It’s been a whirlwind of activity since I got here, so this will just be a quickie til I get a chance to catch my breath. 😉
Met a fellow blogger on the ride to the hotel yesterday, we dropped our bags at the hotel and then went out for lunch at the Mall of America across the street.
I had just enough time after that to get a quick nap before the Travel Massive party at the FireLake Grill House (inside the Radisson Blu). It was a nice party. They had covered the pool tables and set up snacks. Plenty of food and drinks for everyone. 🙂
It was full of bloggers and travel industry professionals attending the TBEX. Everyone I met was easy to talk to and had interesting stories to tell. I wish I hadn’t been so tired!
I feel the same today. I’m exhausted. 🙁
So, I’m going to stop here and will continue this tomorrow when (hopefully) I will have caught up on my sleep a bit. 🙂
In spite of the weather Thursday, there was a damn big crowd on the beach for a weekday afternoon. They were forecasting rain in the morning and scattered showers in the afternoon. I took a chance and drove up there anyway. Must’ve been a common thought. 😉
Can you see a turtle there? Neither can I. But it was there, behind all those people tracking it down the beach.
The Houston Zoo was going to release a total of 9 rehabilitated sea turtles they had been caring for. Some were Kemp’s Ridleys, 3 were loggerheads. All had been brought to the zoo due to some kind of injury.
It started spitting rain on me less than 10 minutes after I left the house, but since Stewart Beach in Galveston is over an hours drive from my house, I figured I might as well continue.
I made it to the beach and found the location for where they were going to release the sea turtles just in time for the start. Or what was supposed to be the start of the ‘show‘. No turtles, but the rain sure did start.
Surprisingly, hundreds of people still hung out (in the rain) for at least a half hour before the turtle delivery trucks showed up. The turtles were happily riding along in big plastic tanks full of sea water. It was another 15-20 minutes before the 1st turtle made it’s appearance.
Volunteers from the Houston Zoo, NOAA, and the Turtle Patrol were on hand to walk the turtle down the gauntlet of curious bystanders and explain a bit about them. Information sheets, pamphlets and stickers were passed out to the crowd too. Hopefully, this will help people know what to do if they happen to find a turtle or nest. So far this year, they’ve found a total of 159 nests on Texas beaches. They’ve even found 3 right here- 2 at Surfside beach and 1 at Quintana beach. 🙂
It was frustrating to follow the rules and stand behind the fences, waiting for the volunteers to come close enough where we could actually see a turtle through the crowds surrounding them. People were reaching up, out and over- trying to get a good shot. Many people were just allowed to ignore the barricades and follow the turtles from the truck all the way down to the water. Nice for them, but it ruined it for the rest of us. 🙁
Like the lady beside me yelled, “I didn’t come all the way from Indiana just to see your ass!”. So right!
I managed to get a few good shots, The zoo will be putting video and photos on their website too and I expect it even made the news Thursday night. Sorry, but I was just too tired the last couple of days to post this in time for you to turn on the news.
It was really awesome to be able to see this release in person. Happy it was daytime so I could get some decent pictures. I still hope to see a wild one someday. Without the crowds. If you see one, don’t bother it. All of them are endangered. “If you see a sea turtle, tracks or hatchlings on the beach immediately call 1-866-TURTLE-5 (1-866-877-8535)”.
Today was kind of a slow day around here (other than the usual computer issues). I took the time to do a little bit of ‘experimental’ cooking.
Since I live alone, I don’t usually cook much. I normally eat soup & sandwich for lunch and then I’m not really hungry til late. I try not to eat anything then, but just go to bed.
Today, I made some ‘pigs in a blanket’ (sausage wrapped in crescent rolls) for breakfast. Since I was baking, I thought I might as well throw something else in the oven. 😉
I had this recipe floating around for a while for these little sweets made with the same crescent rolls, but stuffed with cream cheese and cherries (or apples, etc). It looked really easy and so I decided to try it.
Here’s what they looked like before putting them in the oven…
And, here’s what they looked like when they came out…
Maybe not as pretty as the ones in the recipe I copied from, but I didn’t have any confectioners sugar. They tasted alright without it.
Here’s the recipe I went by (with some of my own modifications- I used the dough sheets instead of crescent rolls, no confectioners sugar for icing, I added cream cheese to the filling).
