tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72504527986631361322024-03-05T22:38:25.624-08:00Travel and TidbitsDana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-16389218041222553022012-04-29T06:11:00.001-07:002012-04-29T06:11:38.829-07:00Hemingway's House... & Cats! (Key West Excursion)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />After separating from my daughter, sister, & niece, my mom & I headed to <a href="http://www.hemingwayhome.com/">Hemingway's house</a>. <br />
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I was excited to see his famous polydactyl cats!!!</div>
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<br />Here's a picture of his study which was upstairs in a little building by the pool. My favorite part was a piece of artwork that hung on the walls that showed a 'ghost' Hemingway, in his study, alongside some of his cats! The cats could 'see' him, even though he's a ghost.</div>
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Here's a tour guide, not ours, feeding one of Hemingway's cats.</div>
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The Hemingway house has approximately 50 cats, all of which carry the polydactyl gene, though only about half of them have the physical trait of having 6 toes (rather than 4 or 5). Hemingway was given a 6-toed cat by a ship's captain, and the cats are descendants of that original cat.</div>
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There's a cat cemetery on the grounds and each of Hemingway's cats are buried there. I was impressed that the guide (above - feeding the cat) said he knew the names of all 50+ cats!</div>
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And, just a self-portrait in a mirror in the gardens!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-1271701006519758592012-04-28T06:17:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:42:28.437-07:00Cruising to Key West<div style="text-align: center;">
While on our Spring Break cruise, our first day on shore was at Key West, Florida. </div>
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<br />We had a gorgeous view when we arrived and were thankful our balcony </div>
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was on the correct side to see us pull in!</div>
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Our excursion plan for the day: going on a "Big 3" adventure - sail boat, kayak, and snorkeling. HOWEVER... we got a note the night before that our excursion was CANCELLED! So, we sadly made alternate plans...</div>
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We took a "hop on/hop off" tour.</div>
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We drove by the "southernmost point in the continental USA"...which had a long line of people wanting to be photographed next to it.</div>
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We saw several "Conch Mobiles" which are each unique and painted to reflect Key West.</div>
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After this, we 'hopped off' and separated. My mom and I headed off to see Hemingway's house and a couple of museums while Alex and her aunt and cousin went to spend the day at the beach.</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-7530971974786190582012-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:49:00.417-07:00"...so costly a sacrfice upon the altar of freedom."While we're in France this summer, we'll be touring Normandy, the site of the Allied invasion. Last weekend, we watched <em>Saving Private Ryan</em> to become more familiar with June 6th, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. It is an incredible movie, not just about D-Day but also about WWII. Of course, as a war movie, it is quite bloody - in fact the bloodiest movie I've ever watched. And, I did fast forward through a couple of 'inappropiate conversations' (which were while they were waiting for the tanks by the bridge). But, we are both a lot more aware of what D-Day meant to the war now.<br />
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<br />So, who is this Private Ryan that needs saving? He is one of 4 brothers... the other 3 having all been killed in the war. Some soldiers are sent on a mission to find him and bring him home so his mother doesn't have to suffer the loss of her 4th son. While the leader is explaining why he thinks they need to "save" Private Ryan, he reads this incredible, elogent, moving letter written by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. It was written in November of 1864 to a Mrs Bixby in Boston...<br />
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<em>Dear Madam: </em><br />
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<em>I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. </em></div>
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<em>Yours very sincerely and respectfully, </em></div>
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<em>Abraham Lincoln.</em> </div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-7075124911205661612012-04-27T11:20:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:40:04.256-07:00All Aboard!! (Our First Ever...CRUISE!)<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last month, Alex & I went on a Carnival Caribbean cruise with my mom, my sister, and her daughter. My mom has been on quite a few cruises, but I just wasn't sure if it was the right type of trip for me. However, it sounded like a great way to take a 'girls' trip' and to see some places we've never seen before: Key West, Florida and The Bahamas!</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKIoKXowxaF43bsv33Ot7X9u8AZc6YdjJEm1hMwI21Hc1uzJxGnHkBGmpB7eOaeQvLmff3ugEgbstfMG3YA76bdXUgf5O-kJuTRQPMKlEvD9A0xn-kKQK_AtPfwP-nnO5CBibPc8iDuTa/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKIoKXowxaF43bsv33Ot7X9u8AZc6YdjJEm1hMwI21Hc1uzJxGnHkBGmpB7eOaeQvLmff3ugEgbstfMG3YA76bdXUgf5O-kJuTRQPMKlEvD9A0xn-kKQK_AtPfwP-nnO5CBibPc8iDuTa/s320/IMG_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/search?q=galveston">We've been to Galveston</a> quite a few times and it was neat to watch the familiar sites shrink away as we sailed off on our great adventure.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQouz_t7PNqxRITecM-KgXF0-L8VMbVo-ljEPFavU-l7q4Pna_5LRQmPsh_K2fNq02q8VssMmgX9SFAyd7_3eXlgUzNn5Q4u2HsbPRm28v5mUIM4bQ_R-rTxVrN_dYuPQ2Nf9Cp5Evehy/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQouz_t7PNqxRITecM-KgXF0-L8VMbVo-ljEPFavU-l7q4Pna_5LRQmPsh_K2fNq02q8VssMmgX9SFAyd7_3eXlgUzNn5Q4u2HsbPRm28v5mUIM4bQ_R-rTxVrN_dYuPQ2Nf9Cp5Evehy/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />This is a gorgeous view off the back of the ship. As we traveled, it was often incredibly windy on the outside decks. They had a jogging track around the ship and some people were using it, but I couldn't imagine jogging into that wind! So, I spent some time here, in the back of the ship, where it wasn't so windy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are lots of activities on board a cruise ship - especially in the evenings. Our favorite two shows were a magic show (wonderful!) and a juggling show (although he wasn't 'perfect', he was incredibly entertaining!). We also went to see karaoke several times, and my sister participated! And, we watched a comedy show (they have early 'family friendly' shows, and later 'adults only' shows). Usually, we ate the more formal dinners where you are served course after course of delicious food. I was disappointed in the buffet food, though - it was pretty much 'buffet' quality! And, it was hard to find food early in the morning, though room service was FREE - but not very reliable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmeC46WqQcz1gHpIt67Yesxle6eIjydaw3Q9I6swIBwXlu4kOIlUyQJ70zePy0gY9yb7EV55dPxxPBj5x8_TbJhth9BPgqnGMtZaOwDdRxrKk6ti8quzpc6j-WfIJmkAzDzEyi3IsVgID/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmeC46WqQcz1gHpIt67Yesxle6eIjydaw3Q9I6swIBwXlu4kOIlUyQJ70zePy0gY9yb7EV55dPxxPBj5x8_TbJhth9BPgqnGMtZaOwDdRxrKk6ti8quzpc6j-WfIJmkAzDzEyi3IsVgID/s320/IMG_0028.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most of my photos were of the excursions, so I'm disappointed to not have more to share. But, I'll leave you with this one of Alex participating in an Animal Quiz Show. She was in the final THREE out of the 30-40 who started! Mostly adults! And, one of the 'final three' was a couple and the other was a zoology professor!!! I'm very proud of Alex and her knowledge of animals!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-40710602739153177552012-04-13T19:01:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:47:21.704-07:00Need a Good Wild West Book?I just finished yet another book by Gloria Whelan! I love her historical fiction for children. (This one is listed as ages 8-12, but I think older children would enjoy it, too. I did!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZnoWOgcDFZzbaB7ggCIoVf4XmSJf4Joxs2Pyzyh1NPE06iCN_c-Gau1CDqoXzcF8rRoKbRMWOE-imwOIhDAYwYzIx-BKo5lcvCzMcqjiV1xDT2IV8dLhZqG6PdXJGf7MZCY_4LzKxNs8/s1600/miranda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZnoWOgcDFZzbaB7ggCIoVf4XmSJf4Joxs2Pyzyh1NPE06iCN_c-Gau1CDqoXzcF8rRoKbRMWOE-imwOIhDAYwYzIx-BKo5lcvCzMcqjiV1xDT2IV8dLhZqG6PdXJGf7MZCY_4LzKxNs8/s320/miranda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Miranda's dad was killed during Custer's "Last Stand" at Little Big Horn. Now, Miranda and her mother are traveling with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Miranda's mom is very upset when Miranda starts making friends with the Indian children of the show. And, when she learns that Sitting Bull is coming to be a part of the show, she is tempted to quit. But, if they leave, they'll never afford to move back to the farm.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXS1J2nkA59L5Z9jxrVdlmJRK4UQDYj0d3QAssR9KWUpTlVUjgBTu-3Ypxs2BJMHpsuL5lzrVkyN76qnC7NJHk76QlJXOhWZP2rUjrpcV3qiUTfiBwIIoewrfoExc_jev3ROSuMj4P_Rd/s1600/110_0234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXS1J2nkA59L5Z9jxrVdlmJRK4UQDYj0d3QAssR9KWUpTlVUjgBTu-3Ypxs2BJMHpsuL5lzrVkyN76qnC7NJHk76QlJXOhWZP2rUjrpcV3qiUTfiBwIIoewrfoExc_jev3ROSuMj4P_Rd/s320/110_0234.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex last summer</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love that this story introduces the reader to so many characters from the wild west like Buffalo Bill Cody, Sitting Bull, General Custer, and Annie Oakley. And, you hear the story of Custer's Last Stand from Sitting Bull's point of view! </div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-86048179570274297162012-04-11T15:54:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:40:15.530-07:00Crystal Bridges Art MuseumThis weekend, Alex & I went with my husband's aunt to see a new art museum: <a href="http://crystalbridges.org/">Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art</a> in Bentonville, Arkansas. The museum, which opened in November, was founded by Alice Walton of the Walmart family. The museum is a nonprofit organization and admission is FREE because of a grant from Walmart.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0cuURUi_pzao-at7x3ZjzwMZcWh6Vn__OD9zYYDCIikXBS4ySKPniAnyJXKAq5ZmOnt4GXrqk3kQk7sqCBULDNLaIyVaufEWeTxeu-LmnkGRuG2EJLHJswFkaGCS8SF7w_cHE6RLpwnP/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0cuURUi_pzao-at7x3ZjzwMZcWh6Vn__OD9zYYDCIikXBS4ySKPniAnyJXKAq5ZmOnt4GXrqk3kQk7sqCBULDNLaIyVaufEWeTxeu-LmnkGRuG2EJLHJswFkaGCS8SF7w_cHE6RLpwnP/s400/IMG_0311.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The museum buildings are amazing and it sits on a gorgeous 120 acre site with over 3 miles of walking and biking trails. Unfortunately, it was raining, so we didn't go out on the trails.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1bKLkhPlkktopngZdTOuSUf2SaIyvXMDEjJ79IwDj0fAxyLPVX4KswyZqpDBfsVN59Cg0R_Maj-Cbpv98CLSGxih98GLV4FTTpDoZ0vhPLHMADG54Y4CN2RTe4OdmoOeBvgDmozFMDJ2/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1bKLkhPlkktopngZdTOuSUf2SaIyvXMDEjJ79IwDj0fAxyLPVX4KswyZqpDBfsVN59Cg0R_Maj-Cbpv98CLSGxih98GLV4FTTpDoZ0vhPLHMADG54Y4CN2RTe4OdmoOeBvgDmozFMDJ2/s400/IMG_0310.