tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67900748190623596712024-03-17T20:02:35.809-07:00Ron and Kathy's Mid Life AdventuresRon Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-46653777130937864342024-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:002024-02-15T10:44:48.575-08:00Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falklands--Lands of Exceeded Expectations<div class="separator"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIjAVB2BwtxgxPG3fFyj3ichz1hqvQe-lfnRzT2c-bS6NMF-5smtfQ-fqKyGD3iTQqU_wcyANJHPs01j2gk3gGT4PCu6azsWhxVFIweoIq9PDZ6i4ZLnN0DjekhcZic1tKYF2UDcdCGAqaT1HgvsUIK1IrTKu9WJ8bfNpdLdZHlgkKICA4o_7vHGXFGhyU" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1349" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIjAVB2BwtxgxPG3fFyj3ichz1hqvQe-lfnRzT2c-bS6NMF-5smtfQ-fqKyGD3iTQqU_wcyANJHPs01j2gk3gGT4PCu6azsWhxVFIweoIq9PDZ6i4ZLnN0DjekhcZic1tKYF2UDcdCGAqaT1HgvsUIK1IrTKu9WJ8bfNpdLdZHlgkKICA4o_7vHGXFGhyU" width="320" /></a></div> “Why do you
want to go to Antarctica?” people would ask us.
“It’s cold, expensive, and difficult to get to.” Our answer is “Why
not?” It’s changing by the day and is ground zero for what is happening with
global climate change. It has wildlife you can’t see at home and stunning scenery
that is hard to describe. Every person
we know who has been there said it was one of the best places they had ever
been. And so it was for us, too.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>Those who had
been before advocated that we take an expedition type of trip on a small ship
specifically designed for icy polar waters and that we include South Georgia
and the Falkland Islands in the itinerary, so some of my comments and photos apply
to those places as well.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLRTkAlUVNt4AfRJwciKWRXqi3CTo3wzlCnTvIYKU0pulerlR2bU9FX3Cne2gMQMyASa_Vl57vkY3YnqTtrD_PsBNmb3U8GdM7AqR5R9oYBm5FbExfA-a2TIRaUT7HH-BM_4YCbfCQufQfmd7qjb3SRmNcRnJjKpCT5HQRXoMpPinzaDIBWQSvFv9bIZ3N" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1349" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLRTkAlUVNt4AfRJwciKWRXqi3CTo3wzlCnTvIYKU0pulerlR2bU9FX3Cne2gMQMyASa_Vl57vkY3YnqTtrD_PsBNmb3U8GdM7AqR5R9oYBm5FbExfA-a2TIRaUT7HH-BM_4YCbfCQufQfmd7qjb3SRmNcRnJjKpCT5HQRXoMpPinzaDIBWQSvFv9bIZ3N=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 days, 3,982 miles</td></tr></tbody></table>We went with
Road Scholar, one of the more affordable tour operators that met our criteria.
They teamed up with other operators aboard Albatross Expedition’s 175-passenger
<i>Ocean Victory</i>. It handled the rough seas of the infamous Drake Passage and
the Southern Ocean well (depending upon who you talk to—we didn’t get seasick),
and it got us into and out of some very tight and icy places. It took us 3,982
miles over 18 days.<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj7aW9nUQRoM7hL44RBj98eEZeYQkZ2luc8Aax5HcfitOKeeYxsCPxTmdnuLnDoxgJsyHc38rrU275gR9vKE8lRdIrabPviJi0B2eDJiHd9WuylpXs4yokKl1nsioxESLeDLRyI4NEBZdxNB-xeNTJHZjjylWtcUn_wcvmar7Q1VirP_gApRKs1Y4jnxuU" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1523" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj7aW9nUQRoM7hL44RBj98eEZeYQkZ2luc8Aax5HcfitOKeeYxsCPxTmdnuLnDoxgJsyHc38rrU275gR9vKE8lRdIrabPviJi0B2eDJiHd9WuylpXs4yokKl1nsioxESLeDLRyI4NEBZdxNB-xeNTJHZjjylWtcUn_wcvmar7Q1VirP_gApRKs1Y4jnxuU=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ocean Victory--our refuge <br />in a hostile wilderness</td></tr></tbody></table>Antarctica is
about the size of the United States and Mexico combined, but that all depends
upon which time of year you measure its snow and ice. It’s now dramatically
smaller in the winter than 10 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although not part of Antarctica, South Georgia (1200 miles to the NE) and
the Falklands (750 miles to the north) are part of its weather and ocean
current systems and marine wildlife migratory patterns. South Georgia has a
population of 12 in the winter and 40 in the summer, mostly researchers and caretakers
of an historic abandoned whaling village. The Falkland Islands have 3800
residents, mostly in Port Stanley. Very British!<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4-l9oQ9_em45pEFphlx-xqiLMLxTgPhi5EOb4b8goFmDLs1jIsd2Tdg2DVqtMZ_LNeoXLtRgmfiXsmaMtnbMQG6lRDEzWJeZwiLhWccJOVFNPabey42Op3OxX2UBrSJ1Tn5LVxarVFJuDDGr0rsSoflrSZ8aqOp9bhws61PjA9lCfwuoHcY-AR3COkBX6" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1349" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4-l9oQ9_em45pEFphlx-xqiLMLxTgPhi5EOb4b8goFmDLs1jIsd2Tdg2DVqtMZ_LNeoXLtRgmfiXsmaMtnbMQG6lRDEzWJeZwiLhWccJOVFNPabey42Op3OxX2UBrSJ1Tn5LVxarVFJuDDGr0rsSoflrSZ8aqOp9bhws61PjA9lCfwuoHcY-AR3COkBX6" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iceberg off Spert Island, 6:00 AM</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b><i>Geography
aside, the scenery is stunning, absolutely stunning!</i></b> We thought it
would be a monotonous landscape, but it changed nearly every hour with the
lighting, ice formations, and sea color. And none of it is manmade.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>And the
animals! </b>There isn’t a huge variety of animals compared to a place like
Costa Rica, but that is more than made up for in quantity where we would walk
among massive penguin colonies. We never got tired of watching the seven of
nine species of penguins and their young chicks. But we did we tire of their
smell, which made our parkas and rain pants stink up our cabin temporarily. Nor
did we tire of sea lions, seals, seabirds, and frequent whale sightings—including
a very rare sighting of three blue whales off the coast of South Georgia, which
some of the seasoned crew and guides had never seen before.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhB_0DquWh707zzSQY3f1L2Fzoj5Y6fyI3l5hNaXtxTOpcxpxi_mH-sEz6sgi2lyizQ-Sm36eFCMbV55za-S0BR7Vv9msg2L6nmak0s3USeCuzsof3o3sknRXDsLGU6136HszM5JO66jCs5E9fo-QrxNSneTwIwwZePj6KAhkjEd8djzSUb-1_2K88jZFna" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1799" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhB_0DquWh707zzSQY3f1L2Fzoj5Y6fyI3l5hNaXtxTOpcxpxi_mH-sEz6sgi2lyizQ-Sm36eFCMbV55za-S0BR7Vv9msg2L6nmak0s3USeCuzsof3o3sknRXDsLGU6136HszM5JO66jCs5E9fo-QrxNSneTwIwwZePj6KAhkjEd8djzSUb-1_2K88jZFna" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fur seals and King penguins on South Georgia</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p>In Antarctica,
we dropped anchor in about eight different places and boarded zodiacs for shore
excursions or zodiac cruises about twice per day. We had about six excursions
in South Georgia (nice to see greenery again!) including a hard four-mile hike,
and two landings in the Falklands with hikes of four and eight miles.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b>What was our
highlight or the trip?</b> Every day kept getting better than the one
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, what we’ll remember the
most was a zodiac cruise in the north Weddell Sea at the tip of the Antarctic
Peninsula amid a field of icebergs, sea ice, and humpback whales. Even though
it was 8:00 pm, there was still a lingering twilight. We carefully climbed out
of the zodiac to set foot on an ice flow smaller than a football field. We were
among the first and the very last people on earth to ever set foot on that exact
spot and piece of melting ice. It was one of those surreal moments we will
cherish for the rest of our lives. This piece of melting ice was a good analogy
for how fragile Antarctica is right now, and it made us feel fragile on this
speck of ice in such a vast inhospitable place.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4bysFT3pbp5-AP0pCO45zz1AHBqMeudE5UeUM3BuJCAX6EchGArLUN-ej2sc7_p6nuonZpfRvU0KBiOnegk6E8gXxqduk0t88pqlRKaiGFf9RyVcO24R0oa8bfHEoCllSYTaV8BXeJo4ZPy2EmpxiSLcYk5mfN4RAEDyzb_0YIdPjeozWOFKEAy_e7aZv" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1349" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4bysFT3pbp5-AP0pCO45zz1AHBqMeudE5UeUM3BuJCAX6EchGArLUN-ej2sc7_p6nuonZpfRvU0KBiOnegk6E8gXxqduk0t88pqlRKaiGFf9RyVcO24R0oa8bfHEoCllSYTaV8BXeJo4ZPy2EmpxiSLcYk5mfN4RAEDyzb_0YIdPjeozWOFKEAy_e7aZv" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guides scouting out a landing site <br />on "our" ice flow</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Surprises?</b>
One of our surprises about this trip so far is just how little free time we
had. When we weren't on shore or in the zodiacs, there was always a lecture
from one of the 18 guides/zodiac drivers from all over the world with a
combined Antarctic guiding experience of 129 years. Most of them also had advanced degrees in marine biology, geology, ornithology, oceanography,
and more. The most interesting presentation was on krill, the small crustaceans
that are the food source for many creatures up the food chain. The funniest was
about penguin poop projectiles.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>We had two
special guests aboard. One was Alastair Forthegill, the executive producer of
BBC’s Frozen Planet series. He gave us insights into how they filmed various
scenes of the series and the Disney movie, <i>Steve</i>. The other was the head of British Bureau of Infectious
Diseases, the UK’s equivalent of Dr. Anthony Fauci. He talked about the spread
of Avian influenza which is now affecting sea mammals in the Antarctic region,
especially in South Georgia where we had to abort a shore landing because of a
huge die-off of seals.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0d6HfqPf08jNocM2JwSK_qinDLssfuKwbzNXykjgTObakeqVK_jxV1lKHmKbX5NEDfDgYBWHMR2DYp63G3kT7NmhRBStau28nWpI9kS1czO2iqwkmis72u0vt15jV4TRHCcFOYP2-ZmxamAQpA5tyY4iN2CPnBQ-GUVzQBN4jrTHu0U9yKdd8_5uXJyOp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1350" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0d6HfqPf08jNocM2JwSK_qinDLssfuKwbzNXykjgTObakeqVK_jxV1lKHmKbX5NEDfDgYBWHMR2DYp63G3kT7NmhRBStau28nWpI9kS1czO2iqwkmis72u0vt15jV4TRHCcFOYP2-ZmxamAQpA5tyY4iN2CPnBQ-GUVzQBN4jrTHu0U9yKdd8_5uXJyOp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortuna Bay, South Georgia, where we had to <br />abort a landing due to a seal die-off from <br />the avian flu.</td></tr></tbody></table>Our favorite
communal part of the day was the 6:00 pm briefing where all 170 of us and the
guides gathered over drinks to review where we’ve been, what we saw, the
upcoming weather, and the plans for the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a cat and mouse game with big weather and
ice situations, so our plans frequently changed, often serendipitously.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>The things we
most love about travel is meeting people, culture, history, and
architecture—and food of course! While short of the architecture part, we’ve
met a lot of interesting fellow travelers and learned a lot about Antarctica’s
history and the stories behind its explorers and whaling. (Ask us anything
about Shackleton). And the food had a good selection of Indian and Asian food, some
fish species we have never had before, as well as tempting European deserts. Kathy
lost five pounds, I gained one.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj39guXMU5_8exxdbICQhrWszI4RGCisLIj1BocW2DAMc-zf7Y9-ZwDyf_One3zf73J6WP205lRvAg5KeqZaXNWVE4ZFSHvfPrf423e-ojBt8KMa56QivfOqCN-aX8X1hvR_TlbYmGchQ6eLAhOmEAv_p83uHTGIKzATfy3vq4S5ZkO7EhfJZYqESEKLXiA" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="759" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj39guXMU5_8exxdbICQhrWszI4RGCisLIj1BocW2DAMc-zf7Y9-ZwDyf_One3zf73J6WP205lRvAg5KeqZaXNWVE4ZFSHvfPrf423e-ojBt8KMa56QivfOqCN-aX8X1hvR_TlbYmGchQ6eLAhOmEAv_p83uHTGIKzATfy3vq4S5ZkO7EhfJZYqESEKLXiA" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firman, our cabin steward<br />from Jakarta Indonesia</td></tr></tbody></table><o:p> </o:p>But on the
cultural side, we befriended several of the housekeeping and wait staff who
hail from India, Nicaragua, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines, and it’s
been fun learning about their families and lives at home and trying to brush up
on our rusty Indonesian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They work nine
months of the year here and on arctic expeditions, but they all say they make
much more than they possibly could with a similar land-based job back home or
on a large cruise ship.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><o:p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F0_ZiY1UUuPCIxa1-GecXi25VP4jw_LTBTMCla1mytRfxod1aebuuouaosGQ36Bja87riL3lbAyNe5_4_aR_PYFmuhnbAeFJlI4Cd6lJhygZqG8KvhNAo4Adaw1OHQuJRgt-AIj3Cjar-mqc6MY5A8VNtV7CfsVY7QtfpHJ_5QwqaqBMzOuW6yNcEEmG/s2100/OV9_20240126_Andrew%20Miller_Plunge_9480.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2100" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8F0_ZiY1UUuPCIxa1-GecXi25VP4jw_LTBTMCla1mytRfxod1aebuuouaosGQ36Bja87riL3lbAyNe5_4_aR_PYFmuhnbAeFJlI4Cd6lJhygZqG8KvhNAo4Adaw1OHQuJRgt-AIj3Cjar-mqc6MY5A8VNtV7CfsVY7QtfpHJ_5QwqaqBMzOuW6yNcEEmG/w200-h133/OV9_20240126_Andrew%20Miller_Plunge_9480.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polar plunge. A video clip from <br />the vantage point of the <br />mudroom is on <br />the photo link below</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </o:p>And oh yes, I
did do the polar plunge, along with about 80 other shipmates. They played the
Stones’ <i>Start Me Up </i>while we queued up in the mudroom. It was so fun. The
cold shock quickly wore off into a warm glow as we swapped stories with
complementary shots of vodka afterward. I should have done a cannonball.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">These brief
words, my daily journal (available upon request), these photos, and five Facebook
and Instagram posts can’t begin to describe the totality of this experience. Our
expectations were exceeded beyond measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was the trip of a lifetime!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><o:p>"</o:p><b style="text-align: center;"><i>What We Can While We Can, </i></b><b style="text-align: center;"><i>What We Could While We Could”</i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><o:p> </o:p></i></b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/zTZpR61q9hD7PbUw6" target="_blank">Here is a <b><u>link</u></b></a>
to more photos and brief video clips, mostly in chronological order. They are
best enjoyed on something larger than a phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Warning: The penguins really know how to ham it up!) About 5% of the photos in the link are not mine. For more commentary and
photos, please check out my five Facebook posts @ron.kelemen <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or my Instagram @kelemenron.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-qBTjsETDNDcUAXlAFxumLPjN-Ij5DxLxCZHaAzhk4FI_WW8ZK4ugoS6G7cPrMHcwy5O4Rx6H4B6qFVZF_9cWvmMpIpxQj8O6gQm14rn7PgW5U52eUzhJZ_52ObMQjgzB8buU8yzFugQkyTjAxlt9bG7jVWLXF_GBobmwFqmqeZeWDWMN6yfEmGeNv4zQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1349" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-qBTjsETDNDcUAXlAFxumLPjN-Ij5DxLxCZHaAzhk4FI_WW8ZK4ugoS6G7cPrMHcwy5O4Rx6H4B6qFVZF_9cWvmMpIpxQj8O6gQm14rn7PgW5U52eUzhJZ_52ObMQjgzB8buU8yzFugQkyTjAxlt9bG7jVWLXF_GBobmwFqmqeZeWDWMN6yfEmGeNv4zQ" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-82862286929775862822024-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:002024-01-14T13:24:15.074-08:00Goodbye St. Albans; Off to a New Adventure<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQO5CT6zaujSbuh4FInmLlxzOaxF9Xt-JA63zZ0-ougma4IFv_Vanqx6bL7WHg_Sksz45xsIHviJ7cakL6yG3MRusDj_cFPtv_fGbg77nPS0qut0bkU90zbGb-5XlGjcaGSKkK47iQT3z_bTWwocZ2HPV965dPbIGyTWkiNcGhqytu5oYaK18yttODUGK/s4032/20240101_151508.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQO5CT6zaujSbuh4FInmLlxzOaxF9Xt-JA63zZ0-ougma4IFv_Vanqx6bL7WHg_Sksz45xsIHviJ7cakL6yG3MRusDj_cFPtv_fGbg77nPS0qut0bkU90zbGb-5XlGjcaGSKkK47iQT3z_bTWwocZ2HPV965dPbIGyTWkiNcGhqytu5oYaK18yttODUGK/s320/20240101_151508.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warming up at a pub on New Years Day</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ve been mostly enjoying our past month in St. Albans, UK
where our 3 ½ year old grandchild Hazel and her parents live. With a population
of 148,000 and average housing prices of £604,400 ($769,760 US), it is
one of the most affluent places to live in the UK. Keep in mind that these are
mostly row houses of 1500 square feet or less, and a lot of residents live in apartments.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We find it very bicycle and pedestrian friendly, and it seems like we are always encountering baby strollers
and toddler scooters. Parks and playgrounds are everywhere. As son-in-law Alan
said, “People live in London to start their careers, then move to St. Albans
and smaller suburban cities to raise a family.”
Being just 40 minutes by train to central London, I’m sure Covid had
something to do with it as well.</span></div><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ssqmIEX4-z9YPw9upaKrLvyojteokLauAsHWgH9b9iQWkEq5dCNrbMzLD-yWUWwAf_2ljz67c9hyphenhyphenPpl_f9-mKsYxZwoIf0Wyma9SBcLx535PeJHTv1SfBumOe8phd-AEeFWmznvVOHlXO0CjenTZ2tvqjC6eUKM-wqaJyUPGjWWOlaSm5Q9_3qTiSZ-Q/s4032/20231223_200101.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ssqmIEX4-z9YPw9upaKrLvyojteokLauAsHWgH9b9iQWkEq5dCNrbMzLD-yWUWwAf_2ljz67c9hyphenhyphenPpl_f9-mKsYxZwoIf0Wyma9SBcLx535PeJHTv1SfBumOe8phd-AEeFWmznvVOHlXO0CjenTZ2tvqjC6eUKM-wqaJyUPGjWWOlaSm5Q9_3qTiSZ-Q/w240-h320/20231223_200101.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 612-year old High Street<br />clock tower at Christmas</td></tr></tbody></table></div>We love its “High Street,” the name given to the center of
most town squares where most of the eateries and shopping occurs. It is at the
top of a hill, about three blocks long, two blocks wide and almost completely
pedestrian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Farmers markets happen all
year about two-three times per week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> T</span>he population is about 90% white and 4% South Asian, but we hear a lot of Eastern Europe and Middle East accents. High Street and St.
Albans have many ethnic restaurants including at least a dozen north Indian restaurants,
a Bangladeshi one (our favorite), Japanese, Thai, French, Turkish, Greek and several
Middle Eastern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is in addition to
countless pubs and Italian places. Dining out is actually cheaper than in the States. Usually no tipping is involved, but the nicer places for a full meal sometimes add a 10% service charge. Wine is cheaper.<br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">With 3,000 years of continuous human habitation, St. Albans
was the site of England’s most important Roman settlement and the place where
hot cross buns were invented. We can still walk among the ruins and see some
cool things in a museum at the heart of the settlement just 1.5 miles from
Shanti and Alan’s home.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-quTp-itSsoeiPGZu3eFu4MKsl6awF3wEOKvVOFuVQ_cJS8W1yXTGMpLOQmqHzAAOm0ZJodeoY_qpwGPehxV6CK1VHuVY43FKElbl_jU11J9f0fkeBiRlPQBbi4ODZuXvrd6jT4cG7wQ0GCpG8FIERZ0iLUpeov9xUkM4ymovHL6ddBaJqVcEGJM9ahZ/s4032/20240114_104513.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-quTp-itSsoeiPGZu3eFu4MKsl6awF3wEOKvVOFuVQ_cJS8W1yXTGMpLOQmqHzAAOm0ZJodeoY_qpwGPehxV6CK1VHuVY43FKElbl_jU11J9f0fkeBiRlPQBbi4ODZuXvrd6jT4cG7wQ0GCpG8FIERZ0iLUpeov9xUkM4ymovHL6ddBaJqVcEGJM9ahZ/s320/20240114_104513.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For security & privacy reasons, it's not their <br />home or street. But it's typical.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">And speaking of historic structures, it feels like we are
living in one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> T</span>heir 100-year-old, 16- foot row
house is always in need of repairs and more heat. <br />So, between walking Hazel to and
from nursery school every day (except during Christmas week and weekends), cooking, laundry with no dryer, and
grocery shopping, we’ve been busy with home repairs. Considering that we are
complete home-improvement screw-ups and lack proper tools, everything takes
longer than it should. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XePUKcFUbaB6ETpvgO92Z5Vw0jX71G5-PPcOZ5N9X0m_rcPvIAGlyFn3IYNQaxaWkH8X2LfFISch2e-YXwoU1Ph_oRAlfXK0sITaNtJZR2ztZMhqT2RK2enD1ITHjDUNTgSGbK2Qaym0jWawdQ0n1diPc9sRlCWiQno3otc0aYezosoUNAqJANXY3nv0/s4032/20240109_124841.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XePUKcFUbaB6ETpvgO92Z5Vw0jX71G5-PPcOZ5N9X0m_rcPvIAGlyFn3IYNQaxaWkH8X2LfFISch2e-YXwoU1Ph_oRAlfXK0sITaNtJZR2ztZMhqT2RK2enD1ITHjDUNTgSGbK2Qaym0jWawdQ0n1diPc9sRlCWiQno3otc0aYezosoUNAqJANXY3nv0/w200-h150/20240109_124841.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">It's not what you think! </div><div style="text-align: center;">We journeyed here two times </div><div style="text-align: center;">to find screws to fix a broken</div><div style="text-align: center;">Ikea cupboard door. Just what</div><div style="text-align: center;">we home improvement </div><div style="text-align: center;">screw-ups needed.</div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But it wasn’t all work. We read our four or five daily digital newspapers, went to the gym regularly, caught up on The Crown, played cutthroat pinochle with Shanti and Alan, and
went to London three times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once for the
British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone and the stolen Elgin Marbles, one for
the Tate modern art museum, and to Buckingham Palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Even we anti royalists were very impressed. (</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">No photos were allowed.)</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> We also spent a lot of money and time—mostly at High
Street—getting the proper equipment for our next adventure to Antarctica that
we either forgot or didn’t know to get before we left home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at least Road Scholar told us at almost
the last minute.<o:p></o:p></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IZzAi2SoG_KSWFXmKJaTLXWN7_4H0kC5y9XObf3YOw-IvtPHeABbot3yfNEPwNxG6QaQUIvnv3z9W3IyZKH2sugRT4ZvOM2sfiWuiTakZBLfFipbvoZlBpGeA9s0F_r5NKh54trpP1r1yGutDIdMTYWX_-fL0HI-rRmOYMs8cMnD-sT_7ua8si6RC7bu/s4032/20240112_120220.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IZzAi2SoG_KSWFXmKJaTLXWN7_4H0kC5y9XObf3YOw-IvtPHeABbot3yfNEPwNxG6QaQUIvnv3z9W3IyZKH2sugRT4ZvOM2sfiWuiTakZBLfFipbvoZlBpGeA9s0F_r5NKh54trpP1r1yGutDIdMTYWX_-fL0HI-rRmOYMs8cMnD-sT_7ua8si6RC7bu/s320/20240112_120220.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cha & Nasta, our favorite lunch eatery serving <br />Bangladeshi street food. We've become good <br />acquaintances with Rahena, the co-owner.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">And interspersed with all the above tasks and fun, we were
remotely trying to deal with Kathy’s almost 99-year-old mom in memory
care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to move her there from
assisted living four days before we flew here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She’s been such a difficult resident that her costs have skyrocketed to
the point where she has exhausted all her assets. We’re running up a huge phone
bill with Oregon DHS getting her Medicaid assistance. But the bright side is
that we’ve worked with some wonderful and caring human beings at the State who
are making it easy on us. They make public employees look great!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a joy to celebrate Christmas through the eyes of a
child again!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hazel is a lot of fun, but
also a lot of work. And she definitely has a mind of her own. As much as we think she loves
us, she said that she is looking forward to more “Mummy and Daddy time” once we
leave. Shanti and Alan have long, stressful days so we try to pick up the slack
as much as possible. Little does Hazel know that our absence will mean more time in nursery school and less with parents who need to cook, clean, shop, and do chores.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZETMKBv9P-X-oj0dXIwMteBjGAWmpQNlNmDVwjkJeK5Y51SeOlOXfXao323MliHWV7a0hR_C_DRfkfFUXYoM-qjPH96A8oayU0TqPTP0unmYWy-wGpdP2gDy3K1dTk4JyeIrWICBV1XltI1WxMsPtzFfDLGXG7OtA-HR4ZWUm6V9trmyOuIWHDpomueB/s3024/20231225_090424.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZETMKBv9P-X-oj0dXIwMteBjGAWmpQNlNmDVwjkJeK5Y51SeOlOXfXao323MliHWV7a0hR_C_DRfkfFUXYoM-qjPH96A8oayU0TqPTP0unmYWy-wGpdP2gDy3K1dTk4JyeIrWICBV1XltI1WxMsPtzFfDLGXG7OtA-HR4ZWUm6V9trmyOuIWHDpomueB/s320/20231225_090424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas morning and a Bluey playhouse</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, goodbye St. Albans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ll miss Hazel, Shanti, and Alan. We’ll miss St. Albans, its environs, its delicious bread, and unfailingly polite people. We’ll miss the small cars and relatively quiet
road noise without the din of oversized loud pickup trucks, unmuffled
motorcycles, and souped-up low-rider drag racers at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And we'll miss the absence of unhoused people that are so omnipresent at home. </span>But we won’t miss the potholes, narrow roads,
crazy roundabouts, right-hand drive, and the dark and dreary weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On to Antarctica, where it is summer and
slightly warmer!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/UrsuvGPz2hVqDjH28" target="_blank">a link</a></b></u> to just a few additional photos.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>"What We Can, While We Can; What We Could While We Could"</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">PS: It's been almost six months since my last post. So what happened since then? I had rotator cuff surgery August 30. Recovery is coming along, but slow and uneven. Hazel, Shanti, Alan visited us in September and we had the joy of introducing Hazel to camping and 'smores. A week later, daughter Skyler joined all of us for a week in central Oregon. Then three days before we flew to the UK, we had to move Kathy's mom into memory care.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhathN04m9EFWnEwZJtZR-KyGDBrKsLMp32ZcrhybbsCYsn7hzm5glLRGUmBfXONh2VuiTBTY1D8vJ2sbjCyL1kcsmJ2XkQQTKwmo5KG-yKR6B2ESYBypHQBk1Oj926VDwGYirRqUNDHXtlOigVNy1UlSD2afdlzfFiEaIRpSMmsmQvy80EW3PcUFZMIBYn/s4032/20230917_124844.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhathN04m9EFWnEwZJtZR-KyGDBrKsLMp32ZcrhybbsCYsn7hzm5glLRGUmBfXONh2VuiTBTY1D8vJ2sbjCyL1kcsmJ2XkQQTKwmo5KG-yKR6B2ESYBypHQBk1Oj926VDwGYirRqUNDHXtlOigVNy1UlSD2afdlzfFiEaIRpSMmsmQvy80EW3PcUFZMIBYn/s320/20230917_124844.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four generations before Kathy's mom<br />really started going downhill</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHuFfa-_6AhL8KAsPhhmH0z8nX6H4bH0bmWteQIR5uFAiMVG0R5TAaG4VVtwJ3lW-CzAdaL8P1BmcMtCxcrFyWcpKhMxiBXSrJMPspZkKNk4dB7D354eBQXqXC-Ll8_dmY3X32K-cQMUrARRGPOW_SlUbNwX7rC3KADZj0AUxNKLtGvIKoYme7R5wEw0c/s1600/IMG_0763.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHuFfa-_6AhL8KAsPhhmH0z8nX6H4bH0bmWteQIR5uFAiMVG0R5TAaG4VVtwJ3lW-CzAdaL8P1BmcMtCxcrFyWcpKhMxiBXSrJMPspZkKNk4dB7D354eBQXqXC-Ll8_dmY3X32K-cQMUrARRGPOW_SlUbNwX7rC3KADZj0AUxNKLtGvIKoYme7R5wEw0c/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasting marshmallows in a sling<br />at Silver Falls State Park </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-80488990283596564152023-07-21T16:51:00.002-07:002023-07-21T18:55:31.652-07:00Six Observations on Another Cross-Country Road Trip, 2023 Version<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsuwgSnVdtjHAWA4K3wTdvxH8R2cZi5LHlFIxtJOXoqGmNtxzlgLRYtuPJT-48yaPcldf7RsMZAy5f-VEHr3f-HNKn-YZlHd52y2KCSxR1FvTgmQ3z2vpBYaDZgKIiqTRngXsYClras6C3rslDTCZ1oIXDxGEfOTKvlSlEdv7zVUQ5cpXZuxKnoBG5ffc/s2908/original_1dbd439a-9534-4160-82e2-61a166ae93cf_20230628_094615.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2181" data-original-width="2908" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsuwgSnVdtjHAWA4K3wTdvxH8R2cZi5LHlFIxtJOXoqGmNtxzlgLRYtuPJT-48yaPcldf7RsMZAy5f-VEHr3f-HNKn-YZlHd52y2KCSxR1FvTgmQ3z2vpBYaDZgKIiqTRngXsYClras6C3rslDTCZ1oIXDxGEfOTKvlSlEdv7zVUQ5cpXZuxKnoBG5ffc/s320/original_1dbd439a-9534-4160-82e2-61a166ae93cf_20230628_094615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Gettysburg Museum</td></tr></tbody></table> We're back now from our 4th cross-country road trip since 2016. This one was shorter: 6,993 miles and 33 days. And it was the first time we drove straight home without any layovers, taking nine full days of driving.<br /><p></p><p>Each time we have taken a different route: across Canada, through the South, or upper Midwest. This time we took a lower Midwest route which enabled us to bicycle a couple segments of the Katy Trail, a rails-to-trails path through central Missouri. It also gave us the opportunity to tour the Eisenhower and Truman presidential museums/libraries, Mark Twain's home, and Gettysburg, which also had Eisenhower's farm and retirement home. Somehow, we dodged the heat, floods, most of the wildfire smoke--except in Gettysburg and South Dakota.</p><p>Part way through our trip I published a blog with photos about the <b><u><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-eisenhower-museum-and-library.html" target="_blank">Eisenhower Museum</a></u></b> and one about the <b><u><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2023/06/riding-katy-trail.html" target="_blank">Riding the Katy Trail.</a></u></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n6YEsffo8KzNWp-PvoKQ4HE_Hn4Lhvi34HcHgffNyXRe94FDe0iEGn6yxn8qtE7agWcVGpITE0elY0AJ-uuPKxt8mTZ3wzKM1jvAApmvX02WWtaCxSS8pRbHejrWm4P8QIJZ7ZVYTldoih0B1I869rvP3uRZ5HArEmgiXgaT9mnxyzTCCzCg6ywM_NKy/s4032/20230620_093830.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n6YEsffo8KzNWp-PvoKQ4HE_Hn4Lhvi34HcHgffNyXRe94FDe0iEGn6yxn8qtE7agWcVGpITE0elY0AJ-uuPKxt8mTZ3wzKM1jvAApmvX02WWtaCxSS8pRbHejrWm4P8QIJZ7ZVYTldoih0B1I869rvP3uRZ5HArEmgiXgaT9mnxyzTCCzCg6ywM_NKy/s320/20230620_093830.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eisenhower Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-FH3u5iY4KGh5bY-qnIWL9OI-7ePq5DXbsP-QUETsqaTdLvPTRiBkAyl_9_lfk2Ncbv19UeQYi1SCQtoLSo7P6ZrLjeMJXW0Z6QtNgzajgXvM7r8FmbEfvNx37mBQZlTrs_aomyAGMvlW2c6rouUqbBSiO0o-kiyPXVdclnozVOAkZh_TdYGg9ykcLY9/s2048/signal-2023-06-22-21-08-11-593.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig-FH3u5iY4KGh5bY-qnIWL9OI-7ePq5DXbsP-QUETsqaTdLvPTRiBkAyl_9_lfk2Ncbv19UeQYi1SCQtoLSo7P6ZrLjeMJXW0Z6QtNgzajgXvM7r8FmbEfvNx37mBQZlTrs_aomyAGMvlW2c6rouUqbBSiO0o-kiyPXVdclnozVOAkZh_TdYGg9ykcLY9/s320/signal-2023-06-22-21-08-11-593.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a trailhead of the Kathy Trail, a State Park<br />that is 240 miles long and 100 feet wide</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Our ultimate destination was daughter Skyler's home in northwest MA in the Berkshire mountains. This was the highlight of our trip. What made it so fun is all of her friends, plus daughter Feruza from New York and Nati and Jasmine Zavala from Washington DC. And the food! The photo link below reflects remarkable restraint in not including photos of all that we ate or drank. Besides eating , playing on the lake, and hiking, we saw James Taylor and heard the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood festival.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cwNbiuUhFt1QDcDU_KWPMZzU4CBpjhgq8M9l27dv4SpzY9EFZXv4kjiby4pxzWmbVAt5tOThr84-_HYe4bo1BVOuUf3aI_VAXNtSk_tqBm9WpDHrLDAy_ABxJ40FNiQnwaJzeND41Dxn-zP8D3S0pFrul1wkyMplsMyqbD7mIqhngRB99oCwOLTcwKIq/s4032/20230630_202200.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cwNbiuUhFt1QDcDU_KWPMZzU4CBpjhgq8M9l27dv4SpzY9EFZXv4kjiby4pxzWmbVAt5tOThr84-_HYe4bo1BVOuUf3aI_VAXNtSk_tqBm9WpDHrLDAy_ABxJ40FNiQnwaJzeND41Dxn-zP8D3S0pFrul1wkyMplsMyqbD7mIqhngRB99oCwOLTcwKIq/s320/20230630_202200.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Becket estate and fun house</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoQSije161sorCa503_oJ-Sbhy2OKjVYb6WlD0D6S2TqFgXAqLOa-faL9jQAX2FeX2f_6_8XPs6tQqvdzLtagsf0Asyvs1Jhcr7BHvUJyvwz2Z76CV4E_No86OtXCTbfiuTOlpCZqq_B1LZOR5HlgVot7HuNTIOeyG_4sWRuU_oLh_BZix0rd5jxabM--/s4032/IMG_7828.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoQSije161sorCa503_oJ-Sbhy2OKjVYb6WlD0D6S2TqFgXAqLOa-faL9jQAX2FeX2f_6_8XPs6tQqvdzLtagsf0Asyvs1Jhcr7BHvUJyvwz2Z76CV4E_No86OtXCTbfiuTOlpCZqq_B1LZOR5HlgVot7HuNTIOeyG_4sWRuU_oLh_BZix0rd5jxabM--/s320/IMG_7828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out on Little Robin Lake, Becket MA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBEZNYLE8AONPL8V8RIsRvsEqnGCUcAasLeMo4EqTV41mJeUfuukDcn0EomCJlAviZKwYmwuDvBGz6Cf57A0MCOe1BZMPY3y_ac0bEWQudC7jfMCq5otMNvJY2wdxDKLlK1EFsIwC6x-_dY35IjHDNptgXWfD6OMOl31DBxJtIYD6uF73nbxNW-zsVV0m/s4032/20230703_175252.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBEZNYLE8AONPL8V8RIsRvsEqnGCUcAasLeMo4EqTV41mJeUfuukDcn0EomCJlAviZKwYmwuDvBGz6Cf57A0MCOe1BZMPY3y_ac0bEWQudC7jfMCq5otMNvJY2wdxDKLlK1EFsIwC6x-_dY35IjHDNptgXWfD6OMOl31DBxJtIYD6uF73nbxNW-zsVV0m/s320/20230703_175252.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the James Taylor concert before the rain</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvUrpOXSlQvpy4GezSCgc_EzOrN_vM1TQFtWGTxxYEe7oQ1MVUNYxIyVqokZtwNwHEPr2eqFowpa-DkBhJ8hKfvyC8hQEQp6PggOw1JDg4n-2mw1_wRLS56TH9htSJQL2-i2RINOkGPlxXz7lWWQizVKQLOBAlxmKHqYXJg6VzbE_vrCWp523uyPPXJyK/s2048/IMG_7854.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvUrpOXSlQvpy4GezSCgc_EzOrN_vM1TQFtWGTxxYEe7oQ1MVUNYxIyVqokZtwNwHEPr2eqFowpa-DkBhJ8hKfvyC8hQEQp6PggOw1JDg4n-2mw1_wRLS56TH9htSJQL2-i2RINOkGPlxXz7lWWQizVKQLOBAlxmKHqYXJg6VzbE_vrCWp523uyPPXJyK/s320/IMG_7854.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several group-cooked meals</td></tr></tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPwgFhp7cOvm1YkWk_-OnfyIv3LyV-cZtiWDSpv4LEW_Suwt2_u9gZ5XgJkjeW_t1jeI5Oesn9R2vXkq4fnGd3ejFyIqeVsad9P4KEkhPPSD8hoyXT_7HBraC5N0GiHtu_nixLRiNM2RK8IAxdklmD7sko2TCukUclxV3C0enwD74pbr55ny_P280Bo0F/s4032/20230701_161026.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiPwgFhp7cOvm1YkWk_-OnfyIv3LyV-cZtiWDSpv4LEW_Suwt2_u9gZ5XgJkjeW_t1jeI5Oesn9R2vXkq4fnGd3ejFyIqeVsad9P4KEkhPPSD8hoyXT_7HBraC5N0GiHtu_nixLRiNM2RK8IAxdklmD7sko2TCukUclxV3C0enwD74pbr55ny_P280Bo0F/w200-h150/20230701_161026.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult Garden Games</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I was going to wax eloquently about the whole experience. But I reviewed previous posts and concluded that they conveyed many of our thoughts about what it's like to drive across the US and back. The links to some are at the bottom, and I encourage you to read them. If nothing else, the photos say a lot.</div><div><p></p><p><b>But I have a few observations and takeaways from this trip: </b></p><p><b>First, camping is sociable again! </b>The contrast between this trip and our 2020 and 2021 camping was hard to miss. People now talk to one another in stores, gas stations, truck stops, and especially in the campgrounds. It felt so good to connect with strangers and watch kids play in the campground playgrounds.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zRYpqmgMaoWbGSz3-NwBkWzAeYgaSiOOyTT6FrpdEnM0lE1hsdwT6wCRYhzqBXzcZ4HDEiqzx4H1A4Il_10UQE-l8IYuo-zPJvRASglcpfYEZ-2I4iwabJGpQ0XTkJ21EGDwUBc14aL_ny_U3uidfQARNHr94g98DnylP0DLSt6jqctl6eQcJi2FC_4F/s4032/20230616_143326.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zRYpqmgMaoWbGSz3-NwBkWzAeYgaSiOOyTT6FrpdEnM0lE1hsdwT6wCRYhzqBXzcZ4HDEiqzx4H1A4Il_10UQE-l8IYuo-zPJvRASglcpfYEZ-2I4iwabJGpQ0XTkJ21EGDwUBc14aL_ny_U3uidfQARNHr94g98DnylP0DLSt6jqctl6eQcJi2FC_4F/s320/20230616_143326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We passed this in heavy winds in the Columbia <br />Gorge. It caught up with us in Idaho the next day.</td></tr></tbody></table><b>Second, there are many more and larger RV's.</b> People are camping again, and living large on the road. We speculate that this was pent up demand from Covid restrictions and the supply chain issues of 2021. Some of the people we visited with now live in their 5th-wheels or motorhomes by choice full time, but some by necessity.<p></p><p><b>Third, there are many more wind turbines.</b> They are no longer just in the West, but all the way to the East Coast. That also made for some tense moments passing the big rigs carrying the towers and blades. And speaking of wind, this year it seemed like we were constantly battling crosswinds, headwinds, and gusts. </p><p><b>Fourth, there is more traffic, especially trucks. </b>People are back on the road again. With 80 mph speed limits in some states, trucks passing us--especially in windy conditions--were good reasons to grip the wheel firmly.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4Lc5XaLXv8yDfCgU_zPsK77YK4IZnRgZsDwQUU2bpHiLIY3IWIFIE4pSbkcPUhVXPsaR2wC97v1-TMdINRT_wFRfEcDz5k5z3WDyvvR1eCDUfJi62Uwf7JgAUDaQvr7RXp7h8jPR4gu4hwNYk83bZT-wi6S46BDZbdrSI9rE7iAe-ebSvODwnRUzehKc/s4032/20230711_125848.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4Lc5XaLXv8yDfCgU_zPsK77YK4IZnRgZsDwQUU2bpHiLIY3IWIFIE4pSbkcPUhVXPsaR2wC97v1-TMdINRT_wFRfEcDz5k5z3WDyvvR1eCDUfJi62Uwf7JgAUDaQvr7RXp7h8jPR4gu4hwNYk83bZT-wi6S46BDZbdrSI9rE7iAe-ebSvODwnRUzehKc/s320/20230711_125848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch stop with the Big Dogs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><b>Fifth: roads are better and under construction.</b> Difficult construction zones we passed through in 2021 are now smooth as glass. But more than the last three trips combined, we spent many miles in construction zones. On a 487-mile drive to Gettysburg, we encountered a <u>25-mile </u>one-lane construction zone up and down the curvyAllegheny mountain roads.</p><p><b>Sixth: America is BIG and beautiful, and--inspite of our divineness, it's people are still friendly. </b>I said this in the previous posts (linked below) but it is worth repeating. Although we completely missed the desert Southwest this time, the contrasts are what make it so beautiful and interesting. We loved watching the landscape transition behind the windshield within hours or days.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9k47xq0ffmcgrJRWpAVoBvvbatP-e3qSnXJ9F5MEkoB-248VHA2Fo5s0jOb7TGg9raRw6ym8L6x7wM1ise7lDlMIz_EOMnVJAUAqjMK9BS41OZyzwfxhXCe_ggQKP65PNwbsNVOhL3BZ9LO9sCLuWiBK2D4JGruqJvhcRjoLkyZldfr0lgwl-yfr56nJ/s4032/20230712_180626.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ9k47xq0ffmcgrJRWpAVoBvvbatP-e3qSnXJ9F5MEkoB-248VHA2Fo5s0jOb7TGg9raRw6ym8L6x7wM1ise7lDlMIz_EOMnVJAUAqjMK9BS41OZyzwfxhXCe_ggQKP65PNwbsNVOhL3BZ9LO9sCLuWiBK2D4JGruqJvhcRjoLkyZldfr0lgwl-yfr56nJ/s320/20230712_180626.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtown Welcome, MN in the distance</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv-_l5RflqSC8iN-Ck4fLUivf3VEp8qPI7ryqwUtH4lS4qLR1Eai-N2uMX5cyIH0kpq1bbkBU2uNFYxZtndYSloKP1UYpXQ0lw0BmZc8M4QQDEibFp_qs9maE21jPq1bMavVyWOuQ4EQwaoHFfgHOEvt8bm8rjuUESjHTTxR-wudKpD9cYPZdDSn6UBEm/s4032/20230717_123131.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiv-_l5RflqSC8iN-Ck4fLUivf3VEp8qPI7ryqwUtH4lS4qLR1Eai-N2uMX5cyIH0kpq1bbkBU2uNFYxZtndYSloKP1UYpXQ0lw0BmZc8M4QQDEibFp_qs9maE21jPq1bMavVyWOuQ4EQwaoHFfgHOEvt8bm8rjuUESjHTTxR-wudKpD9cYPZdDSn6UBEm/s320/20230717_123131.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We kept losing track to time and<br />place, so we used this white<br />board in the trailer.</td></tr></tbody></table>As always, it feels good to be home reconnecting with friends and enjoying the comforts of home. And it feels great to not be behind the wheel or in an overly-cozy trailer. But I'm sure that within a week or two, we'll get the itch to hit the road and go camping again.<p>Here is the link to our <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/MoCb2oYL8zuELZT97" target="_blank">curated photos</a></b></u>, more or less in chronological order. </p><p>And if you're interested in our comments from other trips, here are four more posts with photos. They were more expansive and better said than in this post:</p><p><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2016/08/reflections-on-cross-country-road-trip.html" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">Reflections on a Cross-Country Road Trip</a> from 2016</p><p><i>T<b><u><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-vast-midwest.html" target="_blank">he Vast Midwest</a></u></b> from 2019</i></p><p><i style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2019/07/six-weeks-and-8800-miles-back-in-eden.html" target="_blank">Six Weeks and 8,800 Miles, Back to Eden! </a></i>from 2019</p><p><i><b><u><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2021/06/only-2500-miles-to-go.html" target="_blank">Only 2500 Miles to Go</a></u></b> </i>from 2021</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i>"What We Can, While We Can; What We Could While We Could."</i></b></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-16012344773853518392023-06-28T15:48:00.002-07:002023-06-28T15:56:42.974-07:00Riding the Katy Trail<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAO-Wyte5EbqUJcJgOSfuwupUY--K97GN40wkArkjXIExN6ifkXZJvMNFP_WJYNwqDIpM-BaSeA8_fV6BNEOTZjy-aRyRKuXsqN6xNCbJIruP-klCgDWbhYWBt3Py0mShXXzb2G3s59g2xUlF1YvOObaxuTBKNbIzJ48nt7XVKTPkdnVGuqm1HGqyHcvcD/s4032/20230622_131500.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAO-Wyte5EbqUJcJgOSfuwupUY--K97GN40wkArkjXIExN6ifkXZJvMNFP_WJYNwqDIpM-BaSeA8_fV6BNEOTZjy-aRyRKuXsqN6xNCbJIruP-klCgDWbhYWBt3Py0mShXXzb2G3s59g2xUlF1YvOObaxuTBKNbIzJ48nt7XVKTPkdnVGuqm1HGqyHcvcD/s320/20230622_131500.