Refrigerated crescent rolls let you make these fruit-filled pastries in a hurry. My family loves these turnovers for breakfast, but they’re so delicious, they’ll be welcome any time of the day. Feel free to experiment with other pie fillings as well. —Elleen Oberrueter, Danbury, IA
I just got this email from the Houston Zoo (I’m a member). They’ve been helping to save sea turtles with other organizations around the world. This Thursday (May 26th), they’re turning some loose on the beach in Galveston. 🙂
If you’re anywhere around the area, it would be a real treat to come out and watch. Here’s the announcement I got…
Watch Sea Turtles Return to Wild
Thanks to a rewarding partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), nine injured sea turtles have been rehabilitated and are ready to be returned to the wild. The release will take place Thursday, May 26promptly at 2:00 p.m. at Stewart Beach Park, 201 Seawall Blvd. The public is invited to come out and witness this exciting release.
I’m going to put it on my calendar and take another drive up to Galveston. That is, IF the weather is better than the last time I was up there! 😉
Tuesdays are usually busy days for me. I get up early so I have time to check email, take out the garbage, eat breakfast and get out of the house by 9:00.
I’ve been going to take painting classes at the Art & Science Center every Tuesday morning (if I’m not able to go to work in Houston). I’ve missed quite a few classes, but I can still see some improvement.
I have only completed 2 paintings so far. I’ve started a few others, but not close to finishing them yet. I don’t really like any of them very much so far. One friend of mine told me she really liked one abstract (mess) I was working on. I thought about it for a while and then turned it into an alien jungle scene. Kind of reminded me of something Rousseau might have done. Here’s the before…
I had it framed and gave it to my friend. I wasn’t all that surprised, but she liked it better before I added to it. She thought I ‘ruined it’. Here’s the after…
Which one do you like best?
The other one I’ve finished was the 1st one I started in this class. I’ve really been trying to learn how to paint water. I found a picture in one of the art books in the classroom and tried to get the technique down. It didn’t turn out much like my reference, but I think it wasn’t too bad for my first try.
Today, I was trying to finish up a couple of others I’ve been working on for a while. This will be my last class since I’ll be at the TBEX next Tuesday. I still have a long way to go on both of them, but I think they’re shaping up nicely.
I especially like this one (below), the photo doesn’t really do it justice. 🙂
I really get the feeling like I’m out there on the water. I wish I really was. 🙂
So, that’s what I do Tuesday mornings.
Tuesday evenings I go meetup with my friends from the local Campaign for Liberty group (ex- Ron Paul meetup group). We like to talk politics over dinner at a local restaurant. Lately we’ve been meeting at the Bella Roma on highway 332, next to the old skating rink. They serve large portions of pretty decent Italian favorites (pizza, pasta, etc). I usually get either ravioli with Alfredo sauce or the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. The Italian Cream Cake and Cheesecake for dessert is good too.
Lately we’ve been talking a lot about how we’ve managed to come so far from our beginnings as a free country. Last week we were watching a slide show, but as we kept stopping to discuss various points, we didn’t finish the whole program before they started closing down the place- it didn’t help that we had one extremely socialist guest. 😉
I do like to argue, but this guy put me to shame! I think the only thing we all agreed on was that the ‘banksters’ were screwing us and the entire world.
The more I learn about what’s really going on, the more frustrated and depressed I get. At this point, I think the only way possible to really live as we’re meant to- is to get completely out of the ‘system’. I don’t know how to do that, or if it’s even possible any more. All I know is that I’ll never accept the way things are now (even tho I feel like I’m beating my head against the wall most days).
So, I go to the meetings on Tuesday nights, just for a change- to talk to a few people who mostly do ‘get it’. Yeah, we still argue about things, we still struggle to understand- but we try mostly to inform people. We’ll never fix what’s wrong with this country or the world as long as the vast majority prefers the status quo.
Yeah, OK- call me a ‘conspiracy theorist’. But what if it’s true?
Another great post from Monkeyfist for Maritime Monday, full of all kinds of interesting tidbits from the maritime world throughout history up til today.