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From the site: "the Museum complex encompasses a library, the hands-on Experience Art Studio and Drop-in Studio, a glass-enclosed gathering hall for lectures, films, and other events, a Museum Store, a restaurant, and areas for outdoor concerts and public events. (Above: part of a trail and sculpture taken through large glass window.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqLUuqYuTRXJvrMH2DpcEZFaegpkh6a4eibAxwjGivCc5RhEmu_X9f5AApbmEcmqkUGqhE9LScnADZrXIlyQtorh74jXacN-sb6rHeV1zzlc5cPYLIWaWJ9SSKraDMvwUv1cyVjq1zSxA/s1600/Gilbert+Stuart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqLUuqYuTRXJvrMH2DpcEZFaegpkh6a4eibAxwjGivCc5RhEmu_X9f5AApbmEcmqkUGqhE9LScnADZrXIlyQtorh74jXacN-sb6rHeV1zzlc5cPYLIWaWJ9SSKraDMvwUv1cyVjq1zSxA/s320/Gilbert+Stuart.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />The collection of American art is divided into 4 sections: Colonial, 19th Century, Modern, and Contemporary. The Colonial collection included art by Gilbert Stuart (the Constable-Hamilton portrait of George Washington shown above), John Trumbull, John Singleton Copley, and Samuel Finley Breese Morse (of morse code fame and whose art <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/2011/12/samuel-f-b-morse-inventor-artist.html">I discussed here</a>). </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu0kIRCB8SpenfulWCvIk1UWeGTQLMRUFAvjbN-eiNY3yRMheBXrmxikM07Q8m27ZkvJl_5NoZvT3aQcV1BMfOII5AW98bSlK1OaD04t6LU8Gp1KKWUIjmeFQU1nfmqTC4djSlxeeI8MV/s1600/trompe+l'oeil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggu0kIRCB8SpenfulWCvIk1UWeGTQLMRUFAvjbN-eiNY3yRMheBXrmxikM07Q8m27ZkvJl_5NoZvT3aQcV1BMfOII5AW98bSlK1OaD04t6LU8Gp1KKWUIjmeFQU1nfmqTC4djSlxeeI8MV/s320/trompe+l'oeil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trompe L'oeil by Haberle from Wikipedia</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The 19th Century area includes some trompe l'oeil which is art that tricks the eye into thinking it's 3 dimensional. One piece was by Haberle, though it isn't the one I posted above. There was also work by Mary Cassatt, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and John Singer Sargent (whose <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-first-art-class-immitating-john.html">art I copied</a> for my charcoal portraits).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9nKeHj6vPeci0cRGwzacCwnEmm1l3fPK8eO35B3cxz6_xnHaeFydh_XGQjbqI8Izs8sh6Is0hOaBlgIdrNcTZAG2WfUDJOpznznferr4sO8N6gA7xiLlgHy74CYIy6rHyYj8jPUsC26c/s1600/Rosie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig9nKeHj6vPeci0cRGwzacCwnEmm1l3fPK8eO35B3cxz6_xnHaeFydh_XGQjbqI8Izs8sh6Is0hOaBlgIdrNcTZAG2WfUDJOpznznferr4sO8N6gA7xiLlgHy74CYIy6rHyYj8jPUsC26c/s320/Rosie.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter which was on Saturday Evening Post (from Wikipedia)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Modern and Contemporary sections included art by Norman Rockwell (one of my favorite artists!), Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns (who <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/2009/03/jasper-johns.html">we studied here</a>), Louise Nevelson (who <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/2009/02/kathy-over-at-art-projects-for-kids-has.html">we studied here</a>), and Jacob Lawrence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w6-SKFKWHDxuwuVjDd8KU-pK_DSjctYk7QfTpguDd5Nc13ET0L6HDgYezHUToEytunuHUIjZLjvXS5NFbCyvP8yTPpZrYOpsEbCwY1pvgDfMTcoCywM-yXH-St2EsVSoRoUAcINfKKiF/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-w6-SKFKWHDxuwuVjDd8KU-pK_DSjctYk7QfTpguDd5Nc13ET0L6HDgYezHUToEytunuHUIjZLjvXS5NFbCyvP8yTPpZrYOpsEbCwY1pvgDfMTcoCywM-yXH-St2EsVSoRoUAcINfKKiF/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I loved the layout of the museum. There were two places where you could stop and rest and look at art books or get on iPads to learn more about the art. And, there were two hands-on activity centers. Unfortunately, one closed just as we found it. But, we spent some time in the other. It had quite a few activities (including a dressing up area and places to build and to learn about art). Alex and Aunt C had fun making butterfly art!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-29984745924714067052012-03-27T19:44:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:47:03.376-07:00San Antonio Rock n RollI raced the San Antonio Rock n Roll Half Marathon in November. The race wasn't that great (it was super HOt & HUMID & CROWDED!), but my mom, daughter & I had a great time in San Antonio! I never posted, so thought I'd do it now...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3XugQJiqld72-lMy5sJw74j18WX9N9uuaFaB74s10yocr4RkNWllsPKPZd02WhxujE717Zz_EadUuQuB7ArCFDJhDYrs_IYe5rq6NsQxdLf1T8_jzM6RonYuoMlWWF_qf3_NnTh9z6Ox/s1600/IMG_0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3XugQJiqld72-lMy5sJw74j18WX9N9uuaFaB74s10yocr4RkNWllsPKPZd02WhxujE717Zz_EadUuQuB7ArCFDJhDYrs_IYe5rq6NsQxdLf1T8_jzM6RonYuoMlWWF_qf3_NnTh9z6Ox/s320/IMG_0105.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We ate at an outdoor Italian restaurant on the Riverwalk and this pigeon walked right over to Alex!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWThXUn3DZAU6syT5dUir4JHpZZFqOQJFSHecZL8wjG2MB0SdVei5ETwGMYFN7RyJVX2AMrQQakQ4DFETf8uEesLQurEdPBPb3SDNQTEaaQq1y38ejyryYRkRKk32LU2Nbj3NxgryUP61o/s1600/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWThXUn3DZAU6syT5dUir4JHpZZFqOQJFSHecZL8wjG2MB0SdVei5ETwGMYFN7RyJVX2AMrQQakQ4DFETf8uEesLQurEdPBPb3SDNQTEaaQq1y38ejyryYRkRKk32LU2Nbj3NxgryUP61o/s320/IMG_0118.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div align="center">We took a boat ride on the river and enjoyed hearing some of the history of the area. (Photo of building from boat.)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb_66QGKHpczA1HSarambJ96cCmSVNqRn8uGTeVnDX3X0uP6kVQYw4wI7Nb0kWUac9ymOdQsqFfZ16EkLEt-nW08WY5DWBlqz5FT5NsKwmvCxnasK7QC291FCmvPMcWVMgARWuIfBbzyX/s1600/IMG_0136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb_66QGKHpczA1HSarambJ96cCmSVNqRn8uGTeVnDX3X0uP6kVQYw4wI7Nb0kWUac9ymOdQsqFfZ16EkLEt-nW08WY5DWBlqz5FT5NsKwmvCxnasK7QC291FCmvPMcWVMgARWuIfBbzyX/s320/IMG_0136.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We visited The Alama (our 2nd time). I'm wearing my "Run. Rock. Roll. Repeat." t-shirt the day before my race.</div><br /><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0PIko9o95qJA6s-SpQzsDiE7AldYzgfyC0hu-PH-DgLNcU65n3FsDmXXbvnQmD0eEZTnvbEQ1in02j8Tb_XhwObUMfNoM4cE3GGDTxo_jLBjJwf32fxUQUFzJP4r0qqB7s87ix5mVJKc/s1600/IMG_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0PIko9o95qJA6s-SpQzsDiE7AldYzgfyC0hu-PH-DgLNcU65n3FsDmXXbvnQmD0eEZTnvbEQ1in02j8Tb_XhwObUMfNoM4cE3GGDTxo_jLBjJwf32fxUQUFzJP4r0qqB7s87ix5mVJKc/s320/IMG_0156.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">We visited the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum and kept score on all of the questions. My mom KILLED us! And, she beat us on this drum game, too, where you have to beat as many times as you can in one minute. Way to go, Mom!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-32176458682182828012012-03-24T13:25:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:40:58.549-07:00Mardi Gras (& more!) in Destin, FloridaLast month, we flew to Destin for a weekend with some friends. It was chilly and rainy, but we still had fun. And, we really enjoyed a Mardi Gras Dog parade!<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprWZfz0PBeMB0NR44BQqdYYFK-qzYMhNdP_KLzcEMeLZOhG2Y3LTGK0AGGlAOpGE_WxaMgNgD0ph6U9a-dwNQJ0s386fCuddjfhVCXqL7RjahbDt4dOTA_zS3_sF_y47lIsbYeefLWTIi/s1600/345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprWZfz0PBeMB0NR44BQqdYYFK-qzYMhNdP_KLzcEMeLZOhG2Y3LTGK0AGGlAOpGE_WxaMgNgD0ph6U9a-dwNQJ0s386fCuddjfhVCXqL7RjahbDt4dOTA_zS3_sF_y47lIsbYeefLWTIi/s320/345.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex, relaxing for the weekend!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qSA7KmJKgWidapZuGJj5kLx3o2PoIVTOPqYMc4mMuqeYfnm68rMS4f-sgQbhWH2dCWBeFRjeLZWrHa22yXtuWaLE3Ob7VrbHHAhHy9V6ZuAHLS3-g9WeYB96P-UVyEgrdEUNFxgwqNdc/s1600/351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qSA7KmJKgWidapZuGJj5kLx3o2PoIVTOPqYMc4mMuqeYfnm68rMS4f-sgQbhWH2dCWBeFRjeLZWrHa22yXtuWaLE3Ob7VrbHHAhHy9V6ZuAHLS3-g9WeYB96P-UVyEgrdEUNFxgwqNdc/s320/351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here comes the Mardi Gras Doggy Parade!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOUo-6PRJnXfOcrXUhpXW1DkbS5dlpUuEsmn0wUcBehMVuJgSsNKCZ-VtrVtgqdOKB-eHJNIJrH034yxDKZqV200p1s9OC9_rGDplInjm9f4be1MeMd9gMbrvJH8fWgqKRYydePXIR84U/s320/358.JPG" width="213" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Most dogs rode in cars or walked....this dog drove his OWN CAR!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuhBbTMxJTHCx5SqFycFIbCDhZNgeu6XJvTVXYeqIDOk1bKanJKHCGvBs8AYcJgKqTYS6BuOV7UkmY3GrjaNC_Gy_TVYlUKJ26hRUyu5R2EO4RkhB2n-5S_CRGsQNFMCeCtQ4nixiHINJ/s1600/364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIuhBbTMxJTHCx5SqFycFIbCDhZNgeu6XJvTVXYeqIDOk1bKanJKHCGvBs8AYcJgKqTYS6BuOV7UkmY3GrjaNC_Gy_TVYlUKJ26hRUyu5R2EO4RkhB2n-5S_CRGsQNFMCeCtQ4nixiHINJ/s320/364.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another cute dog in the parade</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q2tYKM55IXE8hdfeVb6tZCcKgJ8sqIpFIytcdgtuatEJ04vlIE8Vhsgv2x8L9fVYd0wv5rB6lA2ecIvK6T7t40p_iNTgRIa8QSHo8sf-4slfAUU-qjwO3R_X67EOouEGbTV16zpYU-Ig/s1600/beads.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q2tYKM55IXE8hdfeVb6tZCcKgJ8sqIpFIytcdgtuatEJ04vlIE8Vhsgv2x8L9fVYd0wv5rB6lA2ecIvK6T7t40p_iNTgRIa8QSHo8sf-4slfAUU-qjwO3R_X67EOouEGbTV16zpYU-Ig/s320/beads.JPG" width="221" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We got LOTS of beads...and candy! Yum!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEltTV3gB8bT0u0xnLbUFi3kjXIuErlCVIx76kaUD9z9glaa9LuDgZGNBcRG2qAw9E_PWin_B31_VfzdTz8cg3X87kQDqlAkH0cAr0qSH1LSJwIV5PSz7WeR1RS19jTgO4K5PK7YqbuPyh/s1600/388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEltTV3gB8bT0u0xnLbUFi3kjXIuErlCVIx76kaUD9z9glaa9LuDgZGNBcRG2qAw9E_PWin_B31_VfzdTz8cg3X87kQDqlAkH0cAr0qSH1LSJwIV5PSz7WeR1RS19jTgO4K5PK7YqbuPyh/s320/388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A seagull on the beach</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GmXx_SM98KA7Kx0TrQPhT0__VJa-XoOgwxuCtsjUPm9wo9pemSZGW99PVoNZISpXyySlZVTC8c_cPWqrawalVal_wLECjWLzCBfuradOxyurukD8cWtcy1Rg7mx9xbvwhPngR50Efkic/s1600/394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GmXx_SM98KA7Kx0TrQPhT0__VJa-XoOgwxuCtsjUPm9wo9pemSZGW99PVoNZISpXyySlZVTC8c_cPWqrawalVal_wLECjWLzCBfuradOxyurukD8cWtcy1Rg7mx9xbvwhPngR50Efkic/s320/394.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A (dead) jellyfish on the beach</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWctqNX0XMWJl78n0semTAFUrPIfTnm_Ny5ayr1lhIm4d1B4yVJsP0dUfkYnni0TPipk9F31UeuwWloOAUrWYjkbfN19DBUohyphenhyphen8jBRRbpEtvh5ylLmIT4zyCWn9iSXu0wXgeZTSDCw1ga/s1600/416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWctqNX0XMWJl78n0semTAFUrPIfTnm_Ny5ayr1lhIm4d1B4yVJsP0dUfkYnni0TPipk9F31UeuwWloOAUrWYjkbfN19DBUohyphenhyphen8jBRRbpEtvh5ylLmIT4zyCWn9iSXu0wXgeZTSDCw1ga/s320/416.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Alex enjoying the chilly beach!</td></tr></tbody></table>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-2968539995744019302012-02-20T14:50:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:26.685-07:00Eating in JapanI'm going to try to catch up on my vacation posts! Today's post is about food we ate while in Japan last March. I LOVED visiting Japan and continue to pray for their recovery from the tsunami and radiation leak.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS8LkLqNwdxb-Cv-rMihse__IM1cZDT6mrbiMBP4Wi3htM1_9J74Ovzhh_b4bFjtEffn6-OMKGOLFov0FbabanC6xMrfs2ftsG2TOJ2bkwo9qBPCcoTTYz9-FKoSs9T2j48nRZt2i03RT/s1600/IMG_5200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKS8LkLqNwdxb-Cv-rMihse__IM1cZDT6mrbiMBP4Wi3htM1_9J74Ovzhh_b4bFjtEffn6-OMKGOLFov0FbabanC6xMrfs2ftsG2TOJ2bkwo9qBPCcoTTYz9-FKoSs9T2j48nRZt2i03RT/s400/IMG_5200.