A Love of Learning

Busch Gardens: Behind the Scenes

2013-04-13T16:21:00.001-06:00

Alex had two weeks off for Spring Break this year so we decided to spend a few days in the Tampa area. My husband flew up on Saturday night to pick us up from our cruise Sunday morning.

The Detroit Lions train in Tampa during the spring, so we went for a game that afternoon. It was St Patrick's Day and, when these guys were raking the dirt, they started dancing to YMCA!

The next day, we headed to Busch Gardens. I think we saw this cute little

squirrel where we stopped to have breakfast.

They make a little feather "animal" for the cheetah to chase using feathers from the park.

At this point, she was turning around! What a stop!

And, after playing, she got to enjoy a drink... but she's ever watchful!

Scott and her dad rode a lot of rides and I rode a few, too. I love the speed setting on my camera!

It got both the cheetah shots and this fast-moving roller coaster shot!

They are the 3rd from the back row.

Another of their rides. Alex LOVES these rides that just keep dropping you, though

she found lots of roller coasters to love at Busch Gardens!

Next, it was time for our behind-the-scenes orangutan and tiger private tour.

What an incredible experience! It was just the 3 of us with a guide for 1.5 hours....

Going "behind-the-scenes" into the Orangutan House...

With the orangutans, we got to see how they train them with simple hand signals. Most of the training is so they will present various body parts for medical exams. Even a female orangutan is (if I'm remembering correctly) 4 times stronger than a human, so they really need their cooperation!

Here I am giving the signal for the orangutan to put his ear to the glass. We did these exercises with two orangutans and then got to feed them through the tube there under my elbow.

We just dropped in pieces of fruit!

And here is one of the trainers with their "smartest" orangutan. He's having her present

her belly where they can do things like use a stethoscope or an ultrasound!

She even did a cartwheel and a handstand at Alex's command!

Next we visited the tiger house...

This tiger was working on a retrieval command. There was a large stick in the water and he was supposed to jump in and get it. He preferred using his paws to try to get it to come to the side!

And this tiger needed its blood drawn. The lady near the head was feeding "meatballs" to the tiger to keep him occupied. The two ladies at the tail were trying to draw blood from the tail... the safest place to draw from! Unfortunately, they weren't able to get any blood at this time, but they didn't want to tire the tiger so they would try again later.

And, here I am using a bouy-on-a-stick to show this tiger where to put her head. This is also a training so they can observe various parts of the tiger's body for medical purposes.

And, our last stop was to go out in public to feed the 3 tigers on display. Alex chose a white tiger and was inside the glass area. She had a little tube she would drop the meatballs into - just like we did with the orangutans. My husband had a similar set-up.

But me? I was on a bridge and had to throw the meatballs over the moat and onto a little rocky ledge where my tiger was. I'm really not a good throw, but I made it to the tiger every time!!! There were about a dozen meatballs, and on the next-to-last one, the tiger tried to catch it in his mouth. So, I decided to aim for his mouth with the last meatball... and we did it!!! He caught it in his mouth!!

When we got back to our hotel for the night, we saw this cute little guy hanging out by the trash bin.

The Guns of Lexington

2013-04-10T10:31:00.002-06:00

I've been watching a lecture video series by Dr J Rufus Fears on YouTube. It is called "The Story of Freedom". I have been learning so much and wanted to record some of that on my blog both for my own review and perhaps others would enjoy my insight, links, or even the original video.

The first video is titled "The Guns of Lexington" and covers some of the early events in the Revolutionary War. From my notes and put in my own words...

On April 19th, 1775, the British elite were stationed in Boston. A rebellion was starting and Governor Sir Thomas Gage was under orders to put down the rebellion. He was given a two-part mission: to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams (in Lexington) and to capture some of the weapons the colonists were stockpiling.

Marching under Sir Francis Smith, about 700 Red Coats sat out in the middle of the night on a 20 mile march. There were two locations where they knew weapons were being stored - Wooster and Concord. If they were going to go to Wooster, they would travel the entire way by land. But, if they were going to Concord, they would launch boats and travel part of the way by sea. Thus, the famous saying "One if by land; two if by sea." And, they went by sea... towards Concord.

Now, these colonsits were British subjects! But, cannons were weapons of mass destruction and there was no need to be in possession of them... except for war! As the Red Coats approached, they expected to see dark, sleeping villages. Instead, they were greeted in Lexington by 77 colonists who had been warned (becaues of spies like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams) that "the British are coming!" This was at about 4:30 in the morning, and as the 700 British soldiers faced the 77 colonists, a colonist leader (Parker) said "Stand your ground! Don't fight unless fired upon! But, if they want to have a war, let it begin here." Then, someone, no one knows who or on which side, fired "the shot heard round the world."

Eight colonists, British subjects, were killed! The Red Coats headed down the road towards Concord. Now, they needed to find cannons to justify the spilling of British blood! While they leave 98 British to dismantle the Old North Bridge, the rest march into Concord and search for weapons. But, they've been removed and so they can't find any!

By noon, hundreds of minutemen from nearby towns arrive. They start shooting at and killing the British soldiers who begin a retreat to Boston. Even though the Red Coats receive backups near Lexington, the colonists continue to follow them all the way to Boston... shooting and killing... They are now a force about 16,000 colonists strong.

When the Red Coats reach Boston, the minutemen surround them and put them under siege. A British General, William Howe, decides he needs to get some cannons on top of some of the hills in Boston so he can fire down on the colonists surrounding the city. But, during the night, the colonists take Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill.

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17,1775 by John Trumbull at Boston Museum of Fine Arts(from Wikipedia)

Twenty two hundred Red Coats march up the hill in rows of three. Knowing the colonists weapons will shoot farther than the Red Coats, Prescott (a colonist) says "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!" The British in their formations are heavily attacked. They make several charges and eventually take off their heavy red coats. They have some cannons, but they have the wrong sized cannonballs! Eventually, though, the colonists run out of ammunition. Half of the British soldiers are dead or wounded.

