tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145003352024-03-08T04:32:44.101-07:00Life's a trip!A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-89272495144807469542024-02-26T22:03:00.001-07:002024-02-26T22:49:28.693-07:00A Birthday for the Books <p><span style="font-family: arial;">We are broken and stranded today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We are lonely and drifting aimlessly in a sea of doubt. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We sleepwalk through every challenging day like ghosts or mummies, stiff and gloomy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's nice out - way too nice for a February day: snowdrops are on sale on every street in this old Moldovan town, people are wearing their thick coats wide open, or on their arms ... There is a smell of spring in the air, of new life, of new hope, but our heads down in our problems, we barely notice ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I have no presents. I have no card. I have no food nor plan for where it might come from on your special day ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My heart cries because you deserve so much more. You deserve everything. You deserve the world and the moon and the stars, all the kittens and puppies of the world, all in one neat package, tied with a green bow. Like your favorite color, like the Montana pines, like your eyes ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We are hurt. And we are drifting. We are lost, truly. Far from home and with no definite map of where to next ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But most than anything, more than any of all the material things we are not, we are <b><i>together</i></b>. We are drifting, but we are drifting together … I can reach out across the bed, across the table, across the pavement when we walk the streets and feel you there. And my world is whole again. My dark hours light up like the skies during a Northern Lights exposure. Amazing, beautiful, hopeful. I hear your voice first thing in the morning and I know I can tackle it all. I see you smile at our kitten's picture and I know you're the one. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There are no words in any amount of dictionaries that can explain how much I love you and how much I worship the day you were born. February has brought me and us a lot of tragedy, a lot of pain, but all is forgiven because it has also brought you. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I am not even sure if I would be here today without you, without your care and your unwavering love, but if I were, I would be even more lost and more dark and more desperate than I am now ... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I know this is not a happy birthday - not in the wholesome sense of this word - but I wish you a birthday where you know how happy you make me and others by just being in the world. My family, your mom, your friends love you and are ever grateful for putting color in their lives and smiles on their faces. And me - you build me up; you hold me; you heal me when I am cracked; you catch me when I fall. You are everything, Mr. Aa. And I can only hope I can be an iota of all that for you... </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Try to enjoy today and let's make it amazing the first time we get a chance for a do-over, hopefully soon. I love you! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy February 27th! </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeF1oQiSZm-0OjduZIWR0wbdLCEimMSEzo2ozkIKZQNWli0BeOTFtyeK7xjqm0qcpOZEciAXuZpMW7ZBfzdQcgsCEFQvapfrIxpqoc3LbHq_2jjqvu-rqLqvOAfezLuB0VK8jk9p5HxLZdKhe7E83F9S2Vb5EjxVZcpexsB6uvNRL9ucB9A7WL/s720/thumbnail_utah%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="720" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeF1oQiSZm-0OjduZIWR0wbdLCEimMSEzo2ozkIKZQNWli0BeOTFtyeK7xjqm0qcpOZEciAXuZpMW7ZBfzdQcgsCEFQvapfrIxpqoc3LbHq_2jjqvu-rqLqvOAfezLuB0VK8jk9p5HxLZdKhe7E83F9S2Vb5EjxVZcpexsB6uvNRL9ucB9A7WL/s320/thumbnail_utah%202.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;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>When I picture us the happiest, I picture us like this.</i></span></div><p></p>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-87538559377193480792024-02-11T07:40:00.000-07:002024-02-11T07:40:28.878-07:00From Many Moons Ago<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I remember that evening and later the night like it was yesterday ... The details that I might not be remembering I’ll make up and they might still fit ... I remember the air, the night, the pretend story, the party afterwards, dancing till almost dawn, our youth ... </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e7f12cb6-7fff-2f8f-74c0-4aa5e0ed42c4" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a warm summer evening in Costinești, Romania, on the Black Sea coast - the kind of summer evening where the air sticks to your skin like honey. In our rental house, we finished getting dressed, our skins hurting from too much sun (or at least mine was), and then wandered off onto the streets in search of some entertainment for the night. It was you, me, my sister, your brother, and some other friends ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our rental place was a crammed room in a house inland. All the fun stuff was on the beach, about a 20 minute walk or so. This was back in the day when we didn’t mind walking for 20 minutes ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was 1996, I believe, or maybe another year later than that?! At any rate, you and my sister were teenagers. I was in college, but an old soul myself - maybe too old for my own good (wasn’t I ever?). I was the college student, older sister who mocked everything you young'uns were up to with an air of superiority (I know, some things never change, eh?). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We eventually reached the beach, with its promenade area, where all the tourists were strolling, eating summer street treats (kebabs, ice-cream, fresh waffles), people-watching and flirting ... Costinești was a young people’s town, so I don’t remember many families with kids or older married people. I remember many dance clubs, most of them outdoors, lots of bars and restaurant patios. It was a teenage and young adult heaven and we, I suppose, fit right in ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We started walking from the house at dusk, but by the time we made it to the promenade, it was full-blown dark ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the midst of the promenade area, somewhere at the edge of the beach, with its back towards the water, there was this two or three-wall shack advertising to be a “Registry office” where lovers, couples, or even people who had just met could “get (mock) married”. The </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">officiant</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> would help you read your </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">vows</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, they would </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">pronounce you husband and wife</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and even give you a glass of champagne and a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">marriage certificate</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. You were 17. My sister was maybe 18. You both had just started dating that year (if indeed the year was 1996) ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And you both wanted to “get married”. I was mortified! I was thinking of all sorts of bad omen signs that this might bring. What if you’re tempting fate? What if you’re never going to get (really) married when the time might come in your future? What if something would happen to one of you and at least one of you won’t make it till the “real” time when you should get married, in “real” life? I cannot remember what I said but I do remember that in my mind, I was definitely not on board with this ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">However, one thing I do remember that I thought right away: I knew right then and there that you loved my sister. I knew that if a kid of 17 can sign up, even in jest, even pretense-</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">fully</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> for such a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">commitment</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, that if a kid of 17 does not think that marriage might make him un-cool to his friends and little brother ... I knew the only explanation was that this was really, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">truly </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">love ... And right then and there I knew, you were there in our lives to stay and care for my sister ... And I knew she loved you back. Totally, unconditionally and unreservedly ... And I was grateful for you two finding each other ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Happy birthday, friend, brother, and father to my only nephews! Thanks for always keeping your commitment to my sister - even from way back when it was just a child’s play to the rest of the world ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 305px; overflow: hidden; width: 435px;"><img height="280" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/ANGIEIDWfZaNmwz28ekkAMFsVUCL-Xeh1SaxAerFxcJF2DQrdmkPN-KU6Q2_S09DHBcz7bgZhDo4bLne3IJkA6xzqvron2bFyQaOpunGtC3TyiyZ2qPvnHnW8GfODWRGJmmF1f3xfBkJlx0o-Qj1hCo=w400-h280" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 305px; overflow: hidden; width: 435px;"><i>Congratulations! Or "casa de piatra"!</i></span></span></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-39226978944612783442024-02-09T22:08:00.001-07:002024-02-10T16:18:32.431-07:00A Teenager. A Funny Guy. In His Own Words. <p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Because this world is a dark place and because we all need a smile, here are just some of the musings you have entertained us with in the past year: </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-655db7fb-7fff-0c52-118c-4e942848ce12"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin: Do we have to have dinner with this person at the table?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His mom: So what if she were to have dinner with us at the table? She is just </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">people</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Just like you! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin: Yeah, but I hate people! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin (looking at the picture of a friend’s new baby): I don’t want to be a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">babyist, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">but he looks just like any other baby.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">His mom:: What is a ‘babyist’?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin: It’s someone who is generalizing that all babies look alike.