbWa4RkX9pI/AAAAAAAAJRg/puq0G-RuCoQ/15-07-11-18-10-01D_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="617"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jhH9FZtEcXU/VbWa5KwIXuI/AAAAAAAAJRs/DX0x0MliQvg/s1600-h/15-07-11-17-29-06H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-17-29-06H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-17-29-06H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dsegg6-uXYo/VbWa5yGPqcI/AAAAAAAAJR4/6VgGYOOqOSI/15-07-11-17-29-06H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381"></a></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">^Don taking a picture of the cruise ship which had just landed</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">Our friends hadn’t been to Victoria in 12 years and they were sad to find some of their favorite spots changed. Restaurants and shops have moved with the culture into more casual style. A favorite shop for English fine china is now a “Hot Dawg Heaven” or some such thing. (In fact, we had several conversations during the weekend with older people who have admired and collected nice china and would like to sell it as they downsize but can’t find buyers who want to pay more than small change for it.) Victoria itself is still thriving and beautiful, a clean city with lots of flowers and great customer service. The tourists, I would say, have become younger and more casual in their attire and certainly life style. Or maybe I have just become older…</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">The Oak Bay Beach Hotel, a classic old favorite of Don and Gracie’s, had undergone a remodel that completely removed the Victorian gingerbread and we wouldn’t have known it without the sign. It had a beautiful Rolls Royce in its courtyard so it appears to be still doing a good business.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZO1fTr0lHcs/VbWa6Z9mQXI/AAAAAAAAJSE/IfjTpKcnJ6c/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-07-39H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-07-39H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-07-39H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nu05FWBsc54/VbWa7WGaoQI/AAAAAAAAJSQ/U5GcFGvffEY/15-07-11-18-07-39H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="369"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">^the remodeled Oak Bay Beach Hotel</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">The plan for the weekend had emerged on the drive up: eat fish and chips as many times as possible and have tea often! So now it was dinnertime and we headed to Barb’s Fish ‘N Chips which was on the wharf just around the corner from our resort. The sign said “Barb’s Place was listed among “The top 10 Seafood Spots by the Sea” in North America by Sunset Magazine”. And it was delicious and fresh and had atmosphere galore.</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZRDOF-kOGxU/VbWa8Be9RsI/AAAAAAAAJSc/eURWQE_AagQ/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-29-32H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-29-32H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-29-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u5woIoZyYFA/VbWa8yRePNI/AAAAAAAAJSo/UjHtNeFu-lE/15-07-11-18-29-32H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">^Girlfriends since our teens</font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5sLx-HWI-dI/VbWa90dI3wI/AAAAAAAAJS0/gjHVyjyB0mE/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-50-59H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-50-59H" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-50-59H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w3nqqYuKxt4/VbWa-jZ7K0I/AAAAAAAAJTA/4EsMuoZrky4/15-07-11-18-50-59H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zpqhq4x70ts/VbWa_83eTuI/AAAAAAAAJTM/mydRvIZsNbw/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-57-26D%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-57-26D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-57-26D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qoEYfVzgi3w/VbWbAha_0QI/AAAAAAAAJTU/UsG_jJLrkpM/15-07-11-18-57-26D_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-76rnEgreX38/VbWbBQAecUI/AAAAAAAAJTk/ZjqfJLJTKkQ/s1600-h/15-07-11-19-00-48D%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-19-00-48D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-19-00-48D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q9hO8YwBHGM/VbWbCNBdT0I/AAAAAAAAJTw/Cmtl4q5JRkI/15-07-11-19-00-48D_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a></font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HGtwQMNR3Mw/VbWbDTiIdGI/AAAAAAAAJT8/j-n8aVJULXs/s1600-h/15-07-11-18-57-52D%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img title="15-07-11-18-57-52D" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="15-07-11-18-57-52D" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s-feCj_KSt8/VbWbD5TE_8I/AAAAAAAAJUE/DvZPpPMLqf0/15-07-11-18-57-52D_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="379"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4">And we walked back to our lovely room in “a less desirable location” feeling satisfied and happy with the wonderful day! And finding our beds a very desirable location indeed.</font></p> <p align="center"><em><font size="4">to be continued</font></em></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"></font> </p> <p align="center"><font size="4"> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p></font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-70531970323107610352015-06-18T19:54:00.001-07:002015-06-18T19:54:52.909-07:00Dad’s 90th Birthday Party<p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KAKywMvHP_k/VYODrxvjgoI/AAAAAAAAI6Y/mBNtOHidcLs/s1600-h/000_2893%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2893" border="0" alt="000_2893" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VSE4oFHWQKw/VYODshlVk_I/AAAAAAAAI6k/YwzcnRvxHe4/000_2893_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="2" face="Lucida Calligraphy">(Dad wearing my aunt’s shawl because of restaurant air conditioning)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">March has been a special month for birthdays all my life. My father and mother and grandfather had their birthdays on March 26, 27, and 29th, and then at age 40 my mother discovered her real birthday was March 13 (her adoptive parents had changed it) so she celebrated that one, too. March became a month long celebration of birthdays. My mother and grandfather are partying in heaven now, but my dad had his milestone 90th birthday this March.</font></p> <p align="left"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In February my sister called from Denver and asked, “What are we going to do about Dad’s 90th?” I hadn’t been thinking about it yet but once the seed was planted ideas began to roll through my mind.<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dyST17qp1qA/VYODtRleXzI/AAAAAAAAI6w/vccs0ibuoX4/s1600-h/000_2815%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="2"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2815" border="0" alt="000_2815" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9FjVTl6317s/VYODuJUvXBI/AAAAAAAAI68/1qekkoe5Uas/000_2815_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></font></a></font><font size="2" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> My sister and brother in law from Denver</font></p> <p><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><font size="4">Basically, neither my sister nor I could cope with putting on a</font> <font size="4">full scale dinner party. She lives far away and was flying in for the event and I am busy all week with daycare and both our brothers had other commitments and full schedules. We decided to have a restaurant dinner for the extended family and a few close friends of my dad’s. It was easy knowing where because Dad has a favorite restaurant that he attends several times a week. It has good quality food and excellent service and is absolutely reliable on both counts. [Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen] <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8u0tskQyny4/VYODuz_Ns4I/AAAAAAAAI7I/ONI-J3l_oqo/s1600-h/DSC_02970021%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02970021" border="0" alt="DSC_02970021" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_H7XzXiL5Xo/VYODvmgqVOI/AAAAAAAAI7U/Si5Xa4S3uiQ/DSC_02970021_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="332"></a> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-01KeNXYqHnQ/VYODwaqdJLI/AAAAAAAAI7g/pDU8IKml98Q/s1600-h/000_2754%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2754" border="0" alt="000_2754" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-urffTg_QYY8/VYODxPuqT4I/AAAAAAAAI7s/j_xiAWeTfJ4/000_2754_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="357"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--0JhfyZNTJs/VYODxqE1a6I/AAAAAAAAI74/MS6TDW_J8uI/s1600-h/000_2835%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2835" border="0" alt="000_2835" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7KpVEiyXLXc/VYODybgVqdI/AAAAAAAAI8E/1HX6ReDfvuo/000_2835_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The first thing to do was get an invitation out. I had an idea of cutting out a large <font size="6" face="Alba Matter">90 </font></font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and putting a photo of Dad in the hole of the <font size="6" face="Alba Matter">9</font> and the invitation in the hole of the <font size="6" face="Alba Matter">0.</font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">So the first thing was to find the right picture of Dad and then get copies made. I have an abundant scrapbook paper supply so finding masculine and Dad-like prints (maps, accounting sheets, travel) was no problem. I made a pattern for the <font size="6" face="Alba Matter">90</font> (joined along the fold line) out of a file folder and traced the 30 invitations I needed. I cut the photos and invitation wording into ovals to fit the numbers and lightly taped them into place. Then I tried something new to me: I stitched with my sewing machine the pictures into place, giving a little textural interest. I have seen this done lately, machine stitching on paper, but I hadn’t tried it myself and didn’t know if my machine would balk. It worked fine as long as I was paying attention on the curves! (This photo shows a poor sample since I kept the worst one for myself, and now it’s the only one I have to show! Aargh!)<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sknqCkGm3Vc/VYODzDCHW2I/AAAAAAAAI8Q/JLOsf4O1kds/s1600-h/15-06-18-16-31-14%252520-%252520Copy%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-06-18-16-31-14 - Copy" border="0" alt="15-06-18-16-31-14 - Copy" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wijcWJXyfJg/VYODznK6oxI/AAAAAAAAI8c/rbfNicDcINA/15-06-18-16-31-14%252520-%252520Copy_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="375"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The guest list was pretty obvious: at 90 one doesn’t have too many partying peers left. We four children (with spouses, 8) and 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grands plus his 2 brothers and their wives and a cousin he was in the Navy with and a few long time friends. Since we were hosting we didn’t dare go into the category of everyone who <u>likes</u><em> </em>Dad although plenty of our church friends would have been happy to come and celebrate him.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I was so thrilled when my uncle in California emailed right after receiving the invitation saying they were coming! It was my first RSVP and it made it seem like a real party was going to happen. That was a huge encouragement.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0MUgoIL-fxo/VYOD0ejgBlI/AAAAAAAAI8o/hXp-niWwlmQ/s1600-h/000_2773%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2773" border="0" alt="000_2773" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KyaKI3BccDQ/VYOD1UnBddI/AAAAAAAAI80/VpstjC3YdJU/000_2773_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="2" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Dad and his two brothers</font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WCm88tiPG9Q/VYOD2Gcv8dI/AAAAAAAAI9A/7u5kzNIcfoE/s1600-h/000_2811%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2811" border="0" alt="000_2811" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kUE4YKDD9X4/VYOD2y6bTUI/AAAAAAAAI9M/KTR1C3k36Gg/000_2811_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">For decorations I was limited to the banquet room proportions and little space on the table because of food. I thought about vintage toys, like marbles and yo-yos and tops. I used marbles in old quart glass milk bottles as vases for bright colored flowers<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nZbz4_T0CW4/VYOD3oQDlTI/AAAAAAAAI9Y/OOkg294L6z4/s1600-h/DSC_02780008%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02780008" border="0" alt="DSC_02780008" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s4KnoeRVufQ/VYOD4tsI3CI/AAAAAAAAI9k/KGg37dG-cVk/DSC_02780008_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="402"></a> and scattered small tops and jacks and yo-yos down the tables. (I got them online and painted them.) On Etsy I found a site that made personalized posters of the year one was born including political and cultural trivia and the prices of key items. That was a lot of fun and gave me my retro black and white chalkboard color scheme for doing a bunting made up of pictures from each decade of my dad’s life. <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P3E-qNzWFnw/VYOD5FhRWNI/AAAAAAAAI9w/73V8SntwzPc/s1600-h/000_2823%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2823" border="0" alt="000_2823" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9dMNAMQkJVs/VYOD5zarGQI/AAAAAAAAI98/NB3SM8atJoY/000_2823_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RnmsTZc6Ddk/VYOD6qbJrLI/AAAAAAAAI-I/VggZ-j1iCw8/s1600-h/DSC_03030024%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_03030024" border="0" alt="DSC_03030024" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V-NFsZAR-9k/VYOD7Hlp7xI/AAAAAAAAI-U/RGUTtMkGzng/DSC_03030024_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="346"></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I went to his photo albums (and his parents’) and took digital pictures of the pictures. I was nervous about them being second generation prints but except for some trouble with glare it worked pretty well. It was a whole lot easier than trying to find the negatives from 1925 and finding a shop which would print from film! I ended up with about 100 pictures, about 10 representing each decade of his life. I cut black paper into pennant shapes, affixed the photos and strung them on bright twine. It made a bunting about 75 feet long which went along the sides of the banquet room. People seemed to enjoy walking down the wall looking at the pictures and remarking on them. Since the party, I took the pennants off the twine and collected them into a book for my dad. He is very pleased to look back over his life these days. He says he spends a lot of time reminiscing and reflecting. He bought a box to keep the book, the invitation and his birthday cards in. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gs8NX2kbnqg/VYOD7-JgFBI/AAAAAAAAI-g/29hq_yiBd2M/s1600-h/DSC_02820009%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02820009" border="0" alt="DSC_02820009" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wISZu1UoLe0/VYOD8m6O5HI/AAAAAAAAI-s/gX9qFccDtA8/DSC_02820009_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="327"></a></font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><font size="2">Hanging the bunting</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IRjSRYSKg8I/VYOD9Dm4mvI/AAAAAAAAI-4/VfVFCJ_ouXA/s1600-h/DSC_02890015%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02890015" border="0" alt="DSC_02890015" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eFvKuDcvpjA/VYOD98kyK0I/AAAAAAAAI_E/5lp_5Gx0Gxk/DSC_02890015_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wZkT7IBGUQ0/VYOD-cY0dzI/AAAAAAAAI_Q/0RFDWh2zrqI/s1600-h/DSC_02910017%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02910017" border="0" alt="DSC_02910017" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uVSINxnxArA/VYOD_IuB1XI/AAAAAAAAI_c/CDkeo7pqjtk/DSC_02910017_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0ajB9j6iIp0/VYOD_rP2wGI/AAAAAAAAI_o/pG22nUv6c8E/s1600-h/DSC_02920018%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02920018" border="0" alt="DSC_02920018" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DfqLaRxT2RQ/VYOEASeIOdI/AAAAAAAAI_0/YzU29kcR7oo/DSC_02920018_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tBg5pkJ1Yd4/VYOEA8uPldI/AAAAAAAAJAA/31vZuPTT24Q/s1600-h/DSC_02940020%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_02940020" border="0" alt="DSC_02940020" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IGrUFRWpBIA/VYOEB6OjsOI/AAAAAAAAJAM/2CUEpArE9Jk/DSC_02940020_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-srwHbQujbhg/VYOEChoVyMI/AAAAAAAAJAY/DkxSD9ZeVDc/s1600-h/DSC_03110028%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_03110028" border="0" alt="DSC_03110028" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W8BkS29JqGw/VYOEDGlsbwI/AAAAAAAAJAk/a0HsxyTq4nI/DSC_03110028_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Dad brought a collection of his mementoes that he had been pulling out and giving to me for weeks for the party. He was very excited about it and keen to participate and curious about every detail.<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-REzR9ON4tCY/VYOEDnS5pNI/AAAAAAAAJAw/CzjyHHUH0iw/s1600-h/DSC_03220033%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="DSC_03220033" border="0" alt="DSC_03220033" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q9VFGwD9_S8/VYOEEUdGW_I/AAAAAAAAJA8/gh9ROVDEP7M/DSC_03220033_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="357"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">For flowers I took my cue from the marbles and went as bright and colorful as I could get. Fortunately, daffodils and tulips were in season. I tied the milk bottles with twine and teeny tiny black pennants saying “Frank” and underlay them with colorful circles of paper.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I ordered a cake from a favorite bakery in Portland—they have done several wedding cakes for the family—and it was delicious. When it was time to blow out his candles, all the waitresses from the restaurant came to sing “Happy Birthday” and wish him well. (This is not normally a sing-to-you type restaurant, but he is a great favorite of the staff and he loves them all, too. This was very special treatment.)<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P2DdFU55W-8/VYOEFUDBZkI/AAAAAAAAJBI/UcjWTlwHak4/s1600-h/000_2869%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2869" border="0" alt="000_2869" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ffnHT2Nh4YA/VYOEGF1TuAI/AAAAAAAAJBU/uVUZy_dMw3Q/000_2869_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-izsw-8ok_lU/VYOEG6K8pLI/AAAAAAAAJBg/5cAQ8lt7Apw/s1600-h/000_2872%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2872" border="0" alt="000_2872" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DmIVu1e1jEc/VYOEH4M_PkI/AAAAAAAAJBs/Df2-i1ZmAk0/000_2872_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hav-fMo7WJQ/VYOEIkJ-o8I/AAAAAAAAJB4/LDCRegflsxw/s1600-h/000_2873%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2873" border="0" alt="000_2873" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b4vnP0TsNTg/VYOEJTVznSI/AAAAAAAAJCE/h0OXkFQSr44/000_2873_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J38Q7Xz19X4/VYOEKVS1LFI/AAAAAAAAJCQ/CgjHhGDFDu0/s1600-h/000_2876%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2876" border="0" alt="000_2876" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3C31ck6dKwM/VYOELKrReHI/AAAAAAAAJCc/p2_aYP0Q_m8/000_2876_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HLMYBhovH0o/VYOELwi1ypI/AAAAAAAAJCo/zU63ZVggtOA/s1600-h/000_2752%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2752" border="0" alt="000_2752" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dilkluFZWdE/VYOEMgiPeyI/AAAAAAAAJC0/ZY6YT9Lejks/000_2752_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The dynamic of the evening is what made it so special, and it’s not anything that could be planned or orchestrated. People were so genuinely happy to see each other, the adult cousins and the little cousins. Brothers and sisters. Old friends.<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qYs1ISydy-s/VYOENCniwSI/AAAAAAAAJDA/q_zeh2RgQdY/s1600-h/000_2764%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2764" border="0" alt="000_2764" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7-uYj06Msbw/VYOEN7Ze9sI/AAAAAAAAJDM/bxl8f517dwo/000_2764_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a>People moved around the room freely between courses visiting with each other, my uncle and aunt from Los Angeles, my sister and brother-in-law from Denver, and all the friends we don’t see often enough. There was a lot of chatter and laughing. One of the things I enjoyed the most was seeing how the oldest generation and the youngest children had fun together and were genuinely interested in each other. <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jLoYhKqyyf0/VYOEOnvGtsI/AAAAAAAAJDY/Yiitg_rUB_w/s1600-h/000_2868%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2868" border="0" alt="000_2868" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e-qBg2Ix6QM/VYOEPYny-zI/AAAAAAAAJDk/pdi-8fnQK4c/000_2868_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a> There was just a lot of love going all around that room. It was wonderful! You can set a table, you can make decorations, but they aren’t the life of the party. Only the people can make that happen and it’s magical and priceless when it does.<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LJ_UwurtDAQ/VYOEQRk69_I/AAAAAAAAJDw/XGHuaBD0weY/s1600-h/000_2790%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2790" border="0" alt="000_2790" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jAlpusWlVmk/VYOERKggNsI/AAAAAAAAJD8/LdOuvzxUagQ/000_2790_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NklM1Nm73Rs/VYOER_4glvI/AAAAAAAAJEI/9J9cJ-LAyr0/s1600-h/000_2863%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2863" border="0" alt="000_2863" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zHIeevpaW7g/VYOES0O8rWI/AAAAAAAAJEU/ZlJOPxyxbZY/000_2863_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-00mKcebBhP0/VYOEToNu43I/AAAAAAAAJEg/GGnj_3Ubcv8/s1600-h/000_2825%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2825" border="0" alt="000_2825" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5XbjjE9ueCU/VYOEUYh6bYI/AAAAAAAAJEs/Jbqq3AQm72c/000_2825_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2G4vH5dvhwo/VYOEVekvsPI/AAAAAAAAJE4/2N603hdEMj4/s1600-h/000_2827%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2827" border="0" alt="000_2827" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ApcZJKg43s/VYOEWOT5xXI/AAAAAAAAJFE/4qNYFy2tTvE/000_2827_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">^Singing Happy Birthday to Great Granddad<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e03hL7kpsW4/VYOEXRiaOvI/AAAAAAAAJFQ/c4agG9YsyM0/s1600-h/000_2840%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2840" border="0" alt="000_2840" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O1tCT3t9Jf4/VYOEYAHRpDI/AAAAAAAAJFc/HkHlXN4u_t0/000_2840_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IegmL0L_J7E/VYOEY7ECXfI/AAAAAAAAJFo/F922PV6-h9s/s1600-h/000_2844%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2844" border="0" alt="000_2844" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4zzOrJ-P8C8/VYOEZ0ahBBI/AAAAAAAAJF0/6pfv4hKY84g/000_2844_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CL8-9BmXuBE/VYOEaiHl9mI/AAAAAAAAJGA/Q2yULVEL4o0/s1600-h/000_2907%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2907" border="0" alt="000_2907" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fRJ4hKEknEU/VYOEbum8riI/AAAAAAAAJGM/mOjr8G_vgC4/000_2907_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a><font size="2" face="Lucida Calligraphy">My brother, my sister, my dad, and me. We’re missing a brother in California whose wife was recovering from surgery.</font></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DJTQG84T_2Q/VYOEclcrJJI/AAAAAAAAJGY/uJbbkbf6TVc/s1600-h/000_2795%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2795" border="0" alt="000_2795" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SwNsOcsOZQQ/VYOEdd9zgSI/AAAAAAAAJGk/Tw1SDb5kz3A/000_2795_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Postlude: Sharing funny stories about Dad:</font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O07DjJoapUM/VYOEeT1GH6I/AAAAAAAAJGw/j98vMgN66qE/s1600-h/000_2898%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="000_2898" border="0" alt="000_2898" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uuT2rLkAa4U/VYOEe-6Q4VI/AAAAAAAAJG8/rBbXeFGXoEo/000_2898_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="337"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The party was more than the sum of its parts, and I’m so glad we have this very happy memory for Dad and us.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-74823085064044784602015-06-01T18:14:00.001-07:002015-06-01T18:14:29.564-07:00Tea at Gracie’s<p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DkTSJg423bk/VW0DNwTdU2I/AAAAAAAAIzY/BjriWwRZ1-8/s1600-h/15-05-30-13-28-349.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-13-28-34" border="0" alt="15-05-30-13-28-34" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Yb90U52YMuk/VW0DOpa0SWI/AAAAAAAAIzk/Uy0Z_zNDumI/15-05-30-13-28-34_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="253"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h3m_ziH-wn8/VW0DPdnFcsI/AAAAAAAAIzw/ncGkDE3qeBs/s1600-h/15-05-30-13-31-3613.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-13-31-36" border="0" alt="15-05-30-13-31-36" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LqiSQZSYYbc/VW0DPyGXhtI/AAAAAAAAIz8/wM2Zm1OLYUI/15-05-30-13-31-36_thumb16.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306"></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GWxWbfnCDO8/VW0DQkuucyI/AAAAAAAAI0I/0qrf3zyzldY/s1600-h/15-05-30-12-19-5411.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-12-19-54" border="0" alt="15-05-30-12-19-54" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vhidwcvz1VA/VW0DRURpjoI/AAAAAAAAI0U/5Px-5CVaHgE/15-05-30-12-19-54_thumb15.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LrLsgUvj54c/VW0DSL-PIgI/AAAAAAAAI0g/SOW6yxby0jg/s1600-h/15-05-30-12-21-549.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-12-21-54" border="0" alt="15-05-30-12-21-54" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vsFNcl1wrGA/VW0DS9qTMLI/AAAAAAAAI0s/QMgd2tu0eKw/15-05-30-12-21-54_thumb13.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="344"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7HpFZH5IRzQ/VW0DTdfc3tI/AAAAAAAAI04/ZqP6dSRoFmk/s1600-h/15-05-30-12-22-573.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-12-22-57" border="0" alt="15-05-30-12-22-57" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H6duXWEZAZ0/VW0DUFljb8I/AAAAAAAAI1A/Z7oEfnNrXjI/15-05-30-12-22-57_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306"></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-641G-VGEFX4/VW0DUwDQoVI/AAAAAAAAI1I/2HxmBgkyYRs/s1600-h/15-05-30-12-23-405.