Meanwhile, the Continental Congress is meeting in Philadelphia. They have decided that they are at war and need troops and a leader. On July 1, 1775, General George Washington takes command of the troops under an elm tree in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now, the colonists are at war with the British.

Other resources:

A poem by Emerson (1803-1882) coins the phrase "the shot heard round the world" and is sung at the Concord Monument on July 4, 1837
"America: The Story of US" has a 12 minute clip about Lexington & Concord
Liberty's Kids has an episode called "The Shot Heard Round the World"
Johnny Tremain, both the book (which I haven't read) and the movie (which I watched last week on Amazon Instant Video) are about these events & more
Visit the Paul Revere Heritage site to read Longfellow's "Midnight Ride" poem and learn about some of the myths from this poem

Learning JavaScript at Khan Academy

2013-04-03T12:37:00.000-06:00

I have been working with Khan Academy for the past few weeks, and yesterday discovered that they also have a computer programming course! My first introduction to computers was in high school - on computers that just had black screens and green lettering. And, we learned some programming in BASIC. I've wanted to learn to do a little programming, and now I can! For free!

This was my first creation. There was already a green turtle on the screen. I worked on making him rainbow colored, moving him to the left of the screen, and moving his eyes, head, tail, arms & legs.

Then, I made Kirby! This was from scratch!!! Of course, it is just a bunch of ovals with coloring, but it was still an accomplishment!

Next, I made my punk dude. For this one, I manipulated a face that was already there. I moved the arms to be ears, changed the color, added a neck and shirt, and added hair! Oh, and I learned how to make a colored background... and went back and added colored background to the other images.

This guy was from scratch! I was learning about points & lines.

And, my Pac-Man. For this program, I was learning how to set up variables. So, on these dots, if I increase the size of one, they both increase! I'm having so much fun! My next lesson is to set up a program where all of the pieces are attached and move as one piece. I'm thinking of a teddy bear...

One more... Ms Pac-Man!!!

Wet & Rainy Roatan (Honduras)

2013-04-03T12:29:00.000-06:00

When we woke up on the morning of our excursion to Roatan, an island of Honduras, we were thrilled to see the rain forest! And, both of our days in Mexico had been very flat. So, seeing the lush hills was quite a site! We were ready for our day... of ziplining & then playing with some monkeys!

After a lengthy checking in process, we headed up the hillside. And, once again, it started raining. We were sad to see the poverty that was so abundant. But, the people we passed seemed very happy.

There were different types of tours which were in line to go down the multiple ziplines. Our group was the very last one. And, by now, it was raining pretty hard. Alex and others were getting quite cold. There were more than 100 people in front of us as we waited to start our journey down. But, in the end, the cold & rain got too much for us and we asked for a bus back to the starting point.

That was quite a disappointment! The day before was supposed to be our first zipline experience, and we hadn't even made it to our port. And now, we missed our second chance! We were dropped off under a large pavillion and started to dry off and warm up.

At first we were just going to go back to the ship. But, the rain quit for awhile and then we just had sprinkles off and on. So, we decided to go and see the monkeys!

We were at a place called Gumbalimba Park. I didn't realize we would go on a tour and see a lot more than monkeys! We walked through the rain forest and saw hummingbirds, and waterfalls, & then arrived at the Insectarium. This little cave had a nice assortment of insect displays and insect facts.

Then we went into another cave where there were murals on the walls telling the history of Roatan. And, in the middle, was this relief map of the island. You can see Gumbalimba Park (in yellow) on the far west of the map. And, on the south side, a little to the right of the middle of this photo, you can see Mahogany Bay where our ship made port. The history of the island was very interesting complete with invaders, pirates, and buried gold!

Next, we headed to a rope bridge to cross over to the monkeys. As we started across, we saw 3 iguanas! They were quite large and all lying on branches sunning, I guess. I was thrilled to see them!

And, we could hear... and then SEE... scarlet macaws flying through the sky!

Time to cross Pirate Bridge... 5 people at a time!

I walked with one hand on the rope and the other taking photos. Near the end of the bridge the planks were farther apart and I'm glad I noticed before I had a problem!

On the other side of the bridge are the macaws. There are scarlet macaws and military macaws (which are green with blue tails). A man was holding this scarlet macaw and would let you take photos with it on your shoulder or on your arm.

My turn!

We were warned that, with the rain, the monkeys might not come out. But, after we were there 5-10 minutes, someone saw a monkey coming through the trees! We were told she was the alpha monkey and that all others would follow her. (I think there were about 13 in the group.) And, the alpha had a baby!!! Can you see it's little hand?!?

With a little encouragement, the monkeys would jump on our shoulders... or heads! The mommy with her baby jumped on me!!! It was such a neat feeling!!!

And then the mommy was coaxed onto Alex's shoulder with a little drink.

We were told not to bring anything, or even wear glasses, because the monkeys would steal things and take them up to the trees to play with. As you can see, this little monkey stole someones Gatorade. I'm sure it isn't the best thing for a monkey to drink, but he sure did look funny! He would drink some - and spill a lot! And, then he'd wipe his face on the tree. When he was done, he just dropped the bottle down on the forest floor!

We left down a different path and I got a photo of the Pirate Bridge we'd crossed earlier.

Alex and her friends in our beautiful yellow raincoats as we walked back to the pavillion.
It's time to leave the RAIN FOREST!

Cruisin' Mexico

2013-03-27T18:59:00.001-06:00

Because of the propulsion issue, we ended up making two stops in Mexico.

A dolphin experience we watched in Costa Maya, not Cozumel where we did ours.

When I get our disposable camera developed, I'll tell you more about our first stop in Mexico: Cozumel. We started with a dolphin experience where, besides the 'normal' dolphin encounter, you also got a "pull" (hanging on to her fins) and a "push" (using a boogie board and her pushing on your feet... what a thrilling ride!) After the dolphins, it started raining really hard and getting cooler. We did walk around some Mayan sculptures, visit a Mayan hut where we sampled fresh tortillas, and watch our friends come in on their glass bottom kayak adventure. We also had a nice Mexican buffet. But, we ended the day early because of the rain and cold.