</span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin, on trying Chick-fil-A for the first time, as he is eating his sandwich and fries: Chick-fil-A makes McDonalds look like a soup kitchen … Anyone have more fries?</span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin: I am gonna marry someone from the Chick-fil-a family and become its CEO. And then, I'll </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">commence </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the world-wide colonization of Chick-fil-a so every country will have it. (he pauses for dramatic effect). Yes, I am </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">not</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> gonna START it. I am gonna COMMENCE it! This is how you know it's for real!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin to me, when he came to visit me: Coming to see you is not a chore. It’s a gift. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Me: I am </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">already</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> fat. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin: Oh, my God! You and my mom are the most delusional people in the world! You are both </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">already</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> skinny! (such a sweet nephew, ain’t he?!)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kevin (insisting that the family should keep the tradition of decorating cookies for Christmas): We are </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">never</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> too old for Christmas. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Around the holidays, when it was raining in Montreal, he says: What’s with all this rain?! It’s supposed to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">snow</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in December. I feel scammed by Canada.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Happy birthday, funny little man! You’re an official teenager now (God help us), but always a little man to me! </span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hope you’re having a fun day and, even better, a fun ride for the next 6 or so years of teenage-hood! It’ll be a wild ride, I am sure. </span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Love your life! We love you! </span></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; font-family: arial; font-size: medium; height: 624px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><img height="400" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/jR6Ak6cy0O94YBS93lBwzN8nu3b1p-z2WwTtxf-Owd_np_WQTOVBZhYRZlQktdQ9qwA4GuEXo594MU5YFpH3xWHqQF8V5Wjj3GO44ZLF88LYi7KIX47T7DM53Pgc0UR48zRyHinQ96isAOLL4bXUaRo=w400-h400" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="400" /></span></span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 624px; overflow: hidden; width: 624px;"><br /></span></span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-48974165727895409282024-02-08T22:05:00.002-07:002024-02-09T13:09:15.342-07:00“Respectati-va si veti fi fericiti!”<span id="docs-internal-guid-8c29111f-7fff-dcf7-3e49-e751bd76bcc3" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Eu nu stiu altii cum sunt, dar eu nu ma gandeam daca vom ajunge vreodata la aniversarea de 50 de ani in ziua cand m-am casatorit ... Nu ma gadeam mai departe de urmatoarele 2-3 ore ... Ma gandeam: oare am platit pe toti cei implicati in logistica nuntii? Restaurantul? Cei cu tortul? Oficianta de casatorie? Oare am comandat destula mancare pentru invitati? Oare invitatii vor gasi sala de nunta si se vor simti bine? Desi aveam doar 13 invitati, aveam emotii ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nu am avut nici emotii ca pasul pe care il faceam nu era potrivit ... Nu ma intrebam oare cat vom dainui in casatorie? Un an? Doi? Zece? Doua zeci?! Nu imi puneam asa probleme ... Stiam ca e cea mai buna decizie pe care o luasem vreodata si in rest ... imi vedeam de ale zilei si savuram momentul. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ma intreb oare ce credeau parintii mei acum 50 de ani, in ziua nuntii lor?! Oare aveau emotii? Erau fericiti? Erau siguri ca si-au gasit sufletul pereche care le va fi calauza si prieten cel mai bun din acea zi inainte? Aveau dubii? Se iubeau?! Nu stiu - pentru ca nu eram de fata ... Dar cunoscandu-i mai apoi, si acum, stiindu-le intreaga casnicie, pot sa imi imaginez ca era probabil cea mai fericita zi din viata lor de pana atunci! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Erau doi copii. Capul plin de vise si sperante. Inima plina de amor si fericire ... Ce vremuri?! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Daca ii cunoasteti pe parintii mei, nu cred ca exista prea mare dubiu ca s-au iubit. Enorm ... Faceu totul impreuna si luau mereu decizii impreuna ... Erau nedespariti in fiecare clipa a fiecarei zile ... Chiar daca nu mereu impreuna fizic, erau impreuna in spirit si in gand ... Isi completau propozitiile ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJ_kPeFyTFUzcmjv94i-jYHzcqXNLC6qBaFFhGmkOvJeGe5iGvYUN_gpSymFOiBd0k0Pb92fogrtBuVclSh3SQLHrCN5-i_5byVpQ3zMIwrbb4aCnGhLCr7J_kFaFzaZbDnzmnuFPWsr6WypbElKo_JWXK2XwxrC7D0h4GeIW7N8WJZGPj8JA/s766/FullSizeRender(1)%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="704" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJ_kPeFyTFUzcmjv94i-jYHzcqXNLC6qBaFFhGmkOvJeGe5iGvYUN_gpSymFOiBd0k0Pb92fogrtBuVclSh3SQLHrCN5-i_5byVpQ3zMIwrbb4aCnGhLCr7J_kFaFzaZbDnzmnuFPWsr6WypbElKo_JWXK2XwxrC7D0h4GeIW7N8WJZGPj8JA/w368-h400/FullSizeRender(1)%20(1).jpg" width="368" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a9229a92-7fff-522b-bcd0-12b4c60035c3"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cand eram prin gimnaziu, jucam un joc cu ei - stateau in camere separate si mergem la unul si il intrebam ce gandeste celalalt. Apoi mergeam la celalalt si il intrebam la ce se gandeste si de fiecare data confirma exact ceea ce ghicise primul din ei ... Niciodata nu am inteles cum reuseau sa iti ghiceasca gandurile, dar acestia au fost parintii mei. Mereu indragostiti ...</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Astazi, la 50 de ani de la ziua unirii lor in dragoste, tata nu mai este aici pe pamant. Dar sunt ferm convinsa ca este langa mama in spirit si ca vegheaza asupra ei in fiecare minut. Sunt convinsa ca nu ne-a parasit decat fizic. Sufletul lui ne va urma in fiecare clipa, in eternitate! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">La nunta mea am avut un tablou cu o rama alba pe care invitatii au scris cate un gand pentru inceputul nostru de viata impreuna ... Tata a scris: “Respectati-va si veti fi fericiti Baby si Anisoara” Putini stiu ca aceasta era credinta lui de neclintit - ne spunea adesea ca </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">dragostea</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> dureaza 2 minute, dar </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">respectul</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> nu se stinge niciodata ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07X34kWnVwyaJqGy-X-ZUUO0ogA7YgMQge0t6I3vQA0iPu7CylaaBv7Jrqw8ed0-OZB-btvxDxmyijoLZlEMDBNASVGJ1GYknPC1LxkDkZ0u6WQEAVKgI7v6798WbFqe1YmsVk6Ir-kZ5JxwHX8gB4ZmsBJ06kPkFyjwASxhNahNaSy1vdVxH/s2864/IMG_4688.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="2864" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07X34kWnVwyaJqGy-X-ZUUO0ogA7YgMQge0t6I3vQA0iPu7CylaaBv7Jrqw8ed0-OZB-btvxDxmyijoLZlEMDBNASVGJ1GYknPC1LxkDkZ0u6WQEAVKgI7v6798WbFqe1YmsVk6Ir-kZ5JxwHX8gB4ZmsBJ06kPkFyjwASxhNahNaSy1vdVxH/s320/IMG_4688.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Astazi, la ziua lor aniversara, imi doresc sa fi stiut ce au simtit acum 50 de ani. Isi propuneau oare sa ajunga la 50 de ani? Probabil ca nu ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">La fel de mult imi doresc sa fi stiut cum ar fi petrecut ziua de azi, daca ar mai fi fost inca impreuna ... Sigur tata ar fi organizat o petrecere frumoasa, i-ar fi cumparat mamei flori si probabil o bijuterie (cu siguranta un inel), si impreuna si-ar fi amintit de realizarile de peste ani. Ar fi mers probabil la biserica pentru nunta de aur ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Din pacate, viata are alte planuri si de contra noi nu ne putem pune, pentru ca e deseori mai puternica decat dorintele noastre ... Astazi, nu se poate sa ii avem alaturi pe amandoi si sa ii pretuim, fizic, asa cum ar merita-o, pentru o dragoste si o viata bogata si demna de respect, impreuna ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">O facem insa din tot sulfetul, sprijinind-o pe mama cum putem, de unde putem, cu dor, cu drag, cu dragoste multa, cu lacrimi in ochi, si cu imbratisari calde, de oriunde ne-am afla ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Odihna lina tatei!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mama, o zi senina, in care sa te bucuri de fericirea pe care ati cunoscut-o impreuna si sa plangi mai putin pentru dorul pe care cu siguranta il simti dureros ... Ati cladit o viata frumoasa, o generatie de copii frumosi si impliniti - bucura-te pentru realizarile facute impreuna si pentru fericirea care a fost ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noi iti multumim, asa cum ii multumim si tatei, pentru tot ce ne-ati dat si pentru ceea ce suntem astazi. Nu ar fi fost nimic posibil fara voi si fara dragostea si respectul vostru reciproc ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Va iubim si <i><b>te</b></i> iubim si suntem mereu langa tine. Acum si in fiecare clipa. Mereu. </span></p><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-45981165979876292422023-12-29T09:23:00.000-07:002023-12-29T09:23:20.345-07:002023. A Retrospective<p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another crazy and crooked, and hard and funny, and light and heavy, and ... in the end, beautiful year! </span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-239e5cc2-7fff-4cde-0523-8491b7d34e05"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year took off like a space rocket which we saw from Wrightsville Beach, NC in January - Space X’s Falcon 9 ...</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PpkzLgzvcfYjaxq2JBlaZnd4l_-Vbwzj_UfarUCAESA1L51ec5xMUOrk4mRtWCuyQZzLsSGweWhLJNcyskXdSpLisacTB2ts-Ewt5mFildyLu11yLpzxuutHR2vmQTwMuRcWH25HbfikNyssTse17DL9QQyumhsdTJ_eM-K2m1g_086kjCq-/s3693/_As_7878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2770" data-original-width="3693" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PpkzLgzvcfYjaxq2JBlaZnd4l_-Vbwzj_UfarUCAESA1L51ec5xMUOrk4mRtWCuyQZzLsSGweWhLJNcyskXdSpLisacTB2ts-Ewt5mFildyLu11yLpzxuutHR2vmQTwMuRcWH25HbfikNyssTse17DL9QQyumhsdTJ_eM-K2m1g_086kjCq-/s320/_As_7878.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Space X launched the Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral, FL. But here we captured the launch something like 600 miles North, in Wrightsville Beach, NC</i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then there was re-discovering The West (after a 4 year absence) - walking and the driving among cactus plants taller than five-story buildings in Arizona ...