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-12-23-40" border="0" alt="15-05-30-12-23-40" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GuTxXUp7WZ8/VW0DVnghxpI/AAAAAAAAI1Y/hYXiGFAt5tE/15-05-30-12-23-40_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="359"></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Yesterday I went to a tea party at my friend Gracie’s. She and her sister Angie were celebrating the April and May birthdays of some of the youth group “girls” from the 1960’s and 70’s.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Not too many people have ties as far back as we do. Some of us grew up in the same church but have gone on to other churches with the changes that family life brings; some of us got to know each other at summer camp and that led into a young people’s group and a college age group that was combined from several churches. We went to conferences together and retreats and then group dates and eventually twosomes. We were at each others’ weddings and sometimes baby showers and over the years our children have gotten to know each other through summer camp and youth group events. We are now at the stage of going to the funerals of each other’s parents, and in spite of the loss at such a time there is a deep connectedness and support for each other that lessens the grief. At these funerals we remind each other of the fun we had in their homes as kids, the lively interest shown in us by their parents, and we have a deep sense of having been blessed as we say an earthly goodbye to one of our parents. What a heritage! </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Yesterday I said to my neighbor at tea, “Look around this table. How rare to have a group like this who are so privileged to have what we have! Families, and a home, and friends and even the privileges of education. We are so fortunate even to be able to read compared to the majority of the women in the world!”</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">But we don’t just rest in the lap of luxury. In the past year we have dealt with unemployment, cancer,<a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6MvjMKOfJqw/VW0DWdwYm4I/AAAAAAAAI1k/k6QR5EGUZ2Q/s1600-h/15-05-30-15-56-4431.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-15-56-44" border="0" alt="15-05-30-15-56-44" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6FdnpkCZCE0/VW0DXC261HI/AAAAAAAAI1w/PMokgdywXWE/15-05-30-15-56-44_thumb34.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="377"></a> hip replacement, job displacement, spousal retirement, divorce, and upside down mortgages. Life has challenges for all. Our conversation was directed towards the needs of the city where we live, a diversified urban culture that is liberal and draws street people and young wanderers here (one of the slogans you hear is “Portland is a city where young people come to retire” i.e., not work.) We talked about how to meet the needs of a society that is rapidly changing and no longer accepts the presuppositions of our 1950’s upbringing. How to make the gospel accessible to people who don’t want the confines of a church, to women who can’t read and don’t speak English, to a youth culture caught up in video gaming.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">As we sat at the table, a stranger went in and out of Gracie’s garage. When it was pointed out to her, she said oh yes, he lived there in a corner of their garage. He is a pan-handler up the street, able to read and write, thirty something years old, homeless. He used to hold up a sign at the freeway entrance but now he just stands and reads. Some of the neighbors aren’t too happy about his being given refuge in their garage corner, but this is their conscience towards him.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Maybe this is what our faith is all about, respecting our fellowman who is also </font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">made </font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">in the image of God , and being to him an expression of God’s love as seen in Jesus.</font></p> <p><font size="4"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><font face="Calibri">James 1:27 <br></font></font><font face="Calibri"><sup></sup>Religion that God our Father accepts </font><font face="Calibri">as pure and faultless is this: to look after </font><font face="Calibri">orphans and widows in their distress and </font></font><font size="4" face="Calibri">to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. <br></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vD-oAUzYNiA/VW0DYJZni1I/AAAAAAAAI18/h79Fn77iPW0/s1600-h/15-05-30-12-14-1222.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-12-14-12" border="0" alt="15-05-30-12-14-12" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NGntgiNWfN8/VW0DY7aG_dI/AAAAAAAAI2M/bBA6j7Ba-mQ/15-05-30-12-14-12_thumb16.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7y4BV0JVhn4/VW0DZm4FwMI/AAAAAAAAI2Y/UE9PI6Qm0D0/s1600-h/15-05-30-14-28-0913.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-14-28-09" border="0" alt="15-05-30-14-28-09" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PPEKGo6xaP4/VW0DaWd7VrI/AAAAAAAAI2k/RVVmz-unnJo/15-05-30-14-28-09_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vbV30ZLtOPI/VW0DbLA1-pI/AAAAAAAAI2w/x6cbnIaT-Z8/s1600-h/15-05-30-13-26-2019.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-13-26-20" border="0" alt="15-05-30-13-26-20" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5lWnWbRb1Yk/VW0DbsXwmQI/AAAAAAAAI28/5Oa7K99Kzxw/15-05-30-13-26-20_thumb17.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qBHVtjULB6A/VW0DcYitcSI/AAAAAAAAI3I/gmCBb2SXG5E/s1600-h/15-05-30-14-24-1517.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-30-14-24-15" border="0" alt="15-05-30-14-24-15" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Odv_gwQzNjA/VW0Dcz-V_PI/AAAAAAAAI3U/Sl1UwqYh3yA/15-05-30-14-24-15_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306"></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-38695678820978455772015-05-10T08:25:00.001-07:002015-05-10T08:30:57.860-07:00Pottery and Fabric Temptations<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Last weekend I went to the <font face="Calligrapher">Oregon Potters Association</font> 33rd annual show at the Convention Center.  Thirty three years I’ve been going to this!  They estimated that 16,000 to 22,000 people came through the doors last weekend alone.  One of the artists told me that it is the best ceramics show in North America and that Portland is a Mecca for potters <font size="3">(pun intended.)</font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The 175 participating artists have their own booths which they adorn as a backdrop to their wares.  I found this one quite striking:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uu59fNcroz0/VU94JMhyTzI/AAAAAAAAIxY/3ZsLpOX0XYE/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-32-32H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uu59fNcroz0/VU94JMhyTzI/AAAAAAAAIxg/ftuzdCulR18/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-32-32H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-13-32-32H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-13-32-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6olEaArcB2M/VU94KeqcNaI/AAAAAAAAIr0/ivI7UVY769E/15-05-03-13-32-32H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="251" /></a></font></a></p> <p><font color="#5588aa" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AnRnxNp-rL8/VU94KyOopHI/AAAAAAAAIr8/k0Szctg3MvM/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-32-32H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-13-32-32H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-13-32-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X7SalLHvO50/VU94LrMBVAI/AAAAAAAAIsA/X67xNEKP97Q/15-05-03-13-32-32H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="282" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I have bought pieces from this artist in the past (Ginger Steele):</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nOyuatvcSo4/VU94MHI-OLI/AAAAAAAAIxo/R8pWmYCHndY/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-48-59H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nOyuatvcSo4/VU94MHI-OLI/AAAAAAAAIxw/VCUoeepE3wk/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-48-59H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-13-48-59H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-13-48-59H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lMoRyxeOZSE/VU94NPNEOXI/AAAAAAAAIsc/HGwxrWxYAiQ/15-05-03-13-48-59H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="230" /></a></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w6alEZln6ns/VU94Nm836aI/AAAAAAAAIx4/ChAhVwgMGD4/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-06-38H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w6alEZln6ns/VU94Nm836aI/AAAAAAAAIyA/0ZiSfUk_j-c/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-06-38H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-06-38H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-06-38H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ok85aPVUwi8/VU94O3u7ThI/AAAAAAAAIs0/U2hgaKOw9Bk/15-05-03-14-06-38H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="292" /></a></font></a></p> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">This whimsical birthday cake has a poem:</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><u><em>Poem for Shante</em></u></font></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><em>I woke up wishing you a Happy Birthday</em></font></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font color="#000000" size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And I blew out your candles for fun over my morning tea</font></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I filled up your balloons when I put on my lipstick</font></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And I wrapped a bow around your present when I tied my shoes</font></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It’s not even the right day for it</font></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">That was the icing on the cake </font></em></p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">                              Pamela Dillon</font></em></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VnPxPWkRePE/VU94PVPLL0I/AAAAAAAAIs8/fSf87MoKfDs/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-56-32H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-56-32H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-56-32H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YTUyClXSguk/VU94P9UATII/AAAAAAAAItA/0or-1ojqqNk/15-05-03-14-56-32H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JSz7GSg2_mY/VU94QbBKpiI/AAAAAAAAIyI/NatR3-yHoU0/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-27-04H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><u><font color="#cc0066"></font></u><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JSz7GSg2_mY/VU94QbBKpiI/AAAAAAAAIyQ/6r2nm9a-wZ4/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-27-04H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-27-04H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-27-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-isq7HeG7n_A/VU94RfijqlI/AAAAAAAAItY/PHgGiqVntW8/15-05-03-14-27-04H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="426" /></a></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I loved the brilliant colors in this booth. In fact, I brought some of it home with me!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5b-Pf3YVvqc/VU94R9uyTwI/AAAAAAAAItg/f-l-QJRCYDo/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-30-55H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-30-55H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-30-55H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1szOQSVV63Y/VU94SUnmQ6I/AAAAAAAAIto/uKlX5qGuBF4/15-05-03-14-30-55H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mRNYQX8lKkw/VU94S5x13RI/AAAAAAAAIyY/VCHYxK0krck/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-31-04H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mRNYQX8lKkw/VU94S5x13RI/AAAAAAAAIyg/M_ov6lb_OeQ/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-31-04H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-31-04H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-31-04H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0hygdrU_DF8/VU94UIXSVGI/AAAAAAAAIuE/rY4mGT8lsTA/15-05-03-14-31-04H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="349" /></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Different musicians played during the event.  We enjoyed this classical guitarist.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ag5rp_YZqeE/VU94Ulek_-I/AAAAAAAAIyo/RgnqIQ-oO-4/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-55-24H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ag5rp_YZqeE/VU94Ulek_-I/AAAAAAAAIyw/Vq5OltsRjr0/s1600-h/15-05-03-14-55-24H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-14-55-24H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-14-55-24H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FZH8dQwzaCs/VU94WMWqk1I/AAAAAAAAIuc/x7KDWu8Ye_s/15-05-03-14-55-24H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="323" /></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_Bv1I5N5KBA/VU94WVqg2tI/AAAAAAAAIug/OMagIgXBXm4/s1600-h/15-05-03-13-40-07H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-03-13-40-07H" border="0" alt="15-05-03-13-40-07H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B35petd5ltE/VU94W6zMNYI/AAAAAAAAIuk/fen4-Ncc8_U/15-05-03-13-40-07H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Also last weekend I went to an estate sale of a woman who had been a quilter. At one point as I was admiring and being tempted by her many half done quilt tops I had to remind myself of my closet full of half done projects and ask myself why I would pay money for someone else’s half done projects.  Just say NO!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I had heard about this sale from a quilt shop invitation.  I am not sure if the deceased had worked at the shop and bought up all the remnants or had just been an ardent customer.  Either way, her backyard was filled with at least 20 tables of neatly bundled  and taped yardage individually priced (who did that?), mostly in 2 to 3 yard lengths, some much bigger.  There were boxes and boxes under the tables of fabric that hadn’t even been brought out yet.  She also left behind bags and bags of thread (I drooled over the wooden spools but whoever priced them was too aware of today’s crafting trends.) There were gallon bags of finished quilt squares that had never been assembled…I just prayed, </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong><font size="5"><font face="Calligrapher">“Oh Lord, don’t let this be me!”</font></font></strong><font face="Calligrapher"> </font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> I wanted to come right home and finish up my projects and the fabrics I have purchased over the years for all those great ideas. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I admit I did bring home a box of fabric because a dollar or two for several yards of fabric that might make a little girl’s sundress …or a picnic tablecloth…or Christmas throw pillows or…placemats…or a cute denim bag with inset pieced squares (how cute would that be!)---and, half the work was already done in the pieced squares…  I would have succumbed deeper but they didn’t take checks or a debit card and I didn’t want to drive to an ATM.  So at the end I counted out quarters, dimes and nickels to make it up to $37.50 and I left a few things behind.  When I got back to my car I saw the change I keep in my ashtray and I considered going back for more but the overriding moral of the story is:</font></p> <p><font size="6" face="Calligrapher">You can’t take it with you!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">As I sorted through heaps of fabrics I thought to myself, “Old quilters never die; they just lose their stash.”</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-np0xDwCIBeQ/VU94XXbLtnI/AAAAAAAAIuw/qVHPK20WLdk/s1600-h/15-05-01-11-41-56H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-01-11-41-56H" border="0" alt="15-05-01-11-41-56H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fN7YSrLqWpg/VU94X-ISyuI/AAAAAAAAIu4/RtPvrU6aTWw/15-05-01-11-41-56H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KB8WveF0l_c/VU94Yasp1BI/AAAAAAAAIvE/nfkYGVQXGGs/s1600-h/15-05-01-12-05-30H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-01-12-05-30H" border="0" alt="15-05-01-12-05-30H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hq9Ks6qKRDo/VU94Y34qeaI/AAAAAAAAIvI/hUDSq9aanm0/15-05-01-12-05-30H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vVFNQ6Mgc4A/VU94ZKw7MtI/AAAAAAAAIvQ/1BcrkYzmXsM/s1600-h/15-05-01-12-05-52H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-01-12-05-52H" border="0" alt="15-05-01-12-05-52H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oGnIew5gcF4/VU94Zp48ZWI/AAAAAAAAIvY/3CydAOCBEi4/15-05-01-12-05-52H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a></p> <p><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bAtHqP15zA4/VU94aA35isI/AAAAAAAAIvk/R0ORvT8Lo4A/s1600-h/15-05-01-11-41-45H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="15-05-01-11-41-45H" border="0" alt="15-05-01-11-41-45H" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S-5mtYsnx9s/VU94avQmWDI/AAAAAAAAIvo/QOqrqBVwqEw/15-05-01-11-41-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The weekend also included a funeral of a 62 year old woman who had filled her life with good friendships, strong family ties, good humor and plenty of adventures, a reminder to live fully the life you’ve got!</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-56927923696032759792014-11-07T10:29:00.001-08:002014-11-07T10:36:06.505-08:00Evening at the Exhibit (resulting in a poem)<p><strong><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Waterways                           11/6/2014<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LLI9ENKRSuk/VF0PPgz-O8I/AAAAAAAAInY/u0LMpyot5fE/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-21-00H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-21-00H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-21-00H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oyP1bPf3Ut4/VF0PQB-xumI/AAAAAAAAIng/zdnwXurm9C0/14-11-04-20-21-00H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="385" /></a></font></strong></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Slightly frumpy, she walked to the bus </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and bought a senior discount ticket</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">determined to scratch the surface of </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">her everyday life</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">which was really fine, after all,</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">but not artful.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">She used to wear high heels and skirts </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">going into town as a girl </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and toss scarves and book bags </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">over her shoulder </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and sometimes carry her </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">paisley art portfolio </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">confidently.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wBGL_1IPP4U/VF0PQgKQvnI/AAAAAAAAInk/P8iefa1jmjc/s1600-h/14-11-04-19-39-50H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-19-39-50H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-19-39-50H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-f9FHqBAwcdU/VF0PRAe4E1I/AAAAAAAAIns/7FKHz1XLpi4/14-11-04-19-39-50H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="352" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The bus routes changed over the years</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and now she debarked</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">uncertain</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">as to where she really was</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and where she was going </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and wondering if she wasn't just a little silly </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">to leave home without supper </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">all for some Art.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6O2m6tY7CTk/VF0PRjrapFI/AAAAAAAAIn4/oIH9KzQUhhg/s1600-h/14-11-04-19-46-43H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-19-46-43H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-19-46-43H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SMu5UqPyCPs/VF0PSUawJPI/AAAAAAAAIoA/tv4YNPGQNJk/14-11-04-19-46-43H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The flyer said Calligraphy ~</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">she knew about that, or at least she used to ~</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and Poetry ~ well, </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">sometimes it sang to her, </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">so here she was </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">in the darkened streets</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">looking for a song.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-49iM0wmuezo/VF0PT4lxi2I/AAAAAAAAIoE/AqYp-lUUxhs/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-36-44H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-36-44H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-36-44H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-M4uRTUfYYSk/VF0PURiYaoI/AAAAAAAAIoM/fv_mZTTzGbo/14-11-04-20-36-44H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="406" /></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The street lights glowed </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and golden leaves trembled </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">under the black sky. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">A voice spoke behind her, </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">over her shoulder, </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">startlingly,</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">causing her steps to quicken</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">toward the gallery.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dL_-RlhMVYw/VF0PUn8YKAI/AAAAAAAAIoU/84mS6F-jXeY/s1600-h/14-11-04-19-39-13H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-19-39-13H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-19-39-13H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5LbBBYHpDdI/VF0PVG4DSMI/AAAAAAAAIoc/bFL6SHGF6AU/14-11-04-19-39-13H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="628" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The tired feet, the overcoat,</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">the shoulder bag: </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">she wanted to shed them all</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">on the marble floor and </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">cool her face against the glass</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">of what might have been.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The river of italicized words </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">eddied around her</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and flowed over and through </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">creating whirlpools around the sticks </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">she had been caught on.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3lIYyMQS8z0/VF0PVkWGE0I/AAAAAAAAIok/h1baiAq1A8Q/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-02-39H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-02-39H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-02-39H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Z58vnQ2ZEnU/VF0PV0N9M_I/AAAAAAAAIos/T4p0GbClgGg/14-11-04-20-02-39H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="335" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jTT8qbXgzA4/VF0PWbJD82I/AAAAAAAAIo0/z-4dUdJcqCU/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-08-30H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-08-30H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-08-30H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-I4yfJ9zure8/VF0PW8Lr3LI/AAAAAAAAIo8/vryIBaK1NUU/14-11-04-20-08-30H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="460" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1SAlVl4K-fA/VF0PXCvIWPI/AAAAAAAAIpE/JJPMk3uzxYU/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-08-42H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-08-42H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-08-42H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rKqOoxMm9uY/VF0PXdzo23I/AAAAAAAAIpM/g96A7JUHiF8/14-11-04-20-08-42H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="497" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-W6jh1z7y8nk/VF0PX_J-skI/AAAAAAAAIpU/1n9zBJ9azS0/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-13-28H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-13-28H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-13-28H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PkICxSqnDzY/VF0PYVDGfkI/AAAAAAAAIpc/l1ip-lI7O1o/14-11-04-20-13-28H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="101" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-JcZ96x1-xmc/VF0PYlfUwBI/AAAAAAAAIpk/2H2o-2JPJoE/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-14-07H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-14-07H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-14-07H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TFqpNaov9xk/VF0PZEtu9gI/AAAAAAAAIps/pu9cFfxfRyE/14-11-04-20-14-07H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="426" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Mysteries of the deep</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">became translucent:</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Time, and Aging,</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Unity and Separateness</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and she </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">drifted downstream</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">in abandon.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pYDIB6zIF34/VF0PZbgTleI/AAAAAAAAIp0/mkKgICowqqw/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-19-03H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-19-03H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-19-03H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--hClDTGxfBQ/VF0PZ3nq9QI/AAAAAAAAIp8/UVlggUV6_FI/14-11-04-20-19-03H_thumb%25255B20%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="601" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Thus storm-tossed and wind blown </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">she traveled home by bus <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Qevj4XD9qjw/VF0PaGwD1zI/AAAAAAAAIqE/SPStKP6227c/s1600-h/14-11-04-21-00-56H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-21-00-56H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-21-00-56H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jjKNNNb5FUU/VF0PagXgneI/AAAAAAAAIqM/rdJWG9jGTnM/14-11-04-21-00-56H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">not seeing out the window</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">but shining inside</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">just a bit</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">with the phosphorescence </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">of having stepped into eternity</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">for a moment,</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">cupping her mind against a draft</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">that would snuff out</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Lucida Calligraphy">her flickering candle.