The Adventures of Travel Penguin

Weenies on Bourbon Street

2012-02-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

You never know what you are going to see on Bourbon Street. I watched one of the weenie wagons being pushed down the street car tracks on Canal Street, right in front of a Street Car, with the car starting and stopping, and starting and stopping. The guy pushing it must have been partying on his way to work. TR

On The Road Again

2012-02-03T07:05:00.002-05:00

Headed to New Orleans this morning. I have not been there since the hurricane. Fun city, great food. Lots of work to do.

Another day in Paradise

2012-01-31T19:40:00.000-05:00

It was just another day in Paradise, lounging under the colonnade, watching the people saunter by, contemplating the meaning of life.

Be good and have fun,

Birds in a Church?

2012-01-25T20:31:00.000-05:00

Taxidermy in the Smithsonian Castle. The Smithsonian is a vast collection of museums and galleries. People who have not been to DC think of the Smithsonian as a place, but it is a collection of many big places, each one with a unique focus and collection. This image was captured in the Castle, sort of the visitors center for the Smithsonian. This room was once the library, modeled after the library of great European Universities. It has served a variety of purposes over the years, including being the dinning room for a restaurant for a decade or two (I had lunch there once.) At the moment is a gallery of north American history, art, and science. A wonderful space.

Rising Above

2012-01-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

Life is about rising above, not getting stuck in the mire that can be everyday life. The trick is to rise above without losing perspective by placing yourself on a pedestal and forgetting what it is that you have risen above.

Glass Houses

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

Dutch parable: don't worry about what the neighbors see, god sees all

American parable: people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones

Transport

2012-01-15T07:38:00.000-05:00

I am always looking for the next ride to someplace. DG bought new wheels, Mazda 3 hatch.

Underground

2012-01-14T08:18:00.000-05:00

Mass transit was one of the reasons that we moved to DC, being able to get out and go places without fighting traffic and parking was a major plus, along with having all kinds of places that are worth going to (museums, monuments.) When I travel I like to ride public transit, in the last couple of years I have ridden the transit systems in San Francisco, LA, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, and London. They all have advantages and disadvantages but they all have one thing in common, they are a great way to get around a big city - and I love big cities.

TR

The Wide View

2012-01-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and yes there were people running up the stairs and acting silly. This is an incredible museum. Great space and a good collection. The building is very wide, the image above was taken in three exposures using the panoramic mode on my camera. Neat?

TR

Pink?

2012-01-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

We are back from Philly and feeling quite in the pink, doing quite well. We took a couple of nice train rides and spend most of Saturday in the art Museum. The picture above was taken on a visit a few years ago. I have no idea why the water was pink that day, but it was, kind of a striking color.

Concord Moment

2012-01-05T07:08:00.000-05:00

I occasionally hear the phrase, "Concord Moment." What is it? A moment of great achievement. The Concord represented a monumental technological achievement - and one that we let slip into obsolescence. Why do we achieve great things and then let them slip away without building on the accomplishment?

Belly up to the

2012-01-04T07:02:00.000-05:00

seafood bar in Seattle. This was taken at a seafood restaurant in the Pike Place Market in Seattle, reminds me of all of the great NW fish.

Wheels

2012-01-02T22:53:00.000-05:00

I am thinking it is time for a new car. Big Red is great fun, easy to drive and very complex with all kinds of complex toys. Complex toys that are failing, not because of use, but age. She only has a little over 46,000 miles on her, less then 4,000 average miles per year. She is also very large, a real challenge to park and maneuver. Despite her overall size, she has little limited cargo space. In short she is great fun to drive, tons of get up and go, at 2 1/2 tons she will squeal the tires if you put you foot down, but not very practical and starting to need maintenance. We started looking at possible - sensible- replacements today. Shopping will be interrupted for a couple of weeks due to other travel. But it is time to get the ducks in a row and find something shiny and newer.

Staying Ahead

2012-01-02T10:36:00.002-05:00

Having lunch, or being lunch, it is always a simple matter of staying ahead. Each day we keep our eyes on the goal, move ahead, one step at a time. If we keep doing this, we are having lunch, instead of being lunch. Be the bear, or be lunch, I'd sooner be the bear.

TR

Happy New Years

2012-01-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

This is a completely random photo, taken in the Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Castle. Welcome to 2012 - Best Wishes for a great year.

