Pandas at the National Zoo

My only real "must see" on my recent trip to Washington DC was the Pandas at the National Zoo (I only had one free day on the trip.) When I first arrived at the Zoo the "baby" (who is now about 60 pounds) was up a tree munching away and ignoring the world. Later she was was down with mom enjoying a snack in the afternoon sun. I took the hint and had lunch at a nice sidewalk cafe down near the Metro stop. I can't wait to go back.

TR

Happy Birthday Uncle Bert

Unless my notes are wrong, Tuesday is Uncle Bert's birthday. Happy Birthday Bert! Thank you for sharing insight into your wonderful world with us.

What does this picture have to do with Bert's birthday? The picture was taken the last time TR, DG and WH spent the day wandering around London with Bert and Someone. We can't wait to go back!


TR and DG

Tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed!

These are the first words spoken by man from the surface of the moon. Landing astronauts on the moon and returning them safely to the earth is arguably the greatest engineering accomplishment in the history of human kind. Years later I lived across the river from the “Rocket Ranch” and had the pleasure of meeting many of the ordinary people who performed the extraordinary tasks that made landing on the moon possible.

One lasting artifact from those days of extraordinary accomplishment are a few hundred pounds of rocks, sand and dust. Most of it is locked away for study by NASA. But a few pounds are out for people to see. If you look in the right places, you can touch a piece of the moon. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington DC has four moon rocks on display, one that you can touch. It is on display in the shadow of the Spirit of St Louis, near the entrance on the mall side. Here is Travel stopping to touch the moon. (You can slide your fingers under the sheet of glass, and touch the arrow shaped rock specimen.)

DG and TR

It’s always 5:00 o’clock somewhere

Here I am taking a little break with an “Amber Waves of Ale” at the Capital City Brewing Company. CCBC is in the same building as the National Postal Museum just west of Union Station in Washington DC. They have a sampler of all of their current products, good, very good. One thing I learned, beer and chocolate mouse don’t pair off very well.

Enjoy your weekends,

TR and DG

I just returned from 4 days in Washington DC. DG had three long days of work, but we squeezed in as much sightseeing as we could. As always we took the Metro from National Airport into the city.

We stayed at a very nice hotel near Union Station this trip. The hotel was just across the street from the conference site and very comfortable for me while DG was across the street being enlightened.

We went to the National Zoo to see the exotic wild life. They have a Panda who is less then a year old. The baby was hiding a tree, munching bamboo. The Panda’s are about to be moved to a new a larger habitat, I sure am glad I free to hitch a ride around the world. You never know who you bump into in DC, I walked past Haley Barber on my way to dinner on Tuesday evening, and minutes later watch Senator Clinton get into her armored SUV at the Capital. Then there was this gang of thugs that I ran into down by the Smithsonian Castle building one evening.

TR

TR goes to Washington

I am headed off to Washington DC with DG for a few days. On the agenda is a reception on Capital Hill and a visit to the National Zoo to see the Panda's. I will report back on what we see.

TR

Limo for Bert and Someone

I am waiting to pick a couple of friends up at the station, now what time does their train arrive from France?

TR

Where can I find a red velvet tuxedo?

DG has been shopping for a car; something gently used with lots of plush to accommodate his middle aged behind and what he describes as demanding passengers. After scouring car dealers, the internet and asking every circling vulture what was in the estates they were working on he found something. It is very gently used (less then 12,000 miles in seven years.) The first owner is not dead, but she has no clue who she is or where she is and really does not care as long as they bring her pudding. The vulture in charge finally got the court order approved for the sale and now we are floating along in style. Why do I have this strange desire for a red velvet tuxedo to go along with my fuzzy hat decorated with flamingo feathers?

TR

A Fine English Car and a Fine English Ale

Waiting for the furry forest creatures.

TR

Sad but Safe

DG and Wickedhamster were home asleep when the plane crashed in thier home town this morning. They are safe but saddened by the events so near to home.

Travel

Car Shopping

DG and I have been car shopping. It is time for an upgrade. I keep making recomendations and he keeps looking.

TR

A Penguin Rode Up On A Horse. . .

Carry on! I’ll be back next weekend.

TR

Hazard Kentucky

Hazard Kentucky has nothing to do with the Duke Boys, more like the Hatfields and McCoys. Hazard is deep in the Appalachian region of south-eastern Kentucky.

TR

Amish Auction Day

I spent Thursday in north central Ohio exploring Amish country. We stopped to visit a hardware store that is famous for a wide array of goods and stumbled across an Amish livestock auction across the street. Here I am in the parking lot outside of the action barn, watch your step!

TR

On the Road Again

I am off to Cleveland for a few days. Pictures when I return.