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />One the neatest meals we ate was shabu-shabu. Shabu-shabu is a traditional Japanese meal where you eat in your own little room which has tatami mats on the floor and rice paper walls. You remove your shoes before entering the room and sit on little cushions. In the middle of the table is a pot of boiling water and your meat is served in very thin slices which you cook yourself. Two funny things happened at this meal: 1) I saw slippers where you take your shoes off and took off my shoes and stepped up into the room with them on! They quickly motioned me "no!"...those shoes were for going to the bathroom....oops! 2) My brother ordered potatoes as part of our traditional meal...they brought out a bowl of french fries and ketchup!!! (Photo of my brother & his girlfriend. I didn't take any photos of me here!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA7akpU3zJxsCRE8MqFEo4IZuYVTZVEQ0HbR3gMGHz8w2DcEQqVuQvB9NBAu6SbHmlQJTu-vPnN1mfHxqO74297tekxFW-FegubyQva4ze8fZmtfaZDtuyn8wiIF2fGqGXqCbD077shW-/s1600/IMG_5211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqA7akpU3zJxsCRE8MqFEo4IZuYVTZVEQ0HbR3gMGHz8w2DcEQqVuQvB9NBAu6SbHmlQJTu-vPnN1mfHxqO74297tekxFW-FegubyQva4ze8fZmtfaZDtuyn8wiIF2fGqGXqCbD077shW-/s400/IMG_5211.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />On another day, we ate at a stand outside of the zoo. The other 3 ate pizza (which was good!) while I had to try this cute panda. It was a pastry with powered sugar dusted on it. We think the brown part is a kind of bean curd paste. This was good!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jiGDwJwuRTyfKUsuLuwDmTPXj4gXmaxRh5LFDvCTu94cal7gDLy2g4VG6L9iDDnGQ9y42iqOyYwPOxWK7sF6tJbW02SPVXs6JcFrMMEi2t8wVSNfhq4wg1_-gJrnvj28gKnnqTKUUGcJ/s1600/IMG_5226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jiGDwJwuRTyfKUsuLuwDmTPXj4gXmaxRh5LFDvCTu94cal7gDLy2g4VG6L9iDDnGQ9y42iqOyYwPOxWK7sF6tJbW02SPVXs6JcFrMMEi2t8wVSNfhq4wg1_-gJrnvj28gKnnqTKUUGcJ/s400/IMG_5226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />The Tokyo zoo, Ueno Zoological Gardens, sits in a park called Ueno Park. This little stand was also in Ueno Park. These are bananas which are dipped in different colored frostrings and then decorated. Alex bought a set of 3 adorable mice! They looked CUTE, but we didn't like the taste that much.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6jsuN39C1AJoQnvarnuDSgrz6di25miTIbgfhmml0Wuw0NurfgHJq-QcPr9xA7-L0KLCRuxJjyVIpCG-wkrHq0hIzSZXDG5050XHQDN19NNFJvxY-6rCOfuui_rSt-tgqr8oRaviypDQ/s1600/IMG_5233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6jsuN39C1AJoQnvarnuDSgrz6di25miTIbgfhmml0Wuw0NurfgHJq-QcPr9xA7-L0KLCRuxJjyVIpCG-wkrHq0hIzSZXDG5050XHQDN19NNFJvxY-6rCOfuui_rSt-tgqr8oRaviypDQ/s400/IMG_5233.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />Alex also bought some ice cream in Ueno Park. (We wanted to try everything!) They had really unusual ice cream flavors and we just had to order by the pictures. We did recognize "milk" (vanilla), green tea, an orange fruit, and cantaloups (which is what Alex had). Yummy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMSMth7fZlojtoohlh9BpSkO88tOZnE3TSSnYPrU8xuECP8CcXFCx0dGx7rtdv_cLMkrTq9HJsdmp7GLt_3ig2U0vBfs2Z7VeLWqPSSLhxER3imuq9lhmLMn3J6TQmCdSfl1VlItvOmDc/s1600/IMG_5244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMSMth7fZlojtoohlh9BpSkO88tOZnE3TSSnYPrU8xuECP8CcXFCx0dGx7rtdv_cLMkrTq9HJsdmp7GLt_3ig2U0vBfs2Z7VeLWqPSSLhxER3imuq9lhmLMn3J6TQmCdSfl1VlItvOmDc/s400/IMG_5244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />This was one of my favorite meals in Japan. I had pot stickers and noodles. Oh, it was SO delicious!!! In fact, we all had a variety of pot stickers and noodles. So yummy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA3B2XmGSzfLPTCxaAZe9Nl39EDgCip1Cvh0iEICVUuEZN1_coK5gQQStwJ0WnD-px-V6Sf0pJYPzIkqEAn_TCg0-uXZmdOP5yjBxCpNyhX5BQAfQzKjV36zNSyZrsyLkQhVuAL2TntX6/s1600/IMG_5304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA3B2XmGSzfLPTCxaAZe9Nl39EDgCip1Cvh0iEICVUuEZN1_coK5gQQStwJ0WnD-px-V6Sf0pJYPzIkqEAn_TCg0-uXZmdOP5yjBxCpNyhX5BQAfQzKjV36zNSyZrsyLkQhVuAL2TntX6/s400/IMG_5304.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />There are a lot of machines in Japan that sell a variety of things - not just food! But, at the train depot one day, my brother bought some banana hot chocolate. Agian, we had to go from photos (although you can read the English word "hot"). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpaiYTT8S5CMxjIUfAfh0Vk_A_4x52Rpchkz22Z2bqtlgmSF2WDwGJBifqfB-Qw5dYtPbiArWsFDsUp9Bomy3v3jhBPnKr0a0q_qfWC73a3lLesbHrhr5gTyoLeouxSjr21HrkaVv3sDL/s1600/IMG_5312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpaiYTT8S5CMxjIUfAfh0Vk_A_4x52Rpchkz22Z2bqtlgmSF2WDwGJBifqfB-Qw5dYtPbiArWsFDsUp9Bomy3v3jhBPnKr0a0q_qfWC73a3lLesbHrhr5gTyoLeouxSjr21HrkaVv3sDL/s400/IMG_5312.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />This restaurant was in Akihabara, the Electric City of Tokyo. It was probably my least favorite meal, but it was still neat. The center of the table is a hot plate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYS-pqKuLCHDVXa6KA2SEAdjrJo_Q8w61NZm8X8vXi1EXRNSc8zVLi0JrLaMu0qkdCXLAJ_JsPWtW9I_IWiYFe2XmGrXSRR5n9RC3F1RNZ1LJ_DIM9d7TMz_erc3kJpBpdak9jokYwKHy_/s1600/IMG_5328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYS-pqKuLCHDVXa6KA2SEAdjrJo_Q8w61NZm8X8vXi1EXRNSc8zVLi0JrLaMu0qkdCXLAJ_JsPWtW9I_IWiYFe2XmGrXSRR5n9RC3F1RNZ1LJ_DIM9d7TMz_erc3kJpBpdak9jokYwKHy_/s400/IMG_5328.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />Here's a photo of the food from that place. You used the spatulas (on other photo) to kind of chop off a section and put it on your plate to eat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpReFBpZCU9FuKyhg1MZWanoNY14UOmihixFq1_WgL6haf7o4PWWFXqwmpvhbFDy8DgfJlkEhtyvhSCdZT7RwKhJWlHHY0QiBh0iKOhaxNveFTBTqtKiReqO5zQwwsN4PYHesCyknN_yqS/s1600/IMG_5318b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpReFBpZCU9FuKyhg1MZWanoNY14UOmihixFq1_WgL6haf7o4PWWFXqwmpvhbFDy8DgfJlkEhtyvhSCdZT7RwKhJWlHHY0QiBh0iKOhaxNveFTBTqtKiReqO5zQwwsN4PYHesCyknN_yqS/s400/IMG_5318b.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />To give you an idea of how we ordered, here is a photo of the menu...yes, it is all in Japanese! But, the waiter spoke some English. (This was often the case.) On the lower left hand corner, for example, they would tell us that was the beef section. So, we could see all the different prices of 'beef', but we really didn't know what the words meant. We would pick a middle-priced meat and order it. We often ordered a lot of food both to try more things and because we weren't sure what we'd like. We liked most of the food we tried!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7vkjJC_GVFHqqvPz-JL1YyRQPR0gyKzCaqD5stMa8Y8T5TfwhboxotbrFXL1mfkkvMxC6rbGm2jCEltyW3qd4okaCZXrtZvK6KQElYNnJfRjmILvGLZPhPwMph2jmNTsHwMbhpINXGuk/s1600/IMG_5339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo7vkjJC_GVFHqqvPz-JL1YyRQPR0gyKzCaqD5stMa8Y8T5TfwhboxotbrFXL1mfkkvMxC6rbGm2jCEltyW3qd4okaCZXrtZvK6KQElYNnJfRjmILvGLZPhPwMph2jmNTsHwMbhpINXGuk/s400/IMG_5339.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />Here's my brother & his girlfriend at a sushi train. To the right you can see the plates of food. They are on a conveyor belt and you pick up what you want from the train. The plates are color-coded so you can see how much they cost. I don't care much for sushi, though they really enjoy it. Alex & I did enjoy some desserts, though!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmg2JU2V9CNXrKE60E7ZYqpxYJDeqp9lY6hlYsW1vfjeiKttAlfLuhPUk2_fMHBOPr9v6fRb-PkOCNzVMELDWhmBysvn0O6j9G-glaCZX5xQ5VOzIWG4f9irxpxsW5GMxQWo8VytrWvbx/s1600/IMG_5359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmg2JU2V9CNXrKE60E7ZYqpxYJDeqp9lY6hlYsW1vfjeiKttAlfLuhPUk2_fMHBOPr9v6fRb-PkOCNzVMELDWhmBysvn0O6j9G-glaCZX5xQ5VOzIWG4f9irxpxsW5GMxQWo8VytrWvbx/s400/IMG_5359.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />We only ate "American" food twice while in Japan - once at McDonald's and once at Subways. At the McDonald's, it was just Alex & myself and they didn't speak any English and they didn't have an English menu! They handed me a menu with photos and I pointed to what we wanted. But, they didn't have a water showing and I couldn't explain it, so I got an orange juice instead! Also, we got chicken strips and they still had the skin on it and they were pretty greasy. We didn't care much for it! At Subway, the food offered was also different. I usually have the sweet onion chicken teriyaki. Well, they didn't have that sauce, so I had Caesar dressing instead! Alex had ham & cheese, but we ended up trading. My brother had egg!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3WMm5r6Are5UQTWVB1_QBY-WQ91wjw8bDC0DWk0_gezms487Qx8uBQVh05Cd44dD65aoV3H1vv9bEd6F7TFhgwLcKMDgF-z19Lqt4WcfCldKSYn6BbcELpNJqcgsCyLP4mBHT4-Nuev-/s1600/IMG_5370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3WMm5r6Are5UQTWVB1_QBY-WQ91wjw8bDC0DWk0_gezms487Qx8uBQVh05Cd44dD65aoV3H1vv9bEd6F7TFhgwLcKMDgF-z19Lqt4WcfCldKSYn6BbcELpNJqcgsCyLP4mBHT4-Nuev-/s400/IMG_5370.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />Here's the last photo. Alex bought this out of a machine at our hotel the last day. It's called "calpis" and it is DELICIOUS! When we bought things out of the machines, we had to be careful as they also sell alcohol out of them! And, I wasn't sure how to tell the difference! I just tasted it first and it tasted non-alcoholic. And, we looked at the labels to make sure it didn't look like something that contained alcohol.</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-4482219630547995232012-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:07.273-07:00Medieval MonstrositiesWhat do "Medieval monstrosities" have to do with cathedrals? The Basillica Church of Saint Mary Magdelene in Vezelay, France, depicts some of these monstrosities the central tympanum lintel above the main door. Why? The theme of this lintel is Jesus telling his disciples to preach the gospel to the ends of the world. And, at this time, people in Europe thought there were monstrous people who needed to hear the gospel!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjsa0rZDFxwwjAWWn9BiD8O7fT5ZnpSCpEiBgLS66KQ9md7fH3KKxWetBKuyKj4SnH2jem8Bz8zvY7RnjqtGU8wmW1aJWQ-j6aFsHOaWI5sNFyumz7xD68ltF5Gn57M3KUCa4M5OSbEfS/s1600/monstrosoties.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjsa0rZDFxwwjAWWn9BiD8O7fT5ZnpSCpEiBgLS66KQ9md7fH3KKxWetBKuyKj4SnH2jem8Bz8zvY7RnjqtGU8wmW1aJWQ-j6aFsHOaWI5sNFyumz7xD68ltF5Gn57M3KUCa4M5OSbEfS/s400/monstrosoties.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some of the 'people' who were thought to exist:</div><ul><li>Sciopods - people with one leg and a foot so big they used it for shade</li><li>Cyclopes - people with one, central eye</li><li>Pygmies - short people (though I'm not sure why this one has two heads)</li><li>Blymmyes - people with faces on their chest</li><li>Cynocephalus - dog-headed people</li></ul>I got more information about the history of these people at <a href="http://riftwatcher.blogspot.com/2011/10/magical-mondays-5-bemmyes-headless.html">J. A. Beard's Unnecessary Musings blog</a>. Blymmeys were described as early as the fifth century B.C. by Herodutus. Later, Pliny the Elder in his book "Natural History, Book V" (75 A.D.) also described them. Pliny's book was an attempt to "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">comprehensively document all the knowledge known in the world available to the Roman Empire at the time." Later on, they were described as man eaters, too.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9rVV73zNiEqx2a79o43vkCk9jTWGlzzAAb81Uw37qu97YFQ2mfKX99OLMX4Sscy23EgGCdO1grY4aEQII7pV868rtUMN9YvtXCjvFXXkGW15YrKI2MGlBjbooN9uJnZMEu9WziQCNf2Mu/s320/large+ears.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Large eared people - I didn't come across a name - image from Wikipedia)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtivrNsq3rmfOT7aNcpVeYf5PHRLjDQ1Tn12CPk2P6AdITys9Uh3qav3CUa7yvd1bcIr2gbNzpzq-voggYvNyZxBrvSG64LKWbhpJIqMYB50jR3ZNUrrHsmVzkfVh45uEFocw0qpGJIIZy/s320/large+foot.