Enjoy…To Put You In The Mood: video: Giant Octopus kite; Singapore Smithsonian: Recreational divers discover a Roman shipwreck full of bronze statues, coins and other artifacts off Israel Divers find 1,600-year-old Roman shipwreck, treasure, off Israel Archaeologists are calling it “the biggest find in 30 years.” Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra’anan were diving in the […]
I decided to give Cee’s Share Your World Challenge a try again today. My computer has finally settled down a bit (where I can work online for more than 2 minutes without it either freezing up or going crazy). I haven’t been able to do much work online lately. I don’t want to go completely bald while pulling my hair out in frustration over it! 😉
So, I’m back today and hoping to the high heavens this lull in the computer hell around here will continue. On to the challenge. Here are this week’s questions with my answers…
What is your favorite go to beverage? Water, coffee, tea, coke, soda (non-alcoholic)– tea- hot in the morning when I wake up and then iced the rest of the day.
Can you change a car tire?– yes, tho I greatly prefer not to! That’s what AAA is for! 😉
Are you a listener or talker?– a talker.
Would you rather have no internet or no cell phone?– most definitely no cell phone!
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? -I’m grateful that I got at least one days work last week, every little bit helps! I’m looking forward to going to the travel blog exchange (TBEX) in Minneapolis next weekend. I’m hoping to meet some great people- bloggers and ‘travel facilitators’. I’m really getting excited about it. Here’s a post I wrote about it the other day. I’m not sure, but it might still be open for registration. In case anyone’s interested in going.
So. Has anybody out there ever been to the TBEX? Or anything similar? Or any blogging event?
I’m going to the TBEX coming up this weekend and I really have no idea of what to expect. I wrote a post about it the other day and asked for information, but didn’t get the response I was hoping for (thanks to those who did respond).
I don’t want to go all the way up there and then waste my time being totally clueless. 🙁
I’m sure with all the bloggers out there around the world, someone must be going to these things.
Here’s another for my Songs of the Sea series. This is one of my favorite Bob Seger songs. I grew up with this stuff. 🙂
Most people probably wouldn’t think of this as a sailing song, or anything to do with the sea. To me, as a sailor, “against the wind” always means hard times, a rough slog. I’ve been dealing with a lot of that lately. 🙁
Let me know what you think. Do you like this song? Have any memories? Thoughts about it?
“Against The Wind”
It seems like yesterday But it was long ago Janey was lovely, she was the queen of my nights There in the darkness with the radio playlng low And the secrets that we shared The mountains that we moved Caught like a wildfire out of control Till there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
And I remember what she said to me How she swore that it never would end I remember how she held me oh so tight Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then
Against the wind We were runnin’ against the wind We were young and strong, we were runnin’ Against the wind
And the years rolled slowly past And I found myself alone Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends I found myself further and further from my home And I guess I lost my way There were oh so many roads I was living to run and running to live Never worried about paying or even how much I owed Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time Breaking all of the rules that would bend I began to find myself searchin’ Searchin’ for shelter again and again Against the wind A little something against the wind I found myself seeking shelter against the wind
Well those drifters days are past me now I’ve got so much more to think about Deadlines and commitments What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind I’m still runnin’ against the wind I’m older now but still running Against the wind Well I’m older now and still running Against the wind
I gave you a preview the other day, now on to the real deal. 🙂 Today, May 22, is actually Maritime Day. We even got a “Presidential Proclamation“. 🙂
This years Maritime Day celebration in Galveston (on the 19th) wasn’t as good as last years, if only because of the weather. We didn’t get to sit outside and watch the traffic in the harbor, or get a salute from a tugboat this year, but thank goodness they planned to move it into the cruise ship terminal a couple of days earlier! It was streaming down rain all day long! Thunder and lightning shook the building, drowned out the speakers and split the sky.
But we persevered and had our little memorial with the few hardy souls who managed to make it out before the storm hit in full force.
Galveston’s celebration started off with music by the ‘Singing Stars’ from the Odyssey Academy.
Captain John Peterlin III from the Port of Galveston welcomed everyone to the event and then led into a program explaining the history of the US Merchant Marine and Maritime Day. There was a moment of silence in appreciation of all mariners past and present.
Tammy Lobaugh from Texas A & M Galveston talked a bit about maritime education and a few of the many maritime organizations that contribute to our maritime heritage. Some of them were represented at the event- WISTA, the maritime unions (SIU, MEBA, AMO), the seamans centers, maritime museums, ports, etc.