Rock on!

TR

Independence Hall

Independence is a wonderful thing to celebrate. DG is celebrating finally paying off his student loans! Free at last! Free at last!

TR

Surfs Up!

It’s been one of those weeks that gets me to thinking how much fun the Ocean can be. At this time of the year the water is warm and comfortable. When a tropical storm moves up the coast the surf is up and I am ready to ride. I have a key to Mom and Dad’s house in Florida and they have gone north for a couple of months; does anyone want to go?

TR

Waiting for the show

Every city should have great architecture. More then just building a space, great architecture builds a sense of place. The building should excite the visitors’ curiosity and draw them into the place. I love to explore great places. This is in Millennium Park in Chicago. I’ve been quietly at home for six weeks; it is another month before I am back on the road.

TR

Seeking Shelter from the Heat

At times a hat alone is just not enough shelter for sensitive birds in the blazing Greek sun.

TR

Staying Cool On a Hot Summer Day

Here I am staying cool on a hot summer day in Chicago.

TR

High in the Greek Countryside

Here I am enjoying a warm sunny afternoon high the Greek countryside at the Temple of Delphi. I consulted the Oracle and it said that I would live long and visit many exciting places as long as I didn’t melt in the sun, hence the sun hat.

TR

Melenium Park in Chicago

I've been reading about Bert, overheated in London. Just think cool thoughts and find someplace to wade in a fountain; it always works for me.

TR

A bit of a handyman special, but what a great location!

Here I am in the Roman Agora in Athens. This is just a couple of blocks from a major metro stop, right in the middle of all of the shops and restaurants that fill the Plaka area of Athens. The place is in disarray, there are columns, a tower, some great marble floors, and the remains of an ancient public toilet (a gift from the emperor.) There is even the remains of a public fountain with water still dripping in from a hidden spring. I could live here. The place needs some work, but if I look up the Acropolis is right there.

TR

Grilled Octopus anyone?

When we started planning for a trip to Greece I had dreams of fresh local seafood at a harbor front restaurant. Dreams do come true. I had grilled Octopus for lunch on the Island of Aegina. The fishing fleet was tied up just across the street from this delightful sidewalk café. Oh my! When can I go back?

Travel

I smell FISH!

I smell fish; the building across the street houses the historic market in Athens. The fish market is in the very center, surrounded by meat and poultry sellers. The fresh vegetable sellers are on this side of the street, but none of them had seaweed (like the market in Wales did three summers ago.) I may be tiny, but I can have a mighty appetite.

Travel

Live On Stage at the Pritzger Pavilion In Chicago

It’s Travel, doing his world famous travel monolog. The Pritzger Pavilion is one of several modern wonders in Millennium Park in Chicago. I had a wonderful time in Chicago, the crowds were so receptive to my message about the importance of seeing the world to understand the world. I can’t wait to return again next year!

Travel

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I got my name from my love of travel. I love to go, be it by land, sea or air. Here I am waiting for the Metro train to leave the station from the Athens airport into the city center. Clickity-clack, Clickity-clack, ding, ding!

Travel

Acropolis

For well over 2000 years crowds have flocked to the Acropolis in Athens to offer thanks to the gods for the beauty that is Greece, to ask for favors and forgiveness and to absorb the wonders of it all. It is a bit of a climb, but well worth it. Here I am in front of the Parthenon. This ancient temple can be seen from the core of the city of Athens, serving today as it has for centuries as a true landmark, look up, take your bearings from the Parthenon and you know were you are in Athens.

Travel

Everybody Hurry Up!

Pack your bags, get your passport and Euros in hand and head to the nearest airport and go to Greece. It is wonderful! The weather is delightful; the people are warm and inviting. The Greek language is impenetrable, but most of the adults speak at least a little English. Buildings are considered new if they are less then 1000 years old. History and legend are dripping from every olive tree (and the country seems to be covered in olive trees.)

There will be more, much-much more to follow. At this point we have been out of bed for about 25 hours, and DG insists that he needs his beauty rest (and I don’t have the nerve to tell him it is too late!)

Travel

TAKE A BREAK!

When was the last time you took some real time off? Not a long weekend, or a week, but a couple of weeks or longer? Research shows that when you take a vacation it takes 3 or 4 days to fully relax and forget about the demands of day to day living, and then you start thinking about returning to home and work 2 or 3 days before you return. Hence if you take a week off, you barely have any real down time in the middle of it. We try to take a couple of weeks off every year or so. The last time was the trip to Paris at Christmas of 2004; DG was off from December 15th through New Years that year. We are very ready for another nice break. We will be back on the blog on May 19th. (And we are already making plans for 2 weeks in August of 2007.)

