Moody Monday: Feeling better

I had a little post vacation crash, but "I am feeling much better now." 

I went to the outdoor pool for the first time this year, the water is warm enough to not take your breath away, and I can go in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week, when it is peaceful. Being in the water is therapeutic. 

I am mixing outdoor walks with treadmill hours.  The weather is very summer like, the world is very verdant. The gym is cool and has great WiFi; YouTube works well on my Ipad.    

I have picked up the brushes and started painting again. A study in shades of grey, and starting one in shades of green.  

I will likely finish a second book, before this posts, the Wisdom of Sheep, beautifully written by an organic farmer in England. 

The September road trip is planned - except for the last night.  The beginning of next April's adventure is booked, and there is plenty of time to work on the other couple of weeks of it.  

I finished three articles I had promised to do. 

I am settling back into being busy with what I am doing, and that is a good thing. 

Why is the photo above in black and white? Because I bumped the wrong dial on the camera and didn't realize it for about 20 exposures.  

The Sunday Five: Mail Call

1: Do you look at your incoming mail (post) everyday? 

2: Do you have stamps to send mail readily at hand? 

3: Can you remember the last time you received a handwritten letter from a friend of family member? 

4: When was the last time you mailed a letter or card to a family member or friend? 

5: Will postal delivery as we know it, exist in 25 years? 

My answers: 

1: Do you look at your incoming mail (post) everyday?  No, the post arrives in a locked box in the lobby, we pick it up a couple of times a week. 

2: Do you have stamps to send mail readily at hand? Yes, in a ceramic box on my desk. 

3: Can you remember the last time you received a handwritten letter from a friend of family member? A thank you notes from a friend a couple of years ago. 

4: When was the last time you mailed a letter or card to a family member or friend? I always send my sister a birthday card - March. 

5: Will postal delivery as we know it, exist in 25 years?  Package delivery, yes, cards and letters - maybe not.  I am starting to think not. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Doors and Knockers

Doors keep us in, keep us out, are the portals to what lays beyond. They vary from the mundane and functional, to elaborate works of art.  Knockers and other hardware are functional sculptures. 

Historic preservation in old town Alexandria Virginia was triggered by a door.  The colonial era door and surround from Gadsby's tavern is a masterpiece of colonial architecture.  So nice, that in a remodel of the building, the door and surround were sold to a museum in New England. The loss triggered a move to preserve the historic fabric of the area, after all Gadsby's was a gather place for the founding fathers.  The door was repurchased - restored and much of what remains is there because of the protections in place. (Historic preservation in Savannah Georgia was triggered by a parking garage.) 

Treasury Door, Palace of the Popes Avignon, 

Door Number 1 in Nimes, France 

 

100 Ways to Slightly Improve Your Travel Experience #10 Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tours

 

Open top double decker bus tours are a great way to get a feel for the a city you have never been to before.  The buses will hit the highlights of the history and architecture of the city and can be a great way to become oriented to the city. 

The first one of these I took, was way back in 1990 on my first trip across the pond, an open top sightseeing bus tour of London.  Since then I have done several of them, memorably in Dublin and Barcelona. Sometimes we get on and off, sometimes we just ride the circuit getting an overview of the city.  

You have to be agile to climb to the top, but the views are really worth it.  You will also be out in the sun, many of them have a canvas top that will close if it starts to rain. 

Thursday Ramble: I was Really There

Jay takes photos of me when we travel, often photos of me walking away, I walk too fast and have a much shorter attention span. He gathered up the walking away photos from the May adventure and sent them to me, so here I share them with you.  They are not all flattering, I am rotund. But they show that I am there, really there.  

I seldom am seen without a camera on my wrist.  When packing, I moved my preferred lens to the newer "back-up" camera and carried it on this trip. There were only a couple of times when I wished I had a wider lens with me, I only took one lens, to save weight.  I had three batteries and the charger with me.  Depending on conditions, I can get 700 to 1,000 images on a charge.  The camera had a 36-gig memory card, and I ran out of space (a little over 2,400 photos.) I deleted a few bad images, and made it through that day.  The next morning the first stop was the Super U supermarket in Saint Martin Du Crua.  I went to the customer service desk, popped the memory card out of my camera and did my best to explain that I needed to buy one. The staffer looked flustered for a moment, then came out from behind the counter and led the way to the display where I was able to find a new card. I thanked her profusely, one of the few things I can do in French.  I should have kissed her. I had another 1,500 photos on the new card when we arrived home. 

 

My World of Wonders, aka The Wednesday W's June 12th edition

Where have I been? Home, the gym, the grocery store, walks in the swamp and at Huntley Meadows. 