Although the cruise line put together some last minute excursions, we decided to not take any in our second port of Costa Maya. Instead, we went with our new friends - Jill and her college-age daughter, Natalie. We first visited the high-pressure shops and Alex bought some sunglasses which she needed. Then we climbed this tower. There wasn't a lot to see, but we could see our ship!

Natalie went back to the ship while Alex & Jill hung out in beach chairs and I visited the tide pools that were right there at our port! I LOVE tide pools and enjoyed exploring these. I found several chitons which are mollusks with hard plates. They are about 2 inches long.

Dozens of shells - probably hermit crabs?

A little bitty sea urchin!!! I believe this is my first in a tide pool. It was about the size of a marble!

This is what I believe is a piece of coral. It was about the size of my hand.

Gorgeous! And so fragile looking! It reminds me of a leaf skeleton.

And, a little striped fish that got caught in the tide pool.

A self-portrait by the tide pools. You can see our ship in the background!

Alex & Jill relaxing by the ocean.

After this, Jill headed back to the ship and Alex and I found two hammocks! We had the BEST time hanging out in these! I could have stayed for HOURS, but we hadn't put on sunscreen because we thought we'd just be shopping for awhile.

Just relaxing! (Alex loves to take angled photos... they do turn out neat!)

And, a zoomed-in view of Costa Maya from our balcony. We took that little red trolley back. You can see the flag that I took a photo of, the yellow tower (behind the orange building) that we climbed, the shops (brownish triangular roofs) where we shopped, the beach (in front of umbrellas) where I looked at tide pools, and right behind the umbrellas were the hammocks where we laid out.

We Were "Stranded in the Caribbean"

2013-03-27T17:31:00.002-06:00

Yes, we traveled on one of the Carnival ships that experienced difficulties recently. For Spring Break, we flew to Tampa, Florida to set sell on the Carnival Legend cruise. Our 7-day cruise was to visit four places: Cozumel (Mexico); Belize; Roatan (Honduras); and Grand Cayman. However, after our first stop at Cozumel, the ship just sat there...

We ended up leaving 1.5 hours later and didn't think too much of it. But, the next morning, we learned we were having "propulsion issues" and our ship was not able to go at top speed. So, instead of reaching Belize for our 2nd day on shore, we stopped for a second day in Mexico - this time in Costa Maya which is about 120 miles south of Cozumel.

After Costa Maya, we did make it to Roatan, Honduras for our 3rd day of excursions. Later that day, we were told they were unsure if we'd make it to Grand Cayman or Belize for the 4th day on shore. But, then, we got the disappointing news that we wouldn't be stopping anywhere - we were headed back to Tampa.

Carnival did compensate us for our messed up travels. We received $100 per person to spend onboard or take home. And, we received vouchers for 1/2 off our next cruise! There are guidelines, though... like it has to be 7 days or less and take place in the next 2 years.

Will we travel with them again? Maybe. Alex is eager to go on another one next year with some of her new friends. But, for now, I think we'll wait and see what happens on future Carnival cruises. I hope they get all of their problems fixed quickly!

Images of a Baltic Sea Fortress

2013-02-27T20:36:00.004-06:00

While visiting Finland, we took a ferry tour out to the island sea fortress of Suomenlinna, "fortress of Finland." This fortress was originally built by Sweden starting in 1748. In 1808, the fortress was surrendered to Russia during the "War of Finland." And, after Finland's declaration of independence in 1917, Suomenlinna was officially a part of Finland starting in May 1918.

Part of the island fortress.

A seagull that flew alongside us during our ferry ride.

This is Neck, a Nordic water spirit. According to tradition, he lived in the sea and parents used him to scare children to keep away from the water. He could also attrack people with his magic songs. He is now a 'guide' at a museum on the island fortress.

This poster is showing the channel of Sarkaa during the Crimean War. An underwater obstruction was built here to keep ships from passing through the channel.

The fortress island has museums, shops, boat docks and more!

In this building, they were building a boat!!!

And I loved this paint-splattered floor.

There were LOTS of baby geese! Some of them as big as the mamas & papas!

And, I loved this old building...

And this one, too.

Visiting Finland: Helsinki & the Lutheran Cathedral

2013-02-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

We only spent one full day in Finland and most of it was on the fortress

island of Suomenlinna. But, I'll start by blogging about Helsinki itself.

This is what Helsinki, the capital of Finland, looked like as we flew in. The city is on

a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland, which is an arm of the Baltic Sea.

We arrived during the night so this was our first view of Helsinki in the morning. We walked to our first stop of the day...

Senate Square. Helsinki was founded here in 1640 and, according to a sign, this area has been the 'centre of the city ever since.' Also, according to the sign: Finland was for centuries a part of the Swedish Kingdom. After the war of Finland in 1809, Finland was ceded to Russia as an autonomous Grand Duchy. Helsinki became the capital in 1812. The city centre was rebuilt and gradually assumed its present look. Finland became independent in 1917.

This morning, bands were practicing for a concert this evening. It was for the "2012 Helsinki: European Athletic Championships."

Looking over Senate Square is the Lutheran Cathedral which was finished in 1852. It was built as a tribute to the Grand Duke, Nicholas I, the Tsar of Russia. (The previous photo of the stage was taken from the top steps shown here.)

The cathedral was built in neoclassical style which can be recognized by: tall columns, symmetrical shapes, triangular pediments, and domed roofs.

The gorgeous organ!!!

That evening... the concert was ON and the crowds were OUT!

Visiting La Defense in Paris

2013-02-17T09:01:00.002-06:00

Our last hotel in Paris was the Hilton in La Defense, the business district of Paris. It is also at one en of the historical axis ("Axe historique") or the Triumphal Way ("Voie Triomphale").

image from Wikipedia

At the other end is the Louvre. And, in between are places such as the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and the Luxor Obelisk.

The large monument in La Defense is this large, cube-shaped arch known as the Grand Arche which was completed in 1989. It was built as a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals. My brother and daughter are climbing the many steps in this picture!