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabooses often mark one of the 31 trailheads</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 11pt; text-size-adjust: auto;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;">We’ve been fans of rails to trails for several years. They are basically abandoned railroad lines converted into walking and bicycle paths, made possible by the National Trails System Act of 1983. It preserves abandoned rail corridors through "railbanking," until funds can be raised to develop them into public paths.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; text-size-adjust: auto;"> </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve ridden quite a few of them, Our favorite is the </span><b style="font-family: inherit;"><u><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-dazehaze-of-wine-and-roads.html" target="_blank">Hiawatha Trail </a></u></b><span style="font-family: inherit;">from the Montana border down to Wallace ID through numerous tunnels and over several trestles. But the most famous one of all is the Katy Trail, over 240 miles long across much of central Missouri. It’s in the Rails-to-Trails Hall of Fame (organized by the wonderful Trail Link app), and rightfully so. When planning our biennial cross-country road to the Berkshires of MA to see daughters Skyler and Feruza, we decided to try a couple segments of it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gCxRBN8p2V4ZR28v4NPj5Tl41axhArMrogsmqQu2CFSC5IzOEbqqS5QVoMb9xpaKV4vY_--uLuV0sCMeatKfOQrY9jN0IMI-CcXBO296AOpFp0x6ST6GJpgjFq2LnprakHRu6gIsvHLEfEx4BSNtI0H0BAxUNSjpOrSeVo_2rJqvPaSACn5eupz6SQQL/s4032/20230622_111549.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gCxRBN8p2V4ZR28v4NPj5Tl41axhArMrogsmqQu2CFSC5IzOEbqqS5QVoMb9xpaKV4vY_--uLuV0sCMeatKfOQrY9jN0IMI-CcXBO296AOpFp0x6ST6GJpgjFq2LnprakHRu6gIsvHLEfEx4BSNtI0H0BAxUNSjpOrSeVo_2rJqvPaSACn5eupz6SQQL/w400-h300/20230622_111549.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unlike many of our other adventures, <br />it was impossible to get lost on the Katy Trail</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA9j6tCllkb5jU7MJRb7-UbjY5mHDRmnyPHn-Yhkx8o1ikiMJm9nVqLIntc5z_U38IhwiHPda1GEiKY47_0yq2_SfZvhbw_SnnNPLgCVxk-tHhObBSlGIV_qaAvHbMmpkqiKyDUJ38rsksCyQgA1r4ciPMMY3ZLSWZ75Y1rfWb-cNlBI9I8v9NxLakavG/s4032/20230622_133839.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsA9j6tCllkb5jU7MJRb7-UbjY5mHDRmnyPHn-Yhkx8o1ikiMJm9nVqLIntc5z_U38IhwiHPda1GEiKY47_0yq2_SfZvhbw_SnnNPLgCVxk-tHhObBSlGIV_qaAvHbMmpkqiKyDUJ38rsksCyQgA1r4ciPMMY3ZLSWZ75Y1rfWb-cNlBI9I8v9NxLakavG/w150-h200/20230622_133839.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telegraph post from 1870</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nicknamed the Katy, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (MKT) began in the 1870s, and ran through much of the Missouri River valley by the 1890s. It provided a vital link between the agriculture of central Missouri and the quickly developing American southwest. The last train ran in 1986. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Through a lot of lobbying, fundraising, and persistence, the trail was finally converted to public use in 1999 and made into a very linear state park, 240 miles long by about 100 feet wide. Many of its 31 trailheads have cabooses from the MKT trains that plied the route as well as fascinating historical signs and a surviving depot buildings. We spotted some telegraph posts from 1870 along the trail, and marveled at the backbreaking work in the heat and humidity to elevate the grade above the wetlands.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtHXBlkF5bR4c9N8pOBoKnXgryreQfhnREELG9dBl4ccCuAdaCY57R7VHPLhdy8D0U8Ph3zcvrVRHEpaZPSNl90R8kHyM3XUjaRfBK_-C3IGP5SrQsDvYv4E_O49RorQQKiiVJIKB75ovEibQME2pBfQPPKCQ0yQvatCDvT62GCq2R7tz_32pXSqPsEug/s4032/20230622_111157.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtHXBlkF5bR4c9N8pOBoKnXgryreQfhnREELG9dBl4ccCuAdaCY57R7VHPLhdy8D0U8Ph3zcvrVRHEpaZPSNl90R8kHyM3XUjaRfBK_-C3IGP5SrQsDvYv4E_O49RorQQKiiVJIKB75ovEibQME2pBfQPPKCQ0yQvatCDvT62GCq2R7tz_32pXSqPsEug/s320/20230622_111157.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A well-appointed trailhead at Clinton</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first day we rode about 38 miles in high humidity and 90 degree temperatures. The dust from the crushed limestone rail bed coated the spouts to our water bottles and gummed up our gears. But the novelty of it all made it fun until the return trip after a heavy lunch in Clinton, MO. We’re out of shape and our butts got sore. Glad we decided not to ride the entire route, like some people do!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Is3s_u5qwgyVKDTEYwVCqtbrWsZkQjxKiob3nvTMn8GmkWq_HfD2PtMJC_6_J_9Am5t6-bq6lrovtzaHZzZiQYMFoFMQFLRYWZqm8F3rsSUtNB5-N6Ev9L4de_6ionx8VmIiN8TeMXPTvyRl5D-8ID7LGBn6u-_mLNi5KolWSC8g1roKqRFn4UdHcKV_/s4032/20230622_100559.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Is3s_u5qwgyVKDTEYwVCqtbrWsZkQjxKiob3nvTMn8GmkWq_HfD2PtMJC_6_J_9Am5t6-bq6lrovtzaHZzZiQYMFoFMQFLRYWZqm8F3rsSUtNB5-N6Ev9L4de_6ionx8VmIiN8TeMXPTvyRl5D-8ID7LGBn6u-_mLNi5KolWSC8g1roKqRFn4UdHcKV_/s320/20230622_100559.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Along the path from Windsor to Clinton</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgA94a1b9vS4fU-0Ara9ttC0HZZnoCYhwvvnH5_M4oSEcCK8pAvQWexuWfI5v4MV7Di14z626lIy1o_rIyT3FjRMjcdMLS1YmrYRrZ3sMPgZaOg3ALwSpLazSE123JRJEstVT2d4sN4Xw6brbixyrIQhUFwVtVHC9aLjn_A6UtI8E-qw7Awg_pBZz-5Md/s4032/20230622_101624.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgA94a1b9vS4fU-0Ara9ttC0HZZnoCYhwvvnH5_M4oSEcCK8pAvQWexuWfI5v4MV7Di14z626lIy1o_rIyT3FjRMjcdMLS1YmrYRrZ3sMPgZaOg3ALwSpLazSE123JRJEstVT2d4sN4Xw6brbixyrIQhUFwVtVHC9aLjn_A6UtI8E-qw7Awg_pBZz-5Md/s320/20230622_101624.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the more boring and hot parts <br />of the Windsor to Clinton segment</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our second forays were based out of New Franklin, next to Boonville, founded by Daniel Boone's sons. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlRMYrQaNPCRYZIbnQrAHH0pQXtKtCet17jD7JxHvLyFbx4gMLb_BNDtSBpUfMt6aGmEKlMh0EHc-3QLZg3r7tH7-xs1pDy18uOtfFH3RVKfsGLND40TsWKnDPo9u_fpWNEe9nt-y_vS8yWbTXsvHO0IyDRyO_0tNkw0ne44fHIoORIFa9RX_hn1xFR1v/s3849/20230623_203608.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="3849" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlRMYrQaNPCRYZIbnQrAHH0pQXtKtCet17jD7JxHvLyFbx4gMLb_BNDtSBpUfMt6aGmEKlMh0EHc-3QLZg3r7tH7-xs1pDy18uOtfFH3RVKfsGLND40TsWKnDPo9u_fpWNEe9nt-y_vS8yWbTXsvHO0IyDRyO_0tNkw0ne44fHIoORIFa9RX_hn1xFR1v/s320/20230623_203608.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Booneville: The old RR bridge is in the background</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We caught a beautiful sunset over the Missouri River the first night. For the third leg we drove to Rocheport, and cycled 17 miles along cliffs, the Missouri River and some Lewis and Clark campsites. It was much cooler that day, shaded half the way by a dense deciduous canopy. We had limestone cliffs on one side and the mighty Missouri on the other.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hFct7VK-9TwxW1ZEl8vMPhRLm39y8JRlR8-xIGKVMb5gs866_qbIDA3xF-PAo_HxkunM-6dFn6kVCe6I5MUr8rBqnEFF9S-l3eQU-NkwXAsKRcvQPaj3BJEPfuXx3zH3qzsSXFvy_h4QQXN6dLQtZPYTqUFmErKWmeCTPhywC0nApWVYb3zS9eca0u9p/s2458/20230624_093447~2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1966" data-original-width="2458" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hFct7VK-9TwxW1ZEl8vMPhRLm39y8JRlR8-xIGKVMb5gs866_qbIDA3xF-PAo_HxkunM-6dFn6kVCe6I5MUr8rBqnEFF9S-l3eQU-NkwXAsKRcvQPaj3BJEPfuXx3zH3qzsSXFvy_h4QQXN6dLQtZPYTqUFmErKWmeCTPhywC0nApWVYb3zS9eca0u9p/w200-h160/20230624_093447~2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lewis & Clark campsite</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwokqJQy8Z_q1K9UF8yOAIxDM2MrcmgIBuHtoisnGlMlTLwvUBovpLPDKgTgtTsGtxT5ojXW0HNz4Egz6-nJWtCZxe7gg9FsTsXKvEKbUbAlM_RneAbZLJDx8VTIrJguuWKSckyKoCMAL7CALmCzJfp2xFa8OOHvEsCcccso9Mez6sU7IHGFUNRikS0W9E/s4032/20230624_082355.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwokqJQy8Z_q1K9UF8yOAIxDM2MrcmgIBuHtoisnGlMlTLwvUBovpLPDKgTgtTsGtxT5ojXW0HNz4Egz6-nJWtCZxe7gg9FsTsXKvEKbUbAlM_RneAbZLJDx8VTIrJguuWKSckyKoCMAL7CALmCzJfp2xFa8OOHvEsCcccso9Mez6sU7IHGFUNRikS0W9E/s320/20230624_082355.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missouri River</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9MVqzszNWVyeuTT6x879bVXVDdE5RyLAGBKA-yfCKe95-oFL4Zd7-ZYWW7D1UsFLL-FGPGduZtKt9eDzU3ZVP6ww-9XPMKb4lFyl6h3WI9NZl6-KxyMSQ7sFYPN20Rg_x57OXg_tjtK5DFqYMWSet4g3MB8v4fIr6f4sr30Tv_RPjJPv7vNLF9RPjkiq/s4032/20230624_084148.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9MVqzszNWVyeuTT6x879bVXVDdE5RyLAGBKA-yfCKe95-oFL4Zd7-ZYWW7D1UsFLL-FGPGduZtKt9eDzU3ZVP6ww-9XPMKb4lFyl6h3WI9NZl6-KxyMSQ7sFYPN20Rg_x57OXg_tjtK5DFqYMWSet4g3MB8v4fIr6f4sr30Tv_RPjJPv7vNLF9RPjkiq/s320/20230624_084148.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refreshing shade</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OhWvkCxOiJQLPMLUasNtNqEmQfzmob7R3AVACFRkKGyATme-MKKYJjwuKRDJQp-YKMgSlwe0cXfZEJ4BgAnajMny4I2eQ02_I5jxP4Ct2U-byZhy6rscT1kE4C2I_xTpwi3FgLj7jDJjvPb1S2nPifD5E5d1uvlKm20LeH_kTO-NJF1Rchcjv7ASasOr/s4032/20230624_094033.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OhWvkCxOiJQLPMLUasNtNqEmQfzmob7R3AVACFRkKGyATme-MKKYJjwuKRDJQp-YKMgSlwe0cXfZEJ4BgAnajMny4I2eQ02_I5jxP4Ct2U-byZhy6rscT1kE4C2I_xTpwi3FgLj7jDJjvPb1S2nPifD5E5d1uvlKm20LeH_kTO-NJF1Rchcjv7ASasOr/s320/20230624_094033.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limestone cliffs part of the way</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymMDlnZudx2cD58th9N8Gm9GCXA_iXXfTHJ5n5v-TvoxE0cxzAKeIH5i4I214mBOkGR6QI2zdGXLuw4nNLWoJ-0xAfuSMmzTJKYYspJMfTO40s1bGEK6-kTl7d5mvlsn6KXOd3alKjoLWvBGwotdPi8dFPLFUdigvMdJgAP9EKJY6ncEOm3WlUtOcTTYp/s4032/20230625_105755.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymMDlnZudx2cD58th9N8Gm9GCXA_iXXfTHJ5n5v-TvoxE0cxzAKeIH5i4I214mBOkGR6QI2zdGXLuw4nNLWoJ-0xAfuSMmzTJKYYspJMfTO40s1bGEK6-kTl7d5mvlsn6KXOd3alKjoLWvBGwotdPi8dFPLFUdigvMdJgAP9EKJY6ncEOm3WlUtOcTTYp/s320/20230625_105755.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Twain's childhood home</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">With our early start and quick finish we decided to break camp and head north to Hannibal, birthplace of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Very interesting, but we don’t know how people got along back in the day without air conditioning. Life when he was a kid was tough, but not as tough as it was for the slaves that worked for his family in his very early childhood. <br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5miwXSc_E1FkNxDu_kjiCh-V0KF0WZBfMiUr4cNQqXWaL_ekePyFDC8-D06KfeEuHSJIEGOXrVN0of5zYtOirTbAXeToI5ZaOGi1EitTiMvXwOhkKHgXU0pR9xjp8xM2LqhQncNdTHnQ_mmES7etHg4_kPEB1AeuE05kacjEYSaazdTEGzKzRDTzPvwm/s499/These%20Truths.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5miwXSc_E1FkNxDu_kjiCh-V0KF0WZBfMiUr4cNQqXWaL_ekePyFDC8-D06KfeEuHSJIEGOXrVN0of5zYtOirTbAXeToI5ZaOGi1EitTiMvXwOhkKHgXU0pR9xjp8xM2LqhQncNdTHnQ_mmES7etHg4_kPEB1AeuE05kacjEYSaazdTEGzKzRDTzPvwm/w132-h200/These%20Truths.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well worth the read!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;">We've been listening to a fascinating audio book called <i>These Truths--History of the United States </i>by Harvard history professor Jill Lepore. She explores the origins of our divided nation and traces much of it to racism and all the compromises about slavery necessary to form this nation. We highly recommend a print version, as she is a wonderful writer, but not a good narrator.<br /></span><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Update</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And as an update from to the last post about the Eisenhower museum a few days ago, we toured the Harry S. Truman museum the next day. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We found them both similar and yet different. Both </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">pointed themselves in a good </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">light and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">offered good perspectives from the standpoint of the First Ladies</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Ike's</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> seemed to have more emphasis on his pre-presidential days listing every posting he had since WWI. Harry's had more focus on all the crises he and the US had ending the war and dealing with the new nuclear age, Korea, and the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">emerging</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> civil rights movement. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4lXmlRXZvk8UH6BBsgxqQIr7oMwJ91TaDE4vw_QzwSsr3l-SqJV8XvBHGtA1PcUbZLM8AHbb4ZwxQ6TxJ2wEasYocc4L4MbF3kn1UvDpfzw9IKt3sSMcRcFvVQiJPWrZl69qMqDZHTNQ-fNJdyYHG6tHIcNwqqoALUbB2KaDKvZJkv1KMWgLipf7gLK8/s4032/20230621_125519.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4lXmlRXZvk8UH6BBsgxqQIr7oMwJ91TaDE4vw_QzwSsr3l-SqJV8XvBHGtA1PcUbZLM8AHbb4ZwxQ6TxJ2wEasYocc4L4MbF3kn1UvDpfzw9IKt3sSMcRcFvVQiJPWrZl69qMqDZHTNQ-fNJdyYHG6tHIcNwqqoALUbB2KaDKvZJkv1KMWgLipf7gLK8/s320/20230621_125519.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Give 'em Hell" Harry</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILSpIdA8YW0qYAdPMdzlr1BOxMmEJghzuO7xJvHpFwtoGrOvQtqqLfq0JlokChBGQ0P9A6tb-cBu7WPmuisIeOISGY45KUgfuyc-gZydC4KkYGlHETNcDbhWQmDr_1rs3MzxBH7xgtWlGEqe9mYdeq4iqDubkD61Ww5ITryJjRRKHet9i4Qfj1_ZoL9X7/s4032/20230621_155853.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILSpIdA8YW0qYAdPMdzlr1BOxMmEJghzuO7xJvHpFwtoGrOvQtqqLfq0JlokChBGQ0P9A6tb-cBu7WPmuisIeOISGY45KUgfuyc-gZydC4KkYGlHETNcDbhWQmDr_1rs3MzxBH7xgtWlGEqe9mYdeq4iqDubkD61Ww5ITryJjRRKHet9i4Qfj1_ZoL9X7/s320/20230621_155853.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Truman Museum and Library</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an interesting coincidence, Harry roomed with Ike's brother in college. Also, Ike's first choice was to attend the Navel Academy, but he was too old, so he went to West Point instead. History would have been a lot different if Ike had joined the Navy!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWZE2FWmYn-OWuEm-xbOtlO3P75M0ffH9U3FaFoeXfjggZrBJmvc3hEYDQPuuzw9FfWX0AbLkGTFvDvqTh0zMHpHBG9fxMeuAMuFAppiyvU968lol8gprEZGprP8Oh9jS3WYuP5tLhHaB5cWv7eYizgRpOS_yCe3JCDUWw4u99t1WCNDBgL0Wh98WVm15/s172/Katy%20at%20sunset.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="172" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWZE2FWmYn-OWuEm-xbOtlO3P75M0ffH9U3FaFoeXfjggZrBJmvc3hEYDQPuuzw9FfWX0AbLkGTFvDvqTh0zMHpHBG9fxMeuAMuFAppiyvU968lol8gprEZGprP8Oh9jS3WYuP5tLhHaB5cWv7eYizgRpOS_yCe3JCDUWw4u99t1WCNDBgL0Wh98WVm15/w320-h238/Katy%20at%20sunset.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the Missouri from an abandoned <br />RR bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WUVO0rnEt39sSI6IujeF2fioiOwRPzGUUP4h8cKTYGIAMW62x1OuuyKrukvmBKlIqDjrH5Mu5d8P1HK_K9s01TKY49OjCiC37rOXKxfoKOn6ddB7W6ua9Jrs37GY_4Buqbw2AJXJXAPT3YhqApBLrO-HFAxECkZEb5Q3LTAv5nj7_BoLq_Lz5Kc-a4cl/s3246/20230622_131956~3.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2694" data-original-width="3246" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-WUVO0rnEt39sSI6IujeF2fioiOwRPzGUUP4h8cKTYGIAMW62x1OuuyKrukvmBKlIqDjrH5Mu5d8P1HK_K9s01TKY49OjCiC37rOXKxfoKOn6ddB7W6ua9Jrs37GY_4Buqbw2AJXJXAPT3YhqApBLrO-HFAxECkZEb5Q3LTAv5nj7_BoLq_Lz5Kc-a4cl/s320/20230622_131956~3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At one of the trailheads</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-size-adjust: auto;"><b style="font-family: inherit;"><i> "What We Can, While We Can; What We Could, While We Could"</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0in; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-11451433069354388902023-06-20T19:48:00.019-07:002023-06-21T05:40:55.096-07:00The Eisenhower Museum and Library, Abilene KS<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuy4Hjk9lw-3nBfvZbbhczW4n9JvzcMk8xlrK0lhSMsoXcRr8P0Vs9ULALelc2_4-tvHbPKQ6WLb2KwwW96NsC4Rhfpcl7lmZY1TihPQqlOVW0x3COjmDQu7ESxT0aa1nf1URzETMKy3dQjMhHCAUkpOzQjMCMuvFcHmtY86RVBVwl_cBRij5F-gez_qF/s4032/20230620_093855.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuy4Hjk9lw-3nBfvZbbhczW4n9JvzcMk8xlrK0lhSMsoXcRr8P0Vs9ULALelc2_4-tvHbPKQ6WLb2KwwW96NsC4Rhfpcl7lmZY1TihPQqlOVW0x3COjmDQu7ESxT0aa1nf1URzETMKy3dQjMhHCAUkpOzQjMCMuvFcHmtY86RVBVwl_cBRij5F-gez_qF/s320/20230620_093855.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right across the street is the Greyhound Hall of Fame</td></tr></tbody></table> As we fought strong crosswinds with our small Airstream in
tow across I-70 in Kansas, all we wanted to do was get through the Kansas winds and start
some bike rides on the Katy Trail in Missouri.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But we kept seeing signs for museums and attractions at
nearly every exit. In addition to a
local historical museum or mansion in nearly every town, there are also the
largest hand-painted Czech egg, the largest spur, the largest belt buckle, the
Greyhound Hall of Fame, The OZ Museum, the Prairie Museum of Art and History,
the Buffalo Bill Sculpture, The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, The Evel
Knievel Museum, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, and the
Territorial Capitol Museum, are but a few of the many places along I-70.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the Eisenhower Presidential Library/Museum in Abilene
was reason enough to take a day off from the stressful driving and immerse
ourselves briefly in history literally the middle of America (well, actually
100 miles from the center of the continental USA). It did not disappoint!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQXq1r3CnnMqtQXCaF5EOwndCKhjN9H-vNfOgtHyghdEl7ym9ci2ziIPhkZDAJ4MWUln_XjywMWCBN5WAYkTxpr46jS1hoHIE787Pu0IJ5CzguNKU5sLpCse3Zvb_Qb6ySEBT0dLr_0IXY63-ULjfx-_pNHHDAkAywrAPeH3i9yZwG_yejR-EhHyTpFoF/s4032/20230620_142954.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQXq1r3CnnMqtQXCaF5EOwndCKhjN9H-vNfOgtHyghdEl7ym9ci2ziIPhkZDAJ4MWUln_XjywMWCBN5WAYkTxpr46jS1hoHIE787Pu0IJ5CzguNKU5sLpCse3Zvb_Qb6ySEBT0dLr_0IXY63-ULjfx-_pNHHDAkAywrAPeH3i9yZwG_yejR-EhHyTpFoF/s320/20230620_142954.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main Street, Abilene in the torrid mid-day heat<br /> of June. Actually, the town is thriving, as<br />it was never really a part of the rust belt.</td></tr></tbody></table>Abilene was a wild cattle town at the end of the Chisholm
Trail where cattle were shipped by train to Chicago in the 1870s. Wild Bill Hickok
brought some law and order to it as its marshal. It is the home of many stately
mansions, the Greyhound Hall of Fame, and a thriving agricultural center. And it is also where Dwight D. Eisenhower grew
up on the wrong side of the tracks at least a mile from the mansions,
delivering ice to them as a teenager.<o:p></o:p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu6deiYHhbvpm7d_M-lFV-wclgFKmjjB81rHONjYp2v5uu3T2LCCW-IGmiRxVf69MORMamA2thRhWb88N-7chjP37SIi2w4RSL8cAP-UdvI70wTIGDgqjxpDOuMbhZjVRW57r6MwNedaCUbCFgpspF8qIfBvHAIgYv5RGc6VuTn-ztsVJ0nLGoec8vQAH/s3811/20230620_133625.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3811" data-original-width="2858" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu6deiYHhbvpm7d_M-lFV-wclgFKmjjB81rHONjYp2v5uu3T2LCCW-IGmiRxVf69MORMamA2thRhWb88N-7chjP37SIi2w4RSL8cAP-UdvI70wTIGDgqjxpDOuMbhZjVRW57r6MwNedaCUbCFgpspF8qIfBvHAIgYv5RGc6VuTn-ztsVJ0nLGoec8vQAH/s320/20230620_133625.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Eisenhower home</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Born in the early 1950s, we didn’t become aware of politics
and US history until President Kennedy. So, until today all we knew about General
and President Eisenhower, aka Ike, came from our interest in WWII, the
Interstate Highway system, and his famous Presidential Farewell Address about
the military industrial complex. But a
tour of his home and a several-hour visit to the museum gave us an appreciation
of an extraordinary man (and his wife, Mamie) during an extraordinary century.
Ike was born in the horse and buggy days and never had indoor plumbing until
age 18. He died just three months before
the Apollo moon landing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicItdctiz7-2ZiwUF_uni08Bflq292NL2O6Fw0xwn-jqTapWpOCyVVVE6rFUW-J7KrPpv_zixeUSqEpPHFH1rXU7HIbqAA0db4aT3QbqzIuVQSvpUhjKCpzZr4WeoBR604ope_IOqVPVUhowoKQQAAw3wFGZIkYmHnAjuWApoTNR2peiHu0ITBCT9fVR8z/s4032/20230620_104155.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicItdctiz7-2ZiwUF_uni08Bflq292NL2O6Fw0xwn-jqTapWpOCyVVVE6rFUW-J7KrPpv_zixeUSqEpPHFH1rXU7HIbqAA0db4aT3QbqzIuVQSvpUhjKCpzZr4WeoBR604ope_IOqVPVUhowoKQQAAw3wFGZIkYmHnAjuWApoTNR2peiHu0ITBCT9fVR8z/s320/20230620_104155.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The living room (foreground). The parlor was<br />only when special guests arrived.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The museum did a magnificent job of laying out what things
were like in our country and the world from his childhood, to his distinguished
military career, to college president, to NATO commander, to President and beyond.
He was the right man for the right time, a likeable and hard-working person
skilled in logistics and diplomacy. He
commanded respect from his adversaries and advocated for his “Middle Way”
philosophy of balancing between “present and future needs, obligation with
privilege, and security with liberty.” Mamie’s challenging life as a supportive
military and presidential wife was also well chronicled. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezAisGj7d8OhWlGpFqLumRx-2HAAI_NXIDikkl-exfPl7-jqT8VUEK1N8VOJTPmiCfx5g9XsLAoADfxQC60BdlSAfaHWGNpXpIoQeAoYlKD89NYLUj3yt6RTEFZN_7a_E3K4T-ymvTsb8j8exWXgVr3xUE2NnT2Cv6DpamxkYM7rYAEl2XjAqTieZ4x0K/s4032/20230620_120349.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezAisGj7d8OhWlGpFqLumRx-2HAAI_NXIDikkl-exfPl7-jqT8VUEK1N8VOJTPmiCfx5g9XsLAoADfxQC60BdlSAfaHWGNpXpIoQeAoYlKD89NYLUj3yt6RTEFZN_7a_E3K4T-ymvTsb8j8exWXgVr3xUE2NnT2Cv6DpamxkYM7rYAEl2XjAqTieZ4x0K/s320/20230620_120349.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The D-Day planning table. For security reasons, <br />no photo was ever taken of the participants</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The extensive artifacts, documents, and gifts of his
presidency are property of the National Archives, which owns them and
establishes a branch in all 14 presidential libraries. But his pre-presidential items are not. One of my favorites was the D-Day planning
table from London, plus some of the unique gifts he received.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5WoEvPpddBiC2rSxgUdppSIPWlKqar42EnPu7Pfrq9LeefyptwzWBKQ9tZYRlUEaXBMt2GZ3EFE-XSizl32NCWHDgw2v0U9cYRy0uDFO_VDvhIbfqb_dRq0DAdZdndTok8QPAweiaj08UnZem8Xjg4c4eb1OJN6jOSGLaMSboBYuWZ_5xRvImLkQh7aX/s3001/original_c760bd22-818e-4e89-a45c-33fabbf3b47f_20230620_131006.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3001" data-original-width="2373" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5WoEvPpddBiC2rSxgUdppSIPWlKqar42EnPu7Pfrq9LeefyptwzWBKQ9tZYRlUEaXBMt2GZ3EFE-XSizl32NCWHDgw2v0U9cYRy0uDFO_VDvhIbfqb_dRq0DAdZdndTok8QPAweiaj08UnZem8Xjg4c4eb1OJN6jOSGLaMSboBYuWZ_5xRvImLkQh7aX/s320/original_c760bd22-818e-4e89-a45c-33fabbf3b47f_20230620_131006.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gift from the King of Nepal in 1960</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Having seen the JFK, Lincoln, and Senator Kennedy museums,
we’re now inspired to see more. We’re changing
plans and going to the Harry Truman Library/Museum tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HMWHJL2ySDrjLCIlCEyCIe7fkUIQS3agz6lefKaUBqTwijAI2ofEHtiMlQNZbDb_1_R4633R-DhlPc1owURgAai3ibtbPlbAmfashzGq0OS3-a-9Y6Xq8u0WsaUDrRuBkcPYAZHvuf0us5bHRmmVDaATRfB-7XCxVUk_Pi37irwWuaPDQu3SHSEenKB5/s4032/20230620_133003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HMWHJL2ySDrjLCIlCEyCIe7fkUIQS3agz6lefKaUBqTwijAI2ofEHtiMlQNZbDb_1_R4633R-DhlPc1owURgAai3ibtbPlbAmfashzGq0OS3-a-9Y6Xq8u0WsaUDrRuBkcPYAZHvuf0us5bHRmmVDaATRfB-7XCxVUk_Pi37irwWuaPDQu3SHSEenKB5/s320/20230620_133003.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We salute you, Sir!</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">After lunch we drove around town, gawking at 10-bedroom
homes on tree-lined streets. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFUNZJ7TkwFNMPQJTz0e8vaZD__8Tx0q70u_ZFble2cqSa9Pi5X5SRNjBsuPJhQtV0fi5d71f3uo6o9GNWBzibwHTpEboaq7KR5uxbKXh1yZ1e3PE5EHIPtz7VH26mChkyTrK23hP3HjCm0XKzz5vnGD0goRRmo_64i6zkaJ8wVPDlTaNjogpTV7WpBsp/s4032/20230620_143316.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFUNZJ7TkwFNMPQJTz0e8vaZD__8Tx0q70u_ZFble2cqSa9Pi5X5SRNjBsuPJhQtV0fi5d71f3uo6o9GNWBzibwHTpEboaq7KR5uxbKXh1yZ1e3PE5EHIPtz7VH26mChkyTrK23hP3HjCm0XKzz5vnGD0goRRmo_64i6zkaJ8wVPDlTaNjogpTV7WpBsp/s320/20230620_143316.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the sign warns, <br />"Beware of The Thing"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Then we toured the Dr. Seelye over-the-top home built
in 1905. It was wired by Thomas Edison and furnished with many purchases at the
1905 World’s Fair (including the only surviving bowling alley of its kind). He
made his money creating patent medicines and selling them via an army of
salesmen fanning out across the country by horse and wagon. He hung out with
George Merck and E.I. Lilly, and Mentholatum Deep Heat is his only surviving invention.<o:p></o:p></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nRTcjutEbAIFfDlKSoClyMBMyrdI1EMzXo8AY0OsHrEZsQSS1uaJzRreonvZTPujp8qnAMfEpprV6jZ1n_NgsIWCJS1xyF0pFumEKJSkIhPsLnDpcgaElmbEdmOGXLCZmtwv5ueMj2Ynh1zNfodJiNVbZkWd-VM-D7BgsFtZmAWq_7LKrM-ImmHO0Mjl/s4032/20230620_164905.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nRTcjutEbAIFfDlKSoClyMBMyrdI1EMzXo8AY0OsHrEZsQSS1uaJzRreonvZTPujp8qnAMfEpprV6jZ1n_NgsIWCJS1xyF0pFumEKJSkIhPsLnDpcgaElmbEdmOGXLCZmtwv5ueMj2Ynh1zNfodJiNVbZkWd-VM-D7BgsFtZmAWq_7LKrM-ImmHO0Mjl/w200-h150/20230620_164905.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Seelye Home, built in 1905<br />No expense was spared. Unlike<br />others of the era, it was very<br />tastefully furnished and decorated</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f-JosAlp3QI3iY1875tt79xG4s9vgUtseovclukZVnkL8VI6NyUSvgBjdEO7ZcC9awlVHKVAu9iElQAD__diSUoYtqjvXTs16_hsaJCABvCf3dr_C0oJxYZox5e4ouUBvzj7lhsithCNP5hnpRIy4kEVojwcy9-G79WRpcc8IXILz_mVGaTAWV3m-lTT/s4032/20230620_090554.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f-JosAlp3QI3iY1875tt79xG4s9vgUtseovclukZVnkL8VI6NyUSvgBjdEO7ZcC9awlVHKVAu9iElQAD__diSUoYtqjvXTs16_hsaJCABvCf3dr_C0oJxYZox5e4ouUBvzj7lhsithCNP5hnpRIy4kEVojwcy9-G79WRpcc8IXILz_mVGaTAWV3m-lTT/w266-h200/20230620_090554.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The home was 11,000 sq. ft<br />and 11 bedrooms</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWut-J2jBQsa23EUXmQleDllJXVelr98OwB1_waGcfrbL7ffRwhPPEiqQ52OAYvRip_sj7ZNpcpyBL9e_1yyoV72ESTWRwM4M6A7BHgP027_ZW-hIleLxGkHX0ei01Yt9AeDIkVm2pYbegOmi1JW4mXur715-X37yHCn5JkUP-1O0qa4fn285XCahg-Ec/s4032/20230620_152024.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgWut-J2jBQsa23EUXmQleDllJXVelr98OwB1_waGcfrbL7ffRwhPPEiqQ52OAYvRip_sj7ZNpcpyBL9e_1yyoV72ESTWRwM4M6A7BHgP027_ZW-hIleLxGkHX0ei01Yt9AeDIkVm2pYbegOmi1JW4mXur715-X37yHCn5JkUP-1O0qa4fn285XCahg-Ec/s320/20230620_152024.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy bowling in the basement<br />under the watchful but encouraging<br />eye of the docent</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>"What We Can, While We Can; What We Could, While We Could"</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Here are a couple of bonus picks from the road to here:</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sIBexMlJIi1kCWIN26wQsjL8YIc9-G59pKuxfH3y9p-fQxC-0WJxO_Evz-yB0clF2iPkTyCLP_dClhoizKXZGZyQKkDWKDpeflVb88E_NeDCe62sEXZeC4JZLIMG8tRnYY-yrzVCw_EdVj4xQIO5ED1Z5s9FxIkOX085PJP5x4taTwhKHcCArysy7JR/s4032/20230618_092707.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8sIBexMlJIi1kCWIN26wQsjL8YIc9-G59pKuxfH3y9p-fQxC-0WJxO_Evz-yB0clF2iPkTyCLP_dClhoizKXZGZyQKkDWKDpeflVb88E_NeDCe62sEXZeC4JZLIMG8tRnYY-yrzVCw_EdVj4xQIO5ED1Z5s9FxIkOX085PJP5x4taTwhKHcCArysy7JR/s320/20230618_092707.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the Snowy Range from Saratoga<br />to Burlington, CO</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO_bEA2QJCe0_Kt6nb2rYU-FhzmUxA0NmIGysvNiM4VyHeURknvf451L6pVt60SsDMooj3ZFWNAS8bCeuVCU4-XKnVxFU-k0F-9vN3OSkC8UMjZ32pfpTJHYykKgbJb7Sf4Vn4-2ViZdyRUMMA3ePnl85mk8Gs8DFF3vFTVv3CgD9XX7cWp2nLaL6Dbnv/s4032/20230618_155051.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOO_bEA2QJCe0_Kt6nb2rYU-FhzmUxA0NmIGysvNiM4VyHeURknvf451L6pVt60SsDMooj3ZFWNAS8bCeuVCU4-XKnVxFU-k0F-9vN3OSkC8UMjZ32pfpTJHYykKgbJb7Sf4Vn4-2ViZdyRUMMA3ePnl85mk8Gs8DFF3vFTVv3CgD9XX7cWp2nLaL6Dbnv/s320/20230618_155051.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South from Nebraska along the Colorado-Kansas border</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdR2Mx_QBOWE8DizSolUIcFkSDwqU4D568KZNOQpAR6FSV-EBhwmXvu3LqGPlpmuuRPRIaTZV8sBDD6yu507SGxf1UG1EJR3t2LFW_hOlqk20-CrYRNRP3-1-zwB0RXMDrpb2CrauFgTDWYekZmSF2nld_315ZCeyDpx9heHvcdj9Qf6G0TmQdlgHDofP/s4032/20230620_170322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdR2Mx_QBOWE8DizSolUIcFkSDwqU4D568KZNOQpAR6FSV-EBhwmXvu3LqGPlpmuuRPRIaTZV8sBDD6yu507SGxf1UG1EJR3t2LFW_hOlqk20-CrYRNRP3-1-zwB0RXMDrpb2CrauFgTDWYekZmSF2nld_315ZCeyDpx9heHvcdj9Qf6G0TmQdlgHDofP/s320/20230620_170322.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A minnow among whales in our RV <br />park outside of Abilene</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-54076006180469133352023-06-05T08:02:00.066-07:002023-06-05T12:47:00.285-07:00Our Greek Odyssey<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_2nKIIJmpy_x-8gPyhZkEPWSZkkpQimD5F_aTcvOB8i3tLtsil_sjIYBPrhaBW7POWUEf8dpc4slDJP1Jk_hiGVdcDHXdX7TAkIU9nmcN40lejLTgTMHjwI055b3n3SJHLHutlwJ7QI0TfS24VPuCJQOQCIbBZd6CTJdX1dFNO58uCBjfSvxKgYQfw/s4032/IMG_1416.HEIC" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_2nKIIJmpy_x-8gPyhZkEPWSZkkpQimD5F_aTcvOB8i3tLtsil_sjIYBPrhaBW7POWUEf8dpc4slDJP1Jk_hiGVdcDHXdX7TAkIU9nmcN40lejLTgTMHjwI055b3n3SJHLHutlwJ7QI0TfS24VPuCJQOQCIbBZd6CTJdX1dFNO58uCBjfSvxKgYQfw/s320/IMG_1416.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;">Ever since I met Kathy, she’s been
wanting to take me to Greece. She was
there as a college student in 1972. Well, we finally made it 52 years later,
and I wonder why we didn’t go sooner.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p><b>What did we like the most?</b> Everything, especially the food. With hundreds
of beaches and 80% covered by mountains, Greece is the total package: Snow-capped
peaks, beautiful beaches, bustling cities, quiet villages, nighttime outdoor dining,
ancient ruins, history, friendly people, amazing food, and tourists—lots of
them! We found it very easy to get around, and prices were cheaper than in most
of Europe and the States. The busses and ferries were always on time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZL5v-lg32Pvcyovzt45k5N5zvNHoWKxhXNIaDs9EFT_1huepitX_ofgLI4Pp-CMpQNv0xr6cIFePWbIROEttj5byNW9iJ39h0f5VfjZNZWXxoqF2VNQuZYukZ8DYCJBDNROrfLEf0pT6KxONLmBlmfzCGjJIl1xEmrXsZVRBzWdqjBV15bMmsCJ17g/s4032/20230510_150710.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZL5v-lg32Pvcyovzt45k5N5zvNHoWKxhXNIaDs9EFT_1huepitX_ofgLI4Pp-CMpQNv0xr6cIFePWbIROEttj5byNW9iJ39h0f5VfjZNZWXxoqF2VNQuZYukZ8DYCJBDNROrfLEf0pT6KxONLmBlmfzCGjJIl1xEmrXsZVRBzWdqjBV15bMmsCJ17g/s320/20230510_150710.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And these were just the appetizers for a<br />memorable lunch on the Crete plateau.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our five weeks flew by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could have done Kathy’s itinerary in four
weeks, but we would have felt rushed and wouldn’t have had as much time to
savor the experience and meet more people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And unlike our
Camino de Santiago trek, we spent multiple nights in all eight places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So how did we do it?</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Kathy pretty much planned everything
via the Internet before we left. We took only carry-on luggage that converted
to backpacks, and we almost always took public transportation. We stayed in Airbnbs
for all but two nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the three
large cities--Thessaloniki, Athens, and Heraklion (on Crete)--we arranged semiprivate
walking culinary, architectural, and historical tours through Trip Advisor and
Airbnb Experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the time
we asked our Airbnb hosts, consulted the All Trails app for hiking, and befriended
local merchants and waiters for must-do activities.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Here’s how our five weeks broke
down: </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wedj5uMDq3KvT2loS1PrXuso3ntBrmhCucG2B82Uj_JGG0Fe1UlNg9T6fvXtDmzg805Ys7d0C_60B-zduz7Qmi5-BQqZig418L1arOlPpWkuwxu3meD447GwTweupqec3tItVEVKnwkPJQvm6grSVK795px_k_uwnaluHtAMQ50qH6vLQxC8_wZi2w/s1135/Greece%20Map.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1135" height="453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wedj5uMDq3KvT2loS1PrXuso3ntBrmhCucG2B82Uj_JGG0Fe1UlNg9T6fvXtDmzg805Ys7d0C_60B-zduz7Qmi5-BQqZig418L1arOlPpWkuwxu3meD447GwTweupqec3tItVEVKnwkPJQvm6grSVK795px_k_uwnaluHtAMQ50qH6vLQxC8_wZi2w/w640-h453/Greece%20Map.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">1. Thessaloniki, in NE Greece</span></b></p><span style="font-size: large;">The 2<sup>nd</sup> largest city in
Greece. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only spent 2 ½ days there,
and that was about enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the
least favorite of our Greek destinations, but if we had not been to the other places,
we would have loved it for its history, world-class archeological museum, and
our food/architectural tour. We were blown away by seeing ruins almost everywhere.</span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpo5ElSH9eAbZzdM2Y7SZZ7sE3glrx6ooNszwj5nMTQSDz12d1S48DCdaLeL-v957oxbkSQ9DqntpL4joQzSsynI18XESYVRjEw8V3p5zlYQHXaYdwzSwjiAvjm1vq8ypHOUV5xjxdzoZy4fOwuTmQiDyWv_j7B9bL9Rf2JO63V8dkrW7B9UaFHK6xQ/s4032/20230411_193648.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEpo5ElSH9eAbZzdM2Y7SZZ7sE3glrx6ooNszwj5nMTQSDz12d1S48DCdaLeL-v957oxbkSQ9DqntpL4joQzSsynI18XESYVRjEw8V3p5zlYQHXaYdwzSwjiAvjm1vq8ypHOUV5xjxdzoZy4fOwuTmQiDyWv_j7B9bL9Rf2JO63V8dkrW7B9UaFHK6xQ/w300-h400/20230411_193648.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several monasteries in Meteora</td></tr></tbody></table><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">2. Meteora in north-central Greece</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">Jaw-dropping! This is now one of our all-time favorite
places. It was an amazing combination of natural and man-made wonders. In the Middle
Ages hundreds of Eastern Orthodox monks and nuns inhabited over 24 monasteries
constructed on high stone outcroppings and cliffs. Today, only six are
occupied, with about 10 residents in each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the springtime scenery was gorgeous. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">3. Skopelos Island—Where Mama Mia
was mostly filmed<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">It felt weird to be in one place
for a whole week, but we adapted. We were privileged to be there for the Greek
Orthodox Easter, observing processions and being the only non-Greeks at a
special Easter Sunday dinner with lots of wine, music, lamb, and dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also rented mountain bikes, hiked, and got
reacquainted with cribbage on our balcony overlooking the harbor.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtj0fnRsMvKXFw_qyiPRKV1PnrEjf3uTvfQjZmP9pOU4bDWlj6BisSXJHiPd9UmXKY0cbJtLphA-1-uswYYjkfloRkvYc2YsJVEoB7M3fwzcby2XwKsFLaj_MWCj6diKaEps0C2-pvXhVCFmXyEKo37dMvfRi1-bIX_wow4zVIjq0OL0pqkTYFfBhzA/s4032/20230414_075150.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtj0fnRsMvKXFw_qyiPRKV1PnrEjf3uTvfQjZmP9pOU4bDWlj6BisSXJHiPd9UmXKY0cbJtLphA-1-uswYYjkfloRkvYc2YsJVEoB7M3fwzcby2XwKsFLaj_MWCj6diKaEps0C2-pvXhVCFmXyEKo37dMvfRi1-bIX_wow4zVIjq0OL0pqkTYFfBhzA/s320/20230414_075150.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Skopelos harbor. Our apartment was<br />on the far right just past the tree, and above<br />our favorite restaurant that befriended us.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">4. Athens<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a bucket list city, Athens
exceeded our expectations. The sights, the people, the history, and the food
were all remarkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing the iconic
Acropolis and other historical sites—some over 3,000 years old—and walking in
their presence were experiences we will long remember. Unlike Egypt or India, these
ruins are such a big part of our Western history, thus making them special to
us.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><o:p> </o:p></b><b>5. Hydra (Pronounced Hee-dra), 42
miles by boat from Athens</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIO97u_7-_VT25rPAzX9S4GdsvtLYKdX8Rz1cF4FaYeb3_2ubfWD-a2XbOR4ANF5ngRpg-fxvOApJehzydgZJJYcGLSrndwmaQHBEHGuKTYNEg4gmR5NhVyXIi96W1feP6r_MfliXafbcrFwTmZhTPfdhWCQB5BBd-YvrD6OMVwi3EHICxRDl-KKM9Tw/s4032/20230426_124623.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIO97u_7-_VT25rPAzX9S4GdsvtLYKdX8Rz1cF4FaYeb3_2ubfWD-a2XbOR4ANF5ngRpg-fxvOApJehzydgZJJYcGLSrndwmaQHBEHGuKTYNEg4gmR5NhVyXIi96W1feP6r_MfliXafbcrFwTmZhTPfdhWCQB5BBd-YvrD6OMVwi3EHICxRDl-KKM9Tw/s320/20230426_124623.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Hydra apartment upstairs<br />on the right. Nice deck!</td></tr></tbody></table><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-size: large;">The charming tourist island of Hydra
had no vehicles, other than a few custom-built garbage trucks, a fire truck,
and an ambulance. Therefore, all we heard were the roosters, doves, church
bells, human voices, horse and mule hoofs, hand carts, and pedestrians plying
the steep steps and smooth stones of alleys. We channeled our inner mountain
goats and hiked about 7-10 miles a day. Also, a movie taking place in the early 50's was being filmed there, which was fun to watch.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: large;">6. Sifnos</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Too mountainous for an airport and
with a harbor too shallow for cruise ships, this rocky gem of an island was a
delight. We hiked a lot, got lost a lot, and ate a lot. We hiked to what the Sifnos
tourist brochure boasts as the oldest archeological site in Greece, dating back
to 4,000 BC. I sampled the Aegean Sea, diving from rocks
beneath our Airbnb. I think the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast is warmer. We
befriended Costa, who ran a Greek food specialty shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He taught us the fine art of making Greek
coffee and schooled us on how to drink ouzo and raki.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKCvekaYYJeMBLypm6Pzn4x_uXNU-dx5wWj7ZeJjhXNFax79U4pwYVztjiymZsKr0Vg7_-IB7AZpW9IRmAp_8siOs1s_rKHtvnfQSv_i4lMtlwFCkNvq3TglTEWlDYVXkRctoIqmUrXbxUpgKlm84gMYocNHt-DZJLP1E0rgMPRsnQVPjRNYco1fdvg/s4032/20230429_205332.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKCvekaYYJeMBLypm6Pzn4x_uXNU-dx5wWj7ZeJjhXNFax79U4pwYVztjiymZsKr0Vg7_-IB7AZpW9IRmAp_8siOs1s_rKHtvnfQSv_i4lMtlwFCkNvq3TglTEWlDYVXkRctoIqmUrXbxUpgKlm84gMYocNHt-DZJLP1E0rgMPRsnQVPjRNYco1fdvg/s320/20230429_205332.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from our modernized Sifnos Airbnb. <br />We thought it was new, but it was actually<br />100 years old.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp63IqLNIsoxjsC7cp4_A3PBMXy6hgQ5cxQFv31RnNxALri-Xs2cEYZIUnU2W7e3RT4xSWBlj1_jeXIDjOaHDp73CA8-zekYhrAWLRcJkyNQ9KfgOdAcNMLEYaSV0FUz_XUs8XTD42Rw2_XHftgHeftbdwx9v4Ang5XIGEcN4Mk5S8wLevBUFvQXWMA/s4032/20230429_153407.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp63IqLNIsoxjsC7cp4_A3PBMXy6hgQ5cxQFv31RnNxALri-Xs2cEYZIUnU2W7e3RT4xSWBlj1_jeXIDjOaHDp73CA8-zekYhrAWLRcJkyNQ9KfgOdAcNMLEYaSV0FUz_XUs8XTD42Rw2_XHftgHeftbdwx9v4Ang5XIGEcN4Mk5S8wLevBUFvQXWMA/s320/20230429_153407.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A monastery near our apartment </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGp63IqLNIsoxjsC7cp4_A3PBMXy6hgQ5cxQFv31RnNxALri-Xs2cEYZIUnU2W7e3RT4xSWBlj1_jeXIDjOaHDp73CA8-zekYhrAWLRcJkyNQ9KfgOdAcNMLEYaSV0FUz_XUs8XTD42Rw2_XHftgHeftbdwx9v4Ang5XIGEcN4Mk5S8wLevBUFvQXWMA/s4032/20230429_153407.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">7. Santorini</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Santorini—What can we say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s overrun, thoughtlessly over-developed,
and ostentatious and/or tacky in parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it is also stunningly beautiful and has some amazing things to see
and do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathy arrived at night by ferry
in 1972 and took a mule up the crater to Fira, then wandered the alleys to find
a place to stay. Now there are luxury hotels everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked a lot and climbed a mountain to see
the ruins of ancient Thera. But the most impressive was the archeological site
of Akrotiri. Discovered in 1967, it is like Pompeii, only the people escaped by
ships 3600 years ago. The volcanic ash preserved frescos, vases, and