Cristina Galego representing the Port of Galveston read John Masefield’s poem Sea Fever
I saw a video from National Geographic about this peacock mantis shrimp in my Twitter feed today. I thought it was pretty cool and deserved a wider audience. 😉
This little shrimp really is an amazing creature. It’s colors are beautiful and it’s punch is strong as hell! I wouldn’t put it up against any human boxer, if it was our size it would really be scary! TKO any heavyweight champ in a NY second!
I do love nature and all the wonderful plants and animals we share the world with. I think the natural world is beautiful and fascinating. I love to spend time wandering around in any forest, beach, mountain, etc. I really wish more people would take a look at the bigger picture and not stay so tightly focused on their own self, family, tribe, etc. We are killing off so much of our world, just so we can fill it up with billions more humans. Seriously, I don’t understand why.
I know some of you are fellow bloggers. Can I get a show of hands? Click ‘like’ if you blog too. Feel free to comment too (even if you’re not a blogger). 🙂
How many are ‘travel bloggers’? I consider myself a travel blogger, even tho I blog about a lot of different things. I love to travel, love to take pictures of everything I see and do, love to try new foods/drinks/music/culture, and love to share all about it.
So, I decided to head up to Minneapolis for the TBEX next weekend. The “Travel Blog Exchange”. It bills itself as the “world’s largest gathering of travel bloggers, writers, new media content creators, and social media savvy travel industry professionals”.
Is anybody out there going to be at the TBEX (Memorial Day Weekend in Minneapolis/St Paul)? If you are, let’s connect!
I’m really looking forward to this as an opportunity to meet some great people and learn more about blogging and how to improve mine.
Have any of you ever been to a blogging event like this? I’m wondering how it all works. What did you like about it? Not like about it? What did you get out of it? Was it helpful? Can you give me any feedback?
Is anybody from around that area? Have any suggestions for things I really should see/do while I’m there?
I’ve had enough with this NEW computer! So, it’s back to the shop with it again.
I only got this new one because none of my other ones have been working for 3+ months now. I can’t do anything online without constant extremely frustrating struggle.
The technicians keep telling me the problem is with my computer. I have no idea how that is possible, since I have an Apple, a Toshiba, an Asus, a Kindle, an iPod and now a new Lenovo (plus my friends 2 Apples) and they’re ALL having the same problem.
I’ve called and called and called, they’ve sent the repairmen at least a half dozen times. Nothing they’ve done has helped even slightly, except the last time when they actually found bats in the box up on the telephone pole (and full of bat shit).
They cleared it out and it helped some for a day or 2.
So, I went and bought a new computer (that I really can’t afford right now) just on the slight chance that it might be something with my computer(s). This new one does work slightly better as far as not constantly freezing up every 10 seconds (literally).
It has a different problem! It still freezes up, just not as constant. It only does it about every 3-5 minutes instead of every 10 seconds! The problem with it is, that in between the times it freezes up, it constantly changes the screen size.
For instance, I’ll be trying to read my email on yahoo and I have it set at 100%. All by itself (even when I am just reading and not touching the computer), the screen size will suddenly blast up to 250% and then shrink to 10% and all in between too. While I try to change it back to 100%, it eventually allows that but DAMN it pisses me off!
SO, I’m taking it back to Best Buy and hope to hell the Geek Squad can at least fix the screen size changing issue.
Maybe after that, I can deal with trying to work on something productive again?
Today was the 7th annual Maritime Day celebration in Galveston.
It was pouring all day long! Galveston is flooded. I tried to take pictures, but it was too dark by the time I got back on the road to go home.
I think the weather hurt the attendance. Will try to find out how many kids showed up for the tours around the Texas A&M ship “General Rudder” this morning.
The memorial was held inside the cruise ship terminal to keep it out of the expected rain. Good thing!
I’ll have more on this tomorrow (IF I can get the computer to work). I’m getting sick of McDonalds and Starbucks coffee is a rip-off!
After another miserable day struggling with the computer all day, I had to get out of the house for a while today. The Center for Arts & Sciences was having a festival this weekend and it sounded like fun.
