Travel Tuesday: Milan Galleria

 

Monday Moods: My Life Has Been A Tapestry

Show me the things you have kept, and I will know more about you, than you have ever told anyone. After my father died, I was sorting through his bedroom, in the drawer of the table next to his bed was a small wood box, probably a box a watch came in 75 years earlier.  I had never seen it. In it was a silver ID bracelet, a gift he had received  from his sister, and I never saw him wear. He was not one for wearing jewelry, a watch was about it. Also in there were the insignias from his army uniform. He was drafted near the end of World War II. He seldom talked about it. He went to basic training in Louisiana, then was stationed in New York and New Jersey for a year or so, then discharged and sent home. His seldom talking about it, leading me to think that it was a time that didn't really matter to him, then decades later I find those brass uniform icons. He had kept them. He was not a man to keep a lot, those meant something to him. Show me what you keep, and I will know more about you than you will ever tell me. 

The photo above is a tiny corner of my cabinet of curiosities. The Leprechaun is a pencil sharpener, a gift from Uncle Dick's mother, I have had it since I was a child. She did a tour of Ireland and brought that back for me. She was very kind, and had the sweetest dachshund. Next to it is a bronze I bought in Iceland. The books behind that include my High School diploma, the only volume of my grandmother's diaries that I was able to save, and my father's pilot's log books. The flat red item, was the fob for my Capital Bikeshare membership, an important part of my commuting history in DC, and how I made it home the day of the earthquake. The blue glass vase behind the Leprechaun I bought from the glassblower in Ireland, as they were closing the shop for COVID, while were there they received a phone call telling them to close to the public. I have two shelves of little things that mean something to me, the tapestry of my life. 

What is yours? 

 

The Sunday Five: Blogging

1: How long have you been blogging? (If you don't blog, why not?) 

2: How did you learn about blogging? 

3: Does your family read your blog? 

4: How much time do you spend each week, reading and or writing blogs? 

5: What is the best thing about blogs? 

My answers:

1: How long have you been blogging? (If you don't blog, why not?) 21 years, this blog is old enough to drink in the US. 

2: How did you learn about blogging? Stephen, a friend who lives in London, was blogging and urged me to read his. His original blog is long gone, he now podcasts, and I seldom listen - I don't have the patience to listen that long. 

3: Does your family read your blog? They know about it, and will look at a single post, but I don't think they visit regularly. 

4: How much time do you spend each week, reading and or writing blogs? Easily 10 hours, an hour or so each day reading posts, plus time to write. 

5: What is the best thing about blogs? I get to choose what I want to see, unlike other social media that fills my screen with what they want me to see. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: The Mirror Project

Before Blogging, I started posting on Virtual Tourist, and the Mirror Project. 

I discovered VT when I was searching for tips on visiting Paris for Christmas, and I ended up building several pages on VT with photos and travel information. Efforts to monetize that site failed and it disappeared. 

The Mirror Project posted photos containing the reflection of the photographer. The submissions were screened before posting. I had a couple rejected, and appealed with an explanation of the reflection. The Mirror Project inspired me to look for reflective surfaces and set up photos I could submit. Working towards that theme, gave direction to my work. 

Reflecting on these experiences, having a plan, a theme, gives direction to creativity.  Sometimes creativity is random, but not always. Having a theme, mission, or goal, can focus our creativity. 

What is the current theme of your creativity?  

Freestyle Friday: A slightly disjointed ramble

My roots are European, English, Welsh, French, German, maybe a little Irish or Scottish. My family presence in north America has been traced back to about 1612, with the latest immigrants arriving here about 300 years later. In the overall timeline of the world, just the blink of an eye. Mankind was here on this land for hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of years before us, and will be here for hundreds of thousands of years beyond us. 

Yet some think that because their family has been here for a generation or three, that they should control what happens, who is allowed in, who can stay here, who can be forced to leave. I am relatively confident that some of the inhabitants of this land were welcoming of my ancestors, and some where not. But we stayed.  

History tells us it was not always easy. In fact some pretty horrible things have happened, and continue to happen - the US Government continues to treat native Americans as incompetents in their own lands in many ways.

