new England Surprise - a heat advisory

today Bob and I sat across from each other, our eyes locked, our hands clasped and we vowed to NEVER EVER book a room without air-conditioning-ever,ever, ever. Our cottage a.k.a. The sweat lodge, has two fans that are useless at pushing around the hot air in this building that was once a drive thru bank. To escape the heat we took the Cog train up to the top of Mt. Washington. the cog train was the first one built in the whole world! It was built in the late 1800s. Besides incredible views from the 6288 ft summit, there is a 40 degree temperature variation between the top and bottom of the mountain. the winds at the summit were blowing at 57 miles per hour with gusts even higher. one of the buildings on the summit is tethered to the ground with chains. We have seen a lot -highlights include watching the artists at Danforth pewter spin pewter to make cups and vases. we spent half a day at Shelburne Museum which had a fabulous exhibit of fashions, 3galleries of 3d paper art, and wonderful Denzler carousel animals. That museum definitely needed at least a whole day to browse. it also had the paddleboat ,the Ticonderoga, a lighthouse and an exhibition of circus photography. Another fAvorite visit was made before we dropped Kelly off at camp. we went to the Maple View Farm, an alpaca farm in Goshen Vermont. we got to pet a3 week old alpaca, take pictures of the babies and their mothers. we learned that alpacas essentially houstrain themselves. The alpaca yarn was the softest I have ever felt -although the thought of working with yarn ( as the sweat drips onto the iPad ) is more than I can bear.

VT or bust

No sooner had Paula taken the wheel, when she hit a big pothole on the NY Thruway and blew a run flat tire on the Mini. Here's a newsflash : Run flats really don't-and nobody but a Mini dealer has these cute little tires. So, Bob and Mini got towed to the nearest dealer, 52miles away in New Jersey. Stuck @ the New Paltz exit P and K met many lovely people, hit the diner 4times, visited an eBay consignment shop and P got a manicure -ove rthe SIX hours it took Bob and Mini to return. At hour five we starting to worry that he was not coming back. 15 and a half hrs later we finished our 7 hour drive in Brandon, VT
Pictures to be added later after i figure out how to do it on the ipad

4th of July

Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland

Wedding @ Voodoo Donuts

Our last day in Portland was a trifecta of fun: first we went to the Rose Parade where there were lots of floats, horses, princesses and even llamas in the 2 hr parade. Then as we were driving to get donuts at Voodoo Donuts Bob spotted a naked bike rider. I only saw him in the mirror - which explains why it is called the "rear view" mirror. Then, after waiting in a long line for donuts we sat down at the only table to devour ours and preparations began for a wedding! We were invited to stay and celebrate Julie and Kevin's nuptials officiated by a "minister" in some kind of blue furry animal outfit. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Sunshine returns

Last night we sat in the lobby and had fondue and wine. It was so cozy. When we went to sleep last night the whole mountain was shrouded in fog. Then at 4 a.m. we could see a string of lights moving on the mountain. The snow plows were grooming the mountain for the skiers who would come today. The sky had cleared and stars were shining in the sky. When the sun rose it was a beautiful, crisp day on Mt. Hood and the skiers were arriving.

Winter wonderland

it's hard to believe that it is in the 90's at home in VA when we are surrounded by snow here at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood. we decided to detour from our plans and spend the night at this huge old lodge built by the WPA in the 1930's. like the other WPA projects we have visited (the Hoover Dam for instance) it is a technical marvel full of artworks in the middle of a very hostile environment. New government projects would never spend the $$$ on mosaics, hooked rugs, wood carvings, paintings, decorative and functional ironworks. Everywhere you look you see the handiwork of people who probably are now gone. Even the stairposts are carved with a forest creature on top. We still haven't seen the sun today. maybe we read the Twilight series too many times - but during the drive up the mountain through the forests, I kept expecting the vampires to come charging through the forests and attack our car. This morning we stopped in Washoula and toured the Pendleton wool factory. we saw how the fleece comes in bales froTexas, how it gets dyed, carded, spun and then woven. And there was a store outlet at the end so we could save even more money. I'll post photos tomorrow. The laptop and the photo media reader are outside in the snow. None of us wants to brave the elements to go out of the cozy lodge.

Drive thru coffee stands

Cruising the coast

The sun never broke through the clouds and it was chilly enough to have a fire in the fireplace but we saw lots of beautiful sites driving along the coast. A visit to Tillamook Cheese factory, a drive thru a little roadside espresso shop (one of many along the road), roadside wildflowers, more tidal pools at low tide, and the inspirations for Japanese gardens.

Cannon Beach

From our hotel balcony, we see Haystack Rock. In the distance it just looks like a big rock jutting from the Pacific Ocean. But, when the tide goes out, you can get up close and see that there is a whole ecosystem on and surrounding the rock. On the rock there are many colonies of birds - including lots of seagulls, muirs, nesting puffins and eagles. In the tidal pools exposed at low tide, hundreds of sea stars, anemones, mussels, barnacles, hermit crabs, and tiny fish live. It is teeming with life that has adapted to living both under and above the ocean - as the tides change. Just fascinating - and so beautiful. After the tide started coming in we headed north to Seaside and then to Astoria to see where the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to its conclusion. Today it didn't rain - so one of the volunteers at the tidal pools told us Oregonians call a day without rain a "drought."