three-story walls. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiE86p0_SH31IkjElk7oJCwjRS7TGZWtErH2D-cVyeFm6gxcck3Ab1Hts0iX9YpEfS4PZGX3lDCB5-kXRTpkkJystKsg4xaboTPsei6nnrLyn3ulaSa76EsKJczgbCmvYgVpYkrnwqSW8TDkYi2wd8tXZdjzfSuezTJa6f-KdpntgSG4hgtLQjy6Tyg/s4032/20230507_164238.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheiE86p0_SH31IkjElk7oJCwjRS7TGZWtErH2D-cVyeFm6gxcck3Ab1Hts0iX9YpEfS4PZGX3lDCB5-kXRTpkkJystKsg4xaboTPsei6nnrLyn3ulaSa76EsKJczgbCmvYgVpYkrnwqSW8TDkYi2wd8tXZdjzfSuezTJa6f-KdpntgSG4hgtLQjy6Tyg/s320/20230507_164238.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buildings from 3600 years ago. The frescos<br />on the walls are now safely in the Santorini<br />archeological museum</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">8. Crete<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">We may have saved the best of our
five weeks in Greece for the last. It was warmer, greener, more colorful, and
had more vibrant street life than did the four other islands we visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And oh yes, the food and wine—definitely the
best!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much Greek history and
mythology originated here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsWCChlun6Myrk7-6MFqGMMEr6GmlLDJ83RqHAYznDxiJJzEGzs35gmeH7DckvKWKsl1EHfotvn0f6_WGcSgvEHCTrODzsEKsHX0HwvSy0kOXzOfIMx9eGtWYg5vYTaDSkOALdEsxTvjhfhm2h4LmwRz8X5E758cDh0zRT66JGMmtHmZDET1Q22J8Jw/s4032/20230512_145848.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsWCChlun6Myrk7-6MFqGMMEr6GmlLDJ83RqHAYznDxiJJzEGzs35gmeH7DckvKWKsl1EHfotvn0f6_WGcSgvEHCTrODzsEKsHX0HwvSy0kOXzOfIMx9eGtWYg5vYTaDSkOALdEsxTvjhfhm2h4LmwRz8X5E758cDh0zRT66JGMmtHmZDET1Q22J8Jw/s320/20230512_145848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional windmills on the Lasithi Plateau</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Located
equidistant from Cairo, Italy, and Istanbul, it was the center of commerce and
cultural exchanges as early as 5,000 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We rented a gutless Toyota Yaris for two days and drove the coastline to
the colorful old Venice port city of Chania. Unlike Heraklion, it didn’t get
bombed during WWII, so we could see just how different Crete originally was
from the rest of Greece. However, besides enjoying Heraklion’s nighttime street
life and food scene, the highlight of our visit was driving the switchback road
to the 3,000-foot plateau of Lasithi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beautiful, just beautiful!</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">More Photos<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">What can I say about five weeks in
Greece in the typical length of my blogs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not enough! Hopefully a few of our better photos, mostly in chronological
order following the numbers on the above map, will help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/zQsJhuNxJbEWrSpD6" target="_blank"><b><u>Click here</u></b>.</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're best enjoyed on a device larger
than a cell phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, pour yourself a
Greek/Turkish coffee, some mint tea, or a shot glass of ouzo and enjoy! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">And if your are into food as much as we are, <b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/tyju3biZMcBNemVT9" target="_blank">here is a link</a></u></b> to some of our food photos. Don't watch on an empty stomach! (Note: you'll see a couple of gyros photos. They always add French fries to them.)</span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">And no blog of ours would be complete without a couple of photos of 3-year old Hazel. We sandwiched our Greek trip with a two-week visit in St. Albans, UK beforehand and a week afterwards. And it was fun hanging with Shanti and Alan, and getting to better know Alan's Australian parents who were there on our second visit.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQv9Pw5XHiJBmdfWD_l0WWgBAKS2e9J69wWMoXID06kk4BExgquv7bs64ZaktnbhPoYMr3FCwUKdTeIoJiwYquVe2_rGM6_IJN4eMC1FRXgImMjHQal7WAnHd2OZrhmH21BEJSCUD2XunFRFOk8DzaxftktcuNw6Lh5acZpLeNk-TCp3Sg0r3x-E05A/s4032/20230405_114518.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQv9Pw5XHiJBmdfWD_l0WWgBAKS2e9J69wWMoXID06kk4BExgquv7bs64ZaktnbhPoYMr3FCwUKdTeIoJiwYquVe2_rGM6_IJN4eMC1FRXgImMjHQal7WAnHd2OZrhmH21BEJSCUD2XunFRFOk8DzaxftktcuNw6Lh5acZpLeNk-TCp3Sg0r3x-E05A/s320/20230405_114518.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proudly displaying a sticker after<br />we took her to her first dental appt.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FJ2Vdgpfp9ehklc0LKAqmMmk7TifRmCJd6haezchitTzzcjzvxNIqFm1rHrZVKVvVBSs8vUCUEksZ6HoqsEKSz3EBSEw1Cii-TzRrOhxc8V9OHbNkAqHjtgqfG9xHcfurP5uiiJaSOaz_pSz5AqiDktQi0sXRs5Ms2znEQTWdUbbc9y042AKuNoScg/s4032/20230514_181446.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FJ2Vdgpfp9ehklc0LKAqmMmk7TifRmCJd6haezchitTzzcjzvxNIqFm1rHrZVKVvVBSs8vUCUEksZ6HoqsEKSz3EBSEw1Cii-TzRrOhxc8V9OHbNkAqHjtgqfG9xHcfurP5uiiJaSOaz_pSz5AqiDktQi0sXRs5Ms2znEQTWdUbbc9y042AKuNoScg/s320/20230514_181446.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What kid doesn't love pasta?<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDc8sknYVi38UGfPCXaCZ659FopTKq_dQYapDnogdoXOO53mEb0FDuD84HERDqP1IWV79MfTQnGEBouG8n4F2QI9IULP65dZ1gkIl_Bb2z3_yOnBqxU9a7tRGxZC8B5YdljgoSiUepskGGUrUqeMVUiujzwDnlsrOQCuUhtCt6i-VgTyia_Yo5IsMRg/s4032/20230403_163412.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDc8sknYVi38UGfPCXaCZ659FopTKq_dQYapDnogdoXOO53mEb0FDuD84HERDqP1IWV79MfTQnGEBouG8n4F2QI9IULP65dZ1gkIl_Bb2z3_yOnBqxU9a7tRGxZC8B5YdljgoSiUepskGGUrUqeMVUiujzwDnlsrOQCuUhtCt6i-VgTyia_Yo5IsMRg/s320/20230403_163412.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We can't keep up with her during<br />the .75 mile walk each way to and<br />from her daycare.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5dhujEJlEA2j3ZOBT5GFm342WI-P-9ykjh0FWEHB1HQ_2XM2Pq1MOb6PMNqb0DMcjL3yCru0vMxEHckMZlaHO8htyL7gPk9pPNAktytGvm_FXcHEyMxA5qM-_JA53xSHJCWJvjppjrxbkD6pTzej4aplvDooR0CF-NB_MM4kDNMa0ld1D_tv0mNJjw/s1707/20230331_170513_Original%20Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1707" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5dhujEJlEA2j3ZOBT5GFm342WI-P-9ykjh0FWEHB1HQ_2XM2Pq1MOb6PMNqb0DMcjL3yCru0vMxEHckMZlaHO8htyL7gPk9pPNAktytGvm_FXcHEyMxA5qM-_JA53xSHJCWJvjppjrxbkD6pTzej4aplvDooR0CF-NB_MM4kDNMa0ld1D_tv0mNJjw/s320/20230331_170513_Original%20Copy.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And what kid doesn't love puddles?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLGjagu7Zaibkf43ghYgLZrbhSOu1pAxQJChv9V0i-TMgjZj96bMI2sdzZMz3flNe8C1C1mQsTOsvoTZ8j0efTGX6PTWLOE0LxB1wGC3A97_OLvY4XNg3ika0BqXzOnZlFiTvSe_XP1nCABgDcLeyy-NJfha93zgd8OX6Kcf4lVcb9eU-HaxGZwuZ-w/s1600/IMG_0419.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLGjagu7Zaibkf43ghYgLZrbhSOu1pAxQJChv9V0i-TMgjZj96bMI2sdzZMz3flNe8C1C1mQsTOsvoTZ8j0efTGX6PTWLOE0LxB1wGC3A97_OLvY4XNg3ika0BqXzOnZlFiTvSe_XP1nCABgDcLeyy-NJfha93zgd8OX6Kcf4lVcb9eU-HaxGZwuZ-w/s320/IMG_0419.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading to her animals. (Courtesy of Babette <br />Hampson, Hazel's Australian grandmother who<br />just took this photo today.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-31202987363774122522023-01-04T02:39:00.004-08:002023-03-09T15:09:42.919-08:00Israel, Jordan, and Egypt<div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQBkDugVErh1CeO0lQt6XUs1HVcZ3w5ioB0rIeSDx7TU6hpIXPXOrU3iNY6W5PkSUq2tf7vg3lwYKA-eOpPgcogVcJqPE0rNss897bnBS6LUDahN55o4rXrAGbtAvroXRM6Ysq0pQRb75aXoCNgxaxR63oiZ-Z0bjJ5ki8dmFRCvGcZ5Eh8tF4NG2nA/s4032/20221218_120506.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQBkDugVErh1CeO0lQt6XUs1HVcZ3w5ioB0rIeSDx7TU6hpIXPXOrU3iNY6W5PkSUq2tf7vg3lwYKA-eOpPgcogVcJqPE0rNss897bnBS6LUDahN55o4rXrAGbtAvroXRM6Ysq0pQRb75aXoCNgxaxR63oiZ-Z0bjJ5ki8dmFRCvGcZ5Eh8tF4NG2nA/s320/20221218_120506.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Sphynx in Cairo. The rock wasn't solid<br /> enough for the Pyramids, so they carved this.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> Happy New Year from St. Albans, UK. I lugged my new laptop everywhere
on this trip, hoping to write a post about each country and maybe even a short post on
certain topics within each country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
all I did was weigh down my bag and create guilt. Road Scholar jam-packs their
trips with non-stop information and activities, leaving little free time. Hopefully
our Facebook and Instagram posts gave you a taste of what we experienced.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Israel</span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WRTIeYl0hadbFrkltI2S_8h5NLQr9nf8FLFhlBYaqK9-U7Wu6FUospfMMg9e1pTo1ZVxBcI4tg5NZpGAioNb2dgA2gQjG1tOfgVMf0IAlRYSzXb5cyGRxJMkoEmSAZRJy8_FHlDMHZLvfCnVhwI_8jonTmbtEXt4ChvgYc_-DvRZfMnVlewt1m4d2A/s1440/DSC05511.JPG" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of the 39 countries we have visited, Israel is the most
complex and conflicted. It was both very interesting but also one of our least
favorites. It is a web of politics, religions, history, culture, geography, grievances,
senses of entitlement, and geopolitical concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gw-jQfQTu_C9BrgzJCqQVnODK9M8eTyTJvGk2teypBxYInV-SYjpMOrI556WF9aRCWyaE89xit03sW-7hmkWht-Z5V5TYIu_dqPe_kiNrGVdNgyoYqQF6L-8IuJHq7HR4MzNP_tqtFQ7cZpZ5piAFn20UwhfHHmqWKpKyQet0XaYT0xDu5zdOtgG-g/s1440/DSC05514.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-gw-jQfQTu_C9BrgzJCqQVnODK9M8eTyTJvGk2teypBxYInV-SYjpMOrI556WF9aRCWyaE89xit03sW-7hmkWht-Z5V5TYIu_dqPe_kiNrGVdNgyoYqQF6L-8IuJHq7HR4MzNP_tqtFQ7cZpZ5piAFn20UwhfHHmqWKpKyQet0XaYT0xDu5zdOtgG-g/s320/DSC05514.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Western Wall</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fortunately, visiting it through Road Scholar with its
emphasis on education, gave us some ability to put the news into context. And <u><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/opinion/israel-palestinians-arabs-jews.html" target="_blank">the latest news</a></b></u> about the new government
is not very encouraging. One of our guest lecturers was a 5<sup>th</sup>
generation Palestinian, age 50, educated at Oxford. The night before his presentation
he was harassed by two hot-headed 20-year-old soldiers as he tried to cross the
West Bank on his way to Jerusalem for a lecture</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFgWDVOTu9l4glPkNmEVUrwzpo15e7JXS937lxZdBTkMDIE-ASeNI20WouztuEYIrrwfQPf623YZ8mXUU-HBXk6N_om1CrQD2GFII9nx78bIxY3UoNs8UuMRNeWNQ-Ts8i0l4suzDBIMhzSaw0qL6S9NOMNgIrkMbSxhQK3wGo3RXv9r48Hg_bpb_Tg/s320/20221210_105909.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Church of the Holy Sep</td></tr></tbody></table></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>We covered a lot: Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea Scrolls area, a kibbutz, two guest lectures, and much more.</span><span> </span><span> </span><span>Many of the sites, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulture, Masada National Park, and the Holocaust Museum were stunning. </span><span> </span><span>Our biggest surprise was just how compact the Jerusalem area is. One could look from the Mt. of the Olives (really just a hill) and see the holy sites of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions, some right on top of or next to each other. And that might be part of the Israel’s problems.</span><span> </span><span>We’re glad we went, but once was enough</span></span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br />You can see more <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gkjq1WFLg9CMoTA86" target="_blank">Israel photos </a></b></u></span><b style="text-align: left;"><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gkjq1WFLg9CMoTA86" target="_blank">here.</a></u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i>(Note: most photos in this link and those that follow are mine, but some are from fellow travelers, especially Warren Dupuis and Louise Meadows.)</i></span></div></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Jordan</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We loved Jordan, described as “a quiet house in a bad neighborhood.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our time there was too short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our focus was on Petra, but we also visited
the impressive 200 BC to 400 AD Roman ruins of Jerash, some of Amman, the Dead
Sea, and Mt. Nebo where Moses is thought to be buried.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbi8zbkXIlWi_arg2g3ERt_8xFbT-aLWnyY5hZLK4owC21TAiEa17_SyCBC0bw7VkMLkng-rXZVbRJCXwL_FzwJ11_arJ16g6zvkgnZfP60OyWGllU8714pa4bO-sLRl5T_eyuNKZvoe-c1qG59SS20dxWNUjI05WWJDwPZ5A7Wt6OzmqZ-Q1udQABng/s4032/20221216_102013.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbi8zbkXIlWi_arg2g3ERt_8xFbT-aLWnyY5hZLK4owC21TAiEa17_SyCBC0bw7VkMLkng-rXZVbRJCXwL_FzwJ11_arJ16g6zvkgnZfP60OyWGllU8714pa4bO-sLRl5T_eyuNKZvoe-c1qG59SS20dxWNUjI05WWJDwPZ5A7Wt6OzmqZ-Q1udQABng/s320/20221216_102013.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1st Century Treasury at Petra</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ve seen photos of some of the Petra structures, like the
1<sup>st</sup> century treasury. <i>Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade</i> was partly filmed there. But when we saw it in person, it was a
breathtaking “holy crap” moment. Even
more astounding was the natural beauty of the rock formations as we hiked to
the monuments. <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/966uR4o3E53vmsSq8" target="_blank">Here are more Petra photos</a></b></u>.</span></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Amman is a bustling city of 2.2 million with hilltop
ruins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its initial name 2,000 years ago
was Philadelphia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a population of only
500,000 in 1975, it boasted only one hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It turns out that two of our fellow travelers stayed in it in 1975.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of its growth has been from migration
from neighboring countries, mostly from Syria and Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We tried to swim in the Dead Sea but couldn’t; all we could
do is float in the viscous salty water. Its salinity is 7-10x sea water, and at
1245 below sea level, it is the lowest point on earth. </span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnake9wM83DQN1QUmfibX0Sf51DYQ6el3JrnaGlKXWsgOXFebzZsLsCwfA1QKo5kqQAnHrGcF4FgrkJN3rvg8rUm7SRfyjN0NN140WAqB6sdao6gYfQnv-jgtUB5Hv6MKiCESuqmRhOyKNp08WatjnbhR23jBtxfjsRkALufc1nd2y6uRtSKNNlmo99A/s3024/unnamed%20(56).jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="3024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnake9wM83DQN1QUmfibX0Sf51DYQ6el3JrnaGlKXWsgOXFebzZsLsCwfA1QKo5kqQAnHrGcF4FgrkJN3rvg8rUm7SRfyjN0NN140WAqB6sdao6gYfQnv-jgtUB5Hv6MKiCESuqmRhOyKNp08WatjnbhR23jBtxfjsRkALufc1nd2y6uRtSKNNlmo99A/s320/unnamed%20(56).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating fun in the Dead Sea</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We had a little excitement while in Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truckers protesting over high fuel prices
were blocking roads, throwing rocks at vehicles, and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were delayed as the police formed a convoy
for us, some other tour busses, and non-striking truckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You can see <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/6WHfVsDdfpY6Ka6E8" target="_blank">more Jordan photos here.</a></b></u><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Egypt<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6_AaAsjDRAyM1nWZ6W-zt9wQcOYkBv40rBV5Mrvtl5bUqYBIOiG-yMrltqxJb1OG79e7t5myEMOkvPRkflUkI1opxmA_rcWrPesYvKVi7mjmUkwzt3V6izFWy3Uizb_shL5QypElCG23FQjbt7pu-Lnm8xqr93TPPXCA6Wi1VA9DsVAFnj_cQTyIzA/s4032/20221218_105748.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6_AaAsjDRAyM1nWZ6W-zt9wQcOYkBv40rBV5Mrvtl5bUqYBIOiG-yMrltqxJb1OG79e7t5myEMOkvPRkflUkI1opxmA_rcWrPesYvKVi7mjmUkwzt3V6izFWy3Uizb_shL5QypElCG23FQjbt7pu-Lnm8xqr93TPPXCA6Wi1VA9DsVAFnj_cQTyIzA/s320/20221218_105748.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pyramids of Giza. They're huge, but so are <br />other wonders you can see in our link below</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">The least impressive site we saw in Egypt were the Great
Pyramids in Giza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that they weren’t
great or impressive, but because there were so many other ancient Egyptian
marvels that we thought were more spectacular and unique to us.<br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The three themes of all of them are (1 the Egyptian obsession with the afterlife, 2) the advanced technology required
to design and build them, and 3) many of them are huge!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And nearly everything we saw—including some spectacular
ancient paintings and bas relief carvings--was original, but for an occasional
supporting pillar.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xIZGIc82uRPoWeupE_dndCyz6uagc40TiU-UldDVH_pZ8K-qds_C-GPzS7jwGShimiGT19Qa4BUC6JExy-ZCjZGigkIBDpwuErxuRJ9Zgxz0t5DgKmXamsz_7z8WVZVwpB-3OlGxcHg4m79-WVk7E7l2z1eCnB6KOvHmEjie3q4u8pGeVNuDmYoFjA/s4032/20221221_155053.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4xIZGIc82uRPoWeupE_dndCyz6uagc40TiU-UldDVH_pZ8K-qds_C-GPzS7jwGShimiGT19Qa4BUC6JExy-ZCjZGigkIBDpwuErxuRJ9Zgxz0t5DgKmXamsz_7z8WVZVwpB-3OlGxcHg4m79-WVk7E7l2z1eCnB6KOvHmEjie3q4u8pGeVNuDmYoFjA/s320/20221221_155053.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The massive temple of Karnak at Luxor</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>After the pyramids in Cairo, we flew south over the vast </span>Egyptian desert to the Aswan Dam. We slowly cruised three nights down the Nile
to Luxor on a ship that accommodated about 100 passengers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great way to stop and explore temples,
and on one rare afternoon with nothing scheduled, to watch Egyptian life along
the Nile, where 90% of Egypt’s 102 million population lives within a few miles
of its banks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhA7jdg4q04onkh03wgIxSL27arRfud0JU2-YoTkYE3TntSKEm_5hGHyM76AiIvanYZ1dIm0PUEhB1lqke89oFLm8E00BdB_llM55RlKzaY2ZuXXViw_2SrqUfJ-ijxNpMZvTVmodcheaIAiumi4Vy9-H4blEqsqwxhSpYaMJl1wYbQnAk-QzerI_Kw/s4000/IMG_0802.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhA7jdg4q04onkh03wgIxSL27arRfud0JU2-YoTkYE3TntSKEm_5hGHyM76AiIvanYZ1dIm0PUEhB1lqke89oFLm8E00BdB_llM55RlKzaY2ZuXXViw_2SrqUfJ-ijxNpMZvTVmodcheaIAiumi4Vy9-H4blEqsqwxhSpYaMJl1wYbQnAk-QzerI_Kw/s320/IMG_0802.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning on the Nile at Luxor</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIQvhmB_tiuPydKb58EUyneQjpfUMh2ZOdIAn2A9_d-XkgCltyZNxDM_JTkWxN7Uc4JmsPix2mp8ujBUn1zb9Fnt9Q8X1AWBU66QXkzPmuvc8wY5EKSbGZIgs6M1zq7NZgBV_CJmwci1QHTqYXekfGJM1O5pN9DU2abJwQeRi4KTkaByk34d7oO8U8Q/s1465/20221223_115310.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1465" data-original-width="1099" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIQvhmB_tiuPydKb58EUyneQjpfUMh2ZOdIAn2A9_d-XkgCltyZNxDM_JTkWxN7Uc4JmsPix2mp8ujBUn1zb9Fnt9Q8X1AWBU66QXkzPmuvc8wY5EKSbGZIgs6M1zq7NZgBV_CJmwci1QHTqYXekfGJM1O5pN9DU2abJwQeRi4KTkaByk34d7oO8U8Q/s320/20221223_115310.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heat-packing guards assigned to<br />most tourist groups. They stand out<br />in any crowd, and are hyper vigilant.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Luxor is a great hub for seeing some of Egypt’s best wonders,
some which are over 3500 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Highlights were King Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the Hatshepsut
Temple, the massive Temple of Karnak, and the Luxor temple in the evening. The
original artwork was astounding. In all these places and on busses, we were
under the protective eye of a heavily armed plain clothes guard.</span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoS35jxNvxQT4JJ0T3rLKaAvdWaFR85LtbhpQ4kK1gqakmA-gjNntQ_jSsvBKvwNWugJz3l67jLykN6HE-B7SUh3J8qyHTeFQH82f4erlC5Ploi--uZm5TiM-6VJ3RO0-MvgOOz_WKbhL23BtaNFGEWuHW4MBNecW91TiHf6NpWXq0BLybB9woqDe0w/s4032/20221220_075256.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDoS35jxNvxQT4JJ0T3rLKaAvdWaFR85LtbhpQ4kK1gqakmA-gjNntQ_jSsvBKvwNWugJz3l67jLykN6HE-B7SUh3J8qyHTeFQH82f4erlC5Ploi--uZm5TiM-6VJ3RO0-MvgOOz_WKbhL23BtaNFGEWuHW4MBNecW91TiHf6NpWXq0BLybB9woqDe0w/s320/20221220_075256.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heba teaching us hieroglyphics</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p></div></div></div><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"></div><p></p></div></div></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Heba, our Egyptian guide with a PhD in Egyptology, exuded enthusiasm about the art and mythology. She translated the hieroglyphics on the walls like she was reading a bedtime story to the 18 of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She said she never learned about ancient Egypt history in school because there was too much of to learn, and it was deemed to be irrelevant. She said she was proud of the amazing achievements at a time when other people were living in caves struggling to make fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she said, “I’m sad because we are no longer on the top, but near the bottom.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When asked why, she said, “foreign conquests dating back to the Greeks and Romans, colonialism, constant wars with Israel, and corruption.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: x-large;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPHZK5VimDuY_dtM1eymEsxxb2biqw2NXs5d_hm_Fa_Xtk-7HgKhMiq8E8xWNo__E_UJYfYNtCSNpQRiQZ256iphSu5aQyjTQRt3mpJ9sNXbDzloGnLBy3mGa21vwCfNeNm808yFAJGeCRrpK2dhJci6S5gFPvWELz33IGawM4L4dzI_L4e1mLJn65Q/s4032/20221221_093908.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPHZK5VimDuY_dtM1eymEsxxb2biqw2NXs5d_hm_Fa_Xtk-7HgKhMiq8E8xWNo__E_UJYfYNtCSNpQRiQZ256iphSu5aQyjTQRt3mpJ9sNXbDzloGnLBy3mGa21vwCfNeNm808yFAJGeCRrpK2dhJci6S5gFPvWELz33IGawM4L4dzI_L4e1mLJn65Q/s320/20221221_093908.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The long entry way into one of <br />the massive tombs. Note the<br />original color on the walls and<br />ceiling</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span><p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We flew from Luxor to Cairo for our last two nights. Let’s
just say that Cairo isn’t one of our favorite cities.</span><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It was polluted and crowded with epic traffic
jams. It had a few skyscrapers among dilapidated tenements, slums, and old
colonial buildings.</span><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">But it did have some
fun and crowded alley markets—one dating back to 1382--with everything
imaginable for sale by hawkers that wouldn’t take a polite ‘no’ for an answer. </span><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGjWfIlMd09XRzix9HpMLcoXpoqMLaQzsZpaDEIpE4uKibOATfg3OoppQDBj4_Ju7x76WeIg7QxOFAf4rWH7AfDHH920VY2hPzG-NrSnDSdsjQvYvhjDxyOUQFYPBP83hKRU6DBVAY5rvpt1PAqbk00Hm7h7DRMjO42rqX5xuVrAxh8WkCtilYhLjdw/s4032/20221222_152540.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGjWfIlMd09XRzix9HpMLcoXpoqMLaQzsZpaDEIpE4uKibOATfg3OoppQDBj4_Ju7x76WeIg7QxOFAf4rWH7AfDHH920VY2hPzG-NrSnDSdsjQvYvhjDxyOUQFYPBP83hKRU6DBVAY5rvpt1PAqbk00Hm7h7DRMjO42rqX5xuVrAxh8WkCtilYhLjdw/s320/20221222_152540.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Want to buy a used phone?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXQHas_j5eMd-T1OCjBZtbpV0q_b-KlMdqOG4XEOZEbqTlVZTEMLw-MmiFPN8M_JVMPSYMN-aAsX1tZXKCsW292hN3M82pJNKBqaLFELNHcRqAOPpyqhZEeEd8an_pecFtx6AlZ7wgiPbskSndu5MyFL9wMlITuGD3hEKvgwYAh2JdNOPkrvDEJp5nA/s4032/20221223_113003.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXQHas_j5eMd-T1OCjBZtbpV0q_b-KlMdqOG4XEOZEbqTlVZTEMLw-MmiFPN8M_JVMPSYMN-aAsX1tZXKCsW292hN3M82pJNKBqaLFELNHcRqAOPpyqhZEeEd8an_pecFtx6AlZ7wgiPbskSndu5MyFL9wMlITuGD3hEKvgwYAh2JdNOPkrvDEJp5nA/s320/20221223_113003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of King Tut's eight coffins</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrA9Ml9n1M84paZoCqs7wvYc485B4GjHuZfZRc-mDhhwQ7SHL6GHC2RKL__x0KWrnVgypIKW2QgrpTmo8ATHkjTLW8w6EwGl1lCh_7vN-6-kxHq63KM9lCV14Dcf4ulhV3dFUcyxOhLZzkBos3f29lWSTSEDWl13RtqzmtvQYTu5pd8MVTjw_yOCsEWw/s4032/20221223_111835.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrA9Ml9n1M84paZoCqs7wvYc485B4GjHuZfZRc-mDhhwQ7SHL6GHC2RKL__x0KWrnVgypIKW2QgrpTmo8ATHkjTLW8w6EwGl1lCh_7vN-6-kxHq63KM9lCV14Dcf4ulhV3dFUcyxOhLZzkBos3f29lWSTSEDWl13RtqzmtvQYTu5pd8MVTjw_yOCsEWw/s320/20221223_111835.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A separate coffin for the embalmed<br />organs, except for the heart</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Best of all, Cairo has the Egyptian Museum
where many of the artifacts from the Valley of the Kings were housed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were unbelievably accessible; some could
be touched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Photographs were prohibited
only in the room housing Kin Tut’s treasures.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can see </span><u style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/UtNeguepXt21hbn69" target="_blank">more Egypt photos here</a></b></u><span style="font-size: large;">, and I strongly encourage to look at and enlarge at least a few of them on something larger than a cell phone to see the craftsmanship. Egypt was truly astounding, if nothing else than for the sheer quantity of its well preserved temples, tombs, monuments, and art work. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall, it was a good trip and not a part of the world we
normally travel. I had a bad head and chest cold most of the time, annoying to me and everyone else, but it didn’t
affect my energy level.</span><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Our three guides
were so knowledgeable, likeable, and organized, and we enjoyed extended mealtime conversations
with most of our well-traveled members of the group.</span><span style="font-size: large; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It was definitely not a trip for lounging on
the beach or shopping, but rather a firehose of information, walking, and jam-packed site
seeing in a troubled part of the world.</span></p><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44RzgANcQEjaXvGo6BwQtSLLQG8Bjzy0DPyag8ObflkuTWA4C9cIeIZD23dWZ4t2gFkwxPX8AVDQLR3lUxO3fUIL8Ngm3r8t4cQskr7Qfy9dQwA0JUtMAf2dvKYjvt9DksgAb8vd4pY1TZSsK8f-xE2vpVyR71k4dHOq7SeNqDQse1RxMqKxOjksfcw/s4032/20221221_173731.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44RzgANcQEjaXvGo6BwQtSLLQG8Bjzy0DPyag8ObflkuTWA4C9cIeIZD23dWZ4t2gFkwxPX8AVDQLR3lUxO3fUIL8Ngm3r8t4cQskr7Qfy9dQwA0JUtMAf2dvKYjvt9DksgAb8vd4pY1TZSsK8f-xE2vpVyR71k4dHOq7SeNqDQse1RxMqKxOjksfcw/s320/20221221_173731.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stunning Luxor Temple at night</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">St. Albans</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We flew from Cairo to London on Christmas Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was weird being parachuted from the Middle
East into the Christmas scene here, but we quickly got into the groove. It was
so fun experiencing Christmas with a young child, the first in over 35
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But watching a toddler while Mom
and Dad work is both rewarding and exhausting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Hazel seemed to have change so much in the 2 1/2 weeks while we were gone.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCHHyeUtYAW4yZXXVsxCwmMkoak4BfSksBfoUkyt5TwmakvfmcrMTUyl0GS1nylCPfNR_JdnPO98zx2s8bGTiaMNo-u6mWJmUAND5FhJToPxWM5rrwyAL46j8OtJkyJxVfCbEA7nAEiYON-Eq4Yw8dcRl1P01S1lMCRTqWl6sgjpaM1MzO_UctzXdTA/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCHHyeUtYAW4yZXXVsxCwmMkoak4BfSksBfoUkyt5TwmakvfmcrMTUyl0GS1nylCPfNR_JdnPO98zx2s8bGTiaMNo-u6mWJmUAND5FhJToPxWM5rrwyAL46j8OtJkyJxVfCbEA7nAEiYON-Eq4Yw8dcRl1P01S1lMCRTqWl6sgjpaM1MzO_UctzXdTA/s320/IMG_0856.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's so nice to have a greeter at the<br />airport!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s2MlD9ia7bAOkuNZloBXelP9G4jkS1RJhTrSNfGnA9QMij_rA6eo9FuGeFRdwkh_-eu23WPz8wFyBTPeRxj73CO9Lu352YOwWPQneEdG9wTbliqAlETQKSfB3M2ZVRy6NCtguF-7_CcGtD_psImkXaW0jUjJV4hxqVDp4K5oyp6Ke-iS0Mr9Yzc_FA/s1600/IMG_4411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3s2MlD9ia7bAOkuNZloBXelP9G4jkS1RJhTrSNfGnA9QMij_rA6eo9FuGeFRdwkh_-eu23WPz8wFyBTPeRxj73CO9Lu352YOwWPQneEdG9wTbliqAlETQKSfB3M2ZVRy6NCtguF-7_CcGtD_psImkXaW0jUjJV4hxqVDp4K5oyp6Ke-iS0Mr9Yzc_FA/s320/IMG_4411.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Day in St. Albans (Thanks, Alan for<br />taking our photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We look forward to being home in a few days. But meanwhile, we have a few more projects around the house to complete, including helping get Hazel potty trained. Wish us luck!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><i>“What We Can, While We Can”</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-36354812495002593192022-11-22T11:47:00.002-08:002022-11-22T12:45:00.500-08:00To the UK, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gJ0qlgH31i8ZG5OfGzrMfZFKOmAse7_HXcEcqE1m6PH0QU4jfbPWvqzPbSSU882niACAbl2eW2aVvip99o2ZWDmMh-TZygqvk-0GB-lKxyv2dh3wrqDJOuIbsimuDNE0_dfmlJKQVmbqsKMHYHl9c-fdekc8sEj-9EW3YCwA-jQITto5VXcHW5eH1w/s1600/IMG_0321.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gJ0qlgH31i8ZG5OfGzrMfZFKOmAse7_HXcEcqE1m6PH0QU4jfbPWvqzPbSSU882niACAbl2eW2aVvip99o2ZWDmMh-TZygqvk-0GB-lKxyv2dh3wrqDJOuIbsimuDNE0_dfmlJKQVmbqsKMHYHl9c-fdekc8sEj-9EW3YCwA-jQITto5VXcHW5eH1w/w240-h289/IMG_0321.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel, our UK magnet and <br />connoisseur of ice cream.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’ve been in Oregon since June 24.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a record for us over the past few
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been happily enjoying friends, events, and all that the Willamette Valley and Oregon have to offer. But a grandchild north
of London beckons, so we’re off to St. Albans, where our daughter, son-in-law-and
grandchild Hazel live in their “new” 84-year old home north of London. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br />On Saturday, we’re cooking a belated non-traditional vegetarian Thanksgiving for Shanti, Alan, Hazel and nine other friends who hail from the States, Russia, Poland, and China. Then it’s 11 days of doing things with Hazel before we start our tour of the Middle East. We return to London on Christmas Eve, and it will be the first Christmas we have celebrated with a young child in over 35 years. We’re so excited! We’ll be back home in early January.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkL4Zsl8Oz6qjXl_h2Ja93XJ5V5CTwWRV8_1Fx1vBnlGFxIMyLxXXcdpp1Hk2Np_EsGWHGCfrOHfSekEomU6l6B3xLsHPwxpC6EqhOVcoGYffnOLmzJEhhabZLR-QDyxEcKhckfCZd8ELONkBi7Z50VWrSkSyuLrccrkVKLMtYlXylhmFQmUqqQoTgg/s1600/56339.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkL4Zsl8Oz6qjXl_h2Ja93XJ5V5CTwWRV8_1Fx1vBnlGFxIMyLxXXcdpp1Hk2Np_EsGWHGCfrOHfSekEomU6l6B3xLsHPwxpC6EqhOVcoGYffnOLmzJEhhabZLR-QDyxEcKhckfCZd8ELONkBi7Z50VWrSkSyuLrccrkVKLMtYlXylhmFQmUqqQoTgg/s320/56339.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy new homeowners</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOYTNKwG-VZN0SlD7ICq-vHymFLcpBGRtW80v1Z8OtbOi_HjzAF-AW0boCTRHKKU55VIBLuvkHyUOerclt8C3jO5SwKr7fNC8AbyQsenJ4biSF7cAD1RRaV-vQXbDRRUAHjF1Y4OVjTqXEZJ-FeTUUQHR56aoAQUTBnhn5ELdtXHl4o5wLsAnc2j97w/s4032/20220601_104634.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOYTNKwG-VZN0SlD7ICq-vHymFLcpBGRtW80v1Z8OtbOi_HjzAF-AW0boCTRHKKU55VIBLuvkHyUOerclt8C3jO5SwKr7fNC8AbyQsenJ4biSF7cAD1RRaV-vQXbDRRUAHjF1Y4OVjTqXEZJ-FeTUUQHR56aoAQUTBnhn5ELdtXHl4o5wLsAnc2j97w/s320/20220601_104634.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of their 16-foot wide, three<br />story renovated townhome</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We’re checking Egypt and Jordan off our bucket list, and the tour with Road Scholar also includes Israel, a bonus thrown into the 15-day mix. Normally we travel
independently, but we don’t speak or read Arabic, and there is so much culture,
context, and history that we’ll get with an organized tour. Not to mention worry-free logistics and a
level of safety.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Several fiends have asked, “Isn’t that part of the world
dangerous?” Having traveled to 36 countries and lived in a developing one for
over two years, our answer is “Not any more than just living in the States.”
Riding my bike 2.5 miles on Mission Street to the gym three times a week, going
to a grocery store, or even an elementary school has just as much random risk in
the States as visiting any country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
cautious, but not afraid.</span><o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllHI6Rc8ZpEsfT5BxmJfwwJDyx35YGOss2HB4C1o2rIRweLDVsxAPYpv5OX43FNRTrNFUq4H7Nnjjz28F1TY28qbuREUatUU0dJEGyGRc-ZCy_7EyhYLLA-5SuDxp5_0gK7XAVj3a5V2v1xsVD5R2GI3bCaBbjd-dKvWdgRC3MHSbvTiGC1K2sWDOGw/s4032/20220930_124646.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjllHI6Rc8ZpEsfT5BxmJfwwJDyx35YGOss2HB4C1o2rIRweLDVsxAPYpv5OX43FNRTrNFUq4H7Nnjjz28F1TY28qbuREUatUU0dJEGyGRc-ZCy_7EyhYLLA-5SuDxp5_0gK7XAVj3a5V2v1xsVD5R2GI3bCaBbjd-dKvWdgRC3MHSbvTiGC1K2sWDOGw/s320/20220930_124646.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking Doris on an outing to pick up our wine<br />at Stoller Winery<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of our worries, however, is Kathy's almost 98-year old mother. She lives in a retirement community in Dallas, OR, but she is becoming frail and is rapidly declining mentally. Fortunately, Kathy's brother Steve in the Portland area is stepping up, but with his business he can't help her as easily or frequently as we do. It's interesting to see how both Hazel and Doris are changing exponentially, but in opposite directions.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">As I said, it was a good summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of what we did was mentioned in our most recent <b><a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2022/08/putting-iconic-camino-de-santiago-into.html" target="_blank">August 26 post</a>. </b>And the photos below briefly touch on a very nice autumn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now that I have a new travel computer,
I’ll try to post more regularly, especially when there is a story to tell and
photos to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More frequent photo
updates can be found on my Facebook and Instagram pages.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">We wish you all a memorable Thanksgiving, and may your gratitude be greater than your blessings.</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">"What We Can, While We Can"</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2Qb2N2H7s7sxiY7Wejyo8AnL1zMUNlAJ6zT6Dakv3y3d-j-XYIlj7b_z84gSu522pXEvj4BH75T0fJdSkVbspIgC5Ctw-h-HxWYbzJDe9AigGDmLpzdcLfOfMAOV6mgVV7cFlIyoYB1c2Rowmmgn_Ntj_zgGmjCs8lfFezCfON806OIGcd9y80pbSg/s4032/20220910_095844.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2Qb2N2H7s7sxiY7Wejyo8AnL1zMUNlAJ6zT6Dakv3y3d-j-XYIlj7b_z84gSu522pXEvj4BH75T0fJdSkVbspIgC5Ctw-h-HxWYbzJDe9AigGDmLpzdcLfOfMAOV6mgVV7cFlIyoYB1c2Rowmmgn_Ntj_zgGmjCs8lfFezCfON806OIGcd9y80pbSg/s320/20220910_095844.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Riding the 36-mile rim of Crater Lake<br />in the hot haze</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZPGV4z-e02jUfDh6I13gPiP5o-bgUlliVr9FU4omsLzk1T5ccEjKl7g7J3XmISmqTWtHhb18oWdVSHGFJP9omV7S1bvwQtS3ocUEn7Nfx1LFIDVE5fOQirzV8v-hml5sy5zDuHGShfW4RFuzlV7-rPcjKdKXgSkXXWZL_FDLHtoG1CAGowteUNOx5g/s4032/20220917_114216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZPGV4z-e02jUfDh6I13gPiP5o-bgUlliVr9FU4omsLzk1T5ccEjKl7g7J3XmISmqTWtHhb18oWdVSHGFJP9omV7S1bvwQtS3ocUEn7Nfx1LFIDVE5fOQirzV8v-hml5sy5zDuHGShfW4RFuzlV7-rPcjKdKXgSkXXWZL_FDLHtoG1CAGowteUNOx5g/s320/20220917_114216.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying wine tasting</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Huox3_pDcaZoPYIQQzk5Wxx2UqX1ThBagzMCIYHW2qMIMW0E_TzceJ3bgM2l9woYPJSjjsxbAy3q2wtKJHk_HKojuwfA6KomWlD--ZlxsK_qWzQJh-ENwGEso_acD7Y6SDoYLrF-y5dg7KdwFTy13KpJLnBC3dWfTdUxtm4VfqbQZuDdAI0wXb1izw/s4032/20220913_114437.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Huox3_pDcaZoPYIQQzk5Wxx2UqX1ThBagzMCIYHW2qMIMW0E_TzceJ3bgM2l9woYPJSjjsxbAy3q2wtKJHk_HKojuwfA6KomWlD--ZlxsK_qWzQJh-ENwGEso_acD7Y6SDoYLrF-y5dg7KdwFTy13KpJLnBC3dWfTdUxtm4VfqbQZuDdAI0wXb1izw/s320/20220913_114437.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10-day trip to Umpqua River, Crater Lake, <br />Diamond Lake, and Champoeg State Park.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVe_bw2AZFT39AI_PbjQZhgP_LnOl8Ojxw5TyLS5OjpZBQSloDRY4T1jBeWPSjJwPSTOIohdRsnrITocBWxEzaZdpZ3LYH_jpe0Nso50_nk4eMcnQqZ1oarv1iVrqA5bneCZYgRs6jiyb7NdBx_IomUsw-2mBGaO5q-s-cFj7xEEStgZaDMq0BJ7YFA/s4032/20221107_162209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="4032" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVe_bw2AZFT39AI_PbjQZhgP_LnOl8Ojxw5TyLS5OjpZBQSloDRY4T1jBeWPSjJwPSTOIohdRsnrITocBWxEzaZdpZ3LYH_jpe0Nso50_nk4eMcnQqZ1oarv1iVrqA5bneCZYgRs6jiyb7NdBx_IomUsw-2mBGaO5q-s-cFj7xEEStgZaDMq0BJ7YFA/s320/20221107_162209.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many changing vistas from <br />our deck as the seasons change</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-53540281461593931842022-08-26T15:56:00.005-07:002022-08-30T17:29:58.940-07:00Putting The Iconic Camino de Santiago into Perspective<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYDfDOUDuYavZhShqMK4Uwlw8NxqpCTL_uJij0HD-DcKzt-r-owvDUwEyFjolAqvOsYTDBod3sYaa0BgqlmKjmp2cjztWrVEqvEwXuBQHOv29i1x3KYVbHfOiK91f8-9T0kt1HEltyydmIIBtvhCio-bVP3ePdhgQDnTmL1cG2zTc2Vqr51c0dY0UUQ/s4032/20220512_130701.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="4032" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAYDfDOUDuYavZhShqMK4Uwlw8NxqpCTL_uJij0HD-DcKzt-r-owvDUwEyFjolAqvOsYTDBod3sYaa0BgqlmKjmp2cjztWrVEqvEwXuBQHOv29i1x3KYVbHfOiK91f8-9T0kt1HEltyydmIIBtvhCio-bVP3ePdhgQDnTmL1cG2zTc2Vqr51c0dY0UUQ/s320/20220512_130701.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many historic bridges we crossed.</td></tr></tbody></table>It’s been three months since we arrived in Santiago de Compostela,
Spain after 44 days, walking about 500 miles with seven days off. “How was it?”
people ask. The words wonderful, challenging, immersive, fun, beautiful, and
satisfying quickly come to mind.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p>B</o:p></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">ut like our 2018 Camino, it was an experience that defies a tidy
write up. We’re still processing it, and that’s partly why you haven’t seen a
post since April. Each of the <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tL5oA6ohfnUJTLETc099WWwLlZhMZlk6by0K2xkVw_FaXclnw92Plxw33uHC1xbetMV2sYEs_54--LHxWFlI05CQHDDb32negc_qULmr01ekbWJ-Z-C4wZdoFyHlJv0XSO8LGvLgG-OvA6gwoUPC4_Sh_-Vig89GnHTqB3j8VZhetHObg-1E_xIk6Q/s4032/20220429_113034%20(1).jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tL5oA6ohfnUJTLETc099WWwLlZhMZlk6by0K2xkVw_FaXclnw92Plxw33uHC1xbetMV2sYEs_54--LHxWFlI05CQHDDb32negc_qULmr01ekbWJ-Z-C4wZdoFyHlJv0XSO8LGvLgG-OvA6gwoUPC4_Sh_-Vig89GnHTqB3j8VZhetHObg-1E_xIk6Q/s320/20220429_113034%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheat and Canola (rapeseed oil) on a 17-mile day</td></tr></tbody></table></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">44 days was different as we trekked across
northern Spain. My daily Facebook and Instagram posts totaled over 13,000 words
and <span style="font-family: times;">about 40</span>0 photos. But those posts barely scratched the surface of each day and
fall short when trying to piece them together into a cohesive picture of the
whole experience.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This time our daily mileage was lower, about 13 miles on
average, as opposed to 15-16 in 2018. We passed through over 200 villages, some dead, some dying, and some thriving. We probably patronized over 120 eating establishments. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, what did we think about all day,
every day? Well certainly, food, sore feet, the ache de jour, the weather, family,
mundane things, and life. But throughout the walk we were constantly filled
with thoughts of gratitude about everything, especially that we were able to do
this. We thought about so many people we know and have known in our lives. We
were in awe of millions of pilgrims who walked over the same Roman roads and
saw similar sights as we did 1200 years ago, but without the nice shoes, showers,
and relatively comfortable beds.</span></div><p></p></div><p></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinbh0Vs5PGXhb-UhRQfI29n_rYMamkLYiPsvUKVPc3N9YD0vrmB5yqaJSbQn6sA2rN-L0A6ac3-j0drDiJFLrVcXE7GgsDiItfAN0OooAzBKPI9MknSWI6G9tY6oaW1zQtlEGiz-GTcbqb4916IiiV0pWHLvKHw-IJyxq1SBA6x_ZCxET7o-1aKrcLA/s4032/20220520_193827.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiinbh0Vs5PGXhb-UhRQfI29n_rYMamkLYiPsvUKVPc3N9YD0vrmB5yqaJSbQn6sA2rN-L0A6ac3-j0drDiJFLrVcXE7GgsDiItfAN0OooAzBKPI9MknSWI6G9tY6oaW1zQtlEGiz-GTcbqb4916IiiV0pWHLvKHw-IJyxq1SBA6x_ZCxET7o-1aKrcLA/s320/20220520_193827.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner in Tricastella</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Camino is very social. While the spring scenery was
beautiful, this time we especially enjoyed the people we met. It is so easy to
meet people from all over the world, of all ages and walks of life. It’s the
norm to strike up conversations. At the same time, the Camino is very solitary.