I am also a believer in the rule of law.  A key to a safe and secure community, is an unspoken agreement to act in ways that protect all from harm. Among those laws, is a control on how people enter the country. There is a legal process. Ours is outdated, and has been for decades, but it is still the law. Congress should update it, maybe when the orange plague has passed they will. In the meantime, like it or not, it is the law.  If you want to live here, comply with the law, failing to do so, is failing to be a participating member of society. A breach of the compact that holds a civilized society together. 

I fully understand why people might want to live here. Though the current administration makes it less attractive in many ways. North America is still a land of great beauty, natural resources, and opportunity. 

When I visit places like France, Italy, and Spain I often think, I would love to live here. But I know if I want to do so, I need to follow the process to do so legally. And that process can be archaine and challenging. Entering as a tourist, and staying beyond the time allowed for tourists, a breach of the trust that is granted to tourists, a breach of the unspoken agreement of the land to live together for the mutual benefit of all. A breach of the law.  Not a good way to try to become a member of the society. 

Not the way I would want to become a member of new community. If I treat the community like that, how can I expect the community to treat me? 

Added note, it appears that bloggers comment system is not working today. I am reading, and thinking about your blogs.  

Thursday Ramble: Blogiversary

 

THANK YOU ALL! 

I hope you enjoy this blog, I truly enjoy writing it, reading your comments and responding. You bring so much to my life. 

Twenty-one years ago today, I published the first post on the Adventures of Travel Penguin. For a couple of weeks I had been guest blogger for Stephen, a friend who lives in London, while he was away on holiday. I enjoyed writing and posting, and decided I would give it a try. At first I didn't tell anyone. The first decade or so was slow, then I started posting more often. I have not missed a day since 2015.

I often ask myself, why do I blog? I do this to share my photographs, and my thoughts. The commitment to posting daily was personal, I wanted to improve my writing. By making a commitment to post everyday, I was committing myself to writing a few pages every week. Writing has become easier; I hope my writing has become better. 

I try to stay positive and upbeat in my postings. There is plenty of anger on blogs, very valid anger. I try to avoid that here. I have strong political views, I am proudly WOKE, but I generally avoid politics here. I hope this is an oasis, a safe space. 

My sincere hope is to continue writing The Adventures of Travel Penguin as long as I have photos to share and something to say. I have well over 120,000 photos in the archive, there is little risk of my running out of photos, and I am still learning to be quiet. 

My World of Wonders: September 2, 2026

What have I been doing this week? Doing too much. I was asked to score grant applications on a tight deadline, written materials for a conference I am speaking at in early October were due, and I am drafting a couple of policy papers. All of these ended up needing to be done at the same time. A bit much. Oh, and I have an article to write by the end of the month. 

Where have I been this week? The treadmill, the pool, the community center, the farmers market. Target and Aldi, I simply needed to get out of the house. The library, and Mt Vernon. 

What is on the easel? Nothing. A lack of balance in my life. 

What am I reading? A book on community living for persons with disabilities, a model for de-institutionalizing older adults. 

Where should you visit this week? Your local public library. Libraries are one of the greatest resources in your community. They have something for everyone, children, young adults, middle aged adults, older adults.  They provide access to books, music, video, millions of dollars in resources available for our use. Libraries are places to learn, to be entertained, to make social connections.  We need to use libraries, or we risk losing them. 

Where have I been in this lifetime? I put together a list of airports I have flown in and out of, 86 of them. HNL, KGG, KOA, LIH, ANC, SEA, PDX, SFO, SMF, LAX,SNA,SAN,PHX,ABQ,RNO,LAS,SLC,FCA,BIS,RAP,DEN,MSP,STL,MCI,LIT,BHM,MEM,BNA,ORD,MDW,ATL,SAV,MCO,JAX,FTL,MIA,PBI, RDU, FAY, CLT, CAE, BHM, MSY, IND, CVG, CNH, CLE, DTW, FNT, TVC, PSM, BUF, JFK, LGA, EWR, PHL, BWI, DCA, IAD, RIC, RDV, HTS, LEX, SDF, BOS, PVD, SJU, KEF, DUB, GLA, LRW, LHR,AMS, CDG, MAD, FCO, FRA, MUC, FDH, VIE, LIN, ATH, YYZ, YUL,TPA, DAB. 

Where to next?