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Sciapod/Skiapod/Monopod - from the <em>Nuremburg Chronicle </em>1493 - image from Wikipedia)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pliny describes Skiapods as follows: <em>He [Ctesias] speaks also of another race of men, who are known as Monocoli, who have only one leg, but are able to leap with surprising agility. The same people are also called Sciapodae, because they are in the habit of lying on their backs, during the time of the extreme heat, and protect themselves from the sun by the shade of their feet. </em>(Ctesias' book was about India from the 5th century B.C.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this age of mass information and Google Earth it is hard to believe that people believed these human 'monstrosities' really existed. But, even today, we talk about leprechauns and big foot! Anyway, I can't wait to visit Europe and examine some of this medieval art in person.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">P.S. I really enjoyed a related post called "<a href="http://www.ancientsites.com/aw/Article/726763">How Columbus Discovered Cannibals in the New World</a>" which talks about the dog-headed people and how Columbus used this idea to justify enslaving people.</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-83447904313757958632012-02-04T20:03:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:07.283-07:00Saint Denis, a CephalophoreToday's <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=7868">Cathedral lecture</a> was about the Saint-Denis Cathedral which is considered the first Gothic Cathedral. It was designed by the abbot, Abbot Suger. The story of Saint Denis was really interesting.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKagGWYyguuqc0ELW2011zTWTBicZEfZ3g_Rm3rg1bVsTtEs5w3p58IukLj7eeB4XWlV7noPfgw_wC3074gD0Jo1p5enLIMwEXCgJ6Ed3tVvVEBVl3ztbb74mPm_1-MIWO19WsxmnVK7T/s1600/cephalophore+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKagGWYyguuqc0ELW2011zTWTBicZEfZ3g_Rm3rg1bVsTtEs5w3p58IukLj7eeB4XWlV7noPfgw_wC3074gD0Jo1p5enLIMwEXCgJ6Ed3tVvVEBVl3ztbb74mPm_1-MIWO19WsxmnVK7T/s400/cephalophore+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Saint Denis lived in the 3rd century and, along with two companions, was converting a lot of people to Christianity. Somewhere around 250 AD, he and his two friends were beheaded on Mons Martis. Because of the martyrdom of these saints, the hill is now known as Montmartre, "the mountain of the martyr."<br /><br />After being beheaded, it is said that Saint Denis picked up his head and carried it approximately 6 miles, preaching as he walked. He stopped at the location where the Saint-Denis Cathedral now stands. <br /><br />There are actually quite a few saints who are said to have been able to walk and carry their own heads after being beheaded. The term for this is "cephalophore", or head-carrier. Often, in art, the saint is shown holding his or her head and the halo, the sign of saints, is shown where their head used to be. (Photo credit: Wikipedia. Photo of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.)<br /><br />I thoroughly enjoyed this post about cephalophores on Elizabeth Lunday's blog: <a href="http://lunday.com/?p=477#comment-162">My New Favorite Word: Cephalophore.</a>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-13683614116127023622012-02-04T19:21:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:07.264-07:00Saint-DenisThis morning I watched Lecture #5 of Professor Cook's "<a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=7868">The Cathedral</a>." This one was titled Saint-Denis and the Beginning of the Gothic Style. Wow!!! This was (another) incredible lecture! And, as often happens, it inspired me to dig more.<br /><br />First of all, Saint-Denis is a Gothic Cathedral in what is now a suburb of Paris. The Gothic parts, the front (entry) and back (apse), were built around 1140 AD while the center part (nave) was built about 100 years later. <br /><br />Saint Denis, the person, was the first bishop of Paris and the patron saint of France. Saint Denis was martyred and buried at this location in about 250 AD. This site became a popular pilgrimage site and a chapel was erected here around 475 AD. This chapel was turned into a royal monastery and most of the kings of France were buried here until the time of the French Revolution. During the revolution, the bodies of the kings were removed and buried in a mass grave. Later, the bodies were dug up and reburied in a common ossuary (a place where skeletal remains are buried).<br /><br />Abbott Suger was the abbot of Saint-Denis from 1122-1151 AD. He was a friend and advisor of Kings Louis VI and Louis VII. He served as a regeant of the kingdom during the Second Crusade. The cathedral was dilapidated, and Suger wanted to rebuild it to rival the temple of Solomon! Abbot Suger is the man often credited as starting the Gothic style of architecture.Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-73438287532842400822012-02-01T09:33:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:18.129-07:00What is a Cathedral?<div style="text-align: justify;">As I prepare for our trip to Europe, I have now finished my first Great Courses lecture series by William Kloss, <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=7126"><em>World's Greatest Paintings</em></a>. This morning, I started a new series, this one by Professor William R Cook, entitled <em><a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=7868">The Cathedral</a></em>. The first lecture was titled <em>What is a cathedral? </em>This is what I learned...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the 1st century, when Jesus' apostles had all died, each community started having a local bishop who had authority in his region. These were small groups who often met either in secret or quietly because of persecution. In the fourth century, however, Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian and he legalized Christianity. Because of this, Christianity grew rapidly and the Christians were not being persecuted. And, the church starts to accumulate wealth.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MaBNh-Rs2vbC4H0sQRjy3uAoQiX1h6XKxEpg3jDR7qycN7ZiVqL2m4BVb_GKBdsVTe9mK4AzyI2ErIVxALAPir0DvCInneuK8KPt2uEpr_xFTQXE7rqE5xBVmeDzZaxhgXpXwepqkH6-/s1600/christ+church" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2MaBNh-Rs2vbC4H0sQRjy3uAoQiX1h6XKxEpg3jDR7qycN7ZiVqL2m4BVb_GKBdsVTe9mK4AzyI2ErIVxALAPir0DvCInneuK8KPt2uEpr_xFTQXE7rqE5xBVmeDzZaxhgXpXwepqkH6-/s400/christ+church" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland - the only cathedral I've visited...yet!)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Each bishop, who was in charge of a region, sat in a seat called a <em>cathedra. </em>With larger numbers of Christians/Catholics, they erected buildings to house the <em>cathedras</em>, thus creating the first <em>cathedrals</em>. As the Roman Empire collapsed, the bishops role became larger. The people lived under "canon law" - the law of the church which was administered by the bishop sitting on his cathedra. Besides law, the bishops also had a political role since there were no Roman administrators left. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bishops became very wealthy as the people gave gifts of land, jewels, gold, etc. Perhaps the gifts were of a pious nature, or perhaps they were trying to gain religious favor. The bishops used the wealth to create enormous cathedrals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Relics were kept inside of the cathedrals. The relics were bones or other parts of the bodies of saints or other religious martyrs. These relics were believed to be powerful, so many people made pilgrimages to the cathedrals that housed these relics. One example is Canterbury Cathedral which housed the bones of the Holy Blissful Martyr, Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury. This pilgrimage is the basis for Chaucer's book, <em>The Canterbury Tales.</em><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Why did the cathedrals need to be so big? One of the main reason was to house all of its members during feast days, which could be for the 'big' religious holidays (like Easter) or for local Saint's days. Also, baptisms were often held here. The baptisms could be collective for many babies, perhaps on a Saint's day, or could be for the child of an important family. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The cathedrals you can visit today are usually still in use and have goen through a lot of repair and remodeling. They are NOT museums. They do not look exactly like they did when they were first built. Some reasons include:</div><ul><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage from revolutions (like the French Revolution)</div></li><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage from the Protestant Reformation</div></li><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage and abandonment by Communist governments</div></li><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage from wars (like WWI and WWII)</div></li><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage by natural disasters like fire and earthquakes</div></li><li><div style="text-align: justify;">damage of erosion and discoloration by industrial pollution</div></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the lectures will cover Gothic Cathedrals which started in France so that will be the focus of the lectures. The term "Gothic" wasn't used until the 18th century. This style of building was considered "primitive" and representative of the superstitious medieval Catholic church. Gothic referred to the Germanic tribe of Goths so it meant they were "barbarian."</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-54226019795164197772012-01-07T16:46:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:40:47.605-07:00Arlington CemeteryI'm trying to catch up on my travel posts. This is from DC in October 2010.<br /><br /><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8113710063506467145"><div style="text-align: left;">We were on a tight schedule this day and our biggest mistake was not eating before we went to the cemetery! It was a long ride and we thought we'd get something at the cemetery. Well, food is not allowed at the cemetery. And, we were there for hours even though we 'hurried.' One of the girls in our group had her blood sugar crashing and her mom talked one of the employees into getting some food (from his own stash). But, the rest of us went HUNGRY.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3ooC94uQvaDxxbe7dYfJkfcosxy1xqEOyP7AKHlZMfpRdE4G_6sQO1-r3SD2qqD4GhDGaL9ETVSkcc3nN-VCJVOj1z3pcX_I9uj6lyFewqlnXnUogXpVLW_E7uxduuchzTguOzSajXHG/s1600/IMG_4406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_jgmdki="2" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3ooC94uQvaDxxbe7dYfJkfcosxy1xqEOyP7AKHlZMfpRdE4G_6sQO1-r3SD2qqD4GhDGaL9ETVSkcc3nN-VCJVOj1z3pcX_I9uj6lyFewqlnXnUogXpVLW_E7uxduuchzTguOzSajXHG/s400/IMG_4406.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I loved that we visited DC in fall. It was beautiful!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ2a74iBW-lXFxpc_YAXWokRUxda-NoCX8tLmlPejH-fnpUgoPiKI-op98oc5Dwz28yXSyS2mnaPa4urJiiRdftPzzubCYjA1wJBNQ0o2fYneI6Bu8_yajNIxuKj8I2gmHWKqSNzhvX9w/s1600/IMG_4380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_jgmdki="3" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZ2a74iBW-lXFxpc_YAXWokRUxda-NoCX8tLmlPejH-fnpUgoPiKI-op98oc5Dwz28yXSyS2mnaPa4urJiiRdftPzzubCYjA1wJBNQ0o2fYneI6Bu8_yajNIxuKj8I2gmHWKqSNzhvX9w/s400/IMG_4380.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Kennedy's.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkga9pR8YaUCChit7QdpWzAeZbpuu-uioUQ4OnqlePAYQq7nPpqMP3jcnIxuwfer7-R6ev5FtSCGkc1dHjw0a0UWUwVfhIl9YiH7sLbF5cLJe4S71LPY8GIgiJf0sicrlercb3jDaaWeE/s1600/IMG_4401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_jgmdki="4" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSkga9pR8YaUCChit7QdpWzAeZbpuu-uioUQ4OnqlePAYQq7nPpqMP3jcnIxuwfer7-R6ev5FtSCGkc1dHjw0a0UWUwVfhIl9YiH7sLbF5cLJe4S71LPY8GIgiJf0sicrlercb3jDaaWeE/s400/IMG_4401.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We got to the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers fairly early and sat and waited for quite awhile. But, it was a beautiful day and we had nice seats on the stairs. We didn't realize this was a day they would change the flowers so we got up and left our seats. It was disappointing that we didn't see it, but we were tired and still had a long walk ahead of us. And, one of the moms had a grave she wanted to find. We ended up going on without them. Everyone was tired & hungry.