</font></p> <p align="right"><font face="Century">Hollace Lindsay Chandler, 11-6-2014</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oGLgErep7zg/VF0Pa3PT4nI/AAAAAAAAIqU/tdRkxJrhca4/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-40-16H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-40-16H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-40-16H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V5r31oku_Ow/VF0PbTUyVMI/AAAAAAAAIqc/pJNQr24ZlHE/14-11-04-20-40-16H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="212" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>==========================================================================================</p> <p>Credits: Poetry by William Stafford, calligraphy by members of the Portland Society of Calligraphers in honor of the 100th birthday of William Stafford, a former Oregon poet laureate, hosted by The Library Foundation.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x-BlpjXmHzQ/VF0Pbgs97qI/AAAAAAAAIqk/NNKBRTwNusE/s1600-h/14-11-04-20-09-28H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-11-04-20-09-28H" border="0" alt="14-11-04-20-09-28H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-NhUOLmSZub0/VF0PcbnFXZI/AAAAAAAAIqw/PpSJ9aqT0gY/14-11-04-20-09-28H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="409" height="304" /></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-52685125233614960522014-10-21T02:37:00.001-07:002014-10-21T02:37:31.883-07:00Deluxe Beachfront Cabin<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-t-E-wuf-tXk/VEYo-GRcSyI/AAAAAAAAIgg/QU8cAU8H_5Q/s1600-h/14-10-17-17-03-55R%25255B27%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-17-03-55R" border="0" alt="14-10-17-17-03-55R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I7PHrdNnjH8/VEYo-nigX_I/AAAAAAAAIgk/nJzEhKjNMmA/14-10-17-17-03-55R_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="231" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2yLcEuKWEXo/VEYo_NnAopI/AAAAAAAAIgs/4xYNYK3CZpY/s1600-h/14-10-17-17-14-16H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-17-14-16H" border="0" alt="14-10-17-17-14-16H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FYeYWb2yAZs/VEYo_ikdYBI/AAAAAAAAIg0/ZodHGsAvdCg/14-10-17-17-14-16H_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="500" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8VRWyUc5JEw/VEYo_xuhhVI/AAAAAAAAIg8/xjVy03K9pyA/s1600-h/14-10-18-17-23-49H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-17-23-49H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-17-23-49H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-34uMHSgLWWM/VEYpAbKzy8I/AAAAAAAAIhE/_aG1v8eID94/14-10-18-17-23-49H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a>I am just back from a 3 day weekend in LaConner, Washington.  I haven’t even unpacked the cooler yet but, hey, there’s still ice in it and the kids’ naptime is too good a writing opportunity to pass up.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Years ago Tech Guy and I drove through LaConner on another trip and I looked out the car windows at this charming fishing village loaded with classy shops in old Victorian buildings. [ I know, that spells Tourist Trap.] <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ySVIi6I2-eI/VEYpA5CahdI/AAAAAAAAIhM/Gj-uUQ_O-bg/s1600-h/14-10-18-13-59-21H%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-13-59-21H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-13-59-21H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Kg0qN9xYHm8/VEYpBGHsQJI/AAAAAAAAIhU/U3sHqD0OKXU/14-10-18-13-59-21H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fzWU7EdWuOk/VEYpBkiuzaI/AAAAAAAAIhc/or3vfZwEyds/s1600-h/14-10-18-15-48-39H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-15-48-39H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-15-48-39H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-t18MJrQzFtk/VEYpCKeoQeI/AAAAAAAAIho/Tc1ifvJakR8/14-10-18-15-48-39H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-96sk5xxhB7k/VEYpCss3kBI/AAAAAAAAIhw/qGrPQqjoUgc/s1600-h/14-10-18-15-10-16H%25255B23%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-15-10-16H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-15-10-16H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Z3IwcNyD99k/VEYpDEZHiLI/AAAAAAAAIh0/2T3kDLkRdYk/14-10-18-15-10-16H_thumb%25255B28%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="352" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-im6JhbQyY3Y/VEYpDcdTkJI/AAAAAAAAIiA/Jn2Cwu3gFAY/s1600-h/14-10-18-16-53-32H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-16-53-32H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-16-53-32H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vcmKfUE64jw/VEYpEXZh3OI/AAAAAAAAIiI/-QNt-IjY1Pk/14-10-18-16-53-32H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CpIOTHRJ8oY/VEYpEh8e0RI/AAAAAAAAIiM/Wg2JQ1RcpBc/s1600-h/14-10-18-16-52-37H%25255B28%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-16-52-37H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-16-52-37H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1dY6qnlu14c/VEYpFOdQJTI/AAAAAAAAIiY/_JpT58dTcjU/14-10-18-16-52-37H_thumb%25255B24%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="379" /></a> But, as I whimpered while we drove by without stopping, I made a mental note to go back there again someday with my daughters and have a girly shopping weekend.  So you can imagine my delight in June when an Amazon coupon appeared for 2 nights in a deluxe beachfront cabin in LaConner, WA.  The photo was of a glorious sunset over the waters of the bay. The cabin slept 6 and was offered by a management company, not a private party, so I figured there was some protection built in. <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vfeEwMmtlVM/VEYpFnq4rFI/AAAAAAAAIig/xjcjRnLeBuw/s1600-h/14-10-18-18-10-26R%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-18-10-26R" border="0" alt="14-10-18-18-10-26R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nIpYB4fT7n0/VEYpGFO0GiI/AAAAAAAAIik/XbtRbmthgjs/14-10-18-18-10-26R_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="231" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I’m not TOTALLY impulsive.  I called one daughter to see if it sounded like a good deal and she agreed it was greatly discounted.  We talked about having a girls’ weekend but the problem is that most of the “girls” are working mothers and don’t want to leave their kids and husbands on the weekend because it’s their only quality time together.  And one of them is nursing and wouldn’t want to leave the baby….But it was a good deal. And it was in LaConner.  In a deluxe cabin.  So I bought the coupon for 2 nights planning to decide later who would go with me.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-VJMusAfD5xs/VEYpGiW59uI/AAAAAAAAIis/o0hVLzdYCCU/s1600-h/14-10-18-17-23-49H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-17-23-49H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-17-23-49H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yplN5BRE3J4/VEYpHCll6kI/AAAAAAAAIi0/5cgoHM7jd08/14-10-18-17-23-49H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Then I started to read the fine print.  The management company website led me to a website for Thousand Trails Campgrounds which alarmed me greatly, having done quite enough camping already this season.  I could just imagine being in a yurt surrounded by motor homes.  I followed the links to the LaConner campground map and saw that they did have some cabins, both deluxe and otherwise.  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uqr-dx8hM9A/VEYpHaJ_6_I/AAAAAAAAIi8/pi5RV00dAKc/s1600-h/14-10-19-11-05-55H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-19-11-05-55H" border="0" alt="14-10-19-11-05-55H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-r79CcMN3VCg/VEYpH0hob0I/AAAAAAAAIjE/huYIPN0AbXM/14-10-19-11-05-55H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="172" /></a>I called them directly to find out what I had gotten myself into. True, they did sleep 6 bodies but there was only one bedroom and a futon in the living room and bunk beds in the one bedroom.  And to get bedding and towels was an additional $12.00 per person.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Since I did not wish to sleep on a bare mattress and did not wish to spend extra for someone else’s sheets and blankets I opted to take our own, which put it back more in the category of a camping trip than a deluxe cabin affair.  Not knowing the condition of the beds, I took our cushiest bed pads and pillows and comforters.  I was taking them for our guests as well, so the living room was piled high with bedding and towels and beach towels before we packed the car.  Knowing it wouldn’t all fit in, I had the sudden idea to use the big vacuum sealed Ziploc bags I had purchased a while back (another coupon) and never used.  It worked!  Enormous mounds of bed pads and towels shrunk down into oversized parcels resembling Top Ramen noodles.  We got everything into the car.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After learning about the bedroom and futon arrangement we dismissed the idea of taking non-family members.  I had already given up on the idea of a weekend with just my daughters as being too hard on their families at this point in time, so we invited the daughter I had first consulted about the Groupon. They accepted, but I’m not sure we did them any favors.  They have a 2 year old and it was a long drive and  naps were shorter and later than usual, plus they are very recent graduates of potty training.  Our schedule tended to revolve around her naps and potty breaks and shopping endurance, and we whispered in the living room after she had gone to bed for the night.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ssnhEVTjIrM/VEYpIWuF_gI/AAAAAAAAIjM/HzvXmst0hPw/s1600-h/14-10-19-11-31-01H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-19-11-31-01H" border="0" alt="14-10-19-11-31-01H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3XkrVAVdDuI/VEYpImHJi6I/AAAAAAAAIjU/kRRsnqtGJgw/14-10-19-11-31-01H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KKX-VLTT7iQ/VEYpJIiXLCI/AAAAAAAAIjc/KLExSqdg-So/s1600-h/14-10-18-15-20-13H%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-15-20-13H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-15-20-13H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D7muT9pDJ8E/VEYpJs9Z5qI/AAAAAAAAIjk/0bj3JCbizZw/14-10-18-15-20-13H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kll7r6b7xQI/VEYpKDTE3oI/AAAAAAAAIjs/Wi8SuW0VVSk/s1600-h/14-10-18-15-40-33H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-15-40-33H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-15-40-33H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-R9xTALWN6qw/VEYpKUXDt2I/AAAAAAAAIj4/wt9o8wQMG8w/14-10-18-15-40-33H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="271" /></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">However, it is a great privilege to see a 2 year old discovering sea shells or taking her first ride on the ferry (“not the kind of fairy that flies”) or jumping in puddles with her boots on.<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rs3m-y15Ig8/VEYpLPmvtlI/AAAAAAAAIj8/Cvvdu2FGbxY/s1600-h/14-10-18-09-48-09H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-09-48-09H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-09-48-09H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gdVeYleeDAQ/VEYpLRkySAI/AAAAAAAAIkE/i-Z-YwEl8vk/14-10-18-09-48-09H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="538" /></a>It is an honor to have grown kids who are willing to take a weekend to go away with you, especially if you are still on a learning curve about beach front cabins, travel times, ferry schedules and futon sleeping. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zTvAuFuBQY8/VEYpLxJtpRI/AAAAAAAAIkM/bGCDkAvReUg/s1600-h/14-10-18-17-27-02H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-17-27-02H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-17-27-02H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Qav0Rea8BPk/VEYpMfVItuI/AAAAAAAAIkU/ezcvrnbrw_E/14-10-18-17-27-02H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We had gorgeous, unbelievably beautiful weather for October in Northern Washington.  I think it was 72*, shirt sleeve weather! <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dGFaVLArp14/VEYpMqwOJaI/AAAAAAAAIkc/dgXsS4CwN40/s1600-h/14-10-18-17-23-20H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-17-23-20H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-17-23-20H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HGtvXsNaFyg/VEYpNCah4lI/AAAAAAAAIkk/GdugrWw7QJ8/14-10-18-17-23-20H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MaZsIrXClhI/VEYpNiC2C2I/AAAAAAAAIkw/gcz2aa97guM/s1600-h/14-10-18-18-15-24H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-18-15-24H" border="0" alt="14-10-18-18-15-24H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i1390MG48hk/VEYpOKxGkoI/AAAAAAAAIk0/To7mgiLEPDU/14-10-18-18-15-24H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a> We enjoyed seeing an unusually low tide.  We drove up the Hood Canal and took the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville in order to bypass Friday traffic in Seattle.  It would have been a good call except that there were many reservations for the 3:15 and 5:30 ferries and though we were there in the ferry line in plenty of time, the locals and commuters with reservations came later but got on first and we missed it by 5 cars.  So we went shopping in Port Townsend while we waited for the next one, and held our breath that we would get on it.  We did, narrowly.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ecCJyudbeY8/VEYpOWLLu9I/AAAAAAAAIk8/4EV7Ona6wN8/s1600-h/14-10-17-16-18-02H%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-16-18-02H" border="0" alt="14-10-17-16-18-02H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QK-z94IG9Tg/VEYpPCX0TRI/AAAAAAAAIlI/NfX53l4q0WA/14-10-17-16-18-02H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-d1bbj8oXX8Q/VEYpPj_RDfI/AAAAAAAAIlM/eBNbWwtwVtw/s1600-h/14-10-17-16-13-04H%25255B23%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-16-13-04H" border="0" alt="14-10-17-16-13-04H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5tY_cDVRyL0/VEYpQAKG1tI/AAAAAAAAIlY/s3f9Lwjov9Q/14-10-17-16-13-04H_thumb%25255B23%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="315" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-J8Brr2kipXI/VEYpQh1fFJI/AAAAAAAAIlc/4UHSPtP-1pQ/s1600-h/14-10-17-17-07-54H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-17-07-54H" border="0" alt="14-10-17-17-07-54H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ONa1tqk3lYE/VEYpROysqfI/AAAAAAAAIlk/OBe6Bid0fZo/14-10-17-17-07-54H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The drive home on Sunday afternoon confirmed my feelings about Seattle traffic.  It seems like no matter the day or time, Seattle is always jammed up for one reason or another.  On Sunday there were two lane closures due to stalled cars and another accident that stalled traffic for 45 minutes (made longer by a little voice in the back saying, “I have to pee.”)  But we met up with some of our son-in-law’s family for lunch at a quaint place and had a nice visit. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-auZk7qCZ_Eo/VEYpRYyD2RI/AAAAAAAAIlw/xeuoXfMWPOc/s1600-h/14-10-19-13-18-11H%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-19-13-18-11H" border="0" alt="14-10-19-13-18-11H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-B5l9TB1AS0s/VEYpR15bYNI/AAAAAAAAIl0/NhfPxKjjSZw/14-10-19-13-18-11H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--mtO_epoYKI/VEYpSbWNX3I/AAAAAAAAIl8/95TkoVSQ28c/s1600-h/14-10-19-13-32-39H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-19-13-32-39H" border="0" alt="14-10-19-13-32-39H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-59Q-YJlaHG4/VEYpSszKyNI/AAAAAAAAImE/uGcxs8c-6N8/14-10-19-13-32-39H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="394" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Next time, I will:</font></p> <ol> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Read the fine print before buying a Groupon.</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Choose a place closer to home so there is less travel time and more shopping/playing time.</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Check the ferry schedules and make reservations if advised.</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Not forget my boots and other shoes.</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Have a non-leaking air mattress </font></li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Have one more day to spend there</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Plan to spend some time in Port Townsend</font> </li> </ol> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Things I did right:</font></p> <ol> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Took a crockpot so we could come back to the cabin after a day out and have dinner waiting</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Drove up the Hood Canal <font size="3">(Lilliwaup, Dosewallips, Hama Hama, Duckabush)</font></font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Had a  ferry ride<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kxMiLJpWDFM/VEYpTSK-zyI/AAAAAAAAImQ/EWWfvSi9qEU/s1600-h/14-10-17-17-03-55R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-17-03-55R" border="0" alt="14-10-17-17-03-55R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cZiYm2kuEDc/VEYpTyM7eaI/AAAAAAAAImU/zOOdxzSlXq8/14-10-17-17-03-55R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="231" /></a></font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Used Ziploc vacuum bags</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Took charming companions<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J2DKaRiVU4M/VEYpUSnhmPI/AAAAAAAAImc/Qe2pj8Uq_Kc/s1600-h/14-10-17-16-12-28H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-17-16-12-28H" border="0" alt="14-10-17-16-12-28H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dqmXDt4Akvo/VEYpU-2cA6I/AAAAAAAAImo/jB0XRIHgRgE/14-10-17-16-12-28H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="325" /></a></font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Went on an adventure</font> </li> <li><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Asked for a fire</font> </li> </ol> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0Cga3SVOcHc/VEYpVWYqg2I/AAAAAAAAIms/XhXCNFMC8f4/s1600-h/14-10-18-18-05-33R%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-18-05-33R" border="0" alt="14-10-18-18-05-33R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7MnSmBQ-Ba8/VEYpVqRVaiI/AAAAAAAAIm0/_H7AgovC3s4/14-10-18-18-05-33R_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="553" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3z_4W4N41FQ/VEYpWOkt41I/AAAAAAAAIm8/NGB85lWNjw8/s1600-h/14-10-18-18-09-45R%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-10-18-18-09-45R" border="0" alt="14-10-18-18-09-45R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_4isOJXK8ZQ/VEYpWnkfMhI/AAAAAAAAInE/QRaxO23nD8k/14-10-18-18-09-45R_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="231" /></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-46278365882895357862014-10-04T10:28:00.001-07:002014-10-04T10:28:14.422-07:00Oregon Images<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UjD78quHPNc/VDAtw2LCMsI/AAAAAAAAIZY/nrtzjEQr4_U/s1600-h/14-04-04-12-07-59H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-12-07-59H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-12-07-59H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8Z2hVB9HBD4/VDAtxbft_3I/AAAAAAAAIZg/zRhVoLFx0IY/14-04-04-12-07-59H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="204" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ocwTJxHKiJ0/VDAtx12_QWI/AAAAAAAAIZo/rSjmbfh91jU/s1600-h/14-04-04-12-15-33H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-12-15-33H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-12-15-33H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6YszZ3W-U6M/VDAtyfSEZII/AAAAAAAAIZs/2hQ7aCKKfR4/14-04-04-12-15-33H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7BE57FBcV4Q/VDAtyxyg4HI/AAAAAAAAIZ4/lrAu9jyl5ck/s1600-h/14-04-04-12-17-06H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-12-17-06H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-12-17-06H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-psIxvuU1tdk/VDAtzVET3zI/AAAAAAAAIZ8/a3kLCpa7Ous/14-04-04-12-17-06H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Wxtt_W38JqU/VDAtzohB7lI/AAAAAAAAIaE/gyKPPmlRWnY/s1600-h/14-04-04-12-56-19H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-12-56-19H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-12-56-19H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-z1LeRzy5p_A/VDAt0dOtqTI/AAAAAAAAIaQ/-LjwQWDS-u8/14-04-04-12-56-19H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZKD-OXbyEE8/VDAt0xjdHrI/AAAAAAAAIaU/vX5Mg-EzjpA/s1600-h/14-04-04-13-10-26H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-13-10-26H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-13-10-26H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iYnSjOdk0HY/VDAt1GCFhcI/AAAAAAAAIac/3Wl_YNfcnZM/14-04-04-13-10-26H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2niBtvrWczc/VDAt1lbL_fI/AAAAAAAAIao/Pt-OsvrZJCw/s1600-h/14-04-04-14-58-15H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-14-58-15H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-14-58-15H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mQRKKczM-7o/VDAt2GQja7I/AAAAAAAAIas/7KNRofZbJeY/14-04-04-14-58-15H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="285" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B0Tp76gJaW4/VDAt2dBVGhI/AAAAAAAAIa0/QXsiw8zah-g/s1600-h/14-04-04-15-16-20H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; 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border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-15-19-46H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-15-19-46H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fm2mekvT1SA/VDAt4u--ktI/AAAAAAAAIbc/ITMtZ4Ka0tY/14-04-04-15-19-46H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="247" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MvhPt-cx0PQ/VDAt49uAF1I/AAAAAAAAIbo/63UxO0mcuRU/s1600-h/14-04-04-15-19-50H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-15-19-50H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-15-19-50H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yALbtOCIIj0/VDAt5li85YI/AAAAAAAAIbs/qgiW-6N7tjo/14-04-04-15-19-50H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MWM0Wub1u9M/VDAt573F7-I/AAAAAAAAIb0/NaOCMbPjAL8/s1600-h/14-04-04-16-55-41H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; 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border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-04-17-10-33H" border="0" alt="14-04-04-17-10-33H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FxzjQc2-UFE/VDAuCj3fqeI/AAAAAAAAIeA/S4Unpas6BP4/14-04-04-17-10-33H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="346" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KlZ1J1p3LwY/VDAuDHE9jiI/AAAAAAAAIeE/ZGDEPf0kkdQ/s1600-h/14-04-05-10-45-46R%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-10-45-46R" border="0" alt="14-04-05-10-45-46R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XNdBdkCH-p0/VDAuDdCVZCI/AAAAAAAAIeM/Agl4Pzy3WJA/14-04-05-10-45-46R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_Nv4HoO7j0Q/VDAuD5Sw10I/AAAAAAAAIeU/xjlYGz021Dg/s1600-h/14-04-05-11-02-16H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-11-02-16H" border="0" alt="14-04-05-11-02-16H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OlvG7VMpe5g/VDAuEdsIY4I/AAAAAAAAIeg/FFa_QZS-4GQ/14-04-05-11-02-16H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KrrLZe84fu4/VDAuE4012OI/AAAAAAAAIeo/r4b4vX1wlQg/s1600-h/14-04-05-11-01-34H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-11-01-34H" border="0" alt="14-04-05-11-01-34H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_IeG_GAqCug/VDAuFc989II/AAAAAAAAIes/P9vqoqrH0NM/14-04-05-11-01-34H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="273" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QFIChumIIJA/VDAuF3jqzwI/AAAAAAAAIe4/wExLoFMHVCM/s1600-h/14-04-05-12-24-28R%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-12-24-28R" border="0" alt="14-04-05-12-24-28R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8RiCEC5VjrA/VDAuGWqeWMI/AAAAAAAAIe8/6opo6OnoRUY/14-04-05-12-24-28R_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9teb5HJ0A7E/VDAuG4RtLGI/AAAAAAAAIfI/-Ili10ZhVIU/s1600-h/14-04-05-12-44-15H%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-12-44-15H" border="0" alt="14-04-05-12-44-15H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-x-zXFJ5LVsQ/VDAuHVcrYBI/AAAAAAAAIfM/Hi1Yt3dSD4M/14-04-05-12-44-15H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OrCtCy8Ydog/VDAuHwDmzdI/AAAAAAAAIfU/84hAdLOaM3Y/s1600-h/14-04-05-12-47-00R%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-12-47-00R" border="0" alt="14-04-05-12-47-00R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lqfWq7-3-sc/VDAuIQZpZrI/AAAAAAAAIfg/G67Fi5qvPds/14-04-05-12-47-00R_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="243" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-q4ELkPHIUk0/VDAuIi0d_yI/AAAAAAAAIfo/bkeJVkwoH0Q/s1600-h/14-04-05-12-47-26R%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-12-47-26R" border="0" alt="14-04-05-12-47-26R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rwe1zsOBX5o/VDAuJBoxhII/AAAAAAAAIfs/pQSPlkc_4o8/14-04-05-12-47-26R_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="231" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GnOozST7Xkg/VDAuJj76gtI/AAAAAAAAIf0/ViiwgsTsQm0/s1600-h/14-04-05-18-06-53H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-18-06-53H" border="0" alt="14-04-05-18-06-53H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7uy23J6xDJ8/VDAuKfTUDoI/AAAAAAAAIf8/XjF6-fNUFZA/14-04-05-18-06-53H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nYLnLTvQcaA/VDAuK0sqwMI/AAAAAAAAIgE/X05Ur5aRkJI/s1600-h/14-04-05-18-07-15H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-05-18-07-15H" border="0" alt="14-04-05-18-07-15H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-s4XkRJ6TfSU/VDAuLFOwSlI/AAAAAAAAIgM/g5NGzvf0XGU/14-04-05-18-07-15H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-29108964484133902622014-09-20T21:17:00.001-07:002014-09-20T21:17:42.094-07:00Leaving Las Vegas<p>I last wrote of camping at the Grand Canyon in 19 degree weather.  After doing the requisite things: sunset at Yaki Point, sunrise at Desert View, pictures of the original Fred Harvey instigated train station and the Mary Colter designed El Tovar Hotel, we took stock of our situation.  <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4-eu374PqTo/VB5QxIXhJLI/AAAAAAAAIOQ/TAS7qZTssgA/s1600-h/14-03-31-07-40-16H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-07-40-16H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-07-40-16H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KBFNUVc3fn4/VB5QxnQjTCI/AAAAAAAAIOY/rIma3Y1FeM8/14-03-31-07-40-16H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LzcBNBkJQGM/VB5Qyfer-yI/AAAAAAAAIOg/eiX4iAzoI9I/s1600-h/14-03-31-07-41-34H%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-07-41-34H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-07-41-34H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gh6GGYk48EU/VB5Qy5yi7LI/AAAAAAAAIOk/aPCSmDoAiOY/14-03-31-07-41-34H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LDLNLHsgHSU/VB5QzLHl2pI/AAAAAAAAIOs/cE8SF0n7brw/s1600-h/14-03-31-11-43-44R%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-11-43-44R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-11-43-44R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pLd7tDHGA5w/VB5QzqYpNvI/AAAAAAAAIO0/QF1o-M4XH_Q/14-03-31-11-43-44R_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="223" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ojjOyz2mJkU/VB5Q0GUVw4I/AAAAAAAAIPA/x1cN_RWfycE/s1600-h/14-03-31-11-46-04H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-11-46-04H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-11-46-04H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jcayAMMa2ws/VB5Q0w6zmdI/AAAAAAAAIPI/C0tQdLYY4Do/14-03-31-11-46-04H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LwXBqo3mKlA/VB5Q1p_-i5I/AAAAAAAAIPQ/_TN1ZctI_VM/s1600-h/14-03-31-11-47-29H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-11-47-29H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-11-47-29H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vuF87Dqc0SI/VB5Q2OM9KqI/AAAAAAAAIPY/D96NgXeT_mg/14-03-31-11-47-29H_thumb%25255B15%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a>No way could we sit around a campfire for the next few days reading or working on a laptop.  It was too windy and cold.  All we wanted was a hot shower and someplace warm!  So we got on the phone to our timeshare reservations desk and asked for anything warm within a 5 hour drive and in the vague direction of home. Las Vegas had one night and Reno had several following that, so we pulled up stakes (quite literally), headed for the $2 showers in the campground, took a few last pictures and beat it!  Which is why we thought it was so funny a week or so ago when we watched an otherwise forgettable movie, The Guilt Trip, in which a mother and son take a cross-country trip and pass through the Grand Canyon that she has always revered from afar.  Standing at the edge of the crater, the Mom (Barbra Streisand) says:</p> <blockquote> <p>“ I always wanted to see the Grand Canyon.”</p> <p>Son:  “I know.”</p> <p>Mom: “How long are we supposed to look at it?”</p> <p>Son: “Ten minutes?  It seems disrespectful to spend any less.”</p> </blockquote> <p> </p> <p>So we headed back to the Warm.  We didn’t care a bit about being in Las Vegas, in fact, we were too tired to ride the hotel shuttle into the evening’s ‘hot spots’, but we did love cooking supper on a stove and sleeping on sheets!</p> <p>In the morning we drove through the Strip on our way out of town.  I took pictures from the moving car and then Ron got his camera out and started shooting from the driver’s side.  Consequently, our Las Vegas photos have a tipsy and blurry look to them.  Fitting, don’t you think, for the morning after?</p> <p>Everything in Las Vegas was oversized and grandiose:</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fdeQ3N6VwsM/VB5Q2jpwHfI/AAAAAAAAIPg/CAiol28rO48/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-28-59H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; 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border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-36-44R" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-36-44R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y8ndfrpGBPM/VB5Q480Z3VI/AAAAAAAAIQE/4yKoVAVSjrw/14-04-01-11-36-44R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ur_8dzwZo_c/VB5Q5QRUEHI/AAAAAAAAIQM/InjURSyYsR4/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-37-26R%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-37-26R" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-37-26R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-02kTBIk37uE/VB5Q5lfhutI/AAAAAAAAIQU/KwEYud3ccOs/14-04-01-11-37-26R_thumb%25255B14%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="527" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-A9AyOsB3zLc/VB5Q6OWhkII/AAAAAAAAIQc/iXAz5rAcdCk/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-40-39H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-40-39H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-40-39H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xqZ8ky3MpC0/VB5Q6p9qAsI/AAAAAAAAIQo/WksXtBS3gC8/14-04-01-11-40-39H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="469" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DqUaLHJp9XM/VB5Q7H26pdI/AAAAAAAAIQs/0tnZYptVZoQ/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-40-11R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-40-11R" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-40-11R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PO8aN1U_dj4/VB5Q7cuYMMI/AAAAAAAAIQ0/nJUY2gTyS64/14-04-01-11-40-11R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9Yx2skuGMuA/VB5Q76Fe2YI/AAAAAAAAIQ8/Vow-RSgnonI/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-38-23H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-38-23H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-38-23H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6gBMZNaUyTg/VB5Q8fQJbMI/AAAAAAAAIRE/BRg8t_inbiU/14-04-01-11-38-23H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v0tmDBGYXXk/VB5Q8oir8NI/AAAAAAAAIRM/czLjowukrHQ/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-39-03H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-39-03H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-39-03H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Xh6uSafJJ58/VB5Q9Awq6JI/AAAAAAAAIRU/rpc2SuRkR1s/14-04-01-11-39-03H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="419" height="296" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zpTrkJFzCDc/VB5Q9R8QsiI/AAAAAAAAIRc/J7WYXRmKQDY/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-39-16H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-39-16H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-39-16H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-StU0zbJAZnY/VB5Q98vPmAI/AAAAAAAAIRk/0p6j1lsA6Ck/14-04-01-11-39-16H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="584" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eZsU3N0NZI0/VB5Q-VSJYAI/AAAAAAAAIRw/x63HLZZ5iPU/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-42-23H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-42-23H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-42-23H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KM7tDfEWqQo/VB5Q-zRGJpI/AAAAAAAAIR4/ror0dqhYyvU/14-04-01-11-42-23H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="408" height="303" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uTuZniX2mf0/VB5Q_fGWE5I/AAAAAAAAIR8/gbLtSczjsLQ/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-43-07H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-43-07H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-43-07H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kzjzqP9rVdU/VB5Q_kvtt4I/AAAAAAAAISI/oshCNJkin1w/14-04-01-11-43-07H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lXhdAsmg9P0/VB5RAkKq_kI/AAAAAAAAISQ/GgoiJCA3pzA/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-43-16H%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-43-16H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-43-16H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LZihlXwwdbc/VB5RA99Id4I/AAAAAAAAISU/amyTozkFQsA/14-04-01-11-43-16H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-I_x43Rfltvw/VB5RBTrDmWI/AAAAAAAAISc/D749nDxnGtw/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-49-15H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-49-15H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-49-15H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ucpg11gHSb0/VB5RB4sbNhI/AAAAAAAAISo/WFOdu4cDRXM/14-04-01-11-49-15H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eOiQ0F_QAJY/VB5RCZTKXEI/AAAAAAAAISw/msByX054jr4/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-43-28H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-43-28H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-43-28H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YQzcue6f5TQ/VB5RDDdzqzI/AAAAAAAAIS4/d7skWZKB96Q/14-04-01-11-43-28H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-oOT8FxL-PrQ/VB5RDm43DnI/AAAAAAAAIS8/LoHgerCFU3Q/s1600-h/14-04-01-11-47-32H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-11-47-32H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-11-47-32H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Km1p_K68WY4/VB5REEMGTNI/AAAAAAAAITI/73q-7ggDzVE/14-04-01-11-47-32H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p>Our commitment to back roads was coupled with a desire not to repeat previous routes so we left Nevada 95 and went across the mountains to California 395 by way of Nevada route 266.  .  There were not <strike>a lot of </strike> any road signs or cross streets intersecting our road so I was grateful when something we passed actually matched the map I was navigating from (a map of the whole US, very general in its markings and sketchy on some of the details I would have appreciated.) At one point we found ourselves back in Nevada when we thought we were actually in California.</p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kiTJ0VjHWxo/VB5RESkZ6tI/AAAAAAAAITQ/8GAuymT5L24/s1600-h/14-04-01-14-25-48H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-14-25-48H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-14-25-48H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JDTVHq5Mayo/VB5RE-yJOOI/AAAAAAAAITU/aR_wZ-esWC4/14-04-01-14-25-48H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PXZbD4-C7TI/VB5RFRapSfI/AAAAAAAAITc/HMKAZqZFTN8/s1600-h/14-04-01-15-09-30H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-15-09-30H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-15-09-30H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TOQSqpmKwQU/VB5RFk-culI/AAAAAAAAITk/2lNwp8txCeI/14-04-01-15-09-30H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Jv-LjmuIC1k/VB5RGCbNbaI/AAAAAAAAITs/u0MQh8Gn3vg/s1600-h/14-04-01-16-15-00H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-16-15-00H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-16-15-00H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4BoF9x90NS8/VB5RGTXPukI/AAAAAAAAIT0/-zyp52oPCZI/14-04-01-16-15-00H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yRhHFHTvrqg/VB5RHF6axII/AAAAAAAAIUA/plMTnGTJvT0/s1600-h/14-04-01-16-36-05H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-16-36-05H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-16-36-05H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-N5D0SBmbvuo/VB5RHTrQBpI/AAAAAAAAIUE/CMiVTMshIsg/14-04-01-16-36-05H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jPoLsTmf19k/VB5RH7HrR5I/AAAAAAAAIUQ/SlDpAJaMpDc/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-18-36H%25255B44%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-18-36H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-18-36H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5NeEmD-zudk/VB5RIXvObyI/AAAAAAAAIUY/O0nxR5VeNy0/14-04-01-17-18-36H_thumb%25255B40%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ywWR7o4Pm_E/VB5RI_pHqfI/AAAAAAAAIUg/TgJtwVsVhm8/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-18-36H%25255B35%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-18-36H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-18-36H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kxDOliKCEvs/VB5RJTwEKDI/AAAAAAAAIUo/utxPIlgdjKo/14-04-01-17-18-36H_thumb%25255B31%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="407" height="305" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qRyTZsaVC4E/VB5RJ8PufkI/AAAAAAAAIUs/B1kfiZJm6_U/s1600-h/14-04-01-16-34-20H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-16-34-20H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-16-34-20H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-R24ZclAYdyA/VB5RKbtFPvI/AAAAAAAAIU0/0SN-Lqo9Dfk/14-04-01-16-34-20H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p>Ironically we got closer and closer to snow in our pursuit of warmth.  I found the frosty isolation of Mono Lake very beautiful as were the mountain peaks thinly outlined in black against the white-gray sky.  Yes, I did think that the sky color was one of impending snow and we were the only fools out on the road. And there were some snow flakes falling….<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_6OBO08OOL4/VB5RKkVhwFI/AAAAAAAAIVA/26x7WxqUNIw/s1600-h/14-04-01-18-08-14H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-18-08-14H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-18-08-14H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8PX4qsfQvgU/VB5RLHnIhnI/AAAAAAAAIVE/rC8A8-wH47M/14-04-01-18-08-14H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="396" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Jq3kM6t_nH8/VB5RLd5n2RI/AAAAAAAAIVQ/Wt_8GlRvugU/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-34-06H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-34-06H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-34-06H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CYFj515E11k/VB5RMJZVWbI/AAAAAAAAIVU/z94CMBW_J1I/14-04-01-17-34-06H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ojrToRXTEvk/VB5RMmSabsI/AAAAAAAAIVg/YpQiAgHKBeE/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-33-55H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-33-55H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-33-55H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Kn9utwC3VWg/VB5RM-yhPOI/AAAAAAAAIVk/_EIOgrVkWwU/14-04-01-17-33-55H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gxdwVmTr8jo/VB5RNcwk3QI/AAAAAAAAIVw/L4k0mtS8HGE/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-34-38H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-34-38H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-34-38H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-muFe_OIqsKE/VB5RN3cEQ3I/AAAAAAAAIV0/x9xxz82tE_c/14-04-01-17-34-38H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mAyNAZflZYk/VB5ROWHz4QI/AAAAAAAAIV8/qtk6gawmJfM/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-43-45H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-43-45H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-43-45H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vBKnJTW_IJM/VB5RO4LM-aI/AAAAAAAAIWI/cChTllzUb3k/14-04-01-17-43-45H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-U0z-oohftAY/VB5RPGuDTCI/AAAAAAAAIWM/rvP8na-0-io/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-44-47H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-44-47H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-44-47H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KIdbXgUZoVE/VB5RPiC90TI/AAAAAAAAIWU/ULGeSj53p2M/14-04-01-17-44-47H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LUXZR1j02KA/VB5RQB-GhLI/AAAAAAAAIWg/HiNlgFMLwrA/s1600-h/14-04-01-17-45-41H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-17-45-41H" border="0" alt="14-04-01-17-45-41H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hk8Ae0OPyhU/VB5RQvSJtuI/AAAAAAAAIWk/e9e5yELNhf0/14-04-01-17-45-41H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a> But we made it to Reno after nightfall.  We perched here for a few days reading and catching up on projects.  In the afternoons we walked in the glorious sunlight around the downtown Truckee River area.</p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-k9NqlkJBnBA/VB5RQ3qA9GI/AAAAAAAAIWw/r5Y0Co4k3mI/s1600-h/14-04-01-22-49-08R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-01-22-49-08R" border="0" alt="14-04-01-22-49-08R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-U3f3ZuqHvj8/VB5RRTeKWhI/AAAAAAAAIW0/FVsk0yGNQ10/14-04-01-22-49-08R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vFILhru_Ydo/VB5RR6IdxQI/AAAAAAAAIXA/TWS59DmP2Rs/s1600-h/14-04-02-18-27-28H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-02-18-27-28H" border="0" alt="14-04-02-18-27-28H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-34Ni6tsbA1M/VB5RSU5jO-I/AAAAAAAAIXE/mf9XSb_kDcY/14-04-02-18-27-28H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--ICd-zjVSsw/VB5RS2QYATI/AAAAAAAAIXQ/cOd0vNrNiRU/s1600-h/14-04-02-18-36-20H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-02-18-36-20H" border="0" alt="14-04-02-18-36-20H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qIL-RSBdkfY/VB5RTRfC3II/AAAAAAAAIXU/B4a4Q5g2J68/14-04-02-18-36-20H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gadBLP47GY4/VB5RTlsTDzI/AAAAAAAAIXg/pb9RAOowDvg/s1600-h/14-04-02-18-42-04H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-02-18-42-04H" border="0" alt="14-04-02-18-42-04H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Df7eDqX_SgI/VB5RUBMUJaI/AAAAAAAAIXo/MsBITmgnwUY/14-04-02-18-42-04H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wgMezCT4k2I/VB5RUoMDj2I/AAAAAAAAIXs/sRFXYph09i8/s1600-h/14-04-02-19-12-54H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-02-19-12-54H" border="0" alt="14-04-02-19-12-54H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-upiY7rBupj4/VB5RU3RafzI/AAAAAAAAIX4/VUxzAXLwZeM/14-04-02-19-12-54H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MTwtpF5VAj0/VB5RVSrf3BI/AAAAAAAAIYA/w_uVMQaOrj8/s1600-h/14-04-02-20-06-51H%25255B21%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-02-20-06-51H" border="0" alt="14-04-02-20-06-51H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lundKyqHIXE/VB5RWBZFLCI/AAAAAAAAIYE/hD0mi0ZGTow/14-04-02-20-06-51H_thumb%25255B18%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KuR6UeV3qZ4/VB5RWYUOphI/AAAAAAAAIYM/Sq9DA3ybRyE/s1600-h/14-04-03-18-45-38H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-03-18-45-38H" border="0" alt="14-04-03-18-45-38H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TNxIplByXuA/VB5RW4Z3nrI/AAAAAAAAIYU/kEAXXLLptJc/14-04-03-18-45-38H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GWm92RVUSjM/VB5RXLnEV1I/AAAAAAAAIYc/m8dBegGMmSE/s1600-h/14-04-03-18-51-13H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-03-18-51-13H" border="0" alt="14-04-03-18-51-13H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aSE828tGBvM/VB5RXjFnqhI/AAAAAAAAIYk/rxkfZpeERXI/14-04-03-18-51-13H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GaXMpzUZx8Q/VB5RX3QM2-I/AAAAAAAAIYs/U_CNHW9Y_xA/s1600-h/14-04-03-19-00-22H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-03-19-00-22H" border="0" alt="14-04-03-19-00-22H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6ytt_kiB68A/VB5RYc5rVRI/AAAAAAAAIY0/HE_eqW2pu90/14-04-03-19-00-22H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_syM-24jfrs/VB5RYnTicEI/AAAAAAAAIY8/01oirYls410/s1600-h/14-04-03-19-11-46R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-04-03-19-11-46R" border="0" alt="14-04-03-19-11-46R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GfBa4Y174qo/VB5RZC8MMHI/AAAAAAAAIZE/N6QEur9ukwg/14-04-03-19-11-46R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p>We had one last day to spare on our way home and came up through parts of Oregon I hadn’t seen: Christmas Valley, Fort Rock, Summer Lake and Silver Lake.  We stayed our last night in a fishing and hunting motel (Don’t clean your guns on the bedspreads) and had the sole attention of the proprietors.  And so to home!   (I’ll show you those pictures tomorrow.)</p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-19452472513530074532014-08-06T15:38:00.001-07:002014-08-06T15:38:10.336-07:00Sunset, Sunrise, Swiftly Fly the Days<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UqjpfMlrHfs/U-KtxWD80tI/AAAAAAAAIHQ/OAri6jqicOo/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-44-24R%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-44-24R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-44-24R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Zt7ETUtI0_0/U-Ktyc0KVbI/AAAAAAAAIHY/YPJnSMn4CYw/14-03-30-18-44-24R_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="506" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I wasn’t kidding when I said it was windy at the Grand Canyon.  Here is a picture of the flag at the Visitor’s Center.</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z-_8QwTCrpQ/U-KtzZc3IAI/AAAAAAAAIHc/bNDvUUoO020/s1600-h/14-03-30-11-53-46R%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z-_8QwTCrpQ/U-KtzZc3IAI/AAAAAAAAIHo/VjWZNSsFFN0/s1600-h/14-03-30-11-53-46R%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-11-53-46R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-11-53-46R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BEUIvAPqLhc/U-Kt0m7h58I/AAAAAAAAIHs/Xp2iT4r9RZg/14-03-30-11-53-46R_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="676" /></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Take that image and multiply it by hats and hair flying, jackets blowing and people hanging onto their brochures, cameras, purses and children lest they blow into the canyon.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It didn’t stop our fun.  Armed with literature about the park we each had a list of “must sees” and we did them all.  The only aspect of our plan we didn’t accomplish was sitting in the campground reading the books and magazines we had brought and writing and drawing the projects we had intended to.  It was too cold to sit outside and too windy for papers to be laid out.  I didn’t even cook over the fire as we’d planned: we just ate cheese and bagels and yoghurt and fruit and one night we had  dinner in a lodge just before closing. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The first day after our night without a rainfly and our subsequent purchase of a tarp, we came back to check on our tent site midday and discovered that the jury-rigged tent tarp had blown off.  Tech Guy is surveying the problem and conjuring a solution: more rope!  We battened the hatches and went on our way again.  We (I) feel a little small and foolish next to the glamorous Pace-Arrows and Prevosts, but I don’t think they have any more fun than we do.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I_bd_NHyv0Y/U-Kt1Fib-UI/AAAAAAAAIH0/Ov0UIr-82Lw/s1600-h/14-03-30-17-26-05H%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-17-26-05H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-17-26-05H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-2ybHd1asm_8/U-Kt1uvU6aI/AAAAAAAAIIA/vNKd5oIx9Uw/14-03-30-17-26-05H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="341" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> </font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">One of the ‘must sees’ was<strong><u> Sunset at Yaki Point</u></strong>, which is the farthest east point that the shuttle busses run. We had to plan our blue shuttle bus connection to the orange shuttle line in time to get to Yaki before the sun’s show was over.  </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NX8cJ0Ui7po/U-Kt2aHh9rI/AAAAAAAAIIE/pLUJ5B6kIGE/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-27-13H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-27-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-27-13H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MElVBw01Woo/U-Kt2x0eDQI/AAAAAAAAIIQ/frIwfxO_y8s/14-03-30-18-27-13H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jQy3ivN_ZrI/U-Kt3laMGAI/AAAAAAAAIIY/Nvo04V_cess/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-28-11H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-28-11H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-28-11H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nImrGcm3_1g/U-Kt4fDnPfI/AAAAAAAAIIc/BZcBiyhz_cU/14-03-30-18-28-11H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6OHrKWrsFus/U-Kt45_OvuI/AAAAAAAAIIk/ypAvhKX7tOw/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-30-13H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-30-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-30-13H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fCDBioL7TC0/U-Kt5luLI8I/AAAAAAAAIIs/e2gvyLmKcvA/14-03-30-18-30-13H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ud_NvKbPRl8/U-Kt6HP4ZYI/AAAAAAAAII0/EeuOFrGUVNI/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-32-41H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-32-41H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-32-41H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HbQkqWEci3w/U-Kt61Zwf7I/AAAAAAAAII8/gPDMz57zPEI/14-03-30-18-32-41H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">His body language shows how frozen Tech Guy is:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I0s-HRAlW0E/U-Kt7QUWuNI/AAAAAAAAIJE/5H-MGj7C56g/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-34-27H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-34-27H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-34-27H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Rh6y52rsr1A/U-Kt73m5hbI/AAAAAAAAIJQ/grL4_vTmmfs/14-03-30-18-34-27H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="505" height="380" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">There was a slightly cultic flavor to watching the sun go down over the canyon, and an unmistakable romantic flavor to it.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4pkIJT4ERPI/U-Kt8VJ5FhI/AAAAAAAAIJU/49CcK-sUsQQ/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-40-08H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-40-08H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-40-08H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-buQ0AbWp9GE/U-Kt9An-JgI/AAAAAAAAIJc/jhqgklw59EE/14-03-30-18-40-08H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CxkdqChzKWQ/U-Kt9ps1oaI/AAAAAAAAIJk/YKDHwIXUK-8/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-43-58H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-43-58H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-43-58H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QpqDxEXC01Y/U-Kt-c4GmHI/AAAAAAAAIJw/tMCkjsQn4CA/14-03-30-18-43-58H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Several couples are out on the precipice  in the lower half of the photo.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-RGCE7Nnpq3A/U-Kt-0JfWqI/AAAAAAAAIJ4/oXMa1XMh2KU/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-43-35H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-43-35H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-43-35H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GLzF9h5JQN0/U-Kt_hcL_eI/AAAAAAAAIJ8/OAV__1miSuc/14-03-30-18-43-35H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After this, we went to a Ranger talk that was indoors--Yay! we’re warming up—and had at least 350 people there.  I remember him talking about “Why is it called the Grand Canyon” and then I got kind of dozy.  Afterwards, we had a late supper at the cafeteria/food court in Maswik Lodge and headed, filled and warmed, to our campsite.</font></p> <p><font face="Lucida Calligraphy"><font size="4">Another ‘must see’ was <u><strong>Sunrise at Desert</strong> <strong>View</strong></u>.  I had read about this opportunity before we ever left home and we had determined to do it.  Desert View is 25 miles beyond the furthest shuttle point and I worried about waking up enough earlier than sunrise to make the drive before the sun actually <em>rose. </em></font></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I needn’t have worried.  This was the night it got down to 19 degrees.  We slept in layers with ski hats on but there was a lot of tossing and turning and rubbing feet together and checking our cell phones for the time.  