And, here's a picture of the Grand Arche from the distance. On the left side, close to the arch, is a mall called The Four Times (or "Les Quatres Temps"). We shopped and ate here as our hotel is just to the right of this monument.

And here's the view (zoomed in) from the top of the steps of the Grand Arche. You can see down the busy street of Champs-Elysees to the Arch de Triomphe.

On our last morning in France, we split up and I took a photo walk while the others shopped. Here's a better view of Champs-Elysees and the Arche de Triomphe. I really wish we would have went to the top of the Arche and looked back towards La Defense!

A very neat looking water-fall.

An interesting sculpture.

A self-portrait (& I did do a little shopping... for sweets! Ha!)

I played with my camera's settings... a black & white with the colorful fountain in

front and the Grand Arche in the back.

Images of buildings in a building (in b&w).

Another self-portrait with another setting...

And the "Carrousel; Jules Verne". This was so amazing with the beautiful artwork!

I tried to read it when I got home, but had trouble sticking with it. I loved these images though!

And, with that, we left Paris... and France...

A Paris Cruise: Bridges & More

2013-02-16T20:07:00.002-06:00

We got caught in the rain on the day we decided to take a cruise down the Seine. In Paris, there are 37 bridges over the Seine. Each is unique and we enjoyed seeing a handful of them.

But, before we get to the bridges, here's a view of the Eiffel Tower on this rainy day.

And this is Pont Alexandre. (Pont is French for 'bridge'.) It was built between 1896 and 1900 for a world's fair. It is named for Tsar Alexander III of Russia and his son, Nicholas II, laid the first stone. It features art nouveau lamps and Nymphs of the Neva with the arms of Imperial Russia (double- headed eagle). On the other side would be Nymphs of the Seine with the arms of France.

The golden winged horse is also part of Pont Alexandre. The building with the glass roof is known as the Grand Palais (which we did not visit). This was also built for the Universal Exposition, or world's fair, of 1900. Today, it often hosts art exhibitions.

This building was also finished in 1900. It was originally a terminis for the Paris-Orleans Railway. It now houses the Musee d'Orsay which we visited on a different day.

A couple on the bridge of "love locks" which we walked across on another day. I think this image looks so Parisian! Maybe they were putting on their own lock?

This is Pont Neuf, which means "new bridge". However, it is actually the oldest bridge crossing the Seine in Paris! King Henry III laid its first stone in 1578 and it was completed in 1607 under Henry IV! There are almost 400 of these faces on the bridge. Each of them unique! They are called "mascarons" which is Italian for "mask."

More mascarons on Pont Neuf.

This bridge is the Pont Saint Michel which was built by the request of Napoleon III.

A view of Notre Dame from the 'back' showcasing the flying buttresses.

This bridge is the Pont de Bir - Hakeim which has two levels - a lower one for vehicles and pedestrians and an upper one for the Metro. I believe this statue is called "Labor" by Jules-Felix Coutan.

This is the same bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

And, after we got off the boat, we came across this... the "Flamme de la Liberte"! It is an exact replica of the flame held by the Statue of Liberty which was, of course, a gift to the United States from France!

Visiting Musee d'Orsay

2013-02-13T21:34:00.003-06:00

Outside of Musee d'Orsay - photo from Wikipedia

We visited several art museums while in Paris, including the Musee d'Orsay. This was one of our favorite art museums, though we didn't have much time here. We saw only a fraction of it - and we'll just have to go back some day!

We started out with lunch at the restaurant. It was gorgeous!

You aren't allowed to take photos in the exhibits, but many people take a photo like this from one of the upper floors. We saw works by Cezanne, Degas, Gaugin, Monet, Renoir, Seurat, and Van Gogh.

Alex and I spent quite a bit of time looking at these 'puppets' from a display about the Chat noir Shadow Theatre. As the name implies, these figures would make shadow figures and stories were told in that way.

And, isn't this a great one?

The museum is built in an old railway station and has several gorgeous clocks including this one.

My Longest Bike Ride... So Far!

2013-02-13T20:30:00.001-06:00

I started running 2 1/2 years ago. Then, after doing a 5K, a half marathon, and a few other races, I branched out and tried triathlons. I have now completed: four 5Ks, one 10K, one 10 miler, four half marathons, and two sprint triathlons. My next goal? A century ride, otherwise known as a 100 mile bike ride. And, my goal is to complete it this year.

My longest ride, until this weekend, was a 34 mile ride I did with my friend, E, last May. In November & December I built up to doing 20 miles at a time. And, Thursday night, I decided to enter my first organized biking event. I chose to do 45 miles and E would be riding in the car with me while her husband, R, would ride with their friend M.

We left very early because they'd done the ride before and knew traffic would be bad. We got there easily and had plenty of time to stop by the bathroom & get some breakfast. I first tried a breakfast taco, but I really don't like egg mixed with 'stuff' and only could eat a few bites. I then had some oatmeal, but I didn't see any sugar and it was so bland! E then showed me where the sugar was & it was great! I also had half a large banana and had already had some food on the drive.

Me before the ride.

I was pretty nervous about the start. It's a lot more dangerous starting with all those bikes than with runners! And, in a triathlon, you are spread out and it's illegal to get close to other riders. E, R & M all ride faster than me and started in the wave (or group) in front of me. I thought it'd be easier if I just did this on my own and didn't worry about my friends having to watch over me. I stayed to the far left, and took off with the crowd. It was actually not so bad!

I ended up being at the end of a wave, which was unplanned but I really liked. For the first few miles, I pretty much kept a little distance between myself & the back of the wave. I wasn't really interested in being surrounded by bikes!

A little before mile 3 everyone started yelling "slowing" and then "stopping". We could see an ambulance up ahead and knew that wasn't a good sign. The ride marshalls had us walk into the grass quite a ways before the ambulance. Most people were carrying their bikes and I tried for awhile, but then decided it was too tiring.

As I got closer to the wreck, I really started thinking that it could be my friend, E. I was praying and thinking "Please, not her!" I saw they had someone on a backboard, but couldn't remember what my friend had on. As I passed, I realized it was the other friend... M! The one who'd rode with my E's husband! Oh, no!!