History and Thin Ice

2011-12-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

At the front of the picture, under the trees, is thin ice. A penguins dream, fun to slide on but not to thick. Beyond that is the documentary history of the United States, the National Archives. This was taken from the Hirshorn Museum of Art - one of the best views in the City.

2011-12-26T09:25:00.000-05:00

LA is a great big subway . . . actually it is a nice system. Reasonably clean and efficient and avoids the traffic. It needs about 10 times as many lines and stations.
TR

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2011-12-24T08:09:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2011 was a great year. We traveled to lots of interesting places, ate well, lived well and had a lot of fun. May 2012 be just as amazing!

I wonder

2011-12-18T19:13:00.000-05:00

I wonder if the horses watch them selves on the TV monitor, or on the live animation? The screens have changed the nature of watching a horse race, for Keenland in Lexington Kentucky it has only been a little over a decade since they added a live announcer to the races, and to go from there to live video is quite a jump. So, if you were the horse, would you want to watch? I wonder if they say, the camera really adds a 100 pounds?

Fashion Inspiration

2011-12-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

How to you think I would look in something like this? You have to admit, we penguins tend to be a bit reserved in our fashion sense. Should we venture into more color? I think not, it is a bit ostentatious, black and white are the new peacock blue.

Chicks on the beach

2011-12-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

We winter birds don't often get to chase chicks on the beach, and when we do we have to watch out for the ice. So it was a novelty in Florida to be able to admire and chase this little sweetie down the sand. My but she was fast, every time I got close, she would dart ahead like I was going to steal her krill if I got to close.

A Very Good Reason

2011-12-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

First and foremost among the reasons that penguins do not swim in Florida swamps, is the alligators. Gators have more teeth then a dental hygienist and live to do two things, eat and make little gators. If you get between an expectant momma gator and her eggs, she won't protest, she will devour you. Look all you want, you won't find any penguins living in Florida swamps, and old big mouth is the reason why.

Semi Tropical Birds

2011-12-06T09:40:00.000-05:00

We recently spent a week in Florida and along the way we encountered several birds, odd birds, the kind that fly without airplanes. This one was successfully avoiding being lunch for an alligator, while looking for lunch in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve.

Where to in 2012?

2011-12-04T08:33:00.000-05:00

Planning is well underway for the 2012 travel season. Confirmed are Philly, New Orleans, Lexington, KY, Cadiz, KY(the middle of nowhere,) Chicago and Jacksonville, FL. The list of possible but not confirmed, currently includes Seattle and Denver. And, we need to figure out a summer vacation. A nice quite get away week. Any suggestions?

Over the River and Through the Woods

2011-11-22T07:14:00.000-05:00

Off to Florida for Thanksgiving and visits with some old friends.

Train Ride

2011-11-17T20:25:00.000-05:00

We took the train to Boston, and flew back. Amtrak on the east coast is a real delight. The seats are big and comfy, the train was never really crowded, the snack bar is a couple of cars away and the train lumbers slowly but steadily along. It was early November - the peak of leaf season. In the 8-hour train ride from DC to Boston, I spent at least 6-hours watching the countryside glide by. Someplace north of New York City, we were wandering along the coast and went through a coastal fog in the middle of the afternoon. Granted the flight home took half the time, but the plane was packed, the seat uncomfortable and tiny. For the train I picked up my boarding pass from the automated machine, showed my ticket and ID to get on board and that was it. With the plane I had to check in the machine, wait in line at the counter to check a bag, only to be told I needed to go to another counter to check my bag, then take off my shoes, belt, glasses, jacket, empty EVERYTHING out of my pockets and go through the automated strip search machine to get on the plane. If you are on east coast and you can spare the extra couple of hours, take the train.

Boston

2011-11-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

So this Penguin walks into a bar in Boston, stop me if you have heard this one, the bartender looks up at the penguin and says, "just what we need, another bird that thinks he can fly, don't the Celtics have enough problems?"