There were stretches where we would go for hours without seeing or talking with
anyone else. And that was fine, too. And then there were times, especially with the tourists and large student groups in the last 60 miles, when the loud crowds (some with boom boxes) were a culture shock.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUHi7Z4JPUTu4cCBd11s2ok26qPPOgfIs7K7KZ2mdLpwNrPorUWr6V2E6zm-var6IssYavJW6oEZ4KhVIfi4MxHJME_lvcNk8lRu59oqyOLIKlDeQYjYmJnuyJCR5SAaHDTgVtZGoYkyRvFBx-PDYMAO1lgaiDoJMd8mfFOutP7Z33ddXqbDNojUK5A/s4032/20220526_091158.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggUHi7Z4JPUTu4cCBd11s2ok26qPPOgfIs7K7KZ2mdLpwNrPorUWr6V2E6zm-var6IssYavJW6oEZ4KhVIfi4MxHJME_lvcNk8lRu59oqyOLIKlDeQYjYmJnuyJCR5SAaHDTgVtZGoYkyRvFBx-PDYMAO1lgaiDoJMd8mfFOutP7Z33ddXqbDNojUK5A/w150-h200/20220526_091158.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crowds 2 days before<br />Santiago</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> <br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCz-dkdvYEKjbGNI6Jdj-nsGAxyVNCgIUfOE_1lBWM6Cwep1T2JH52PWGmpAZ8xP77so-9Y1vHuQAZ0-5FbQGy7Qmk3h4XeY-MBlwpUfaOH4lGe0nWPidngzDaWOMFQH2Qt6fZc1H66QBhJ9YVmwtTMAf6wtmY-yzR8Zg2gwn4BFTeayxN3ywGntHLw/s4032/20220510_093753.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2688" data-original-width="4032" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyCz-dkdvYEKjbGNI6Jdj-nsGAxyVNCgIUfOE_1lBWM6Cwep1T2JH52PWGmpAZ8xP77so-9Y1vHuQAZ0-5FbQGy7Qmk3h4XeY-MBlwpUfaOH4lGe0nWPidngzDaWOMFQH2Qt6fZc1H66QBhJ9YVmwtTMAf6wtmY-yzR8Zg2gwn4BFTeayxN3ywGntHLw/w320-h213/20220510_093753.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We walked 11.5 miles on this Roman road<br />and saw only one person</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In retrospect, it wasn’t that hard physically, even though we’re
four years older with more aches than we had in 2018. Just one step at a time,
one day at a time, walking to the metronome beat of our walking sticks. Just
get up and walk—that was our day job (plus laundry, eating, drinking, and
finding our accommodations).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPnezBvK7m1xkaLKWrSwJHT_KH5zZo2HcLmWf0SQNyAMMqwPWYQ6NmUiiwb_0TaQpXGarScNyf3De51jW-cdKv39w8k_FxuB4EnoKRm_4PEEoNvNvbn8J0kLAfDknnpUpU74EV2sJF6TYE9PlBl1CU91CuxufcMYW1zaRzL_2T_DJYo2TDmaQ7r7TyQ/s3594/20220527_133841.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3594" data-original-width="2396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzPnezBvK7m1xkaLKWrSwJHT_KH5zZo2HcLmWf0SQNyAMMqwPWYQ6NmUiiwb_0TaQpXGarScNyf3De51jW-cdKv39w8k_FxuB4EnoKRm_4PEEoNvNvbn8J0kLAfDknnpUpU74EV2sJF6TYE9PlBl1CU91CuxufcMYW1zaRzL_2T_DJYo2TDmaQ7r7TyQ/w213-h320/20220527_133841.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it (again)!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">For some, the destination of Santiago de Compostela and its magnificent cathedral (and the certificate of completion) are the focus of the Camino. For
others, it’s the journey itself. For most people, it's probably both. This
time, we weren't as destination focused but we were more intentional about enjoying
the journey every hour of every day. For a lot of reasons, including the
beautiful spring scenery, the decent weather, the people we met, the better
accommodations, and the slower pace, it exceeded our expectations. As a bonus,
the 46-year special bond we share was reinforced with so much quality and
quantity time together.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We still think about it and the people we met daily.
Our combined three Caminos have become part of our identity.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span>This was a most satisfying lifetime experience we will
never be able to replicate again, a good metaphor for life itself. To
paraphrase the trail greeting, it was a buen Camino. A VERY buen Camino!</span></div><p></p>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps <b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/44cBd5JerAyRNe4LA" target="_blank">this link to our best shots</a></u></b> will give you a sense of what it was like. (They are best enjoyed on a tablet or desktop, rather than a phone.) Yet, they still don’t convey the beautiful spring smells, the conversations we had with people, the taste of the food, and the sounds. But they average about four to five photos per day, still a fraction of the 1400 photos I took. I also included some photos from our three-day detour to Bilbo to see the Guggenheim museum. Still want more? Then check out my FB or Instagram posts that start April 10. </span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 25.68px;"><b>Facebook.com/ron.kelemen Instagram: @kelemenron</b></span>
</span><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Post Camino</b><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;">After the Camino we went to St. Albans, UK (north of London),
where we helped Shanti and Alan settle into their new home, and then babysat
two-year old Hazel when they took a brief walking vacation in Italy. Even though
we had just walked the Camino, we were out of shape for wrangling a 32-pound toddler
and lifting boxes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHqW75kkDVhf4RAs1pOFqxMbujhUUbaHQ-lHfmUpY5p-Pe3kipZXA373HM3ryuaoNb_lAeg3b0uKov8w7BOdVw5Uu7gEwoFAGmrWVrtaNQiQcpib711TLYfxmgzpw-BUz74OOVFMYEr6uDr2fBUpc9H-mK2IPKgRVT6272lHbbOtdUQzD4JDjgAqOjw/s4032/20220612_163248.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHqW75kkDVhf4RAs1pOFqxMbujhUUbaHQ-lHfmUpY5p-Pe3kipZXA373HM3ryuaoNb_lAeg3b0uKov8w7BOdVw5Uu7gEwoFAGmrWVrtaNQiQcpib711TLYfxmgzpw-BUz74OOVFMYEr6uDr2fBUpc9H-mK2IPKgRVT6272lHbbOtdUQzD4JDjgAqOjw/w240-h320/20220612_163248.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hazel getting a sugar high <br />that we paid for later</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-size: 14pt;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1-D3r-jLr3aluiQt_ZUbHFf-ur3lxn7jDj8TR1DIJFZ6bf1f9Wen8saY9WkcrP0lQ1DNB2Pg_uRztGVot6khEX8WdJomsKTCwUJnc7_BNyFsUSg2SiTjg2lvQ_j-NPzUjqZ3TOcIChJU4ZMtYi7NOtZyGOaaJlvAX4SBqQzQHNTCXur7T1bWcXX1Fw/s3648/20220602_100501.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1-D3r-jLr3aluiQt_ZUbHFf-ur3lxn7jDj8TR1DIJFZ6bf1f9Wen8saY9WkcrP0lQ1DNB2Pg_uRztGVot6khEX8WdJomsKTCwUJnc7_BNyFsUSg2SiTjg2lvQ_j-NPzUjqZ3TOcIChJU4ZMtYi7NOtZyGOaaJlvAX4SBqQzQHNTCXur7T1bWcXX1Fw/w200-h150/20220602_100501.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to explore St. Albans <br />on the Ring Road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">From there we spent a week in the Berkshires of Western MA with
Skyler, Spencer, Feruza, and my brother Neal. Unfortunately, Ringo Starr had to
cancel his Tanglewood performance because someone in the band got Covid. But
the next night we got to see Bonnie Raitt as we shivered in the cold rain. But it was still fun to hang out with them and their friends.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d-Mpo-UVVD6Dp5jarkiNm8OWZlWxavs1w3fqa8lxSNsCnksPp3pG1j-1mboMkiosRuQAGlOoUYPXwhXV3I7sq1-JEvBwt_i0osmgiW64E2Z1pYZGqP6wwUcDy4HxdwlBNMK3Y2mbG7lOIH7aYNP9UuARAf0z-tpL42Logw1w_gxV5GV9IEMzNebf4Q/s4032/20220618_163716.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d-Mpo-UVVD6Dp5jarkiNm8OWZlWxavs1w3fqa8lxSNsCnksPp3pG1j-1mboMkiosRuQAGlOoUYPXwhXV3I7sq1-JEvBwt_i0osmgiW64E2Z1pYZGqP6wwUcDy4HxdwlBNMK3Y2mbG7lOIH7aYNP9UuARAf0z-tpL42Logw1w_gxV5GV9IEMzNebf4Q/s320/20220618_163716.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tailgating, Tanglewood style</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: left;">Since then, we’ve had an unusual number of obligations with
the with non-profit organizations we work with. But mostly it’s been a fun two
months enjoying two camping trips, socializing with friends, and enjoying all
the fresh produce and festivals that Salem has to offer over the summer. I wake
boarded for the first time, and other than swallowing or choking on half of the Columbia River, I really enjoyed the adrenaline rush. Kathy just turned 70, and one of her gifts
was a portable pizza oven. So far, we’ve had some successes and failures with
it, but each one gets better. Life is good, for us at least, and we hope it is for you, too.</div><span style="line-height: 107%;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">“What We Can, While We Can”</span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3b-qrx53t6WPnnUyJWBui6ddiFfxtfKB0njVtQV2iGV_xi6stE9WAlWjJ8iy9vgTcjKEXvHONMeR5HPCMHPFexnYOc9bACFOz-Rcwl0UAcxOgTuwbz2bSY6YN1lSHngo--YWI46m-ZqX_mo4gLxzkYUxnvil-bz9GW2NiAT3Ah1Wc0Kidp8WLiZoaSg/s1440/22E4FCB2-232C-4067-91A7-876EA786EB2D.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3b-qrx53t6WPnnUyJWBui6ddiFfxtfKB0njVtQV2iGV_xi6stE9WAlWjJ8iy9vgTcjKEXvHONMeR5HPCMHPFexnYOc9bACFOz-Rcwl0UAcxOgTuwbz2bSY6YN1lSHngo--YWI46m-ZqX_mo4gLxzkYUxnvil-bz9GW2NiAT3Ah1Wc0Kidp8WLiZoaSg/w289-h217/22E4FCB2-232C-4067-91A7-876EA786EB2D.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Columbia River</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTmNyKld2-U3iTF1DU2dYD4zUKjCaVFBXddDxePC7QXT4AGz5aU-RBO0__AiJpoB0-zD_FI9uWTtiwDT2K3oS_rYusxOtT_pxb7DlR0Y-zPt2OU7eWTopFzbpRTgpG7D7HodT6NZ8e1TgHQrmEBcS4Ze9Caei0cOLgedoU_BlOtyOXiN4W-n5IuODCA/s4032/20220728_183919.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTmNyKld2-U3iTF1DU2dYD4zUKjCaVFBXddDxePC7QXT4AGz5aU-RBO0__AiJpoB0-zD_FI9uWTtiwDT2K3oS_rYusxOtT_pxb7DlR0Y-zPt2OU7eWTopFzbpRTgpG7D7HodT6NZ8e1TgHQrmEBcS4Ze9Caei0cOLgedoU_BlOtyOXiN4W-n5IuODCA/w211-h282/20220728_183919.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several experiments</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Jt3NYHmuZK2CT8rq6P8etNX9UcPlg0eoN52QLQXBTEISSJBxu4mqITM0gJ_j58WMpL0lELZVoYG6qhqwTmu4Pxgc9tkluUUkHDWMdPIgSiUhJQiZFKhUluucK7l3m7oin3cWlza6DzA30jsXRMvX-B9-AAlUe07Ryd25-fYid8KgwEaq6GSpq4kzow/s1440/4EE492F5-39D8-44B1-AC48-89D80059F3AC.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Jt3NYHmuZK2CT8rq6P8etNX9UcPlg0eoN52QLQXBTEISSJBxu4mqITM0gJ_j58WMpL0lELZVoYG6qhqwTmu4Pxgc9tkluUUkHDWMdPIgSiUhJQiZFKhUluucK7l3m7oin3cWlza6DzA30jsXRMvX-B9-AAlUe07Ryd25-fYid8KgwEaq6GSpq4kzow/s320/4EE492F5-39D8-44B1-AC48-89D80059F3AC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping at the Oregon coast</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjRvMjRVoCB8PF5w3POYA31iq_yR5cLReLBcF3UTBMcl5gvGhjsELF0uPr_IuWKzYGiR6WxJkm8W8QesbXdnNtlKAycJvtP--aEI6a8i8RfG8u0NxcnZCG6T90G8ZdbxuxyDnDlN3FVt9TLEGFdy2itIHtFR0vWbI64kTImy1GQ9JfdtazYaSf9KBWw/s4032/20220813_210354.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjRvMjRVoCB8PF5w3POYA31iq_yR5cLReLBcF3UTBMcl5gvGhjsELF0uPr_IuWKzYGiR6WxJkm8W8QesbXdnNtlKAycJvtP--aEI6a8i8RfG8u0NxcnZCG6T90G8ZdbxuxyDnDlN3FVt9TLEGFdy2itIHtFR0vWbI64kTImy1GQ9JfdtazYaSf9KBWw/s320/20220813_210354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Campfire and belly laughs with Airstream friends</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></i></b></div></b></span></div>
Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-10673380613234755882022-04-10T16:00:00.012-07:002022-04-10T17:13:35.441-07:00The Camino Beckons—Again!<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxA03AUC3k6be8b1ZmI7VGEiJfuMign7Jh-zn45FuadabZyCYEoN-BCyMkY0Ml1uOGu4JaXW6T7oKjw-11bR4Ev-I7hoJfkY-_tWrPdlW5AWs-CuQ0dVli-K9ZGxqj1eGJUw4GcDZ4_4bFQettDwTwB6Y8gsOgdiM5v1PaRiFBFlT2962vZu_hbVWTg/s2493/20180903_105001.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1402" data-original-width="2493" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxA03AUC3k6be8b1ZmI7VGEiJfuMign7Jh-zn45FuadabZyCYEoN-BCyMkY0Ml1uOGu4JaXW6T7oKjw-11bR4Ev-I7hoJfkY-_tWrPdlW5AWs-CuQ0dVli-K9ZGxqj1eGJUw4GcDZ4_4bFQettDwTwB6Y8gsOgdiM5v1PaRiFBFlT2962vZu_hbVWTg/s320/20180903_105001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An iconic Camino vista outside <br />Pamplona, Spain taken in 2018</td></tr></tbody></table>Four years ago, when we walked the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, we met others who had walked the 500-mile journey more than once. We had our challenging days when we thought “Why would somebody be crazy enough to do this again?” <p></p><p></p><p>Well, guess what? We’re crazy! And just about everyone else we know who has walked the Frances route has either walked it again or wants to do so. We got the Camino Crazy bug in 2019 and walked 175 miles of the Portuguese Camino but that wasn’t enough. So here we are, four years older with more aches and pains taking our first steps April 14 from St. Jean Pied de Port France over the Pyrenees mountains into northern Spain. And unlike last time, we haven't trained for this.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTV7lL363PkQFeik77ztcfJifZozWuIALVKveUXKaxh0OuRwlvVnDqFGWDR7ZWgBEb5ULJthQJzaSBEG6UdN4eViX0tYZ0jw3iUVTH_2AcA0WEIDtTpnuVnbIA7T_qHs26zSH-wdc6gIPEx15HMrIcJ7ewTlKgzE0x-08hvOvZ2ezGIInXEzIJ3NeCg/s640/frances-guia_0.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTV7lL363PkQFeik77ztcfJifZozWuIALVKveUXKaxh0OuRwlvVnDqFGWDR7ZWgBEb5ULJthQJzaSBEG6UdN4eViX0tYZ0jw3iUVTH_2AcA0WEIDtTpnuVnbIA7T_qHs26zSH-wdc6gIPEx15HMrIcJ7ewTlKgzE0x-08hvOvZ2ezGIInXEzIJ3NeCg/s320/frances-guia_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Frances Route</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our 2018 adventure was one of the highlights of our 45-year marriage, and it is hard to describe the experience to those who haven’t done it. But so far, our three best words are <b>special,</b> <b>unique,</b> and <b>satisfying.</b> It was a special time and experience for us. The Camino, with its 1200-year-old history and infrastructure, is unique in the world and unique from all our other travels. We both found it immensely satisfying in so many ways.</p><p>We run the risk of high expectations and of and trying to compare this adventure with 2018. The novelty of it all helped make it so magical. This time, we know what were getting into, which is both good and bad. If Ron’s shin splints don’t flare up any more than they already have and if Kathy’s lower back behaves, we know that we can do it. We also know how hard and enjoyable parts of it can be. Get up early, eat, walk, eat, walk, eat again, walk, laundry, eat, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. One step at a time, one day at a time.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmdo8xaArkmXKkPgqTvzHj4cteUQyMZ06-MFtMLysyGl-bpbnOZbUV6oYxQYDSHE9vRjqgGGpzH75mplWWYYS7dl6_xU5fEYJbiUpa0S98SbJsW4HGudSRoYT5kLY8BcUfAzIB7XVy-xt4qf4IOpm90a2XeyadTefsKPydPKA_7alHkbG3wi-Q5RjTQ/s3264/Stage%201.0.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2544" data-original-width="3264" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmdo8xaArkmXKkPgqTvzHj4cteUQyMZ06-MFtMLysyGl-bpbnOZbUV6oYxQYDSHE9vRjqgGGpzH75mplWWYYS7dl6_xU5fEYJbiUpa0S98SbJsW4HGudSRoYT5kLY8BcUfAzIB7XVy-xt4qf4IOpm90a2XeyadTefsKPydPKA_7alHkbG3wi-Q5RjTQ/s320/Stage%201.0.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first and most of the 2nd day. The <br />weather forecast calls for rain and temps <br />in the low 60's.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So we’re trying to make this one special in its own way. We plan shorter mileage each day, about 8-13 miles on average, vs 12-22 miles. We’re taking a couple of route alternatives and staying most of the time in different villages. We are going in the spring instead of autumn which means more green vistas, colder wet weather, and heavier packs. We’re also throwing in a side train trip to Bilbao after our first 100 miles to see the Guggenheim. No matter what, we’ll meet new people on the trail and during communal meals at the hostels, which is one of the best parts of any Camino experience. And oh yeah, we love Spanish food.<br /><p></p><p>If all goes to plan, we will arrive in Santiago on May 27. From there we’ll visit Shanti, Alan and Hazel in the UK for a couple of weeks, then another couple of weeks in the Berkshires of western MA with Skyler, Spencer, Feruza and Ron’s brother Neal.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiZitm7NZOQJrmbtO1V2Wme_Nsht91WL9I8HPhLolXqgG2FQEBgFY7rOTT7Cxf5WzaD9RMZhGhoMC13zxRXBHGvJBhLkbhYzOaennUs4yyWYrG9KnuxoVUGrAwIgOFY6frlxHdGqrXhFhjnyGyd_AsYGYgeJt0F24n-C0HsF4_2jDpfqgoCAEaZ6lmg/s4032/20220406_102516.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdiZitm7NZOQJrmbtO1V2Wme_Nsht91WL9I8HPhLolXqgG2FQEBgFY7rOTT7Cxf5WzaD9RMZhGhoMC13zxRXBHGvJBhLkbhYzOaennUs4yyWYrG9KnuxoVUGrAwIgOFY6frlxHdGqrXhFhjnyGyd_AsYGYgeJt0F24n-C0HsF4_2jDpfqgoCAEaZ6lmg/s320/20220406_102516.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spraying our bags and silk sleeping liners <br />for bedbugs.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>This blog is very hard to do on a cell phone, so you can follow our journey on either Facebook or Instagram. Facebook works better because we can caption each photo.</p><ul class="uiList _4of _4kg" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #365899; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; list-style-type: square; margin: 0px 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="fcb" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">facebook.com/<span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600;">ron.kelemen</span></div></li><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="fcb" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600;">f</span><span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit;">acebook.com</span><span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600;">/kathy.e.kelemen</span></div></li><li style="border-width: 0px; padding: 8px 0px;"><div class="fcb" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit;">Instagram: </span><span class="timelineUsername fwb" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600;"> @kelemenron</span></div></li></ul><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoJ8mVvnrdfU4gOOsiBextUo5O3el-5pyliblTK5ktfWE-_xQVM9ic6lU-b7KmOnjr8ralDOFI7zuia_UBxbfRNlf2LYsWcTSqxu453ZrveZNb_VyikF00M0KzdQ_DpKW1Ap5UPlAQrmxyc4ccps5KbfMUY9f8Y9v9ITVemisaK_S2sq-Ri9sOr2M2Q/s4032/20180916_110057.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoJ8mVvnrdfU4gOOsiBextUo5O3el-5pyliblTK5ktfWE-_xQVM9ic6lU-b7KmOnjr8ralDOFI7zuia_UBxbfRNlf2LYsWcTSqxu453ZrveZNb_VyikF00M0KzdQ_DpKW1Ap5UPlAQrmxyc4ccps5KbfMUY9f8Y9v9ITVemisaK_S2sq-Ri9sOr2M2Q/s320/20180916_110057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well marked along the way.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjK-NHK3j909NlfUdyZV-w8jpFy20Btbvk9oHYQKC72j_VxOtcJyrxziWo2VwNtslyOfpl9AnQXe86FzvzmYDuAWnpAcmd3PP9DjGNEnOnHTzuv5LhTN8-w2OfW112BoN2Wkm_BFP_uIfsIaJtGctvVQ4MOa6uma4hzHFvIJn0q958hOP8IBoT2zmpA/s2268/IMG_20180818_200351_180.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="2268" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjK-NHK3j909NlfUdyZV-w8jpFy20Btbvk9oHYQKC72j_VxOtcJyrxziWo2VwNtslyOfpl9AnQXe86FzvzmYDuAWnpAcmd3PP9DjGNEnOnHTzuv5LhTN8-w2OfW112BoN2Wkm_BFP_uIfsIaJtGctvVQ4MOa6uma4hzHFvIJn0q958hOP8IBoT2zmpA/w200-h200/IMG_20180818_200351_180.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All packed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i>What We Can, While We Can!</i></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And what would our blog be like without a couple of gratuitous photos of London granddaughter Hazel, who just turned two?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtQryg9-pHmihTAjgKBZ8-P2NIi27wLcdKWqUtZqcpVuxaug0LEQuPGN1rrx1vAmsJUWtjkBbJzSLwHECOz5P5Qz3AuKyXEnVUvWVdGIxggCwtV9UDYP2kAl5NnyFIWEQm7yBgzewG62MIk0_6CTTTQAOZVVYp3s_SHUib7KR4oLB_BGKr22dIt63gA/s1600/IMG_4895.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHtQryg9-pHmihTAjgKBZ8-P2NIi27wLcdKWqUtZqcpVuxaug0LEQuPGN1rrx1vAmsJUWtjkBbJzSLwHECOz5P5Qz3AuKyXEnVUvWVdGIxggCwtV9UDYP2kAl5NnyFIWEQm7yBgzewG62MIk0_6CTTTQAOZVVYp3s_SHUib7KR4oLB_BGKr22dIt63gA/s320/IMG_4895.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Mom's signature sun hat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDS3CTFkL-m_8gwVmdK-x3wxpktb39mcy8282HYbDrBrTdxKLDFoJgq6X-RKXcrdfZY48p0SLYXVI26l5eANhVd5LNjuvHVymRGXWu1HSOjR8fe5QfXdzoCX0CGtOWBiCarZ9blHie7o6PElxTQcpCTSHyqsTgS97cT8SGRi6RAbs84trix7sh2fAeA/s1548/IMG_2423.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1548" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDS3CTFkL-m_8gwVmdK-x3wxpktb39mcy8282HYbDrBrTdxKLDFoJgq6X-RKXcrdfZY48p0SLYXVI26l5eANhVd5LNjuvHVymRGXWu1HSOjR8fe5QfXdzoCX0CGtOWBiCarZ9blHie7o6PElxTQcpCTSHyqsTgS97cT8SGRi6RAbs84trix7sh2fAeA/s320/IMG_2423.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Future blogger</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-82400698647391676032022-02-08T12:01:00.001-08:002022-02-08T12:14:08.758-08:00The UK in January<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA4DkiZjJVofZX6LFozlOA7OYQkDh6Cq-GOGYuuvnPM79K6bmuLUWsOlZgIkNaIDlHbUAlgTfQF--r0RV-K77qAdMEE47L3JFUMu3TeN5ppANGoHM3c2tZwHuWnrKGxAofzL-l7Zzmr54tk9Wh7q8aZJpJieYBGQtZto21Ola0sMA0N7oGb9JguulB0g=s4032" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA4DkiZjJVofZX6LFozlOA7OYQkDh6Cq-GOGYuuvnPM79K6bmuLUWsOlZgIkNaIDlHbUAlgTfQF--r0RV-K77qAdMEE47L3JFUMu3TeN5ppANGoHM3c2tZwHuWnrKGxAofzL-l7Zzmr54tk9Wh7q8aZJpJieYBGQtZto21Ola0sMA0N7oGb9JguulB0g=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying a babycino on our last afternoon together </td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why go to Europe in January? Isn't it cold? Yes, it is and that is why we have avoided going there in the winter. But now, after a month in the London area, we've come to realize that with the proper clothing, it's a great time to go. Why? No crowds! No lines, or queues as they are called in the UK. The weather there is similar to what it is in our hometown of Salem, Oregon: cold, grey, and damp.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijJkDNrIZ7Fq2XGeRTEwIt6Q7vaRZHSgnNOMlST3DVomzybe5ch9bVKc9JN7KqNKcvIe6GRBL2f4Aqnad9BVqC32oGvT8_z3PJo-jb_9q4PCDfSy4mU_2H69tKS8beB0j7ylnilAqGe7MB_nnKjQHMmsNVFgFCTa7z-TZwwCb2JSbDm56IrN4kE1SRPQ=s1440" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijJkDNrIZ7Fq2XGeRTEwIt6Q7vaRZHSgnNOMlST3DVomzybe5ch9bVKc9JN7KqNKcvIe6GRBL2f4Aqnad9BVqC32oGvT8_z3PJo-jb_9q4PCDfSy4mU_2H69tKS8beB0j7ylnilAqGe7MB_nnKjQHMmsNVFgFCTa7z-TZwwCb2JSbDm56IrN4kE1SRPQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sliding into the balls at the indoor 'soft park'</td></tr></tbody></table><br />So off we went at the first of the year, not to be full-time tourists, but to spend time with Hazel, our 22-month-old granddaughter and her parents Shanti and Alan. It’s been a delight, although a very exhausting one, to be around her. We don’t know how Shanti and Alan—or any other parents for that matter—do it with full time jobs. Maybe our kids were easier, or we were younger, or maybe we have selective memories, or all of the above. Hazel had developed exponentially since we last saw her on September 5 and we were privileged to witness more exponential growth this past month. We marvel at her complete sentences, vocabulary, counting, fine motor skills, running, and sheer wonder of the world.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLbq-IujAtERIDNSubBGg_nQBm1xSzP4lbuv0_k4BTFERRClTY07mvZ6JKSs66mimCS-DCaYsxCNLXjDPMid2yE_zd0Ounnm2A3z3q2L9yvJXlXaibk-WScxQ6LWmAEv7IAW0SzalBGJi587NFlFYPMZ1M-hTbcWpjfTKyyKP3whm_s1R950iUWKZxqA=s4032" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLbq-IujAtERIDNSubBGg_nQBm1xSzP4lbuv0_k4BTFERRClTY07mvZ6JKSs66mimCS-DCaYsxCNLXjDPMid2yE_zd0Ounnm2A3z3q2L9yvJXlXaibk-WScxQ6LWmAEv7IAW0SzalBGJi587NFlFYPMZ1M-hTbcWpjfTKyyKP3whm_s1R950iUWKZxqA=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Alban's Cathedral, 3 blocks from our rowhouse</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">We</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> started off with two </span><span style="font-family: arial;">weeks in St. Albans, 20 miles from central London, where Shanti and Alan hope to purchase a home. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">St. Albans is an upscale town of 254,000 in an area the size of Albany OR, and it is one of the earliest Roman settlements in England. It has the oldest Catholic cathedral in the UK which was used in “The Crown” for the Westminster Abby marriage scene. Its Wednesday and Saturday markets were fun. It also has Britain's oldest pub, Ye Old Fighting Cock, dating back to 793 AD, which unfortunately just filed for bankruptcy this week.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-FjJa1TL87qUPVU0ulX5UgWC8rS6xH4zM5KvwFTG0jbkCcH8lXuB5n-M7kQNwB6RIFYNeaqnbwjNG9dTM2yt1rDKKjqME5rzFJPq_YnEYXERkS7I-yst3-RzNDA5-4AoRj36SWL52XZaDrgET6f5UsWU9oxO6rGwC0NwJ5LuBmWI7bv7udfm-7lskEg=s1440" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-FjJa1TL87qUPVU0ulX5UgWC8rS6xH4zM5KvwFTG0jbkCcH8lXuB5n-M7kQNwB6RIFYNeaqnbwjNG9dTM2yt1rDKKjqME5rzFJPq_YnEYXERkS7I-yst3-RzNDA5-4AoRj36SWL52XZaDrgET6f5UsWU9oxO6rGwC0NwJ5LuBmWI7bv7udfm-7lskEg=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our home was just past the white VW van</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Our Airbnb was a small three-story Victorian era home with a non functional fireplace in every room. It was only 12 feet wide! It had two essential ingredients for us: a well-equipped kitchen and a good bed. While Shanti and Alan went off daily to a remote workspace, we played with Hazel and took her to the library, swimming pool, shopping, and walks. She loved to sit on the kitchen counter and watch us cook dinner every evening.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBPT86xD7k_SOItU0f5i8XPy78BYR8QFyYy1Z7v_K2p6RpKOpcaHdDXd4WzFxBoBVWm_F3CWapcQOKyRuDLQ84PXtE7ebHzjzQHOVt3DBV6saK4D31_7QBV-XwJ0njAfZN3Qe_EFryg6PobqfGoRBXDE78Uw69E5RuY8lM2ignMgYIGcb5qFbPBiFQ6w=s4032" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBPT86xD7k_SOItU0f5i8XPy78BYR8QFyYy1Z7v_K2p6RpKOpcaHdDXd4WzFxBoBVWm_F3CWapcQOKyRuDLQ84PXtE7ebHzjzQHOVt3DBV6saK4D31_7QBV-XwJ0njAfZN3Qe_EFryg6PobqfGoRBXDE78Uw69E5RuY8lM2ignMgYIGcb5qFbPBiFQ6w=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 2nd stay--modern and very convenient</td></tr></tbody></table>We moved to London for the second half, staying in a two bedroom apartment (they call them flats there) in the same gigantic apartment complex where Shanti and Alan live. It was so convenient! Hazel spent nearly every night with us. Shanti and Alan often came over for dinner and sometimes played pinochle after we got Hazel to bed. We took her to and from daycare, parks, the trampoline park, and swimming. <br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Across the street was a gym. Just three minutes from our door, we could catch a bus or tube to just about anywhere. We only made it to four museums, but each was nearly a full day project. It was a delight to walk right in and to not feel crowded around each exhibit. We hit the Imperial War Museum, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert, and the HMS Belfast battleship on the Thames.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOT3_9QtDwyn3PfwFSj3aJbABxTicfVNEWlSlMnJsaYJDW2QzlPLLT-59BQFQHtjyeRqhJDplakpuaqHa3c5T8XnwKfdosUaPsaTqe98Iqj6TmTQRaEQopgpD2RQ3aKTmOm6nxxSMOPhP9M991zxt-39k0hNtjmiiVAGUAwDC_LNCwnPN7qb3oYTT-9w=s4032" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOT3_9QtDwyn3PfwFSj3aJbABxTicfVNEWlSlMnJsaYJDW2QzlPLLT-59BQFQHtjyeRqhJDplakpuaqHa3c5T8XnwKfdosUaPsaTqe98Iqj6TmTQRaEQopgpD2RQ3aKTmOm6nxxSMOPhP9M991zxt-39k0hNtjmiiVAGUAwDC_LNCwnPN7qb3oYTT-9w=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camden Market. So many fun street food stalls.<br />We walked back mostly along the canal tow path.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />London has some fun boroughs and shopping areas, which we enjoyed walking through. Some days we logged over 9 miles of walking. We loved the ethnic diversity, the food variety (never once ate fish and chips), and all the small independent shops. Everyone we encountered was friendly, or at least very polite. So why wait until summer to visit London when everyone else does? Go now and avoid the crowds. And by the way, our flight home across the pond in a 767 had only 30 passengers.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/jxWoKfN5ysCHa4BV9" target="_blank"><b>Here's a link</b></a></u> to a few more photos. It includes a couple of very short videos. If nothing else, be sure to click on the first two videos, which were our last daycare pick of Hazel last week. The first one is guaranteed to give you a belly laugh.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnBFFp91C0qXnJtI-cVMxWdrewByvPaLN4IMcZdJ7KnhcasXhN3ZnlmAWjhNsI36ZBvKwM4rEpklW7dgcdi1uoOtwCC233ndZX_-2TnCsPVelJR3HNFq3uR4kJIobBUAShAOIS2XF0GlQW1B9u2wuaGK1-eFosGTTxYuZGVTZW3PSLOqlgD9b_jd8uNg=s4032" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnBFFp91C0qXnJtI-cVMxWdrewByvPaLN4IMcZdJ7KnhcasXhN3ZnlmAWjhNsI36ZBvKwM4rEpklW7dgcdi1uoOtwCC233ndZX_-2TnCsPVelJR3HNFq3uR4kJIobBUAShAOIS2XF0GlQW1B9u2wuaGK1-eFosGTTxYuZGVTZW3PSLOqlgD9b_jd8uNg=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All's well that ends well</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One other note: Many of our readers and followers on social media know that one of our three checked bags got lost. This clouded our visit and consumed a lot of mental energy dealing with stupid virtual assistants, buying replacement shoes, etc. Turns out that its barcode tag was separated, so the bag languished in a JFK airport warehouse for 3.5 weeks. <br />Finally, someone took the initiative to unbuckle the top flap and see our business card. She saw Kathy's phone number, which has a dual chip. Mine had only a UK chip, so I never got the call to my US number. We had a very happy reunion, just as it was about time to start packing to go home. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And speaking of home, it's so nice to be here. While we miss Hazel, Shanti, and Alan, we love being in our own kitchen, our own bed, and getting back to our routines. The weather in both places is the same.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can also see more by going to our Facebook or Instagram pages. Enjoy!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;" /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Ron & Kathy<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: large;">(aka, Grandpa and Nanna)</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><b><i>“What We Can, While We Can”</i></b></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR57kPDnWqzWtVc5_rifKYulHsTIAVINL1cNF8TYtqVKQcoWII9Q1Vood9haoU-pGw-YWsmE0h2i_NEjkRSPS21Oi7WztCW8-VE1HtTRs-spBvDq-OlvaaEKw9xWSpWNqwPWe3piHckOw534JKpo9xyEO8iOPnavA6ynAnNeuUOs8miKs3ZNyvfS8nww=s4032" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjR57kPDnWqzWtVc5_rifKYulHsTIAVINL1cNF8TYtqVKQcoWII9Q1Vood9haoU-pGw-YWsmE0h2i_NEjkRSPS21Oi7WztCW8-VE1HtTRs-spBvDq-OlvaaEKw9xWSpWNqwPWe3piHckOw534JKpo9xyEO8iOPnavA6ynAnNeuUOs8miKs3ZNyvfS8nww=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping Nana with her needlepoint</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3J7t8jJO08FJzsVDD-SqsF_gdaufCQtOMlRHHsekvxxRVk-UcX_4k1CrocCvVaDGvLgvqV02515YfPZQaRdKsM5U38CQQ4N2Y9KFyQAssr5mxuA9ajfMorFA0R7PlIMYzQUKCbcqaXgjpWXVOvclyJIHi8lrMTXn5JwcHzVyYexuVRAjR9Eyk_sUZ1Q=s4032" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3J7t8jJO08FJzsVDD-SqsF_gdaufCQtOMlRHHsekvxxRVk-UcX_4k1CrocCvVaDGvLgvqV02515YfPZQaRdKsM5U38CQQ4N2Y9KFyQAssr5mxuA9ajfMorFA0R7PlIMYzQUKCbcqaXgjpWXVOvclyJIHi8lrMTXn5JwcHzVyYexuVRAjR9Eyk_sUZ1Q=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yumm! Grandpa's egg in a nest</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8lcdNDuXFLya56-pQENQedn2KE88FzsT8VmjExLYJtDCuLpRSWH8VQCi0h9lOh3yRuC9pYg79zy6KKUE6CsF-ZSTkNCMjhnXMIOm1qSd1l-SGePy4Y8hYmgntPcREAQXKsIZnRwfGFqL3uZ5DyclBIBccMEycRrgdBEB8qcJs1z8eJtMsgmw5H7GOcQ=s4032" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8lcdNDuXFLya56-pQENQedn2KE88FzsT8VmjExLYJtDCuLpRSWH8VQCi0h9lOh3yRuC9pYg79zy6KKUE6CsF-ZSTkNCMjhnXMIOm1qSd1l-SGePy4Y8hYmgntPcREAQXKsIZnRwfGFqL3uZ5DyclBIBccMEycRrgdBEB8qcJs1z8eJtMsgmw5H7GOcQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sheer joy of bubbles!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><blockquote style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;" type="cite"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-51938284088103388682021-10-24T11:32:00.001-07:002021-10-24T11:46:42.258-07:00Glamping in the Pacific NW Autumn Beauty<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsXTsuUgBFjAlpsnhzur6OuKY77N9EZLl03bADu2PAj2lu9lYBJz3Jy_uqTzeG3EFm2OxoTslzA-9VgFh3hwXZYGFG4azBySRbMl16oh2Qh_fPzWRVZwB7iVT0ZGN3dhgDETZnbuY1D4r/s4032/20211009_124542.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsXTsuUgBFjAlpsnhzur6OuKY77N9EZLl03bADu2PAj2lu9lYBJz3Jy_uqTzeG3EFm2OxoTslzA-9VgFh3hwXZYGFG4azBySRbMl16oh2Qh_fPzWRVZwB7iVT0ZGN3dhgDETZnbuY1D4r/s320/20211009_124542.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Below the clouds in Mt. Rainer NP</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If you time it right, New England has its beautiful red autumns and Colorado has its golden
aspens. And with good timing, Oregon and
Washington can be a fall color delight of red, orange, yellow and coniferous greens. We lucked out this year with a September Central
Oregon Airstream rally and an October Washington State road trip. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL7jroKJFEKwg2JfTz-re254E8b8Q9bQ_e4nDE7qfc-7hAR_lNO_kIAa7mMkbK1mJMuKFZjUkdykzY4fzEfZ0FpGIXlmVMZoERm-Ey1uBCnN2jgdZf04pK9stW5KUr0aNN-yYXv96CZze/s4032/20210924_103627.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihL7jroKJFEKwg2JfTz-re254E8b8Q9bQ_e4nDE7qfc-7hAR_lNO_kIAa7mMkbK1mJMuKFZjUkdykzY4fzEfZ0FpGIXlmVMZoERm-Ey1uBCnN2jgdZf04pK9stW5KUr0aNN-yYXv96CZze/s320/20210924_103627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Mt. Jefferson from the 8-mile perimeter loop</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Smith Rocks
State Park in Central Oregon never disappoints.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The rocks change color by the hour, season, and hiking
route.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We camped nearby at Cove Palisades
State Park in late September with fellow Airstreamers over a long weekend.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Daughter Feruza from New York scored a dirt-cheap
ticket and joined us.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It was so nice to hang
with her and see Airstream friends we haven’t seen in over a year.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKOXm6QCyK3i5na31Zj4QAxeb3T8Sggu_Dty8T2gr-rcb7EExuz4XHhyphenhyphenyfwBjNw9sbJ5LMzZnvsZKF50lNh5c3IjgRB3UUyiOhaXL5Jfs5z7SsyOsz_pWjWLDxIZeI-ClYJCxGu6DbDyu/s4032/20210924_100846.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKOXm6QCyK3i5na31Zj4QAxeb3T8Sggu_Dty8T2gr-rcb7EExuz4XHhyphenhyphenyfwBjNw9sbJ5LMzZnvsZKF50lNh5c3IjgRB3UUyiOhaXL5Jfs5z7SsyOsz_pWjWLDxIZeI-ClYJCxGu6DbDyu/s320/20210924_100846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smith Rocks and Crooked River</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB7gLgGF64bb47__Fu1v4EwQlFafBMLwc_3rk2AUCLZUlkjM6KgweN9SCjtNTzsH8Czym6K-fWpgXV1dLlSCsQnaLBYFZemtq-EtU85PbcFBUvI2wv4ryDYA2SoH1Y19NnVIRyr9V1nz2/s4032/20210925_105027.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB7gLgGF64bb47__Fu1v4EwQlFafBMLwc_3rk2AUCLZUlkjM6KgweN9SCjtNTzsH8Czym6K-fWpgXV1dLlSCsQnaLBYFZemtq-EtU85PbcFBUvI2wv4ryDYA2SoH1Y19NnVIRyr9V1nz2/s320/20210925_105027.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cycling the Rim Overlook above Lake Billy Chinook </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We love to
travel in the autumn, and this year was no different.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Home from the UK for just a month, we got antsy
for a road trip and decided on some new and familiar places in Washington
State.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(Thanks, Tim and Pam for the
inspiration!).</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">So, without an itinerary we
headed north and took it day by day. The weather was cool and sometimes rainy,
but the colors were near perfect--especially when we couldn't safely pull over to take a photo of them.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWSapgPbMDKl8-1GJ-OXsqyumPPWwNd14c94uZqsldqha_17o54o9mqOX_HbYkl6jdIqSJn5cOC6SMOHCDKi-mLU0hAOYv8M6475Ie0x1az2jCrkVxoZ2XZWSy8LdSa7KJ74V572jr9_7/s1264/21-10+roadtrip+map.jpg.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1264" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWSapgPbMDKl8-1GJ-OXsqyumPPWwNd14c94uZqsldqha_17o54o9mqOX_HbYkl6jdIqSJn5cOC6SMOHCDKi-mLU0hAOYv8M6475Ie0x1az2jCrkVxoZ2XZWSy8LdSa7KJ74V572jr9_7/w400-h241/21-10+roadtrip+map.jpg.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In retrospect, we stayed farther west than on past trips</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYrJfWYvb-_CHNWjADefxzxntOfhEhrSP7VKz7uJqjarYQvH5xRtTdI4_8RLMqx15Nf0vp2hedb71IeJhCZEafzkOjraVuRHO-kVo4pUEhvbgNMQbec75EXpLD3FUfRvA3mbFI7Hwcc5V/s4032/20211008_172908.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBYrJfWYvb-_CHNWjADefxzxntOfhEhrSP7VKz7uJqjarYQvH5xRtTdI4_8RLMqx15Nf0vp2hedb71IeJhCZEafzkOjraVuRHO-kVo4pUEhvbgNMQbec75EXpLD3FUfRvA3mbFI7Hwcc5V/s320/20211008_172908.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glamping in Morton's city park, <br />a good base camp to explore Mt. Rainer. </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The new part of
this trip was the White Pass after Mt. Rainier NP, the Yakima River Gorge,
Leavenworth, and the Olympic coast. We
skipped Lake Chelan and Bonneville Dam because we have been there, but I highly
encourage reading our 2014 posts about them, as they are truly worth a visit. (<a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2014/06/lake-chelan-and-north-cascades.html" target="_blank">Lake Chelan</a>) (<a href="https://rwk777.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-amazing-grand-coulee-dam_237.html" target="_blank">Bonneville Dam</a>)</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkRtkz_Ff0GddbtN1hH_nuy7Vb525W1rC9rR5x91R_HwPVdTCbprlMasHgzjeQqAGRAmSIFoUuemb5wgnN2_-9u-XImWXXFUOblwNoL8yCAHYflIQjRtmSp1qMUfD5bLO72J9TSfoJNGz/s4032/20211009_123345.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbkRtkz_Ff0GddbtN1hH_nuy7Vb525W1rC9rR5x91R_HwPVdTCbprlMasHgzjeQqAGRAmSIFoUuemb5wgnN2_-9u-XImWXXFUOblwNoL8yCAHYflIQjRtmSp1qMUfD5bLO72J9TSfoJNGz/s320/20211009_123345.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close your eyes and imagine you're seeing <br />Mt. Rainer in the 35 degree fog</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We found Leavenworth to be too touristy for
our taste, but we loved hiking the Icicle River Gorge and the surrounding
countryside.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyerrHGYC3UmRloJVaHgO27V17pPg6Z0kr6_3kgDfV8UI_Gd0E44ZJRQBMUReT6hgz02xvIP6A4h9NtYBwSuBWvxf_5PBwrIwTm7GZWaFiVHKldEunWRNDZ-PMvctpB_asfeZfUIm7awrG/s4032/20211011_095934.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyerrHGYC3UmRloJVaHgO27V17pPg6Z0kr6_3kgDfV8UI_Gd0E44ZJRQBMUReT6hgz02xvIP6A4h9NtYBwSuBWvxf_5PBwrIwTm7GZWaFiVHKldEunWRNDZ-PMvctpB_asfeZfUIm7awrG/s320/20211011_095934.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The road to the Icicle Gorge trailhead</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHh1bkByVVMRYXHSE1uwihjk2V3PdPb1rR9v9KMyRzvVfoFd-bGA_uqPT3YG1vTUMzIomIFItbWeQeV7niM6ddsJCkDhojgGCabuo5-EYLkB0EyubmVljlq-yXcj6unVEBhauY7fKhkfA/s1440/14F40B6A-90CA-4890-B279-6ABD491524C2.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1440" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHh1bkByVVMRYXHSE1uwihjk2V3PdPb1rR9v9KMyRzvVfoFd-bGA_uqPT3YG1vTUMzIomIFItbWeQeV7niM6ddsJCkDhojgGCabuo5-EYLkB0EyubmVljlq-yXcj6unVEBhauY7fKhkfA/s320/14F40B6A-90CA-4890-B279-6ABD491524C2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearrygin Lake State Park </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">North Cascades
National Park was beautiful, but as with our last trip, the weather wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, no extra nights or hikes as we had
hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we had a nice night camping near
the Skagit River in the Sedro-Wooley city park with hookups and a good cell
connection to stream shows we missed.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz-xA2oy8D5wdMbmgaVDnneZs3hNInLsKrPG6ZcryTwEJ0UT8ajJfjz-1hT3E4iDHG8kAdgSTrq9JYaX-Xut4rvq5ZvrR7j90JDz0DnuZT9nwvHjhjENcxxmGLKfBHMsSuqPOLTMfip4S/s4032/20211013_110631.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz-xA2oy8D5wdMbmgaVDnneZs3hNInLsKrPG6ZcryTwEJ0UT8ajJfjz-1hT3E4iDHG8kAdgSTrq9JYaX-Xut4rvq5ZvrR7j90JDz0DnuZT9nwvHjhjENcxxmGLKfBHMsSuqPOLTMfip4S/s320/20211013_110631.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing to the 5400' Washington Pass <br />in North Cascades NP </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGiKDvenqQvfI03ggp3bbLSKex9310C1IMYGpH16UaZo2ciACqQJatrm_4nElxzq_F20LciuDoCaZWOeDawpnDqihRAv2J03pv1qyaHIPvR105B5m4VKkzHYIukNhxUb1eCfdb-4L33xd/s4032/20211014_173652.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGiKDvenqQvfI03ggp3bbLSKex9310C1IMYGpH16UaZo2ciACqQJatrm_4nElxzq_F20LciuDoCaZWOeDawpnDqihRAv2J03pv1qyaHIPvR105B5m4VKkzHYIukNhxUb1eCfdb-4L33xd/s320/20211014_173652.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To the sunset, just before the storm</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Other than a memorable
2005 backpack trip with my brother and nephew on the Olympic Coast, we hadn’t
been to the Olympic Peninsula in over two decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t believe the sprawl from Sequim to
Port Angeles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or the many speeding log
trucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, it was beautiful in
the rain as Hwy 101 took us out of Port Angeles toward the coast winding through
Indian reservations and Olympic National Park. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed a cozy night as a coastal storm battered