</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23kcaSQco7zxqsTiPh6B_kkVDRreKdEyQCOsXsPsf2u0rbLGcQNxFT17nvHVPYcy8U61Y8wyR22AIjRSPfo310nXD7iEKzvWvDUD_WiaWJ4Lj7i_Vr5ibLaD1EVwdqi-1wnPWqwAenRgQv1XTtYf9qeOaQEDAHfTmtML7tKx2rlmXe2Dsbpkq/s4032/_AsiPhone_8405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23kcaSQco7zxqsTiPh6B_kkVDRreKdEyQCOsXsPsf2u0rbLGcQNxFT17nvHVPYcy8U61Y8wyR22AIjRSPfo310nXD7iEKzvWvDUD_WiaWJ4Lj7i_Vr5ibLaD1EVwdqi-1wnPWqwAenRgQv1XTtYf9qeOaQEDAHfTmtML7tKx2rlmXe2Dsbpkq/s320/_AsiPhone_8405.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Cactus in Saguaro National Park - Tucson, AZ</span></i></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I picked up a new hobby - the study of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes - and kicked off this new obsession by visiting his Taliesin West in Arizona and the Westcott House in Ohio ... </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L7bR1qSoncHGgxjYM7zQDQs389z4WJsTjrbnwiFmH2lfN1IZO_rw9F75jDQ73BwBKyZrV4nOyaFbqOIskfxG2_02dWvCGnyF3QEXlLg8YSs1KmfvQdXBmZPqCCSN1ualZ5MNdGZU_b5ooHTR7l4njt_DfkGPV72wYqUMDhUkLL8Sdi-sfCpW/s4032/_AsiPhone_8498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_L7bR1qSoncHGgxjYM7zQDQs389z4WJsTjrbnwiFmH2lfN1IZO_rw9F75jDQ73BwBKyZrV4nOyaFbqOIskfxG2_02dWvCGnyF3QEXlLg8YSs1KmfvQdXBmZPqCCSN1ualZ5MNdGZU_b5ooHTR7l4njt_DfkGPV72wYqUMDhUkLL8Sdi-sfCpW/s320/_AsiPhone_8498.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Frank Lloyd's Wright Taliesin West - Scottsdale, AZ</span></i></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I made my search for National Parks an official hobby too - and we visited three new ones for us: Saguaro (AZ), Indiana Dunes (IN), and Jean Lafitte (LA). Rediscovered the healing power of nature and its untouched beauty. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I saw armadillos for the first time ever and an owl up-close in the wild as well. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7UHkGbFIBzkl8V-zp_pLLtoYraAxdgt2FYfTR5OtiW6hcyONSrPG7wARlKWaJWnhhnXlSBlW1nOBJirj3fxU9gPf74inXgeh3vPHi1Ft4RxsDZ__tSCS68MlwIP-MhD4evsx3C-kPvNpF3mZwgvmy_RKkv5Ik6361y_QWKbAS8a44ntwLFAI/s4283/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2856" data-original-width="4283" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7UHkGbFIBzkl8V-zp_pLLtoYraAxdgt2FYfTR5OtiW6hcyONSrPG7wARlKWaJWnhhnXlSBlW1nOBJirj3fxU9gPf74inXgeh3vPHi1Ft4RxsDZ__tSCS68MlwIP-MhD4evsx3C-kPvNpF3mZwgvmy_RKkv5Ik6361y_QWKbAS8a44ntwLFAI/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9410.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Armadillo outside the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park - Marrero, LA</i></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83-LaeWra-Paoyrbvy4NzxCR_jAlmGLvJUQHXyUxcVevBqu0DETFtAIv6sQUo7brH8POlXqZqJU5P_FCsG-ulgUPLCDKFcm39Tibu_ZcEu2BOoNSer3kHGPgmwx70mGvAVkQsao1TKnMiSztseHiRaCL3yRW3GyEb6xwWmf56m1qMIq09hXEU/s5184/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83-LaeWra-Paoyrbvy4NzxCR_jAlmGLvJUQHXyUxcVevBqu0DETFtAIv6sQUo7brH8POlXqZqJU5P_FCsG-ulgUPLCDKFcm39Tibu_ZcEu2BOoNSer3kHGPgmwx70mGvAVkQsao1TKnMiSztseHiRaCL3yRW3GyEb6xwWmf56m1qMIq09hXEU/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9505.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">From a boat on the Mississippi Delta, in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park - Marrero, LA</span></i></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We walked the streets of my hometown of Iasi and visited museums we had not seen together before. One would think that no stone is left unturned in your hometown, but we found evidence to the contrary ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tOeM5vla2lwuuqssTpRZcDps7fM5uJ5KdIMEPGJH3Vumhvkn3TCQ4HkFUa1LPyW_LH0g0DuJCHp_oHVVfTPsbRWJ4c-haWZSd_m9Xy9jTF6YIzNN7BP1ThED3Yng8O7xUAJiFodgcOBVv-FAA9HG0YC5acm77kWNG2-4xbOcSM-bZvhdgWc8/s4032/09_September_Romania_As_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tOeM5vla2lwuuqssTpRZcDps7fM5uJ5KdIMEPGJH3Vumhvkn3TCQ4HkFUa1LPyW_LH0g0DuJCHp_oHVVfTPsbRWJ4c-haWZSd_m9Xy9jTF6YIzNN7BP1ThED3Yng8O7xUAJiFodgcOBVv-FAA9HG0YC5acm77kWNG2-4xbOcSM-bZvhdgWc8/s320/09_September_Romania_As_2205.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Street bench in the University District of Iasi - Romania</i></div><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We went to New Orleans together for the first time, too - got lost in this noisy, smelly, but beautiful old city. A city ever in search of the next thrill, ever aware of its originality and charm.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I8ZUTR2Fa8yErl8K5npblTUf0QXUjEQsxwDOa_9s_kL4GgOL9y4YxcjSboQfhs2vB3LGpSUT2gN7lEPENpH8AoDSZmX3cEDVRw-tp-Wket2shALO58bKxMDKVLQBea3BCSFATSYmfVzrV46QsnQwWrnzdMJAUJUBn1KIz13CfG10caZCNBdV/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3I8ZUTR2Fa8yErl8K5npblTUf0QXUjEQsxwDOa_9s_kL4GgOL9y4YxcjSboQfhs2vB3LGpSUT2gN7lEPENpH8AoDSZmX3cEDVRw-tp-Wket2shALO58bKxMDKVLQBea3BCSFATSYmfVzrV46QsnQwWrnzdMJAUJUBn1KIz13CfG10caZCNBdV/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3406.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Amazing "fish wings" at GW Fins, in New Orleans</i></span></div></span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was the year of the long road trips - North Carolina to Michigan and then, later, to Louisiana. Long? Yes, but worth it in the end, to cover and see as much of this land as possible. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We met with family in and from at least three corners of the world. We spent July 4th with my mother-in-law in Michigan and I learned to play pick-up sticks. We celebrated mom’s 70th birthday - so grateful for this milestone and that we were all able to be together for it. We hosted my nephews for a week in North Carolina and cracked up at their funny mouths and originality while experiencing some of their firsts - simple things like lunch at </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chick fil-A</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, their first baseball game, and introducing them to a new artform - the musical (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wicked)</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoa74dnexb71-ehFNVDr1OqaSSlqjyckY9INfCFO1NPpcLG1nfL9YZX81q8-fOnLd09qC90GJ-Sepn8VC9CHPDnP1j2Ek2k8R47i_LuBf52xwvO10vSrJktqSMJSWhfAZiKVs8zZWdfI04vlM5JJjHuptP6lHoXj9n9tGEKsLQmFCtBZM7my7/s3149/IMG_3413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2356" data-original-width="3149" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoa74dnexb71-ehFNVDr1OqaSSlqjyckY9INfCFO1NPpcLG1nfL9YZX81q8-fOnLd09qC90GJ-Sepn8VC9CHPDnP1j2Ek2k8R47i_LuBf52xwvO10vSrJktqSMJSWhfAZiKVs8zZWdfI04vlM5JJjHuptP6lHoXj9n9tGEKsLQmFCtBZM7my7/s320/IMG_3413.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The Wicked stage in Durham, NC</span></i></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We got lost in the Smoky Mountains in search of waterfalls right as the summer was slowly creeping in on Memorial Day ... We found hidden-gem wineries and small mountain towns - Bryson City, Sylva and Beech Mountain, too. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL0IpMqpnXvD4BEaU5sFy3y924SBo0tWshONvZ315qxQ5k6thED7v1RxTiTZ-DMMhdgvdDz7ikxeDbnSSqhPFk3W0TLhyqEKbDaHifdfmaMtMB2G8UohyTkeQm8E-x2Fr8DCguIUDDWRkswPQiq36GOsjPuDy1Ful9HjrZtpB88TR_3iIKthj/s3719/_AaiPhone_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2441" data-original-width="3719" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL0IpMqpnXvD4BEaU5sFy3y924SBo0tWshONvZ315qxQ5k6thED7v1RxTiTZ-DMMhdgvdDz7ikxeDbnSSqhPFk3W0TLhyqEKbDaHifdfmaMtMB2G8UohyTkeQm8E-x2Fr8DCguIUDDWRkswPQiq36GOsjPuDy1Ful9HjrZtpB88TR_3iIKthj/s320/_AaiPhone_2985.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>View from Deep Creek Winery - Bryson City, NC</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Food was new and good to us this year too: we savored award-winning chili at the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">River’s End Restaurant</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> on the Nantahala River and discovered delicious fish “wings” in New Orleans. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhr7dbi80uSRsNZTfYDEBLzGLgaq0rqsSqfp3kchYY6JysX1XvXtWBfkrbVccMrQNNsCjrV7Z4U3NrnK7zHR1CQ5VJ-cDD4ZGl5AiwnD_oyO7pAx_zBPuhZulZ5e6X-xSCU_rDyr5m7T2hh5QnfR_1eGjl1gXk3F6JNrQnbvF1YKD1ObfJbu7/s4032/_AiPhone_9999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhr7dbi80uSRsNZTfYDEBLzGLgaq0rqsSqfp3kchYY6JysX1XvXtWBfkrbVccMrQNNsCjrV7Z4U3NrnK7zHR1CQ5VJ-cDD4ZGl5AiwnD_oyO7pAx_zBPuhZulZ5e6X-xSCU_rDyr5m7T2hh5QnfR_1eGjl1gXk3F6JNrQnbvF1YKD1ObfJbu7/s320/_AiPhone_9999.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Bridge over the Nantahala River. River's End Restaurant in the background.</span></i></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had cancer scares and health setbacks. We had health successes too. Through home and body repairs, everything and we aged by yet another year ... Everything has an age ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We supported each other and family and friends in the loss of loved ones or of pets, or in other losses and difficult times, whether there were big or small accidents or misbehaving kids ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We continued to watch the world come apart at the seams with sickness, with war, and so much loss that it’s painful to open the news every day anymore ... We pray and we hope for a better tomorrow for all of us. We pray that the lessons that history has taught us are not yet lost on the human race ... We continue to hope there is still some good out there, and try to not think too much and too hard of what might be coming next if the world is not waking up! </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We continued to cross things off of our bucket list like visiting the Dali museum in St. Petersburg, FL or taking our first cooking classes together ... </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr4VrmF-CpmkYFMe4U12HgGgtIn2sUrosCmyK9nfTXq8uI4eayS47nMvUpukc0hO-h35ZYfvTmAFZHAhSWYaa5S2RNqS9TEDb2Pb50e38QnqyenhQ7DTOkhJjHOatvp8qZ5MyqlQ3hUdudAMDCbYy4xKrSCYhczoHkqRMQHqbaibOukgB9aUX/s6240/_Aas_0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr4VrmF-CpmkYFMe4U12HgGgtIn2sUrosCmyK9nfTXq8uI4eayS47nMvUpukc0hO-h35ZYfvTmAFZHAhSWYaa5S2RNqS9TEDb2Pb50e38QnqyenhQ7DTOkhJjHOatvp8qZ5MyqlQ3hUdudAMDCbYy4xKrSCYhczoHkqRMQHqbaibOukgB9aUX/s320/_Aas_0026.