I think we got up finally at 4:18 AM, sneaking quietly from the tent to the van hoping not to wake our tenting neighbors. We drove out of the campground with the lights low until we turned onto the main road.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We were so happy to be in the car!  We didn’t care if we were crazy early for the sunrise; just to have the heater on was amazing.  We drove through 25 miles of pitch black night with me hoping not to meet up with any moose/buffalo roaming or the deer and the antelope playing.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We got to Desert View and it was deserted except for one other car in the large parking lot.  More people seem to be worshippers of the sunset than the sunrise.  It certainly comes at a better social hour.  We waited in the car for a while not wanting to freeze unnecessarily early but when we heard the occupant of the other car rustling about we decided it was time to explore.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I was amazed that the lone occupant of the other car was a woman in a wheel chair, at least 50 years old, pushing herself down the path to the viewpoint.  The sky was still dark and the path unfamiliar but this woman was as bright and chipper as could be.  I felt like I was still in my p.j.s with a couple layers thrown over, so I was well-impressed with her inner drive to get out and see the sunrise.  We offered to push her chair for her since it was quite a walk to the rim but she refused, saying it was good exercise.  As we got closer to the rim the path sloped downward and I thought we should hang onto her chair as ballast so she wouldn’t pick up too much speed and fly off the edge, but she had good control of it.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">*<font face="Calibri">Our camera clocks were not perfectly synchronized so while each camera’s time stamp is consistent within itself the interwoven photos may be a little off.</font></font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6egFzP2BMdM/U-KuAMAb0CI/AAAAAAAAIKE/UtI9j2R6fbU/s1600-h/14-03-31-05-46-49H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-05-46-49H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-05-46-49H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eNuWI0MCsxg/U-KuAhWfPLI/AAAAAAAAIKQ/2nk32UbbEf8/14-03-31-05-46-49H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--4-fnQmwo-Y/U-KuBROFqsI/AAAAAAAAIKU/52dsoMohwfs/s1600-h/14-03-31-05-48-18H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-05-48-18H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-05-48-18H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--QK4pudIkqI/U-KuCFxBuTI/AAAAAAAAIKg/LtF6rEEA14c/14-03-31-05-48-18H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FXR-i4D1EO4/U-KuC3J9DZI/AAAAAAAAIKk/czT-XHKF4Y0/s1600-h/14-03-31-05-59-33R%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-05-59-33R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-05-59-33R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v3txEboXe0M/U-KuDUq_kuI/AAAAAAAAIKs/9X9h2UHcnDk/14-03-31-05-59-33R_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CAH5w2nrRao/U-KuD3WOqhI/AAAAAAAAIK0/OZ5y157zCfo/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-01-57H%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-01-57H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-01-57H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-psMgryvrWZw/U-KuET-BXqI/AAAAAAAAILA/cql0ZwelhHY/14-03-31-06-01-57H_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PEqEysPMFAo/U-KuFIobqAI/AAAAAAAAILE/VG8IEsxZ5DI/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-02-03H%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-02-03H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-02-03H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QULiEl7iPR0/U-KuFr4N5kI/AAAAAAAAILM/nRaUcIho8N0/14-03-31-06-02-03H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-d5oFqNsx-T0/U-KuGUMmrjI/AAAAAAAAILQ/byLFsJklHRI/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-04-33R%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-04-33R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-04-33R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ptFjTmA_GYo/U-KuG9iV2MI/AAAAAAAAILg/dGcnCsJmO8U/14-03-31-06-04-33R_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Our companions at the viewpoint were the woman in the wheel chair and a slightly self-promoting fellow who has done extreme photography all over the world and in much more trying conditions such as ice caves, avalanches and underwater while being eaten by sharks. (I made that last part up.) It was just too early in the day to deal with him.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-X6M_o6YST5Q/U-KuHq2M9KI/AAAAAAAAILo/zmOctSHLc3U/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-13-03R%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-13-03R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-13-03R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OaxMpFcuj1Y/U-KuIZXwtMI/AAAAAAAAILw/xOf0RAHOd4g/14-03-31-06-13-03R_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">One of the surprises at Desert View was our happening onto the Devil’s Watchtower designed by Mary Colter which we had seen numerous pictures of  but hadn’t pursued.  It wasn’t open yet so we couldn’t go up the tower.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ui8PSPI3Ny8/U-KuJF8T8PI/AAAAAAAAIL0/FQ6EiRqjJcY/s1600-h/14-03-31-05-54-01R%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-05-54-01R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-05-54-01R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LwND9E2ERjg/U-KuJurHyII/AAAAAAAAIL8/NRsyypdm5mo/14-03-31-05-54-01R_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-A5A8lQKpw78/U-KuKpfkYXI/AAAAAAAAIMI/o8wyl1xPalA/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-04-49H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-04-49H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-04-49H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1u2_XHortO4/U-KuLZLlvUI/AAAAAAAAIMM/Q45s4n2t3Zg/14-03-31-06-04-49H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DdK1XIP0oLY/U-KuL3GkTLI/AAAAAAAAIMU/CDkdiPnanQc/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-05-10R%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-05-10R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-05-10R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--VUSJUnrhbI/U-KuMmgTmtI/AAAAAAAAIMg/vBt80Uv20jg/14-03-31-06-05-10R_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-K5rqTCGqm5k/U-KuNDlQDvI/AAAAAAAAIMo/IjbR2H5GxV0/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-12-26R%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-12-26R" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-12-26R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NmudmjIq9sU/U-KuNxD4wDI/AAAAAAAAIMs/0q_JN-P7xwc/14-03-31-06-12-26R_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lmlq9I8Un74/U-KuOZPA3iI/AAAAAAAAIM0/Ymsk_VEmxos/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-14-42H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-14-42H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-14-42H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RvSLAVgTh9U/U-KuPOVboaI/AAAAAAAAINA/lXEQY99D5W4/14-03-31-06-14-42H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zo0To4dLpKk/U-KuP4z-pXI/AAAAAAAAINE/Pztq_U_ssv0/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-17-00H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-17-00H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-17-00H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vHXw2LtREr4/U-KuQf-AVmI/AAAAAAAAINQ/r_-RS8Sb5BA/14-03-31-06-17-00H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="441" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DNOB3530SCQ/U-KuRBFvYBI/AAAAAAAAINU/QTISrVx19og/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-15-59H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-15-59H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-15-59H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FZ3vEaL2PIc/U-KuRmFajnI/AAAAAAAAINg/ayxSAR48mMU/14-03-31-06-15-59H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Y1tT_-kDnok/U-KuSbGx3UI/AAAAAAAAINk/icvA5WjIZ88/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-15-59H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-15-59H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-15-59H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XDR-jw8A080/U-KuS44lBZI/AAAAAAAAINo/wd0-lbn7Dpo/14-03-31-06-15-59H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="390" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Even though this was the beginning of a new day, I am going to leave it here because of the number of photos I have included.  To be continued and wrapped up soon!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lSAyJiARzrE/U-KuTdY201I/AAAAAAAAIN4/Mb5TPoTovzg/s1600-h/14-03-31-06-13-13H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-31-06-13-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-31-06-13-13H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xrCogStOs3c/U-KuUMlhLeI/AAAAAAAAIN8/ME_2Pstpw4g/14-03-31-06-13-13H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"> </font></p> <p><font size="4"> </font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-91552653917241071022014-07-30T19:40:00.001-07:002014-07-30T19:40:01.356-07:00A Big Hole in the Ground<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We breezed through Flagstaff and headed west to Grand Canyon National Park.  It was late in the afternoon and we wanted to get there and set up our tent and campsite before dark.  Our first neighbors at the campground were these:</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bmnSRyx1eIA/U9mr-egz3rI/AAAAAAAAIAo/_aC2H_POkPM/s1600-h/14-03-29-17-50-44H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-17-50-44H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-17-50-44H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eS0Ht8unqZU/U9mr_fUUx9I/AAAAAAAAIAw/vTehrQDJPIM/14-03-29-17-50-44H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="407" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PgUUjwx6A8E/U9msAObOXaI/AAAAAAAAIA0/L7cix75de_I/s1600-h/14-03-29-17-50-52H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-17-50-52H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-17-50-52H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pYTpTfc9svs/U9msAUf3k8I/AAAAAAAAIA8/WIWDZhLCVPM/14-03-29-17-50-52H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="380" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Moose!</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VA_HCaTKEf4/U9msBDb5j-I/AAAAAAAAIBI/dxaki-SFuas/s1600-h/14-03-29-17-50-56H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-17-50-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-17-50-56H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-a_5ZtHMPhDo/U9msBlHkLAI/AAAAAAAAIBM/e3vt2ARAwEg/14-03-29-17-50-56H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="212" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We hurriedly unloaded our gear in the high altitude chill and got to the edge of the canyon at dusk.  So did everyone else in the world, it seemed.  There were no parking places in any of the lots anywhere.  We drove in circles through the village around the hotels and eateries trying to get to the cleft of the canyon before dark.  Finally Tech Guy dropped me off at a viewpoint and went on alone to park the car.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I walked up to the edge which was fringed by a low stone wall.  I almost didn’t want to look until Tech Guy got there—it seemed like we should have that “Aahhh” moment together.  But even though it felt like being on my honeymoon alone, it felt even stupider to be standing at the wall of the Grand Canyon not looking. So I looked.  And this is what I saw:</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hRmPnfIFTWs/U9msCJI5_aI/AAAAAAAAIBY/arNEWzvjdOY/s1600-h/14-03-29-18-45-14H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-18-45-14H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-18-45-14H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vzKbtlPVLfk/U9msC1H00CI/AAAAAAAAIBg/tAPpEXXQJyw/14-03-29-18-45-14H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-shGiUoVl0ag/U9msDp8euHI/AAAAAAAAIBo/mgmXPs1MVrs/s1600-h/14-03-29-18-48-48H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-18-48-48H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-18-48-48H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5Et2OBxJa8o/U9msER02vUI/AAAAAAAAIBw/SPK3kTFJTGQ/14-03-29-18-48-48H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It was actually kind of disappointing: through my lifetime I have seen so many Technicolor pictures and calendar pages of the Grand Canyon that this was kind of a let-down.  It was basically a brownish hole in the ground and I couldn’t see the river at all. Yes, it <u>was</u> big, though.  A big brownish hole.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I walked back to my drop off point and met Tech Guy, still circling.  We went to the village market to pick up a few supplies and something to eat.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">When we set up our tent we discovered that the rain fly had not been packed with it the last time it was put away.  AARRGH.  We had loaned the tent out and it had come back in two parts which had separated in our basement over the winter.  The whole top half of the tent is mesh and the rain fly is the only privacy as well as the weather shield.  I didn’t mind maneuvering into bed in the pitch dark night but I was a little afraid of waking up to see a moose’s face up against the screen.  This was my view waking up in the morning:</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-slQVQnRCtto/U9msFvpBfyI/AAAAAAAAIB4/VL0TiHGGYKM/s1600-h/14-03-30-08-15-44R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-08-15-44R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-08-15-44R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-W_CvXV-DDP8/U9msGb1qomI/AAAAAAAAICA/l9QfYYxC7p4/14-03-30-08-15-44R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eHrHy00zcBk/U9msGzO8BXI/AAAAAAAAICI/6yp4PewMxug/s1600-h/14-03-30-08-16-23R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-08-16-23R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-08-16-23R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-W2whakWrshw/U9msH-zKZBI/AAAAAAAAICM/NEoCki7VQT8/14-03-30-08-16-23R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The breath of fresh air, yes? The only problem was the air was well below freezing, 19 degrees one night.</font><font color="#0000ff"> <font size="6" face="Almonte Snow">We froze</font>.</font> </p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We had learned on our first night at Klamath Falls Wal-Mart to forgo the niceties and to sleep in our clothes with sweatshirts and socks and knit hats.  So we layered up and huddled. Daybreak was a relief.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I had planned all my outfits for the 2 aspects of our trip, hot weather in Havasu and cold at the Canyon.  Certain tops were designed to go with certain slacks to make coordinated & (hopefully) cute outfits.  Forget all that!  In the morning I couldn’t bear to take off the shirt I’d slept in for one that was 19 degrees cold, so I just layered on more and more.  An early stop</font> <font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">at the store for coffee caught me looking like this:</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tnVhJ14uuKE/U9msIenAI7I/AAAAAAAAICY/5T2a7ALTTWs/s1600-h/14-03-30-08-34-00H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-08-34-00H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-08-34-00H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ex1DhJPw7z4/U9msJOzT-eI/AAAAAAAAICg/9wByaNFy1mU/14-03-30-08-34-00H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Purple and brown and green and black&white.  Oh my! The only consolation was that other campers weren’t much better.  The hotel gang were noticeably improved but then they weren’t washing their faces with an ice cube.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Our breakfast:</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I27ww_eEhnM/U9msJ-tJIfI/AAAAAAAAICo/RLTlRkAZ9jo/s1600-h/14-03-30-08-43-21H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-08-43-21H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-08-43-21H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QjjEi9Ofy9I/U9msKnydvOI/AAAAAAAAICw/FfN0RZZOWgA/14-03-30-08-43-21H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Thus fortified we set out to see the Canyon.  Our approach was to use the free tour buses to get to the farthest point, Hermit’s Rest, with stops at viewpoints along the way where people got on and off.  The buses come every few minutes so we could disembark, take some photos, read the signs and board the next bus.</font> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DWtIKLKSB0U/U9msLZqrcqI/AAAAAAAAIC0/lKDWLDTEFW0/s1600-h/14-03-30-12-00-38H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-12-00-38H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-12-00-38H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8h_TfiAwUUY/U9msL6k29oI/AAAAAAAAIDA/fnGkLJ34fHQ/14-03-30-12-00-38H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></p> <p><font size="4"><font face="Lucida Calligraphy">One driver was so funny!  He said, concerning which viewpoints to go to,</font><strong><em> </em><font color="#d16349" face="Times New Roman">“Pick you out a couple of ‘em.  This is a big hole in the ground.  There’s not a lot of difference between one overlook and another.  If you came here to see pine trees then stay on the bus.  If you want to see the Grand Canyon, then pick you out a couple of overlooks.”</font></strong></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The wind was blowing at 50 miles an hour all day.  People who work at the park said they had never seen such sustained high winds lasting all day.  Hats were useless and wigs were problematic.  Here is a picture of me trying to keep my hood up to hold my hair on while trying to take a picture:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--of1bjm_6X0/U9msMtX6t3I/AAAAAAAAIDE/p_ChFyNu5mI/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-03-31H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-03-31H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-03-31H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YpF4SKvwBFA/U9msM84JYuI/AAAAAAAAIDQ/sbziK4T2JeU/14-03-30-13-03-31H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Here are some pictures from various viewpoints:</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fTtP70ydZRI/U9msNtcEB0I/AAAAAAAAIDY/eT3EoNte9gg/s1600-h/14-03-30-11-42-39R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-11-42-39R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-11-42-39R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ojNxx64NhbY/U9msOfjrQEI/AAAAAAAAIDc/u_HVKPnH83o/14-03-30-11-42-39R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eptMcZdVNXQ/U9msOykLIbI/AAAAAAAAIDk/x9yTaMjTUOM/s1600-h/14-03-30-11-43-05R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-11-43-05R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-11-43-05R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3oLcl3zu5yg/U9msPZqgpGI/AAAAAAAAIDw/ghMe95KtzJY/14-03-30-11-43-05R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9-qVKABQq4g/U9msQZyYH8I/AAAAAAAAID4/zzq234owXz0/s1600-h/14-03-30-12-11-05H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-12-11-05H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-12-11-05H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SIzU6S4QMqY/U9msQz--7-I/AAAAAAAAID8/Eoy_ke5ARME/14-03-30-12-11-05H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bG846e2CSxM/U9msRlzC3RI/AAAAAAAAIEI/Y3NK39M5dZ0/s1600-h/14-03-30-12-28-04H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-12-28-04H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-12-28-04H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3pzkTWRMS8s/U9msSLkBsOI/AAAAAAAAIEQ/B88BfaAuVk0/14-03-30-12-28-04H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xKfXeRxuPKE/U9msTA0BgdI/AAAAAAAAIEY/8jhohha4EO8/s1600-h/14-03-30-12-33-47H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-12-33-47H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-12-33-47H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-n1hszjVKbIg/U9msT-mkTKI/AAAAAAAAIEc/KQ4b-5yTK2A/14-03-30-12-33-47H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2r0XbElefYM/U9msUYdsFbI/AAAAAAAAIEk/MafH5zq-_Vg/s1600-h/14-03-30-12-37-56H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-12-37-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-12-37-56H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eAuLTOBEttM/U9msU6RecuI/AAAAAAAAIEo/PUmAFZEkNew/14-03-30-12-37-56H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GOMsJ7jOZKU/U9msVKIs69I/AAAAAAAAIE0/RLoKX4mGGi4/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-03-22R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-03-22R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-03-22R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3FCMIyZ9Hyc/U9msV6abjBI/AAAAAAAAIFA/VfxVoaV0JeA/14-03-30-13-03-22R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a> <font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">At the westernmost end of the bus route is Hermit’s Rest, a hut for weary travelers back in the burro pack trip days, long before cars or even national park status. </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lvkHfsKAFzI/U9msXLavEEI/AAAAAAAAIFI/jHKkop3BZrk/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-09-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-09-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-09-43H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/--_dzfQOSWf4/U9msXjct2LI/AAAAAAAAIFQ/XGk_pkOKu3A/14-03-30-13-09-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--QfrIiU5mAA/U9msYTYHBdI/AAAAAAAAIFU/RF6Bb0LrIVg/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-18-07H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-18-07H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-18-07H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ac6XSxIwiHk/U9msY7dp52I/AAAAAAAAIFc/ahaCUuBJxUk/14-03-30-13-18-07H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eM-aC4ioRzU/U9msZfOjKmI/AAAAAAAAIFo/bC_n7P4OctM/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-18-38R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-18-38R" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-18-38R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-l84vXDHB1OU/U9msZ8_fvZI/AAAAAAAAIFw/o-g69qUe14U/14-03-30-13-18-38R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-w7v9nm1BX_s/U9msautPQxI/AAAAAAAAIF0/I3xZop5_9ds/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-19-01H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-19-01H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-19-01H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pl7BlccRjpY/U9msbO8wxZI/AAAAAAAAIF8/ej71RPNrIYE/14-03-30-13-19-01H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9YZCc2a39H4/U9msb5JakQI/AAAAAAAAIGI/5J4NpAmrfXc/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-25-41H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-25-41H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-25-41H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B8FIYSZ0tNg/U9msctjXY9I/AAAAAAAAIGM/rs4kJjeGBTg/14-03-30-13-25-41H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a> <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_Ng8DehlDo8/U9msdFjR8-I/AAAAAAAAIGY/YKA1RutWaLc/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-35-35H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-35-35H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-35-35H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-W6oT6tWCQqQ/U9msdhPWdWI/AAAAAAAAIGc/bSlxM8ziX4Y/14-03-30-13-35-35H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We headed back towards the village stopping at Bright Angel Trailhead where undaunted souls begin their descent to the valley floor and back up again.  Some people do it all in one day. In the center of the photo below you can see  a group of hikers. The foreground shows just how little protection there is against a fall--no walls or railings. But we saw quite a few people starting out on the trail</font>. </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8xEeeBDhcmU/U9mseDHH87I/AAAAAAAAIGk/e5M44rJsFwQ/s1600-h/14-03-30-14-57-45H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-14-57-45H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-14-57-45H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LWtH0LWGxcQ/U9msemJiEWI/AAAAAAAAIGo/yJlzoWa29HA/14-03-30-14-57-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Just beyond the trailhead is the home of the Kolb brothers, intrepid pioneers and daring adventurers on the Colorado River.  Much of what we know of the early days in the Grand Canyon is because of their photography.  Their personal histories are fascinating but outside the scope of this blog.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Gonjv5Z9_us/U9msfDSHjjI/AAAAAAAAIGw/d8lKbmAGEmw/s1600-h/14-03-30-15-01-24H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-15-01-24H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-15-01-24H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fYdqzLi5Pyk/U9msfmiLEJI/AAAAAAAAIG8/dHfev5aI3N8/14-03-30-15-01-24H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">  I bought several books on the<em> <strong>human history</strong></em> of the Canyon—that’s what the park ranger called it.  I told him I didn’t really care how old the rocks are, or what millennium or geologic age they come from, but I do love learning  about the people who made the Grand Canyon what it is today: the <strong>Kolb brothers,</strong> and<strong> Fred Harvey</strong> who brought the <strong>Harvey Girls</strong> through the west and got the train coming to it,  and <strong>Mary</strong> <strong>Coulter</strong> who was a rare pioneering woman architect in early 1900 and created many distinctive structures in the canyon following patterns of the first Southwestern natives.  As interest grew in the Grand Canyon different entrepreneurs fought to get a piece of the action with their burros or stagecoaches and eateries.  I bought a book about Mary Coulter and the Harvey Girls and have a couple more I want to get on the human history.  It is wonderful that in 1919 the land was designated a National Park preserving it for us all.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-27666955072652080752014-07-28T16:40:00.001-07:002014-07-28T16:40:06.316-07:00Sedona, Jerome, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We left our casita wishing we could stay there for a week with our books and papers, but we had more places to go and things to see. We headed to Jerome, a mile-high copper mining town that became extinct as a mine but continues as a tourist and artist colony.  It was a beautiful sunshiny day and a perfect day for road trippin’ on a motorcycle, which we weren’t.  I like the idea of motorcycling the open road but Tech Guy does not share this fantasy and I don’t think I could hold a Harley up by myself…but those 3-wheelers are a possibility.