the trailer.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfihLjTXFU6eth9l_lVuHpY3pnXVC6tZIFlV40Psguj_wYiD_fueySGmBgYtgJfDvzLcZeV4ymk75BRKhRlax7rU8aDH3_0eOdo9shu1JJylxClDGC8EY-oxbGDxtMwJrH2MDQuLSWk16m/s4032/20211015_161846.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfihLjTXFU6eth9l_lVuHpY3pnXVC6tZIFlV40Psguj_wYiD_fueySGmBgYtgJfDvzLcZeV4ymk75BRKhRlax7rU8aDH3_0eOdo9shu1JJylxClDGC8EY-oxbGDxtMwJrH2MDQuLSWk16m/s320/20211015_161846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Columbia, looking west.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">This year marks
our 10</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> year of owning an Airstream. So, as we headed toward home, we
thought it was only appropriate to camp in Skamokawa County Park on the
Columbia River, the site of our first Airstream Rally.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">It was the last place Lewis Clark camped in
1805 before sighting the Pacific Ocean.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Compared to last summer, camping is now sociable again with friendly neighbors.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">As with all
trips for us, it’s good to go and very good to be back home again. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> You can see more photos of these trips on my Facebook page. We wish you a colorful autumn as Thanksgiving approaches. </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">“What We Can, While We Can!”</span><o:p></o:p></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i></i></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZeVsZw7lXenLAPkkFsABZStTOQUyNBD2JECuxezdOaK76xFGkfuvpsFgsnCaGxmtxsGoot3LAxffj8_cWY39S_k9TsP1EEVPgwq2-l-cj0O2rG-8-cCqUYrkkgisdIudTFjGKM8MvQpM/s4032/20211022_151133.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZeVsZw7lXenLAPkkFsABZStTOQUyNBD2JECuxezdOaK76xFGkfuvpsFgsnCaGxmtxsGoot3LAxffj8_cWY39S_k9TsP1EEVPgwq2-l-cj0O2rG-8-cCqUYrkkgisdIudTFjGKM8MvQpM/s320/20211022_151133.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afternoon view from our deck</td></tr></tbody></table><b><i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT7x_tML9ae78zhY1aJgJgK7wF5Gymgqsee21oXyvmywge0q3qwvWyw88g5xEkPFJ0CF-L2REF5QfJOtNsJ4bJBJa344PoTshvDCdRsDnf6idPjaXHttR-uP7pJ_CgpS1w6NqZz7BVZ74/s4032/20211020_082017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDT7x_tML9ae78zhY1aJgJgK7wF5Gymgqsee21oXyvmywge0q3qwvWyw88g5xEkPFJ0CF-L2REF5QfJOtNsJ4bJBJa344PoTshvDCdRsDnf6idPjaXHttR-uP7pJ_CgpS1w6NqZz7BVZ74/s320/20211020_082017.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning double rainbow surprise</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></b><p></p>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-39362432985786604782021-09-14T13:49:00.001-07:002021-09-14T14:17:22.782-07:00Bath, Oxford, Liverpool, and More<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M2PFuSZyLbQGCkZ11wjgxcqhhv7OCjFxHlq9ZvZNQuM214dX4Tkmn6PRwGQrT_DVto4nORgeEZBNuBA1Q7OQqkJMgFkoP-TW0uiNUfULovdE-Kyq1gGR-OrxKmd_fGhmJA2qjz86ruQz/s2810/20210903_110105.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1580" data-original-width="2810" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-M2PFuSZyLbQGCkZ11wjgxcqhhv7OCjFxHlq9ZvZNQuM214dX4Tkmn6PRwGQrT_DVto4nORgeEZBNuBA1Q7OQqkJMgFkoP-TW0uiNUfULovdE-Kyq1gGR-OrxKmd_fGhmJA2qjz86ruQz/s320/20210903_110105.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left you can see photos of the Fab Four <br />getting haircuts</td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;">It’s hard to
believe that we arrived home one week ago after 36 hours of travel. It’s nice to be back, but we already miss
Hazel, our 17-month-old grandchild. After
the one-month lease on our Airbnb expired, we used our remaining 10 days to
play tourist. It felt so good to get out
of London.</span><p></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT_6cNHvLkN8WzAWlvGurQ2qx0Adsuv26wAlaYYn2lRv5t3-Ru79f1KfHp_7MqfsLqkHAYOBoebmk9iHkCp4sqJNn1pdeJy649-tfLM2yEDPLLQb5gbNewwO4KsUDeuxNvKwq3XBYTuLf/s848/2021-09-13+11_23_57-Google+Maps.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="848" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT_6cNHvLkN8WzAWlvGurQ2qx0Adsuv26wAlaYYn2lRv5t3-Ru79f1KfHp_7MqfsLqkHAYOBoebmk9iHkCp4sqJNn1pdeJy649-tfLM2yEDPLLQb5gbNewwO4KsUDeuxNvKwq3XBYTuLf/s320/2021-09-13+11_23_57-Google+Maps.png" width="320" /></a></div><b><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><span style="font-size: large;">Bath</span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">We took a
crowded train to Bath, site of the 1<sup>st</sup> to 5<sup>th</sup> century
Roman baths. It’s also the place where
wealthy aristocrats wintered, where Jane Austin had spent time, and the site of
weekend raucous bachelor/bachelorette parties, which explained the crowded
train scene. The baths were truly
amazing, especially when one thinks about the great distance from Rome, the
size, engineering, and artistry.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUF2ETo73VvI2-YPnXGXvnWvHJcVDcSq2To058yP8RS1_5klo5PI9HKuowv4tnpPhnrqwLUdXPFlhfiGJlF0j3haOzGF5v2SiAO4XqLYJj22X6Pr1TFxxFUtfuAGzcBsanz-Tmrn-5mQI/s4032/20210828_162706.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUF2ETo73VvI2-YPnXGXvnWvHJcVDcSq2To058yP8RS1_5klo5PI9HKuowv4tnpPhnrqwLUdXPFlhfiGJlF0j3haOzGF5v2SiAO4XqLYJj22X6Pr1TFxxFUtfuAGzcBsanz-Tmrn-5mQI/s320/20210828_162706.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking the Roman baths</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size: large;">We did
something unique—at least for us. We
rented E-bikes and rode about 38 miles to Bristol and back along the Avon River
and an old railroad bed, initially built in 1844. The railroad closely follows a canal tow path
bult 100 years earlier. The bikes were
fun, but not needed on a crowded, level railroad grade. Maybe we’ll get electric bikes when we get
older.</span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufXr29z8DXtpdKgpy8deVJAkEZPq7pDjujpWDo6OrMAup5nMMDzLL-2o0KyuQoE7PKCmATI6bUkDU0GuN1bZZkqhC9LtTNZaywSeB7kzXlLB8POTmsFJwwSIqCdQRzmiNydvxdILTwN3b/s4032/20210829_101919.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufXr29z8DXtpdKgpy8deVJAkEZPq7pDjujpWDo6OrMAup5nMMDzLL-2o0KyuQoE7PKCmATI6bUkDU0GuN1bZZkqhC9LtTNZaywSeB7kzXlLB8POTmsFJwwSIqCdQRzmiNydvxdILTwN3b/s320/20210829_101919.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to ride the canal and railway path to Bristol</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><o:p style="text-align: left;"><br /></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p style="text-align: left;"> </o:p><span style="text-align: left;">You can a few
more bath photos at </span><b style="text-align: left;"><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/mRHfjiQjfGDymmn97" target="_blank">this link</a></u></b><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Cirencester</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before oxford,
we spent a night in a 160-year-old former pub in Cirencester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a delightful town and one of the
earliest Roman settlements in Britain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We caught the Monday farmers market, did a walking tour, and visited the
town’s very well-done archeological museum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had my first try of fish and chips, and they turned out to be my worst
meal of the whole trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A spectacular
French dinner that evening made the world (and my greasy mouth) feel right
again.</span><o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaEtE6ErC4cHyqTfsXwsDC0e0WFMfMtK42X9X9OwmPPeUXDEnM5bk0Nx_M7iC6eyXownUOpBEN1zLOUM2_TKf3hZRLMBD0bWgDLBYYS8zbs-cPGnz_A8mnKaHSMtOYLJdlyxJm9qkF17M/s4032/20210831_095227.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiaEtE6ErC4cHyqTfsXwsDC0e0WFMfMtK42X9X9OwmPPeUXDEnM5bk0Nx_M7iC6eyXownUOpBEN1zLOUM2_TKf3hZRLMBD0bWgDLBYYS8zbs-cPGnz_A8mnKaHSMtOYLJdlyxJm9qkF17M/s320/20210831_095227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our double deck bus from Cirencester<br />to Oxford</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Oxford</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">We rode a
double-deck bus on small roads through dozens of small towns to get to
Oxford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those drivers are heroes to us
they way they can navigate tight spaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now that we’ve been to Oxford, we want to watch the Harry Potter movies
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a magical, fun, and historic
city!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its gothic buildings can be—and often
are—a movie set. Bookstores, specialty shops, and good eateries are everywhere.
And then there is 1100-year-old Oxford University, which dominates the
city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It consists of 38 colleges, such
as Exeter, Christ Church, Trinity, and Merton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s the alma mater of J. R. Tolkien, Lewis Carol, C.S. Lewis, many
prime ministers, and Rhoades Scholars. We took a guided walking tour of the
university and later bought our way into an audio tour of the magnificent
Christ Church campus, the site and/or inspiration of several Harry Potter
scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8EaOrdZv9nYRXoedUXeFRD_NMVP9pVYDQh4N9TR0V9_DdzTUubLrbaDZqYCypz12oX_YaSQ6QpADmayPkybKIFI2iSvyaCTiBDAnDb5QC3eeD-gQB-hI1z_5FINW8JeLvkNp8k5jw90v/s4032/20210901_140914.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8EaOrdZv9nYRXoedUXeFRD_NMVP9pVYDQh4N9TR0V9_DdzTUubLrbaDZqYCypz12oX_YaSQ6QpADmayPkybKIFI2iSvyaCTiBDAnDb5QC3eeD-gQB-hI1z_5FINW8JeLvkNp8k5jw90v/s320/20210901_140914.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dining hall that inspired the<br />Harry Potter Hogwarts set</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCFiAzngZ7EEA1KVVeEF71IHSyPsYwMx7pWjTRCLSadBpA1MoZHdQSYtPAyjTvvD46z7vXNEZChzrgDeqB4YiV7dxKFNmKL8kiAmSBT3bVWv_Ax0E4ey_nUtLmJxvw6wP_A-RnjxwLgbv/s4032/20210901_124158.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCFiAzngZ7EEA1KVVeEF71IHSyPsYwMx7pWjTRCLSadBpA1MoZHdQSYtPAyjTvvD46z7vXNEZChzrgDeqB4YiV7dxKFNmKL8kiAmSBT3bVWv_Ax0E4ey_nUtLmJxvw6wP_A-RnjxwLgbv/s320/20210901_124158.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Christ Church College of Oxford University</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can see
more photos of Oxford and the Christ Church buildings <b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/mRHfjiQjfGDymmn97" target="_blank">here.</a></u></b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Liverpool</span></b></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdG74iiPNlqPBlIU18CDgxUeN-lNfTtDlBnrF5LfwJWtP7kdgo3_pLiqZnafEXksmaWe9L13sDQg_zaIGqDZV6vTp5qjYzQiieaTLhOXkb7b-AtiKhHxf4NP8_jCf2dhJFq611e_xeMVB/s4032/20210903_131047.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdG74iiPNlqPBlIU18CDgxUeN-lNfTtDlBnrF5LfwJWtP7kdgo3_pLiqZnafEXksmaWe9L13sDQg_zaIGqDZV6vTp5qjYzQiieaTLhOXkb7b-AtiKhHxf4NP8_jCf2dhJFq611e_xeMVB/s320/20210903_131047.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fun magical mystery tour</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">We found Liverpool
to be gritty, yet energetic, and friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And what’s a trip to Liverpool without a pilgrimage to many Beatles
landmarks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We engaged Ian, a cabbie,
musician, and self-proclaimed Beatles expert, to show us the sites in his
tricked out electric cab.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ian gave us the back story on their childhood
and teen years as he showed us their homes, schools, venues, and song
inspirations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, Penny Lane
exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The barber shop and bus stand
are still there, but the fire station is being converted into a residential
condo.</span><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beyond the
Beatles, we visited a gigantic cathedral, ate at Cuban and Indian restaurants,
and enjoyed Liverpool’s redeveloped waterfront and maritime museum, which had
very interesting Titanic and Lusitania exhibits. The city is undergoing a transformation from
a hardscrabble industrial and port city to a cultural, educational, service and
tourist economy. In fact, it is one of
the 100-most visited cities by international tourists. The scars of WWII are still present,
including a bombed home across the street and a few doors down from where Ringo
was born. Here is a <b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJCCjUKivCRTFG2q6" target="_blank">link to moreLiverpool photos</a></u></b>. The homes are
in the order of Ringo (2), Paul, John, and George.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszNzdz8BF891FTsoIyt20LXO5rrJQQDVDwoN2J7w3oP-GgE6IxXosEmT1YhIUtIylFhoWGA6-NJ6MBEhBE3TgryUbU5wQM9QWGumlm58a73HudgXufKVBfyrGdkHjVuvPdQgsnMqyoGLx/s4032/20210902_191018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszNzdz8BF891FTsoIyt20LXO5rrJQQDVDwoN2J7w3oP-GgE6IxXosEmT1YhIUtIylFhoWGA6-NJ6MBEhBE3TgryUbU5wQM9QWGumlm58a73HudgXufKVBfyrGdkHjVuvPdQgsnMqyoGLx/s320/20210902_191018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Liverpool museum from Maritime Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">London and
Hazel</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;">We returned to
London for two nights for our final ‘Hazel fixes’ and Covid tests timed for our
departure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has taken nearly six
weeks, but she really warmed up to us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She even asks for us during meals and story
time with Shanti and Alan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, that’s progress!
<a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/V8Fsjvf5qoD4LAiY6" target="_blank">Dropping her off one last time</a> at day care was emotional for all three of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can summarize some aspects of our trip by paraphrasing
the credit card commercial:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Hours on the
shuttle van and on the London tube: 8</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Hours on a
plane: 32</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Hours at
airports: 10</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Pieces of lost
but eventually found luggage: 3</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Days in
quarantine: 7</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Covid tests per
person: 5</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Hours of lost
sleep while on Hazel duty some nights:
numerous</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Money spent for
outrageously high-priced coffees and meals:
too much</span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Time spent with
Hazel: PRICELESS.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p> </o:p><o:p> </o:p><b style="text-align: center;"><i>“What We Can, While We Can”</i></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9tWttoK7YWVT9WuK99Lgo-DoyKKyqc52JIQ81o_COb3lJYFZoZO99MFOCJ7mQUfj0T5kFxeUQ5-J7bLJBaev2bvUw7ip2Rsu4GoDG3pm7IgGBDvRzy3ahaPVBMrwV7sS7aiBxvdvoeoN/s4032/20210905_161935.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9tWttoK7YWVT9WuK99Lgo-DoyKKyqc52JIQ81o_COb3lJYFZoZO99MFOCJ7mQUfj0T5kFxeUQ5-J7bLJBaev2bvUw7ip2Rsu4GoDG3pm7IgGBDvRzy3ahaPVBMrwV7sS7aiBxvdvoeoN/s320/20210905_161935.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last day in London at the splash fountain</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHQfATXK9RjMgmBkbmn9fXDpy68jEYH9nuL97ov8aql2JB9Hp-ilSOkWauDhNJFJ6OKS381vRU-NuPuW3wq6p3PZEQIsNurbIJdRA1TUeTn85jNHzHNT_nucl_nabHhWfsN3tG7KZ2v20/s4032/20210827_153352.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuHQfATXK9RjMgmBkbmn9fXDpy68jEYH9nuL97ov8aql2JB9Hp-ilSOkWauDhNJFJ6OKS381vRU-NuPuW3wq6p3PZEQIsNurbIJdRA1TUeTn85jNHzHNT_nucl_nabHhWfsN3tG7KZ2v20/s320/20210827_153352.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best day care pick up ever!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJUdH0dqJGY_nfCTZpA4KvsyDzsoUhOcglqsHYn5Lf5OFdxPXc2kIPnX5XQLBImWMQCVHhBL-Mm_x-a4vjxfPGFeGdjdfz_Js7GwXfR5AT-H7FqIGi_PuiGq8cGMWhFXX9LLBvgKoE8r4/s4032/20210905_100135.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJUdH0dqJGY_nfCTZpA4KvsyDzsoUhOcglqsHYn5Lf5OFdxPXc2kIPnX5XQLBImWMQCVHhBL-Mm_x-a4vjxfPGFeGdjdfz_Js7GwXfR5AT-H7FqIGi_PuiGq8cGMWhFXX9LLBvgKoE8r4/s320/20210905_100135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A babycino and lattes in our previous London<br />neighborhood </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH46sq1cCrDX5-6h4AmReKUftwmxOUuIUG1EIHBlyK85FmjtTKUr-erwR3Srstev9YXuHxKKaIzG36NFJ4TOYFqsL5V9Y3w1odS9E387KRZJen-O-0f9WPJs1j3YFhf74V2t_zZHBnKgiT/s4032/20210904_180758.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH46sq1cCrDX5-6h4AmReKUftwmxOUuIUG1EIHBlyK85FmjtTKUr-erwR3Srstev9YXuHxKKaIzG36NFJ4TOYFqsL5V9Y3w1odS9E387KRZJen-O-0f9WPJs1j3YFhf74V2t_zZHBnKgiT/s320/20210904_180758.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More noodles, mamma robin!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-74742380478665646132021-08-20T06:31:00.005-07:002021-08-20T07:23:52.303-07:00Our London Staycation<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Are we residents or tourists? </span><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re not sure.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnOVlaNZr3My3ObWu1DI0qXuFq_2OSsPuonJGzXECqrl8x9Hf1koPAljBbV5YGbvuhgcE5aDRVEaimUAO0L4uSDsLpbocf3TJhFAMw487b6JYXjU8KJdRNZ4bF773F-kWnEiKTK5NR2-A/s2646/20210806_111918.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="2646" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnOVlaNZr3My3ObWu1DI0qXuFq_2OSsPuonJGzXECqrl8x9Hf1koPAljBbV5YGbvuhgcE5aDRVEaimUAO0L4uSDsLpbocf3TJhFAMw487b6JYXjU8KJdRNZ4bF773F-kWnEiKTK5NR2-A/s320/20210806_111918.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking across the Millennium Bridge<br />on Kathy's birthday </td></tr></tbody></table>We’ve been here just over three weeks
now.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’ve seen a few typical tourist
sites (more about them below), but we’ve mostly hung out with granddaughter
Hazel, hosted dinners for her parents (Shanti and Alan) and their friends, and we
have enjoyed the brief company of daughter Skyler from Boston. <br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /></span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlWOJc7fdFCS7EeItxFtH10bKHFf12Hh-xJEXHaFzI5PMu_NDOmjK_2mjlgQDMfF0AOVmaMmpFN1_NuGsClGLPRNJ4fNGvr1deQd7uDtHd5MzX_UQyS5EvU6rJ8a_sMMvyPOZUBRZO3Uh/s4032/20210808_181010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlWOJc7fdFCS7EeItxFtH10bKHFf12Hh-xJEXHaFzI5PMu_NDOmjK_2mjlgQDMfF0AOVmaMmpFN1_NuGsClGLPRNJ4fNGvr1deQd7uDtHd5MzX_UQyS5EvU6rJ8a_sMMvyPOZUBRZO3Uh/s320/20210808_181010.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4.5 Kelemens at Kathy's 69th birthday<br /> party. This was the first time that the <br />four of us have been together in three years.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hazel has been both a joy and a challenge.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">She’s warmed up to us nicely, especially with all the fun toys in our Airbnb.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s been so fun watching her vocabulary, physical skills, and intellect grow by the day.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a7Lx78JcKjYCoKC7mTqi99roSwTFEIhukFkP7e0U12qTgxuuQnt_hQ4hoGd4D_LXR43S4sC9oAK0k2iigD4I2K5AQzUc43Azw6fYrSNib66VN1Nv3Vtt09sVcVsAkYr5WUsSYzIL8qVR/s4032/20210811_163433.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a7Lx78JcKjYCoKC7mTqi99roSwTFEIhukFkP7e0U12qTgxuuQnt_hQ4hoGd4D_LXR43S4sC9oAK0k2iigD4I2K5AQzUc43Azw6fYrSNib66VN1Nv3Vtt09sVcVsAkYr5WUsSYzIL8qVR/s320/20210811_163433.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The joys of self-discovery</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor6ctCO-ON3VbUnnv9fbn6DuMXaSbLHomsiQ7HuiQeUDag2wUGnzGeeafuSvlq53abztSRyoMx7ryxtl9SuNJfiIQ0d24dBm4eK6KkbXPuYQ9wXa1C3Z9agQMGLZ3oBJhQfPrQX0Y6C50/s1814/20210808_184940%25280%2529+Copy.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1814" data-original-width="1209" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgor6ctCO-ON3VbUnnv9fbn6DuMXaSbLHomsiQ7HuiQeUDag2wUGnzGeeafuSvlq53abztSRyoMx7ryxtl9SuNJfiIQ0d24dBm4eK6KkbXPuYQ9wXa1C3Z9agQMGLZ3oBJhQfPrQX0Y6C50/s320/20210808_184940%25280%2529+Copy.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a bath, looking <br />for Mommy</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Thn47cM3u0pkilTw-ZhLRshSzjMnKhPMnG1H0NRArKHzuoEC2FKcumiPtqXdz1WRqWtRre6o5geMdiC0yrweUxO7wfNDBJ-WcQXNMdn08gj5uL2agwjMPqr2T17lDD0qpmRFdBydaAkM/s4032/20210810_120943.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Thn47cM3u0pkilTw-ZhLRshSzjMnKhPMnG1H0NRArKHzuoEC2FKcumiPtqXdz1WRqWtRre6o5geMdiC0yrweUxO7wfNDBJ-WcQXNMdn08gj5uL2agwjMPqr2T17lDD0qpmRFdBydaAkM/s320/20210810_120943.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And who doesn't love to<br />splash in a puddle?</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But she is very
opinionated and now she’s become wary of us, as we can be her abductors
who take her away from Mommy and Daddy. She
prefers ‘Nanna’ over ‘Grandpa,’ but we employ a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy
and she is easily distracted.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <br /> </span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA5Z1GpBx2qPJvs6pKgv7NdWZtV97-UNQBaYobTPaOHwKCPdEbthbU29tuf_KCNAV76JYQc4GW3I19KsuQ5iT-aM8gh7lNr6uOvhHSwYybpKOKv0OnJ4KKTn52LherBXZ1TIxR8Xm_rZW/s4032/20210812_103739.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA5Z1GpBx2qPJvs6pKgv7NdWZtV97-UNQBaYobTPaOHwKCPdEbthbU29tuf_KCNAV76JYQc4GW3I19KsuQ5iT-aM8gh7lNr6uOvhHSwYybpKOKv0OnJ4KKTn52LherBXZ1TIxR8Xm_rZW/s320/20210812_103739.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A long half-day at the zoo</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIk0XyBKYwHtyJ3b3gCUhLfstvfs7rRLsHd82zQnjl5gspAMc-Bwwu43NfQ23rNQWOMPiNFMUfPdic9YXpXLC3AzVEAPvNKKLJMcfXQcReP17-yrGlrAJ04u1TYk6rVvgRM7q8_AWE0L9/s4032/20210811_172842.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRIk0XyBKYwHtyJ3b3gCUhLfstvfs7rRLsHd82zQnjl5gspAMc-Bwwu43NfQ23rNQWOMPiNFMUfPdic9YXpXLC3AzVEAPvNKKLJMcfXQcReP17-yrGlrAJ04u1TYk6rVvgRM7q8_AWE0L9/s320/20210811_172842.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pub night with Skyler, giving Shanti<br />and Alan a much needed night<br />off. We have yet to eat fish and<br />chips.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">All of us have been mildly sick to
one degree or another, to the point where Hazel cannot attend day care, or
Shanti and Alan can’t get any sleep.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">So,
we are happy to help out and host her overnight, not losing too much sleep
ourselves, but for our persistent allergy-related coughs and sore throats.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Our hats go off to single parents everywhere,
as we don’t know how they do it alone.</span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vhtg_fjm_l_g78N53_bhhRNalOVixbQsYojmV-297sXqj0Pq3OBOczRmJ3oPerYGF3WYhjDPzKtY_11HUyd5gAFE9of7lX_EjSwnWcndlfyged34fPKom0ZxvNBvtgDmIE0fJuQFW6Ix/s4032/20210815_150831.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vhtg_fjm_l_g78N53_bhhRNalOVixbQsYojmV-297sXqj0Pq3OBOczRmJ3oPerYGF3WYhjDPzKtY_11HUyd5gAFE9of7lX_EjSwnWcndlfyged34fPKom0ZxvNBvtgDmIE0fJuQFW6Ix/s320/20210815_150831.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hosting an all-American barbeque for <br />10 of us, plus two babies. China, Italy, <br />Ireland, UK, Poland, and the USA <br />were all represented.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We haven’t done as much sightseeing
as originally planned, but that’s just fine. While our house is old and dilatated, we love our neighborhood, about a 25–30-minute walk to Shanti and Alan’s
place. We are on a quiet street, but
there are numerous mom-and-pop shops nearby for just about anything we need or
want. A few of the proprietors have
befriended us and it is easy to strike up conversations. Even some of the wine and liquor shops sell
fresh produce. We love the ethnic
diversity of the area and hope to patronize some of the hole-in-the-wall places
serving food from all over the world.
But meanwhile, it’s been fun to cook for ourselves with all these
wonderful ingredients and eat in the backyard.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZHYJTB-CNHPGUV6bTJ00Z1JDN68UN-KrGhrxsK3AGXJgKmAU1m_BCRvajYl2yXja6o4__xqKQxLN4bvb1yGQTLWJ0AIBSK9tMEcchNFw1S3bURkrstX6qKP2MShONm84qguLR9FpgZo8/s4032/20210816_144954.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZHYJTB-CNHPGUV6bTJ00Z1JDN68UN-KrGhrxsK3AGXJgKmAU1m_BCRvajYl2yXja6o4__xqKQxLN4bvb1yGQTLWJ0AIBSK9tMEcchNFw1S3bURkrstX6qKP2MShONm84qguLR9FpgZo8/s320/20210816_144954.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying London views from the<br />37-story Sky Garden skyscraper.<br />(Actually, it is rather dwarfed by<br />its newer neighbors.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is our fifth trip to London
since 2010 when Shanti was a grad student at the London School of
Economics. And it’s the first time we’ve
seen some of the popular tourist sites. <br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Our favorites were the Borough Market and the Winston Churchill
Underground War Room and Museum.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But we
also liked the Tower of London, the History of London museum, and the Tower Bridge.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Our least favorite was the Hampton Court
Palace where Henry the VIII lived lavishly at the expense of many others.</span></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt5XHMWi_NKQHjnIkfq9sXHjLonK2jrWzGW_FnE1B9TKlSJJsQVlti219-pOn8tZDmXIBmAj1Q3-tPKkEsvA9xyfJY3pqKPeyOCDGppaAxXBVsi84IFK4xTTvRSvkVw1YmSlw-jWB0NzF/s4032/20210809_123357.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt5XHMWi_NKQHjnIkfq9sXHjLonK2jrWzGW_FnE1B9TKlSJJsQVlti219-pOn8tZDmXIBmAj1Q3-tPKkEsvA9xyfJY3pqKPeyOCDGppaAxXBVsi84IFK4xTTvRSvkVw1YmSlw-jWB0NzF/s320/20210809_123357.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Churchill's bedroom in the <br />underground bunker. Everything<br />was left exactly as it was, including<br />the original four sugar cubes from<br />a colonel in the map room.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk4HI5zBkMZ9UQKWaWbzhTBbXyfNY6mnST8hPnrkzXueZkyJrro2EFoo4rcWRbFgbqQOD8uQI428hS7rzat_r3N5A5ZlSuQCBxEOXhQCvCLeR4u34ieMJY_WZ2gsjJXbNe6AJD07jm8_C/s2721/20210817_110222+Copy.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1814" data-original-width="2721" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAk4HI5zBkMZ9UQKWaWbzhTBbXyfNY6mnST8hPnrkzXueZkyJrro2EFoo4rcWRbFgbqQOD8uQI428hS7rzat_r3N5A5ZlSuQCBxEOXhQCvCLeR4u34ieMJY_WZ2gsjJXbNe6AJD07jm8_C/s320/20210817_110222+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hampton Court Palace. Originally built for <br />a cardinal, then it became one of Henry the VIII <br />and his six wives favorite palaces, and William II <br />expanded and renovated it. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAko7snH6p_xqrw_WxLlBjWA7o0-AKwBnKNg-WU3A-1Ip-kl0E6Z2otW0zug3WDQdsnxZYFt-SiCrvXYZRxZT4pZrWL95uio8VKzO7kQDkP_r8lCaC1Lpz6m6iOEyfs8Dg57CMzqjpXki0/s4032/20210806_131432.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAko7snH6p_xqrw_WxLlBjWA7o0-AKwBnKNg-WU3A-1Ip-kl0E6Z2otW0zug3WDQdsnxZYFt-SiCrvXYZRxZT4pZrWL95uio8VKzO7kQDkP_r8lCaC1Lpz6m6iOEyfs8Dg57CMzqjpXki0/w200-h150/20210806_131432.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Tower Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNKHVVS-l5LTc1B7OLxaOnGz10ZbFapp5K4icaCnScLpJgRFQ1bvkYbVQcddRk7CIY1uKKqNJyzYTxJAd7L2CdUxMyD4BpN5VY3kltUyAp0O7WeNeyX34N_LpMttTlxWvWOcT7fnXZF4Y/s4032/20210806_130037.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNKHVVS-l5LTc1B7OLxaOnGz10ZbFapp5K4icaCnScLpJgRFQ1bvkYbVQcddRk7CIY1uKKqNJyzYTxJAd7L2CdUxMyD4BpN5VY3kltUyAp0O7WeNeyX34N_LpMttTlxWvWOcT7fnXZF4Y/w200-h150/20210806_130037.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The engine room of the bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs9Nj4Yb_MQOGqUbu6kl5UOhAF6fCJ_p_f1kN_iBYozclKudWDkJplmNK8xjXCjqu517AQ0vJk8_IHEe5rsgip6VPFfA6DigU568qKrRP0LidkwFKwgi_nSXmMxDMUUPjQfMJwn4d7MQg6/s4032/20210806_130037.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1bDw95P85pS_eqmlSwRBdK4g2RRGdfuDp8gRAps6pa9gh5EA7bXJV8vCdV0VKBjOtz3xRcALRQR_me7EQfWqhB97PuqSm5zya6FUgylohJqhr4W8t8F98mEXDlWahDnWkh5H9AgAfOGd/s4032/20210804_144438.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1bDw95P85pS_eqmlSwRBdK4g2RRGdfuDp8gRAps6pa9gh5EA7bXJV8vCdV0VKBjOtz3xRcALRQR_me7EQfWqhB97PuqSm5zya6FUgylohJqhr4W8t8F98mEXDlWahDnWkh5H9AgAfOGd/w200-h150/20210804_144438.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where Henry the VIII's <br />wives and others were <br />beheaded</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vizY1yQgKW-kLvIHhh3yM8GSd1eN9YlH11S3nCcV8CWJhOUP7p5pHdPDrQyCY1yCkC4ohoVTKo74LVIAZBlb_07cr_LBCP1hiY_wjGU5k2Wv899i_gAWpihrdjWi_PsPWzv3r45mvvzK/s4032/20210804_154843.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vizY1yQgKW-kLvIHhh3yM8GSd1eN9YlH11S3nCcV8CWJhOUP7p5pHdPDrQyCY1yCkC4ohoVTKo74LVIAZBlb_07cr_LBCP1hiY_wjGU5k2Wv899i_gAWpihrdjWi_PsPWzv3r45mvvzK/s320/20210804_154843.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The White Tower within the <br />Tower of London, where we<br />got to see the crown jewels.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What’s next?</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We get Hazel for a full day Saturday (as I
did last Saturday) when Shanti and Alan look at some homes about an hour from
here in the suburbs.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The prices for a
three-bedroom home make Portland’s nicest neighborhoods look cheap by
comparison.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">London, with its high
prices, noise, pollution, congestion, and suitable housing is wearing them
down.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And us, too.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">But on the positive side, it has plenty of nice
parks and eateries, ethnic diversity, high energy, great public transportation,
and lots of history.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the 28<sup>th</sup> we vacate
our Airbnb and go to Bath, for a couple of nights, then Oxford, then back to
London on the 4<sup>th</sup> for two nights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Originally, we were planning to hike the 100-mile Cotswold Way trail,
but the logistics got too complicated, accommodations are scarce, and we didn’t
feel in shape to go 15-20 miles a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe on our next trip with more advance planning, conditioning, and the
right packing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">You can see more contemporaneous photos and posts
on Facebook and Instagram.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But until our
next blog, cheerio!</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhj4C1Y7u_MFYEfTr1zwg_KbqDoscyg-Hwaa8ypGC_PeRV4j5VOKIBNkaPhUrUFQWUwMPyWPGE6dVcxWw3D8kyV8vETj6bQfyf0LMxptl6YPRoz6yDzXcSP1AjHiDRlfmgzKBYAD9Jrvle/s4032/20210804_135619.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhj4C1Y7u_MFYEfTr1zwg_KbqDoscyg-Hwaa8ypGC_PeRV4j5VOKIBNkaPhUrUFQWUwMPyWPGE6dVcxWw3D8kyV8vETj6bQfyf0LMxptl6YPRoz6yDzXcSP1AjHiDRlfmgzKBYAD9Jrvle/s320/20210804_135619.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Outside the Tower of London,<br />about to be attacked by a raven</span></h3></td></tr></tbody></table></h1><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">What
We Can, While We Can!</span><o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><b><i> </i></b></o:p></p><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-78059976050286415802021-08-03T14:39:00.007-07:002021-08-03T15:17:02.214-07:00Free in London<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kjvW0YPz9A2ciINu-F2TOTXGYbHo0iEfTIPA8q4-LwNH2B0oDHtYNJ3hNfPYAnjjtaatNp1A8KiPjkYm7S8AcrUXhwgihEYgMa-d6Cac7hBl2hrVYkJ05KXMnxEBHR-r_gqgOwSrayu_/s4032/20210731_091258.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kjvW0YPz9A2ciINu-F2TOTXGYbHo0iEfTIPA8q4-LwNH2B0oDHtYNJ3hNfPYAnjjtaatNp1A8KiPjkYm7S8AcrUXhwgihEYgMa-d6Cac7hBl2hrVYkJ05KXMnxEBHR-r_gqgOwSrayu_/w284-h320/20210731_091258.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 month old Hazel Hampson kelemen</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Today we passed
our third Covid test of the past seven days and no longer need to quarantine at
our London Airbnb. No more daily visits
or calls from the NHS checking in on us.
We are free to wander about London together and anywhere else in the UK,
but we still need to take one more test in two days and one 48 hours before we
return to the States in early September. </span></p><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AYbhPndbrwQy7qmEQYhY9qXLZhYXD72MIK2mPEuqcry4La7CA7qb5CM-Mvy2lZX9oOaa2UZ99U4lz0WhCjQjJfOxbVV18wEdy4ccKNishZOOotKDmWRX1Rvscpgeigf-pYQn46GlidGA/s4032/20210802_095925.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AYbhPndbrwQy7qmEQYhY9qXLZhYXD72MIK2mPEuqcry4La7CA7qb5CM-Mvy2lZX9oOaa2UZ99U4lz0WhCjQjJfOxbVV18wEdy4ccKNishZOOotKDmWRX1Rvscpgeigf-pYQn46GlidGA/w200-h150/20210802_095925.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were allowed to leave <br />quarantine to drop off our <br />samples 2 miles away. </td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeN-wrIwP1JFXPj2B2wDrjNcBVrBaDXu8mGq9cLyD8Xy0w0Sdi59DIxc8BOYfIHgTTip_yCHSA0_1zBmwztnsjXVamSxfUexg8tY2yeJMWlZBrv56fJkuT5_Aw-2YI2tGQM52dtohWasT/s4032/20210802_085346.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeN-wrIwP1JFXPj2B2wDrjNcBVrBaDXu8mGq9cLyD8Xy0w0Sdi59DIxc8BOYfIHgTTip_yCHSA0_1zBmwztnsjXVamSxfUexg8tY2yeJMWlZBrv56fJkuT5_Aw-2YI2tGQM52dtohWasT/w200-h150/20210802_085346.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The system works well, <br />but one has to be meticulous <br />about the procedures for drop <br />off and registration.</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Getting here
was a hassle, with our long ago-booked flight being canceled three times in the
past few months and diverted to Huntsville AL because of Atlanta thunderstorms.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Our luggage arrived 48
hours after we did, but all is well now.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">We are here to spend time with Hazel, our 16-month grandchild.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">My how she has grown in so many ways since we
last saw her in early May.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1EGaYoC6Rbcr7NmWqDZMW2Q8h8lt5SJrEdxcLWZwzQurOOx3nCXCsQsZ-0OS5Ju5mjdUInZDRuT7KJLI4R1XzUNAHipSRe0BLstXYw3YxErTvSVq4onZqRX8f8K2b0uIPj6pzR6_CKg0/s4032/20210801_092614.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1EGaYoC6Rbcr7NmWqDZMW2Q8h8lt5SJrEdxcLWZwzQurOOx3nCXCsQsZ-0OS5Ju5mjdUInZDRuT7KJLI4R1XzUNAHipSRe0BLstXYw3YxErTvSVq4onZqRX8f8K2b0uIPj6pzR6_CKg0/s320/20210801_092614.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That kid can really go through the blueberries!</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Twf8sZgCiR5frc8HO0F3rhph07SkwKWVit4cbUawa838zyT0zKWKo77YmU6VB1CztfY1w2gJiaFSZ6aKDuR9MSNlJkz2Z61N5oEhzXgvYau1MIuqVfXKbDG7PP2xIC2Me13TpGDNQS61/s804/IMG_0008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="804" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Twf8sZgCiR5frc8HO0F3rhph07SkwKWVit4cbUawa838zyT0zKWKo77YmU6VB1CztfY1w2gJiaFSZ6aKDuR9MSNlJkz2Z61N5oEhzXgvYau1MIuqVfXKbDG7PP2xIC2Me13TpGDNQS61/s320/IMG_0008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And lots of other things</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our B&B for
five weeks is a two-story town home on a quiet street in a very convenient and
diverse neighborhood. It has child locks, a back yard, a nursery, and more toys
than Hazel has ever seen in her short life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Plus, a decent kitchen (important!) and a good bed (very important!). We
love the mom-and-pop shops nearby.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2JdxPIJGIgJuIjjM87F-kI-WTEdzUJYV2z6Ef2qHHinFm4uJ9AodpZogU3HXWY0MsUbhZjdJIhyphenhyphen5MnhcyK33fuK0qgomJDk-rjobN_yi2k9ZBtWSOqoY9RCxcw24q7rpEpwEetVEQbX6/s4032/20210802_160903.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2JdxPIJGIgJuIjjM87F-kI-WTEdzUJYV2z6Ef2qHHinFm4uJ9AodpZogU3HXWY0MsUbhZjdJIhyphenhyphen5MnhcyK33fuK0qgomJDk-rjobN_yi2k9ZBtWSOqoY9RCxcw24q7rpEpwEetVEQbX6/s320/20210802_160903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ours is the one with the giant palm bush</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">T</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtgIbF7YZoUSDeyqCpi60AFDdcmdA7t35Dm6TDvT2rXNDhEnRVPUH3YsVkKvH8eLSIoJ1pgx4K_PoJ0Sdbw2c5sCf21vD02GN5Wl620cM0pbxW5QuwkhStoAx-44R7CM0NeXxFsFa5ksU/s4032/20210803_111756.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtgIbF7YZoUSDeyqCpi60AFDdcmdA7t35Dm6TDvT2rXNDhEnRVPUH3YsVkKvH8eLSIoJ1pgx4K_PoJ0Sdbw2c5sCf21vD02GN5Wl620cM0pbxW5QuwkhStoAx-44R7CM0NeXxFsFa5ksU/s320/20210803_111756.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_22o5IVMnaoZcSGwD1yiUsdB7A8eyHmwlULftaMrFMaGWRk_3eHmhfMnnn6ew9vJ0NE-XksZ6PQaoJ7EJh2ipciNspi3Ah_2iODgM0q3Qojdzszwry0Ran8g66HyZ8C-TVrWH0URe1mq/s4032/20210802_195701.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_22o5IVMnaoZcSGwD1yiUsdB7A8eyHmwlULftaMrFMaGWRk_3eHmhfMnnn6ew9vJ0NE-XksZ6PQaoJ7EJh2ipciNspi3Ah_2iODgM0q3Qojdzszwry0Ran8g66HyZ8C-TVrWH0URe1mq/s320/20210802_195701.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Around and around the block<br />until she falls asleep</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So far, we have
hosted Hazel for two sleepovers, and the first one gave Shanti and Alan their
first chance since March 2020 for a date night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it was a reminder of just how much time, patience, sleep
deprivation, and energy it takes to raise a toddler, especially for a Covid
baby who hasn’t had much experience with adults and new situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, she’s an independently minded and
charming toddler who has warmed up to us and who brings us much joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXCHSIz0qBRwa2PeqxVwvGnRXh0R5xq5k0xMJj4A2VANmg3hyGkNdS_bf_BGTTztFrLpYiK2muwaoVVC_NOVeNyBrCDGQ9TGYQylkov28QqHVXffST-S3IhrHK53r5aQYiAJgleuwXBSJ/s4032/20210803_073610.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXCHSIz0qBRwa2PeqxVwvGnRXh0R5xq5k0xMJj4A2VANmg3hyGkNdS_bf_BGTTztFrLpYiK2muwaoVVC_NOVeNyBrCDGQ9TGYQylkov28QqHVXffST-S3IhrHK53r5aQYiAJgleuwXBSJ/s320/20210803_073610.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Off to day care with Daddy</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPDlFQB-jxzdrSivV_NVczMPwb8wPgtjztV2PgaodNVbl1wTo8baFbDLX36aRsR_rHiPvcs72Rw61ffAQ-2LXrUJtAlQKa3W2WH17_MOrKQnMcpZWhxXetTDdXgyVknsDxOH9OEYNPsaO/s4032/20210730_163305.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPDlFQB-jxzdrSivV_NVczMPwb8wPgtjztV2PgaodNVbl1wTo8baFbDLX36aRsR_rHiPvcs72Rw61ffAQ-2LXrUJtAlQKa3W2WH17_MOrKQnMcpZWhxXetTDdXgyVknsDxOH9OEYNPsaO/s320/20210730_163305.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special delivery by Mum Shanti</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We celebrated
our Freedom Day by going for a long walk together, a tapas lunch, and a visit
to the well-done Museum of London history.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">
</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Best of all, it was free.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Also, a
very quiet dinner alone tonight.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Going
forward, we’ll drop Hazel off and pick her up at day care off and on (she needs
its structure), go to parks with her, and host her on weekends so Shanti and
Alan can resume their house hunting in suburbs about an hour from central
London. </span><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">While it’s certainly not walking
the Camino de Santiago or driving cross country, this is shaping up to be a
very unique and fun trip for us.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> <br /></span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And speaking of
driving cross country, we never had time after we got home from our 8600-mile
trip on July 2, but it was enjoyable and scenic, even northern Iowa and
Nebraska. We had a flat tire our last night,
but better in camp than on the road. Even when we are unlucky, we are lucky.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl3pO5MsPIlpGZdWXTuSKNHLgIZ5yTromz6bgJ1PbxfriHhI0zMe4hdiZkGfJeXRReRu8FsS7B8kOrro4_p4a5PmBpZzGXos-9pvUDQH03Yf6jT73r6gKdvMGhEMQZesS1wN6QDzL0pe9/s1600/IMG_6969%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYl3pO5MsPIlpGZdWXTuSKNHLgIZ5yTromz6bgJ1PbxfriHhI0zMe4hdiZkGfJeXRReRu8FsS7B8kOrro4_p4a5PmBpZzGXos-9pvUDQH03Yf6jT73r6gKdvMGhEMQZesS1wN6QDzL0pe9/w300-h400/IMG_6969%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spencer and brother William on our deck</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Just before we left,
we hosted Skyler and Spencer who drove cross country from Massachusetts. Three
of Spencer’s four siblings stayed across the street at an Airbnb and joined us
for wine tastings and some fun meals together.