Back on the Road

2011-11-08T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am at the Palace Gates this summer, on my way for a visit. It was great fun, a little big and drafty, but the staff was every so nice. I am off on the road, railroad that is in the morning. We are taking the train from DC to Boston, I have never been to Boston. Should be fun, but DG has far too much work to do in far too little time. Talk to you soon,

2011-11-05T16:52:00.001-04:00

DG met another blogger today. Kesha Bruce is an American artist, married to a French man (AKA French Boy.) She is having a gallery show in DC. Very cool! Her work is all about understanding self identity. http://mysocalledlifeinfrance.blogspot.com/ and http://www.keshabrucestudio.com/

Dallas

2011-06-19T16:42:00.000-04:00

It is kind of a pilgrimage, if you are in Dallas you have to go to the place that JFK was shot. It was kind of shock when the shuttle van from the airport drive through Dealey Plaza on the way to the hotel. Later that day we want back, paused, and took a few pictures. How many specific locations have changed the course of history.

TR

Nice Ride

2011-06-05T08:19:00.000-04:00

There are only about a dozen Tesla dealerships in the US, we were in Palo Alto recently and stayed in a hotel next door to one of them. They had about 15 new Tesla's on the ground (in case you are looking to buy one - they have them in stock and ready to go.) I think I need peddle extensions.

What this place needs

2011-05-28T10:24:00.001-04:00

Is a flock of tropical penguins to put on a show.

e-Fun

2011-05-26T22:07:00.000-04:00

You are never very far away from a slot machine in Las Vegas. E-Fun can be fun, I do miss the tubs full of quarters. TR

Headed out again

2011-05-17T18:18:00.000-04:00

We are headed to Las Vegas in the morning, business for someone, pleasure for me, what penguin wouldn't want to visit the dessert. From there we go back to San Francisco, south to Stanford, then home from San Jose, seven nights, eight days and five workshops. We will try to have a little fun along the way. TR

Out for a bike ride

2011-05-15T07:26:00.000-04:00

On the recent trip west, we took a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. An electric bike really helped level out the hills.

Mass Transit

2011-05-08T08:21:00.000-04:00

I love relaxing and letting someone move me from place to place. Mass transit is very relaxing, I can sightsee - read - and daydream while moving from place to place. Reading while driving a car was always a bad idea, daydreaming and sightseeing are also problematic, I have drive right past my exit a couple of times. The San Francisco Cable Cars are just neat, more cities should have them. Surprisingly many air travelers have ridden cable cars, some of the underground people movers in airports like Cincinnati are actually cable cars. In a cable car system, the cable moves constantly and the train grabs onto it to move, look for the moving cable below or on the side of the car the next time you are moving from concourse to concourse.

Sometimes it is good to be small

2011-05-06T06:11:00.000-04:00

Last week was the week of packed flights, the only flight that was not packed was one that was so badly delayed most people missed it. When the planes are full, it is good to be small, I can hide away and bask in the vastness of the space.

Wide Body Flight

2011-05-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

The last trip was airline hell, delayed because of mechanical problems, delayed because of weather, 10 minute change of planes, followed by another weather delay, landing and waiting 30 minutes to get to a gate, taking 15 mintues for someone to drive the jet bridge. The only highlight was a cross country flight on a 767. Passengers LOVE riding on wide body jets, why don't the airlines fly more of them?

Guess who is back traveling

2011-05-01T13:28:00.004-04:00

Ok, I know it has been a very-very long time since my last post, and yes I have been a few places, but have failed to post. I am back for an active travel year, I just flew in from five days in San Francisco.

Chicago Last Week

2010-03-22T11:57:00.001-04:00

We were back in Chicago last week for a few days. The weather was wonderful, warm and spring like. Good conference and lots happening in the windy city.

The View

2010-01-28T07:17:00.002-05:00

The movers moved - nice and fast and we are here. DG is tired and sore and complaining that he is not use to working that hard and he still has a ton of boxes to unpack, then closets to reconfigure, and painting to do, and baths to remodel, and a kitchen to remodel. It is nice to be home. It is quiet here - very quiet. There are six boxes sitting next to the desk, do you have any idea what is in them? Me neither! We will get to them soon and post more pictures as the place starts to look less like a warehouse and more like home.

Moving on Up

2010-01-25T19:38:00.002-05:00

Well it is official, other then a little type someone has to fix, DG has bought a new nest. Sort of a "deluxe apartment in the sky." A nice 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo. The buying process has been an ordeal. But it appears to be completed, other then discovering after getting home that the deed has the wrong unit number on it. But the attorneys say they will fix that, sure am glad I bought the expanded title insurance policy. Moving will take place over the next few days. I will update with nest pictures as soon as we get settled.