I walked up and asked if I could talk to M. The EMT's encouraged me and said no one else had known her. I talked to her. She had a whole in her glove and a knuckle was bloody. And, she was holding her left shoulder. I didn't see anything else. I talked to her and she didn't know who I was. I told her we'd only met that morning but I was E's friend. She started crying and held my hand and told me she was scared and didn't know how she'd got there. I told her she'd be OK, that I'd be praying & try to contact E & R. I asked if I could call anyone and she said "no." I stood by until the loaded her in the ambulance.

I texted my friend, E, as I didn't have her husband's number. Then, I headed off at a pretty good pace. I was praying that I could catch up with my friend at the 1st stop. But, they were probably far ahead. I'd been slowed by the walk and then I'd stood by for probably 5 minutes or so.

I got there and coulnd't find them but saw a ride marshall and talked to him. He'd actually been one of the first on the scene! As I pieced together the story from him & from my friend's husband who later talked to M, I found out that: someone else had fallen down & M had wrecked into them. Surprisingly & sadly, though M was injured, the other rider got back on their bike and took off! They found another driver's license next to my friend and I guess they think that is the other person's. I was shocked someone would do that!

By this time, I was still upset and wondering if I should just go back to the car, but decided to press on... and slow down as I'd been pushing myself to try and rush to the 1st stop. I heard from my friend, E, at the 2nd stop. I didn't get much info then, but later learned the following: her husband had been having knee problems very early on and was already back at the start when she contacted him. So, he got to go straight to the hospital and be with M! Isn't that amazing? And, the news on M: she broke her shoulder and will be out about 2 months. (Though she'll get a 2nd opinion from a sports doctor this week.)

Back to the ride:

So, the temp was about 50 when we started and near 60 when we finished. I wore bike shorts with capris over them, a bike shirt and my wind jacket with removable sleeves. It was totally overcast (except for a brief time when the sun tried to break through) and winds were 10-15 mph, so I also wore my 'beanie' to protect my sensitive ears.

For most of the ride, the wind was at our side, and yet it felt pretty powerful to me! Most of the ride was flat with only 4-5 decent hills. (And those are Houston hills... so not that bad for many of you.) We only had about 2 miles with the wind at our back, and that was AMAZING!!! And, we had from about mile 40-43 with it in our face, and that was HORRIBLE!!! (But wind makes you stronger!)

On the main sections, when the wind was at our side, I was riding at about 12-15 mph. When the wind was at our back, I averaged 18-22. And, when it was at our face, I could only pull about 9!!! At one time, going up a hill with that wind, I dropped down to 7!!! And, at another time, I stopped pedaling and was afraid I might end up going backwards!

Rest Stop #1 of 4

There were 4 stops with great food and I stopped at each. I had oranges (sliced), banana pieces, cookies, peanut butter carckers, a granola bar... I didn't drink enough. I was afraid to drink much while riding as I'm still a little unsure of my abilities. I need to make sure and drink more.

I met another lady at the 2nd rest stop and then we hooked up at the 3rd and finished the rest of the ride together. For about 10 miles we were able to ride side by side and that was the easiest part of the ride... I think because we were chatting & forgetting our pains!

Different parts of my body hurt at different times, but I was thankful not to have any nagging pains. Today, the only thing sore is my SEAT! I feel terrific! And, I'm already looking at next weekend's ride where I think I'll do 45 miles again (well, 46.5).

I love BIKING!

Jesse Owens & Hitler

2013-02-13T08:50:00.003-06:00

I am currently listening to A Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The book takes place in Nazi Germany during WWII. In the part I just listened to, we visit 1936 where a young boy is fascinated by the black Olympian, Jesse Owens.

The chapter is called "The Jesse Owens Incident" and the young boy, about 7 years old, paints himself black with charcoal and pretends he is Jesse Owens winning a gold medal. His father finds him and scolds him for pretending to be black. He should be happy with his blonde hair and blue eyes... especially as they live under the watchful eyes of Hitler who believes the Aryan race is supreme. In fact, the Olympics were supposed to showcase the supremecy of the Aryans, and yet 6 gold medals were won by black American athelets, including 4 by Jesse Owens. Hitler stormed out of the stadium after Owens won the 100-meter event.

I found this brief video about Jesse Owens on Biography.

The Siege of Leningrad: A Book Review & A Young Girl's Diary

2013-02-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

After reading The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simmons, a historical fiction book about the siege of Leningrad, I was interested in learning more about this time in recent history. I found this Kindle book called The Siege of Leningrad by Rupert Colley which is part of a series called "History in an Hour." It really had some good information in it and was interesting to read.

The Introduction to the story is powerful. I've included several pieces below:

The Fuhrer has decided to wipe the city of Petersbury from the face of the earth. After the defeat of Soviet Russia there is no interest in further existence of this large inhaabited area. - Adolf Hitler

With these words, issued on 22 September 1941, Adolf Hitler effectively sealed Leningrad's fate.

The number of deaths in Leningrad exceeded those who died from the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined, and constitutes the largest death toll ever recorded in a single city.

While being surrounded for almost 900 days... over one million died... from German bombs or artillery, or from disease, the cold or starvation.... The story of the siege is one of heroic resistance and stoical survival but is also one of unimaginable suffering and extreme deprivation.

After telling about the siege, the author tells about some of the people of the siege. One of them, Tanya Savicheva, was a young girl who kept a diary. She was 12 years old when she started writing in her diary. But, with the intense cold and lack of fuel, her diary became fuel along with their household furniture. Tanya was eventually evacuated in August 1942, but she died of tuberculosis on July 1st, 1944. Her nine surviving diary pages tell of the deaths of her family members:

Zhenya died on Dec. 28th at 12:00 P.M. 1941

Grandma died on Jan. 25th 3:00 P.M. 1942
Leka died on March 5th at 5:00 A.M. 1942
Uncle Vasya died on Apr. 13th at 2:00 after midnight 1942
Uncle Lesha on May 10th at 4:00 P.M. 1942
Mother on May 13th at 7:30 A.M. 1942
Savichevs died.
Everyone died.