Take care; I’ll try to have lots of pictures and stories from the ancient world when we return.

Travel

Italy 2004

I pointed out to DG that he has his cities and bridges mixed up. Here is a picture of the Ponte Vecchio in Florence that was taken on my trip in February of 2002. I was there, but no one took my picture. Here I am watching the sunset on the Mediterranean at Ostia just south of Rome on the same trip. Close, but no prize, I don’t have a picture of me with the bridge in the background. The recipe would be fun.

Travel

Thinking European Thoughts

My wandering wings are getting ready to go. This will be my forth trip to Europe in as many years, what a lucky bird. The picture is from Christmas 2004.

Travel

TEXAS!

There are Texas stars everywhere at the Texas State Capital, even on the massive hinges on the doors. Here I am standing on the gates wondering why they didn’t keep the gates locked to keep the occupants of the Capital in a few years ago. I am sure the gates are to keep certain politicians in and not to keep the good citizens of Texas out. Only blocks from here they hold a “Keep Austin Weird Festival” every year. They really shouldn’t worry, as long as they have Texas governors in Austin, Austin will remain weird. In fact I’d love to return a former Texas governor to them, to help assure that Austin is sufficiently weird (one would do the job.)

Travel

Vanderbilt University

Here I am on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. It is faster to drive to Nashville from home than it is to fly, so we drove down. We stayed in a very nice hotel across the street from the Campus, DG taught workshops for a couple of days while I indulged in the day-spa at the Hotel. We found several very good restaurants nearby. DG found a small used book store that made note of a rare collectable he had been looking for and called him more then a year later to let him know they had found it. Only one more volume and that part of the collection will be complete.

TR

My Kind of Town, Chicago

Two years ago we went to Chicago for a few days in late May and hit the most delightful weather. It was bright and sunny and warm enough to move around without a sweater yet cool enough to not get all hot and bothered. We went to see my cousins at the Shed Aquarium down on the lake front and wandered back along the marina and through the park with the fountain that was featured in the opening scenes of “Married with Children.” We stayed out north of the city and rode the trains in and out and even figured out how to do a transfer from the train to the bus down to the museum center. I can’t wait to go back.

Travel

Madison-Austin

Here I am on a visit to the Illinois State Railway Museum. The museum is about 75 miles west of Chicago, very much out in the middle of nowhere, but barely far enough out for the city traffic to have thinned out. The collections are very extensive with everything from classic steam engines, to streamliners, street cars and classic freight handling equipment. It was a great day out.

Travel

Great News!

News reports say that the pilots union and Delta Airlines have reached an agreement that will avoid a looming strike. Three weeks from this coming Monday and we are scheduled to fly Delta to Greece. I can feel the tension melting away!

TR

Appalachian Spring

It is 73 degrees outside this morning; just before 10:00 AM local time. It reminds me of spring time in the Great Smokey Mountains. We live about a three hour drive from the mountains, and have passed through them several times when driving to Florida (more often we have flown over them, but that is another story.) I love the fresh soft greens of spring, makes me want to hit the road.

Travel

In Search of a Druid Priestess

Who built Stonehenge? How did they build it? Why did they build it? What does it mean? Who did what here? Why are we drawn to it?

There just must be something here, some long lost ancestral link. I couldn’t wait to get there, I can’t wait to return.

Travel

Back Home Again

I have just returned home, as chronicled in comments on “Woodchuck Wisdom” Northwest tried to turn me into roasted penguin in Memphis on Monday afternoon . . . nearly 40 minutes waiting on the taxiway without air-conditioning . . . they should be ashamed of themselves! Columbia was interesting and kind of fun. Here I am sunning myself at sunset on the balcony of our hotel room.

The “Wall Street Journal” has described the Columbia, South Carolina airport as the best one in America to take a nap in, no doubt because of the rocking chairs in the terminal.

And lastly here I am looking for the KING (Elvis) in the airport in Memphis. He must have taken an earlier flight, because we never did see him. I just love the south!

Travel

Philadelphia

I just flew home from a few days in Philadelphia. Though we had many important meetings to attend we did sneak in a few minutes to play tourist. We visited the new liberty bell pavilion, Independence Hall, City Hall and the US Mint. We rode planes, trains, subways and endured one “take your life in your hands Taxi ride.” Here are a couple of pictures, one is me with the back of Independence Hall in the background (Bert that is were my ancestors declared their independence from your King.) The other is of a fountain near city hall that someone filled with pink dye this morning. I have no explanation of why or how the water in the fountain was died pink, but it was. I could see this from our hotel room (on the 30th floor with a view of city hall) and we walked over for a closer work and a photo op. Monday we are back in the air, to Columbia, South Carolina this time.

TR