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Entrance to the Dali Museum - St. Petersburg, FL</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During the whole time, we missed dad ... Painfully, dreadfully, and unavoidably ... Everything I did reminded me of him - the stories about the food that I could not share with him, my orchids blooming twice, not once, this year, mom’s birthday party that he did not get to organize ... We lost his dog, his car, and gave away his clothes ... With each gesture, we lost him a little bit more ... It was a brand-new year of learning how to move on, how to keep going without him in the light ... This year was definitely a lot less funny and a lot less light because he was not in it ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, at the end of it all, I am grateful for the bright spots - the love and the togetherness we have felt, whether close by or from far-away ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even with all the reminders of loss and pain, I am looking forward to what is next ... Like every year, like every day - life is good and bad, dark and bright, easy and hard - all rolled up into a perfectly imperfect whole ... To witness it all is a privilege. I wish for health in the new year, for it is in health that all things are possible. And I wish for peace in the new year, too, for it is in peace that they become true ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy New Year, everyone! </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-83921015025230110702023-12-10T17:32:00.004-07:002023-12-10T17:56:46.430-07:00Laissez les bons temps rouler ... <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s with all the turkey killing for Thanksgiving? What’s with the eye-rolls when your Republican uncle makes an inappropriate comment across the table from you? Instead, how about walking the streets of an old, historic city while feasting on crawdads and gumbo with your favorite person in tow or even alone? The latter sounded like a much better plan for us for this year’s Thanksgiving. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1cfd3c1a-7fff-cdf3-aac2-0b5d43cf9055"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, instead of the homey feast and watching the Macy’s Parade (although we have no uncles to share Thanksgiving with), we opted for a long road trip to New Orleans. From where we are, you can split the 12 hour drive into two half days. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here are some random thoughts that hopefully paint a picture of this unforgettable trip ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We started the trip on November 22nd - a year to the date of my dad’s last breath on this earth. I figured he would have wholeheartedly approved of a good time with good food and even better music to celebrate his life. Our first stop was a fast food place for lunch where, in memory of dad, we paid for the meal of the people behind us in line. I know dad would have loved a meaty, burgery meal complete with a frosty dessert. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The 22nd of November was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year - and as you can imagine we were on the road with some other millions of people trying to get to that turkey dinner, or who knows, maybe, like us, trying to just get away. The maps lied. They said 5 hours and a half to Atlanta (our stop for the first night). But it took a bit over 9 hours to get to our hotel. We were stiff, tired, and hungry. We got to New Orleans the following day, Thanksgiving Thursday, after having our Thanksgiving lunch at a Cracker Barrel in Mobile, AL - the only place in three different states that we found open. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">New Orleans is a melting pot of all things strange, unique, weird, amazing, smelly, delicious, diverse, and so, so much more ... The first time I went there, in 2004, I told people when I got back that my eyeballs were literally in pain, strained from seeing so much ... too much ... of everything ... I used to call it “the Disney World for adults” until I saw Las Vegas, and then, I changed my mind. Nowadays, after my second visit, I would call it “the adults’ Disney World with a rich and beautiful history” (which is what’s missing in Vegas). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The past creeps into everything you see and experience in this grand old city. The buildings and cobblestone streets speak of the past, the filth and decrepitude brought over by hundreds of years of humidity speaks of the past, the historic markers speak of a rich history, of carnage and tragedy, of death and also of victory. The past is very much part of the present today in New Orleans - it was never replaced but dragged into the light of today, kicking and screaming. The gas-fueled lamps burning day and night at every street corner are reminders of this past. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZlHW2hY4qmNVy4kqoQdqeteAvtJgTN84AaWFWTIJL6XJf-SuILTo3OeRfAM2Egut3X-n0WlVTfOphqEfs9OXbfJYaJMJSOKpSXjT7lHZ77ryPNIxHGLXQ194rYrf0-NbVNg3_WjSwckjwsne5HMq7Be8KJsu1o8jQk9Zt0lkCs5jkkQpp3Fe/s4032/New%20Orleans%202023_Aaron_iPhone_023.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZlHW2hY4qmNVy4kqoQdqeteAvtJgTN84AaWFWTIJL6XJf-SuILTo3OeRfAM2Egut3X-n0WlVTfOphqEfs9OXbfJYaJMJSOKpSXjT7lHZ77ryPNIxHGLXQ194rYrf0-NbVNg3_WjSwckjwsne5HMq7Be8KJsu1o8jQk9Zt0lkCs5jkkQpp3Fe/s320/New%20Orleans%202023_Aaron_iPhone_023.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKltuhtjP4JgRiF9cQ5bLtGWre0xeFe7WANfOejZi-PHPvR59QctZ-69RRtGM8WYHg_RzPD9PrMqK2KmXzN0qBcqd9JEAPvIg8hvBCk22lDVISQ1Ar5Ds-cREqn7fFW55X_XE5m1M2PIyuNgvdfOBcqtGYrU2IOeQmPJrNAAu8ElzmrE2zyfZO/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKltuhtjP4JgRiF9cQ5bLtGWre0xeFe7WANfOejZi-PHPvR59QctZ-69RRtGM8WYHg_RzPD9PrMqK2KmXzN0qBcqd9JEAPvIg8hvBCk22lDVISQ1Ar5Ds-cREqn7fFW55X_XE5m1M2PIyuNgvdfOBcqtGYrU2IOeQmPJrNAAu8ElzmrE2zyfZO/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3203.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRh9I2QIU8KBGvtNSwnRd2fK02LgG79QrTUAbwsA4D3YtAAg-ukjRI4H_ywsjjo8UEEypXrNZkL-w-X_sIHzoLF5178f-_WwuPKs4Q39Vs8_JnWPeipt1SjIRDTcRfLgfuLErFKCaCLQadY38SQ2oZbsGgnqOe4T5bluMGFr_UhP2VLAVgumR/s2945/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3205.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2440" data-original-width="2945" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRh9I2QIU8KBGvtNSwnRd2fK02LgG79QrTUAbwsA4D3YtAAg-ukjRI4H_ywsjjo8UEEypXrNZkL-w-X_sIHzoLF5178f-_WwuPKs4Q39Vs8_JnWPeipt1SjIRDTcRfLgfuLErFKCaCLQadY38SQ2oZbsGgnqOe4T5bluMGFr_UhP2VLAVgumR/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3205.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The eerie beauty of New Orleans at night</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">New Orleans plays tricks on everything you think you know about the order of the world. Everything you know about propriety and “rules” has its own set of measures and limits in New Orleans. Objectifying women in the windows of bars while belting out indecent and abusive words as you pretend you’re spanking them? Maybe two year old toddler playing the drums in the middle of the street at 11PM on Thanksgiving night and collecting tips? A sassy, belligerent waitress named Spaghetti? They are all commonplace in New Orleans. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLk__8prFVEnLy5HE587bIdxk4OomGOYA1lIzv6xS0nwQ6tAam3oADT3eQYlsHHbdjFOr16I-AEtvX9s0w9eyeDMzltFRdK6xagLl193h9zThwWEKaXpZ0QgwE1h7708c6jEjRUo_-mZhfX0zvTOPNDCijgO6LemIlpiry_hcy3WmL7HCdXBU/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3370.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQLk__8prFVEnLy5HE587bIdxk4OomGOYA1lIzv6xS0nwQ6tAam3oADT3eQYlsHHbdjFOr16I-AEtvX9s0w9eyeDMzltFRdK6xagLl193h9zThwWEKaXpZ0QgwE1h7708c6jEjRUo_-mZhfX0zvTOPNDCijgO6LemIlpiry_hcy3WmL7HCdXBU/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3370.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Street gas lamps burning in the middle of the day</span></i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have never been more confused about the gender of most people in one place like I was during this trip. Although in The South and people here get and allow freely the “yes, ma’am”-s and “no, sir”-s on a regular basis, I never dared say these words to anyone there, because I was just not sure. Not that it would be important, of course, except for how I frame my responses. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the things people come to New Orleans for is the food. Whether you eat a po boy in the street or a fancy seafood stew at an exclusive restaurant booked months in advance, you’ll be in for a treat! What I have learned is that you cannot go wrong in these parts, as everyone knows how to cook with flavor. It’s in their blood. Food is always fresh, cooked from scratch and cooked with a love you can taste. You just know that these many layers of flavor, this much depth does not come from a bag of Sysco frozen potatoes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The fin wings appetizer at </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">GW Fins</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> took the absolute “best meal” prize on this trip for me. Someone out there read my mind and knew I was coming when they invented these goodies. I have been saying for years that yes, fish, too, have wings that are totally edible and delicious, and that is exactly what they were. And some lookers to boot! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb67LPw0tYQ27FwPnZTaUdQR84yMNvFW-jJW6s27pzYRO_uEji3QM4_QKTDVIeF1ZX8wHzFg9nrt_3xqK_GofN-3V-wDVaCevzNQVT1OCURo70R6nuDRvVwtXZzejoMvQWu1_6oqgVb030lhmzVzI_eaHMdFlTKVIAT9IEZso8F97BJ0DH7ox/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3406.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb67LPw0tYQ27FwPnZTaUdQR84yMNvFW-jJW6s27pzYRO_uEji3QM4_QKTDVIeF1ZX8wHzFg9nrt_3xqK_GofN-3V-wDVaCevzNQVT1OCURo70R6nuDRvVwtXZzejoMvQWu1_6oqgVb030lhmzVzI_eaHMdFlTKVIAT9IEZso8F97BJ0DH7ox/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3406.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The fin wings at GW Fins</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not sure if it was the cold weather (and it was cold! 55F degrees daily or less and raining the whole time we were there), or what, but the streets were </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">not</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> flooded with music, like I remembered them ... There was the occasional cover band here or there, a blues musician in one restaurant, a couple of rap performers (with the women dancing half-naked in the windows), a jazz band at our hotel, and that was about that ... When I first went to New Orleans, almost 20 years ago, zydeco was flowing freely from every street corner; street performers were overstepping each other’s spaces for an enchanted cocktail of sounds and rhythm. Nothing like it this time ... I want to believe that this was the dark, wet, at times freezing weather that was to blame and it’s not a change in this musical city’s DNA, because this would be a shame. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have a friend who says New Orleans smells like vomit. And he is not exaggerating. It smells like sewage after a carnage. Just putrid and breathtakingly, nauseatingly stenchy. The reeking smell of pot flowing from every establishment or hitting you in the face from every fifth person you meet is not helping one bit. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s a city revolving around good times, partying, and loving life to the fullest. Everyone there comes on an escaping mission from their routine, from their everyday boredom to test the boundaries and embrace excessiveness. There are no boundaries, it seems, and no regrets ... These belong to another world, out there, left at home ... The world one escapes from and dreams about during their daily existence ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The tourists as well as the wait staff, cleaning people, tour guides, boat captains - everyone are in this mutual silent agreement to show or give a good time to all, regardless of what it costs or how strange the request might be ... It’s a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">bon vivant</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">'s paradise. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Like with so many other places I have been to on vacation (cruises, New York, Hawaii), the amount of great time spent in these places is directly proportional to the amount of guilt I feel towards the people providing these priceless escapes. Everyone, in every restaurant we entered, every souvenir shop, every tourist attraction we experienced was so incredibly nice and patient, so gracious with the pettiest and crankiest of people, worked so incredibly hard from the wee hours of the morning until well into the night (restaurants here close at 6AM. How is that for a city that never sleeps?), and never seemed to be cranky. They looked, at times, tired, but their sweet smiles and calm demeanor never faded. You can tell they are working their fingers to the bone and not for a lot of cash, either. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In fact, there were a couple of times when I thought I saw a waitress doubling up duties as a palm reader in front of St. Louis Cathedral one day. And there were a couple of street dancers that I thought I had seen waiting on tables in a fried food joint. It’s a hard job, entertaining in a city such as this, and it looks like not for much of a reward, either, which makes one who partakes in these well-spent experiences feel guilty and the experience somewhat bitter-sweet.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">New Orleans is very much a city of contrasts. The beauty and originality of art right next door to the squalor of the street; the peaceful, lazy roll of the Mississippi river, right next to the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter, engulfed in constant motion and noise. The rich and the poor sitting next to each other at the same communal table sharing beignets on the patio of Cafe du Monde. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are some joints in town where class distinctions pretty much disappear. But there are others where class differences are clearly delineated. For example, one night, we had failed to get reservations for dinner (and it was close to impossible over this Thanksgiving weekend to get into any place for dinner without one). So we ended up in a somewhat high-end establishment (mysteriously called </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mr. B’s Bistro</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">). Not every restaurant we go to has its own wiki page, but this one does (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._B%27s_Bistro" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._B%27s_Bistro</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> - and I still don’t know who </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mr. B</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. is). They were the first restaurant we walked in that agreed to take us in without a reservation, but ... they immediately could tell we were some sort of a different kind of riff-raff, at the opposite end of their black-tie customers sitting in the quiet, peaceful dining room. So they stuck us in the darkest corner, way in the back of the restaurant, where very clearly all the people clad in jeans and rain coats (it was pouring out and late in the evening) were supposed to sit. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoEDw15gHzM4P6uAr724uBXlw_Cfuu83TyNm0hIKJnO8lEG6O5vc72uF8jgiVBgb3q5oaHP8zVGO69CPuEW6VbnosLV6WtTH6BxfAMV9IiEi_KTeHfccAMWqZTUaoGP8oPNKEaKbCayNWtW8r_aVH2_pBqUIG2RyhfERSJXhb61tWaLTnYSbT/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3559.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoEDw15gHzM4P6uAr724uBXlw_Cfuu83TyNm0hIKJnO8lEG6O5vc72uF8jgiVBgb3q5oaHP8zVGO69CPuEW6VbnosLV6WtTH6BxfAMV9IiEi_KTeHfccAMWqZTUaoGP8oPNKEaKbCayNWtW8r_aVH2_pBqUIG2RyhfERSJXhb61tWaLTnYSbT/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3559.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">In the dark corner and outside the kitchen and all, the seafood gumbo at Mr. B's Bistro was outstanding</span></i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our tables were covered with a crisp white table cloth just like the black-tie people’s tables were, but the tables were closer together and the space was visibly crammed. The food was equally delicious, I am sure, but we did feel like we maybe were not worth being shown off in the front dining room, since they stuck us in the corner like </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">they was ashamed of us</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, to paraphrase Delmar O’Donnell from </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“O’ brother, Where Art Thou?”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To say just one more word about the folks of New Orleans’s (and Louisiana’s, in general). It is a city that speaks, breathes, sings, and swings American black culture. Through everything they do, and with everything they offer, from the Creole twang to the bayou cuisine, from every beat of music, be it jazz, blues, zydeco, or blues, this city reminds you of this rich, substantial, beautiful culture with deep, gnarly, interesting, beautiful roots in these parts ... Its merits to establishing Louisiana and what New Orleans is today are sacrosanct. I love learning about black culture always, but I adore this city for it because these folks seem truly proud and feel truly celebrated here - as they should. To be able to take in this rich culture without so much as a passport stamp is a privilege. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">New Orleans is also intrinsically French. Everywhere you turn is a reminder of something or other French. Louisiana is named after its founder King, Louis XIV of France. The massive Catholic cathedral in the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">French</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Quarter (arguably the most famously recognizable part of New Orleans everywhere in the world) is St. Louis Cathedral (which has a very funky schedule, however, so we were not able to visit its interior). </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fleurs des lis</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> everywhere. And I mean, everywhere ... French street names (Napoleon Avenue, Orleans, Iberville, Dauphine, and of course Bourbon) ... European (French?) old architecture with houses divided by only a small gap, maybe a 5-foot person’s-waist-worth; cobblestone pavers ... Sensuality at every corner ... A gourmand’s paradise ... Decadence and a </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">laissez faire</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> attitude surround and drown you in pleasure and delight ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5bbXFtzAmxOa3wgHLni0ifHJ0eUSn39yjiEJLYLo3GBZ2xpkXssbLz3ZMNWw-ssYIWtnrkXkykioXoOn-aSf0kHiFzvDeio8UpueUEn0_OhmWaf3yeH7qW8kpzxuc_sad3mOICD8Uf3nfPmk83cWCqrk8nQ1e9VP5o-rUhUkIRaP5YAu30X3/s3024/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3190.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2830" data-original-width="3024" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5bbXFtzAmxOa3wgHLni0ifHJ0eUSn39yjiEJLYLo3GBZ2xpkXssbLz3ZMNWw-ssYIWtnrkXkykioXoOn-aSf0kHiFzvDeio8UpueUEn0_OhmWaf3yeH7qW8kpzxuc_sad3mOICD8Uf3nfPmk83cWCqrk8nQ1e9VP5o-rUhUkIRaP5YAu30X3/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3190.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Street sign and old paving on Bourbon Street, in the heart of the French Quarter</span></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60oWsuVa81N-4gT8_JpxgbI8hexFkhw7tYQQ-48qRNGmdNnumrbZuwR5G5vs75ZxMGUnNblbP62T4rfkscoFSKF4Qx5ewFa9SJwiX14JW8kj3TWNl-QfzWCSYSjqSENnkVgm8v38Mji5VOpha5r9PCIAxmLchpxdWmSr2JwLVUpmX76vLmbeY/s4032/New%20Orleans%202023_Aaron_iPhone_065.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60oWsuVa81N-4gT8_JpxgbI8hexFkhw7tYQQ-48qRNGmdNnumrbZuwR5G5vs75ZxMGUnNblbP62T4rfkscoFSKF4Qx5ewFa9SJwiX14JW8kj3TWNl-QfzWCSYSjqSENnkVgm8v38Mji5VOpha5r9PCIAxmLchpxdWmSr2JwLVUpmX76vLmbeY/s320/New%20Orleans%202023_Aaron_iPhone_065.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">St. Louis Cathedral</span></i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Many people come to New Orleans to look for ghosts. The city touts itself as the most haunted city in America and for good reasons - I’ll leave it up to you to google this. The stories are chilling. They built walls between the houses here with necks of broken bottles sticking out poured into the concrete, to prevent ghosts from moving from one home to another, they say - true story! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSZExsrMl9oRyw0wjxFuIiXlNGuGansiGQMOumkaEI1Arq6JmQaMpUFNTLWzWMAJp8ZlNYBQ7VboOppVw23MeZH0pJ_iI3ZTQ41oZX4YNeHybHPyi1xY1ONRSTVjWhfHq_7YcLiDqag5vjVkP9mVkmY7OzXlfZpRtcVf5eVE7bZCGfut3bNNI/s2313/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3367.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2187" data-original-width="2313" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSZExsrMl9oRyw0wjxFuIiXlNGuGansiGQMOumkaEI1Arq6JmQaMpUFNTLWzWMAJp8ZlNYBQ7VboOppVw23MeZH0pJ_iI3ZTQ41oZX4YNeHybHPyi1xY1ONRSTVjWhfHq_7YcLiDqag5vjVkP9mVkmY7OzXlfZpRtcVf5eVE7bZCGfut3bNNI/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3367.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Broken glass wall between two houses in The French Quarter</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We stayed at a remodeled Courtyard Hotel in the French Quarter and my husband said it’s probably not haunted because it’s newer. But there is nothing truly </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">new</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in the French Quarter. Everything remodeled is housed in an old building. We were having this conversation while waiting for our table to be available at </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Court of Two Sisters</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. The bartender, a lovely, chatty, young lady (I think, but not 100% sure) heard us chatting and she asked if we’re looking for ghosts and I thought she was doubting their existence for a minute, so I said “I told my husband that old hotels and old houses always have ghosts - I know because that’s where I saw them myself!” To which she said nonchalantly while wiping glass sweat off the bar: “Well, in Nawlins, you don’t need to be in a house to meet them. Here, they just walk down the street witchya”. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1dKEINvq8RC3eYBZiSwizcY-N39V3HvSznTXsynkoqlaojjnWZ05MuIJmjVzbPAdzqh0jIv8jxkMY6yrtWIwPJpfcQn5lC-wvYgmgpz5nym_DDaTQHl8kr7g0r4c_HqVnO3Frs4UTBO9rPg3cw8S2Ru3dKdmDbb27tehM0dgy9f5gTfA55Uc/s4032/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3243.