My how time flies, Happy Holidays to you and yours! Happy Travels in the comming year!
TR

Drifting Along, time seems to be flying like the proverbial bird.  I am about to embark on three trips - almost back to back.  Hopefully I remember to post when I am home for a day or two in between.  Lots of frequent flyer miles for a flightless fowl.  TR

Lazy River

The River Walk in San Antonio creates an isolated view of the tourist part of the city, you become totally unaware of the city that is just a flight of stairs above.

TR

Early Spring

This was taken on March the 14th, Washington DC, it is a very early spring.  The weather has turned warm, and the trees, blooms and grass are busting out all over.  The Cherry blossoms are way ahead of schedule.  No more icy waterways for a few months!

TR

I was at a street party and a parade broke out

I stood for far too long waiting for the parade, but there was a nice party going on to keep me distracted.  Bee loved! TR

Casting a shadow

New Orleans was a good trip, I had a lot of work to do, but I was only a couple of blocks from the wonders of the old city, the part of the city that survived, but still the city is in the shadow.  The a five minute walk up the street and buildings are boarded up, stripped to their walls and floors and not yet rebuilt, and the people are forever changed, forever living in the shadow of the storm.
TR

Weenies on Bourbon Street

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

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

TR

Another day in Paradise

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,

TR

Birds in a Church?

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.

TR

Rising Above

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

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

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

Underground

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

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?

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. 

TR

Concord Moment

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? 

TR

Belly up to the

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.

TR

Wheels

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.

TR

Staying Ahead

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

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

TR