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZMbfMHzx2sj6U2smUNK-lxtYXdTRytjlUfRsgY6HU4j_yXtyRGsmM0vtH8I5Zj0qbVOJZxn0hl1uDZcede_zm3jx7Xui0wfVnJbp3DHVTUUw1NzvFi713SLYDErY-VHKxkKxYrT5E1Yd/s1600/IMG_4408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_jgmdki="5" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZMbfMHzx2sj6U2smUNK-lxtYXdTRytjlUfRsgY6HU4j_yXtyRGsmM0vtH8I5Zj0qbVOJZxn0hl1uDZcede_zm3jx7Xui0wfVnJbp3DHVTUUw1NzvFi713SLYDErY-VHKxkKxYrT5E1Yd/s400/IMG_4408.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My favorite photo of the day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ma2tx-mX8B7pxUc8GjH7Rblh8kicg-9i7pyX-BaX2dDeR90IAzR4TUzw0g-6umPKO56pMK0lWO5waNFYalov6QnxS8J5YAvNduR-INyNteRewJ-Bj5j3N0ARjLPGyxyDu18VgTblbPd2/s1600/IMG_4409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_jgmdki="6" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ma2tx-mX8B7pxUc8GjH7Rblh8kicg-9i7pyX-BaX2dDeR90IAzR4TUzw0g-6umPKO56pMK0lWO5waNFYalov6QnxS8J5YAvNduR-INyNteRewJ-Bj5j3N0ARjLPGyxyDu18VgTblbPd2/s400/IMG_4409.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />I read that the rocks on the tombstones are a Jewish way of paying respect. And, when I looked at the stones I'd taken photos of, they do have the Star of David on them, though I also saw one with a cross. </div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-10949785434007829362012-01-07T06:32:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:47:03.347-07:00Dickens on the StrandIn December, Alex & I attended "Dickens on the Strand" for the third year in a row. This holiday festival in Galveston celebrates the Victorian London of Charles Dickens. There is a parade, food, entertainment, and a visit by the "Queen" and her Beefeaters. Also, many of the spectators dress up in period costumes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4dLMNhr5h0nQC5jgHfwd_d_4WbtVN-LPHBDOkaLWzq-GNe4C4qGY5_fF4I4rTXMAOHMoNRg2V88oBhDKWmDdfnISMqJ6OPv5yrKQW5jyvoWGd14PjRLEn48VuoK4YqdQ3CdLKLKg0hQL/s1600/Galveston+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4dLMNhr5h0nQC5jgHfwd_d_4WbtVN-LPHBDOkaLWzq-GNe4C4qGY5_fF4I4rTXMAOHMoNRg2V88oBhDKWmDdfnISMqJ6OPv5yrKQW5jyvoWGd14PjRLEn48VuoK4YqdQ3CdLKLKg0hQL/s400/Galveston+001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We once again stayed at the <a href="http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/GLSGIHF-Hilton-Galveston-Island-Resort-Texas/accommodations.do">Hilton Galveston Island Resort</a>. We really enjoyed the hotel last year. And, this year, we got a great deal on a room with a full gulf view! On Friday night, we drove up after school and then went to dinner, also like last year, at Rainforest Cafe. Then, we went to a movie, <em>Arthur Christmas.</em><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtMl3W5mszRLDUGZyb6XOjYd9itCMDdjD3amdrMBzJjCyoKQZm3KsqzzyiD2ur72CGd1xYa8tiWWWalXObCi3ifZwpTIoN8hModYc-SB_NzHaeU5JgACVGXcZOFIkvGxxNWZrKCjTTFIh/s1600/Galveston+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtMl3W5mszRLDUGZyb6XOjYd9itCMDdjD3amdrMBzJjCyoKQZm3KsqzzyiD2ur72CGd1xYa8tiWWWalXObCi3ifZwpTIoN8hModYc-SB_NzHaeU5JgACVGXcZOFIkvGxxNWZrKCjTTFIh/s400/Galveston+044.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next morning, we spent some time on the beach. We took a lot of photos, and Alex found this Monarch butterfly in the water. It was still alive and we ended up putting it on some foliage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynmy_8Aut8P2HYN1_WOoPB1JZuADnpAmzfCFpuB7oJF3RnedJ_119PUxffW1ZwSl_d0YCX2CFFLpvyi6QQDt1kgPolBnwboJ35t7_lvu3chry_bqS4mxpJqN_27Zn_2Ygx5LtG7MXVSLE/s1600/Galveston+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynmy_8Aut8P2HYN1_WOoPB1JZuADnpAmzfCFpuB7oJF3RnedJ_119PUxffW1ZwSl_d0YCX2CFFLpvyi6QQDt1kgPolBnwboJ35t7_lvu3chry_bqS4mxpJqN_27Zn_2Ygx5LtG7MXVSLE/s400/Galveston+047.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />It was a nice day and we watched some people surfing. We saw several of them actually surf!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi9UD9tYBoCvpj59QblzfifUqtGTXrfdKBBcMKhJYp31k_pEhmH2YTiO3wsMLaas0IdRIc1zmIlB_x4PFxOLJmgoM9WFthFdQlQExCwtjgxCci8SJZPGy32prKStdcRvaaX6gTZagHfuC/s1600/Galveston+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUi9UD9tYBoCvpj59QblzfifUqtGTXrfdKBBcMKhJYp31k_pEhmH2YTiO3wsMLaas0IdRIc1zmIlB_x4PFxOLJmgoM9WFthFdQlQExCwtjgxCci8SJZPGy32prKStdcRvaaX6gTZagHfuC/s400/Galveston+050.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Then, we headed to The Strand, the historic part of Galveston where the festival is held. We parked about a half a mile away and we were thrilled that there were some bicycle taxis available this year. Ours was very friendly and we were happy for the ride. He took this photo for us.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLivmSEjjgWcjYkp5V6Lfy2-iSkpZszNa-TLfSyT90R7wvpuAzH5QAeYwOAq8p7vFso4bHRwbrPK-L8NT1U0LIbEA7Y3w37i50qNuwTICqTsmZIMdbSDuTWHihjrSVql72b3N3IVMaQB_P/s1600/Galveston+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLivmSEjjgWcjYkp5V6Lfy2-iSkpZszNa-TLfSyT90R7wvpuAzH5QAeYwOAq8p7vFso4bHRwbrPK-L8NT1U0LIbEA7Y3w37i50qNuwTICqTsmZIMdbSDuTWHihjrSVql72b3N3IVMaQB_P/s400/Galveston+053.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />We watched quite a few street acts, including this man who juggled fire...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and hammered a nail into his nose! Gross! And, ouch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUqR6rogUAlRaM8-oKByk_EnEErRtU_s0dVo_7EvTDH9r96SEpTQbCEvbCbA7SDU4UN1mf9K-G7NZILNXknI3ebKPFFPVevJJqV5sJX3bsliqQQsxKCiCdtkdVoWZ60PLRiAJxLmKmUly/s1600/Galveston+068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUqR6rogUAlRaM8-oKByk_EnEErRtU_s0dVo_7EvTDH9r96SEpTQbCEvbCbA7SDU4UN1mf9K-G7NZILNXknI3ebKPFFPVevJJqV5sJX3bsliqQQsxKCiCdtkdVoWZ60PLRiAJxLmKmUly/s400/Galveston+068.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some Victorian beggars. The crowd was actually throwing coins for them to gather.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPpctiQQ0iRO-5Jw57r7cRVNQJz7ANvPxvEvw29iTPMPxoL7zxLDldTkEuNwyuTSR57tJPXkdbEulcv7ViPptQZet3nNISn8f4lbLqtZQS7VLQp_vGRk3R_15CkloEsNlPbx0R0iZEwNu/s1600/Galveston+073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsPpctiQQ0iRO-5Jw57r7cRVNQJz7ANvPxvEvw29iTPMPxoL7zxLDldTkEuNwyuTSR57tJPXkdbEulcv7ViPptQZet3nNISn8f4lbLqtZQS7VLQp_vGRk3R_15CkloEsNlPbx0R0iZEwNu/s400/Galveston+073.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />We love chalk art! There were only a few of these, but they are always fun to look at.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fYl3OlFOBidDO73OSxJ6Wc_20rlskprchbrjmC3c4tOFRlL72Ze4yCcnyDrGyAM3dpeU9ywxANv2EUF6aJCS1n13De7Tsa467hxrVEjHHniXF6o6rtV9L-FV2usuQ6QMflI9Gi8HWVPZ/s1600/Galveston+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fYl3OlFOBidDO73OSxJ6Wc_20rlskprchbrjmC3c4tOFRlL72Ze4yCcnyDrGyAM3dpeU9ywxANv2EUF6aJCS1n13De7Tsa467hxrVEjHHniXF6o6rtV9L-FV2usuQ6QMflI9Gi8HWVPZ/s400/Galveston+078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />Jacob Marley from <em>The Christmas Carol?</em><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jg4H7FcAztmQ9A7smtPBC6jl69oKu9BrHA1yPCNytPJnwiUeNNMsYhYGNkX9U5QLzX-drsbRG98Hvglx-m2Emylcsi2QZMGoQfdMzHBAr2BetZ6QcLrD2ABW0GXJSQTrfr2PJ0r1Uiiy/s1600/Galveston+084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jg4H7FcAztmQ9A7smtPBC6jl69oKu9BrHA1yPCNytPJnwiUeNNMsYhYGNkX9U5QLzX-drsbRG98Hvglx-m2Emylcsi2QZMGoQfdMzHBAr2BetZ6QcLrD2ABW0GXJSQTrfr2PJ0r1Uiiy/s400/Galveston+084.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />One of the streets act was a bird show! I love birds!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoQoBy6HpaYSZeKAb5B2aJliJoZN0tMRmMKOHOiaRrErhnSbraa8VbU8xPQ4cWnZEhZTRdL7Ikjb0Fgcu5nEq8wa1qC7PCs0VhwwnoJtypHMj81o_o6z38p2obSC3YKm77Xpx7XTxGMcc/s1600/Galveston+091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoQoBy6HpaYSZeKAb5B2aJliJoZN0tMRmMKOHOiaRrErhnSbraa8VbU8xPQ4cWnZEhZTRdL7Ikjb0Fgcu5nEq8wa1qC7PCs0VhwwnoJtypHMj81o_o6z38p2obSC3YKm77Xpx7XTxGMcc/s400/Galveston+091.JPG" width="276" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The start of the parade!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBut27L6dxbqI8-eagAytQlpG2xBH0jNSmS-oENfkxuincq9jHNZttkLcTvEam_f55Te1UhEufJD5b52nqRVbVpA1kTIm6szcUtEMYaoO2IbagAVCeDBqqHsSmPSUeEQqwT8B665kLniEV/s1600/Galveston+102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBut27L6dxbqI8-eagAytQlpG2xBH0jNSmS-oENfkxuincq9jHNZttkLcTvEam_f55Te1UhEufJD5b52nqRVbVpA1kTIm6szcUtEMYaoO2IbagAVCeDBqqHsSmPSUeEQqwT8B665kLniEV/s400/Galveston+102.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />And, Queen Victorian in the parade.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1ax7gtp2nsGTCwkrvcq-TkGCyVG2DPt7Oo-HFfFVamum0Uey7U9Ok6zcHdo_GGT8MC36DvTagpucSRsVD9zIL9dDHF525NclbtIIlx28010Olq41jC1cAKYHGmquQUsAvzBc9lBF-f2Z/s1600/Galveston+124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp1ax7gtp2nsGTCwkrvcq-TkGCyVG2DPt7Oo-HFfFVamum0Uey7U9Ok6zcHdo_GGT8MC36DvTagpucSRsVD9zIL9dDHF525NclbtIIlx28010Olq41jC1cAKYHGmquQUsAvzBc9lBF-f2Z/s400/Galveston+124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />Lastly, our favorite act for the third year in a row...<a href="http://www.merriemary.com/">Merrie Mary</a>. She's a juggler and we love her!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-53363056026183843112012-01-05T19:34:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:47:03.411-07:00Kimbell Art MuseumYesterday, we went with my mom to the <a href="http://love2travel411.blogspot.com/2011/12/www.kimbellart.org"><span style="color: red;">Kimbell Art Museum</span></a> in Fort Worth. We were specifically there to see a special exhibit, but we also looked through the permanent exhibits.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ocCB_IIjEbAqBJGx-EoyOXx2sMCrNc9unTRNNr6akILvcWUcCaaxClziiAzPXOB8R5m9dNGl6uPyiO9NOOuec_e7PeNFu5O64Pm_fKvq-vuhN-woqd7TRuLQcbxahYjUjQEus-915D74/s1600/ganesh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_c6hszx="2" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ocCB_IIjEbAqBJGx-EoyOXx2sMCrNc9unTRNNr6akILvcWUcCaaxClziiAzPXOB8R5m9dNGl6uPyiO9NOOuec_e7PeNFu5O64Pm_fKvq-vuhN-woqd7TRuLQcbxahYjUjQEus-915D74/s400/ganesh.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(All photos are from the Kimbell site)</div><b>Ganesh</b><br />Alex's favorite piece of art was of Ganesh, an Indian god. Alex has a new friend and I spent some time with her mom a few weeks ago. She was in India during a festival for Ganesh, a festival that Alex & her friend also learned about in school this year. This Hindu festival takes place around August or September and lasts for 10 days. Statues of the god are made, sold, decorated & worshipped. Then, the statues are led in a procession through the streets and "immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off." (from Wikipedia)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SD8Wj0SKyPDnIaR3zK59Pamqu8IO3sFdVJma4ldQauemc2FBauKKk9nuEvxQ9S459JfTKss934BJvp3XqtjVWOFyTtGagZvVZ4e5wZuOOie2GyI6jirnyasDo3dJqO_YxQZTaVKiWOUq/s1600/putti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_c6hszx="3" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SD8Wj0SKyPDnIaR3zK59Pamqu8IO3sFdVJma4ldQauemc2FBauKKk9nuEvxQ9S459JfTKss934BJvp3XqtjVWOFyTtGagZvVZ4e5wZuOOie2GyI6jirnyasDo3dJqO_YxQZTaVKiWOUq/s400/putti.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><b>Cherubs vs Putti</b><br />In the <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/"><span style="color: red;">Great Course</span></a> lectures I've been watching, the lecture (Kloss) refers to putti. I wasn't sure what the difference between cherub & putti were and we came across both terms at the Kimbell. The image above (a close up of putti from Poussin's <i>Venus & Adonis</i>) called the cute winged babies 'putti'. Well, after doing research at home I came across this terrific blog post at <a href="http://manyshadesofshabby.blogspot.com/search?q=putti"><span style="color: red;">Many Shades of Shabby</span></a>. Basically, if the painting is religious & the babies are 'innocent', they are cherubs (like the cherubim angels of the Bible). If the painting is secular, usually mythological, and the babies are not innocent looking, they are putti.