It’s so fun to hang with 30 somethings, and boy can they eat!</span><p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu-N1gNZvvpZwBPRPwXQBagKQ_R5Pq5blT4y7BrYbiU8k6DVGrxyYPP12MWQx1W8ptlaHz_0B67J3_V66CaXgctaSTqnBcMeGNsrwVYnkIWdyaRi6ZoTZpoXKFaB9NOKtNMQNLbWvNLVN/s4032/20210726_072810.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeu-N1gNZvvpZwBPRPwXQBagKQ_R5Pq5blT4y7BrYbiU8k6DVGrxyYPP12MWQx1W8ptlaHz_0B67J3_V66CaXgctaSTqnBcMeGNsrwVYnkIWdyaRi6ZoTZpoXKFaB9NOKtNMQNLbWvNLVN/s320/20210726_072810.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skyler, Spencer, & Ry Ry heading back to Boston</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b> “What We Can,
While We Can”</b></i></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-6421661554772590132021-06-24T16:08:00.001-07:002021-06-24T16:22:55.824-07:00Only 2500 Miles to Go<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRM4fP1RQOB_gck86WMv0_1WQu2zXqjCXlGYAyuvuaJJW4IpD-ltcTumcHVC-0i6R9fTSKQXvBwxGDO_eP9X4sv9mW0guHylLONamMmZkqWbVo3MdY5f_Dg3TR2rX72l8CplamFfHzfrN/s2880/20210624_094531.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRM4fP1RQOB_gck86WMv0_1WQu2zXqjCXlGYAyuvuaJJW4IpD-ltcTumcHVC-0i6R9fTSKQXvBwxGDO_eP9X4sv9mW0guHylLONamMmZkqWbVo3MdY5f_Dg3TR2rX72l8CplamFfHzfrN/s320/20210624_094531.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the R&R Hall of Fame</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Every trip,
vacation, or conference has what I call a mindset arc.
The first two-thirds are filled with anticipation and excitement. The last part is often filled by thoughts of closure,
going home, and memories of the first part.
And so it is with us. Like a
horse heading to the barn, we’re on our way home.<br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Today is perhaps
our last layover day, where we enjoyed revisiting the fun Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame in Cleveland, OH. Unless something
really catches our interest, we have five to seven days of straight driving
across the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest and home. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qMEspVlfZjKqJVaj12z1gaZ_jAppY7syo7fw4W9kornPTpl8zNwP9khZXZ6ieJfLpccATGMUZO9-VrQ0dlOG26ndEsRh_N1We_3UA1NI554Ku37rTrBafWCvF3mlOdwM4HRfaHlqwysg/s1246/2021+Eastbound+and+return.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1246" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qMEspVlfZjKqJVaj12z1gaZ_jAppY7syo7fw4W9kornPTpl8zNwP9khZXZ6ieJfLpccATGMUZO9-VrQ0dlOG26ndEsRh_N1We_3UA1NI554Ku37rTrBafWCvF3mlOdwM4HRfaHlqwysg/w400-h188/2021+Eastbound+and+return.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red = eastbound; blue = return trip so far</td></tr></tbody></table><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It’s been over
three weeks since our last post. Since
then, we’ve traveled hundreds of miles, explored the colonial Williamsburg
area, visited our friends Nati and Jasmine in Pittsburgh, spent 11 days in the
Berkshires with daughter Skyler, and camped and biked on an island on Lake
Champlain. We were either too tired, too
busy, having too much fun, or didn’t have a decent cell phone connection to
post more frequently. So, here are just
a thoughts and photos with captions. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The highlight
of our trip was spending time in Becket, MA with daughter Skyler, her partner
Spencer, dog Ry-Ry, daughter Feruza, and their friends.
We got lots of projects done on the house and trailer but also chilled, hiked, biked, swam,
paddle boarded, hot tubbed, and above all, <u>ate</u>. Her friends are so fun! The only low point was saying goodbye to Lucy, Spencer's 14-year old adorable Jack Russell shortly after we arrived. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U2xIbSgMf1EBz4TEY13V6du3R5-edEy6hzF1NMGPuXl3rdcV287eqwFxvLOns4ob60asasYMa-0iw4wbs6XqvdrpebfjIjorB2xPsss4_GG_z5uOniyAjELac3DFWwSmMB67eXq6UEkF/s1800/IMG_0148.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9U2xIbSgMf1EBz4TEY13V6du3R5-edEy6hzF1NMGPuXl3rdcV287eqwFxvLOns4ob60asasYMa-0iw4wbs6XqvdrpebfjIjorB2xPsss4_GG_z5uOniyAjELac3DFWwSmMB67eXq6UEkF/s320/IMG_0148.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Becket homestead, and the<br />mother of all 200-foot back ins.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYsS0O4E90GqCfUw8cPvjPffgxX8zcTWv4X5s8QVEmTm05_zFQfETbCdV06mkd_UO-Sft6KGDqiqBQ2UvG-AcsygV9GxdmOY-kiGPo0i3uWxHWxI6aN3bwt2Cn91yTsaekSAuw9n-yGkd/s2880/20210618_220928.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYsS0O4E90GqCfUw8cPvjPffgxX8zcTWv4X5s8QVEmTm05_zFQfETbCdV06mkd_UO-Sft6KGDqiqBQ2UvG-AcsygV9GxdmOY-kiGPo0i3uWxHWxI6aN3bwt2Cn91yTsaekSAuw9n-yGkd/s320/20210618_220928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner on the back screened <br />porch with Spencer and Skyler</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQg4JouxKVaXLTL5P6QmAMr88nAgCxnjFm5zDYcnniyzuio6zbrwQx5g38naymMliJPCKfY5Jb69CxqiV166rcLxTKSi_4o0iT5MDrdWkdQWso0yvLUdn-s4PNkFFntPYUnlECMbG8sIw/s928/IMG_0180.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="928" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQg4JouxKVaXLTL5P6QmAMr88nAgCxnjFm5zDYcnniyzuio6zbrwQx5g38naymMliJPCKfY5Jb69CxqiV166rcLxTKSi_4o0iT5MDrdWkdQWso0yvLUdn-s4PNkFFntPYUnlECMbG8sIw/s320/IMG_0180.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing on Little Robinhood Lake<br />with Feruza and Skyler </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBemYWHySa8p1Yt5SNG-ISPipiQReyc8ivNn3jlwpWd5aoaCEnrgOe-qcO-F5mIfpTA-2Jk5zVfVJBM_WNuF7UNxqinKX7wCMFHVATGUaxp4LuXAxYmzbjEevfhlP1h9foJ3XwXRStGQaD/s1536/IMG_0284.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1157" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBemYWHySa8p1Yt5SNG-ISPipiQReyc8ivNn3jlwpWd5aoaCEnrgOe-qcO-F5mIfpTA-2Jk5zVfVJBM_WNuF7UNxqinKX7wCMFHVATGUaxp4LuXAxYmzbjEevfhlP1h9foJ3XwXRStGQaD/s320/IMG_0284.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel, just before chickenpox</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hazel, Shanti and Alan from London couldn’t
join us due to British Covid travel restrictions. And as it turned out, Hazel came down with
chickenpox about the time they were originally planning to fly to the
States. Fortunately, we get to see them for
six weeks, staring in late July when we fly to London.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame was so worth a second visit.
We last saw it in 2016, and many of the exhibits have changed. While
other museums we have visited also are educational and interesting, this one is
downright fun and high energy. No need for morning coffee before entering!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSIChBy9sa218RqS9C78Jxp9eOg-IGW6-INtGrvEmTUzKpau1Sh4d6x7RRbm0C3VZgxXsvZErnNW7nCqzXaZ7OAK_qBaqVEzTKmNOtOQgL9PcEm0djhdnaKFpAa0ckomaPfOSbH7fH02v/s2880/20210624_132847.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSIChBy9sa218RqS9C78Jxp9eOg-IGW6-INtGrvEmTUzKpau1Sh4d6x7RRbm0C3VZgxXsvZErnNW7nCqzXaZ7OAK_qBaqVEzTKmNOtOQgL9PcEm0djhdnaKFpAa0ckomaPfOSbH7fH02v/s320/20210624_132847.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back side of the R&R Hall of Fame</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFh8Z-wTW6Lj5MTOfIbIoH050mT7eaQL754b9sUgJTXCh7B9O0lgpp3dAIcJZWduLzU0hnY8PxoPLal2iCWetP1RxnCCvMz2SpJP-IhYukrR1u755hoW0biM_-fgU7j27l1tMqE6r3dSU/s2880/20210624_094519.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFh8Z-wTW6Lj5MTOfIbIoH050mT7eaQL754b9sUgJTXCh7B9O0lgpp3dAIcJZWduLzU0hnY8PxoPLal2iCWetP1RxnCCvMz2SpJP-IhYukrR1u755hoW0biM_-fgU7j27l1tMqE6r3dSU/s320/20210624_094519.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front and two wannabe rockers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With over 5,700 trailer miles on the odometer so far, we still have
2500 miles to go, and so we haven’t completed the arc. Even though we have a lot of boring terrain
to cover, we enjoy the process and our time together on the road and in camp. The cicadas hatch and fireflies at night have been a special treat. It’s fascinating to see how the landscape
changes. We’re definitely out of the
dense East Coast forests, and now have better vistas of farms and
horizons. Before long, we’ll be
enjoying very expansive vistas of the dry American west.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHapafolbR7i5vZdfwDjt-RG5O1p-n8h-MhcM2PitLQtqKojieck716Y5eVZhUkZhkHsmHT5RHai9hzOROWPWYLmPWumQeaOwa80lnlrpN4hywDMsrNmKqeWO9UvpsYYhuxpHm1n2R0cj/s2880/20210621_111036.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHapafolbR7i5vZdfwDjt-RG5O1p-n8h-MhcM2PitLQtqKojieck716Y5eVZhUkZhkHsmHT5RHai9hzOROWPWYLmPWumQeaOwa80lnlrpN4hywDMsrNmKqeWO9UvpsYYhuxpHm1n2R0cj/s320/20210621_111036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rails-to-trails on a causeway on Grand <br />Isle to Burlington VT. A bicycle ferry shuttles<br />cyclists around the gap, but we couldn't take it<br />due to predicted high waves and winds</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgzryerJJrJ-4X-GNHb5C6MFeuLiFFD5XjjIZECS58A7zL1WEkNEOqiNkLv5UCD-Q2WW-AUNylE8C7bVODrJEB5E_z8W6czmHY7tlh9rtzwFt1DEDVaWbmborZStZaZ656sYEqFKYDuL2/s1321/20210608_185127.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="1233" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgzryerJJrJ-4X-GNHb5C6MFeuLiFFD5XjjIZECS58A7zL1WEkNEOqiNkLv5UCD-Q2WW-AUNylE8C7bVODrJEB5E_z8W6czmHY7tlh9rtzwFt1DEDVaWbmborZStZaZ656sYEqFKYDuL2/s320/20210608_185127.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grad students Nati Zavala and Jasmine Williams (newly<br />married last week) in Pittsburgh. The city was a very<br />pleasant surprise.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFDWGnB5MKzQHSMUYWpzdU8G7-LGhtbgHHrhf1TPTrGz97TPNF4GkkRXTZ1V3aD45lgtiIHw8ZWvIGKLBM4UmJvhT0ahLROJdIuuzyTaVjBgCxjQBPNR0Xe5SAg_vHbLLytxaR3e62DGz/s1024/IMG_0135.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZFDWGnB5MKzQHSMUYWpzdU8G7-LGhtbgHHrhf1TPTrGz97TPNF4GkkRXTZ1V3aD45lgtiIHw8ZWvIGKLBM4UmJvhT0ahLROJdIuuzyTaVjBgCxjQBPNR0Xe5SAg_vHbLLytxaR3e62DGz/s320/IMG_0135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Jamestown settlement near<br />Newport News, VA.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">PS: Today marks our 10th anniversary of owning an Airstream. Other than a home, no other purchase has changed our lives and circle of friends so much. We bought it for our 34th wedding anniversary. Tomorrow marks our 44th. What a fun ride!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtAUV-3YED6Cs4ZVCv_D5FNAS0Q9W0oLWl9_v-1a8J0gRZCxjYG9R_05ZS1gfH_EadI-Q6rk816I2ddHv1ET8f0-n8ROrLMi8AN0_c7mLP9iD42nzp3Tpu3nkWm73onqm0Q9IssgGLcF/s2880/20210621_211852.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwtAUV-3YED6Cs4ZVCv_D5FNAS0Q9W0oLWl9_v-1a8J0gRZCxjYG9R_05ZS1gfH_EadI-Q6rk816I2ddHv1ET8f0-n8ROrLMi8AN0_c7mLP9iD42nzp3Tpu3nkWm73onqm0Q9IssgGLcF/s320/20210621_211852.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thunderstorm on Grand Isle State Park, VT</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><b>What We Can, While
We Can!</b></i></span><o:p></o:p></p></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-54262681191689024552021-06-02T18:40:00.002-07:002021-06-03T05:18:16.014-07:00 Route 66 and Beyond<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCNOHKLdvfrWW2qlNvXZJSEDmIpPYPVovAu1e-HKVwO0qLsW-HXQIbWZ3levW8UrDWUFsLVUeD2YhuNGgt7Fltke0ivJHuV4J_qh0MCIwZkV2COCfnjBnlCCwduioiGaqUL9UBfRT2ydf/s1678/20210601_093414.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="1678" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCNOHKLdvfrWW2qlNvXZJSEDmIpPYPVovAu1e-HKVwO0qLsW-HXQIbWZ3levW8UrDWUFsLVUeD2YhuNGgt7Fltke0ivJHuV4J_qh0MCIwZkV2COCfnjBnlCCwduioiGaqUL9UBfRT2ydf/s320/20210601_093414.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Biltmore Estate of George Vanderbilt</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Greetings from North Carolina! We’ve been on the road for 18 days and 3,600 miles now, and are finally into the groove of driving a lot, laying over for a couple of days, then driving more. Best of all, we’re still enjoying each other’s company. <br /></span></span><p></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We’re on our way to Becket, MA in the Berkshires where daughter Skyler owns a vacation home with us. Feruza from nearby New York will join us for a weekend. Unfortunately, Shanti, Alan, and granddaughter Hazel had to abandon their plans to join us, due to the UK’s Covid restrictions regarding international travel.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-796a732a-7fff-c503-86fe-8e834d6ad22d"><span style="font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve done the I-80 and I-90 cross country more than enough, so this time we thought we’d take a roundabout southern route. We started off on backroads in OR, CA, and NV. By the time we got to AZ, we followed the path of the Historic Route 66, mostly paved over by I-40 all the way to where we are now. Still, we could see traces of American past and think about the Joads (from the Grapes of Wrath) while traveling through desolate north Texas and AZ. Brother Mark drove from Casa Grande AZ and we enjoyed a 7-mile hike with him in Sedona. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I-40 out of Las Vegas all the way to the Arkansas border was stressful, with crosswinds and mostly trucks out of CA going 75 mph, but overall it’s been interesting to see how the landscape transforms from flat dusty barren rockscapes to the verdant hillsides of TN and NC. I used to think the rudest drivers were from MA, but they are actually from NC. Such nice, friendly people turn into complete jerks when we’re trying to merge or change lanes.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VIdWoGL8fAtsOqqcV0XWgOwjALMii6A8d3HRRFP7nghqwp-lw2nop7v7jdL__mqyxr_cBfrUrKNxKsmkOMwhKkzv0gYJXr6Oh95Dn-7TKyFPfST2b8c4KQ1IMd-PpPreustOUyFZ7hQO/s2880/20210520_085246.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VIdWoGL8fAtsOqqcV0XWgOwjALMii6A8d3HRRFP7nghqwp-lw2nop7v7jdL__mqyxr_cBfrUrKNxKsmkOMwhKkzv0gYJXr6Oh95Dn-7TKyFPfST2b8c4KQ1IMd-PpPreustOUyFZ7hQO/s320/20210520_085246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in SE Nevada</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve stayed in Forest Service campgrounds, RV parks, and Harvest Host wineries, a farm, and a wildlife park. Some were tolerable, but most were nice. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8lGiKV7IUH1tx3NDLyVpsE0VLrLGfv0VqnB4ATIsv2zeiFYYG0i5RXtEtLkVZ6UWYPRL1oOfx62jrn0aHeg-oQc7HmI3ZiA9hoVKCL1YR0jCeQptqrM3tV9jSe3uddesjcZMdHzZmZec/s2880/20210519_161700.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8lGiKV7IUH1tx3NDLyVpsE0VLrLGfv0VqnB4ATIsv2zeiFYYG0i5RXtEtLkVZ6UWYPRL1oOfx62jrn0aHeg-oQc7HmI3ZiA9hoVKCL1YR0jCeQptqrM3tV9jSe3uddesjcZMdHzZmZec/s320/20210519_161700.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mina, NV. Only one other rig there.</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFXuL__55h8eLQmzhU5l0E8fN2hOdmf52hSLLGWLOSRksg60ZcpvyASEGoKeHlC63XYPt6tmbRoPuZzRHVwUVMYWmD_7MQ7Gk0A2peepXy5rsGrao_yLBJ_UL5fOeR4lf5pFcoZR6mr6l/s2880/20210526_184804.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFXuL__55h8eLQmzhU5l0E8fN2hOdmf52hSLLGWLOSRksg60ZcpvyASEGoKeHlC63XYPt6tmbRoPuZzRHVwUVMYWmD_7MQ7Gk0A2peepXy5rsGrao_yLBJ_UL5fOeR4lf5pFcoZR6mr6l/s320/20210526_184804.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Harvest Host Campground in Arkansas.<br />We even had use of his showers in “the Barn.”<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of our highlights was staying in Arkansas with a Harvest Host hay farmer for free, who hooked us to to utilities and bought us pizza. We had four hours of delightful conversations visiting his home and viewing his massive John Deere collection. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IlKXBRKY6iIvxqzpPeaxCmJO3ac3-D8YaBFLNacMBzz2n2gzVSbhjmcplrxmVCwfyTOQ7OTWdbm96wlLDamUt-Yz6Pb4Z92Ge8C_W1mgyP4Rka5D695UrR8XOm2pGYcB_Y8Y50MbP7EC/s2880/20210526_181939.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IlKXBRKY6iIvxqzpPeaxCmJO3ac3-D8YaBFLNacMBzz2n2gzVSbhjmcplrxmVCwfyTOQ7OTWdbm96wlLDamUt-Yz6Pb4Z92Ge8C_W1mgyP4Rka5D695UrR8XOm2pGYcB_Y8Y50MbP7EC/s320/20210526_181939.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete and Cheryle, hosts in AK</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What we've noticed since last September, is that camping is now cordial again. The fear of strangers in masks has abated somewhat. So many people at rest stops and campgrounds talk to us and want to see our Airstream. Nothing like that happened last summer.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Memphis was good, but for the fact that the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi was closed due to a recently discovered crack. (Infrastructure spending, anyone???). So we had some massive grid-lock delays getting into town from our camp on the Mississippi in Arkansas. But Graceland, a walking tour, and above all the National Civil Rights Museum made it all worthwhile. From the start of slavery in the 1600s to 1968, the museum encompasses the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. King was assassinated. One of our best ever museum experiences, especially being where history took place. We don't see how anyone can go through that museum unchanged. It was a very emotional experience.</span></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39BDe9aJjUDAEimjaYNDBzZnAXf43cU_Nc0gFl_I5snckudUDq0EFYYEUmb6ea1KmTcpjHGz0VwgxqJGmBd9_rLS7qr2W5varwl5MjpoIETvGhUtVqhogD81ZOyEJts-g_V3ByxqdFxbV/s2880/20210529_124958.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39BDe9aJjUDAEimjaYNDBzZnAXf43cU_Nc0gFl_I5snckudUDq0EFYYEUmb6ea1KmTcpjHGz0VwgxqJGmBd9_rLS7qr2W5varwl5MjpoIETvGhUtVqhogD81ZOyEJts-g_V3ByxqdFxbV/s320/20210529_124958.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. King was assassinated on the balcony<br />Visitors can actually see his room as it<br />was in April 1968.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We ate well, in the big carnivorous</span> <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">barbeque scene in Memphis, but it was devoid of vegetables and healthy non-meat alternatives. Glad to be back to our own cooking!</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway were stunningly beautiful, especially at 15-35 mph. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5NZ9BgqwuSmx7NLokzQkuqKFALlkQpf4HfXhBgAmGjYTX7gHExWqh5XozwXB5KLWPRMIcw0DTosUn1zJAF8nUMNURB0MnvbEm2ZO5JF6nshs0JSm4CS8W6XFN_Djd8y7IKNNdCAUj71M/s4032/20210531_135850.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5NZ9BgqwuSmx7NLokzQkuqKFALlkQpf4HfXhBgAmGjYTX7gHExWqh5XozwXB5KLWPRMIcw0DTosUn1zJAF8nUMNURB0MnvbEm2ZO5JF6nshs0JSm4CS8W6XFN_Djd8y7IKNNdCAUj71M/s320/20210531_135850.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBlqOJiFn4-UbQxQvNAeQ6iruvGLhALBzv_BimK8sYfzDT4c_xtfFrfDzFDI_BcraG70D3MXgKPSZVRai73ATskGDw2xD9oJmDYO_l4HGrfoX0PORcE_CUbLCRnVgZPOw5c4N770m-ytA/s2880/20210531_132150.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBlqOJiFn4-UbQxQvNAeQ6iruvGLhALBzv_BimK8sYfzDT4c_xtfFrfDzFDI_BcraG70D3MXgKPSZVRai73ATskGDw2xD9oJmDYO_l4HGrfoX0PORcE_CUbLCRnVgZPOw5c4N770m-ytA/s320/20210531_132150.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty impressive. We didn't know the<br />South had such high elevations.</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjREqpwRa6swPTA8X92z2MPYy5lExdbWxXWAGZuOPbgDoJIxqvn0V7M-NqhfFefdq7Gcpm2240WQfIVCvzeB3zlaqGKCK8UPTL5ib7dcRL_wReY-GpLaMI4nnB-rPGPhf8T5n-zZ_alTz/s2880/20210601_193458.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjREqpwRa6swPTA8X92z2MPYy5lExdbWxXWAGZuOPbgDoJIxqvn0V7M-NqhfFefdq7Gcpm2240WQfIVCvzeB3zlaqGKCK8UPTL5ib7dcRL_wReY-GpLaMI4nnB-rPGPhf8T5n-zZ_alTz/s320/20210601_193458.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Forrest Service campground outside<br />Asheville, NC Nice campfire with<br />hobo stew (foil-wrapped veggies, etc.)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With 7 miles left, our Jeep’s electronics had a nervous breakdown. No gauges, only a warning that said <i>“Don’t turn off engine or shift, as you may not be able to start again.” </i> So, on Memorial Day, without turn signals or brake lights we made it down 8% grades and onto I-40 to a dealership in Asheville, NC. A kind salesman on duty directed us to a level spot on the dealership lot where we could camp until things opened on Tuesday morning. But after we unhitched and pulled forward three feet, it started right up again with everything back to normal! So, onward to a very nice Forest Service campground for two nights.</span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, while JP (the name of our Jeep) was being looked at, the dealership’s shuttle driver took us a long distance to the Biltmore Estate, built by George Vanderbilt in the late 1800s. It was like having our one locally-born tour guide coming and going. (He said his name was Mack, but I think in the thick local dialect it was really Mike). </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The estate and tour were definitely worth it. Best of all?? All the mechanics had to do is a simple reset of the system and remove the after-market WIFI module we had added two months ago. Kind of like turn your phone or computer off, then start it again. </span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1cmICFNxpmRQNutPuAYtGveHowHLx2qvXcPIJYfKoXQzx27o9Xc36LZgM_Jk7uV6jxKrVH5ZWxsQNqMHcB9ZYO0FxxYZ-0ojTyp7-8g3VvWLnZl5_qIKZ7A9J8xp47xrcdO8B-afe5SG/s2880/20210601_093243.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1cmICFNxpmRQNutPuAYtGveHowHLx2qvXcPIJYfKoXQzx27o9Xc36LZgM_Jk7uV6jxKrVH5ZWxsQNqMHcB9ZYO0FxxYZ-0ojTyp7-8g3VvWLnZl5_qIKZ7A9J8xp47xrcdO8B-afe5SG/s320/20210601_093243.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spectacular and over-the-top<br />Biltmore mansion.</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfg7LhLura7MUKpcdeRVRwx-YfhNJIDeWjNlWzB0G-c_KZsZnCBvd8tBMd0f9PMSynQ4DB8P-7NIwPJd5ny3u13xihLxSQQi8vWdEihzybE0TJNhwAabmunZgX2zyMfYmOTBwBXK-UuO8/s1520/signal-2021-05-20-123528.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfg7LhLura7MUKpcdeRVRwx-YfhNJIDeWjNlWzB0G-c_KZsZnCBvd8tBMd0f9PMSynQ4DB8P-7NIwPJd5ny3u13xihLxSQQi8vWdEihzybE0TJNhwAabmunZgX2zyMfYmOTBwBXK-UuO8/s320/signal-2021-05-20-123528.jpg" /></a></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What’s next? We’re heading to Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown tomorrow for a couple of nights, then on to Pittsburgh to visit our long-term mentee and only ‘son’ Nati Zavala and his fiancé, Jasmine.</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here’s a <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/FR7c77tVRoBYCDYQA" target="_blank">link to a few curated photos</a></b></u>, more or less in chronological order. Enjoy!</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“What We Can, While We Can!”</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ps: Here are a couple of gratuitous photos of Hazel, now 14.5 months old.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jJ63uJJ2tVlkZ5IEIMS-t6Xm0ukL16G8iEGvMmCev9-HKKzOegPrOO1EHXEgDSQobrwfZF8Tvih-7MHQUwFBEC1Q83IemDE602kJFA6ZPRFJUYw-vesT2wSFeV6ucelBnRX803GpSZPh/s1536/signal-2021-05-17-082006.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jJ63uJJ2tVlkZ5IEIMS-t6Xm0ukL16G8iEGvMmCev9-HKKzOegPrOO1EHXEgDSQobrwfZF8Tvih-7MHQUwFBEC1Q83IemDE602kJFA6ZPRFJUYw-vesT2wSFeV6ucelBnRX803GpSZPh/s320/signal-2021-05-17-082006.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ron & Kathy</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="mailto:Rwk777@gmail.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rwk777@gmail.com</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="mailto:Kathyek@gmail.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0563c1; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kathyek@gmail.com</span></a></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-71461526409038166442021-04-28T13:34:00.003-07:002021-04-28T13:45:52.380-07:00Grandparenting in the UK Countryside<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeeD8mEBmrts5QmR1xCBvOygzseU3-Ehb5WxEQDf-0i7RQhl0mX9gE1NjgadRlbSbVHbCrE3JFDZbW7pOGm4hZsE66mfLAspy9fkGrX9pBmn_VGJryLNKg6I2bnM4RM-IE_PDgQlWtaWD/s2215/IMG_9744.heic" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1426" data-original-width="2215" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeeD8mEBmrts5QmR1xCBvOygzseU3-Ehb5WxEQDf-0i7RQhl0mX9gE1NjgadRlbSbVHbCrE3JFDZbW7pOGm4hZsE66mfLAspy9fkGrX9pBmn_VGJryLNKg6I2bnM4RM-IE_PDgQlWtaWD/w360-h232/IMG_9744.heic" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the wildlife park with Shanti, Alan, and Hazel.</td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-size: medium;">After 13 months we finally got to meet and hold our
granddaughter, Hazel, in person. What a
joy! Even with regular FaceTime visits
over the past year, it took about four days for her to warm up to us to
us. She was born just as the London
lockdown started, and, other than her parents and day care providers, she has had
little contact with adults.<span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxh4cjC_Gj1krZ3J3iOF-Sm0HBtMZbbQdLkWog3KDgY4sMz7ZDp8lTqNiyuBQSzZDIh-ZLUnMnGNvC-hMhnQcxKXkcqR3X9x3XmjKT_33qXYXqcUfZYECsogOX3RUazLtoylsVejC5GYC9/w233-h310/20210428_083111.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="233" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helping unload the dishwasher</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTopQWbkTc1ANKV3lSbs-9EDJZjIBCiBvTyQDpxWkwhM967kAoSUJQrQbSw50CeQeVL1ZP1t7TBrFxKQhTgYt5AQbHqUGBqu0lZu6nMPwjHk1E-tRgieHUZz5g4velWvqCIcIujhXaJjpH/s1838/IMG_9856.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1838" data-original-width="1554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTopQWbkTc1ANKV3lSbs-9EDJZjIBCiBvTyQDpxWkwhM967kAoSUJQrQbSw50CeQeVL1ZP1t7TBrFxKQhTgYt5AQbHqUGBqu0lZu6nMPwjHk1E-tRgieHUZz5g4velWvqCIcIujhXaJjpH/s320/IMG_9856.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in our front yard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxh4cjC_Gj1krZ3J3iOF-Sm0HBtMZbbQdLkWog3KDgY4sMz7ZDp8lTqNiyuBQSzZDIh-ZLUnMnGNvC-hMhnQcxKXkcqR3X9x3XmjKT_33qXYXqcUfZYECsogOX3RUazLtoylsVejC5GYC9/s2880/20210428_083111.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoVWUIdQeJGZs2xd_zLp98NjeRhL7H_XKau1hGY9wm3xVL_YlwPvmyPn5JMzscLYoakFmt44_shyJhfQI11iZhhzHrF9DGFES185JKN2dNDB6IKwPk-D7ECOLc0876eXdKyM9yXOE-bvn/s2880/20210427_143525.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSoVWUIdQeJGZs2xd_zLp98NjeRhL7H_XKau1hGY9wm3xVL_YlwPvmyPn5JMzscLYoakFmt44_shyJhfQI11iZhhzHrF9DGFES185JKN2dNDB6IKwPk-D7ECOLc0876eXdKyM9yXOE-bvn/w400-h300/20210427_143525.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanti, Alan, and Hazel. It's been so nice <br />to hang wih them!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Besides becoming fully vaccinated, a few stars aligned up
two weeks ago to make his trip possible.
First, the UK government permitted London residents to leave town and
the quarantine rules were changed so that we could do so with family members
and for only five days—provided we get regular Covid tests. We’ve had three so far, including the one
required the day before we could board the 216-passenger jumbo jet with just 10
other passengers and eight crew. </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAj2mCvO_FWxJ4XFQi84fABzQUAxo0KIS7S8fOlkuO327EWbxwRRrH9_17jkwipFjyIhRAgACU90IsrzpZ0KRHmf9v7luDqeP13cjBuMKyrJ0NXJcv45Cp-Vf5ZWlWqYc4a_MjqrNh4-Q/s1536/signal-2021-04-20-151032.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="No shortage of overhead storage. We later stretched out in the empty seats behind us for a good sleep." border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1536" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAj2mCvO_FWxJ4XFQi84fABzQUAxo0KIS7S8fOlkuO327EWbxwRRrH9_17jkwipFjyIhRAgACU90IsrzpZ0KRHmf9v7luDqeP13cjBuMKyrJ0NXJcv45Cp-Vf5ZWlWqYc4a_MjqrNh4-Q/w320-h240/signal-2021-04-20-151032.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No problem with overhead storage!<br />We moved back a cabin to stretch out<br />on the empty middle seats for a good<br />sleep.</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Shanti and Alan found a delightful three-bedroom home in the
countryside about an hour from London near Marlborough. Actually, our place is a former stable next
to a 16<sup>th</sup> Century mansion. Very comfortable! It even has an adjacent barn with a piano, foosball, ping pong, and is a refuge for me to practice drumming on my practice pad without driving everyone else crazy.</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6FDfF_DbWza5TooLUUOX286HfsZKDiuI7ACnpU1YzRHyHGR3RKcDF-kpI9FxpsoGv15lAv75_K93QHl08A2OH5DwjO8c_X4bxyoglWCeBlYgQBFbeqPj_YbdsXgw5sxbVHOE3kc-lsVx/s2880/IMG_9849.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6FDfF_DbWza5TooLUUOX286HfsZKDiuI7ACnpU1YzRHyHGR3RKcDF-kpI9FxpsoGv15lAv75_K93QHl08A2OH5DwjO8c_X4bxyoglWCeBlYgQBFbeqPj_YbdsXgw5sxbVHOE3kc-lsVx/s320/IMG_9849.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our stable</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
area is laced with public paths through farms, pastures, and villages. Shanti is working remotely. Kathy and I are just
chilling and having fun with Hazel. What
a 25-pound bundle of energy—almost too much for us oldsters who thought we were in shape. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJReadhAiKvIy9C8cIZXrCVWA3LNjbZtpjCx28IEIGFuhVWCcogr0wntK66M4MEJuZKIq4aNYnTQrgzGIt41doYlFLWQOhE2P3UWRW-_VgFYmifN4Eypq_q51ddY99_FhEVSSNuAhWFkU/s2880/20210425_104811.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJReadhAiKvIy9C8cIZXrCVWA3LNjbZtpjCx28IEIGFuhVWCcogr0wntK66M4MEJuZKIq4aNYnTQrgzGIt41doYlFLWQOhE2P3UWRW-_VgFYmifN4Eypq_q51ddY99_FhEVSSNuAhWFkU/s320/20210425_104811.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our yard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gu5AakHRuD8Qvon2Kl70P2SK2Yhhb5qVhflsifSvqCue1hPBRJib2D6ckKuaFxMegvdcGqKwhjZJRoPNzRSc20-fLmIdPM0ILT1ZYSowxqEL99RExSa3peVD1I3glUaa9I7AdGipwiny/s2880/20210425_104757.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gu5AakHRuD8Qvon2Kl70P2SK2Yhhb5qVhflsifSvqCue1hPBRJib2D6ckKuaFxMegvdcGqKwhjZJRoPNzRSc20-fLmIdPM0ILT1ZYSowxqEL99RExSa3peVD1I3glUaa9I7AdGipwiny/s320/20210425_104757.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 'barn'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2eQ09GqIhfr4avIObtiINqYyVl9dbwXfQKbUeHG6jZrrsXcuWBWYuFOJ6oPRpFuRzs4ew05Cgjv0Q9ABehlWHwK_IcUw1goAvB9gR6VeeNU6dnR3k5nRzX_-3pHwl-GsalabLPJEuUeT/s2880/20210424_070839.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2eQ09GqIhfr4avIObtiINqYyVl9dbwXfQKbUeHG6jZrrsXcuWBWYuFOJ6oPRpFuRzs4ew05Cgjv0Q9ABehlWHwK_IcUw1goAvB9gR6VeeNU6dnR3k5nRzX_-3pHwl-GsalabLPJEuUeT/s320/20210424_070839.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our bedroom</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday morning we received our negative
Covid results, releasing us from our five-day quarantine.
We celebrated by grocery shopping at Waitrose (kind of like Whole Foods)
and buying unique products, cheap wines, Moroccan blueberries, French cheeses
and fabulous breads. Shanti took the day
off and we drove to a wildlife park in the beautiful countryside. We also visited a monolithic site similar to Stonehenge. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDKZDuh9DHKT9OdOrYXBEteab5_8lP_E5K6qnRO-qpdcb8pFT_HVU5rHznjNzWdY_vFCtHwyfWKe6N4ex7j8S0_AOPN7VbkwHsBUSoOS8pq-N4HMz9aXbus3vS-k5i2r7M7IdMJZ87Qpm/s2880/20210426_111726.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDKZDuh9DHKT9OdOrYXBEteab5_8lP_E5K6qnRO-qpdcb8pFT_HVU5rHznjNzWdY_vFCtHwyfWKe6N4ex7j8S0_AOPN7VbkwHsBUSoOS8pq-N4HMz9aXbus3vS-k5i2r7M7IdMJZ87Qpm/s320/20210426_111726.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonehenge Light (Avebury) without<br />hoards of tourists</td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p class="MsoNormal">Hazel identified a lot of “dogs” at the zoo, including some with
stripes, horns, manes, humps, and long necks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some could even fly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow
Alan will drop Kathy and me off for a 10-mile walk along a canal tow path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Saturday we depart for four nights in
London, where Kathy and I will get a chance to experience their neighborhood
and see Hazel’s amazing day care facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal">So, life is good! We're so glad we upended our other plans and made the trip.</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>“What We Can, While We Can!”</i></b><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcSBe5XwFC5XkfFFATmuOb1GfLZL6FOr6frg-Tt81nXXfxKrsCA8HqktyVIvad8-mH4PrTIEiHh8FGT8j2M7aE8XIyOJsvUq32BF-NKJH7MhPyJUve2C3qNzodRj6rTom2JyFE1WTlTbG/s2090/20210427_145907.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="1072" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcSBe5XwFC5XkfFFATmuOb1GfLZL6FOr6frg-Tt81nXXfxKrsCA8HqktyVIvad8-mH4PrTIEiHh8FGT8j2M7aE8XIyOJsvUq32BF-NKJH7MhPyJUve2C3qNzodRj6rTom2JyFE1WTlTbG/w205-h400/20210427_145907.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoo playground (Hazel<br />has her mother's childhood<br />fearlessness.)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3Z-4eT-DbIN58pjuY90x-n_qFBzlbJjlHyBemvcAXuJ2WcbiyaeKB09RDhNTJPgPMTpOraXa0Bodrm5ctrc5a6hdg95OttdK-ADRiKCzYnOSHyEJ_GzkTg4YTlZmB6Vv4YgLbjm3cURE/s2880/20210426_125631.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3Z-4eT-DbIN58pjuY90x-n_qFBzlbJjlHyBemvcAXuJ2WcbiyaeKB09RDhNTJPgPMTpOraXa0Bodrm5ctrc5a6hdg95OttdK-ADRiKCzYnOSHyEJ_GzkTg4YTlZmB6Vv4YgLbjm3cURE/s320/20210426_125631.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding Grandma</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLwCcWVurtOsBNNzyCYxIkjj007eLQaGpCu2fmH67cZjUhWXxgzbVQqUWJAS49FkSPeAl0eJTfh8nNPL1OVJZPAG_VN8ILY6_SsnP22ydw1uj_K03DYULhrN3Z3exAE1JdttGLTTzMupA/s2880/IMG_9854.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLwCcWVurtOsBNNzyCYxIkjj007eLQaGpCu2fmH67cZjUhWXxgzbVQqUWJAS49FkSPeAl0eJTfh8nNPL1OVJZPAG_VN8ILY6_SsnP22ydw1uj_K03DYULhrN3Z3exAE1JdttGLTTzMupA/w352-h264/IMG_9854.JPG" width="352" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a public path near our place</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzLDc8kljLMAkj2JgOuMtwl04-m0jezAAeiwynbARZtX_JPEtPB1Kggo42Jz1-98iopCG-K2Hu1oenJswMboT8WK4W5LTSiPTMkcf0CPcz_CZCMZKi1Y_3k_vPTjUKHwQGo4Z-_nDb3fP/s4032/IMG_9705.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzLDc8kljLMAkj2JgOuMtwl04-m0jezAAeiwynbARZtX_JPEtPB1Kggo42Jz1-98iopCG-K2Hu1oenJswMboT8WK4W5LTSiPTMkcf0CPcz_CZCMZKi1Y_3k_vPTjUKHwQGo4Z-_nDb3fP/w640-h480/IMG_9705.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating our quarantine release</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GJGtTT606_5FXVARIGENbK-RLETk4PZgFUxSZ9-PAKMi1NRHgWcwfvCf5aZE89vmctMzAGeTGZbF0ZpRmYMeFy4DIU5rCGUO7jY6wUSgMQZ3P5KAmtcHhlA7FGriNhV0q9XOaXTcwhRS/s4032/IMG_9752.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GJGtTT606_5FXVARIGENbK-RLETk4PZgFUxSZ9-PAKMi1NRHgWcwfvCf5aZE89vmctMzAGeTGZbF0ZpRmYMeFy4DIU5rCGUO7jY6wUSgMQZ3P5KAmtcHhlA7FGriNhV0q9XOaXTcwhRS/s320/IMG_9752.HEIC" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bed time story</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeTHyTQ4CZcPUjmJxL-OqtdRcSI2nZiFvRe9REOerw0NAinh2Wm5r_SCGpJTGUDp8oHjzCxeOwXdlXaZvLNAMCIdECqhFC64P_RaKEubUkekDHNXeHLtaybftcRSfWRDK-vgMmS_qdKNF/s659/IMG_9651.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="370" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeTHyTQ4CZcPUjmJxL-OqtdRcSI2nZiFvRe9REOerw0NAinh2Wm5r_SCGpJTGUDp8oHjzCxeOwXdlXaZvLNAMCIdECqhFC64P_RaKEubUkekDHNXeHLtaybftcRSfWRDK-vgMmS_qdKNF/w360-h640/IMG_9651.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Little One' does a commendable job of <br />keeping up with the elders!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>PS: My Thanks to our most wonderful son-in-law Alan Hampson for most of the photos. That's why you don't see him in many of them. </i></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-43322447878528107292020-09-23T09:23:00.003-07:002020-09-23T09:41:58.375-07:00R.I.P. Karen<div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="1398" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1ennhdmxX0UvrKdnAoOnxjBSJIveIpmfYcur6BbNmDJO9XEp7tedJTdmTxlaZgGbtcqbIQNDiG81WQuRA8tL8BoFrQnD2R8Onh0kAm9VX1XPreTPD8z-ENvhtGU6NR97Xk4t0BMHos32/w274-h183/Self+portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="274" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Baxter Kelemen self portrait<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We like
purpose-driven travel, whether it’s for an international service project or
something as simple as visiting family or learning more about our world. Driving 1400 miles to Denver, Colorado for
our sister-in-law’s memorial service was a new reason for us.<o:p> </o:p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Karen Baxter
Kelemen, 66, died unexpectedly in her sleep March 21, just days into Colorado’s
lockdown. It was hard on my younger
brother Neal and 26-year-old nephew William.