</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ffSlYJvKOz4/U9beva8XplI/AAAAAAAAH5o/KaYXNO66Tzw/s1600-h/14-03-29-11-40-50H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-11-40-50H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-11-40-50H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-4zdXtmBFifc/U9bewF1ZhxI/AAAAAAAAH5s/CkWU0qvAgXE/14-03-29-11-40-50H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="380" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">High on the hill is the town of Jerome, not a prepossessing sight, but its history which is written up on the outskirts of town draws you in, and then you discover on closer inspection that the shops and restaurants are thriving and it is almost impossible to get a parking place on a Saturday.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2iywvphD7b8/U9bewharECI/AAAAAAAAH50/nPPoznAwfHA/s1600-h/14-03-29-11-51-12H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-11-51-12H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-11-51-12H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-guD-pMzCZvw/U9bexYjGL0I/AAAAAAAAH58/ABxi6o_S35Q/14-03-29-11-51-12H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_oouDuRgdqw/U9beyMioGaI/AAAAAAAAH6E/UnFTtu6Fsd8/s1600-h/14-03-29-11-59-57H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-11-59-57H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-11-59-57H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BR8YjGrwT8k/U9beyrbFTwI/AAAAAAAAH6M/UvXPAG4gr4M/14-03-29-11-59-57H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-jP9RIZUzxxk/U9bezQDhGhI/AAAAAAAAH6U/oWX1UmrOT0U/s1600-h/14-03-29-11-59-45H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-11-59-45H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-11-59-45H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bJBXx0Vg864/U9be0G9GWkI/AAAAAAAAH6g/ZMYfC4d2hPs/14-03-29-11-59-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7o-_Qj-BmhM/U9be0wNxt7I/AAAAAAAAH6k/Oq8TZY4uiMs/s1600-h/14-03-29-12-00-40R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-12-00-40R" border="0" alt="14-03-29-12-00-40R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_IqTcXNs54w/U9be1dekJxI/AAAAAAAAH6s/hlKrFzY-kAs/14-03-29-12-00-40R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e5zyFnTVmUI/U9be2BhJdNI/AAAAAAAAH60/Ji1j9x272uk/s1600-h/14-03-29-12-37-56H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-12-37-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-12-37-56H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-I-QUQnpLWoM/U9be29uTKvI/AAAAAAAAH7A/9YGgV8fBQf4/14-03-29-12-37-56H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9BT4okt4r3w/U9be36uAToI/AAAAAAAAH7E/Haz5z3pSBYU/s1600-h/14-03-29-12-58-35H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-12-58-35H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-12-58-35H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Il2_eldZDj4/U9be489Cu4I/AAAAAAAAH7M/cTynfWEGBoU/14-03-29-12-58-35H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="437" height="440" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I contributed to the local economy by making an endowment for the arts…</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qAbXLffIzgk/U9be5tCbqTI/AAAAAAAAH7U/UAvBox9q9Ss/s1600-h/14-03-29-12-54-57R%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-12-54-57R" border="0" alt="14-03-29-12-54-57R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mYz6J1LnUHY/U9be6UyfqpI/AAAAAAAAH7c/-XChifwAtRA/14-03-29-12-54-57R_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HLmNxK_C650/U9be7BEF2KI/AAAAAAAAH7o/Wh1AEQ9_VvI/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-10-50H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-13-10-50H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-13-10-50H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-g_unhnw0CdI/U9be8mgjgBI/AAAAAAAAH7s/2Ui8tbpfLak/14-03-29-13-10-50H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EFGWHR4u2f4/U9be9Ru4IJI/AAAAAAAAH70/kTdk-UJLxLU/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-11-30H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EFGWHR4u2f4/U9be9Ru4IJI/AAAAAAAAH78/6aUMxA0CV5g/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-11-30H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-13-11-30H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-13-11-30H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ySWURI341VE/U9be-xaMP5I/AAAAAAAAH8E/0UoRVl9lMbE/14-03-29-13-11-30H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SxPedj9QJBA/U9be_06CbhI/AAAAAAAAH8I/1GpwZV8BFak/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-17-17H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-13-17-17H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-13-17-17H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CEsZ15b-yiQ/U9bfAgfwxPI/AAAAAAAAH8Q/yid9W4-arFU/14-03-29-13-17-17H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--7R9yZ025E0/U9bfBeSGxRI/AAAAAAAAH8c/P-g8PY5k69o/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-20-31H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-13-20-31H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-13-20-31H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ZTBKiCCLZ9g/U9bfCjqxRGI/AAAAAAAAH8g/wKVnXFuWTBA/14-03-29-13-20-31H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="249" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I stopped to take a picture of this tumbledown gas station and then I realized that someone is still living downstairs.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dxAefQ_L4Po/U9bfDFPLbUI/AAAAAAAAH8o/vUrutcqIppg/s1600-h/14-03-29-13-26-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-13-26-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-13-26-43H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-v8mkJGYzRFA/U9bfDtTRJYI/AAAAAAAAH80/UEdeuHVUFCg/14-03-29-13-26-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Leaving Jerome we headed back through Sedona making a stop at an architectural marvel, the Chapel of the Holy Cross.</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rwxqmzV3d9I/U9bfEb7E0nI/AAAAAAAAH88/qRyTTbo5FWg/s1600-h/14-03-29-15-10-22H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-15-10-22H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-15-10-22H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7w_Cuxvdx8g/U9bfFCPpR6I/AAAAAAAAH9A/AyJhI-eHUcI/14-03-29-15-10-22H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CeKBTuKB1sc/U9bfFte5rqI/AAAAAAAAH9I/mpDho_UFWZo/s1600-h/14-03-29-15-10-41H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-15-10-41H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-15-10-41H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-BTuh3bzzmAw/U9bfGOxrozI/AAAAAAAAH9Q/92i9-uotbP0/14-03-29-15-10-41H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="545" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">This chapel was built as a memorial to her parents by a local rancher who consulted with Frank Lloyd Wright and initially planned it to be built in Budapest, Europe, but the war intervened and it was then built in Sedona.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DzPMt7yq_4Y/U9bfGsrRkrI/AAAAAAAAH9Y/gvXcSXV1-Xc/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-38-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-38-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-38-43H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_L3CbFmCCfI/U9bfHHjR0eI/AAAAAAAAH9k/zGivgbEvqUg/14-03-29-14-38-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nPyzomPn9xo/U9bfIHxKw0I/AAAAAAAAH9s/EWi0Usin13M/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-42-33H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-42-33H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-42-33H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JYJAmSXEI1E/U9bfImb6_KI/AAAAAAAAH9w/bn3uvmcDlhc/14-03-29-14-42-33H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Looking down at the joining of the chapel to the rock base, and beyond to the parking lot with miniscule cars…</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-P2uTf7zyQfw/U9bfJMCOkLI/AAAAAAAAH94/o7KUqMXdDOo/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-52-21H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-52-21H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-52-21H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ps-kPusxQlI/U9bfJmw1aMI/AAAAAAAAH-A/QfNcTdN_wdQ/14-03-29-14-52-21H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Krh168nPJvg/U9bfKJssdgI/AAAAAAAAH-I/qKUMM35LIqA/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-48-07H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-48-07H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-48-07H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lUk18Nx4XAg/U9bfKjTF0gI/AAAAAAAAH-Q/2ZlsYUN4pQY/14-03-29-14-48-07H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="718" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EoEqpqfC0mk/U9bfLdWc2gI/AAAAAAAAH-Y/bmPomlRFrIY/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-54-36H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-54-36H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-54-36H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h8iXnKGnCG8/U9bfLxGWLsI/AAAAAAAAH-g/n_BUMDOWEDQ/14-03-29-14-54-36H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="908" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ReKgXvdNTrs/U9bfMQgezoI/AAAAAAAAH-o/UUHd_u41otQ/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-50-10H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-50-10H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-50-10H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-P-t1eC0yt3M/U9bfM_6ob4I/AAAAAAAAH-w/67MhzKA9Cgs/14-03-29-14-50-10H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="467" height="728" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We had another one of those moments wondering, “Who on earth lives there?” as we looked down from the chapel to a nearby home. The closer you look, the more amazing it becomes!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-waiJx7CSaHE/U9bfNfIjz7I/AAAAAAAAH-4/9EPLZ0ieT6k/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-50-26H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-waiJx7CSaHE/U9bfNfIjz7I/AAAAAAAAH_A/O9DZXEQQCLs/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-50-26H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-50-26H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-50-26H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nCm4LBlac40/U9bfOqGTIbI/AAAAAAAAH_E/OJREO1Cljgc/14-03-29-14-50-26H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DXHeSRCbP8Y/U9bfPEtrIbI/AAAAAAAAH_M/MerpRWUgo8Q/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-50-26H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-50-26H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-50-26H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kUoZMaul3NM/U9bfPkKua_I/AAAAAAAAH_Y/DNILIDVA9bY/14-03-29-14-50-26H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="521" height="369" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5o_pRSUJkPo/U9bfQuzfEHI/AAAAAAAAH_c/p91fiPKvjQE/s1600-h/14-03-29-14-57-08R%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-14-57-08R" border="0" alt="14-03-29-14-57-08R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jxc681B5T_Q/U9bfRBOp0_I/AAAAAAAAH_o/G_ikAVZr7to/14-03-29-14-57-08R_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="275" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-iW5m6Ga1kck/U9bfRyENORI/AAAAAAAAH_s/cWDOzNgW4O4/s1600-h/14-03-29-15-01-00H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-15-01-00H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-15-01-00H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tJx53-PvjiM/U9bfSUvKwMI/AAAAAAAAH_0/guiMfv7wh10/14-03-29-15-01-00H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ook6hcA5jcQ/U9bfTIj_msI/AAAAAAAAIAA/pHAuiWLcpWk/s1600-h/14-03-29-15-10-58H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-15-10-58H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-15-10-58H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zFa0dCjFK-w/U9bfTuHouYI/AAAAAAAAIAE/HBPQIn92mLg/14-03-29-15-10-58H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Saying farewell to Sedona, Red Rocks and the chapel we headed to Flagstaff as our back door into the Grand Canyon Park.  In Flagstaff we had a celebratory stop at a favorite place:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1YAz6zf81bo/U9bfUB0Z9RI/AAAAAAAAIAM/LQ8dx0TQ10Q/s1600-h/14-03-29-16-24-37H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-29-16-24-37H" border="0" alt="14-03-29-16-24-37H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s5BfTtB35Xs/U9bfUyMVlpI/AAAAAAAAIAY/DWcfTLsym8c/14-03-29-16-24-37H_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="448" /></a></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-67409948278436220682014-07-10T14:12:00.001-07:002014-07-10T14:12:22.469-07:00Route 66<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We set off from our friends’ gracious hospitality and headed toward the Grand Canyon armed with our tent, maps and enthusiasm.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-81_kLiEF968/U78BIqkAZ7I/AAAAAAAAHxQ/VWmIV7m7ZJg/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-02-43H8.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-02-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-02-43H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ayso2Xkd2QE/U78BJT2Io8I/AAAAAAAAHxU/CIr7Xl8ZO_M/14-03-28-13-02-43H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We drove a portion of the historic Route 66 east of the Cracker Barrel in Kingman.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-OVwLIu_ZmFA/U78BJy-_FyI/AAAAAAAAHxc/krjBAU1j96U/s1600-h/14-03-28-12-15-51H8.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-12-15-51H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-12-15-51H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_kr6GrcUtDk/U78BKUeVH1I/AAAAAAAAHxk/AUTJv_xaTkA/14-03-28-12-15-51H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Cue the music: </font><a title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2004259776.html"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img title="Co-stars Martin Milner, left, and George Maharis in 1962." alt="Co-stars Martin Milner, left, and George Maharis in 1962." src="http://seattletimes.com/ABPub/2008/03/03/2004257714.jpg" width="296" height="353" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Somehow Route 66 became iconic with us Boomers, whether because the show featured young people out trying to find themselves by having free-spirited adventures or because it had two good-looking guys and a Corvette convertible, I don’t know.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Previous to </font><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw1tiNGQ4wI"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">the Nelson Riddle theme song written for the 1960-64 show</font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">, Bobby Troup and his wife had written the familiar “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” while actually driving the highway to LA in 1946.  It has been re-recorded by many artists over many decades in many differing genres, but the message is, if you want to have a good time, take a trip down 66. So we did.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>If you ever plan to motor west <br /></strong></font><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/get+your+kicks+on+route+66_20210583.html#"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>Travel</strong></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong> my way, take the highway that's the best <br />get your kicks on Route sixty-six <br />It winds from </strong></font><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/get+your+kicks+on+route+66_20210583.html#"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>Chicago</strong></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong> to LA <br />More than two thousand miles all the way <br />Get your kicks on Route sixty-six <br />Now you go through Saint Looey <br />Joplin, Missouri <br />And Oklahoma City looks mi-ighty </strong></font><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/get+your+kicks+on+route+66_20210583.html#"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>pretty</strong></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> <br /></font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>You'll see Amarillo <br />Gallup, New Mexico <br />Flagstaff, Arizona <br />Don't </strong></font><a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/n/nat+king+cole/get+your+kicks+on+route+66_20210583.html#"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong>forget</strong></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><strong> Winona <br />Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino <br />Won't you get hip to this timely tip <br />When you make that California trip <br />get your kicks on Route sixty-six <br />Won't you get hip to this ti-imely tip <br />When you make a-that California trip <br />get your kicks on Route sixty-six <br />get your kicks on Route sixty-six <br />Get your kicks on Route sixty-six</strong></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Songwriters: BOB TROUP</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 lyrics © TROUP-LONDON ,LLC DBA </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Another blast from the past we enjoyed were the Burma Shave signs still alive and well after all these years.  We used to read them all out loud in the car on those <em>lo-o-ong</em> cross-country road trips to see Grandma and Grandpa when the sight of a row of red and yellow small rectangular signs would perk us up and we would crane our necks out the window to catch each part of the limerick. It occurs to me now that these have gone into disuse because people are traveling on 8 lane freeways at 75 miles an hour….In 1958, it wasn’t that hard to read them!  And on the 2-lane Route 66, it still isn’t.  In fact, you can slow down and take a picture of them or do a U-turn without upsetting another soul. </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GlmnKd4pQI8/U78BK55vK0I/AAAAAAAAHxs/n3ovLRvejGs/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-33-28H8.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-33-28H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-33-28H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KnNP4zaTTC8/U78BLRE0d4I/AAAAAAAAHx4/XlZss2OxGqs/14-03-28-13-33-28H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-auDOwZ1Wf94/U78BL4pnKfI/AAAAAAAAHx8/x-YFRpjGcdo/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-34-03H8.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-34-03H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-34-03H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QyMA1I_y9tY/U78BMdVGfJI/AAAAAAAAHyE/-6ZlSMX7Pxo/14-03-28-13-34-03H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eLcHmx7iXnI/U78BM13Px6I/AAAAAAAAHyM/_5VNVrbSDmc/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-34-31H12.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-34-31H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-34-31H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fMi4bV4Y6po/U78BNEN1fII/AAAAAAAAHyU/ZRaRsnLsrDM/14-03-28-13-34-31H_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-bQLyEKAq5lY/U78BN1ym4vI/AAAAAAAAHyg/cIE5tpKjR1o/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-34-54H9.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-34-54H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-34-54H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0KuPD5kP25g/U78BOUKVMWI/AAAAAAAAHyk/BCU1ZmInBFc/14-03-28-13-34-54H_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a></a></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CB0gFw6L7G0/U78BO3A3kSI/AAAAAAAAHys/7-MDNcwxj8Q/s1600-h/14-03-28-13-35-17H9.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-13-35-17H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-13-35-17H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rfSTb4v8cCw/U78BPaZyOXI/AAAAAAAAHy0/RkVGsdJ5t3E/14-03-28-13-35-17H_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a></a></a></p> <font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We hardly saw another soul. The newer interstate has streamlined the wiggles in the road and bypasses the towns where Buz and Todd once had so many significant encounters. </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-p4lUInZPGHk/U78BPyEW2xI/AAAAAAAAHy8/5Pl-KZlm20c/s1600-h/14-03-28-12-47-36H9.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-12-47-36H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-12-47-36H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KNU95fm0iKo/U78BQHpEaFI/AAAAAAAAHzI/A4Iv-BL8JgI/14-03-28-12-47-36H_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="276" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wOR5_8F2dwI/U78BQwyn4wI/AAAAAAAAHzQ/-FBvhXpg5j8/s1600-h/14-03-28-12-47-55H6.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-12-47-55H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-12-47-55H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6NxZQ_v_apk/U78BRhrVnkI/AAAAAAAAHzU/k1e5dvuieZE/14-03-28-12-47-55H_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="432" height="288" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tcrIqvDuGiM/U78BSE2EPUI/AAAAAAAAHzg/p53rTBUx47w/s1600-h/14-03-28-12-47-55H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-12-47-55H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-12-47-55H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jypIsakCveE/U78BS1EYiAI/AAAAAAAAHzk/3gqsgzqscr0/14-03-28-12-47-55H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="276" /></font></a> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Downtown Williams celebrates Rt. 66 as well as its gateway to the Canyon. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-A_EUQauUijY/U78BTNJuHHI/AAAAAAAAHzw/voSuELWfr1c/s1600-h/14-03-28-14-38-23H%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-14-38-23H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-14-38-23H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v4YnXVOum8I/U78BT5EsHHI/AAAAAAAAHz0/smsOL5vDHlM/14-03-28-14-38-23H_thumb%25255B22%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="288" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hnMjY6TsMCE/U78BUbKQjlI/AAAAAAAAHz8/5AzCmzJ9Ixw/s1600-h/14-03-28-14-38-23H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-14-38-23H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-14-38-23H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-T-qQfDg7Hyo/U78BU1ZLg9I/AAAAAAAAH0I/2XPX9aZtD3Y/14-03-28-14-38-23H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="394" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-w9OGylBesqo/U78BVQtYjeI/AAAAAAAAH0Q/X1ogC-IiiDs/s1600-h/14-03-28-14-38-57H.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-14-38-57H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-14-38-57H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7-Oh4_6tSus/U78BVzhQAOI/AAAAAAAAH0U/7ydz2ZcjbGQ/14-03-28-14-38-57H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ivWVsiXdzEo/U78BWVHG_XI/AAAAAAAAH0Y/rsYiIvJdmMY/s1600-h/14-03-28-14-38-57H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-14-38-57H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-14-38-57H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-xdGkRC4eZGk/U78BW-rYxXI/AAAAAAAAH0g/DXpZ3NysF3w/14-03-28-14-38-57H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="336" height="574" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">A night at the Grand Canyon Hotel could be had for $3.50, the sign says.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We had reservations in Sedona so we bypassed this quickest route to the Canyon  (due north from Williams) and looked for a back road to Sedona. We were warned that the one we were considering was too rough for our van so we headed toward Flagstaff and took the lovely 89A which led us into the Red Rock Country along a woodland stream.  </font><a href="http://www.smart-traveler.info/az_.html"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img border="0" hspace="0" alt="MAP OF ARIZONA - Click now for City Maps" src="http://www.smart-traveler.info/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/map_of_arizona.gif" width="500" height="572" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-a8yP4c5gGR4/U78BXXOrMxI/AAAAAAAAH0o/vU1MN9bgNdU/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-26-48H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-26-48H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-26-48H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9CfdFpEMuvE/U78BX2PB_vI/AAAAAAAAH0w/q5HMjDfmCac/14-03-28-15-26-48H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-a3OiNhis5Ag/U78BYRTUIGI/AAAAAAAAH04/oaKdDUye5h8/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-41-27H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-41-27H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-41-27H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Pb-7kWQq7YQ/U78BYznx0hI/AAAAAAAAH1A/42R6bK-QfWA/14-03-28-15-41-27H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--0S8DD3j6dk/U78BZQwBS2I/AAAAAAAAH1I/RJrYVHHPyoY/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-41-38H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-41-38H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-41-38H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-R8oiwLGzGs0/U78BZvP9YEI/AAAAAAAAH1U/IlTWWEnqZVk/14-03-28-15-41-38H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kE3YCzB72Vo/U78BaESVBQI/AAAAAAAAH1Y/eO0zSzktAd0/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-44-56H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-44-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-44-56H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-abwdK-PA6ag/U78BakdcdsI/AAAAAAAAH1g/a-esb2xGiBo/14-03-28-15-44-56H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-XnAK0W848nQ/U78BbEHkcLI/AAAAAAAAH1s/yMnGsv6_Bp0/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-51-35H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-51-35H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-51-35H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xRboU2LRfZQ/U78Bb8PaJpI/AAAAAAAAH10/TRgWipD8S34/14-03-28-15-51-35H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Fq06dIoAN4k/U78BcV3BkcI/AAAAAAAAH18/ajbdIKJgqvk/s1600-h/14-03-28-15-54-38R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-15-54-38R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-15-54-38R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SKr4UCxuChM/U78Bc8BZTJI/AAAAAAAAH2E/Koz6QygWEX0/14-03-28-15-54-38R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We didn’t factor in that this was late afternoon on the opening Friday night to a lot of Spring Vacationers so we were taken aback by the traffic after having the roads to ourselves for days.  We passed several campgrounds that were filling up and we made a mental note to come back to this area.  But for tonight, we had reservations in Sedona.</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qOsHbYqx5J4/U78BdtcZjfI/AAAAAAAAH2M/zvCeNaRi5pQ/s1600-h/14-03-28-16-16-28H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-16-16-28H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-16-16-28H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2_WI32pWmL0/U78BecDeJhI/AAAAAAAAH2Q/GHSldSUmsa0/14-03-28-16-16-28H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Our place was a timeshare exchange that was wonderful except for the additional $50.00 fee that they added onto the amount we had already paid.  It was just a bit of nastiness that our own timeshare doesn’t do, but we couldn’t avoid paying this hidden fee.  Otherwise, it was delightful.  