Only Tanya is left.

Book Review: Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

2013-02-12T20:16:00.002-06:00

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal is a wonderful book that I savored for about a week. Some books I get so engrossed in that I devour in 24 hours, but I was happy to visit this book every day and continue on the journey.

Conor Grennan is 29 years old and decides to take a year off to travel the world. But, partly to impress women, he decides to start the year off by volunteering. He chooses 3 months in Nepal working with orphans.

When he arrives at the orphange, he doesn't know what to do. He's never really been around children before and they are crawling all over him the moment he walks towards the orphanage. At first, he can't remember all of their names and learns to identify them by the shirts they wear.

Mount Everest in Neapl (from Wikipedia)

But, Conor discovers that these children are not orphans after all. Instead, child traffickers have tricked families into paying huge fees in the promise of keeping them safe from the civil war in Nepal and a good education.

Conor comes up with a new mission: to reunite these children with their families in the mountains of Nepal.

The story of these children is full of sadness, hope, humor and love. It is an amazing story of an issue that is still being faced in Nepal today. The organization that Conor founded continues to work on reuniting these children with their families.

Bruin: My Family's Pet Bear

2013-02-10T07:34:00.001-06:00

One of my hobbies is genealogy and I came across an amazing family story about one of my Pennsylvania ancestors! His name was Robert Stewart and he lived in Pennsylvania in the 1800's. And, he had a pet bear. Yes, a pet BEAR!

The story was written about 30 years after he died, but I can imagine the story was told over & over in the area. Here's the story which is taken from History of Centre and Clinton Countie, Pennylvania (page 523) which was published in 1883:

An image of "Grizzly" Adams and his pet bear from Wikipedia

Mike Swartz and the Black Bear

A tame bear belonging to the family of Robert Stewart was missing one morning, whereupon a man by the name of Mike Swartz and Mr. Stewart went in pursuit of him. After a while he was discovered in a tree a short distance from the house. One of the men, who had a gun, fired at the bear, and succeeded in bringing him to the ground, but slightly wounded. In order to prevent Bruin from escaping Mike ran up and caught hold of the bear, which in turn Bruin caught Mike by the hand with his mouth, at the same time giving him a hug such only as bears can give; at which Mike called out to his companion, who was at a safe distance, to come to his assisstance, but Stewart, who no doubt thought "self-preservation the first law of nature," cooly replied, "Mike, if you were my own born dear brother I could do nothing for you under the circumstances."

Isn't that a terrific story?!? Of course, the story doesn't tell what happened next. I'm assuming everything turned out fine and they had a good laugh about it later. I did look to see if Mike survived, and didn't find a death notice. And, with the humor of the story, I do think it must have turned out OK after all.

There was another brief passage from the book about Robert. It was on the preceding page and both gives me pride in my Stewart family and an idea of where to look for Robert's elusive parents and possible siblings. This is from page 522:

Robert Stewart came from Chatham's Run in 1816, and settled on the Valentine Hanna property, near the Bald Eagle Creek. He had formerly lived at the mouth of Young Woman's Creek. He was of Scotch descent, and was the father of eight children, - four sons and four daughters, - all of whom possessed energy, and were very remarkable for their powers of endurance.

I'm wondering how they behaved that they were spoken of as possessing "energy" and "very remarkable for their powers of endurance." It sounds like a great family, though, and I'm happy to claim them as mine!

Visiting the Gardens of Versaille

2013-02-07T20:21:00.004-06:00

I don't remember if we did something else in the morning, but by the time we got to Versailles via train from Paris, we only had a few hours to look around! The line to get inside the palace was very long, so we chose to just walk around the gardens instead. Some day, I will go back and tour the palace!

Our first view of the palace.... so much GOLD!!! And, the cobblestones... OUCH!!!

The first fountain inside the palace gate.

We are very close to the fountain, right behind the palace. I think practically everything you see is Versaille's Gardens! Amazing!

A view back towards the palace and that original fountain.

It was a beautiful day as we walked around. And besides the beautiful fountains, flowers, columns, and landscaping, there are a lot of statues! And, there is beautiful classical music playing over the speakers. I loved this! It really added to the atmosphere.

These are marble columns off to one side of the main pathway. It was my favorite place, with many small fountains all around a central fountain.

Another view... with Alex.

I was playing with the fish-eye setting on my camera and liked how this turned out. When we first saw this fountain, at the back of the gardens, the water was spounting. But, each fountain is only on during certain times. Beyond this, you can see a 'lake' which is actually more like a city park and not part of Versailles.

Another 'fish-eye' photo taken from the same spot (near the back of the gardens) but looking back towards the palace.

Me in the gardens with the palace behind me. (Basically the same spot.)

A beautiful, tree-lined walk off to one side.

This is beyond the gardens into the 'public' area. You can see people boating and there were a lot of bicyclists riding by. I wish I could have joined them!

Loved this photo of the fountain with the trees behind them... just wish I would have waited until there weren't people walking by. Still, gorgeous!

A closer look at the cobblestones... we had to walk a long way on these! And, it wasn't comfortable!

After the gardens, we stayed in the city of Versailles to eat. Alex didn't like the outside cafe that the others chose, so we headed to McDonald's! W had a Croque McDo! We had several croque sand-wiches while in France - basically a grilled ham & cheese but the cheese is usually on the outside.

We also had nuggets with some great sauce!

And, while we waited for the others to finish, Alex used our French phrase book to translate the name of a nearby restaurant. It was a lovely day!

Visiting the Eiffel Tower...a Scary Tale

2013-02-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

Of course, we visited the Eiffel Tower while visiting Paris!

A great view of the tower.

We heard the lines were long, but were shocked to see lines lasting about 2.5 hours! We watched these people 'dancing' in a circle under the center of the tower. It was the summer solstice and we believe it was some kind of religious activity.

As we waited in line, I took a few photos of the gorgeous ironworks.

Alex and I decided to leave everyone else to their long wait... and CLIMB to the top! (An image of Gustave Eiffel on the stairs.) There are two levels you can visit. We would climb to the top one, and then climb back down to the first one where everyone else would meet us.