What have I been doing?  A draft report on one of the consulting projects was due late last week, and I finished that and shipped it.  I wrote a book review for an ABA publication. I continue to make progress on closet cleaning and organization.  I wonder where all all of the clothes came from.  

What about travel planning? We are starting to flesh out a driving trip in the early fall, to visit family and attend a wedding.  The big news, is I booked a transAtlantic cruise for next April.  A completely different itinerary, a large newer ship, and I didn't cheap out and bought the everything in included package.  Now to plan the rest of that adventure.  

Who have I seen? Last Friday was the first Friday LGBT gathering at the condo, Susan and Rafael joined us at least briefly.  Beyond that my sweet bear.  

Who have I reached out to?  Fred, a lawyer friend who had just finished a cruise on the line I was looking at, he had some very helpful input.  Sonia who works in my former office, she is just back to work from hip replacement surgery.  Trisha about a writing project for COLA.  

What am I reading? A book about islands in the Mediterranean. 

When is the next adventure?  Chicago in early August for a few days. 

Who deserves a slap this week?  The person who honked at me as I was checking for cross traffic before turning right on red at a traffic light. At least 3 out of 5 slaps, slap some patience into them. 

Who deserves a big Thank You! The vendors at the King Street Farmers Market, for sharing the early summer bounty.  

Travel Tuesday: The Gite

Gites are French country vacation rentals. Most are in rural areas, or on farms. This was our second time renting a Gite.  I always book a two bedroom, to give us more space.  I like having a full kitchen because I love shopping in local markets. I didn't do a lot of "cooking" but we ate breakfast and a light evening meal in every day.  

The car we rented for 11 days. 

The gate is through that opening in the hedges. 

The apartment we rented was the ground floor of this end of the farmhouse. 

To get there, you turn off the main road, onto a gravel drive, drive about 250 meters between polytunnels, turn right between these two farm buildings and look for the opening in the very tall hedge. Pass through the gate, and drive to the end. The gardening and landscaping was lush and tropical. 

This Gite booked through an agency and accepted online payment by credit card.  Always look at what is included, paying special attention to sheets and towels, some include these, some offer them as an option. 
 

Moody Monday: June 10th edition

I had a draft that was kind of off and down, that happens when I pay attention to politics and human stupidity. Thankfully delete still works.  I have to be careful to keep my mind rolling down the quiet back streets and out of the constant stream of "news." 

There was an old saying that dog bites man is not news, man bites dog is news.  Today, anything is news that is bad, or shocking.  When the weather forecast started coming from the "Severe Weather Center" I stopped paying attention.  There are far more mild sunny days, with occasional afternoon showers, than life altering storms, but the news seems only interested in the ugly in life. 

The reality in most places, is the sun will shine, the rain will fall, the breezes will blow, it may be cool, it may be warm, but we will be just fine.  I like the philosophy that there is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing choices.  We were caught in an unexpected rain, while buying a box of chocolates for the dear neighbor who picked us up at the airport, in the little street above, or one within a block or two of there. Some people walk in the rain, some just get wet.  I did walk a little faster.  

When the news is getting to me, I let my mind drift back the wonders of the world.  

 

The Sunday Five: Learning About You

Barcelona, Spain, side street near the Arena

 1: How many years of school, college, university have you completed? 

2: If age and money were no issue, what would you study next? 

3: Did you like school, hate school, or something else? 

4: If it was in your native language, would you study in a foreign country? 

5: What is the most valuable less from your education? 

My answers: 

1: How many years of school, college, university have you completed? 20 

2: If age and money were no issue, what would you study next? Medicine. 

3: Did you like school, hate school, or something else? I loved it, at times it was a real grind, but I enjoyed exploring new ideas. 

4: If it was in your native language, would you study in a foreign country? In a heartbeat, someone needs to develop a semester abroad program for old farts. 

5: What is the most valuable less from your education?  How to explore and learn. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

The Saturday Morning Post - Photo Edition - Roman France

The Mediterranean Coast is home to amazing structures and archeology from the Roman Empire.  Some of this was on the agenda, some of it was stumbled across with a road sign saying something like Roman Aqueduct with an arrow pointing left. All of it was amazing.  

The Arena a Nimes - in use as an entertainment venue. 

Roman History Museum at Nimes

Theater at Arles

Arena at Arles

Big One! 

Discovery of inlaid floors was the impetus for building the Roman history museum at Nimes. 

Nimes again 

One of the most intact Roman Temples in the world is in Nimes 

Roman City Gate in Nimes 

 Not much text, but lots of images today