Portland Saturday

Silly us. We came to Portland for the Rose Festival so we decided to see their world acclaimed public rose garden. THERE ARE NO ROSES! well, not in bloom anyway. The spring has been especially cold and cloudy so the roses haven't burst into bloom yet. Then we detoured over to their Japanese Garden which claims to be the best Japanese Garden outside of Japan. It did not disappoint. The weather made the carpet of moss lush and thick over everything it covered. The day was sunny so we could even see Mt Hood (The gardens own Mt. Fuji) in the distance. A guide reported that it was only the third time this year that she could point out the mountain in the distance. No roses - but spectacular rhododendrons in all colors filled the garden. It was a magical oasis in a city that seems to be overwhelmed with homeless souls wandering around. When we headed into the city for the Saturday Market we saw many, many homeless men and teens in the park on the Willamette River. A highlight of the day (for me) was a trip to Powell's Book Store - a mecca for bibliophiles. I could have spent the whole day there but the majority ruled and we only spent an hour.

Portland, Oregon

We left the hot primordial soup-like environment of Washington,DC (temp 106 degrees, 99.9 percent humidity) and arrived in cool, crisp, clear Portland. Apparently it was Portland's first sunny clear day in months - so it was extra festive. The prior day, everyone he met told Bob they were going to move because they hadn't seen the sun in so long. Between cooling waterfalls, the Columbia Gorge, snow on the mountains, fields of wildflowers in bloom and a shop called "Voodoo Doughnuts" this town seems like a winner. Today we are off to the Rose Gardens, the Saturday Market and by then it will be 9 a.m. and we will start the day :) (an inside joke for anyone who knows the frenetic pace at which Bob travels).

Bermuda cruise April 2011

Another free digital slideshow by Smilebox

Wildflowers of the West

Mr. Frederick Henry told us that his mother & brother were photographed by Ansel Adams in 1942. The family did not know it - until 50 years later when they saw her photo in a book about Adams' work. Mr. Henry makes jewelry with the image of a mother and child as a tribute to his mother. I had to buy a necklace.

Moab to Mesa Verde

Yesterday morning was spent at Arches. Bob hiked, K and I drove. Then, last night we had a cowboy dinner and then a nighttime boat trip down the Colorado River. There was a sound and light show that complemented the "cruise." The sky was just beaming with stars as we floated along the quiet river. This morning we drove to Mesa Verde. The last time we tried to come here the park was closed and we could see the fires from miles away. Today was a sunny, clear day and I had the opportunity to take a 3.5 hr ranger led tour through the park. It was fabulous - even squeezing through tight rock stairs, climbing up and down vetical ladders and hiking up and down steep hills. In this canyon of the park there have been more than 600 "shelter" discovered. How these socalled "primitive" people ever constructed and lived in these cliff dwellings is astonishing.

AZ to UT

Up early again for the sunrise. The hotel in the sunrise looked like a lego building. Not a cloud in the sky and the fields are full of late summer desert wildflowers. Drove into Moab, headed toward Potash to see petroglyphs along the road and then drove to Dead Horse State Park.

Grand Canyon

We've been up since 4:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon (see photo above). Now we are at Monument Valley to watch the sunset. We were supposed to be at Burning Man today but instead we changed plans and are now in one of the most sacred lands of the Navajo. Burning Man would have been an adventure but these lands are probably a lot better for our souls.

Vegas, Baby! Kel and El

Kel and I had a great flight to Vegas. We actually had an empty seat between us! For the past few years, every flight we have been on has been packed like a can of sardines. But on this flight we could spread out and enjoy our overpriced snacks and drinks. Bob met us at the airport and then we headed out to see the town. It's not my favorite place. Saturday night it looked like a hooker convention. I've never seen so many cheeks exposed - and I'm not talking facial! Where are these people the rest of the time? Not in Northern Viriginia or D.C. K and I escaped to the Donnie and Marie Show where there were no hookers in attendance. K was definitely the youngest person in the room but she was thrilled with the show and Donnie and Marie really performed. I thought Donnie would have a heart attack trying to keep up with the young dancers. But Marie did great cardio and rarely had to catch her breath. They've been performing for 50 years!!! Yikes! Saw some great art in Vegas : Oldenburg, Henry Moore, Maya Lin. Citycenter where we stayed was built for 8 billion dollars and now it is worth $2 billion but it has some incredible sculptures, gardens and art installations with water and ice. Will try to post photos. Then we were off to the Grand Canyon.

Maine

4th of July in Havre de Grace

We had a great old fashioned 4th with family and friends. A great crabfeast in the garage, the parade, watching the fireworks on the Lantern Queen.