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xrS4J8y6m9DPPliy-yPTgYp9GfeAJVgrGVkDMPK_rrfAZ1IsJFh3UODhNBm54FzkELWeaQdD4aETRXJ1-kZWRC51L5DjPW3V8xo1AxeibqHtYWGdgZknVWq7Uq-v9RRdelLVvH3taz7t/s1600/sacrement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_c6hszx="4" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7xrS4J8y6m9DPPliy-yPTgYp9GfeAJVgrGVkDMPK_rrfAZ1IsJFh3UODhNBm54FzkELWeaQdD4aETRXJ1-kZWRC51L5DjPW3V8xo1AxeibqHtYWGdgZknVWq7Uq-v9RRdelLVvH3taz7t/s400/sacrement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>The Sacrament of Ordination by Poussin</b><br />This painting is one of a series of 7 paintings by Poussin in the mid to late 1630's covering the 7 sacrements. Since I am not Catholic, I had to do a little reading to find out about the 7 sacraments. The Kimbell site actually gives a pretty good explanation:<br />1. Ordination - the taking of holy orders to become a priest, deacon or bishop - shown here as Christ giving the keys of heaven & earth to Peter.<br />2. Confirmation<br />3. The Eucharist (communion)<br />4. Extreme Unction (the last rites)<br />5. Marriage<br />6. Penance (confession) - this painting was destroyed in a fire<br />7. Baptism - which is in the National Gallery of Art in DC & we hope to see it in March.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFxAiJmPAHY33pJ-aTMwCfdk2nJcaxA25WJKMUORfjPLWOX4Kbz4vATFIGVuo0F7JCpsqWKcaax4wuPHZUyHrWuJTvMvhXdUzIdjI5VCpgxrJfwThMYIHIVhoncmWisRiYzqoiaxEFOIn/s1600/torment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_c6hszx="5" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFxAiJmPAHY33pJ-aTMwCfdk2nJcaxA25WJKMUORfjPLWOX4Kbz4vATFIGVuo0F7JCpsqWKcaax4wuPHZUyHrWuJTvMvhXdUzIdjI5VCpgxrJfwThMYIHIVhoncmWisRiYzqoiaxEFOIn/s400/torment.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><b>The Torment of St Anthony by Michelangelo</b><br />This amazing painting was done by Michelangelo and is believed to be his earliest painting...at the age of only 12 or 13!!! This is the first Michelangelo to be in an American collection. And, St Anthony is one of the saints I've been reading about lately as I learn about art history. Basically, Saint Anthony became a religious hermit and was said to have been tormented by Satan. Artists have portrayed these temptations and torments with all kinds of scary, make-believe beasts.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi2ApbZVmCOn6AywZqbbceeHJoIBAJL6WwZM0VNXtYlmnmsi_U4kRTX-G1rR7X6kxCWskerXfQSa3xMXuopaJC4v5x5VnYH_PURSqGfr4S9wSAYehG1e2QPy0IUWh1xmRtgy0ANZ0TZkn/s1600/Irene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_c6hszx="6" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi2ApbZVmCOn6AywZqbbceeHJoIBAJL6WwZM0VNXtYlmnmsi_U4kRTX-G1rR7X6kxCWskerXfQSa3xMXuopaJC4v5x5VnYH_PURSqGfr4S9wSAYehG1e2QPy0IUWh1xmRtgy0ANZ0TZkn/s400/Irene.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b>Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene attributed to Georges de La Tour</b><br />I loved this painting of Irene tending to Saint Sebastian, another saint I've been reading about lately. Saint Sebastian was a Roman soldier under Diocletian. Diocletian ordered him executed by a firing squad of archers after Sebastian had been converting soldiers to Christianity. Irene took care of him and he miraculously lived. Though, after his recovery, he confronted Diocletian who ordered him executed...again. This time, Sebastian died. I love the gentleness of Irene in this painting. <br /><br />P.S. I loved this <a href="http://familyrambling.com/fort-worth-family-vacation/usa/">post over at Family Ramblings</a> that tells about a lot of the other fun things to do in Fort Worth. I'm going to have to try more of them!Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-88432471634560092852012-01-02T19:37:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:40:47.622-07:00Looking back at 2011 trips....and ahead to 2012!I still have a lot of travel posts to catch up on for 2011. Our "big" trips were as follows... <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_NODoTzfp1fPQYoN1c7aPG624lsY5_sJMZIqrhkF-I2tK6AMlS3cxYF9Rpcm7uWuXnYQHiJZuzBA632SahdGeN2qVjY7P9MMF1T5UWfYbKwNNH08Rf0hCn94oYZgJ3kUlln9CUOyXnVZ/s1600/IMG_5180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_e54j43="2" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1_NODoTzfp1fPQYoN1c7aPG624lsY5_sJMZIqrhkF-I2tK6AMlS3cxYF9Rpcm7uWuXnYQHiJZuzBA632SahdGeN2qVjY7P9MMF1T5UWfYbKwNNH08Rf0hCn94oYZgJ3kUlln9CUOyXnVZ/s400/IMG_5180.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />1. JAPAN!!! What an amazing adventure! And, we got home just 2 days before the tsunami. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pkk-P3s3uciZSWDJ8PWuXQQnYLT93JmOpVKtgcFE39boA6aGBw_iz2POQZkKbRUiwOYipTiTHbIJFRubpYmFbKRO1BR5tp9tAu5zgF7KCb8jBsk_td6geAjPBKESpAxyoUb7PSK8iZo1/s1600/070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_e54j43="3" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Pkk-P3s3uciZSWDJ8PWuXQQnYLT93JmOpVKtgcFE39boA6aGBw_iz2POQZkKbRUiwOYipTiTHbIJFRubpYmFbKRO1BR5tp9tAu5zgF7KCb8jBsk_td6geAjPBKESpAxyoUb7PSK8iZo1/s400/070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>2. FLORIDA - We spent several days at the beach and visited Disney for the first time.<br /> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7284e0ThwbPeT1BEft4Wz3wJwqjAK-oB_UbYKo7WzCDuIGBsc5VtLP7QGQECksTyQpNLrCnRAnJC8YKlj3FR8JMaQmpkxh8IKu4C2f7sSVZC7t7bLuSKQKDUkXgXG4JcznDMRGF6dBAU/s1600/110_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_e54j43="4" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7284e0ThwbPeT1BEft4Wz3wJwqjAK-oB_UbYKo7WzCDuIGBsc5VtLP7QGQECksTyQpNLrCnRAnJC8YKlj3FR8JMaQmpkxh8IKu4C2f7sSVZC7t7bLuSKQKDUkXgXG4JcznDMRGF6dBAU/s400/110_0032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>3. MONTANA/WYOMING - Where we visited the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and more! Our "Wild West" vacation. <br /><br />What are our plans for 2012??? <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BhsFgw9mI8VlmLLaTJrs4-79xebpacORukWEnau7ZWolWhbKbSMgi6aZEia3oUhfB_1I8yq8JWYVA4aJCEgImuTFI-QhcJcLFAKH2g03PbIgw3Xk0VYffRXjXYB5zSo4J-B_Nc-BoM3R/s1600/IMG_4293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_e54j43="5" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8BhsFgw9mI8VlmLLaTJrs4-79xebpacORukWEnau7ZWolWhbKbSMgi6aZEia3oUhfB_1I8yq8JWYVA4aJCEgImuTFI-QhcJcLFAKH2g03PbIgw3Xk0VYffRXjXYB5zSo4J-B_Nc-BoM3R/s400/IMG_4293.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>1. WASHINGTON DC - Alex & I are headed there for Spring Break. We were there about a year and a half ago, but there is a lot more we want to see! <br /><br />2. TWO WEEKS IN EUROPE! We will probably spend a couple of days in London, at least a week in France, and several days in The Netherlands. All of these are 'firsts'. <br /><br />3. FLORIDA & SAVANNAH, GA - We will be visiting Amelia Island in Florida and spending some time in Savanah - our first time to Georgia!Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-33836692293094637452011-12-07T19:57:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:40:47.588-07:00Samuel F B Morse - Inventor & ArtistAs I've been debating on where to go over Spring Break with Alex, one of my thoughts was a return <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/search/label/Vacation%20-%20D.C.">trip to Washington DC</a>! We both loved it, we were comfortable getting around on our own, and there is so much more to see! One place we didn't see was the National Gallery of Art, and they currently have a special exhibition of Morse's painting, <em>The Best of the Louvre.</em><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHUq_smL4naG8I76Ef14k9vanuPp6ejYUnkQcfekm6bbSnYEpdPmKrIOAdxizOo9MBpmiVh6YaOfXzXinzfYcTLgbEhmAFgXcaIxh4dZkpzJv194uhbsLmgxRjTDLmyTOqd3pk5sNHo8P/s1600/morse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHUq_smL4naG8I76Ef14k9vanuPp6ejYUnkQcfekm6bbSnYEpdPmKrIOAdxizOo9MBpmiVh6YaOfXzXinzfYcTLgbEhmAFgXcaIxh4dZkpzJv194uhbsLmgxRjTDLmyTOqd3pk5sNHo8P/s320/morse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We studied Morse way <a href="http://alexml.blogspot.com/search?q=morse">back in 2006</a>, but the books we read about him only covered the telegraph. I hadn't realized that he was a painter before an inventor - or if I'd read that fact, I'd forgotten it. He was also a Christian who described his life work by saying, "'It is His work. “Not unto us, but to Thy Name, O Lord, be all the praise.” (Answers in Genesis has a great article <a href="http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v13/n1/samuel-morse">about him here</a>.)<br /><br />The painting, <em>The Best of the Louvre, </em>showcases many pieces of art that were actually in the Louvre though they were not all in the same room. (Can you find the Mona Lisa?) In the center of the the painting you can see Morse looking over the shoulder of his daughter who is painting. Also pictured, in the left, is his friend and author, James Fenimore Cooper pictured with Cooper's wife and daughter. <br /><br />In an interview with NPR's Susan Stamberg, author David McCullough said, ""It was an extremely ambitious undertaking because many of the paintings that he was copying were hung very high up. And so he had to build a movable platform, or scaffold, that he wheeled about the galleries of the Louvre to reach his subjects. And he and the movable scaffold became a tourist attraction themselves"<br /><br />As to why the painting was created, David McCullough said, "There were no museums here, as yet, in the 1830s, and no color representations of paintings, so he was going to bring the culture of Europe — mainly the Renaissance Italian masterpieces in the Louvre collection — back to the United States for the benefit of his countrymen." (Quotes from the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/07/03/137472386/the-best-of-the-louvre-on-a-single-canvas">NPR site</a>.)<br /><br />As we also look forward to our trip to France this summer, I am really enjoying this painting! And, I'm looking forward to reading McCullough's new book, <em>The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris</em>. It is the story of Americans, from the year 1830 to 1900, who went to Paris to excel in their work - whether they were artists, authors, doctors, politians, etc.<br /><br />P.S. Another great site about Morse and his art is found at the Terra Foundation for American Art website. <a href="http://www.terraamericanart.org/">www.terraamericanart.org</a> under "collections".Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-51218333329041133132011-12-06T12:57:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:07.276-07:00A Worker Reads HistoryI watched session 1 of a <a href="http://oyc.yale.edu/history/france-since-1871/content/sessions/session-1-introduction-1">Yale Open Course</a> today. It is a free course titled "France Since 1871" and it is taught by Professor John Merriman. Although the video itself is a little choppy, I am finding the professor quite enjoyable and am looking forward to learning about France. There are 24 lectures and the class reads six books and watches three films. I thought this would be a great way to prepare for our trip to France this summer.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hsEnC-xe0tZZCZiM64Rj9CpxHcOmy9mc_p8hxOCJn9KCu42gvqICkPLXvgqp1_SPtIRVYynDM6b4JoY4-6drZ6oaTto0Z1_kwwPEXqHYyuJvnvm8v5vxotF0qKeePDQ0lKzA1_3tgApu/s1600/france.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hsEnC-xe0tZZCZiM64Rj9CpxHcOmy9mc_p8hxOCJn9KCu42gvqICkPLXvgqp1_SPtIRVYynDM6b4JoY4-6drZ6oaTto0Z1_kwwPEXqHYyuJvnvm8v5vxotF0qKeePDQ0lKzA1_3tgApu/s320/france.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />The first lecture was mostly about what to expect in the course. At the conclusion, though, the professor read a poem by Brecht that he said highly influenced him to become a history teacher. The poem is "A Worker Reads History."<br /><br /><em>Who built the seven gates of Thebes?<br />The books are filled with names of kings.