I got up early and headed over for todays start (11:00). The weather looked threatening but I was hoping the rain would hold off.
While I was wandering around the outside tents, the rain started coming down like cats and dogs. It was pouring, water was going everywhere and the poor artists were trying to keep their supplies out of the rising tides around the parking lot.
Inside, things were much less hectic. The Art League Gallery was still showing the photography of the kids for the Migration Celebration. Some of those photos are really stunning! I really liked the close ups of the chameleons and dragonflies. 🙂
I learned about a new thing called ‘zentangle‘. It’s kind of like doodling, said to be great for stress relief. I’m sure I can use some of that right now. I might just give it a try.
About a dozen artists were set up inside the Dow Theater. I liked the blown glass and some of the jewelry. There was one lady (Connie Colten) who had lots of little mermaids and pretty little plants (ivy and such) that I was really tempted by.
I talked to painter Jimmie Bartlett for a few minutes. I really liked his paintings of the maritime world. He had one set up behind him of a shrimp boat and a stunning sunset. I would have bought that one if I was still working!
While I was waiting for the rain to subside, I took a look at the items to be raffled off. I took a look at ‘featured artist’ Robert Ruhmann who was working on his paintings just inside the doors. I really liked his subtle cool colors and smooth style. Lots of blues and greens and natural subjects- palm trees, beaches, rivers- all very calming.
The E-Flat Porch Band was jamming’ out in the corner, playing some cool blues and toe-tappin’ music to keep everyone in a good mood. Caliente Twang had been playing outside when I arrived and I really wanted to hear them play, but they had enough with the rain I guess. They were gone by the time I got back outside.
The rain took a break for a little while, so I headed back outside to see all the artists I had missed earlier. There were potters, woodworkers, photographers, painters, fabric artists (very nice), people who worked with colored/fused glass, jewelers, metal workers, etc. There was a lot of really interesting stuff on offer.
All the artists were very friendly and happy to talk about their work. Some were local, like Jimmie Bartlett (Van Vleck) and Kathy Castro (Alvin) who had some very nice abstract paintings. Some were from farther away, even out of state (it was a juried show).
They had a couple of food trucks with the usual festival foods- hot dogs, fried oreos, etc, and there were booths selling coffee, sodas and even beer, but the rain put a damper (literally) on the ‘food court’.
I had a good time there today. I really hope the weather doesn’t discourage them from doing this again next year. It’s great that they have so much going on over the whole weekend. Everything from a “Run for the Arts”, to art projects for the kids to make, to classical music concerts. I love all the different kinds of music they brought out, and all the different kinds of art. I think it’s great to see Brazosport doing more of this sort of thing. Sucks to have to go to Houston all the time to do anything interesting!
Here’s another good one for my Songs of the Sea series: Lost Sailor by the Grateful Dead. I’ve never been what you would call a “Deadhead“, tho I do enjoy their music. I guess I was just a little bit too young to really get into all the ‘hippy’ stuff going on back then that the Dead was associated with.
I don’t figure you have to be stoned to enjoy their music, but maybe it helps?
Compass card is spinning Helm is swingin’ to and fro Ooh where’s the dog star Ooh where’s the moon You’re lost sailor You’ve been too long at sea (note 1)
Some days the gales are howling Some days the sea is still as glass Ooh reef the mainsail Ooh lash the mast You’re lost sailor You’ve been too long at sea
Now the shore-lights beckon Yeah there’s a price for being free
Yeah the sea birds cry (note 2) There’s a ghost wind blowin’ It’s calling you to that misty swirling sea Till the chains of your dreams are broken No place in this world you can be
You’re lost sailor You’ve been way too long at sea Now the shore-lights beckon Yeah there’s a price for being free
Drifting yeah drifting Yeah drifting and dreaming
‘Cause there’s a place you’ve never been (note 3) Maybe a place you’ve never seen You can hear her calling on the wind Go on and drift your life away Yeah just drifting and dreaming Maybe drift your life away Drifting and dreaming Yes I’m going on a dream Maybe going on a dream Maybe going on a dream Maybe going on a dream
Emails today showed me oil was at $44.66! It’s getting closer to $50, which may be the magic number. The price at which the oil companies will stop laying off people. The price at which they might start thinking about how they’ll manage to continue working without having the people to do the job.