TR

Moving on up

2009-12-09T20:15:00.001-05:00

We should have a new nest by the first of February. TR

Nesting sites

2009-12-06T15:18:00.002-05:00

DG has been searching for a new nesting site, in fact he just made an offer on a condo in Alexandria Virginia. We should hear in a few days. The DONALD, and I don't mean the duck, owns the Empire State Building, I wonder if he has a nest there?

TR

Fat Men in New York

2009-11-23T20:11:00.002-05:00

It is nearly time for the jolly fat man to arrive at Macy's in New York. DG was there a couple of weeks ago. We are headed to warmer climates to spend a few days with DG's parents.

TR

Old Friends

2009-11-22T14:50:00.002-05:00

I stopped by to say Hi to some old freinds one day. They are so warm and fuzzy!

TR

All Aboard!

2009-11-19T18:38:00.002-05:00

Amtrak has extended the discount fares on the Northeast Regional Service, less the $100 round trip on selected trains to New York or Boston. Maybe DG will take me someplace interesting again.

Third time is the charm

2009-11-16T21:33:00.001-05:00

This is my third attempt to post, blogger keeps eating my post. DG wanted to go to Times Square for New Years Eve, do you think we are a little early?

TR

Fashion week

2009-11-14T15:04:00.001-05:00

It was fashion week my style in Braynt Park in New York last weekend. The skating rink opened, just like in the old country, people dressing up in their finest and sliding around on the ice. It helped that it was 60 degrees.

Bright Lights - Big City

2009-11-10T21:23:00.001-05:00

Oh my, what bright lights and a big city. I had never been to Times Square before. It was not New Years Eve, but a good time seemed to be had by all.

TR

Money - Money - Money

2009-11-08T13:46:00.002-05:00

I stopped by Wall Street on Thursday to check on the Money. Why? Because I had never been there and had allways dreamed of visting there. It is a nice place, but the police officer with the machine gun was staring at me kind of funny. I assure him I am a peaceful penguin in search of funding for Penguin Airlines all Zepplin service.

TR

TR Checks out Dartmouth

2009-10-18T08:17:00.002-04:00

Dartmouth is in a cute little New England town on the boarder between Vermont and New Hampshire. Kind of the middle of nowhere. We had a nice burrito and wandered about for a little while. One thing I noticed was all of the women appeared to be anorexic. There must not be any fish in the White River.

TR

The Farmers Dinner

2009-10-15T20:29:00.003-04:00

Vermont should have great food, in the tradition of the Minute Man Cafe'.

I would bet that fried chicken is involved, not for me, too much like a member of the family.

Cue the Newhart Show theme music

2009-10-12T18:50:00.002-04:00

I enjoyed the old Bob Newhart show, the one set in Vermont, not the one set in the City. Earlier this month I spent a day in Vermont, every time things went quiet the theme song started playing in my head. I kept looking around and never did find Larry and Daryl and Daryl.

TR

What Weather?

2009-10-10T13:00:00.002-04:00

It felt a bit like home, 32 degrees, a steady 40 mile an hour wind, and dense fog with visibility of around 25 feet. Last Monday I took the steam train to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. I didn't know it was possible to have dense fog when it was 32 degrees with a mountain shaking wind, but the locals just shrugged and said "what weather?"

Thanksgiving

2009-10-02T20:37:00.001-04:00

I stopped to warn her that Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Being a Turkey, she ignored me and rapidly disappeared into the north Michigan Woods.

TR

Torpedos Away!

2009-09-30T17:47:00.001-04:00

Torpedos away! It is so nice to be living with lots of water around. You can smell the water when you step outside. It makes it so much easier to launch the torpedos.

Just a little one

2009-09-02T17:21:00.002-04:00

There was an article in today's Washington Post about the two week process including at least five trips to the local police department that it takes to legally own a handgun in the District of Columbia. How silly, it's only a little gun. It is not like the bad guys don't already have guns, in many cases bigger ones.

TR

And they came in two sizes

2009-08-22T20:55:00.002-04:00

They came in two sizes! Sometimes you want the big fat yellow one and sometimes you want the little guy.

TR

Las Almos

2009-08-21T06:51:00.001-04:00

Just a little something I picked up in a surplus shop in Los Almos . . . Penguins Rule!