<br />Was it the kings who hauled the craggy blocks of stone?<br />And Babylon, so many times destroyed.<br />Who built the city up each time? In which of Lima's houses,<br />That city glittering with gold, lived those who built it?<br />In the evening when the Chinese wall was finished<br />Where did the masons go? Imperial Rome<br />Is full of arcs of triumph. Who reared them up? Over whom<br />Did the Caesars triumph? Byzantium lives in song.<br />Were all her dwellings palaces? And even in Atlantis of the legend<br />The night the seas rushed in,<br />The drowning men still bellowed for their slaves.<br /><br />Young Alexander conquered India.<br />He alone?<br />Caesar beat the Gauls.<br />Was there not even a cook in his army?<br />Phillip of Spain wept as his fleet<br />was sunk and destroyed. Were there no other tears?<br />Frederick the Great triumphed in the Seven Years War.<br />Who triumphed with him?<br /><br />Each page a victory<br />At whose expense the victory ball?<br />Every ten years a great man,<br />Who paid the piper?<br /><br />So many particulars.<br />So many questions.</em>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-5351719419819894302011-11-27T08:12:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:07.279-07:00Marie Antoinette's PoufsI have started to prepare for a trip to France this summer by reading a book about Marie Antoinette. The book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scaffold-Life-Marie-Antoinette/dp/0312322054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322408573&sr=1-1">To the Scaffold: The Life of Marie Antoinette</a></em> by Carolly Erickson, is quite fascinating.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvcjwr5zue74-ShdiZa7iY12SMNvEhwAXjYK3xdxl_x-BgUXDIZzL3B5VAhn5VfUxS9kZGzOUAkZAUGMsjx26gCIhW3v-YLJQE3Z7TTzLFWF4EQjoLexTPuKrwrpxLipq8mbYtLTzyKzs/s1600/marie+antoinette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvcjwr5zue74-ShdiZa7iY12SMNvEhwAXjYK3xdxl_x-BgUXDIZzL3B5VAhn5VfUxS9kZGzOUAkZAUGMsjx26gCIhW3v-YLJQE3Z7TTzLFWF4EQjoLexTPuKrwrpxLipq8mbYtLTzyKzs/s200/marie+antoinette.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div align="justify" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Yesterday, I read about Marie's incredible <em>poufs. </em>In 1774, the women of the court were wearing elaborate hats. But, they started styling their hair in elaborate ways instead. The <em>pouf a la circonstance</em> featured "a cypress and black marigolds, a wheat sheaf, and a cornucopia filled with every sort of fruit and white feathers. The allegorical meaning of the Circumstance Pouf was that while mourning Louis XV, France welcomed the bounty certain to be enjoyed under the new King. A medical coiffure came next, the <em>pouf a l'inoculation.</em> Louis had submitted to being inoculated against smallpox about a month after becoming King, and the new hairstyle commermorated this with a rising sun, an olive tree and a serpent entwined around the trunk, a flower club near him." (quote from the above book)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLAvTmLhJUAVv_7Zvs-WAlM3RpzT1RI6Hfbtz2OpeQ6AwAGa9PAGT8h-kIH77A0zTci6g1P0CZENcjxw_YwgFMhfJYqd00MfBbw-hqTl_unRJmD-Pqw0vARows7G30zowil30f1Gfzxgp/s1600/pouf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvLAvTmLhJUAVv_7Zvs-WAlM3RpzT1RI6Hfbtz2OpeQ6AwAGa9PAGT8h-kIH77A0zTci6g1P0CZENcjxw_YwgFMhfJYqd00MfBbw-hqTl_unRJmD-Pqw0vARows7G30zowil30f1Gfzxgp/s320/pouf.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Another amazing pouf was <em>coiffure a 'Independance ou le Triomphe de la Liberte </em>(shown above) which celebrated a naval victory in the American War for independence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM7vUqadKWkeSIVsmrBe9hG5uejfnJticWhouK9F-tXjG85o2sAsi32fa4cT0AF7EF41h5Xyu8oyGuQo2jbtkes05zxbsaL6QjMwBwQGXIMtjoyWKjwxYOga0_JIhqts3_wHg-VtybBcA/s1600/pouf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM7vUqadKWkeSIVsmrBe9hG5uejfnJticWhouK9F-tXjG85o2sAsi32fa4cT0AF7EF41h5Xyu8oyGuQo2jbtkes05zxbsaL6QjMwBwQGXIMtjoyWKjwxYOga0_JIhqts3_wHg-VtybBcA/s320/pouf2.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I particularly enjoyed a post I found on the subject at a blog entitled "Dressed in Time: Historical costuming with a special love for the 18th century." The post is called <a href="http://dressedintime.blogspot.com/2011/10/wiggery-and-poufs.html">"Wiggery and poufs!"</a> The author tells all about the poufs: how they were powdered, how they scratched their itchy heads (with a tool called a <em>grattoir), </em>how they slept (with their hair wrapped in a triple bandage), how they protected their hair from the elements, and much, much more! I found it absolutely fascinating!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-51489380277393618522011-03-18T18:24:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:41:26.689-07:00Our First Evening in Tokyo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We left Houston at 6:30 am on Wednesday and got to Japan at 3:30 pm on Thursday. There is a 15 hour time difference. The main airport is in Narita, so we had to take a train into Tokyo. We had to change to a local train once reaching Tokyo. The train system in Tokyo is amazingly efficient. You usually only have to wait 2-4 minutes to go in either direction. It's amazing. Anyway, by the time we took the trains and got to our hotel room, we were really tired. Alex hadn't slept at all and I'd only had two 30 minute naps. We checked in and then got back on the train to go explore a little bit and eat some dinner. We were trying to stay up until at least 9 pm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQrtZK59GhAyNHsDkgsvksfwgoTbsY6YgYlAKgjrovIAOEV0dIj76NTGGgCieZIgmsBYIuoP6bUIM95n1fpYkv5kwNqpTvgEu9WQ_ybs4SmUjtZk4Y4AsxC_CoLX4hwdbPc9F3vsSO6rF/s1600/IMG_5161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQrtZK59GhAyNHsDkgsvksfwgoTbsY6YgYlAKgjrovIAOEV0dIj76NTGGgCieZIgmsBYIuoP6bUIM95n1fpYkv5kwNqpTvgEu9WQ_ybs4SmUjtZk4Y4AsxC_CoLX4hwdbPc9F3vsSO6rF/s400/IMG_5161.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We went back one train station to Ueno. We decided to walk around a bit. This was our first 'taste' of Japan and my first shock was that we were the only non-Japanese people we saw! The train station is kind of like a plane station - there are a few restaurants and small shops inside. We headed outside to check out the main streets.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKfTbDyazKUlb_6pae94po4_bhz817W9IRQonJD4IZ5jgSM4IQyuUUrcOo-dHglCYQ5ASGCEf3mJW7yyJ1El5C2YELw7l8Claxjl3mMAzzDUbTrAEBKGCnF_F_qKFgvAvH1OoMMK534hO/s1600/IMG_5162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKfTbDyazKUlb_6pae94po4_bhz817W9IRQonJD4IZ5jgSM4IQyuUUrcOo-dHglCYQ5ASGCEf3mJW7yyJ1El5C2YELw7l8Claxjl3mMAzzDUbTrAEBKGCnF_F_qKFgvAvH1OoMMK534hO/s400/IMG_5162.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This isn't a very good photo, but we stopped and listened to this street performer.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OKGh5G5InlvaSoTK2pb85vwyNUTLUy8CRBfKiy7Z9f2WHST73mbZtl6sUv37gX0glcDCoPzQj0Hocu43sFtY8nXTOk_BVkd28SL_B2gt9ReWS0M2Gm1XEjB5thoWSQXMLVG0O4lHlxX5/s1600/IMG_5163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OKGh5G5InlvaSoTK2pb85vwyNUTLUy8CRBfKiy7Z9f2WHST73mbZtl6sUv37gX0glcDCoPzQj0Hocu43sFtY8nXTOk_BVkd28SL_B2gt9ReWS0M2Gm1XEjB5thoWSQXMLVG0O4lHlxX5/s400/IMG_5163.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Besides the train system, bicycling is the primary form of transportation. We got used to seeing bikes parked everywhere - and dodging them while we walked! We even watched official 'bike parkers' (my term) who would repark the bikes by picking them up & placing them closer together! It took us awhile, but we finally figured out they are locked around the back wheel so no one else can ride them.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLURDt7s45cRUUmDsbqrVFLDINDDt89Gqdm6YDMtRBaRbaBZSZOMZzEOO2qTZHYj1mC2EaS0tAPI-TzXI_5afHoS3iUPF_XvDUWJzLKFiBFtO0idtKyZZ8GxF_Neu6KqjtYCsiWV3ccKH/s1600/IMG_5164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLURDt7s45cRUUmDsbqrVFLDINDDt89Gqdm6YDMtRBaRbaBZSZOMZzEOO2qTZHYj1mC2EaS0tAPI-TzXI_5afHoS3iUPF_XvDUWJzLKFiBFtO0idtKyZZ8GxF_Neu6KqjtYCsiWV3ccKH/s400/IMG_5164.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>We'd read about these "Capsule Hotels" before we left, and Alex really wanted to stay in one. The closest we got, though, is this photo. The 'rooms' are actually just little cubbies, usually stacked 3 high, where you can sleep. It sounds kind of claustrophobic to me! Most of them are for men only and are used by workers who miss the last long train ride home.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgKgQRhjfAXn71VICAWQOW8GGV67yRhZ0AJz01acmk4B-VS7BhONNZWpOcbNlYgK5MRhxNhYSrlKPVQR4xSiUqkEHzr6xnaDoYFS3WpWGAf4XNSMEouDJpNwqUtYiOH3JoREh6HUv927Y/s1600/IMG_5165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgKgQRhjfAXn71VICAWQOW8GGV67yRhZ0AJz01acmk4B-VS7BhONNZWpOcbNlYgK5MRhxNhYSrlKPVQR4xSiUqkEHzr6xnaDoYFS3WpWGAf4XNSMEouDJpNwqUtYiOH3JoREh6HUv927Y/s400/IMG_5165.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>Here's my brother getting us train tickets. You have to look at what stop you are at and where you are going and pay that amount per person. Children's fares are less than adult's. My brother would push a photo that showed 2 adults & 1 child, and then buy another ticket for 1 adult. (His girlfriend traveled with us the first 3 days.) This was much easier after we figured out how to switch the machines to English!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKknp9_g2eB5pzu8sQFIhMU88XsrvBXX3tQJ_UIiA-MXZixRA8pVDHyAAw9qCtlq8-PBgv8mURD198XRIwELL9pXQnTTa85slJ7Hqwp_sjpeoU1XI3QNi7IKop29YX-rytDM9b4GyEvDh/s1600/IMG_5166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKknp9_g2eB5pzu8sQFIhMU88XsrvBXX3tQJ_UIiA-MXZixRA8pVDHyAAw9qCtlq8-PBgv8mURD198XRIwELL9pXQnTTa85slJ7Hqwp_sjpeoU1XI3QNi7IKop29YX-rytDM9b4GyEvDh/s640/IMG_5166.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Here's a photo of the complicated train routes. My brother did most of the planning, though I was figuring it out in the end.This sign doesn't show the stops in English, but most of the signs were bilingual.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1H1JIh8Vn8XoW7H4xjf7_AvK28oD6cb3-UbEtOFWFRGsKz5KeIBNOh_SD5es682zVP8M3955tx455_BHsA2XKx2F66LKL6NXEu0Uoa99XqWDDoiVWBKRdcz-oVGDz07ledk8iVBjwBLg/s1600/IMG_5167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1H1JIh8Vn8XoW7H4xjf7_AvK28oD6cb3-UbEtOFWFRGsKz5KeIBNOh_SD5es682zVP8M3955tx455_BHsA2XKx2F66LKL6NXEu0Uoa99XqWDDoiVWBKRdcz-oVGDz07ledk8iVBjwBLg/s400/IMG_5167.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I think this photo is actually from the next morning. It is kind of funny that my camera didn't know I was in a different time zone, so the photos aren't actually sorted by my Japanese days! Anyway, I liked that some train cars were for "Women Only" during the morning rush hour. We had to watch for these signs as my brother wouldn't have been allowed!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-69114477682222697692011-03-18T17:43:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:41:26.706-07:00Our Hotel in Japan... It's Not Like the US of A!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Our hotel in Japan was definitely not like any we've been to in the US! We stayed at Uenokoen <a href="http://www.hotels.com/ho356374/candeo-hotels-uenokoen-tokyo-japan/#description">Candeo</a> in Tokyo. My brother had warned us that most hotel rooms in Asia are very small, and he was right! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos. But, Alex & I shared a double bed. There was a long table underneath the window. Besides that, there was very little floor space. If you put your suitcase down, there was just barely enough room to walk beside it. And, the bathroom was very tiny, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT_gbDCiWZI6-YkNo-bZXqJ9QYuiKXxKDJEJW-O_DnjFMkUbyZimccxTIywSMJfOpyPZmDzNWUNjtElXhhiyQpjd3_YsqmDJr-IE8-lkOxTxMVjN2cvpialWhxQLnObauzZ6qABO8tQgC/s1600/IMG_5150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYT_gbDCiWZI6-YkNo-bZXqJ9QYuiKXxKDJEJW-O_DnjFMkUbyZimccxTIywSMJfOpyPZmDzNWUNjtElXhhiyQpjd3_YsqmDJr-IE8-lkOxTxMVjN2cvpialWhxQLnObauzZ6qABO8tQgC/s400/IMG_5150.