A tiny casita~</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sMXHzVojyfM/U78BelYlRiI/AAAAAAAAH2Y/BJUUua3Z9oY/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-08-28H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-08-28H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-08-28H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-7FDAVS5hrhM/U78BfAw-IcI/AAAAAAAAH2g/z7JmDXuVjjE/14-03-28-17-08-28H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">fitted with all the necessities~</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zKSl72ZjnYc/U78Bfn-VLxI/AAAAAAAAH2s/tzRPTn9JmVI/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-09-01H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-09-01H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-09-01H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pzNwxzT6CKs/U78BgfJAPMI/AAAAAAAAH2w/fYZDnYbKQy4/14-03-28-17-09-01H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KgSKHFpjgHM/U78Bg1LUwxI/AAAAAAAAH28/5MUANhxHa_A/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-09-11H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-09-11H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-09-11H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sqar1XP8oDY/U78BhZmYJdI/AAAAAAAAH3E/nXyfoOTx2iQ/14-03-28-17-09-11H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and some of the luxuries~</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-L4x7NS2toKE/U78BiBasvkI/AAAAAAAAH3I/kM-k2xmC9Rw/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-09-36H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-09-36H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-09-36H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MM8T6loei9o/U78BieFQR9I/AAAAAAAAH3Q/v0Vc6Ed6cfs/14-03-28-17-09-36H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">in a village of other casitas.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_44NC4iH4c0/U78BjLAdEsI/AAAAAAAAH3c/nlPb4ytgfzw/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-43-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-43-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-43-43H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0O6T2abqqV8/U78BjnozMmI/AAAAAAAAH3k/QOw48p_jpn4/14-03-28-17-43-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We unpacked the car and went to find our sunset picture on the rocks.  Red Rock State Park had just closed when we got there but we took a back road to catch the setting sun.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9lVBdvmo9yU/U78BlU6R5AI/AAAAAAAAH3s/xtZRES8aNQ8/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-17-01H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-17-01H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-17-01H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zJCpBBzGvDw/U78Bl4-jhwI/AAAAAAAAH30/aiJfzglvHKk/14-03-28-18-17-01H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">“Who lives here?”, I kept wondering as we saw palatial homes hidden away in the landscape.  Maybe relatives of Frank Lloyd Wright.  We followed a road up to nowhere apparent and walked with our cameras.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oVVv5aks58c/U78BmlefKyI/AAAAAAAAH34/zEIKqZIwi4E/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-17-52H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-17-52H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-17-52H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-r6OvAuBDPRo/U78BnHhc8zI/AAAAAAAAH4A/O9uY5yx9RGE/14-03-28-18-17-52H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5ysFunu8t3I/U78BnnTqzKI/AAAAAAAAH4M/7SeIG5qMm8M/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-28-09R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-28-09R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-28-09R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-UgHwe7isPSA/U78Boa4POxI/AAAAAAAAH4U/t4y_i8J8ZkM/14-03-28-18-28-09R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-N-gCe77j6Qs/U78BpDhuRxI/AAAAAAAAH4Y/ItfPBdoozAI/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-34-51R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-34-51R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-34-51R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Nn1zUHlBiK0/U78BppIhzmI/AAAAAAAAH4k/rBJtnT7Y1hM/14-03-28-18-34-51R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qUflh3_PoXQ/U78BqHd0c2I/AAAAAAAAH4o/5VA5Bw0oVXE/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-35-20R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-35-20R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-35-20R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FElxdDvMYmo/U78BqkFiKdI/AAAAAAAAH4w/f8BAL-7yD1A/14-03-28-18-35-20R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--0LSb5lUGWA/U78BrDnIMdI/AAAAAAAAH48/X88I57Iuy1Y/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-35-57R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-35-57R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-35-57R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3cnGH0s8ANs/U78Br9X6_GI/AAAAAAAAH5E/9V2I_TXQydQ/14-03-28-18-35-57R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kQlbzXnW2ag/U78Bsns15xI/AAAAAAAAH5I/L_792LutRWg/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-48-42R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-48-42R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-48-42R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hsaT-i1NnQE/U78BtEjUMjI/AAAAAAAAH5Q/ijuAIGc1YL8/14-03-28-18-48-42R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The Grands are up from their naps and have had lunch so I am sending this post haste to avoid a recurrence of my last lost blog.  Sorry, I know the music hyperlink isn’t quite right yet. </font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-3155344728590170252014-07-05T10:09:00.001-07:002014-07-05T10:09:32.536-07:00The Good News and the Bad News (about the desert)<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">How can you not love waking up in the morning  and heading outside with your fresh cup of coffee to sit on the patio in your p.j.s and wake up slowly while the blue sky shines down? Heaven.  That’s the way it is in the desert, or at least in Lake Havasu City, where they only have 17 days of rainfall per year. </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2sp9QHwiPps/U7gw-pBzUqI/AAAAAAAAHso/LdH6tCZ2Yp8/s1600-h/14-03-25-08-40-14R%252520-%252520Copy%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-08-40-14R - Copy" border="0" alt="14-03-25-08-40-14R - Copy" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NuiuOg9zpXM/U7gw_YsrnrI/AAAAAAAAHsw/EUZVPceURbs/14-03-25-08-40-14R%252520-%252520Copy_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">(If you only knew how rare this photo is!  First, Tech Guy dreads sunburn, never wears shorts and avoids activities that put him in the sun’s rays.  Rafting down a river is his idea of torture.  And yet, the Southwestern morning bewitched him.)</font></em></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The downside of continual sunshine with no rain is that there is no grass, in fact no <em>green anything</em> unless you count the dusty olive of sage and cactus and palm fronds.  Of course, businesses can irrigate </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qTX9KjfYuvk/U7gxAJ302-I/AAAAAAAAHs4/B2771LWcumM/s1600-h/14-03-25-12-53-03H%25255B9%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-12-53-03H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-12-53-03H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nX3cq_dR3cs/U7gxAnuP7vI/AAAAAAAAHtA/WnZoqZ_J-RU/14-03-25-12-53-03H_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and present a colorful strip of green grass at their entryway, but it comes at a high price and most homeowners don’t splurge for it.  They  moved to the desert to get away from mowing grass and weeding! In fact, they sold all their yard tools at garage sales in the North before heading down to permanent freedom from yard work.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">What they have in the Southwest is rocks, gravel –sized rocks that come in beige or pinkish red or greenish gray.  The only burst of color in a front yard is when a river of a different hued rock comes combing through it. Yard work consists of raking your rocks with an occasional spritz of weed killer for those pesky diehard weeds.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sFQqIngZSnw/U7gxBbtrQOI/AAAAAAAAHtE/66x6BnkGHN8/s1600-h/14-03-24-18-04-26H%252520-%252520Copy%25255B11%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-18-04-26H - Copy" border="0" alt="14-03-24-18-04-26H - Copy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VEiNmNmFQzo/U7gxByxruJI/AAAAAAAAHtQ/aT_AOodSq_Q/14-03-24-18-04-26H%252520-%252520Copy_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="324" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nxz2bR6UOYM/U7gxCeG3yzI/AAAAAAAAHtY/WZ_FK8eY0G4/s1600-h/14-03-25-11-35-06H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-11-35-06H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-11-35-06H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q3QS_jgq4WU/U7gxCyKCW1I/AAAAAAAAHtc/gnZ7c2S-yUo/14-03-25-11-35-06H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="330" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TUA84ciNq_s/U7gxDTMYFoI/AAAAAAAAHtk/dah8auz5fXM/s1600-h/14-03-25-11-42-18H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-11-42-18H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-11-42-18H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-i688MV0qw5M/U7gxD8ScAoI/AAAAAAAAHtw/IytX123PlGQ/14-03-25-11-42-18H_thumb%25255B22%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="471" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_Ft525mqZO4/U7gxEe0zDyI/AAAAAAAAHt0/MOqD-SKneK4/s1600-h/14-03-25-11-56-40H%252520%2525282%252529%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-11-56-40H (2)" border="0" alt="14-03-25-11-56-40H (2)" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lZreHFteXJ4/U7gxE8xJv6I/AAAAAAAAHuA/W3Ov3BACezQ/14-03-25-11-56-40H%252520%2525282%252529_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="250" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Roadrunner in the rocks (Splendor in the <em>Rocks</em>?  Barefoot in the <em>Rocks</em>?  Leaves of <em>Rocks</em>? Somehow grass and not rocks is linked to literary paradise)</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tA5PEFa7rqA/U7gxFYPx0MI/AAAAAAAAHuI/BWpjfTZ-1Y4/s1600-h/14-03-27-08-07-03H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-27-08-07-03H" border="0" alt="14-03-27-08-07-03H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LmS8KuDNXjA/U7gxGPSCJ5I/AAAAAAAAHuQ/3vmwcFFaudQ/14-03-27-08-07-03H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-f_v677eFw70/U7gxGt6v5eI/AAAAAAAAHuU/eGguNTCLIE4/s1600-h/14-03-25-11-47-16H%252520-%252520Copy%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-11-47-16H - Copy" border="0" alt="14-03-25-11-47-16H - Copy" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YhJjzOptcho/U7gxHBz7coI/AAAAAAAAHug/8xLJCIKMJFc/14-03-25-11-47-16H%252520-%252520Copy_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="254" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I missed the green of grass and tree while we were in the desert.  I was surprised that the locals don’t make up for the lack of garden color by painting their houses bright hues, all the missing colors of the rainbow, but they don’t.  Beige and khaki and tan and off-white, all of them.  The homes disappear into the hillside and the blue sky reigns over all.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Below: There is a city in there…</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tuO0x0dUKXA/U7gxHgu40AI/AAAAAAAAHuo/gdYw2CLrxp8/s1600-h/14-03-25-14-17-45H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-14-17-45H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-14-17-45H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oLbZQHFJC6Q/U7gxIIwoyHI/AAAAAAAAHus/IcSgmpznZGY/14-03-25-14-17-45H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="133" /></font></a><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-qY-DLmgBnzI/U7gxIpqJjbI/AAAAAAAAHu4/sJct1RBBW7Y/s1600-h/14-03-25-14-18-18H%25255B12%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-14-18-18H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-14-18-18H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--aP0m8D1FCs/U7gxJGO7IaI/AAAAAAAAHu8/XC1WiTKup3k/14-03-25-14-18-18H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="279" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Just to be fair, I will include photos of local flora with the caveat that these are the rare exceptions to the overall </font><em><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Brownness of Being.</font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oTkp8IW2vd0/U7gxJgOvTGI/AAAAAAAAHvI/At6EQXKIjnE/s1600-h/14-03-24-14-59-30H%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-14-59-30H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-14-59-30H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8ZVi8W2ekKw/U7gxKHJDqVI/AAAAAAAAHvQ/rR6nilq7DMo/14-03-24-14-59-30H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="648" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AkUX9u3_AHc/U7gxK6E91yI/AAAAAAAAHvY/vNFYA4XQSP4/s1600-h/14-03-25-16-36-08H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-16-36-08H" border="0" alt="14-03-25-16-36-08H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mLwfPF6mHhk/U7gxLaphimI/AAAAAAAAHvg/boogvf8D9mk/14-03-25-16-36-08H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-svsDRr4ZjcQ/U7gxMNKcTrI/AAAAAAAAHvo/VsqkXPGDNJ8/s1600-h/14-03-26-12-40-43H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-26-12-40-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-26-12-40-43H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HJBy505juGo/U7gxMhzR0UI/AAAAAAAAHvw/AGJs-DMLJqE/14-03-26-12-40-43H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="673" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xzMrW9OcNbY/U7gxNRg4_qI/AAAAAAAAHv0/C1Y8kMblDT8/s1600-h/14-03-26-13-24-28H%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-26-13-24-28H" border="0" alt="14-03-26-13-24-28H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QTDgbTbHqCA/U7gxNoEU3RI/AAAAAAAAHwA/5UqCvBgsmx8/14-03-26-13-24-28H_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="551" /></font></a></em></p> <font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After soaking up the warmth and bright sun and basking like lizards on a concrete wall, we left the desert to see other rocks, red rocks and, you might say, the Mother of All Rocks:</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-n42QympqXcc/U7gxOLcmd-I/AAAAAAAAHwI/bM1io_jaYZI/s1600-h/14-03-28-17-46-46H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-17-46-46H" border="0" alt="14-03-28-17-46-46H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tevhNmPBp6w/U7gxO1-tP4I/AAAAAAAAHwM/UYk72M-DdSE/14-03-28-17-46-46H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PqAAt0csuUQ/U7gxPb4JfVI/AAAAAAAAHwY/Leaqg0lH58c/s1600-h/14-03-28-18-35-57R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-28-18-35-57R" border="0" alt="14-03-28-18-35-57R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cyzSJKQ0LV0/U7gxP7QiIhI/AAAAAAAAHwc/mJQHxHcY6QA/14-03-28-18-35-57R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RvgGPYB-ChM/U7gxQXOwWtI/AAAAAAAAHwo/iMVc85vMqVw/s1600-h/14-03-30-13-06-40H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-13-06-40H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-13-06-40H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-eiS82W2y2dI/U7gxRDecUaI/AAAAAAAAHww/bSI-opfAh0I/14-03-30-13-06-40H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9QZ6XhCTDMc/U7gxRgtCNLI/AAAAAAAAHw4/vi9bmhhO8VI/s1600-h/14-03-30-18-30-13H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-30-18-30-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-30-18-30-13H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZrLW48_43fQ/U7gxSFrnq4I/AAAAAAAAHxA/0e6f7s1o0DE/14-03-30-18-30-13H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="506" height="381" /></font></a> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Next installment: Route 66 to Sedona and the Grand Canyon.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-14694850466743666582014-06-20T22:12:00.001-07:002014-06-20T22:12:38.096-07:00Road Trip, Part 2<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Two weeks ago I wrote during the kids’ naptime about our trip into Havasu.  When they woke up I wasn’t quite ready to post it so I saved it (for the 3rd time.)  After dinner I came back to finish and post and it was gone, gone, gone.  Tech Guy came to do his usual magic and still couldn’t resurrect it.  It is so hard for me to find time to write in the first place that I am doubly grieved at needing to repeat it and yet I crave the chronology and the expression.  So here I go again.  I have such a love/hate relationship with computers!</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In the morning in Beatty, Nevada after a coffee in the gazebo <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gRqv6KLP9Cs/U6UT0njNI-I/AAAAAAAAHlw/-liCa_hVXxE/s1600-h/14-03-24-08-21-08H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-08-21-08H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-08-21-08H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iXtaZKqHDY8/U6UT1IbMhRI/AAAAAAAAHl4/URkz4hHP09Q/14-03-24-08-21-08H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a>and a look through the eerily empty casino we started out for Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, and Lake Havasu City.  We chose to go a bit east to Boulder City on Route 93 rather than drop down on 95 to Needles.  The benefit was getting to see Hoover Dam and the fantastic piece of engineering that the bridge is.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">First, though, we had to drive through Las Vegas and after the lovely deserted</font>  <font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">roads we’d been on<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-tOBxLGPf7Vk/U6UT10Vo7wI/AAAAAAAAHmA/CiNXMcsg1B8/s1600-h/14-03-24-10-34-07H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-10-34-07H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-10-34-07H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ao8RAQuSt1U/U6UT2fBPJwI/AAAAAAAAHmI/Rr8n_9oU_6o/14-03-24-10-34-07H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-i9VNU2ULv48/U6UT25KF61I/AAAAAAAAHmQ/FPtZqUVbXuc/s1600-h/14-03-24-10-34-55H8.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-10-34-55H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-10-34-55H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-U2gJHExUECI/U6UT3fBVStI/AAAAAAAAHmU/Ri14DJjQhOk/14-03-24-10-34-55H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="206" /></a> the 8 lanes and interchanges were nerve wracking.  My two impressions besides the race of traffic were the really strong effort that Las Vegas has made to bring art into their concrete freeway system (mosaic walls and metal sculptures and decorative landscaping)<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-X7GiSt0V4Ik/U6UT4O40B6I/AAAAAAAAHmg/cQmmF36Pkf8/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-19-13H8.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-19-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-19-13H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DKCnxdzn_Xo/U6UT4RRXIkI/AAAAAAAAHmk/FohBYyq9IPY/14-03-24-11-19-13H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="206" /></a> and secondly, the excitement of seeing the big casinos from the freeway as we careened past, me hanging out the window with the camera and Tech Guy asking me to check the map for exit numbers. <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wtNgpQVzWnU/U6UT4__qBPI/AAAAAAAAHmw/z49L9i5f71o/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-21-37H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-21-37H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-21-37H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EKhPJKzddCM/U6UT5TVp66I/AAAAAAAAHm4/7dzqWLqB4OM/14-03-24-11-21-37H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="269" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vPZgF_Bp8yU/U6UT6eJbfPI/AAAAAAAAHm8/zZkWVBXP0ec/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-22-11H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-22-11H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-22-11H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zMiPoozSHCk/U6UT6hM0clI/AAAAAAAAHnI/dUucEjYtUOc/14-03-24-11-22-11H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="193" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Once we were out of the downtown I was sort of horrified to see hillsides filled with beige houses, row after row after row.  Some were quite large but they were still packed in together and as brown as the dusty hillside.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><font color="#5588aa"></font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-E3nniwl8CmA/U6UT7K7nG2I/AAAAAAAAHnQ/FuWSx9mo0AU/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-39-53H9.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-39-53H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-39-53H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-y7Jl2JwsAxI/U6UT70CKvqI/AAAAAAAAHnU/R1ml8JWFCpc/14-03-24-11-39-53H_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="166" /></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8yZ1q5C8naA/U6UT8aZvYgI/AAAAAAAAHnc/Syb7LhggTuE/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-34-31H10.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-34-31H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-34-31H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-SUMWhDMA950/U6UT8hCz_YI/AAAAAAAAHnk/yPtvVpuM8dw/14-03-24-11-34-31H_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="104" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I did find Boulder City quite charming, at least what we saw of the little downtown.  It seemed to have a quaint neighborhood feeling.  We drove down around a corner and spied Lake Mead which was created by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River.                            </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AVQdEcFjU_4/U6UT9MU3agI/AAAAAAAAHns/GMIS7wQxWqk/s1600-h/14-03-24-11-47-13H%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-11-47-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-11-47-13H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6_UQBqPpv_Q/U6UT9pQnXkI/AAAAAAAAHn4/RDv1OeNYCbk/14-03-24-11-47-13H_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Lake Mead<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5dsYTDo6ESI/U6UT-D8EM0I/AAAAAAAAHn8/LfmwcdHv7r4/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-11-33H%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-11-33H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-11-33H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Q63nZt1Nj8E/U6UT-tY7o4I/AAAAAAAAHoE/JSczHX7q0Z0/14-03-24-12-11-33H_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="200" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dryvWbfpedw/U6UT-wf1ROI/AAAAAAAAHoQ/Ca0ZNpibAoc/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-12-24H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-12-24H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-12-24H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6TWAKnsBNAQ/U6UT_lUr8fI/AAAAAAAAHoU/-jfmCb4ATKg/14-03-24-12-12-24H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="194" /></a></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">“More Lake than the Eye Can See”</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And then we saw overhead our first glimpse of the bridge as we drove down to the dam.<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5PNo1WFaVsc/U6UT_5x7qOI/AAAAAAAAHog/FEqli2q-VwQ/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-28-14H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-28-14H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-28-14H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-I9fiIDoYfbM/U6UUAmkOfUI/AAAAAAAAHoo/hY_wH1-OODE/14-03-24-12-28-14H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="216" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QuGqGTdZOmM/U6UUBK6EciI/AAAAAAAAHow/Sg5WFNTVZLw/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-28-21H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-28-21H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-28-21H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zp1PbXYlY-o/U6UUBrctwwI/AAAAAAAAHo4/wOg-dIcY1zw/14-03-24-12-28-21H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="333" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WPDyV3-_69w/U6UUCOGfhxI/AAAAAAAAHpA/w8kWOBUlvAU/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-28-33H5.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-28-33H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-28-33H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3sfHB16VDhY/U6UUCxUlm2I/AAAAAAAAHpI/D__DbQejDNc/14-03-24-12-28-33H_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="306" height="486" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oSw2-QH3bYs/U6UUDRjoNXI/AAAAAAAAHpM/mbO9AoqpDNU/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-28-43H4.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-28-43H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-28-43H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ojku9JqHzHQ/U6UUDgeiqgI/AAAAAAAAHpY/YK0h-SYyex8/14-03-24-12-28-43H_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In the photo below you can see on the far right center the visitors’ information center. The scale of the cleft is enormous. </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-H3kJhkuPZ_k/U6UUEebXaJI/AAAAAAAAHpg/kBdt7oa5RL8/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-32-43H_thumb55%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-32-43H_thumb55" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-32-43H_thumb55" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9IjeU_u9bDg/U6UUE1ZZcSI/AAAAAAAAHpk/8BQ6PyLyM7o/14-03-24-12-32-43H_thumb55_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="308" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GAc4RJ8fMNE/U6UUFBG8drI/AAAAAAAAHpw/B6Uykg7hR5E/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-34-45H_thumb7%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-34-45H_thumb7" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-34-45H_thumb7" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-l8OIZcKuegQ/U6UUF29yoEI/AAAAAAAAHp0/arEpsh7cqVs/14-03-24-12-34-45H_thumb7_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="303" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And here is the Colorado River flowing down on its way to the Gulf of Mexico (although I learned that because of overuse in farmlands and development in Southern California, Arizona, and Mexico the river has all but disappeared and the delta, once a rich habitat, has nearly dried up.)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-krr4g85YrGk/U6UUGD_lNrI/AAAAAAAAHp8/zH3q7iF4glQ/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-36-55H_thumb7%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-36-55H_thumb7" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-36-55H_thumb7" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4wq0uPSSTyo/U6UUGk932aI/AAAAAAAAHqI/JgzRtre8Hik/14-03-24-12-36-55H_thumb7_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="539" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Hoover Dam was built between 1933 and 1935.  We drove across it amid throngs of sightseers.  </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-81HWkJojsxQ/U6UUHfJd0wI/AAAAAAAAHqM/efRNriS4wkM/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-32-54H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-32-54H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-32-54H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_5sUW_mlthY/U6UUHgmwwmI/AAAAAAAAHqU/s4pkYk8tHEs/14-03-24-12-32-54H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Standing there on the rim I could feel the immensity of the height and depth but I didn’t think about the statistics that I have since read: how much concrete was used to make this dam, how thick it is, how much water pressure it holds back, how increasing the pressure in the canyon caused 600 earthquakes the first year the dam was built.  Standing there was just a “Wow!  How did they ever do this?” sensation.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-KBC1VzMhvYs/U6UUIHwTKPI/AAAAAAAAHqc/9UNcd4c34s8/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-33-17H_thumb6%25255B27%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-33-17H_thumb6" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-33-17H_thumb6" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4i18ZaOos2s/U6UUIj3r44I/AAAAAAAAHqk/hHENstvCe_c/14-03-24-12-33-17H_thumb6_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="308" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">On the high side of the dam the water line shows the effects of several years of drought in California and Arizona.  The water line is 100 feet down, the lowest it has been since the dam was built.</font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_Z0BI-7PyLA/U6UUJE6ZA6I/AAAAAAAAHqw/AfvV1_dw4hg/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-41-46H_thumb6%25255B24%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-41-46H_thumb6" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-41-46H_thumb6" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rD7DrASaMY8/U6UUKma517I/AAAAAAAAHq4/ug-ZkTXo6Yg/14-03-24-12-41-46H_thumb6_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="308" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FN9yBPU-lGQ/U6UULL5ruUI/AAAAAAAAHrA/mN_q79noN_E/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-42-36H_thumb6%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-42-36H_thumb6" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-42-36H_thumb6" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-icBSfhhjHoI/U6UULnu1YqI/AAAAAAAAHrE/ykrhYm5T5Qs/14-03-24-12-42-36H_thumb6_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="294" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">As we left the dam we got to drive over the bridge that I had so admired from below: really, it is visually much more impressive to see it from below than to drive across it.  It is so freeway-like when you are going across it that you don’t realize you are suspended high in the air on spindly little concrete pillars which might tip sideways at any moment if an earthquake occurred.  Yes, I did think of that.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">And soon we crossed the state line to Arizona, our real destination.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rB5qB-C6yOw/U6UUMBDtJlI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/3giJLoYnyLY/s1600-h/14-03-24-12-54-47H_thumb4%25255B19%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-12-54-47H_thumb4" border="0" alt="14-03-24-12-54-47H_thumb4" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-m58eWjpXEKo/U6UUMnbMsPI/AAAAAAAAHrY/N4w-gOdKMsg/14-03-24-12-54-47H_thumb4_thumb%25255B7%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="409" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I have a dear friend since college days. Since sharing an academic major we have gone on to sharing the growth in our families and all the ups and downs of life.  I have had some of the best deep laughs of my life with her even in the throes of young family life. She has the kindest heart and I marvel at her goodness.  She has weathered storms without losing her heart and I am truly amazed by her.  We were both Northwesterners until a few years ago when she became a snowbird.   This was my first glimpse into what life in the Southwest is like.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It is like Blue Sky!<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V0G_FfQNfWU/U6UUNdf2k1I/AAAAAAAAHrg/KzjWjGEWVcw/s1600-h/14-03-25-07-14-17R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-07-14-17R" border="0" alt="14-03-25-07-14-17R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DrzxPrGIpYo/U6UUNyLOx0I/AAAAAAAAHro/BabzcveV2Qs/14-03-25-07-14-17R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It is like Warm Mornings when you can sit outside to drink your coffee at 6 AM!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EHKibDqjHPE/U6UUORm8fAI/AAAAAAAAHrw/Y0A-gO-rtwg/s1600-h/14-03-25-08-06-01R%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-08-06-01R" border="0" alt="14-03-25-08-06-01R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rea4Pfdvg8o/U6UUOz_Pz8I/AAAAAAAAHr4/OM_-U_1JGbA/14-03-25-08-06-01R_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It is like Retirement Living, tanned golfers and pickle ball players! <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jwLVOZ4jcvI/U6UUPgeIyHI/AAAAAAAAHsA/Sx5MfOAptT0/s1600-h/14-03-25-12-44-50R%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-12-44-50R" border="0" alt="14-03-25-12-44-50R" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mapCFxaOyRk/U6UUQPS8kmI/AAAAAAAAHsE/VdxQxdsWNBc/14-03-25-12-44-50R_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It is like Enjoying the Fruits of your Labor—all those years of the 8 to 5 routine and now it’s time to enjoy recreation and friends and hobbies.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ftGo7V75a-I/U6UUQk5cbaI/AAAAAAAAHsQ/qWASgA_ZnMU/s1600-h/14-03-25-18-33-06R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-25-18-33-06R" border="0" alt="14-03-25-18-33-06R" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c2MObWrTVcw/U6UURGyNxkI/AAAAAAAAHsU/TRZB52mkaSQ/14-03-25-18-33-06R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We stayed in their 5th Wheel “casita”, a charming guesthouse.  More about Lake Havasu to come….</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-43984191997651605642014-06-11T18:15:00.001-07:002014-06-11T18:15:33.911-07:00A Very Sad Day<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Tuesday  6/10/14</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I was feeding the kids breakfast when I heard the first siren a few blocks away.  Not an uncommon experience since I live </font><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">on a busy street near two other   thoroughfares.  But then there was a second siren, still a ways off, and a fire truck with its insistent tooting at an intersection.  In a minute there were police cars speeding down my street with lights flashing and sirens blowing.  I thought, “Wow, there must be a bad accident up there.” I was assuming some morning commuter had missed a light in his rush to get to work, or had turned in front of someone she hadn’t seen coming. I thought for a moment how quickly an ordinary day can turn into a nightmare for people involved in an accident.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In front of my house, students were walking to the school across the street and parents were dropping off their kids at the curb. Commuter and school traffic pulled over to let the ambulances and emergency vehicles pass.  Many unmarked police cars were flying by, too, with their hidden lights flashing. It brought to mind  the last time I had seen this many emergency vehicles called into action: years ago a police officer was shot and they did a manhunt not too far from my house.  At the time, my kids were outside on the trampoline and  I remember we began counting the 26 police cars going up our street. </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">So yesterday my husband called on his way to work having heard on the radio that there was a shooting at Reynolds High School.  No details were available yet.  I turned on the TV news to catch what I could without making the grandkids aware.  Mostly there was guarded speculation: no one knew how many shooters or victims there were.  The school was on lockdown and a report that a teacher had been shot was circulating. The TV cameras showed from a distance the 2,000 students being led single file out of the building with their arms raised to their heads.  They were all searched and questioned.  Worried parents started arriving at the school but were prevented from going near it.  Everyone was texting their kids, and receiving texts. We learned that the students had been told to text their parents but not to call them. We heard that there was one victim and one gunman, also dead, and an injured teacher. The news reported sometime later  that the victim  was a girl which turned out to be incorrect.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In the meantime I texted my own kids (including 3 teachers) about what was happening and heard back that the middle school where my daughter teaches in the same district was also on lock down—three blocks away from the high school.  The report they had was that there were 3 shooters and one of them was still at large in the neighborhood of the middle school.  Students in the middle school had been texted by their parents about the shooting in the high school and anyone with a sibling at the high school was understandably worried.  As a matter of fact, the spouse of the teacher injured at the high school is a teacher at the middle school. But in a lock down situation no one can leave or enter the building and the teachers’ role was to comfort and assure the students and help them to wait through the 6 hours of uncertainty without knowing the facts themselves.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">This beautiful sunny day was the day before the last day of school, with kids dressed in shorts and excited about their summer plans.  The day before had been their field day with races and relays and teachers and students laughing and cheering each other on. The high school graduation was two days away, the culmination and celebration of 12 years of friendships, schooling, and growing up.  How quickly an ordinary day can be overturned!  Time after time students told reporters about coming to school on the bus just like they did everyday, or getting dropped off by parents on their way to work and making their way to their first period class.  Normal.  And then they heard the ‘fireworks’ as they assumed it was, and then the stern lockdown procedure on the PA, “This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.” They had to remain perfectly silent in their classroom with the blinds drawn and the lights off for about an hour while hearing the police move about in the halls.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In the afternoon the police released the identity of the victim, a 14 year old Freshman boy.  He had attended the middle-school for the past 3 years and was well-liked by everyone. He was on the soccer team and active in sports. A nice kid, everyone said. Well-liked.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">The news reporters kept saying “one victim and one gunman”.  “Pray for the family of the boy who was shot”.  “A grieving family tonight…”  But I was thinking about the other dead person, the gunman and his family, too. There were 2 grieving families in deep shock over the devastation to their lives, one innocently and one in ignominy.  I was guessing that the gunman was a fellow student because a student told a reporter that the police questioned her about seeing anyone on her school bus carrying a guitar case, which she had.  Only a fellow student would be getting on a school bus, therefore…</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">But it wasn’t until today, Wednesday, that I learned the shooter was a 15 year old boy, a student at the high school also, a boy with siblings and parents who worried about him when they couldn’t reach him by texting yesterday.  He died from a self-inflicted gunshot. So far no motive nor any relationship between the 2 boys is known.  The gunman came heavily armed with an assault rifle and a semi-automatic pistol and a knife and dozens of rounds of ammunition.  It could have been much, much worse.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">But for these two families, it can’t get any worse.  And I am deeply saddened for both of families and both young boys whose lives were abruptly cut off.  I don’t know what demons haunted the shooter’s mind or what led him to this terrible desperation, but I feel pity for him that no one saw it and reached out to help.  Already this situation has become a forum for gun–control opinions and politicizing but I wish we would spend as much thought on how we can improve the quality of life for our young people, provide discerning counselors along the way and affordable counseling for families in need.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Let’s love each other more.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221435950124854717.post-78870549136976626182014-06-01T20:53:00.001-07:002014-06-01T20:53:23.410-07:00Back Roads<p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">I love taking trips and seeing new things.  I love seeing nature differ from place to place.  I love these out-of-time-and-space experiences that punctuate my routine life.  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">On Spring Break Ron and I had a wonderful road trip to Lake Havasu and the Grand Canyon.  It originally was a weekend plan for me to go and see my college girlfriend in Lake Havasu but during the discussion of ‘would I fly into Las Vegas or Phoenix’ it grew into a driving trip with husband and stretched into two weeks rather than one weekend. (These things seem to happen to me frequently, something growing into more than I had planned.  Someday I will tell you how painting the kitchen cupboards became a whole kitchen remodel or how buying bark dust for the garden became a wall to hold the bark dust in and then a sidewalk and then a new driveway.)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We planned to tent camp at the Grand Canyon but got a new air mattress for the van just in case of snow. We call it “Minimalist Camping”.  I took one pan and a one burner propane stove and a few utensils and a lot of easy meal plans.  Tomato soup, that kind of thing.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We were late getting away on our first day and only made it to Klamath Falls, about 5 hours away.  Since we didn’t have a campground reservation we thought we would just stop at the local Walmart like other minimalist RVers do. I had already realized I’d forgotten my toothbrush so it worked all around.  We made our pit stop, brushed our teeth, and then went looking for the dark corner of the Walmart lot.</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Wait.  There IS no dark corner of the parking lot.  They have floodlights all over. We wanted to be in the same general area as other over-nighters for security’s sake but not too close for privacy’s sake.  We quickly realized that one big benefit of an RV or a van outfitted for sleeping is curtains.  I am sure that we gave quite a comedy show as we undressed for bed inside our sleeping bag. On the air mattress!  Little did we know that it would have been better to leave all our street clothes on since we froze, froze, froze all night long.  And having to get dressed IN the sleeping bag in the morning when you are dying to get to the bathroom is not so comical.  We had to race out of the Walmart parking lot to find an open gas station for me because Walmart didn’t open until 8!  </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">It was 29 degrees in K Falls and we had frost covering the inside of our windows.  We had to scrape the inside of the windows!  <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0UqZGMlKVmg/U4v0p4dsFDI/AAAAAAAAHew/yO6_7VguGyI/s1600-h/14-03-23-06-21-50R%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-06-21-50R" border="0" alt="14-03-23-06-21-50R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J-5UvG9ypVU/U4v0qs4Dk8I/AAAAAAAAHe4/AIbNbDC_OPs/14-03-23-06-21-50R_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gFOy3DSg-eU/U4v0q2XshQI/AAAAAAAAHfA/Yb9g5hjjaGA/s1600-h/14-03-23-07-15-14H%25255B17%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-07-15-14H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-07-15-14H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Mjw0USGAjes/U4v0rp-oezI/AAAAAAAAHfI/JgAFkzaJRsI/14-03-23-07-15-14H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="296" /></a> </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">Thus began a glorious day of traveling back roads.  We had determined not to do freeways and we frequently commented how wonderful having roads to ourselves was, and how close we were to the points of interest.  We drove the length of Nevada and half of Arizona seeing very few other cars.<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PfCbMVYHJXg/U4v0r4ssFGI/AAAAAAAAHfQ/4niS75gqUXg/s1600-h/14-03-23-07-41-04H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-07-41-04H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-07-41-04H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-O0TfaAVxY7s/U4v0soWzZCI/AAAAAAAAHfY/udIXug6A4Ro/14-03-23-07-41-04H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="299" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-I_1Qq3TtfRY/U4v0tHiPAuI/AAAAAAAAHfg/nx29yb0hwxo/s1600-h/14-03-23-07-42-07H%25255B22%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-07-42-07H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-07-42-07H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_-N2zFDSTmQ/U4v0ttn5dnI/AAAAAAAAHfo/-TY0vaXoQTA/14-03-23-07-42-07H_thumb%25255B19%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="463" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-39ywaCGBO78/U4v0uDWdbxI/AAAAAAAAHfw/b9cT-_9YIss/s1600-h/14-03-23-07-46-56H%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-07-46-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-07-46-56H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gZ_5_ctiFus/U4v0u6YOcfI/AAAAAAAAHf0/Yck7sKpgkAk/14-03-23-07-46-56H_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="273" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XfRJSUCFlOs/U4v0vRzEt_I/AAAAAAAAHgA/K69XvLt9J7A/s1600-h/14-03-23-07-50-27H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-07-50-27H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-07-50-27H" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yNisYWoFct0/U4v0xKmXHdI/AAAAAAAAHgI/HLCUzsKo2C8/14-03-23-07-50-27H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="209" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3H6c-3OwmnU/U4v0xiXE1nI/AAAAAAAAHgQ/_saQr7p4S1E/s1600-h/14-03-23-08-56-03H%25255B20%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; 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border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-09-10-20H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-09-10-20H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8RKw-jD-y3A/U4v00NKk3dI/AAAAAAAAHg0/tz6St1x-sXQ/14-03-23-09-10-20H_thumb%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="261" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yAFLcn_AF7I/U4v00u9LerI/AAAAAAAAHg8/w-Yj5cD_Sd4/s1600-h/14-03-23-09-54-56H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-09-54-56H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-09-54-56H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VHmjuxijUvo/U4v00zdZ6SI/AAAAAAAAHhE/UtF7ZnWhFkE/14-03-23-09-54-56H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="266" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lDUNCCpLQMM/U4v01cL2NuI/AAAAAAAAHhQ/mpnOWJI16NY/s1600-h/14-03-23-10-03-13H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-10-03-13H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-10-03-13H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ooTb0Zck2u8/U4v01-uDVCI/AAAAAAAAHhY/ZHY5ZVtvnMI/14-03-23-10-03-13H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="253" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D4bxqa6zGgw/U4v02b1xu_I/AAAAAAAAHhg/6jYbcO-Lajo/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-32-19H%25255B13%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-14-32-19H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-14-32-19H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vNsLJmyXE8M/U4v06dUrryI/AAAAAAAAHho/o1qw55J0l68/14-03-23-14-32-19H_thumb%25255B10%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="203" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We ate granola bars for breakfast washed down by orange juice from the Adin General Store which was a walk through history in itself.  We had cheese sticks and peanut butter crackers and yoghurts in the car and didn’t plan to need restaurants. However, at midday we came across this sign :</font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nc3w2l85OyY/U4v07f4bGOI/AAAAAAAAHhw/WYBkwtSttBw/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-55-57H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-14-55-57H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-14-55-57H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3llwGoUA77A/U4v07_rFPJI/AAAAAAAAHh4/XKAajfMtrds/14-03-23-14-55-57H_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="353" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">and we couldn’t resist a fresh squeezed lemonade. (Besides, I needed a bathroom break .) We chatted with the owner and family who just bought this place in December and are trying to make a go of it.  I believe it is on reservation land.  The only action in town we saw was 2 police cars pulling over nearly everyone passing through town.  Good thing we slowed for lemonade—and boy, was it good!  Oh, my!  So good. We felt inspired to get a burrito as well.</font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uaGynuuf5lU/U4v08iSHh3I/AAAAAAAAHiA/7Rcn9tIt_R0/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-44-03R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-14-44-03R" border="0" alt="14-03-23-14-44-03R" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l_d-M2ptwMg/U4v09HSp1jI/AAAAAAAAHiI/Wjb2C3IDFm0/14-03-23-14-44-03R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></font></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HA68SwT0HiE/U4v09lAJfOI/AAAAAAAAHiQ/YqYvWY6DKhE/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-45-42H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HA68SwT0HiE/U4v09lAJfOI/AAAAAAAAHiU/DykPLulTDxk/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-45-42H%25255B15%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-14-45-42H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-14-45-42H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BdwqbvWGR2U/U4v0-4Bi8SI/AAAAAAAAHic/s_ZxP5f2KLk/14-03-23-14-45-42H_thumb%25255B12%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a></font></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vzxuX6lW9YI/U4v0_YKhb6I/AAAAAAAAHik/mDyvCbWpuro/s1600-h/14-03-23-14-59-37H%25255B14%25255D.jpg"><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-14-59-37H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-14-59-37H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hnd_q_v34cs/U4v0_1wCxeI/AAAAAAAAHis/Fbdgm8rvxhc/14-03-23-14-59-37H_thumb%25255B11%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="314" /></font></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">We drove through Nevada all day and decided to stay in a motel that night to get a shower before meeting our friends.  </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oKYH5dTD-Hs/U4v1BQYBsXI/AAAAAAAAHi0/HcXT0LPqQCU/s1600-h/14-03-23-15-11-00H%25255B16%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; 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border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-17-55-44H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-17-55-44H" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-n-jDeSYgQz0/U4v1F4Hh4oI/AAAAAAAAHj8/BQHDyjCFmIE/14-03-23-17-55-44H_thumb%25255B9%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="203" /></a></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">After a day populated by only sagebrush and an occasional truck, this motel seemed other-worldly and bizarre. It was a casino, which we don’t care about, but it had a hot tub which appealed to Ron.     </font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B6kr6vOmvb0/U4v1GTIuc3I/AAAAAAAAHkE/rJ6HGwJBVwY/s1600-h/14-03-23-19-48-20H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-19-48-20H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-19-48-20H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YkuFwzagcos/U4v1G0h6CPI/AAAAAAAAHkM/WFzn9JDRflU/14-03-23-19-48-20H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="234" /></a><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qztuSQHt9JM/U4v1HdS11II/AAAAAAAAHkU/3Pg0PcMLXMI/s1600-h/14-03-23-19-48-31H%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-19-48-31H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-19-48-31H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q5Nkuw4tAx0/U4v1HzDOEAI/AAAAAAAAHkc/Wj8FIdNSkTY/14-03-23-19-48-31H_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="229" /></a><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EN66u9meJvg/U4v1I1hcVwI/AAAAAAAAHkk/DpVZpzDzdnI/s1600-h/14-03-23-19-49-34H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-23-19-49-34H" border="0" alt="14-03-23-19-49-34H" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5_ZjfP5ynmE/U4v1JPeW53I/AAAAAAAAHks/26uGgYcoKes/14-03-23-19-49-34H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="239" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy">In the light of day it appeared less weird although all the people had disappeared when the sun rose:</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T_dcOz2Jmn0/U4v1JqeXFFI/AAAAAAAAHk0/OnR73KqrzUs/s1600-h/14-03-24-07-56-32H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-07-56-32H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-07-56-32H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nlQuJdxhCxw/U4v1KcaAw_I/AAAAAAAAHk8/3q9QnzwAlFw/14-03-24-07-56-32H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="493" /></a></font></p> <p><font size="4" face="Lucida Calligraphy"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-yP80SGreBIo/U4v1K86FFVI/AAAAAAAAHlA/zJlTzlYtM-s/s1600-h/14-03-24-09-14-14H%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-09-14-14H" border="0" alt="14-03-24-09-14-14H" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AFj8zR3H6YM/U4v1LUCMn0I/AAAAAAAAHlM/uJ53VjLwR10/14-03-24-09-14-14H_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="199" /></a><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1VQ7XOpSzeE/U4v1MMutMtI/AAAAAAAAHlU/WzxP1lJxPvU/s1600-h/14-03-24-09-23-12R%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="14-03-24-09-23-12R" border="0" alt="14-03-24-09-23-12R" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-54l_C5SGj8g/U4v1MZ67PXI/AAAAAAAAHlY/3AKIcOkDZQY/14-03-24-09-23-12R_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="406" height="306" /></a>And now we are off to meet our friends in Lake Havasu, by way of Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam.  But that story is for another day.</font></p> Hollacehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00916548022979567056noreply@blogger.com1