TR

Dreaming of France

2009-08-14T07:36:00.000-04:00

Day dreaming of France

I was strolling in DC one day

2009-08-02T16:29:00.002-04:00

I never tire of strolling around the capital, looking at the sights. One thing I seldom see is other penguins, I think we are under represented in DC.

I wonder if I can get in

2009-07-24T20:34:00.004-04:00

Few people know this, but I was hatched in China. Does that qualify me for entry into the Asian reading room? Nice hallway and it is warmer then the Antarctic Reading Room.

I went to the desert on a horse with no name

2009-07-14T07:03:00.003-04:00

For some reason that song invaded my brain as I was looking at the pictures from New Mexico. It did feel to be out of the rain, until the monsoons hit in the afternoon. You never know what you will find when you are wandering around, going wherever Ms. Garmin tells you to go.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Two Mile High

2009-06-26T06:45:00.002-04:00

I decided to hop up to the top of Sandia Peak. Fortunately for me there is a tram-way available to fly you to the top two miles above sea level.

Desert Adventures

2009-06-24T17:56:00.002-04:00

Well we were not off in Argentina having an illicit affair like a certain Governor, but we were off exploring on the edge of civilization late last week. I love the desert. It is so desert like, with rocks and cactus and such. It is Monsoon season and it rained in that desert sort of a way a couple of times. As to the dear Governor, we won't cry for you in Argentina.

TR

Nice Perch

2009-06-11T07:17:00.002-04:00

This was taken on the roof of the new Modern Wing at the Art Institute in Chicago. They have a large arrangements of stone chairs on the roof deck. Great views and a wonderful building. It surprised me how few people were taking advantage of the comfortable perches: reminds me of home.

Onward we go

2009-06-08T18:19:00.002-04:00

While walking down the street in Chicago I came across this young bull. I hoped on and went for a walk - onward!

TR

Pro Racing Near the Nest

2009-05-31T20:47:00.002-04:00

There was professional bicycle racing near the nest today. How exciting. 20 teams, over 120 riders, 14 laps, 109 miles on a closed circuit. A great time was had by this little bird. Tour de France someday!

Never Forget

2009-05-24T22:28:00.002-04:00

American Military Cemetery in Normandy

Order in the Court

2009-05-01T17:44:00.002-04:00

At the moment there is order in the court. This court room in Williamsburg was used from the 1780's until 1952. If you get out of line the bailiff will toss a herring at you!

TR

2009-04-24T17:51:00.002-04:00

I decided to get a feel for the lay of the land in Williamsburg last weekend. These relief maps are just my size.

TR

Retracing old steps

2009-04-19T18:22:00.002-04:00

Thirty plus years ago, DG visited Williamsburg with his grandmother. His favorite picture of his grandmother was taken in the courtyard of the wheelwrights shop next to the Governors Mansion. Today we retraced those steps. Funny, the colonials didn't seem to have any quality birds.

TR

It is a long walk, but there is a nice view on the otherside

2009-04-16T18:04:00.003-04:00

Who ever came up with the idea of sitting grand houses at the back of a big green lawn must have been carted around in a carriage on not been wattling down the drive on tiny little feet. There is a really nice view on the other side, if you are still conscious when you get there.

TR

Baahh!

2009-04-12T13:42:00.002-04:00

I went out to Mt. Vernon to visit the quadrupeds today. Baah! They are so cute, warm and fuzzy and it is a beautiful spring day. Clear and blue and colder then it looks with a 15 mile per hour wind straght off a glacier someplace. There must be a glacier floating in the Potomac today. Baahhhh!

TR

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's TR

2009-04-09T06:20:00.002-04:00

Here I am leaping tall buildings in a single bound once again. I like to perch high up and observe the world. The nest has a nice view of the people and the cars below. Where do you like to people watch from?

TR

Will they

2009-04-07T18:36:00.001-04:00

Will they cast me in bronze someday? I would be so majestic.

Spring

2009-04-04T18:02:00.002-04:00

Spring in the city. Getting a little sun to warm my avian soul.

TR

Sunday Sun

2009-03-25T19:19:00.001-04:00

It was cool, but pretty out on Sunday. The trees are starting to bloom, another week and the cherry blossoms will be at their peak.