Karen was racked by severe pain from a nearly fatal auto accident at age
22. Yet, she powered through it to
become a mother, writer, youth pastor, musician, and accomplished artist. She was such a
beautiful person, inside and out. (See
her definition of success at the end of this post.) In 2001, she wrote:</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Pain
says, PAY ATTENTION</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>There is its gift,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes it is gnawing,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Like wild dogs breaking bones to the marrow.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes it is insistent,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Like someone pounding on the door who just won’t go
away.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Sometimes it is unbearable,<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><i>Yet, somehow I endure.<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">We are consoled by her sky paintings which now grace our guest bedroom.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1580" data-original-width="2049" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9uFf8_cYJhQrOV_Rpcw9Eu2RdNEzkovN5EpHwrSrjKKL8RzUyrvcoCVCK24PO2wpAphX7Tn5gmpnCpXPG1H55GnDxojSLtkIlT1P9ghwx_TuR5yGiZ6BTDIPv_BVVAvwSlLvZTCStCagB/w286-h221/20200922_095358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="286" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyscape Oil<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitL9IwbYd9qFK5F2P6mkvubN2UKOkmS95vaMfn4x7hkU08LLqglZ1WD8F3lCLcwfEp1A2DPgrJN2mTRhgHORABd_8pjypemNRsWRgjP6jqVTJt0Pm75LvY_JLcJfIhH0II2Jr74mXxHYaL/w296-h222/20200922_095309.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="296" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyscape pastel from solo gallery show<br />at SOHO West<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">The socially-distanced service was
simple and beautiful in the small park in front of Neal and William’s
home. And it was a nice opportunity to visit
with siblings, cousins, and friends we haven’t seen in a long time.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCded5xjCw0faAMHdLf29N6rzpYsZTrhlnFcdRxumPiLsS3x8l7FmaXqJU0y1pK6NgsTTKCAsrW0GAhDUTe4-N5ukEaYK2lyOaiKSslmq5ep4I7QPXJwOZsO_wCo3qFAFaIp03xapqEHvi/w299-h224/20200912_104320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="299" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simple, distanced, and beautiful<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div></div><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2160" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8VoEXwCgXosilPVutaVAXW-vMrRY-GgkXqB5ZUwHKT8Er1uMs0_RBtgELY9kdevlWHX88nSrMfwYD8ST_Ia_Kgx3dfxmi7IozbSuTSPFizJKeFtWNGTp9O3z70MCoSAI4XgKc8HgqOQG/w195-h260/20200912_125819.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="195" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bros and nephew William<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Getting There</h3><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">We lucked out
getting there and back. We departed
Salem on Labor Day, heading east in the smoke and high winds against a
bumper-to-bumper stream of Labor Day traffic.
Some of that traffic was undoubtedly evacuees of the Metolius River
campground where we had planned to stay our first night. We pushed on four more hours to Paige Springs
campground in SE Oregon near French Glenn. <br /><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">It was too
windy and smoky to eat outside. We
wondered if the smoke and winds were going to follow us all the way to
Denver. But overnight the winds shifted,
and we awoke the next day to clear blue skies.
Unfortunately, that wind change was catastrophic for so many Oregonians
and the communities we had driven through on Monday. Without cell coverage, we were oblivious to
it all and hiked 12 miles round trip to the confluence of the Donner and
Blitzen rivers. </div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7o5jTB6JIRPVJQUCm7QhB4ElUT5_Z1J7iZyH0NkOtJIm6dPTnEiR0TcsuznRDPw0-yC8qwxzCsPw-0N5sSpPrvabG4HSu_3WRfJF4Mp4fSNuXfNOU_eIQMWOHNUBodIr50veWmjoCpnSb/w278-h209/20200908_152306.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="278" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Paige Springs camp<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pRsoavZaYhT5Yb6acnJrmY0XrrDMTVqhRYETKUJFiucHQIfYsVr8B4BHjdlKUPY93BOO1l1s1m20z3qrx26EACFZduJHcLIKpGjr-D39V93_oZuDnY98LD2MhvSqOHWfBJ31JTfgLH-C/w283-h212/20200908_130712.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="283" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the Doner and Blitzen Rivers converge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">On that same
day, much of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming were hit with up to 10
inches of snow—not a good omen for Karen’s memorial. We drove through snow and
camped in mud at Rock Springs Wyoming, but when we arrived Friday afternoon,
the weather was perfect.</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhiRfMA-Gv5X8ok5rH10e9NGZf1TYODFSpkapSXmfeSCsZTqCp_YyVSHb914r23GM3bRN-4c_753QIvvYzt58ZPGoit4xT7pFrEcBND7ZQujOXmbg5PwwEB0Vx8-x2y1NRx39vdOjRXR8/s2048/IMG_3902.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhiRfMA-Gv5X8ok5rH10e9NGZf1TYODFSpkapSXmfeSCsZTqCp_YyVSHb914r23GM3bRN-4c_753QIvvYzt58ZPGoit4xT7pFrEcBND7ZQujOXmbg5PwwEB0Vx8-x2y1NRx39vdOjRXR8/w277-h208/IMG_3902.jpeg" width="277" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere between Bridger and <br />Evanston, WY<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-vGoHwvzCn5VTrKzqf5wxhu6ZgiT4H7BCHcLNs12uLU6hjV7qoH2JLc__3BzTMfpLY1HSoDwZQpyygKh0-E8ypMAXidwl8YqeYKIh-mGT9zX_lRyVTAUzPlbwtdY8lb8MU1GcrM1DgDJ/s2880/20200910_181716.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-vGoHwvzCn5VTrKzqf5wxhu6ZgiT4H7BCHcLNs12uLU6hjV7qoH2JLc__3BzTMfpLY1HSoDwZQpyygKh0-E8ypMAXidwl8YqeYKIh-mGT9zX_lRyVTAUzPlbwtdY8lb8MU1GcrM1DgDJ/w271-h203/20200910_181716.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock Springs fairgrounds. That town<br />has to be the armpit or anus of Wyoming</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Following the
memorial service, we camped just outside Rocky Mountain National Park with my younger
brothers, Mark and Neal. RMNP was my
very first camping experience at age 7, and I fondly remember that trip
vividly. My last time there was in 1968 when
I climbed 14,259-foot Longs Peak with Mark and sister Sandra. I couldn’t believe the crowds, but then in
this era of COVID I guess I should.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8exkplm3a1UJY104gPdKRXboUyeb-FwocyQKeL6aEVJfM6_JbrCRWRBdGd-hXUS02h6w34ZiW41dnkWlFxOUcC9J6uJkp1Jelq_8Thmhlp4x_wdQPxbPCTWvFdI58mR9ZQG_UKl8gbh-/s4032/20200914_103612.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8exkplm3a1UJY104gPdKRXboUyeb-FwocyQKeL6aEVJfM6_JbrCRWRBdGd-hXUS02h6w34ZiW41dnkWlFxOUcC9J6uJkp1Jelq_8Thmhlp4x_wdQPxbPCTWvFdI58mR9ZQG_UKl8gbh-/w364-h178/20200914_103612.jpg" width="364" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moraine Valley, RMNP<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2040" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivh8ZvGYvOslYwwhSFQyPyh4rrLs_V2r7yytO_Djz2M7iwK-OcIfXE6P3-gQjnfI5S7AOGSpDRrWlH0K5RsYayZcCvH_DoiHhs9Q_pTwLfp7wnSrIYQWdAy0wL-VmnKfPmzE0CKcv9d1AS/w347-h262/119650006_3282203335180768_7778314895016746217_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="347" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear Lake. (Mark's Photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br style="text-align: left;" /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQjecfikn_Wsccv22DXu6hh4pbmwGRVBJ2yyQibSthl4sHOdVnD561JWpiPkOj6h0DEqlpFLJIF8Lx9ii8RmCfsQn9tCkuQKP-pF1P4HHM9FTL9gZIqvPEK9cah2U0D3F7JZNTJa96va9/s2880/20200913_151534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQjecfikn_Wsccv22DXu6hh4pbmwGRVBJ2yyQibSthl4sHOdVnD561JWpiPkOj6h0DEqlpFLJIF8Lx9ii8RmCfsQn9tCkuQKP-pF1P4HHM9FTL9gZIqvPEK9cah2U0D3F7JZNTJa96va9/w354-h266/20200913_151534.jpg" width="354" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longs Peak in the distance, elevation 14, 256. From <br />Trail Ridge Road, at over 12,000 feet, the<br />highest paved road in the world. It was cleared of<br />snow just a day before we drove it</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIVsVtQTTUzVllYcQvwgrh7mYM3OIkIXF28LXWnAXoZAPuQQIupix_kXhUS8nNOrv0uFkzwfzfoKjPvPnnwBxTPcSLjRoHwCXYsSOqtXtBTHV0BzaSlio322HDHseaVBKWmJNzorkxPOJ/s2880/20200913_155422.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIVsVtQTTUzVllYcQvwgrh7mYM3OIkIXF28LXWnAXoZAPuQQIupix_kXhUS8nNOrv0uFkzwfzfoKjPvPnnwBxTPcSLjRoHwCXYsSOqtXtBTHV0BzaSlio322HDHseaVBKWmJNzorkxPOJ/s320/20200913_155422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three of the four bros and kathy.<br />Near Trail Ridge Road visitor center, elev. 12,000<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />The last
evening there, our Uzbek daughter, Feruza, and her boyfriend from New York had dinner with
us while on the way home from a Utah camping road trip. It was so nice to see her in person, if only
briefly. And it was the first time Mark and Neal got to meet her.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcqMP49CuJukqG2qMTaEOUGQntJEjbkpLMxMxJ6evu0qasd39URjOPzEFZNFD3CoLByFM7MuB_VxepqVnzQi0xl1EMqAu6p1VZCZtn6fM7RXO6qhffvwJXuiYVQAXxq97RwXhiUqXjfHM/s2880/20200915_092213.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcqMP49CuJukqG2qMTaEOUGQntJEjbkpLMxMxJ6evu0qasd39URjOPzEFZNFD3CoLByFM7MuB_VxepqVnzQi0xl1EMqAu6p1VZCZtn6fM7RXO6qhffvwJXuiYVQAXxq97RwXhiUqXjfHM/s320/20200915_092213.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy, Feruza, and Ron<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Getting Back</h3><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Our original
plans were to take our time getting home, savoring the golden aspen foliage, and
possibly driving north along the coast of California on Highway 1. But I got a hernia in late August
following an epic morning at the gym.
Although surgery was scheduled for October, it was getting worse. So, we called the surgeon and got the date
moved up to the 28<sup>th</sup> and took a direct route home. Just as well, as the fires in California made
the Highway 1 route no longer possible.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">As we drove
through dense haze in the Columbia gorge, we couldn’t see the river. Fortunately heavy rains started in the
Willamette Valley the night before cleaning the valley air. By the time we got to Salem, it was a steady deluge, and the damp air smelled wonderful. Once again, we lucked out!</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">Hazel</h3><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">This was the
month we were supposed to be in London providing day care for our six-month old
granddaughter, Hazel. But the COVID
upended everything for everybody, and compared to many, we still have it very
good. We hope you do, too.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_KO_Jfhbuy-0YqWqbn_yrl_WKnQGzqFHjJda6Z9VYiU1KodEsvZQ50uWotYrAUd36IFLwrRBtNg0z1XgbSBEdSm-m27ytWbEDvIIyRykZlhv2xlcfUoNP01LDdVvVUWwkORojbNXlqk3/w210-h280/IMG-20200817-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="210" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel's first book<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aiXc5WguknArv45PUSsf3131_m1fZtQ80alsGmr9N5Q1eWFsJual7R7QffsI9ylxXOxZIF__X7nICHGFgB44WAmLKVMVddz2rFw_pMrOp3v86yx2XoZ3Z-JOORkN64iHaqg-O36p3C51/w287-h215/IMG-20200912-WA0001.jpg" width="287" /></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solid food fun!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i>"What We Can, While We Can"</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i>OR</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><i>"What We Could, While We Could"</i></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(It’s
still WW<sup>2 </sup>either way.)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Karen’s definition
of success</b> </span><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">(and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s)</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><br /></i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><i>To laugh often and much,</i></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>To win the
respect of intelligent people and the affection of children,</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>To earn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>To appreciate
beauty,</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>To find the
best in others,</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>To leave the
world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed
social condition,</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>This is to have
succeeded.</i><i>To know that
even one life has breathed better because you have lived.</i></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<o:p> </o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1338" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXKMryUT57dcnt13iZRU_XPkam2_aQ6rmL4rL290L3ma4BG3VpCjtZ303ASwoKN1IOK5rLdhGJwx74aa5SAiiivKRp-2bLtwEvNh1epjOlFk2VMxg6kh6VKDVk4D2OHVsontvHxLkeXCj/w216-h242/portrait6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="216" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Karen Baxter Kelemen<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span> </span> By that measure, Karen was a huge success! R. I. P. Karen.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-76466476051273029162020-07-25T19:27:00.006-07:002020-07-26T17:58:29.025-07:00Getting Out of Dodge<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Like most people 4 ½ months ago, we thought things would be mostly back
to some sort of normal by now. We hoped we’d
still be able to fly to London in May to see our first grandchild and fly there
again for some extended daycare starting late in August. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqHUDiUqOv8-HJzXrRZmH-RkdIcR5xk-3Y-Um-mhsNGhSXbJIi5F-4tJLqJQqOKQJn7_8cBONEOA2AgPtR2zlRY8WD9VR85oJX7P0LmDJ4qPYsbVZ5Xpg1Cd0pGjm1I_BW-mzn6pRYoOR/s1574/20200716_150113.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="1574" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqHUDiUqOv8-HJzXrRZmH-RkdIcR5xk-3Y-Um-mhsNGhSXbJIi5F-4tJLqJQqOKQJn7_8cBONEOA2AgPtR2zlRY8WD9VR85oJX7P0LmDJ4qPYsbVZ5Xpg1Cd0pGjm1I_BW-mzn6pRYoOR/w205-h164/20200716_150113.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our only non-selfie of two road trips</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We thought we’d still be able to spend a week
at our daughter’s mountain home in the Berkshires and take in Ringo Starr and
Judy Collins at the Tanglewood Festival.
And my brother Neal and I were supposed to be backpacking this week in
southern Colorado. Not to mention
in-person Rotary, Assistance League, and Capital Manor meetings, hosting dinner
parties, going to concerts, and dining out.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Please don’t feel sorry for us, as we have it pretty damn good.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike so many others during this Covid
crisis, we are healthy and solvent, and so are our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We don't have to go to work. </span>We are merely inconvenienced. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first, we enjoyed the novelty of it all
with new recipes, romantic dinners, binge watching, sleeping in, video calls, in-home
workouts, and books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve done our part
to isolate, distance, and mask up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that
said, every once-in-awhile, it feels so good to get out of town, or even out of
the house. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time for a socially-distancing
road trip or two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRojj50RgTcoiN5KDkU6pBd8ClRcqvXMMFUb0dcDA2ocBd8-uK7TenXiW19_LWbSYkR3KtQ-PX5iCXmy7FysYYYW2VIkLksBD9B0j7ZRl5hXbHTALmtte9nla68Ev3p-TbWGFSaM3hIfvL/s2880/20200706_162136.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRojj50RgTcoiN5KDkU6pBd8ClRcqvXMMFUb0dcDA2ocBd8-uK7TenXiW19_LWbSYkR3KtQ-PX5iCXmy7FysYYYW2VIkLksBD9B0j7ZRl5hXbHTALmtte9nla68Ev3p-TbWGFSaM3hIfvL/w256-h192/20200706_162136.jpg" title="Camping alone at a Harvest Host Winery near the Columbia Gorge" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping alone at a Harvest Host <br />winery near the Columbia Gorge</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">With self-service gas, a full trailer pantry and fridge, and
self-contained toilet and shower, it was easy to maintain distances in the wide-open
west.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not since we left the Peace Corps
in 1980 with four months of unstructured travel through Burma, Nepal and India,
have we traveled without a destination or itinerary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very liberating! And there is something very therapeutic about the expansive horizons or the West.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b>The John Day Fossil Beds and Painted Hills in June</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We haven’t been to this area in decades, and it was better than we
remembered it. The Painted Hills are beautiful! </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X7nu2GxVzAA7fx0lleiiR_K0tiPbJ9cJjjEBaNXT4bX8gq3nCQo7u3xg9Xt_5RyrKkYntFIwbKI3Qay11tDMp11cpHptP-5yV_sa3li4kzU_dFRXWhaQodtm06lRHfH7ei0ZGgPR9CNs/s1440/DSC05488.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X7nu2GxVzAA7fx0lleiiR_K0tiPbJ9cJjjEBaNXT4bX8gq3nCQo7u3xg9Xt_5RyrKkYntFIwbKI3Qay11tDMp11cpHptP-5yV_sa3li4kzU_dFRXWhaQodtm06lRHfH7ei0ZGgPR9CNs/w256-h192/DSC05488.JPG" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many colorful views<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>We kicked it off with a first
night at our favorite place in all of Oregon—the Metolius River near Camp
Sherman. We’ve made it a point to camp
there every year for the past 35 years, except for last year when we were on a
cross-country road trip. <div><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtDkRe7K8-fitVhRo3TRRH3CjdkwZc6nkQeooX7eqK6qyUstR4Rcd-6Pdd-BNeGLhpOZTu-6UsrV_alnbKUjIaAzx-waMPoZueTCTl_8thhEkNh-JYlOd4tqfhr2Dl7_eLqjiOIC6emke/s2880/20200616_131655.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtDkRe7K8-fitVhRo3TRRH3CjdkwZc6nkQeooX7eqK6qyUstR4Rcd-6Pdd-BNeGLhpOZTu-6UsrV_alnbKUjIaAzx-waMPoZueTCTl_8thhEkNh-JYlOd4tqfhr2Dl7_eLqjiOIC6emke/w256-h192/20200616_131655.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wizard Falls on the Metolius River</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We also hiked
in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness outside Prairie City. Also better than we remembered, but more crowded. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguc0THFghNccvzS1jKspvmF_LdlIc0ytr2MCtz-OhXhHZbyiHeABxw0pU0Lu4OvWpQ_fmiXPmIaoNRnsMuQIpP1ls3Jlt9ffe3GvVtZiqvdKgYHpnCmdp0O-3R7JJhxphRMKv-msuMQsAT/s1440/DSC05496.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguc0THFghNccvzS1jKspvmF_LdlIc0ytr2MCtz-OhXhHZbyiHeABxw0pU0Lu4OvWpQ_fmiXPmIaoNRnsMuQIpP1ls3Jlt9ffe3GvVtZiqvdKgYHpnCmdp0O-3R7JJhxphRMKv-msuMQsAT/s320/DSC05496.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberry Lake Wilderness<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some of <u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/XnnjWZ1Hj8YiZ1x98" target="_blank">our best photos</a></u> of
that one-week trip, mostly in chronological order.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>The Columbia River, Idaho Panhandle, Montana, and the Beartooth
Mountains in July<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We went up through central Washington, following the Columbia River to
the Canadian border. The stunning road to Grand Coulee Dam is like a mini
Columbia River Gorge, but without all the heavy traffic. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1llQ78fQFu5_Idymwr1EOJQpxZgp_gvsVqsfB2UOdES7A9rWVnPUPgmpuRZJE4nbSczDjuvkKlC01xorzZ5Om_ai-2A0BMrUaf6ogLNAofGBhkUxA3NNjAkTSy5y3UZhyphenhyphenbF2kFUJS47a1/s2880/20200710_123816.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1llQ78fQFu5_Idymwr1EOJQpxZgp_gvsVqsfB2UOdES7A9rWVnPUPgmpuRZJE4nbSczDjuvkKlC01xorzZ5Om_ai-2A0BMrUaf6ogLNAofGBhkUxA3NNjAkTSy5y3UZhyphenhyphenbF2kFUJS47a1/w400-h300/20200710_123816.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steamboat Rock, below the Grand Coulee Dam. We camped <br />in the trees on the other side and climbed to the extensive top. <br />(Photos from the top are available in the photo link below.)</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUNSJoR3f-a-yazLdqQ1250Muf1D1SHxM5e87AceDzgC4OYDJSxb3veWZZUm1y51h-QmRCjsIndGic6li6NuPx9pM_Z1SB2tmqvfc8EU9yMDyMVkgg4IgxzgLYShCxn0MISLFkSW1kohi/s2880/20200709_125207.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUNSJoR3f-a-yazLdqQ1250Muf1D1SHxM5e87AceDzgC4OYDJSxb3veWZZUm1y51h-QmRCjsIndGic6li6NuPx9pM_Z1SB2tmqvfc8EU9yMDyMVkgg4IgxzgLYShCxn0MISLFkSW1kohi/w320-h240/20200709_125207.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving toward the Grand Coulee Dam<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Here's <u><b><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/XnnjWZ1Hj8YiZ1x98" target="_blank">a link to a few photos</a></b></u> from the Columbia River segment.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After we got to the border in a week, we decided, “What the heck—let’s head SE.” </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">NE Washington and the Idaho panhandle, while beautiful, creeped us
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too much in-your-face flag waving
and open-carry firearms, even in the local Saturday market. <i>(Dude, do you
<u>really</u> need a 45mm, large clip military pistol to sell us some organic
lettuce??)<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUCQieDPLcS8AgEYPdYO_JRHBbMYAmKsxJqIBoKEkzFhz2yrYIdFDWk_IgMvqOr6WyzTurh4Pu_M9G6rIzbmgdydAkfPqXtCHRcOeAAvoFRhc7kbtguqOSlifx4Nj_3TJSoibHPu6kcyN/s2880/20200712_170448.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLUCQieDPLcS8AgEYPdYO_JRHBbMYAmKsxJqIBoKEkzFhz2yrYIdFDWk_IgMvqOr6WyzTurh4Pu_M9G6rIzbmgdydAkfPqXtCHRcOeAAvoFRhc7kbtguqOSlifx4Nj_3TJSoibHPu6kcyN/w256-h192/20200712_170448.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping (Glamping) at a brewery<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Fortunately, much of Montana was less politicized and more beautiful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One night we stayed at a Harvest Host brewery
outside Livingston. (Harvest Host allows self-contained RVs to stay on their farms,
wineries, ranches, and breweries.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
one of our rarer encounters with humans, a local Harley rider helped us level our
trailer and gave us some travel tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
we were picking up our pizza, some other masked locals told us what roads to
avoid and what we absolutely had to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a stroke of luck!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">We changed
plans and saw the Big Hole National Battlefield and some historic sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our masked conversations at the brewery sadly reminded
us of what is lost in this whole Covid world—the opportunities that result from
random connections with friends, acquaintances, and strangers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the social nature of camping has also
changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Airstream has always been a
conversation magnet with fellow campers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, everybody keeps to themselves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJevzeDNB0ENIZt5BMMP0jwWwzt9UA5jzYItMipFxWoThp-m0r9fGWLTQgeqxFijMQCbR0hKFJCpBYNbkxIY1seD6aXiWhHpKzMKhlyRZByCscGXaDUGR6AWd05ZahV3X0saVd6rHozskn/s2880/20200713_125018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="2880" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJevzeDNB0ENIZt5BMMP0jwWwzt9UA5jzYItMipFxWoThp-m0r9fGWLTQgeqxFijMQCbR0hKFJCpBYNbkxIY1seD6aXiWhHpKzMKhlyRZByCscGXaDUGR6AWd05ZahV3X0saVd6rHozskn/w320-h240/20200713_125018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SW Montana countryside. We drove the<br />scenic byways nearly the entire trip</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">The Beartooth Mountains in northern Wyoming on the border with Yellowstone were spectacular. In fact the 68-mile white-knuckle road was probably the most
beautiful drive we have ever experienced in North America. (Jasper to Banff is
now second.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The steep roads and
countless switchbacks were so worth it. And the mosquitoes thought we Oregonians
were delicious. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinao4NlgJ-Al5re653WulzRR4wZ8H9Yw8MSpQfEUwvcmdKziom9K6OW5tg9u5-pXqJNDHXEYDXCAx2lL4et70v3LH-SCiajoG50i6qyKFrfLRnVW97hDsRgP_JomLtU-LOQJcdsCMxSGxv/s563/Beartooth+switchbcks+2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="563" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinao4NlgJ-Al5re653WulzRR4wZ8H9Yw8MSpQfEUwvcmdKziom9K6OW5tg9u5-pXqJNDHXEYDXCAx2lL4et70v3LH-SCiajoG50i6qyKFrfLRnVW97hDsRgP_JomLtU-LOQJcdsCMxSGxv/w400-h266/Beartooth+switchbcks+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Switchbacks and the 6-8% grade on the<br />68-mile Beartooth Highway (not my photo)<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S2pcemk4Sxac4tG4vLpe3DWTF0g5qHwRlATL_N3uA2iuobXuMCPLioxqYARJA0b98a7ECglbSFLMWQoUeiSoigB_gPun3h7xBvPWGUgVaCIQejZw94DoQbB-bh99O85DOYy0LS7kEqsP/s4032/20200716_065812.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="4032" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0S2pcemk4Sxac4tG4vLpe3DWTF0g5qHwRlATL_N3uA2iuobXuMCPLioxqYARJA0b98a7ECglbSFLMWQoUeiSoigB_gPun3h7xBvPWGUgVaCIQejZw94DoQbB-bh99O85DOYy0LS7kEqsP/w400-h195/20200716_065812.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our campground at Island Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN-wuhH05TRFlO9JBD7MfCz5yzHinJwlThhmth48X4CBvByf1w00F3wNmLNhXRVEl1FPtXXlfQkRJqBq4K6ys7xf-Za5QRIdUyDfALy2sjbfg_A49_PX532dTWS5z5dRQd5_XLuTZLkZx/s680/Beartooth+Peak.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="680" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHN-wuhH05TRFlO9JBD7MfCz5yzHinJwlThhmth48X4CBvByf1w00F3wNmLNhXRVEl1FPtXXlfQkRJqBq4K6ys7xf-Za5QRIdUyDfALy2sjbfg_A49_PX532dTWS5z5dRQd5_XLuTZLkZx/w400-h230/Beartooth+Peak.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beartooth Peak in the distance<br /><span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/z8yDRxrNEDENGcvt8" target="_blank">Here is a link</a></u></b> to curated photos of the Montana countryside and the Beartooth Mountains.</td></tr></tbody></table><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span> ******</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">During long stretches of road when we weren't navigating switchbacks, we listened to the biography of
Frederick Douglass. While it waded into the weeds with too much lengthy detail, we
learned just how brutal slavery was and how the North and our churches were so
complicit with it—way more than we were ever taught in school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
same with the Jim Crow laws and racism. Although we have always believed that Black lives matter, this biography reinforced it big time. Plus, we learned a lot about what daily and political life was like in the 19th Century. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><i><b>We’re glad we went, but glad to be back home in our queen bed and our three-butt
kitchen with a large fridge!</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Note: You can see more photos and detailed commentary on my Facebook page and on Instagram @Kelemenron.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p><b>Quarantinewhile…</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p>One of our bright spots since mid-March is to wake up to what we have
named “Hazelgrams.” Shanti and Alan in London delight us nearly every morning
with a Whats App photo or video of Hazel, now over four months old. She's talking up an incoherent storm and learning to crawl backwards. Hopefully we’ll get to meet her in person someday….</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm7fwcDUA4Fw0IK4AIr0xGo8p4g8ir28bhgK2GuLuZ45hRSw8Bkqd0aDx-s6Lam8aSMYSLkv_EzBpAN-oRntMOmTJLqgf2pJRbxxr8nUrMRj3wyhC7Satl9AbvV25zlPA_rOucWfU7s7I/s1024/IMG-20200722-WA0000.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm7fwcDUA4Fw0IK4AIr0xGo8p4g8ir28bhgK2GuLuZ45hRSw8Bkqd0aDx-s6Lam8aSMYSLkv_EzBpAN-oRntMOmTJLqgf2pJRbxxr8nUrMRj3wyhC7Satl9AbvV25zlPA_rOucWfU7s7I/s320/IMG-20200722-WA0000.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel Hampson-Kelemen <br />@ 4 months old</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnz9brLBwzP3lBezh2U_r9ZGPQ4Tr27wKLMnY-8JMtfNb6CuKtR_jcKL6509ikDApKQ8W8b2nCTq2qCR8UCwOmBPjREHsjg_YpnnOAOPJWis14jZxNI_zFAAuE_0kCKlNxGICsOKkk2wg/w180-h320/IMG-20200714-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="180" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally getting Hazel registered<br />at Town Hall, on Shanti and<br />Alan's 2nd anniversary at the<br />same location</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i></i></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg_cFKixXLCP5rFIclgOtR9_vk0_vdhU8fqxBmLs0mSXQNKrqyPMcLCUPQ7i9c5kFIa0DZ09QzXocW8dP8eSIu7TkX4dFAUL29KivlteStxor2-KFjDQxtPMBonX1EQ7bD4kXl8skTCw7/s1600/IMG-20200707-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg_cFKixXLCP5rFIclgOtR9_vk0_vdhU8fqxBmLs0mSXQNKrqyPMcLCUPQ7i9c5kFIa0DZ09QzXocW8dP8eSIu7TkX4dFAUL29KivlteStxor2-KFjDQxtPMBonX1EQ7bD4kXl8skTCw7/s320/IMG-20200707-WA0001.jpg" /></a></i></b></div><b><i><o:p><div><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></div><div><b><i><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73GCh_9JofjFk1Gu0YJ5kPmRoz-xDvwV781DIVbI1B4j-Ik0vqhYj9mucwc92PDPMSL4Q51nTthc_5163B5MqQa1uA9TxcRINsz6fTKBxoGyUZifeQxNoBLT4vEMQl86LHFte4C6ZjL0T/s1600/IMG-20200720-WA0000.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73GCh_9JofjFk1Gu0YJ5kPmRoz-xDvwV781DIVbI1B4j-Ik0vqhYj9mucwc92PDPMSL4Q51nTthc_5163B5MqQa1uA9TxcRINsz6fTKBxoGyUZifeQxNoBLT4vEMQl86LHFte4C6ZjL0T/w192-h256/IMG-20200720-WA0000.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning routine</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmOPgTJ9WiPD4uflUPn4kxYiWJd0ytYgZxh-BbtcGAlv8SGiB_l_JHVmv9B1UAR_aElcwViSLclOTxMqG2AfqoQz8LV2X5YN2c70E6DES1vceOzzjn6kuPX5hI2n63cSmVTvV6EYm-iRR/s1600/IMG-20200720-WA0001.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQmOPgTJ9WiPD4uflUPn4kxYiWJd0ytYgZxh-BbtcGAlv8SGiB_l_JHVmv9B1UAR_aElcwViSLclOTxMqG2AfqoQz8LV2X5YN2c70E6DES1vceOzzjn6kuPX5hI2n63cSmVTvV6EYm-iRR/w256-h192/IMG-20200720-WA0001.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morning selfie</td></tr></tbody></table><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></div><br /></o:p></i></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i><o:p><br /></o:p></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><b><i>“What We Can, While We Can.”</i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><o:p> (</o:p>Or should our motto now be “What We Could, While We Could?”)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><br /></div>Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-36312828674188564252020-03-20T16:32:00.000-07:002020-03-20T19:53:31.965-07:00It's a Girl!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuQALEmvaFMO4mhrge6umneuQkD_kIP-Kn3wH2Nitzrv8XyDaxoghxnSD0mv-9XjbhyLWDtldw0EF6P8qyIg9P39Yl-Wxw9wpwXBp9QQHSSaBJLE-ztCqNfLRw-RwvpOUL-AjOh4uLAyu/s1600/20200315_200843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1600" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuQALEmvaFMO4mhrge6umneuQkD_kIP-Kn3wH2Nitzrv8XyDaxoghxnSD0mv-9XjbhyLWDtldw0EF6P8qyIg9P39Yl-Wxw9wpwXBp9QQHSSaBJLE-ztCqNfLRw-RwvpOUL-AjOh4uLAyu/s200/20200315_200843.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating all three of them home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I was a financial advisor, clients would eagerly show
me the latest photos of their grandchildren. I tried hard to be interested, but
they could all sense that I wasn’t as enthusiastic about their new grandchild
as they were. “Just wait,” they said. “You’ll get it when you have one of your
own.” Well, guess what? I get it now.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our first grandchild, Hazel Hampson-Kelemen, was born in
London last Sunday, following a difficult 28-hour drama as Shanti’s husband,
Alan, tried to keep his Australian parents and us appraised on What’s App.
Hazel weighed 4 kg (8 lbs., 13 oz.), but spent her first few days in the NICU
because of a buildup of meconium in her lungs. (BTW, Hazel is the name of
Alan’s grandmother who had a huge role raising him as a boy.)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKaX2dr3YJnaSgPbg9PNvVtnbnwKr9JXcvdnIjIQ9wVxVjFKtJGuO2o87ntYwzPrtxmal6urblMmcp8fakniRi9iiMJfyyhd-ag5Lyj5Nbz6b_eBpEWJe53jGBnw-dFAdBlxkRQSG3-DL/s1600/IMG-20200319-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKaX2dr3YJnaSgPbg9PNvVtnbnwKr9JXcvdnIjIQ9wVxVjFKtJGuO2o87ntYwzPrtxmal6urblMmcp8fakniRi9iiMJfyyhd-ag5Lyj5Nbz6b_eBpEWJe53jGBnw-dFAdBlxkRQSG3-DL/s320/IMG-20200319-WA0000.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazel Hampson-Kelemen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eHUy4xh4viegsr7qX1j6-Qnp2jco2hr51kGKZdiU5_3Ozx-hREdCECmQ_ECXWX1icLFe7mamY6qNG3G40M_u9RSROV5_RwOeBMaSkAa9mopHM3c4Nids_vlbrPwBI-qpRNpDLmPiL43j/s1600/IMG-20200318-WA0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-eHUy4xh4viegsr7qX1j6-Qnp2jco2hr51kGKZdiU5_3Ozx-hREdCECmQ_ECXWX1icLFe7mamY6qNG3G40M_u9RSROV5_RwOeBMaSkAa9mopHM3c4Nids_vlbrPwBI-qpRNpDLmPiL43j/s200/IMG-20200318-WA0001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proud and happy parents, Shanti and Alan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Thursday was a big day, because all three of them now live
as a family in their London flat. So, in all this doom and gloom, there are
still moments of joy and beauty. And speaking of beauty, the first full day of
spring is one for the record books in terms of beauty.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghG9aM65JI8X1Fci08g2jCK6aFNVnIgknarQtl1VeR7bEJMhyphenhyphenR4NU2qgqRHDeAZm9zDUwiSXxf_V2OVxTYC5VszhNOPrK6zwmEv05K2JHAt_YnafPjDl4T51gKpQpMumuVIYHiHp25wcCE/s1600/20200319_091828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghG9aM65JI8X1Fci08g2jCK6aFNVnIgknarQtl1VeR7bEJMhyphenhyphenR4NU2qgqRHDeAZm9zDUwiSXxf_V2OVxTYC5VszhNOPrK6zwmEv05K2JHAt_YnafPjDl4T51gKpQpMumuVIYHiHp25wcCE/s320/20200319_091828.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Oregon State Capitol</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh989H5aQY2aA8iVw-SYrPudIdAv6hzWK6WMbbZy8mU_YyR2zYjwp6DeLGl5RxcxKialgi-3GXwQ9p4SL9Y88tR6pf2oZ_JsdlwzosZ3VXO6aZjsrHl2t-9XYlVVqHqPQp_Q6wz5zD_xnxX/s1600/20200319_092345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh989H5aQY2aA8iVw-SYrPudIdAv6hzWK6WMbbZy8mU_YyR2zYjwp6DeLGl5RxcxKialgi-3GXwQ9p4SL9Y88tR6pf2oZ_JsdlwzosZ3VXO6aZjsrHl2t-9XYlVVqHqPQp_Q6wz5zD_xnxX/s320/20200319_092345.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry blossoms and azaleas on the capitol mall </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unlike so many people who are going to be physically and
financially devastated by the Covid 19 outbreak, we are merely inconvenienced.
We’ve been social distancing with walks and bike rides, and pleasant
unstructured time together. We feel as close as ever and are making more effort to check in on others and find humor wherever we can.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKz6k3qfa1QBaOopRIc-KqxJzvOzWfviUGZ8bTHzRQ8FSsiovReWgB0vQaTjHQcMMibW5hZPl4Hn1pkjhtvH_pB7KUSkQXMcrxNbvfoqsrv2yuHG91Rbd5aKsuhm-K5oZsZ34urlEwhjf/s1600/IMG_9029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="640" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKz6k3qfa1QBaOopRIc-KqxJzvOzWfviUGZ8bTHzRQ8FSsiovReWgB0vQaTjHQcMMibW5hZPl4Hn1pkjhtvH_pB7KUSkQXMcrxNbvfoqsrv2yuHG91Rbd5aKsuhm-K5oZsZ34urlEwhjf/s320/IMG_9029.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m enjoying even more creative time in the kitchen and
playing/practicing more on my electronic drum set. Kathy is busy knitting baby
stuff and with a lot of technology/computer/video conferencing things for
Assistance League. And we’re both probably spending too much time online and
watching the news, but every now and then, we find something hilarious or
heartwarming. The reality of a quarantine will really hit home for us when we
start cleaning our closets, the sock drawers, the spice cabinet, and some old
files in the den. Meanwhile, we have enough toilet paper, rice, beans, soap, chocolate, and alcohol to see us through, and we hope you do, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<b>So those are our bright spots, circa DCV (During Corona
Virus). What about BCV?</b></h2>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Ever since we returned
from Sri Lanka on Feb 4, our lives have been full of typical winter activities: Pilates, kettle bell, and group workouts, drum lessons, Rotary, Assistance
League, Capital Manor board, socializing, wine tastings, fund raisers, and the
70th Annual Salem First Citizen Awards banquet, where our good friend (and my
successor) Brenna was named Salem’s Outstanding Young Professional. <i>(We’re so
proud of her. </i><b><u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/532698751/posts/10157357140953752/" target="_blank">Click Here</a></span></u></b><i> to see a short-but fun video intro to the evening.)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJXhk1ozt1pdHOUVuwq1s38o986CKRhZ1mU3aehLXUAINXAesdVCsVg1OYNOqAG2FcpxmpUC9tfOUa4U5qINEOHKlJK8Cx3TJTzJk3hNRAK56Zmz5mRrCsXsz1w8CYPZcFP0UgZV0TfiX/s1600/20200307_172652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJXhk1ozt1pdHOUVuwq1s38o986CKRhZ1mU3aehLXUAINXAesdVCsVg1OYNOqAG2FcpxmpUC9tfOUa4U5qINEOHKlJK8Cx3TJTzJk3hNRAK56Zmz5mRrCsXsz1w8CYPZcFP0UgZV0TfiX/s320/20200307_172652.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brenna, Salem's Outstanding Young Pro of the Year<br />
with husband Ben and us. We clean up well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In between all of that, we went to Breckenridge Colorado for
five days to celebrate my 69th birthday with daughter Skyler and Spencer, her
boyfriend for the past 12 years. His family lives there, so we had some
unbelievable meals and some outstanding snowboarding. I can’t believe I held up
for three full days on the slopes at 11,000 feet altitude. Maybe I will make it
to age 70 and beyond as a snowboarder, albeit slower and off the double diamond
runs.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDhkd9d-OdX0s7GfF323k0M7O5ZTQs_ll5_DOwP6C5HS1jGh7FwdJlVe1B7S5oevH6Vporf0rxgHRxVTBYNUaAABvlRvZkXpUullPelL0bdLvEkBzDou7eC9UD2AeKy84V0L4iQSn3ENf/s1600/20200221_100547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDhkd9d-OdX0s7GfF323k0M7O5ZTQs_ll5_DOwP6C5HS1jGh7FwdJlVe1B7S5oevH6Vporf0rxgHRxVTBYNUaAABvlRvZkXpUullPelL0bdLvEkBzDou7eC9UD2AeKy84V0L4iQSn3ENf/s320/20200221_100547.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breckenridge, Colorado</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH2SCzmft0Z1Z7ytAJc-uaORl5Q68Wcse60unJCHoKt5-iaGX6kx93pOjYr3VyGhZkHsovK98swjyXoOONp9PcScjkPRDGpjuOjPOpHtU2bXSjB85JKftiSJRYM6L4M5rAe6mq66BfYNK/s1600/20200220_114428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIH2SCzmft0Z1Z7ytAJc-uaORl5Q68Wcse60unJCHoKt5-iaGX6kx93pOjYr3VyGhZkHsovK98swjyXoOONp9PcScjkPRDGpjuOjPOpHtU2bXSjB85JKftiSJRYM6L4M5rAe6mq66BfYNK/s320/20200220_114428.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
With Skyler, my 33-year old snowboard bud. We started learning </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
together in 1998. Over all these years with our various injuries and</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
surgeries, we're still matched for speed, ability, and egging each</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
other on.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
<b>Hang in there. Be kind. Be generous. Keep distant—but
connected.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br />
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">“What We Can, While We Can”</span></i></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-86890705069249260202020-02-14T10:48:00.000-08:002020-05-06T13:28:56.405-07:00Sri Lanka Between the Cracks <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI6-rhqejN4lY-Oyy4WzdDM9Svy1o_1DiAkQcDXAU3UWl5GPv4Sv6ko5BhfU0qYYE7eG1yVnfkbWZaDZaC9w-7yqY7YBY3HLOXIahSu6j34L6TGD1KpzjIs49lP0fjx-S7hM4ptvkZG1z/s1600/DSC04775_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLI6-rhqejN4lY-Oyy4WzdDM9Svy1o_1DiAkQcDXAU3UWl5GPv4Sv6ko5BhfU0qYYE7eG1yVnfkbWZaDZaC9w-7yqY7YBY3HLOXIahSu6j34L6TGD1KpzjIs49lP0fjx-S7hM4ptvkZG1z/s320/DSC04775_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a Hindu temple overlooking Triconamalee on the East Coast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Not everything we experienced or observed in Sri Lanka fits into the
narrative of our previous five blogs. Some topics need their own mini blog or at
least a photo. Here are some answers to questions we were asked, plus a few
things we found interesting during our three-week trip. The most common one we got was from an unlikely source--an older American Airlines pilot on the hotel shuttle at the Portland airport. "Where is Sri Lanka?" he asked. (It's off the SE tip of India, one-third the size of Oregon.). I guess geography isn't part of the navigation curriculum in flight school.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>Language<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYPZNdFjvdvICUCQA0Rm3klaLZ1C3petRRG0E77L7T71im_iByxpB4m93cHKRL3X-KDfwMPEZdKWS-sT1g_8u5X11qIQKRHf6nRrLhVZjwJf2VKNnmS1BkfkLUyS-6qqCYEsp5pi9XB4S/s1600/DSC05149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwYPZNdFjvdvICUCQA0Rm3klaLZ1C3petRRG0E77L7T71im_iByxpB4m93cHKRL3X-KDfwMPEZdKWS-sT1g_8u5X11qIQKRHf6nRrLhVZjwJf2VKNnmS1BkfkLUyS-6qqCYEsp5pi9XB4S/s200/DSC05149.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think it means we're in Ohiya,<br />
1,774 meters above sea level</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Most Sri Lankans speak at least two languages, often three.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since most of the people are Sinhalese Buddhists,
Sinhalese is often the main language, followed by Tamil, a South Indian language. Both were unintelligible to us, and the long names of people and places are tongue twisters. However, nearly everyone who made it through
grade school speaks English, making it easy for tourists. We had fascinating conversations with maids, waiters,
tuk-tuk drivers, museum guards, shop owners, and our Rotarian friends. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVIkRrinsj19IhzwYsBBB4tO38yER0wslO8_mQ7H87lGH2Ys7YGS23ZRTsC3-37futDVUs0AjgBqWGRjLpAhP9Eisb3ZNNXt2jSs9AUaasLODLkf-rpkpcfjMCCcHsYl4zwlWDEgM-bC/s1600/DSC05102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmbVIkRrinsj19IhzwYsBBB4tO38yER0wslO8_mQ7H87lGH2Ys7YGS23ZRTsC3-37futDVUs0AjgBqWGRjLpAhP9Eisb3ZNNXt2jSs9AUaasLODLkf-rpkpcfjMCCcHsYl4zwlWDEgM-bC/s320/DSC05102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minor traffic on a side street at lunch hour in Nuwara Eliya</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Traffic<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
What can we say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The narrow
roads, variety of vehicles at different speeds, and driving on the left side can be nerve wracking. But we soon learned to just relax. Except for bus drivers, Sri Lankans rarely
honk their horns. They are mostly mellow
and cut one another some slack, often with just inches to spare. For as many close calls as we experienced, we
saw few—if any—dented or scratched vehicles. To really get a feel for it, click on video link at the end of this post to see the “Standing on a Street Corner”
video.</div>
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<b>Tuk-Tuks</b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99OjevIHHikJqIXul7ktO7K0Bid19fqj4RO4t_2ulLhy02yR-F3yK25EmA9QKbZFnfyP3_vLtTDyeZSkJgw0R_YtJGAUHDQBV2CG074YAtr6Q08amv0G20iqLCnHPFZpVpI2bYG6umTUU/s1600/DSC05420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99OjevIHHikJqIXul7ktO7K0Bid19fqj4RO4t_2ulLhy02yR-F3yK25EmA9QKbZFnfyP3_vLtTDyeZSkJgw0R_YtJGAUHDQBV2CG074YAtr6Q08amv0G20iqLCnHPFZpVpI2bYG6umTUU/s200/DSC05420.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The employee parking lot near the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
defense ministry. Some of the tuk-tuk </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
owners try to pick up extra business</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
on the way home.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HWUqPr9jsMOC7nsayFFfMDRIeBWRFmcxR_sK2Yk7Tpin7ve_XSaI1CeXldIawS2hdMJttzaKu8Eme8pH5PxDfYXBOkEOidUtbxVEklLTuxY3AKBxsZm8UgGgjQBmqf65tv7Nx1ZLitFe/s1600/IMG_8892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="707" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2HWUqPr9jsMOC7nsayFFfMDRIeBWRFmcxR_sK2Yk7Tpin7ve_XSaI1CeXldIawS2hdMJttzaKu8Eme8pH5PxDfYXBOkEOidUtbxVEklLTuxY3AKBxsZm8UgGgjQBmqf65tv7Nx1ZLitFe/s320/IMG_8892.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a supped up, heavy duty tuk-tuk in a fishing village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And speaking of traffic, the three-wheeled tuk-tuks and their often-crazy
drivers are what makes the traffic so quintessentially Sri Lankan. With a population of 21 million, Sri Lanka
has over 1.3 million tuk-tuk drivers.