I’m sure most people are happy to see the price of oil so low. It certainly helps at the gas station (tho prices are no where near as low as they should be if just depending on the price of oil)! I’m happy to pay less at the pump too, but for all the people like me who’ve been laid off over the last year, it hurts. It hurts bad.
I’ve read that somewhere around a half million people have been laid off since the price of oil started dropping. That’s a lot of people forced to cut back, sell assets, into bankruptcy. That’s a lot of people shut out of good paying jobs and into minimum wages (if any).
I keep wondering when things will stop hurting and start getting better? I don’t think anyone really knows. Some pundits say oil will go to $14, others think it will go back to $100+.
I don’t want it to go to either of those extremes. I’d be happy with $70-80. That should be enough to put everyone back to work and keep it affordable at the pumps too. 🙂
This is a different version of this song (Lyle Lovett does it too). It’s a new one for me and a new musician too. I think I might have to check him out some more. I can’t say I ever heard of James Vincent McMorrow before. I was just googling up songs about the ocean, the sea, the water, sailing, etc and came up with this one. 😉
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I sure wish I had a boat right about now!
Having computer issues! I can’t believe it! After calling dozens of times, 5 visits from technicians, 1 visit from IT gurus, replacing interior and exterior lines….. I STILL can’t connect to the internet!
I’ve tried 8 different devices, NONE of them work!
I haven’t posted the last couple of days. I needed a break after finishing up the A to Z Challenge. I’m not used to posting every day and it was exhausting. It was fun and a great way to meet other bloggers, but I’m glad it’s over.
Today I’m back with a post for the Daily Post. The first one in a while I feel like I can respond to. I don’t really like what they’ve been doing lately with their ‘one word’ challenges. But I do know a lot about the beach. 😉
I’m from Florida. I spent a lot of time on the beach where I grew up, around Madeira Beach. It used to be so nice, quiet and peaceful. It was very relaxed and we were able to enjoy it pretty much every day.
I was never into sun bathing. As a redhead, I get sun burned easily, so I try to avoid just roasting myself. I liked to go swimming and snorkeling, shell hunting, observing the plants and animals, and just walking along the water. Friends would start up a game of frisbee, touch football, or volleyball. Sometimes we would have a BBQ with a bonfire.
I remember going out to Egmont Key, just outside Tampa Bay. We would head out in the Island Girl and raft up with a bunch of other sailors. We would spend the weekend out there, playing with our friends (all ages- from babies to oldsters). We had some really great times.
When I moved to Texas, I used to spend a lot of time on the beach at Surfside and Bryan Beach. My class would go down there to practice taking sights for our celestial navigation. We would go camp out for the weekends, have a bonfire where we’d cook out, sing songs, tell sea stories and play music.
I still like to go to Surfside. I love to go in the Winter when it’s quiet. I like to sit and watch the water, listen to the wind and the waves, watch the birds, look for shells, and just enjoy the peace away from everybody.
I travel a lot and there’s usually a beach involved at some point there too. In Thailand, it’s Phuket. In Indonesia (Bali), it’s Kuta. In Mexico, it’s Cancun, but I have to say Puerto Vallarta is hard to beat. 😉
Here’s a good one for my Songs of the Sea series. The Tide is High by Blondie. I remember it from when I was a kid.
I thought of it today cause I was talking to an old friend earlier and she was telling me about how high the tide was down at the beach this afternoon.
There was a big party (surfers reunion) planned and we were wondering how all that water everywhere was going to affect things.
I used to be so into stuff like that. I loved to go to parties and meet new people. I was never into dancing much, but I liked to listen to the music and even used to play a little guitar and sing.
I guess I’m getting old. I’m too paranoid to go out anymore. I just can’t deal with the cops. I don’t like to be around big crowds of people I don’t know. I’ve pretty much forgotten how to play guitar, and my voice has sure gone to hell. 🙁
Hopefully the tide goes down enough for the party to go on. Somehow I doubt a little extra water on the beach will slow it down much. 😉
I have, actually. I’m not just making this up for the challenge. 😉
Zubenelgenubi is one of the navigational stars. Stars we traditionally use to navigate by. It’s one of the stars in the constellation Virgo (next to Scorpius).