At the South End of L'Enfant Plaza South West

2009-03-24T19:47:00.003-04:00

Go to the end of L'Enfant Plaza Southwest and either scramble down the grassy cliff or take the spiral street down to the river front and you will find DC's floating fish market. The vendors are on barges that float up and down on the River. The fish was a penguins delight. I can't wait to go back.

Waiting for my carriage

2009-03-18T06:12:00.002-04:00

Here I am waiting for my carriage to take me someplace. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it was about 40 degrees and raining. Great weather for sheep and penguins. Reminds me of home.

TR

Great View and Goose Shit

2009-03-15T16:49:00.002-04:00

George Washington had a great view from the rambling front porch out over the Potomac. Really quite wonderful. The front lawn is a favorite landing ground for Canada Geese, and you know the old saying out something going through like grass through a goose. The front lawn is peppered with goose droppings. I am glad it was not on my shoes.

TR

Lambing Season

2009-03-14T17:53:00.002-04:00

I went out to Mt Vernon, George Washington's estate today. It is lambing season, the soon to be mom's are being confined for the indignity. It was nice to say, "hi, how are you doing, it will all be over soon."

Weather

2009-03-14T07:36:00.002-04:00

Two weekends ago it snowed, not alot, but it does not take much to put DC into panic mode. Last weekend was warm and it truly felt like spring, I took a nice long walk both days last weekend. This morning it is 39 degrees out, overcast and very humid. The weather gods appear to be suffering from bipolar disorder. Makes me want to hunker down in the nest and wait for spring.

TR

It is not the birds

2009-03-06T07:25:00.002-05:00

You can hear this place from half a block away and it is not the bird. No self respecting penguin would be caught dead in the place, it is so noisy. The crowd of human hatchlings is incredible and they are capable of the most incredible high pitched sounds . . . it hurts my ears . . . maybe then I could find my ears.

TR

Perfect Perch

2009-03-04T06:29:00.002-05:00

I could perch here and watch the people looking at the city for hours. They are so interesting, ohhing and ahhing. They are always searching from up here, for things that they know down there. Many refuse to believe that things really are, where they are, but they are. A few are surprised at how things look from the top having spent all of their lives looking up. I could sit here all day and people watch.

Dressed for the Occasion

2009-02-28T12:38:00.002-05:00

You never know what you are going to stumble across in DC. Last Saturday we went for a 3 mile stroll into the city including a nice visit at the Jefferson Memorial. As we were approaching the police stopped traffic and a large limo pulled up and stopped. I thought, well Obama must have finally gotten to my name on the list for potential cabinet appointments, but no, it was a wedding. The bride in the full virgin sacrifice outfit (yea, like very many of them would qualify) and the men in nice penguin suits. I fit right in. I hope the marriage lasts longer then it takes to pay for.

We hold these truths to be self evident

2009-02-24T20:11:00.002-05:00

That all flightless aqutic fowl are created equally, and they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among them freedom, travel and the pursuit of krill.

TR

On the bird watch

2009-02-23T20:06:00.001-05:00

I found this great park over the weekend, just across a creek from the north end of the runway at National Airport. There was a flock of geese there that definitely need watching, you know what they can do to flight operations.

Dreaming

2009-02-20T17:07:00.001-05:00

I am dreaming of a nice slow cruise to tropical ports of call. I think that beats icy waterways any day.

TR

How did that get there

2009-02-17T17:28:00.002-05:00

What does not belong there. On a recent trip we rented a car and took a couple of pictures. What is out of place between these two pictures?

What happened to Disney Village

2009-02-09T20:48:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, in a land not to far south of Orlando there was this wonderfully sedate collection of upscale shops and restaurants known as Disney Village. Then the shareholders got restless, ran off Michael (not Mickey, Mikey, the CEO) and replaced Disney Village with Downtown Disney filled with overpriced junk shops aimed at a shopper with an age and IQ of about 12. Screaming children have replaced 24-Karat adornments. You move away for a few years and the old neighborhood is never the same.

TR

Destined to Happen

2009-02-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

If it keeps snowing, this is destined to happen!

Perfect Timing

2009-02-01T15:45:00.003-05:00

The last time I visited the National Archives we stood in line for what seemed like hours and were herded through like sheep, with signs telling us how long we could spend looking at the historic documents. This morning was so different. Very magical. No lines, no one shouting directions. You could spend all the time you want, DG even read Article II to find the oath of office that Robert's bumbled on January 20th. Wonderful!