This is a view of the Seine River during the climb up.

We made it to the VERY TOP!!! 668 STEPS!

A view of the Seine River from the top.

A recreation of Gustave Eiffel's office on the top deck.

As we looked around, it started to get dark. It was approaching midnight!

The Versailles Gardens has a firework show a couple of times a week. We could see the fireworks off in the distance.

By now, I believe we were back on the lower deck. We'd been separated from our family for several hours... and we couldn't find them ANYWHERE! I was getting really nervous. The tower closed at 1 am, if I remember correctly, and it was approaching that time. There were not many people on the tower walking around, and I debated on what to do.

The sparkling light show that takes place at 12 & 1 am (I believe)

I finally decided we should take the elevator down and that, hopefully, we'd find our family. But, they weren't at the bottom, either! It was very late and dark out. We ended up talking to a guard and asking if we could stay near him until we found our family. He didn't speak English very well, but at least I felt a little more secure. I was starting to make plans for how we'd find a taxi... it was not a pleasant thought. But, thankfully...

My family finally showed up!!! They had went to the VERY top (which they had said they wouldn't do) and had got stuck in a very long line for the elevator. We had caught a ride from the lower level. We were so very thankful to be reunited!!! And, we all caught a ride and were happy to get back to the hotel. We' been at the tower for about 5 hours.

Mushroom Matters

2013-01-29T21:02:00.003-06:00

FACT: Egyptian pharaohs ate mushrooms and forbade anyone else to eat them. They believed the mushrooms had magical powers!

FACT: Roman warriors were fed mushrooms to give them "god-like strength"!

mushrooms in my backyard

I love mushrooms. Not to eat, but to look at and photograph! Alex is studying mushrooms at school and, as I was helping her with homework tonight, I came across a wonderful resourse for upper elementary/middle school students!

more mushrooms from our backyard

The resource is called "Mushroom Education Packet" and it is at the American mushroom site. The interesting facts I listed (above) were found in this packet. The packet includes these sections: A History of Mushrooms, Mushroom Farming in the Kennett Square Area, How Mushrooms Grow, The Parts of the Mushroom, and Recycling in the Mushroom Farming Industry.

Besides the short articles, the lesson packet also includes worksheets like fill-in-the-blanks, word searches, and true or false questions. There are even mushroom recipes, mushroom math, a mushroom science experiment, and more surprises!

our 'spore print' from 2008

When we did a quick, impromptu study of mushrooms in 2008, we made the above spore print from a mushroom. It was a neat exercise, and this study guide talks you through how to do it. It's a great activity to do a couple days after a rain!

If you use the packet, please let me know! I'm no longer homeschooling, but still have a heart & desire to teach!

Palette Knife Painting

2013-01-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

I took a three hour workshop yesterday called "Rooster Pallette Knife Painting Workshop." We used acrylics and painted, not with a brush, but with a metal pallette knife! This is a techinque that was often used by Vincent Van Gogh.

Starry Night by Van Gogh - from Wikipedia

I'm not sure if "Starry Night" was done with a palette knife, but it certainly looks as if it could have been. Using a palette knife to paint is kind of like decorating a cake: you smear the paint onto the canvas with the underside of the knife.

So, here's my palette knife-painted rooster! It was a NEAT experience and I already bought supplies to do it again. By the way, there are parts of my rooster I love (like the colors in the main body - the green and yellow parts) and parts I didn't quite get right (like the tail is too large, the feet are too small, and the wattle should be curved - not pointed). But, overall, I'm happy with this project and can't wait to do another one!

L'Orangerie in Paris

2013-01-21T09:20:00.001-06:00

The l'Orangerie was one of several art museums we visited while in Paris. A museum of Impressionist art, it is best known for its two oval rooms that each house 4 large murals of Monet's water lilies or nympheas.

Image of Monet's water lilies at l'Oragerie from Wikipedia

As much as I enjoy Monet, I didn't enjoy these rooms that much. Maybe I was just tired of water lilies! We'd seen them at several museums already... and seen the 'real thing' at Giverny!

After you left the two oval rooms, one of the first displays was this series of two dioramas. This diorama shows a model of the study of Paul & Domenica Guillaume and the museum houses their collection. You can see, on the wall, miniature recreations of some of the paintings in the museum!

I recognize at least one Picasso.

I like this one even better. On the wall you can see a couple of Degas' works and several by Cezanne. And, if you look in the mirrored doorway to the left, you see the hands of the photographer... me!

My three favorite works of art at this museum were all by Renoir. This one is titled "Gabrielle et Jean." Gabrielle was the "beloved nanny" of the Renoir children and she was often painted by him. Jean is one of his sons. I just loved the image of them happily playing together.

What I loved most about this image of another of Renoir's sons, Claude, was the story behind it. Evidentally, Claude did not want to wear the tights. His father ended up bribing him to wear them!

And, I love this painting of two young girls at the piano. I have played the piano for over 30 years and used to play and sing with my sister and with my best friend, Jill. It also reminds me of the best piano teacher I ever had - she had a cross-stitch of this painting (actually, there are multiple versions of this subject) hanging over her grand piano. These are fond memories brought back by a painting!

A Walk Around Paris

2013-01-20T18:48:00.002-06:00

After visiting Normandy for three days, we spent some more time in Paris...

Arc de Triomphe... It was so windy & cold this day that we didn't actually walk across the street circle to visit the memorial. This was as close as we got!

A detail of a freize from the Arc de Triomphe showing General Marceau's funeral.

We spent a little time on the famous Champs-Elysees lined with luxury shops and cafes.

Again, it was so windy & cold that we didn't last long!

The Beautiful National Academy of Music.

It was lined with busts of famous composers, like Betthoven and Mozart!

This is the rotunda roof of Galeries Lafayette, an upscale department store that is about 7 stories tall. We didn't shop... we just looked at the architecture and headed to the roof.

This is one of the views from the roof! There are a few benches up here and a lot of people just lying around enjoying the day. We enjoyed sitting on a bench and enjoying the view.