I remember when I really first started learning about all that stuff. When I was a cadet on the Ariadne, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean. The skies were wide open and the stars were so bright. Our sail training master has us out practicing with the sextant, calculating our position. We were challenged to beat the actual ships crew. We got pretty good at it by the end of the crossing. 🙂
I’ve always loved to travel. I go somewhere interesting every chance I get. My first few years were spent living in a cab over camper while my dad worked contract jobs all over the US.
I guess it got in my blood then and it’s not going away. 😉
I’ve since been all over the US and lots of places around the world, but there are still so many places I want to go.
I was always interested in China. I loved the idea of a cruise up the Yangtze River. I wanted to do it before they built the Three Gorges Dam and it wouldn’t be possible (the same way) any more.
I signed up for a trip with Go Ahead Tours and was so glad I did. I actually got a late start joining the group due to screwed up flights. I got to Shanghai before the group left, but I missed a few of the attractions like the Bund.
We went to a school for music and the arts (which they take seriously over there). I liked seeing how all the kids were studying so hard. We went to see a performance of dancing and acrobats that was pretty amazing. We went to visit the Yuyuan Garden (Garden of Happiness), Suzhou and took a cruise on the Grand Canal.
We were all looking forward to joining our ship. It was beautiful. A long, lean riverboat, purposely made for cruising and passenger comfort. I had a single room and it was very comfortable, with nice big windows. There was plenty of space onboard to chill out, in the lounge or on the upper deck (where I was allowed to smoke).
The food was pretty good and the chef would do demonstrations of how to cut up fruits and vegetables for decorations or how to make egg rolls, etc. At night the crew would put on shows. Traditional dances in local costumes or plays re-enacting Chinese stories. Our tour group sometimes took part too, creating poems, singing or performing skits.
We stopped along the way to sightsee in Nanjing, Wuhan, and a temple along the way before we got to the Three Gorges Dam. We went through the locks there. WOW! What an amazing engineering project that was!
I was glad to have the experience of sailing up the river before the dam was completed. It won’t be the same now, even as we were sailing up the river the Chinese were busy demolishing towns and cities along the river.
I thought it was sad that the people had to tear down their homes, businesses, and lives. They had to carry away everything so it wouldn’t get sucked down the river in future and clog up the works at the dam.
We passed through the Three Gorges and then transferred to small boats for an excursion up the Lesser Three Gorges. I really enjoyed this, it was like looking into the past. The local people working their fields, doing laundry along the streams, children playing. 🙂
When we got to Chungking, we saw the Flying Tigers Museum, where I learned more about the American involvement in China during WWII. We saw a little bit more of the city, markets, etc. It was pretty cool.
We left our ship in Chungking and flew off to see the terra cotta warriors in Wuhan. On to Beijing and home. The Yangtze cruise was the best part of the trip. There is so much history and Chinese culture tied to that river. It’s the best part of China. I recommend it to anyone. 🙂
After having such a hard time coming up with something to post about for the A to Z Challenge for the letter X, now I’ve come up with another one!
I can’t believe I didn’t come up with this first. The X-Files was one of my all time favorite TV shows.
I don’t watch much TV. I never really did, but I would make sure to schedule time to watch when the X-Files was on.
I loved all their strange adventures and mysterious aliens. I loved how Mulder and Scully worked together. I thought Mulder was kind of cute too. 😉
Is this show what turned me into a conspiracy theorist? I’m sure I thought that way already, a long time before that show ever came out. 😉
That’s me in the last picture above (lol). Maybe I am one, all I know is that we are being lied to and manipulated. By who? For what? Why? Where? How? Does it really matter? It IS being done.
I’ve always loved science fiction, horror, and humor and the X-Files has all that stuff and more.
What do you think? Are you into conspiracy theories? Did you ever watch the X-Files? What did you think about it? Did you like it? Why or why not? Did you have a favorite episode?
*none of these images today are mine, I got them all off google.
Today’s post for the A to Z challenge is: X. Oh boy, this is really a hard one. There just aren’t that many words in English that begin with the letter X. I’m assuming it would be cheating to use words starting with “ex-“, right?
So, I’m going to use x as it’s used in math. Specifically as the ‘unknown’. As in- “solve for x”. Do you remember in algebra class, when the problems you were given would be something like…
It seems an appropriate subject. I’ve spent almost my entire life in, on and around the water.