The government recently banned imports from India, hoping that more
young men would go into construction and manufacturing instead. About halfway through our trip, we realized
that some of the tuk-tuks we saw weren’t for hire. Rather, they were just a cheap means of
transportation compared to a car. Our
link of photos at the bottom has a few shots of them. Also, check out our clip of a fun ride in one of them at the end of this
post. </div>
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<b>Dogs</b></div>
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Sri Lankans love dogs. Most of them are mellow and look alike. Dogs are also part of the traffic equation. They think nothing of taking a nap on a busy road or jaywalking. We saw so many near misses.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yyVBbUmIsI9FzVl1TOqfYJG3UKHxiy9bSIlf548Hf2BTYjy_rAhyphenhyphen5xx44wFYKjqt0uB6_HFvWkNwdX9rzZlG0W48wYmT6YzOUUejszdtAJGleXiNcecJqZ2A6ZA6o_f4bXDQYXW3Qa9w/s1600/DSC05308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yyVBbUmIsI9FzVl1TOqfYJG3UKHxiy9bSIlf548Hf2BTYjy_rAhyphenhyphen5xx44wFYKjqt0uB6_HFvWkNwdX9rzZlG0W48wYmT6YzOUUejszdtAJGleXiNcecJqZ2A6ZA6o_f4bXDQYXW3Qa9w/s200/DSC05308.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical looking dogs that seemed to belong<br />
to our jungle camp in Yalla.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnb8E2DgSKSIG_c9w2CVaAOPcfB-MqrmxhE1IRclzcny4TNR9M8K9ItZurVXq41iSecz22cnrW01zaylWQY_elCBDnN9NI5XpLawML9mEnUlJa4bggvKumXViYBusSV2N38bffqoHFnPl/s1600/DSC04959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnb8E2DgSKSIG_c9w2CVaAOPcfB-MqrmxhE1IRclzcny4TNR9M8K9ItZurVXq41iSecz22cnrW01zaylWQY_elCBDnN9NI5XpLawML9mEnUlJa4bggvKumXViYBusSV2N38bffqoHFnPl/s200/DSC04959.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Temple dogs" at a Buddhist temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Food</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWawglLtlnO9p7T9jOr7dKKRBkXQJcy3AvbmOn4ntoYVMT5klnuB6TvmhRY9EgjJfvP0HcAVbF3j3WBbVUKI_Q2xsqSjI0RaS2V13JIf4WRvIDhITidJp0FvQFGR0hD5GCakXmg6jk_XnS/s1600/20200204_132905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWawglLtlnO9p7T9jOr7dKKRBkXQJcy3AvbmOn4ntoYVMT5klnuB6TvmhRY9EgjJfvP0HcAVbF3j3WBbVUKI_Q2xsqSjI0RaS2V13JIf4WRvIDhITidJp0FvQFGR0hD5GCakXmg6jk_XnS/s320/20200204_132905.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
I can't remember if this was breakfast, lunch, or dinner</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
at Gihan's home, but it was fantastic!</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you followed us on Facebook or Instagram, you no doubt saw some of
our food porn photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rice is flavored with lentil, fish, and
green bean curries, hot but not that hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The curries were unique, but they resembled a combination of Thai,
Malaysian, and South Indian dishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
are best enjoyed eating with your right hand fingers and thumb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>loved it, and often had curry-rice morning, noon, and evening. Sri Lanka is clean, and so are its kitchens
and eateries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even eating in the cheap
dives where only the locals went for lunch, we never got sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bottled or filtered water was available
everywhere and in every hotel room. </div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnR63B0sA-Ox3tJwnc0CFv7zCr0G_R0Ljn7El4M785Ukr2h0GRN5gUPf9eZvtNv2Gwfrjwy4igipZrmJ9DEge6GguAdpbuIDCermShaSJfs8ii8DRPNAP2PDQ5OB2TBXMF_Yxuhz-erIEb/s1600/Screenshot_20200131-121604_The+Weather+Channel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="990" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnR63B0sA-Ox3tJwnc0CFv7zCr0G_R0Ljn7El4M785Ukr2h0GRN5gUPf9eZvtNv2Gwfrjwy4igipZrmJ9DEge6GguAdpbuIDCermShaSJfs8ii8DRPNAP2PDQ5OB2TBXMF_Yxuhz-erIEb/s200/Screenshot_20200131-121604_The+Weather+Channel.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
But it beats the cold</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
rain and fog of Oregon</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
in January-February!</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Climate<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Unless you are in the tea country up in the hills, it is hot and humid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every place we stayed had air conditioning,
but Sri Lankans are very judicious about its use because electricity is very
expensive. It can be upwards of 30% of a large household’s budget.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Getting there and back<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Coach airfare and economy-plus are relatively cheap. It just takes a
long time to get across 13.5 time zones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our outbound trip, with layovers in LA, Tokyo, and Singapore took 44
hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Returning without the Tokyo
layover took 30, but we had a 15-hour flight from Singapore to LA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, Singapore Airlines is the best we
have ever flown. And no matter what, it was so worth the effort.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Costs<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGOjKQ3xoE9yaYgR5d-54DzDXJuLqXx-dSP7wjyrzS8TgYPwoxoWT73JIWG71PHlblHmR6Lf-3vtifsJpOkcvVQ5_nlM2NCMwNwygmxSN4J9CUhFgpzkHq3jYvZbndVjqemH-Jz1D3v6a/s1600/20200120_075957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibGOjKQ3xoE9yaYgR5d-54DzDXJuLqXx-dSP7wjyrzS8TgYPwoxoWT73JIWG71PHlblHmR6Lf-3vtifsJpOkcvVQ5_nlM2NCMwNwygmxSN4J9CUhFgpzkHq3jYvZbndVjqemH-Jz1D3v6a/s200/20200120_075957.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Our hotel near Badulla, complete</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with a swimming pool.</div>
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</tbody></table>
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Once you get there, Sri Lanka is a bargain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice hotels cost less than a budget hotel
near the Portland airport. And there are some very spectacular ones on pristine
beaches or with stunning views in the tea country hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> All provide breakfast. </span>Eating like locals, we’d often spend less
than $5 on a huge lunch, maybe $10-15 for a fresh seafood dinner including
drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Western style restaurants and
fast food chains cost more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can rent
a car and driver for $50 per day, but trains and busses cost much less.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<br /></div>
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<b>Radio<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We traveled over 800 miles by car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of our drivers had a thumb drive of mellow Sri Lankan music which we
enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others cranked up the radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for the Sri Lankan English accents, it
sounded just like the top hits, oldies, or I-Heart Radio stations here with the station
breaks, promos, commercials, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Booming
voice: “All the music you love right here on FM 98.5 Radio Columbo where the
hits never stop!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music jingle: “98.5—top
hits.”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Kelly Clarkson.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JIysv9yneVeQ_trHzFWMAcX-5DMkDVHWXMXgcPgKaN4LDE6vnTLnzPNLqd_Tx8gmsUdPaKBdoiGHIOoijmobRiw9MSv-esJkrEy92DPEIfwRmu2Qa_pFGWAlTuF3cwdbhY8-UWzy5O9y/s1600/20200128_201850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JIysv9yneVeQ_trHzFWMAcX-5DMkDVHWXMXgcPgKaN4LDE6vnTLnzPNLqd_Tx8gmsUdPaKBdoiGHIOoijmobRiw9MSv-esJkrEy92DPEIfwRmu2Qa_pFGWAlTuF3cwdbhY8-UWzy5O9y/s320/20200128_201850.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fellowship after the brief Rotary meeting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Rotary<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our visit to Sri Lanka was because of Rotary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hosted the leader of a Sri Lankan Rotary Group
Friendship (RFE), exchange in October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
reciprocated big time, driving us from place to place, hosting meals, and sharing insights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, it is very easy to
experience Sri Lanka without the help we had from hospitable Rotarians. Sri Lanka
and “nearby” Maldives have about 62 clubs. They usually meet over dinner and
drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one we attended had only 12 attending,
but it was fun and very social with some coconut whiskey and snacks afterward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
of Sri Lanka’s diversity and languages, English is the official language of the
meetings.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjszVi5ReoGdURNX6jyJIGC62orCsCmnpNT4azl558aUnq-Mmv_qlAq2kczKktFejffq9E_LMl2pYgM_4-XY_ZF4dgeYMqwMYLG31nx12x2BaMCUa3uZoUk809qWSWSyL95nCgk4T50SM/s1600/20200128_200222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjszVi5ReoGdURNX6jyJIGC62orCsCmnpNT4azl558aUnq-Mmv_qlAq2kczKktFejffq9E_LMl2pYgM_4-XY_ZF4dgeYMqwMYLG31nx12x2BaMCUa3uZoUk809qWSWSyL95nCgk4T50SM/s200/20200128_200222.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The banner they presented us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Open for Business<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The world’s memory of the Easter Day bombings of churches and hotels in
2019 has fallen through the cracks. Over 250 people were killed and many more were injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> N</span>ine
months later, tourism is still way down, despite CNN and <i>Lonely Planet</i> naming
Sri Lanka the best destination of the year. In a couple of cases, we were the
only guests in small lodges or a jungle camp, and we were among just a few in
larger places. For those Sri Lankans dependent on their 10% tips from tourists, or who own a
tourist-related business, life is hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
the loss of Chinese tourists will hurt them more. We felt safer in Sri Lanka than we do at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Security is tight, the people
are friendly, the country is clean, the scenery is spectacular, the culture is unique, and bargains
abound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d go back in a
heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only downside?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The long flights to get there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<b>Thanks!</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
And for those of you we met in Sri Lanka reading this, thank you so much! You made the trip so special. <span style="background-color: white; color: #343a40; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><b><i>Bohoma istouti</i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #343a40; font-family: "averta" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> (</span>ඔයාට බොහෝම ස්තූතියි)<span style="background-color: white; color: #343a40; font-family: "averta" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #343a40; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">and in Tamil, <b><i>mikka nandri</i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #343a40; font-family: "averta" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: "averta" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">(</span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">நன்றி</span></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">மிகவும்</span>). </div>
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<i>(Note: In case you missed our previous five Sri Lanka blog posts, simply click on blog archive to the right.)</i><br />
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<b>Photos and Videos</b><br />
<i>These carefully curated photos capture the essence of our trip and many are our best shots. They should be viewed on something larger than a mobile phone. Sit back with a cup of tea (preferably Ceylon with milk sugar, and cardamom) or a scotch or a coconut whiskey and enjoy!</i><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><b>Link to our best shots and the essence of our trip, click</b> <b><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/1qCXYE1fkz592BGM7" target="_blank">HERE</a></u></b></span><br />
<b style="color: blue;"><br /></b><b><span style="color: blue;">Link to six videos:</span> </b>Inside a Buddhist cave, Monkey business, standing on a street corner, Hindu Puja ceremony, samar deer fighting for dominance, and a wild ride in a tuk-tuk.<b> </b> click <b><span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/tDmYR86VrU8NtqSj6" target="_blank">HERE</a></u></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;">"What We Can, While We Can!"</span></b><br />
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Reclining Buddha., part of many sculptures in a cave; all</div>
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carved from solid rock, including the cave, near Dambulla, </div>
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starting in the 1st Century BC.</div>
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Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-67443890060431534162020-02-04T07:18:00.000-08:002020-02-04T10:13:50.815-08:00Leopards, Beaches, and the Tsunami Zone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing at rebuilt Koggala Beach<br />Hotel, which was destroyed<br />in the 2004 tsunami.</td></tr>
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Changes in elevation and climate can happen fast in Sri Lanka. From over a mile high in tea country, we descended to the steamy sea level on the SE coast in a matter of just three hours by rail and winding roads. <span style="background-color: transparent;">Once again we were delightfully surprised upon arrival in the dark to a rustic jungle camp welcoming us with fragrant incense throughout the camp. </span></div>
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On the edge Yala National Park, we enjoyed two nights under under a mosquito net and an expansive thatched roof. Better still, it was some of the best food of the trip, perhaps because it was cooked on a wood stove by nearby locals.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home sweet home for two nights</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At home on their range</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn2Uylxqt0C2F82oi61TP3hQbgpEzaU2PBlSer14umJkenwhVO6SBOhWMopHydU7W69NUy3QLnHyAig5lbqqYFQNMp8lOWs9h9-b7lXzXfTeWx3SiLzhcCbyuv3QmKyWyyx5geb52rgJQ/s1600/20200130_124548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn2Uylxqt0C2F82oi61TP3hQbgpEzaU2PBlSer14umJkenwhVO6SBOhWMopHydU7W69NUy3QLnHyAig5lbqqYFQNMp8lOWs9h9-b7lXzXfTeWx3SiLzhcCbyuv3QmKyWyyx5geb52rgJQ/s320/20200130_124548.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining hall. We were the only guests all month</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bringing in the boats</td></tr>
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Sashi, our local host took us to a nearby fishing village that was devastated by the 2004 Tsunami. That whole area was wiped out, and really hasn’t recovered. We helped them drag a boat into shore, and the headman gave us a couple of fish as thanks. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These gifts sure tasted good coked on the campfire</td></tr>
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Later we took a tuktuk for a one hour round trip to town for beer, and cash for the park entry fees—which are very steep for foreigners. (You can see a fun video of that on Instagram @kelemenron.)<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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The park wasn’t a jungle as we think of one, but rather mostly shrubs and trees no higher than 30 feet tall. However, it was dense, making it hard to spot wildlife. We saw a few elephants, wild boar, water buffalo, peacocks, sambar deer and two leopards. And perhaps over 50 other safari vehicles jockeying for position around leopard sightings. Although the tsunami ravaged the low-lying areas of the park, few, if any a animals were killed. They had some sixth sense and moved upland before the waves hit.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A leopard on, yes, Leopard Rock</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A leopard jam</td></tr>
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Many Sri Lankans weren’t so lucky. Over 35,000 were killed, including 1,200 on a coastal train full off travelers for the holidays. More than 900,000 were left homeless. Unlike the gigantic surf waves that hit Banda Aceh, Indonesia 960 miles away, or Phuket Thailand, these 36-foot waves were more like a series of fast-moving tidal surges 180 feet wide. Fifteen years later, much of the coastal towns, villages, and roads have been rebuilt, but there are still many reminders of this disaster, like the fishing village we visited. We stopped at the tsunami museum, marked by a 36-foot tall Buddha. Its height drove home the magnitude of the surging waves.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sNNrus3y6iwKjWeSF2KShKvEf4Z44j7Wb9GdQdvhEIavNIppW3qD6WOFryZOItxYEJ0blcFF9nu9qLAlNzcFBL5tvfS37kftUrAQgQAUnVHgo3eCEJDqO_LyNcx27nu22aNB4kgbVUhv/s1600/IMG_8929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sNNrus3y6iwKjWeSF2KShKvEf4Z44j7Wb9GdQdvhEIavNIppW3qD6WOFryZOItxYEJ0blcFF9nu9qLAlNzcFBL5tvfS37kftUrAQgQAUnVHgo3eCEJDqO_LyNcx27nu22aNB4kgbVUhv/s320/IMG_8929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boxing Day tragedy. (Not my photo, of course)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine a 36' wave as tall as this<br />
coming at you at 400 MPH</td></tr>
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<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">We spent two relaxing days at Koggala Beach, where the photo at the top was taken. It's like Hawaii at a fraction of the cost. This place is famous for its stilt fishermen. The locations are highly prized and handed down generation to generation. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFPWxSxALQ354XTA773SMu6O4R_KISmYs-AA5yCer2gzWhxTs5HILegQJtjr40i2ImOrfBiRA157uhfqvStvR2a1l19jMzhNMXCtnFZfL8FoSpT_yj63MMcjShjBy7-im5AQOINbBATiv/s1600/DSC05337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHFPWxSxALQ354XTA773SMu6O4R_KISmYs-AA5yCer2gzWhxTs5HILegQJtjr40i2ImOrfBiRA157uhfqvStvR2a1l19jMzhNMXCtnFZfL8FoSpT_yj63MMcjShjBy7-im5AQOINbBATiv/s320/DSC05337.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stilt fisherman</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only two at that morning, <br />
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<span style="color: #222222;">Gihan Panditaratne, the Rotarian who stayed us in October and who made many of our trip arrangements, picked us up at Kogggala Beach and drove us to Colombo, where we spent three fun days with him and his family. We weren’t expecting much about Colombo (pop. 1 million), but it turned out to be a very nice city. It’s huge, and so is its traffic. But it’s clean and growing. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many new high rises, with<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">City hall under Buddha's watchful eye</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2T-vZgts_YIfgTosBRwmyauO8b6T5Ija6flI_15a_OvbJ4uSAWxq9FLfXEqiX4WqGVszCS824NEUyJaMNr6DGp4c6oaAFnUZ3coBhHKg85WOwIGwSjx8pkHSL0Csq75jYsyNZzfsjRdM/s1600/DSC05410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2T-vZgts_YIfgTosBRwmyauO8b6T5Ija6flI_15a_OvbJ4uSAWxq9FLfXEqiX4WqGVszCS824NEUyJaMNr6DGp4c6oaAFnUZ3coBhHKg85WOwIGwSjx8pkHSL0Csq75jYsyNZzfsjRdM/s320/DSC05410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touring the Friend-In-Need Society which<br />
partners with Rotary to provide artificial<br />
limbs for citizens all over Sri Lanka.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222;">The best part about Columbo was staying with the warmhearted and hospitable Panditaratnes. They went out of their way to make sure we were well-fed with the best dishes Sri Lanka has to offer. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd4oHpEn4RCb18QdvRLDMC538vD-egsiF1MxCs2ONsQWFQbVaan3HU8mNa5EWsFbhYqs3RRJCQbgHhVuZPV0odNukjYq6F-H6cOA9waprlVztah_DMs8kTgB1DVKYP4yQmH4K5yJ7dumw/s1600/DSC05423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd4oHpEn4RCb18QdvRLDMC538vD-egsiF1MxCs2ONsQWFQbVaan3HU8mNa5EWsFbhYqs3RRJCQbgHhVuZPV0odNukjYq6F-H6cOA9waprlVztah_DMs8kTgB1DVKYP4yQmH4K5yJ7dumw/s320/DSC05423.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gihan and Arosha's home </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVE5YzuJz4p-esJOuhQw03jM0YjIfuYXdIchhmYpfmo72M7TG_aXkihHZteMsRlbTgw_2J2cMNYo_1cWQhastG7dyj6xurEX8AvPYhDgimKWm0SpnujACDOF5ZXI6Qv5YWTOdWzRI7kxd/s1600/20200204_191337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVE5YzuJz4p-esJOuhQw03jM0YjIfuYXdIchhmYpfmo72M7TG_aXkihHZteMsRlbTgw_2J2cMNYo_1cWQhastG7dyj6xurEX8AvPYhDgimKWm0SpnujACDOF5ZXI6Qv5YWTOdWzRI7kxd/s320/20200204_191337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rheya, Gihan and Arosha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222;">It’s going to be hard saying goodbye to them tonight as we depart for home. And for that matter, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to Sri Lanka and all of the wonderful people we met along the way. What a trip!</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue;">"What We Can, While We Can!"</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><i>In a few days I'll have one more post entitled "Sri Lanka Between the Cracks." It will be odds and ends and photos that didn't fit our narrative, but better explain Sri Lanka. It will also include a link to our best shots.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPNwjmb_6IcJqsGlKWVYjZJ4y3if3FGaRkE8WR5BLvJ81cENL8o55UHSqyeMwNUSJrGzwwfBuL0b2BjCKcP4yxAhj7jYJCOQBq_Sct46o1ZaHC4rBEKUt8gK-tx3Bti89xciFJH_GCzXb/s1600/DSC05394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPNwjmb_6IcJqsGlKWVYjZJ4y3if3FGaRkE8WR5BLvJ81cENL8o55UHSqyeMwNUSJrGzwwfBuL0b2BjCKcP4yxAhj7jYJCOQBq_Sct46o1ZaHC4rBEKUt8gK-tx3Bti89xciFJH_GCzXb/s320/DSC05394.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stopping for a fish pedicure<br />
on the way to Colombo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wMWsAFpAHITmum4Mx7A74d4J0SZO4gx-kpW71CMWYmGQFC1N0GpJfldUB94qb_c6g2CeFWu729UyDPE3Ev7-rkSNMHwgcrjmMy80y5PaK61wThteFNGlPs1EUZb5LOamjXVt6LE45PB2/s1600/Sri+Lanka+Map+and+route.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="741" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wMWsAFpAHITmum4Mx7A74d4J0SZO4gx-kpW71CMWYmGQFC1N0GpJfldUB94qb_c6g2CeFWu729UyDPE3Ev7-rkSNMHwgcrjmMy80y5PaK61wThteFNGlPs1EUZb5LOamjXVt6LE45PB2/s320/Sri+Lanka+Map+and+route.jpg.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 nights, about 750 miles, and<br />
immeasurable good experiences</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhBh_WDMk1MfapkzXUSCHIYl224tnrGDdCLfXX73JZHo_JyF61kYRGj6z32U4FRz2mqN3ZC6P0rzUL1nUFgWe1YA70DI0MH-ufpDqbOhdQD9UKc5vh0Sej48MxXOzaeKrT2wp2YOBN7RL/s1600/DSC05374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhBh_WDMk1MfapkzXUSCHIYl224tnrGDdCLfXX73JZHo_JyF61kYRGj6z32U4FRz2mqN3ZC6P0rzUL1nUFgWe1YA70DI0MH-ufpDqbOhdQD9UKc5vh0Sej48MxXOzaeKrT2wp2YOBN7RL/s320/DSC05374.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring some mangroves with Gihan en-route<br />
to Colombo</td></tr>
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Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-39569004462976604602020-01-31T08:10:00.000-08:002020-01-31T08:15:46.618-08:00Tea Country and Hospitality, Sri Lanka Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZRYgvmTcmBxA9tnkPPrIHucoKcpKRDLUGE7ambx-QL7_bYyDSqKNeXSD4l1tBWtMWGAxgJUUQEaWBHgsh5g1cCAhgYcadpoNSo2iYFfMmXqAM3qZ5BylEz-BF30N3lqNY1xc-spO41LJ/s1600/DSC05095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZRYgvmTcmBxA9tnkPPrIHucoKcpKRDLUGE7ambx-QL7_bYyDSqKNeXSD4l1tBWtMWGAxgJUUQEaWBHgsh5g1cCAhgYcadpoNSo2iYFfMmXqAM3qZ5BylEz-BF30N3lqNY1xc-spO41LJ/s320/DSC05095.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Tea is big business in Sri Lanka,
branded as Ceylon tea, accounting for 17% of exports, and employing 5% of the
population. Textiles are the largest export at 52%--check
your clothing labels. We spent three delightful days in tea country, not
counting what we did in Polonnauruwa a few days ago. Leaving Kandy, we climbed from 1,000 feet to
the 3,000 feet to the city of Nuwara Eliya. (Don’t you just love these Sri
Lankan names?) </div>
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Tea factory. Most of the upper stories are for</div>
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drying. Then the large leaves are shredded and</div>
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fermented.</div>
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It was a beautiful climb, but for
the blight of huge billboards promoting things like Sri Lankan rebar (yes, rebar)
and skin care products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of the tea
country reminded us of wine country in Oregon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are large tasting rooms, well-branded plantations, and beautiful
vistas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike our wine country, there
are many tourist busses and vans packed with Indians and face mask-wearing
Chinese. </div>
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Tea was introduced here in the mid 1800’s after a colossal failure of
the coffee crop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The British clear cut
the jungle to make way for tea, and they planted massive groves of eucalyptus
trees for railroad ties, called sleepers. By the 1890’s, Lipton alone was
exporting 30,000 tons to London. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting room of large estate</td></tr>
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The tea pickers, for their back breaking labor, </div>
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make about $5 US per day, often living in </div>
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places like this.</div>
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Nuwara Eliya is also called “Little
England.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The British planters tried to
recreate home with beautiful gardens, polo grounds, golf courses, Tudor-style
homes, parks, and club houses for a post-dinner brandy, cigar, and billiards
game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were unprepared for the cool
weather, similar to Oregon in the late autumn.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbN4ooZ7bxs_DG72srqZQxEbdkTfWW6WU4hrl3aMIjfCR98zVQmTCoMs-gtcQf3QpSxWn3gsLd4koWImVpX-0jbseBY6YSsmDR263LtPA5WKuRA9OcuBXCvf1tZaWaXpLwCJY6jSgfJjXA/s1600/DSC05033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbN4ooZ7bxs_DG72srqZQxEbdkTfWW6WU4hrl3aMIjfCR98zVQmTCoMs-gtcQf3QpSxWn3gsLd4koWImVpX-0jbseBY6YSsmDR263LtPA5WKuRA9OcuBXCvf1tZaWaXpLwCJY6jSgfJjXA/s320/DSC05033.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bicycling around Gregory Lake Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ab75cE1YAM9lgHJlN4ny-c4kieMxu4H370JEv_nYGjIPptiQyXYmKE6XlHmVPO5gLNI__TQNoYu-S4P_uXIZHbU0lWmzGtiQR_NJdk6wkYuxIXbSm8FoYFzj5VXosVVrPBgGL2fxupUK/s1600/20200128_145333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Ab75cE1YAM9lgHJlN4ny-c4kieMxu4H370JEv_nYGjIPptiQyXYmKE6XlHmVPO5gLNI__TQNoYu-S4P_uXIZHbU0lWmzGtiQR_NJdk6wkYuxIXbSm8FoYFzj5VXosVVrPBgGL2fxupUK/s320/20200128_145333.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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A feast prepared by Nadeeka, Easter's wife.</div>
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He's Singalese, She is Tamil. Easter was such</div>
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a gracious host in spite of his busy schedule.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWCMzwA_6dqP77EQj9gDjYqJ1zuidTehl8Ln9LEr4fj-dUM-t6brOkdZzpxug95dZMcCf3EKaQlPRy-dKvkxye_tEkfVjwY5TVqKQbZSgOwLNZwIbovo648VguQNzWAMeyuyPXFVPP9uj/s1600/DSC05119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWCMzwA_6dqP77EQj9gDjYqJ1zuidTehl8Ln9LEr4fj-dUM-t6brOkdZzpxug95dZMcCf3EKaQlPRy-dKvkxye_tEkfVjwY5TVqKQbZSgOwLNZwIbovo648VguQNzWAMeyuyPXFVPP9uj/s320/DSC05119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter's guest house</td></tr>
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We stayed with Rotarian Easter
Kumar and his family in a small hotel he owns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(He had dinner at our home last October.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so fun having a home-cooked meal with
his family eating, our best Sri Lankan meal yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like so many other hotels in Sri Lanka, he has been hard hit by the 2018
Easter bombings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many new hotels under
construction are brick and rebar-stalled reminders of what a handful of
delusional individuals can do to ruin lives way beyond those killed and
injured.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We got up early for a long trip
to Howards Plain National Park, 5,000 feet above sea level<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked eight miles among beautiful views
and got to see two bull Samar deer in a 20-minute fight for dominance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see a short clip of it on Instagram @Kelemenron.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1faxcvuk6q2vpWq7mYvvwNiMcTwPhC6dzmIYgFwgb8yjY31dfj3FygBzC3kxHJ-uC1YPopB4uftm9L1o6NKTdIKAn2CL-y-jNXYRW-yypOyW5pSYF_o2Uks0hzO_zQJ4z8Q9-D11BV2r/s1600/20200128_080326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1faxcvuk6q2vpWq7mYvvwNiMcTwPhC6dzmIYgFwgb8yjY31dfj3FygBzC3kxHJ-uC1YPopB4uftm9L1o6NKTdIKAn2CL-y-jNXYRW-yypOyW5pSYF_o2Uks0hzO_zQJ4z8Q9-D11BV2r/s320/20200128_080326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Near World's End View Point</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NvOVaMBISPUZxR4X1-cqfMsjXHnCKHaQ1NdBYjE5LEMtxVZDQEy8FPz8sAvfpqM8Yg-DBjkWbM1zbL8lZoboCqH062EyNTLrn8v6YodXpKy8johTSI8LIQj3xhS8dgxqsuMsHogULkZw/s1600/DSC05068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NvOVaMBISPUZxR4X1-cqfMsjXHnCKHaQ1NdBYjE5LEMtxVZDQEy8FPz8sAvfpqM8Yg-DBjkWbM1zbL8lZoboCqH062EyNTLrn8v6YodXpKy8johTSI8LIQj3xhS8dgxqsuMsHogULkZw/s320/DSC05068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baker Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjjtaLMZwH4_Yjx1Os4kTJTOrJukBKLSY5KFXrGbRNhEZ9cPD2X9Z86lqEoPUqKBaZI-q7k-9NPourtUjbzMDgrOFdMhKqRF9aYweEtYud2SezsAEnsigkv4Krrcf85ZOSErs5A1R2Ee4/s1600/DSC05081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMjjtaLMZwH4_Yjx1Os4kTJTOrJukBKLSY5KFXrGbRNhEZ9cPD2X9Z86lqEoPUqKBaZI-q7k-9NPourtUjbzMDgrOFdMhKqRF9aYweEtYud2SezsAEnsigkv4Krrcf85ZOSErs5A1R2Ee4/s320/DSC05081.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macho Samar deer. You can see a one minute<br />
version of this 20-minute battle on Instagram<br />
@KelemenRon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVM3S8Oxnj2QOuFsdW-eGjCzZ5_ladzGpwCSVT-S48872GNdB0Y03PtpSZ-erMg98spDAzJxgAfoDoa1UEUJF8WvPMI6nXiXSHwA88JdiP2ymrb4-UOyc8AgVk9-ovAIQoYabkHfzQt-y/s1600/20200128_145111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtVM3S8Oxnj2QOuFsdW-eGjCzZ5_ladzGpwCSVT-S48872GNdB0Y03PtpSZ-erMg98spDAzJxgAfoDoa1UEUJF8WvPMI6nXiXSHwA88JdiP2ymrb4-UOyc8AgVk9-ovAIQoYabkHfzQt-y/s320/20200128_145111.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World's End viewpoint</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYxp8LrgfYt5Ht8Ke51rtZGVPj38KObIKkp6mAHAkMqXustvz5oz50crTpv3fqbTz5IY9nyBp9gYd717x_uP_3nXypxZmZyaDkwnKg84tIL8LsqBy7bUsriJnmoNJqovOAvpOGq27Lczq/s1600/DSC05091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYxp8LrgfYt5Ht8Ke51rtZGVPj38KObIKkp6mAHAkMqXustvz5oz50crTpv3fqbTz5IY9nyBp9gYd717x_uP_3nXypxZmZyaDkwnKg84tIL8LsqBy7bUsriJnmoNJqovOAvpOGq27Lczq/s320/DSC05091.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way back to town, still inside the park</td></tr>
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We were also privileged to attend
Easter’s Rotary club meeting. Just a dozen of us around some clubhouse lounge
chairs, followed by fellowship with savory Sri Lankan snacks and coconut
whiskey called arak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rotary banner exchange before the snacks and arak</td></tr>
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Serendipitously the next day, as
we stepped off a local bus from a local botanical garden, two of the club
members recognized us and took us to see a building they are renovating for
fundraising. Of course, tea and snacks
followed at the local golf course.</div>
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Later that day we took a 3 hour
trip on the “tea train” high into tea country to 5,000 feet before descending
to Ella, where we took a car to the coast late at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More about that in our next post. But we will
always fondly remember the warm-hearted Rotarians who gave us insights we would
never have had as ordinary tourists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What a trip!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue;">"What We Can, While We Can!"</span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The caboose of the tea train to Ella</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to botanical gardens outside Nuwara Eliya<br />
The gardens were started in 1850 by<br />
homesick British planters</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many views from the botanical garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIzszmckJCm_AzNrlZaN5TpvmjVARS0QveNaQbSJ4haSu9SxH1d59REdUPmdT77ocn41_1WZOMa-u1iOUfTKX_txJThGJxq6oCgnizKWsPXZAuQkV2QKu7GmZFcowVVtqAxT6aSyHdnql/s1600/20200129_114906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIzszmckJCm_AzNrlZaN5TpvmjVARS0QveNaQbSJ4haSu9SxH1d59REdUPmdT77ocn41_1WZOMa-u1iOUfTKX_txJThGJxq6oCgnizKWsPXZAuQkV2QKu7GmZFcowVVtqAxT6aSyHdnql/s320/20200129_114906.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea and snacks at the country club</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think it means we are in the Ohiya station,<br />
elevation 1,774 meters</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2M6jchKCWMYFkXaL_ksbg9wz6FeFPa43ki5ZVg_FejXll4pMEgbMyI9rew5M2pAObSxCyFwbdQPQ_GjGqMCrGrxxEhkBGsYnnUNIgBmGxHOWrEgCikK5rPAdBzNyls6hXI5_xFPUFL-s/s1600/DSC05135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2M6jchKCWMYFkXaL_ksbg9wz6FeFPa43ki5ZVg_FejXll4pMEgbMyI9rew5M2pAObSxCyFwbdQPQ_GjGqMCrGrxxEhkBGsYnnUNIgBmGxHOWrEgCikK5rPAdBzNyls6hXI5_xFPUFL-s/s320/DSC05135.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the "choo-choo express"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aiKf-YpQlLcK2_3V7zzGmbf_h-Coi91JisCI4iGmbe_f9cknxyDOmyFd_4XsipZgxSUnDf7T3bvaGQZSImxypS-PUQciyjp_YvFKe710h9uruA5ofYxcbgvc1r5v8YUaR5fbLf0w3iit/s1600/DSC05167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aiKf-YpQlLcK2_3V7zzGmbf_h-Coi91JisCI4iGmbe_f9cknxyDOmyFd_4XsipZgxSUnDf7T3bvaGQZSImxypS-PUQciyjp_YvFKe710h9uruA5ofYxcbgvc1r5v8YUaR5fbLf0w3iit/s320/DSC05167.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from tea train ride. It was very hazy<br />
due to field and rubbish burning</td></tr>
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Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6790074819062359671.post-61362455202902234332020-01-26T21:09:00.000-08:002020-01-26T21:18:21.238-08:00Matale and Kandy--More Hospitality, Temples, and Scenery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Matale, at the entrance to the <br />largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka</td></tr>
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We wake up every day not knowing exactly what has been been planned, other than what city we might be in. We know that it will be good, but we are learning that it is always way better than expected.<br />
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And that was the case with Matale and Kandy. It felt refreshing to get out of the muggy climate of Monkey Camp in Polonnaruwa and into the coolness of a higher elevation at Matale. Sri Lanka is about a third the size of Oregon, but in that small size it is packed with huge a variety of scenery, culture, and history--and always friendly and hospitable people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU90eal_6A97MbTgS5ioSE9csWGWW8wMMniBlzIchkDJ2CxUg-jr5HKg82hBM113Kh_hFFOr2Wbpx_fEUGTx9bWSe22XYVK8sZ25ALl9N6ED-CIx7JYm_Da8aPHRlYcOLQZuNIOz1jx89/s1600/DSC04827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKU90eal_6A97MbTgS5ioSE9csWGWW8wMMniBlzIchkDJ2CxUg-jr5HKg82hBM113Kh_hFFOr2Wbpx_fEUGTx9bWSe22XYVK8sZ25ALl9N6ED-CIx7JYm_Da8aPHRlYcOLQZuNIOz1jx89/s320/DSC04827.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sri Lanka's largest Hindu temple</td></tr>
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In Matale, Sri, our Rotarian host and an electrical engineer, took us to the largest Hindu temple in Sri Lanka. That afternoon, he and Rotarian plantation owner Sanjaya led us through through pine forests and tea plantations to a 5,000 foot high mountain with an expansive view, followed by a fun dinner of local savories and coconut whiskey. Rotarian Suthagaaran (Sutha), who hosted us the past three days, joined us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of sculptures on the tower</td></tr>
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Saturday, Sri and his wife treated us to a dosai breakfast (one of our favorites!), then he drove us on a tortuous one-lane rough road to a waterfall for an even better view, but the last 100 meters were socked in with a chilly mist.<br />
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We also toured a spice garden and some Buddhist caves. Long day!<br />
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Saturday evening, Sutha's mom cooked a fabulous South Indian dinner, and we were joined by another Rotarian from the Matale club, a lieutenant with the police department. We tasted tested Jonnie Walker Extra Dark and White Label, but they ended up being more than just tastes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 2,000 foot climb through tea bushes to the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it. But many tea pickers climb this<br />
height and distance every day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast of Champion at Sri's home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's fun when it bounces and swings!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mountains are cool and beautiful</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirHW10iRdeHlWIWHfQ2PNsqqb0xXuBnAYRE4pd6FyTs5aRsABDjOunzoxQhccSNwzXkKjNtHr178gCT7A8gLz8_EV6L8hns-wW4kd7b4vf9LO2PGT0ZXhfDynCZ7BUVZFLtyzAZNNc3e1/s1600/20200125_212209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiirHW10iRdeHlWIWHfQ2PNsqqb0xXuBnAYRE4pd6FyTs5aRsABDjOunzoxQhccSNwzXkKjNtHr178gCT7A8gLz8_EV6L8hns-wW4kd7b4vf9LO2PGT0ZXhfDynCZ7BUVZFLtyzAZNNc3e1/s320/20200125_212209.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fun and tasty dinner party</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXaSgiTukuOLtbqONWtKMg5MXbl77p_DzJHJi0vpLsw5o2_yKxJztcAOrOjJvfYqalB6N4Gyj7K20hQeWWkwEHKJJGmEJ1zLefYipfc6j67D9XwmpgJAHnvze8d9LxllYpaOF0-5Dj1JR/s1600/IMG-20200125-WA0045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXaSgiTukuOLtbqONWtKMg5MXbl77p_DzJHJi0vpLsw5o2_yKxJztcAOrOjJvfYqalB6N4Gyj7K20hQeWWkwEHKJJGmEJ1zLefYipfc6j67D9XwmpgJAHnvze8d9LxllYpaOF0-5Dj1JR/s320/IMG-20200125-WA0045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Buddhist caves in Matale</td></tr>
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Sunday we were privileged to observe a special ceremony at his Hindu temple, the a cultural show at the Mahatma Gandhi Center.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7Av2hRTOl7MLskTlj-hEQqZ5scoGZTPDx7ZV35zF8-XYrPRaZMj1rSKeyJ_g9t9CF4A6K0fDnwa_1R4hcnkKJAB6cW1e9aJb4UI1QKyXg2HZjDYAqDoJicilZMbyh8ssn1cOyXddPdsw/s1600/DSC04977_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7Av2hRTOl7MLskTlj-hEQqZ5scoGZTPDx7ZV35zF8-XYrPRaZMj1rSKeyJ_g9t9CF4A6K0fDnwa_1R4hcnkKJAB6cW1e9aJb4UI1QKyXg2HZjDYAqDoJicilZMbyh8ssn1cOyXddPdsw/s320/DSC04977_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A special puja ceremony at Sri's Hindu temple</td></tr>
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Then on to Kandy, where we were met by Rotarian Tissa who took us to a Buddhist monastery for a private audience with a high level Buddhist monk who got us special VIP entry passes into the venerable Temple of the Tooth, a sacred pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world. It is believed to contain a tooth from Lord Buddha.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cpsjGPp6CMM4DCAtquLXFxDAA-zBVgNXR45-1JmtgJSyM9XJPskjNIRSOs6efmRIS60rwFCUys2h3W31A6LvuQC4dmnrir5GwPz544NdZ4p_7w9Oomtg0dbU6IHNoMokkoLIQYsaLb-P/s1600/20200126_162431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cpsjGPp6CMM4DCAtquLXFxDAA-zBVgNXR45-1JmtgJSyM9XJPskjNIRSOs6efmRIS60rwFCUys2h3W31A6LvuQC4dmnrir5GwPz544NdZ4p_7w9Oomtg0dbU6IHNoMokkoLIQYsaLb-P/s320/20200126_162431.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An audience with His Holiness, but<br />
we couldn't understand a word he<br />
said over the course of 45 minutes<br />
with tea and snacks</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVT379RQGa_Ct9p3GchVzxNLF9t4kFlKiEYcvCD4NAXMgA-IqWdtXzsg_z7ctpR61Mu6F21GaqWareabuANVqHOBFt-2UEQXuM2Oh0cOhnPtD6WJCZGPCjN6B0Axf9alLggjP3B-rwpu8/s1600/DSC05001_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVT379RQGa_Ct9p3GchVzxNLF9t4kFlKiEYcvCD4NAXMgA-IqWdtXzsg_z7ctpR61Mu6F21GaqWareabuANVqHOBFt-2UEQXuM2Oh0cOhnPtD6WJCZGPCjN6B0Axf9alLggjP3B-rwpu8/s320/DSC05001_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the museum portion of the Temple<br />
of the Tooth</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnLMkj6QGBSfM0jz6KFocNLfMP04kqR9ZH3p3P9W5sldJ69HmJOVBhc2PBZYFynI622ToY7n6UCPxglMxsWpA9ReFzu4oDsqrABtr_mU3M8jlGN43gzzCio2u6PT8tznsq47xPNVzZiPM/s1600/DSC05012_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnLMkj6QGBSfM0jz6KFocNLfMP04kqR9ZH3p3P9W5sldJ69HmJOVBhc2PBZYFynI622ToY7n6UCPxglMxsWpA9ReFzu4oDsqrABtr_mU3M8jlGN43gzzCio2u6PT8tznsq47xPNVzZiPM/s320/DSC05012_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Offerings on the outside of the inner temple</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJz9Y407WBss5jQ8Y2vQ6yWcWpAJJl6FvTelKM-8QXnYf3gpeeNAGm_clWPTmmmUtKmwvpcKe4Z83WaTeGSWw6Cb7Cmqh_gwiyw0qDNHSJHwY_hqlsy2hDvJT-2TVEeILrd4TGjgl9Yyd/s1600/DSC05017_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJz9Y407WBss5jQ8Y2vQ6yWcWpAJJl6FvTelKM-8QXnYf3gpeeNAGm_clWPTmmmUtKmwvpcKe4Z83WaTeGSWw6Cb7Cmqh_gwiyw0qDNHSJHwY_hqlsy2hDvJT-2TVEeILrd4TGjgl9Yyd/s320/DSC05017_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tooth is on the upper floor of the structure<br />
on the right</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzmomEbrT-qlPrtNlkLy01VzmhaqCKJ7k-yN4OMfD3_HCT1IrCDgrykkAKxs4u0L8lk1-XmsUldtryzER_E8omK0w2T5ldIxiMwKo1_lIvJ4DD7orF3THAWMpUyzHt4irnf-sHJFb5xAH/s1600/DSC05022_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzmomEbrT-qlPrtNlkLy01VzmhaqCKJ7k-yN4OMfD3_HCT1IrCDgrykkAKxs4u0L8lk1-XmsUldtryzER_E8omK0w2T5ldIxiMwKo1_lIvJ4DD7orF3THAWMpUyzHt4irnf-sHJFb5xAH/s320/DSC05022_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple of the Tooth complex</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyDsV7fsmPzDQIkHr_shuVhrw4vH-T7u-8wi5_RgeTkr1p5eR1TuX3J75igOFKhTi4yNLse-qKC5VO3_5fcBKvfMrPTpk69SsrQlDnoxouIw3nYpJuQN6zzcGbjdl3znDxceRTnEco7Jv/s1600/DSC04999_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyDsV7fsmPzDQIkHr_shuVhrw4vH-T7u-8wi5_RgeTkr1p5eR1TuX3J75igOFKhTi4yNLse-qKC5VO3_5fcBKvfMrPTpk69SsrQlDnoxouIw3nYpJuQN6zzcGbjdl3znDxceRTnEco7Jv/s320/DSC04999_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outer area in front of the vault that<br />
contains tooth</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw6l03baP7Pj_oJP-qdVltVI-fBuYsPZ_8HJocsCiqh8OBmHbNUnWHKsaPPcoLHRo4XJ3RXk4NVpIeMzh5nkJUlmpRvs95vbA_gUeKtZBC6uUYl0q5yuXFbYt_MI1hrE37yixFIuaRuAj/s1600/DSC04991_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw6l03baP7Pj_oJP-qdVltVI-fBuYsPZ_8HJocsCiqh8OBmHbNUnWHKsaPPcoLHRo4XJ3RXk4NVpIeMzh5nkJUlmpRvs95vbA_gUeKtZBC6uUYl0q5yuXFbYt_MI1hrE37yixFIuaRuAj/s320/DSC04991_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room on the corner of The Queen Hotel, <br />
circa 1925, overlooking the lake and the <br />
Temple of the Tooth. Nice, but a lot of traffic noise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjsvstRZ9X1jARZJHjyjNCx0pc1_T9KOz9hbsP8ioqH3XxzKwO3JhZYiWP9RlXprtBtIMR9AA002fui9m4m7ooHS1nPPCLay8QgPmZeiOs-dg-4GgUdg8A3LVMPe0g22wqS24ncQdYK8v/s1600/IMG-20200126-WA0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjsvstRZ9X1jARZJHjyjNCx0pc1_T9KOz9hbsP8ioqH3XxzKwO3JhZYiWP9RlXprtBtIMR9AA002fui9m4m7ooHS1nPPCLay8QgPmZeiOs-dg-4GgUdg8A3LVMPe0g22wqS24ncQdYK8v/s320/IMG-20200126-WA0056.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony with<br />
Sri</td></tr>
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Today we head up into the hill country and the high plains where the colonial British cooled off and supposedly drank a lot of gin. We know it will good, but it will probably be much better than we expect.<br />
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<i>(Note: I've posted additional photos and a video on Instagram and Facebook. If you aren't on Facebook, you can still see almost everything by simply going to Instagram and seaching for @kelemenron.)</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">'What We Can, While We Can!"</span></i></b></div>
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Ron Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06991599268613868750noreply@blogger.com2