TR

Cold and Ice

2009-01-28T20:18:00.002-05:00

It is cold and icy across the country. WH is home without power. Nasty, icy, reminds me of home and why I don't want to go back.

Nice Week

2009-01-24T07:08:00.002-05:00

It is estimated that a million out of town visitors spent a billion-dollars in DC this week, what a great way to stimulate the economy. Run the cowboy out of town. Former President Jimmy Carter gets the quote of the week, as the helcopter took off from the east side of the Capital carrying former President George W Bush off to fly home to Texas, Jimmy Carter turned to the person next to him and said, "I've been waiting eight years to watch that helcopter take off."

When DG passed through the subway station yesterday evening on his way home there was a duck sitting there preening itself in the place that the homeless woman with the goatee normally sits surrounded by pigeons. I wonder what happened to the pigeons? (Be careful when typing the word Duck, the D and the F keys are to close together and spell check won't catch that one.)

Three or four afternons a week we walk past a man sitting on a box holding out an empty starbucks cup asking for spare change. The other afternoon we were a little early and traffic was heavey and there he was, sitting in his new car waiting to turn into the parking garage, commuting to work.

Another nice week in the Nations Capital,

TR

I think I may stay home on Tuesday

2009-01-18T19:53:00.002-05:00

Bad luck for birds on Inauguration Day

Don't feed the pigeons
On the day of Richard Nixon's 1973 inauguration, Pennsylvania Avenue was dotted with sick and dead pigeons. At the president's request, the inauguration committee spent $13,000 to spread a chemical bird repellent on the tree branches along the parade route to deter the pigeons. According to the Washington Post, the chemicals in Roost-No-More were supposed to cause the birds' feet to itch so they wouldn't roost in the trees. Unfortunately, the birds ate the repellent, causing them to get sick and die along the parade route.

Turn up the heat
After the north wing of the Treasury Building proved too small for President Ulysses S. Grant's first inaugural ball in 1869, a temporary structure was built in Judiciary Square for his second inaugural ball in 1873. Unfortunately, the structure had no heat or insulation, so guests danced in their coats and hats to stay warm in the minus-4-degree temperature, according to the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Events. Making matters worse, the food was cold, the hot chocolate and coffee ran out and the poor caged canaries -- used as decorations -- froze to death.

TR

Some days it does not pay to get out of the nest

2009-01-16T16:13:00.006-05:00

DG braved the cold and was at his desk at 7:55 AM this fine cold morning. He shook the mouse on his computer to wake it up from it's slumber and nothing happened. He pressed the magic buttons and nothing. Cold, dark nothing. The computer had died in it's sleep overnight. He called the IT "customer care" number and was connected to Chicago, no one cares that early in the morning on the east coast. He was told that a work order was being dispatched and someone would be by shortly. He caught up on his reading, cleared off the desk, did email on his phone, contemplated joining the computer, called home, and waited. The Polish computer technician arrived about 9:30. She tried pressing the start button, checked to see that things were plugged in, took the battery out and tried jump starting the computer and said, "itis-dead." She went to fetch a loaner, aka the last semi working model of a laptop designed for Windows 2000. That was made somewhat functional by 10:30. He spent 15 minutes trying to decide if he should scream or cry when she explained the largest professional membership organization in the world (oops too much information) does not sync files from the work stations to the file servers automatically. The three hours of tedious work on Thursday afternoon exist only on the hard drive of the dead computer. About 11:00 he got a call from IT saying that that they had transplanted the hard drive from the deceased into a new body and it appeared to be working. By then it was time for a phone interview for a summer intern (who stood us up for the second time this week, she won't be getting a job offer - it is a paid internship in DC at the brand name organization in the industry and she sets a time for us to call her and then does not answer the phone -- - - - - - - her mental health or ours? - - - IN THIS JOB MARKET - she must be nuts. After that he has a meeting and a working lunch and lunch and then back to the office to find the successful transplant patient working. It is cold and DG actually got about 12 minutes work done in the office today. Not worth getting out of bed for. Work has been emailed home and 3-4 hours work will get done over the long weekend.

Some days it does not pay to get out of the nest,

TR

Penguin Under Glass

2009-01-16T05:53:00.003-05:00

I ran across Uncle Herbert the ofher day at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He is has a very important job there but he does not want to talk about it because he is working under cover of glass.