Of course I understand (in a back of the mind sort of way) how vitally important water is in so many ways. All life on earth (and maybe space too) depends on water. Without it nothing living can survive for long. But I don’t think of it that way most of the time.
I usually think of it as a necessary ingredient for me to work (and sometimes play). As a merchant marine, I spend my life at sea. I started out working on local fishing boats when I was very young, moved up to the party boats, back to commercial fishing. I moved to Texas to go to school and earn my AB and QMED certificates from the USCG since it was so hard for women to find work offshore back then.
Since then, I’ve worked my way up over the years on crew boats, production boats, standby boats, supply boats, tankers, trawlers, ROV support vessels, dive boats, construction boats, pipe layers, semi submersibles and drillships. Whew!
Thats a lot of years at sea! I only count the 39 years since starting as a cadet in 1977. I still love it and can’t wait for a chance to get back out there. 🙂
How do you think of water? Do you work on/with it? Play on/with it?
The Institute for Justice wins another important case! Do you know who commits the worst crimes in America today? The government!
Yes, that is the truth. The government steals more each year now than ALL the criminals put together. No, I’m not making that up. It’s a fact.
In just this one case, they flat out STOLE over $53,000! Money that was destined for charity. Money they broke the ‘law’ to take (not that following their own rules has ever been a priority).
Read the story below. I hope it pisses you off as much as it does me (I doubt it will, this sort of thing REALLY pisses me off!).
Muskogee, Okla.—This afternoon, Muskogee, Oklahoma, District Attorney Orvil Loge indicated that his office was officially dropping all charges against Eh Wah, a Burmese refugee he had charged with possession of drug proceeds. He also indicated that he would drop the civil forfeiture and immediately return the money Muskogee law enforcement officials took from a group…
the principle of relying on voluntary action (used especially with reference to the involvement of voluntary organizations in social welfare).
2.
PHILOSOPHY
the doctrine that the will is a fundamental or dominant factor in the individual or the universe.
I’ve always been extremely passionate about the ideas of freedom and individual liberty. Since the A to Z challenge is almost over, I’ll take this opportunity to post about it again. 😉
I consider myself to be a libertarian. I usually vote for the Libertarian Party (even tho I mostly think voting is useless since the system is so totally corrupt).
I believe in the non-aggression principle (NAP). I believe each person owns their own life. Think about it for a minute, if they/you don’t, then just exactly who does?
I believe each person has the absolute right to decide how they want to live their life. That each individual can do anything they choose as long as they don’t hurt anyone else (and they are responsible for their choices).
Since I believe all of that, I am also a proponent of voluntarism. I do not think it’s a good idea to force people into doing things they don’t want to do. I believe if you can’t make a good enough argument, if you can’t convince someone to do something with the use of reason, then whatever it is you’re trying to do probably is not a good idea in the first place.
You ought to be able to convince people to follow your suggestions voluntarily- through their own free choice. Otherwise, just exactly why should they do what you want? Simply because “might makes right”? Is that really the way things ought to be?
I say no! Hell no! That is not how things should be and I don’t like it that it mostly still is that way. I think it’s sad that in this day and age we’re still acting like brute force is the best ‘idea’ we can come up with as a way to manage human interactions.
People always come up with all kinds of arguments and excuses as to why these ideas won’t work. The exceptions to the rules. I answer, don’t we have exceptions to the rules we follow now? Don’t people break the ‘laws’ we have now?
I think we would all be much better off with more freedom and less force, with more liberty and less ‘law’. People need freedom to grow and to truly flourish. It’s a human right and a human need.
Look around the world and see where are the people most prosperous and well off (physically, emotionally, spiritually)? Places with the most freedom: Hong Kong, Singapore, parts of Western Europe, the USA (tho we are still benefitting from the freedoms we used to have here, most of which are being stripped away daily).
Muskogee, Okla.—This afternoon, Muskogee, Oklahoma, District Attorney Orvil Loge indicated that his office was officially dropping all charges against Eh Wah, a Burmese refugee he had charged with possession of drug proceeds. He also indicated that he would drop the civil forfeiture and immediately return the money Muskogee law enforcement officials took from a group…