Caution Penguin Crossing

Here I am visiting my cousins at the San Francisco Zoo. This was taken in January of 2004. Not bad weather for January. The San Francisco Zoo in just across the street from the Pacific Ocean and is really quite delightful. The Penguins here are in an outdoor habitat. They have nesting holes and plenty of cool water to swim in. This is the place that had the flock that went into migration mode a couple of years ago, swimming laps around and around the island in the middle of the pool for several weeks.

TR

Thinking Cold!

I tend to like things a little on the cool side. It is cool here this morning (23 degrees Fahrenheit) but I was dreaming of someplace even colder, and wetter! I thought of Niagra Falls. It is currently 18* in Buffalo, and down near the falls it will be dripping wet. This is great Penguin weather. It reminds me of my ancestral homelands! We visited Niagra last August; it was a bit warmer then.

TR

Rome 2002

Four years ago I was in Italy for two weeks. It was wonderful! The country is beautiful, the people warm and welcoming, and the food was extraordinary. We were in Rome for the first week and then Florence for the second week. In Rome we stayed very near the Vatican and visited St. Peters a couple of times. We climbed the stairs to the top of the dome and back down. The exit from the dome lets you out on the roof of St. Peters. This picture was taken there, near the gift shop were my traveling companion found an official Pope John-Paul II bottle opener. Here I am on the balcony of our hotel room in Rome.

TR

A Bird Can Dream

Can you imagine flying in this baby? A P-51 Mustang, 1500 horse power, 434 miles per hour. The Mustang ruled the skies over Europe in World War II, and continues to woo the hearts of flying enthusiasts 60 years later. With wings like this I could rule the skies!

An Afternoon At The Beach

Here I am on St. Petersburg Beach last week. It was a balmy 62 degrees, some of the tourists were complaining but what did they expect in the dead of winter, icebergs? We had a nice walk on the beach, lots of tiny shells, light surf, stiff breeze off the gulf. We had dinner at a delightful little restaurant in old Gulfport. I had crab cakes with chucks of crab large enough to identify as being real crab. It was a very pleasant visit.

TR

Fantasy of Flight

I just returned from a few days in Florida. While there we stopped to explore the Fantasy of Flight aircraft collection at Polk City about 30 miles north east of Tampa. It is a very nice collection of classic, primarily military aircraft. The collection includes two Gee Bee Racers (reproductions.) The Gee Bee was one of the fastest and most revolutionary planes of the early 1930’s. Here I am in front of one that was painted is such lovely colors.

Travel

Oxford

In August of 2003 I had the pleasure of accompanying my companions to a history conference at Oxford University, in Oxford England. We stayed at St Edmonds College at the University and spent several days wandering about the city and attending a world-wide conference. This picture was taken as I was preparing to give a lecture on comparative flightless avian history in one of the venerable lecture halls at Oxford.

Air and Space

We were in Washington DC for a few days and on Sunday we went out to see the Smithsonian’s new Air and Space display at Dulles Airport in Chantilly Virginia. Wow! This place is huge and filled with more flying machines then you can imagine. How big is it, they have a Concorde parked across the main display area, and the building has to be 1000 feet long. There are many historic and significant aircraft on display and room for many more to be added.

Here I am, out in front of the museum looking down the aviation walk of fame.

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http://www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy/

Don’t try this at home!

Here are a couple of friends of mine on vacation in the arctic this year. They report that bears can be a bit grumpy when they wake up.

Answer To Ms. Idgie’s Question

Answer to Ms. Idgie’s Question (see comments on previous post.)

Here I am at the entrance to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky. The Corvette has been built in a factory across the road from this site for decades. What is that plastic smell in the air?

Travel

Dinner in Wilmington Delaware

Here I am headed out for a fish dinner in Wilmington, Delaware. Wilmington was an interesting city. There are lots of big office buildings, but few people on the street. When we arrived on Sunday afternoon the city looked like it had been evacuated. We had a nice time, I rode a train from Washington, DC to Wilmington. This is the first time I have been on an American train (and the first time in about 15 years for my traveling companion.) It was a pleasant ride, not very smooth and a bit loud. We are home for a few days, then we are off to Bowling Green Kentucky (home of the Corvette,) and in two weeks we will back in Washington DC for five days. I'll try to post pictures from some of my past adventures in the next few days.

Happy Trails to You!

Soaring with Eagles

Here I am with one of the eagles on the base of the flag pole in front of Union Station in Washington DC. We were waiting for a train to take us onto Wilmington, Delaware.

Cincinnati

I am off on the road again. This time we are in Covington Kentucky, immediately across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati. We will be here overnight, with some conference duties on Friday morning. Then we have some errands to run in the area before we return home. It is nice to be on the road again.

Travel

Reminiscing on New Orleans

The tragedy in New Orleans reminded me of the wonderful times I have had in that city. The geographic location that made New Orleans so vulnerable to the storm is also part of the key to its culture. Its rich history as a shipping and military center attracted the rich mix of people and cultures that formed the spirit of the city. I am confident that New Orleans will rebuild, better then ever. I look forward to returning to the “big easy.”

Greenfield Village

This picture was taken in the railroad roundhouse at Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn. I am standing on the hook of a railroad crane that was built to do maintenance in the tunnels running between Detroit and Canada. According to the docent the railroad had very few incidents needing a crane, and as a result this machine survived its many years of service in amazing condition. I just though that the yellow color of the hook, nicely showed off my colors.

See you again soon!

Where have I gone? Where will I go next?

It’s not like I have a lot to say about where I go, but I am one well traveled little pocket penguin. I go wherever I can and try to get my picture taken. I am based in the United States and have seen quite a bit of North America. I have also been to Europe four times. I have lots of pictures to share and many more travels to go. Check in, and see where I have been and where I get to go next.

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