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>On the bed, there were 2 of these lounging outfits for Alex & me. We only wore them the first evening, though I used the slippers several times. You can put this on and walk around the hotel in it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklvwq9EpNNmtSvBL3I-NLqNmZVEHedYdV_oHMfHlUvpPEJbwBghwt0FXKwc3xfppl36nXLCzdQOTIYM_VcKayq7CTGtRdwhSscT4T33Dv0H5pQ5mGtjPEWiTHGXlZKMhahQS0HZJyFWra/s1600/IMG_5158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgklvwq9EpNNmtSvBL3I-NLqNmZVEHedYdV_oHMfHlUvpPEJbwBghwt0FXKwc3xfppl36nXLCzdQOTIYM_VcKayq7CTGtRdwhSscT4T33Dv0H5pQ5mGtjPEWiTHGXlZKMhahQS0HZJyFWra/s400/IMG_5158.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We were on the 11th (of 12) floor and only heard a siren once. Otherwise, we didn't hear anything. This is the view from our window. It's hard to tell, but on the far left you can see the mountains! My brother's room was on the same floor, but he had a wall next to him so he couldn't see the mountains... sorry, brother!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpmmgOfhZhV782N_skPoIwJtYONYveev7BIEFRmlgrDB9oXsAyXbVJqwJB9oZ5NbjeilJrOWRS71Voh2j-yYULvKRQJvT2hAYbxbBm3Q_9NNY0MwG3EgrUOyAtMPx0JrVKYuUz1kkPQDd/s1600/IMG_5155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpmmgOfhZhV782N_skPoIwJtYONYveev7BIEFRmlgrDB9oXsAyXbVJqwJB9oZ5NbjeilJrOWRS71Voh2j-yYULvKRQJvT2hAYbxbBm3Q_9NNY0MwG3EgrUOyAtMPx0JrVKYuUz1kkPQDd/s400/IMG_5155.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">We took a lot of photos of signs that we saw. It reminded me of Jimmie's Collage! Anyway, we got the giggles over this sign posted by our hotel window: "In case open the window, be careful of invasion of AN insect." (emphasis mine) Another sign that gave us the giggles was the one that you would leave outside of the room when you wanted your sheets changed. It basically said that "This customer would like to change sheets." I was thinking, "Yes! Sign me up! I want to change sheets while on vacation!" OK... maybe it was funnier when you were sleep deprived. We were dealing with a 15 hour time change!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWqKsY66qxKqEjKaZADap_ILuPhcaaqHEeoib6pp5sOOCoEzZhpxuOMus1lzlZI_4DNByjv52HFzZdg9jP0VcaGds_jvv50m91ckAfm03b7aTFP8eYaKsLFCj4C6tpAqY8uojlEn1tBrN/s1600/IMG_5157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWqKsY66qxKqEjKaZADap_ILuPhcaaqHEeoib6pp5sOOCoEzZhpxuOMus1lzlZI_4DNByjv52HFzZdg9jP0VcaGds_jvv50m91ckAfm03b7aTFP8eYaKsLFCj4C6tpAqY8uojlEn1tBrN/s400/IMG_5157.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This isn't really funny, but it did take some time to grasp. Something we found interesting in Japan was that it isn't very acceptable to eat or drink while you walk. This is kind of hard when you're traveling! Anyway, along with this attitude came a serious lack of trashcans! We'd walk & walk and not find a trashcan. But, sometimes when we were in a restaurant (fast food) and needed to throw away trash, you'd have trashcans - up to 4 of them - each labeled differently in JAPANESE... no English! We'd have to play detective to figure out what went in which trashcan! Oh, and I was SHOCKED at how many signs DID have English on them also! There is a LOT of English in Japan! Well, especially around Tokyo.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO8OIIl7zVZ9se_IrlJGSi8VAx4ziCV8hkXvW3-Pr9QjnsHTRYThyphenhyphen9tFidbGprTMaSYbUa64Ous5iHADSDnSuyfWSnT2sZ2-WGGAY44JtRKfZN2Qzt5m-CgpPBnyekSBiRzN78v3trJZs/s1600/IMG_5367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSO8OIIl7zVZ9se_IrlJGSi8VAx4ziCV8hkXvW3-Pr9QjnsHTRYThyphenhyphen9tFidbGprTMaSYbUa64Ous5iHADSDnSuyfWSnT2sZ2-WGGAY44JtRKfZN2Qzt5m-CgpPBnyekSBiRzN78v3trJZs/s400/IMG_5367.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">One last room shot... my brother says these are common in many countries, but I've never seen one. To turn on the lights, any lights, you have to put the keychain into this switch. My mom says it's to conserve energy as you can't leave the lights on while you are gone! Anyway, I was thankful my brother could help us out with this one!</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-6165786582329538812011-03-18T08:16:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:41:26.694-07:00Lessons from Japan's CrisesWe have been closely following the news out of Japan - especially as we left the country less than 24 hours before the major earthquake and tsunami. Since then, they have also been dealing with the scare of a nuclear meltdown. Here are a few resources we are using:<br /><a href="http://www.brainpop.com/">Brainpop</a> - We have a subscription, but they also offer a free video every day. (You can also see this by using an app.) The past few days have been about nuclear energy, though today's is about Mercury as the MESSENGER reached Mercury. This is a great site to help you get background on current events.<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/">CNN Student News</a> - Alex & I really enjoy this 10 minute newscast every morning. They have been doing a great job of covering the news coming out of Japan and the rest of the world.<br />JASON Mission Project - I signed up for a free account and the "Infinite Potential" course was free. (I did this awhile back, so I'm not sure if everyone can access or not.) I got an email from them today that they'll be having a live podcast about tsunamis. We won't be able to watch it, but I did go to the Infinite Potential course and have started watching the section about tsunamis. I haven't finished it, but will watch it with Alex today. It is Mission 2.Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-26043436862743130412011-03-15T19:30:00.000-07:002012-04-28T06:41:26.681-07:00Views from the Air: Mt McKinley & Anchorage, Alaska<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We had beautiful views of Alaska on our trip to Japan. I hadn't realized we'd go so far north.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6_aTkGCMtrxsEFPVHYyQID2Z_BjSFUmRPMXNxXgGpeeacAZwwYymBLb19mmUAeaO3U6kUU9yQneW2hcureal9S2Aa32b6140Aqzyj7Vi8VQDMlcj3oSnIEsKgg4aNHy0o6xd-HjlYQ7n/s1600/IMG_5133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6_aTkGCMtrxsEFPVHYyQID2Z_BjSFUmRPMXNxXgGpeeacAZwwYymBLb19mmUAeaO3U6kUU9yQneW2hcureal9S2Aa32b6140Aqzyj7Vi8VQDMlcj3oSnIEsKgg4aNHy0o6xd-HjlYQ7n/s640/IMG_5133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center">You can see a chunk of ice (iceberg?) in the water near the bottom center of the photo.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nAGm1ZXKpSc72Ujj37DPMXRQ9Hx78MeYKn31-M3k2hMdhL8RfWGCIYasWaKfuAL_1FT5M2N6j_F6wtmNad5QI-eK5bo6a1ADMaoAUyTSwIRTtHfgEMfgZl8t5n3gyq9CFHPGfMUr8Eje/s1600/IMG_5137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nAGm1ZXKpSc72Ujj37DPMXRQ9Hx78MeYKn31-M3k2hMdhL8RfWGCIYasWaKfuAL_1FT5M2N6j_F6wtmNad5QI-eK5bo6a1ADMaoAUyTSwIRTtHfgEMfgZl8t5n3gyq9CFHPGfMUr8Eje/s640/IMG_5137.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">In the top left of the photo, you can see Mt McKinley - I believe it is the 2nd peak. Mount McKinley is the highest peak in North America. It was named McKinley in 1896. McKinley was elected president later that year. It sits in Denali National Park and is known to the Athabascan Indians as Denali, "The High One" or "The Great One." </div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFRLO7DWEmF-uvSva87q-U70h1X7-6zsqL-EXCVqOwstY_lLypTGaN6gdmyL_ioyUDiDgKVB0huqde3RtUKzhT-aa0eU6E0NoeQkT8ansDKlq33-mtIGo-SVipFBj54vqa1O_ACDx0Og-/s1600/IMG_5138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFRLO7DWEmF-uvSva87q-U70h1X7-6zsqL-EXCVqOwstY_lLypTGaN6gdmyL_ioyUDiDgKVB0huqde3RtUKzhT-aa0eU6E0NoeQkT8ansDKlq33-mtIGo-SVipFBj54vqa1O_ACDx0Og-/s640/IMG_5138.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After seeing all of the mountains, the flat area around Anchorage was surprising.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOOokay9rIYPAPfKFOVW5NGgRRwCInVFSmdOUV4laIV10juPleh9s4y7kYJZtSd5To_1UGrn4E0NetWhi-kjk8n5GEAAvC7-EvdMP2YWodhE5KGpHMT18wWLUTjXo6MugpFSxW5L-oePE/s1600/IMG_5145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOOokay9rIYPAPfKFOVW5NGgRRwCInVFSmdOUV4laIV10juPleh9s4y7kYJZtSd5To_1UGrn4E0NetWhi-kjk8n5GEAAvC7-EvdMP2YWodhE5KGpHMT18wWLUTjXo6MugpFSxW5L-oePE/s640/IMG_5145.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beautiful frozen rivers near the coast.</div>Dana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7250452798663136132.post-66367771545939652612011-03-11T07:33:00.000-08:002012-04-28T06:41:26.702-07:00Japan's Earthquakes & Tsunami<div style="text-align: justify;">I've been responding to emails, texts & phones calls this morning. Some of my friends are asking if we are home yet. Others and letting me know they are thankful we are home. By the time I got out of bed at 8 this morning (having jet lag...Alex was up from 1 am until 5 am), I heard the news: Japan had been hit by a major earthquake & tsunami along with other earthquakes. I am so thankful we are home and safe. But, I am praying for the people of Japan!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA1rijbbk8TA_rkjDDKW2WxVGsmwJc0U4O_6RB1zlQyfLqDT66JA5XXWZs0hqTjfmLmlfF6QfFWdFstTWjQorsqPmRFVIFW-kdFWNtsekbICcFpz9QVOB6Noxs6m_mr0wzZMwYJ63Kzg-/s1600/IMG_5292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA1rijbbk8TA_rkjDDKW2WxVGsmwJc0U4O_6RB1zlQyfLqDT66JA5XXWZs0hqTjfmLmlfF6QfFWdFstTWjQorsqPmRFVIFW-kdFWNtsekbICcFpz9QVOB6Noxs6m_mr0wzZMwYJ63Kzg-/s640/IMG_5292.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We were mainly in Tokyo, which was not where the tsunami hit and was not the center of the earthquake. However, it was affected. I understand the train services are down. We rode the trains multiple times every day. Most of the people of Japan either use public transportation (we also used the subways) or ride their bikes. The trains are PACKED. In fact, I've seen photos of 'pushers' who push the people into the cars. We never experienced pushers, even during rush hour, but you do pack yourself in tight! I can't imagine if we'd been on a train when the quake hit. Or in a terminal. It is really crazy already with that many people running around. And, Alex was often the only child out of thousands of people. I'm wondering, as people rushed to get outside, how bad it might have been.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQ0ycjJskFZ1pTGI-B5E5TRBnFsa9NZU2CF84tl7T6e9_2cs4_-xpViYbCQiitex8PjyRrVsEAD5UPtt9nAFrM1YSf03SAjKEgyuOvvHhFEjSr1mIelneAP9q8P4UZIagRFrAuo8xGR_e/s1600/IMG_5286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQ0ycjJskFZ1pTGI-B5E5TRBnFsa9NZU2CF84tl7T6e9_2cs4_-xpViYbCQiitex8PjyRrVsEAD5UPtt9nAFrM1YSf03SAjKEgyuOvvHhFEjSr1mIelneAP9q8P4UZIagRFrAuo8xGR_e/s640/IMG_5286.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>I've also heard that the tip of Tokyo Tower was bent. This is us (me, my brother, our new Japanese friend, Alex, and my brother's girlfriend) after we'd climbed down the steps of Tokyo Tower. I can't imagine being in that structure, which is a lot like the Eiffel Tower, during the quakes. Were people rushing down the stairs?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna8VFZ-t1eTCzM4XiF-cbfyhUq4T855iRBrOK9EsBKQXE31TpXuryxbu-kbt0_jeNCJ5hyphenhyphenwwEaYFqIWiMMqhhoh1UoOcg7goLuS__iNhSDceSdjXtolLCB2kt9aDtCIXMi_QkWy_YsZuK/s1600/IMG_5487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna8VFZ-t1eTCzM4XiF-cbfyhUq4T855iRBrOK9EsBKQXE31TpXuryxbu-kbt0_jeNCJ5hyphenhyphenwwEaYFqIWiMMqhhoh1UoOcg7goLuS__iNhSDceSdjXtolLCB2kt9aDtCIXMi_QkWy_YsZuK/s640/IMG_5487.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Last photo I took in Japan showing trains delayed. Cause: Quake)</span> </div>I am praying for Japan. I loved it there. It was an amazing trip. And, I'm hurting for those who are affected by these disasters.<br /><br />My brother's best friend's wife is from Japan. Her parents still live in the area directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We have yet to hear if they are OK. Please pray for them!<br /><br />Thank you for your comments, thoughts, and prayers - DanaDana Leedshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09387705697369311607noreply@blogger.com4