We walked through the Tuleries Garden which is by the Louvre. From here, we could see down

part of the "historical axis of Paris." The obelisk is the Luxor Obelisk and it's Egyptian.

Behind it, you can see the Arc de Triomphe.

And, this must be how they keep the grass in the ditches in the Tulleries Garden down.' We saw this goat and were shocked. Then we saw that he was tied up here, and figured out he was the lawn mower! Looks like he needs to get busy!

This is a view of I.M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre - through another triumphal arch.

This one is called the Arc de Triomphe du Carroussel.

Another view of the outside of the Louvre.

And, these are "love locks" on a bridge over the Seine! There were probably thousands of locks!

Visiting Mont St Michel: An Island Abbey

2013-01-19T08:34:00.001-06:00

I was not familiar with Mont St Michel when my brother said we should visit it while in France. But, I got very excited about visiting it after doing a little research!

This was one of our first views of Mont St Michel which has been a pilgrimage site for over a thousand years. Can you imagine walking for weeks, and then watching this gothic silhouette soaring to the sky as you got closer and closer?

Today their is this causeway for visitors to walk across. But, that is a relatively recent addition having been built in 1878. The Abbey used to be an island when the tide was high creating a hermitage of solitude for the monks who lived here.

Here is Alex, ready to enter through the gate into the abbey. Yes, we drove for several hours instead of walking for days. But, even from the parking lot you walk 20 or 30 minutes. (On the way back, we caught a bus for part of the trip.)

When you begin the LONG CLIMB up the streets of Mont St Michel, you see a lot of shops.... and people! It is very touristy! But, remember... even in the Middle Ages these streets were lined with shops selling food and memorabilia to the pilgrims!

As we climbed higher, we got our first view of today's pilgrims. We were visiting at low tide which is, of course, the only time it is possible to make this trek. It is actually a part of the Mont St Michel experience I was wanting to do, but we didn't work it into our schedule.

Can you see the groups of people as the walk towards the abbey? Again, this takes place at low tide and has to be carefully planned. This is also the way the pilgrims of old made the trip. These 'pilgrims' travel barefoot through the mud. And, they have to watch out for the tide. It is incredibly fast, for a tide, and can become dangerous if people are taken by surprise!

I read while researching for the trip that, as the tide is getting ready to come in, there are voices in many languages over a loud speaker telling the 'pilgrims' to get off of the mud flats - the tide is coming!

There are even parking places that have to be abandoned before the tide comes back in... or your car or the buses will be under water! The tide comes in at 12 mph! (That's a little more than twice as fast as I can RUN!)

When the surf goes 8 MILES in and out! That's a HUGE difference between high and low tides!

Walking up the spiraling streets is quite a long hike. An, the views are amazing.

Then, you reach the abbey! Because wood burned so often, the builders of cathedrals finally found ways to make roofs of stone. Most of the wood roofs have been replaced, so it was neat to see a real wood roof!

More wood! And the dangling lights.

The abbey part of Mont St Michel is a cathedral - or like a cathedral. I read that there used to be stained glass in these windows.

Gorgeous stone work!

A door I loved.

This is a cloister - "a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries" according to Wikipedia. We spent some time walking around these 'covered walks' where the monks probably walked in silence.

And, I LOVED this wheel! This is how they used to get supplies (stons for building, food, etc) up to the abbey. Six men could walk in this wheel like hamsters!

A long rope was looped around the outside of the wheel. The rope had a 'sled' attached to it. The sled was pulled up by the men walking in the wheel!

A beautiful staircase being lit by windows.

Saying goodbye to Mont St Michel!

Veronica's Veil

2013-01-15T20:15:00.001-06:00

Today I was at MFAH (the Museum of Fine Arts Houston) and saw two works of a subject I've not seen before now. The subject is the veil of Saint Veronica. Like many works of art, this religious subject comes from the Catholic faith. And, as I'm not Catholic, I usually end up doing some research to learn the story behind the art. I was viewing the special exhibt MFAH is currently hosting from the Prado, and I was able to find out the story of Veronica's veil from the audioguide.

The Veil of Veronica by Domenico Fetti posted at Wikipedia

Although this is not recorded in Biblical accounts, Catholic tradition shares that, while Jesus was on his way to the cross, a lady gave Him her veil to wipe the sweat from His brow. When He returned it, the image of His face was miraculously on it. Some accounts say it was folded in thirds and so there were three images of His face. Those images became Holy relics for the Catholic church.

Veronica Holding Her Veil by Hans Memling at Wikipeda

As I left the Prado special exhibit, the first painting I saw was another work of the Veil of Veronica! I love learning something new... and then recognizing it in a new format! I don't remember who either piece was by, but I found a couple of images online of other works on this subject.

Visiting the Bayeux Tapestry & Bayeux, Normandy

2013-01-13T07:30:00.000-06:00

We made the small town of Bayeux are headquarters for several nights while in Normandy.

This is a view of our cute hotel! There are two rooms per floor, and Alex & I were on the second floor on the right in this photo (our left window is open). It reminds me of the children's book, Madeline... "In an old house in Paris covered in vines..."

There were actually three separate buildings and behind one of them was this gorgeous garden. We sat out here one evening and had drinks - you had to buy off the menu to come out here. We also had very nice buffet breakfasts while staying here. (I'll have to look up the name.)

The Bayeux Cathedral reaching up to the sky!

Another view of the Bayeux Cathedral. We went inside, but I don't feel my photos do it justice!

from Wikipedia

One of the highlights of Bayeux is the famous Bayeux Tapestry. Unfortunately, though I understand why, you are not allowed to take photos of the tapestry. So, these photos are from Wikipedia. This tapestry depicts the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066.

from Wikipedia

The "tapestry" is a misnomer and is actually embroidered cloth. It measures about 230 feet long and tells the story in cartoon like images. I wrote a lot more about the tapestry here.

As we walked around Bayeux, we enjoyed the sites - like this waterwheel. Inside the building on the left was a shop where we bought a few souvenirs.

And, we loved this cat sitting on the ledge of a second story window - though we were nervous, too!