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1dKEINvq8RC3eYBZiSwizcY-N39V3HvSznTXsynkoqlaojjnWZ05MuIJmjVzbPAdzqh0jIv8jxkMY6yrtWIwPJpfcQn5lC-wvYgmgpz5nym_DDaTQHl8kr7g0r4c_HqVnO3Frs4UTBO9rPg3cw8S2Ru3dKdmDbb27tehM0dgy9f5gTfA55Uc/s320/_AiPhone_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_3243.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The haunting charm of the interior Court of the Two Sisters</span></i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We got out of the city for one day, to visit the Oak Alley sugar cane plantation and experience the Mississippi swamps for the first time in our lives. I will only say this about Oak Alley because otherwise it would need its own blog: history and live oaks. Definitely a must-see! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have read stories and seen movies about life on the Mississippi and life in these swamps where so much of the shrimps and crawdads (and some of my personal favorite foods) of America are coming from. I have always wanted to be up close to these people, the people of the water, who have such a unique sense of orientation for one, and who develop such amazing survival skills on a land always shifting, always moving, always different ... We drove to Marrerro, LA (a small community that does not believe in left turns; here, if you want to go anywhere that’s on your left, you have to make a U-turn) and took a boat through the Jean Lafitte (can it be more French?) Preserve. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I checked our altitude frequently on this trip and at any given time, we were anywhere between 0 and 50 feet above sea-level. So, it made me wonder: since at the very highest point you can only be only at 50 ft altitude and since the maximum allowed speed limit is 55 mph, even on the highways, outside of the city (and rare at that), should they call their roads </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">low</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ways</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> instead of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">high</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ways</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">?! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the preserve, the wild life and vegetation did not disappoint, but equal in richness and uniqueness was our captain, Jason: a mix between a Southern Louisiana bayou native with some Boston Rob mixed in. Hilarious as all get out, delivering everything with a dryness and non-pretentious-ness that only made it that much more funny: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">‘Every time you heah an alligatoh eats or mauls a ‘uman, that’s a newspapeh stohry, and not a hreal stohry … The’s mohe to that stohry that you ain’t bein’ told. I grew up ‘ere with the alligatohs. Kids swim heah, they jet ski heah, feed them with marshmallows heah - ain’t no alligatoh eatin’ a kid every day! The’s moh to that stohry they ain’t telling ya!” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y8GHvAxL9ITw7L7TeGZcEMOX277OVJxeyAA6-4FB_GpaEjYwcEp0j45yoRerzwd2h_0bFbtI2EWg2uB7SdrbYx2wr65KA7BTdAgWwtw4vPA1fXnu5fm35GqE5zEOduObawMc360GF1EaO4PIm7wQq9j0bEz0CLN7KTY4qBSgF6Y9YEtsVyb9/s5184/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9448.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y8GHvAxL9ITw7L7TeGZcEMOX277OVJxeyAA6-4FB_GpaEjYwcEp0j45yoRerzwd2h_0bFbtI2EWg2uB7SdrbYx2wr65KA7BTdAgWwtw4vPA1fXnu5fm35GqE5zEOduObawMc360GF1EaO4PIm7wQq9j0bEz0CLN7KTY4qBSgF6Y9YEtsVyb9/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9448.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF7UHw0HjndKpgZLgB37YD3ISuvBGSDIaKViA-EJ0PWmCZHxihEL7IWbKMlIF4ZSDXC8O6LV79O4V9VYMaXR1W_ROc4xTlDiEw-hCUPjFDWyJF3my7omonQS5HMJQ0zB_Ybb90T3RoIqT1MY9HoAI3oDS3jiC7w44YBCREBNAnicrBxyqUy46/s5184/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9464.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF7UHw0HjndKpgZLgB37YD3ISuvBGSDIaKViA-EJ0PWmCZHxihEL7IWbKMlIF4ZSDXC8O6LV79O4V9VYMaXR1W_ROc4xTlDiEw-hCUPjFDWyJF3my7omonQS5HMJQ0zB_Ybb90T3RoIqT1MY9HoAI3oDS3jiC7w44YBCREBNAnicrBxyqUy46/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9464.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULNoICnamtz0i7BN6vaCYsXv-r-rQk_oD8GU5VsBRiW5_0OAEFrJn95iM6sZL7VX1hmGFNpEzAPlK-4cRE82LmyQoPfIjpYBhIR9w_zeXQzp5M1yV3qFBM2qY7tos9Ovu4F2P82lfzeqMWGy3eJL9M3VljQbXehThOXzc2NW_c0JdUkiJKTyo/s3888/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0219.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULNoICnamtz0i7BN6vaCYsXv-r-rQk_oD8GU5VsBRiW5_0OAEFrJn95iM6sZL7VX1hmGFNpEzAPlK-4cRE82LmyQoPfIjpYBhIR9w_zeXQzp5M1yV3qFBM2qY7tos9Ovu4F2P82lfzeqMWGy3eJL9M3VljQbXehThOXzc2NW_c0JdUkiJKTyo/s320/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0219.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The alligators of Jean Lafitte Preserve</span></i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The boat we boarded in search of alligators, turtles, owls and other water fowl was like a Noah’s Ark of nationalities. You could literally find pretty much every race of human on that boat. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were all in search of the same things: beauty, nature, history - this very diverse group of people on an obscure swamp in this small corner of the world, all chasing the same things in life. Our skin, our language, our different prayers to our different Gods did not take away anything from our common humanity. In contrast, as we were waiting for our captain to arrive, I was skimming the news on my phone - they were all speaking of the casualties and the carnages of war around the world (Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan ...), and as I looked around me, I was contemplating at the wrongfulness of it all, at the superfluousness of it all, at the meaninglessness of it all ... Why can we not see that we are more alike than we are different? Why can we not agree that at the end of the day, we all want the same things? We are moved by the same things, we are saddened by the same things, we all want a roof over our family’s head, a meal on the table, and the same corners of the world to escape to in search of beauty. This boat was my proof! Our common shared experience of almost two hours, when we all took pictures of the same things and wooed and aahed at the same things was my proof! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp2B3W21Xtfdhztad7yuGA9MuNfwNOMosJLF4iHyo-FnXEhQQgNu8KPnZAAqkhbZGcQq9FiQmz6KLCQSfx8jrBEOxjSQfsop7xBvCQAPZ5TX_eudC8cVym2C2nTbkAxgx-eR5WVx3W_geEGd_nMtqKT6ptOoKKAxHlC0IE0JuIDHGT1BhwjUV/s3888/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0017.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxp2B3W21Xtfdhztad7yuGA9MuNfwNOMosJLF4iHyo-FnXEhQQgNu8KPnZAAqkhbZGcQq9FiQmz6KLCQSfx8jrBEOxjSQfsop7xBvCQAPZ5TX_eudC8cVym2C2nTbkAxgx-eR5WVx3W_geEGd_nMtqKT6ptOoKKAxHlC0IE0JuIDHGT1BhwjUV/s320/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0017.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;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Our very close-quarters and beautifully packed swamp boat</span></i></div><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was cold the whole time we were there. Cold and wet - true November weather. But we walked everywhere every waking hour and we saw so much that our eyes hurt. We stopped for snacks (like hot pepper-jelly fried shrimp and strawberry mojitos and gin cocktails) when we got tired, and we moved right along ... We had the best time and I would not have spent my Thanksgiving any other way. You know you’re in a great place and with good company when you had the best time in a long while in absolutely crap weather! Our cups and thanks runneth over ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Les bons temps</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> were surely well-spent! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UL65yn8J4VTXcQ4Tokvh1PGmP5JRJ3l86RAQ9ugeoZTvYBnXh4dJx2tQy-YGk3-VOkR3YCJyrj5NA1HhVWyyDo98E3ev4Yt862CZDFt6YR3jhAaKcsjxFNa1KYcavhyphenhyphenOZlrjTuzdmUClVIpQd0orazlt781eJW-zQPw5pXn73TOrsgsW6l52/s5184/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9479.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UL65yn8J4VTXcQ4Tokvh1PGmP5JRJ3l86RAQ9ugeoZTvYBnXh4dJx2tQy-YGk3-VOkR3YCJyrj5NA1HhVWyyDo98E3ev4Yt862CZDFt6YR3jhAaKcsjxFNa1KYcavhyphenhyphenOZlrjTuzdmUClVIpQd0orazlt781eJW-zQPw5pXn73TOrsgsW6l52/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9479.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpDM7QxoukRvNUbGXuQo8KwxZDfv2KsdclWmfpvSdl_ToDtVOENBm6A3zWvnuwOfF3GcDNHQHYCCJ2t2YeL-mLrX95da9LPDDETU1fA4VLF0cgI_edHocbacLrksS60UD2mLa0arlzSMQZ-DnsuzPKBDB_xywynI0WvP7hCKBdqOeQzeY9KXo/s5184/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9570.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpDM7QxoukRvNUbGXuQo8KwxZDfv2KsdclWmfpvSdl_ToDtVOENBm6A3zWvnuwOfF3GcDNHQHYCCJ2t2YeL-mLrX95da9LPDDETU1fA4VLF0cgI_edHocbacLrksS60UD2mLa0arlzSMQZ-DnsuzPKBDB_xywynI0WvP7hCKBdqOeQzeY9KXo/s320/_As_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_9570.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCduwloDqu8Jtj9PD3jGcPAQ9P5WLihR1dTeQI8Qhh8tXsfJcRGv9LnjZHKRbykXMES9930lQm7Ha0L_jW-C9DB_o1FMiY8hzxIMGl3ljNu824KOiUTzgpZy9SPF__I4JNyQhpCm_vkb-USPHfBMxziIMqwzBc5U4IwoGzbPHomwJXeRD1wXSi/s1570/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0127.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1570" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCduwloDqu8Jtj9PD3jGcPAQ9P5WLihR1dTeQI8Qhh8tXsfJcRGv9LnjZHKRbykXMES9930lQm7Ha0L_jW-C9DB_o1FMiY8hzxIMGl3ljNu824KOiUTzgpZy9SPF__I4JNyQhpCm_vkb-USPHfBMxziIMqwzBc5U4IwoGzbPHomwJXeRD1wXSi/s320/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0127.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpsfg100tG41YccDEm2Bxp8L9l1irwrY4OOtWcgaSahVw-pDdQMRe9M_GBRcaz-G2INqbT6B1dxw4ZQZvRQkWFQ5S6KSWcNMYP4iR-Ev-Cn70V9nFrcoDgC2cxpD6fYQ32IeU3DxKUMioWFMPmFzf5g8rqZQYLXImUG3-yEdK6fWQKbPz4i-j/s2214/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0058.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1723" data-original-width="2214" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpsfg100tG41YccDEm2Bxp8L9l1irwrY4OOtWcgaSahVw-pDdQMRe9M_GBRcaz-G2INqbT6B1dxw4ZQZvRQkWFQ5S6KSWcNMYP4iR-Ev-Cn70V9nFrcoDgC2cxpD6fYQ32IeU3DxKUMioWFMPmFzf5g8rqZQYLXImUG3-yEdK6fWQKbPz4i-j/s320/_Aas_11_Nov_NewOrleansForThanksgiving_0058.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;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>More beauty in the Mississippi Delta. How did Jason know where to find all these creatures, especially a still owl in the middle of the day, unmoved and serene among the Spanish moss, will remain a mystery to me ... </i></span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-85618459184206309412023-11-21T09:18:00.006-07:002023-11-21T11:07:53.860-07:00 One Year of Darkness<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It’s been one year this week. November 22 will always be one of the darkest days in my life, possibly </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">darkest, when the brightest light in my life went out. My dad. </span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-57c69a44-7fff-5401-0ee4-e9e813367016"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn’t know it then, and I have not known it since, but it came to me recently: last year, on November 22, it was like I was on a train headed to ... the rest of my life. And all of sudden, the train stopped. Cold and irreparable stop and the lights went completely out. To this day, I am waiting for someone to restart that train and to turn on the lights. Since then, I have been lost, feeling shakingly in the dark: somewhat aware of what is around me, but not aware enough to know where we’re headed when the lights will come on. Because I do have to hope that the lights will come on. One day... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since that day, I’ve felt like I am losing him every day, just a little bit more ... All the online calls with mom where he was not there anymore; every single one of them sadder and more empty than the one the day before; we lost him again when we sold his car; and then again, when we had to put his dog down. We lost him again when we gave away his clothes and little by little small mementos of his like a cognac glass he loved that went to his best friend who wanted it to remember him by. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I feel like I lose him a little bit more with every Creedence and every Beatles song that plays every time I walk into a place ... Every time I look in the mirror and I see his eyebrows on me or his nose ... Every time I wear one of the many pieces of jewelry he gave me, or one of his turtle necks ... Every day when he smiles at me from a picture frame ... I feel him drifting further and further away ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With every one of these actions, with every holiday that he’s been missing, with every birthday he didn't help organize, we’ve been losing him more and more, still ... Every one of these events felt like a scab you get to pick on. Every. Day. And every day it bleeds and gets deeper. And it never heals ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have worn my mourning clothes for a year and the day is approaching when I will probably slowly go back to wearing colors. It’s like the time is up for me to mourn or something?! As if that were possible ... I hear mom saying “mourning is in your heart.” And my mourning for him will be. Forever ... You can never truly bury away your love. You can never fit </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">that </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">in-between the four boards, as they say ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They’ll tell you everything has an end, even the bad stuff, even deep and desperate loss. But how do you put a time limit on pain? How do you put a time limit on grief? Just like love - when do you call it done? When do you move on? Truly ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am not less sad today than I was a year ago. If anything, I probably am more sad, because now I have some knowledge and some perspective of what it means to live every day without him on this side of the earth. The day he died, the sheer shock and surprise of it, the thousand errands and things that had to be put in place kept me busy enough to numb my pain. But now, pain has had a year of incubation and it’s now in full force ... </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Every day, still, I learn what it means to live without him. Without the weekly call every Sunday, without having someone to call and ask a detail about a recipe, or how to manage my orchids ... Without someone to truly make me laugh ... Without someone to assure me that every day is a gift worth getting up for and every action is worth </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">everything</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to leave something behind to be remembered by ... </span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Every day is another limping step towards this new person I am becoming - the version of myself without my guiding light, without my guiding beacon that was my dad ... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have been asking for a sign from him lately. There have been decisions to be made about his things, about the way we mourn him, about how to support mom through it all. I don’t know whether I made the right choices. He is not here to tell me ... So, I have been asking for a sign on this first anniversary. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One thing I know for sure: dad was a man of action. He was not a waiting man. He was not patient, except in his love for us. He would not have left that train stuck in that dark station for more than was necessary to refill a tank. He would have kept going. And living. And if there was one thing he left behind was an example of a life well-chosen and well-lived. It might not have been a life approved by many, but it was approved by him and that was enough. That was what mattered, in the end. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I felt like I knew my dad like I know my own soul, and I know his favorite band was unequivocally The Beatles. He talked the most about John (first) and Paul (second), but I never knew (nor asked) which was his favorite Beatle. However, the other day, I walked into this pub and this song came on which I took as my sign. He loved this song and I can still see him close his eyes and swaying in the rhythm. I clearly can hear him sing </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“doo-doo-doo-doo ...” </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have a sneaking suspicion that at least on this one, he would have agreed with George. I took it as his way to send me a nod from beyond on what </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">next</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> might look like .... </span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(...)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', the smile's returning to their faces</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been here</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(...)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', I feel that ice is slowly melting</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been clear</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here comes the sun, and I say</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's alright ... (George Harrison - The Beatles)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We do as we can with the signs we are given ... After a time, I might start believing this advice myself, and there is no authority to put a time limit on that ... </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 654px; overflow: hidden; width: 506px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img height="654" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/WFWCzNXEz5O7lqWyOT9DTmiQq0SBq9v_Jvdr-9suJSiEGQJaZUZiN5_VMg8vkGlGuXZeGA9JxUp6opWyzBrh-nQu7drpHSpNsYoS6uW0MvJww7xi7bfRwmCd7hEP6IbL1CUoiX_6o8Jy1_N10y_kGlM" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="506" /></span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Back when I was his “little darling” and he was my favorite Beatle. RIP, my sweet love! </span></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-68326128805737207022023-09-20T14:59:00.000-06:002023-09-20T14:59:57.839-06:00La 70 de Ani - o Retrospectivă<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sascut, județul Bacău, 21 septembrie 1953. O zi de toamnă, probabil blândă și senină în care albastrul nepătat al cerului urma să se reverse în ochii tăi care abia se deschideau către lume. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maia a zis că te-ai născut după o nuntă la care venise din Timișoara, unde locuiați atunci, doar pentru un weekend. Dar viața nu te-ntreabă când vrei să vii - așa cum nu te întreabă când vrei să pleci. Soarta a vrut să fii născută în Moldova, vatra străbunilor tăi, chiar dacă părinții trăiau la celălalt colț de țară la acea vreme. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Erau frământări mari în lume, în 1953 - Stalin abia murise, războiul din Coreea se termina și americanii plecau acasă cu coada între picioare. Așa cum o vor face de repetate ori de atunci înainte. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej era prim-ministrul Republicii Populare Române și încă nu se transformase în oraș. 1953 pare cu o veșnicie în urmă. Dar sunt de fapt doar 70 de ani!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">E mult? E puțin? Mie mi se pare cât o clipă! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mă strădui sa găsesc cuvinte potrivite pentru așa o ocazie de imensă! Și mărturisesc că mi-e greu. Cum sa sumezi doar în câteva cuvinte omul care ți-a dat viață și fără de care nu ai fi existat? Dar încerc sa merg înapoi pe drumul memoriei și să pun pe hârtie (virtuală) câteva gânduri despre cea mai importantă femeie din viața mea! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ai fost cu mine toată viața mea, de la prima răsuflare și până azi. Și în zi de celebrare mi-aduc aminte de toate zilele frumoase și de cele mai puțin frumoase pe care le-am împărtășit. Pentru că viața nu e făcută doar din fericire. Amar și tristețe există pentru a ne aminti cât de sfinte și binecuvântate sunt zilele senine! Așa e rostul lumii ... decis de o putere mai mare decât noi. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Serbările de sfârșit de an când îmi făceai coronița pentru premiul întâi. Zilele toride de vară când mergeam la mare și mă forțai să stau la plajă ca “să prind culoare”. Serile reci și întunecate de iarnă, când eram prin clasa întâi și mă învățai să împletesc: “un ochi pe față, unul pe dos.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lecțiile de viață pe care mi le dădeai de obicei în bucătărie unde petreceai cea mai mare parte din timpul în care nu erai la servici. Mai ales mi-aduc aminte când mi-ai dat să curăț primul meu morcov, când locuiam la Târgu Frumos. Țin minte cum m-ai avertizat că sigur o să mă tai și că trebuie să fiu atentă. Eu, încăpățânată cum sunt, am zis că nu mă tai, lasă-mă să curăț eu. Și bineînțeles că m-am tăiat. Dar am învățat cum să țin un cuțit de atunci. Și așa ai fost mereu: alături de mine, veghind, îndrumând, dar dându-mi libertatea să încerc viața în felul meu. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mi-aduc aminte multele excursii pe care le-am făcut împreună, când am mers împreună la Durău când am terminat clasa a 10-a în care ai mers doar din întâmplare, fără a planui dinainte. Apoi toate excursiile în America atunci când ai venit să vezi viața pe care mi-am făcut-o aici: Myrtle Beach, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Parcul Arcurilor din Utah, Barajul de la Hoover Dam, Salt Lake City, cutreierând cramele și degustând vinuri în Carolina de Nord și Virginia ... Când ai venit la Summerfield și l-ai crescut pe Gypsy dintr-o mână de pisic. Gypsy pe care de fapt tu l-ai și “botezat”. Când ai venit în Utah și m-ai vegheat la spital, după operația de inimă. Amintiri de neuitat care mi se par ca s-au întâmplat ieri ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Astăzi, de ziua ta, când vremurile ți se par triste, când marea dragoste a vieții tale te veghează de sus, și nu din dreapta ta, îți aduc aminte că ești înconjurată de dragostea noastră. Nu putem aduce niciodată trecutul în prezent și nu-l putem duplica în viitor. Tot ce putem face este să privim înainte, și să încercăm să creăm în continuare amintiri frumoase împreună. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maia ne spunea ca te-ai nascut dansând, a doua zi după o nuntă. Așa aș vrea să te vedem mereu: dansând și zâmbind și bucurandu-te de muzică, de familie, de viață ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mom, te iubim mai mult decât o pot spune în cuvinte. Când mă uit la cei 70 de ani (48 dintre ei din amintire, și restul din poveștile altora) sunt uimită de câte au trecut peste tine și prin câte ai trecut, fizic, psihic, și emoțional. Cât de mult te-ai schimbat și totuși cât de mult ai rămas aceeași femeie frumoasă, puternică, și de bază care ai fost mereu - un exemplu de tenacitate, ambiție, inteligență, circumspecție, și onestitate. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sper din tot sufletul că astăzi să te uiți în urmă și să nu plângi după toată fericirea care a fost odată și care poate ți se pare astăzi estompată, ci să te bucuri că ești alături de cei care te iubesc, și să zâmbești la gîndul posibilităților vieții care vor veni ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ce a fost nu mai poate fi, dar astăzi deschizi o nouă decadă, un nou capitol, și îți dorim să-l umpli cu speranță, sănătate, și lumină ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Acuma când la multele atribute ți se adaugă și înțelepciunea, sper să o folosești pentru a-ți găsi în continuare făgașul tău spre zile bune, ca să ne bucuri mulți, mulți ani de acum înainte cu prezența ta minunată, precum o floare de câmp supraviețuiește extraordinar furtunilor și rămâne mereu verticală, învingătoare și parcă mai proaspătă, în câmpul dur și aspru al vieții. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Te iubim și vrem sa te știm puternică așa cum ai fost mereu ... Uită-te în adâncul inimii tale și găsește comoara de neprețuit care ești ... și care ne ești tuturor ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">La mulți ani! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62dbJejWYA7OJMqfDykBrdxJ1Vxd5uiMlbH1-f7KwoxSA9d_qZi28XA5xV8GeSMaqFmp9PsmgtMhxbptHDxYCOubs4grFgTeWmOnA4lVyDLsEGUduYIC7VxRyDP36MEk7KCayz8HxoP139UPJ4jHBTuJhXdxhXoKozZvgvG2MbJaNq9gJN31T/s809/personal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj62dbJejWYA7OJMqfDykBrdxJ1Vxd5uiMlbH1-f7KwoxSA9d_qZi28XA5xV8GeSMaqFmp9PsmgtMhxbptHDxYCOubs4grFgTeWmOnA4lVyDLsEGUduYIC7VxRyDP36MEk7KCayz8HxoP139UPJ4jHBTuJhXdxhXoKozZvgvG2MbJaNq9gJN31T/s320/personal.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>16 aprilie 2010</b> - ziua cea mai fericit</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">ă</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> din via</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">ț</span><span style="font-family: arial;">a mea, ziua nun</span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">ț</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ii. <br />Te iubesc! </span></i></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-69805096598673190212023-08-11T07:43:00.001-06:002023-08-11T09:39:32.965-06:00 Every Day Is a First. And So Is Today. <p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-673a65b5-7fff-9a6c-9d7e-d83dee5f6238"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 298px; overflow: hidden; width: 297px;"><img height="298" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/EgPIyfhDN9WIvArgN8glfnGJs2OblY-b8-EIoAiCbtF2J5nI9aGR9DrjjgOazhvon4CSZ-V6NG3hAi5Uin6gQBebDLTmJDWysJUbYBf9K5zIm__GbF5EOawAwGJOn7V76GUEh0OREtH4C_-tIzM1hUo" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="297" /></span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You know when you are too close to someone, or to some</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> thing .</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.. you can no longer really see all their details anymore? Nor can you appreciate all their intricacies, quirks, charm, uniqueness? You feel like you’re too close to them to be impartial? You’re too close to them to know ... do they have blue eyes or green? Do they roll their Rs or have a lisp? - it takes you a minute to know for sure ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is how I feel about you: you consume my every thought every single second of every day. Every minute, I think or wonder: what is she up to today? I wonder what crazy file does she have to wrestle with today that would throw her in the midst of stress and frenzy? What worries will she face today? How can I make her smile more? How can I surprise her more (for I know how you much you love surprises - just about as much as I hate them!) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I asked myself a rhetorical question today: </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">what can I possibly say about you today, for your birthday, that I have not said before?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I feel like every thought I ever had about you has been spent. Every word - uttered. Every feeling - expressed. No surprises and no novelty here. Until Aa. blurted out: “She is 45!” - and I laughed out loud! Yep! </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“A. is 45”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> has never, till today, been said before ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When did this happen? 45 years ago today, while I was at the beach with our grandparents, walking the streets, you were born many miles away in our home town. They told me when I would get home, I would have a sister and I did not understand, at 3 years and 4 months, what that exactly meant. When I did get home, I asked them all if you were going to spend the night. That shows you how smart I was ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But you did spend the night. And every night after that, thank God! And you became part of the family and slowly part of me, too! Your presence, your being, your antics and your life ... became part of mine too. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I think what amazes me, still, 45 years later is how different we are and yet how common our lives have been. We grew together, almost twinned, branches from the same trunk, but turned out so incredibly different. Just like branches feeding from the same life-giving water, we twisted in different directions, we grew a different number of twigs (me - none, and you - two), we turned different directions (you - North, and me - South), we bloomed at different times (you - early, and me - late), we will most certainly turn to fall at different ages, too ... I grew out tough and gnarly, you - thin, slender, flexible like the draping branches of a willow. Both, beautiful and strong, but also both singular in who we are ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have faced so much together, in our own time and on our own path. But I never, for one second, ever felt like you were too far away from me. This past year has been so hard! So incredibly hard. And although I thought I knew everything there was to know about you, and about us, I have learned so much more, still. I have learned how much unassumingly stronger (than me) you are. How much more poised and dignified, to my erratic, crazy mess! You have revealed a new </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sorela</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to me - I would not say that it’s one I never knew was there, but one that I only guessed that must be dormant, lurking in the darkness, ready to come out when the time was right. And the time for strength, for ultimate, desperate strength, did come this year. And for you sharing it with me, I will thank you forever ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Happy 45th, Sorela! I wish you many clear mornings with strong coffee and kitty cuddles. Sunny days, as sunny as your own outlook on life. Many runs in dewy meadows, downhill and bug-free. Many days of health and lightness - in body, in spirit, in laughter ... I wish the good and easy parts in you would never change nor spoil. I wish life, no matter how hard, would never harden you. And I wish you’ll know that every day, every second of every day, I am here for you to gladly lighten the load if I can, and just like one branch supports the other, to ask for you to catch me if I am fixin’ to bend. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I remember today more than ever what our parents have always told us: when they will be no longer, we will have each other. This promise on their part seemed but a dream till recently. But after this past year, I am starting to see that day more and more clearly come into focus now, and I am so incredibly grateful that you will be there to hold me up! You’re the only human that knows my past and my soul as well as I do. You’re the only one who speaks the same unspoken language I think and feel. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I wish you the strength, the lightness, the youth of your first 45 years for the next 45 and beyond! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I love you more. Now, and always. </span></p><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-10374191203239175762023-07-11T18:50:00.006-06:002023-07-12T09:21:13.047-06:00A Drive through the Heart of the Nation during the Most American Week of the Year<span id="docs-internal-guid-17ed6b9e-7fff-3ca9-e045-b9eaa594a670"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Columbus, OH was really a nice surprise. I am not sure why, but I was thinking it’ll be another depressing, Midwestern town, loud with darkness and sad people looking down, gray skies, and putrid humidity in July. And it was nothing of sorts. It was clean, and svelte, and cosmopolitan, a mix of historic and modern, loaded in stories of German ancestry as loud as the brick walls are red. It had a </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">vibe</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> - people were walking, and skateboarding, and running amok towards the baseball stadium, restaurants were open and so diverse in every way. All the staff was friendly, with a sunny (and not gray) disposition, chatty, even, and kind. We stayed at a historic hotel, during “modern times” bought by Marriott (who, we hoped cured it from all the ghosts), but with a history of its own - originally called when it opened in 1896, “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Great Southern Fireproof Hotel and Opera House" </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">- I’ll let you dig that story up! It’s fascinating! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIpK-EwPD3NH678k88vn2dLlT5Ad-bXagVEWvuI4IjxtY7NTVS9JUpdmygwau__J0Ur0SSPOm-nZBDHmMLcT3piaO-zmMxA_-A_KSYQgpgNzfM1WsWFpuLHrCd5-L-jWlxUHLrsEfi3e_TqSusJy6jIz9GIYZXhn-Cqsr0gd8fuS9nK0zF-lW/s4032/_AasiPhone_3146.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIpK-EwPD3NH678k88vn2dLlT5Ad-bXagVEWvuI4IjxtY7NTVS9JUpdmygwau__J0Ur0SSPOm-nZBDHmMLcT3piaO-zmMxA_-A_KSYQgpgNzfM1WsWFpuLHrCd5-L-jWlxUHLrsEfi3e_TqSusJy6jIz9GIYZXhn-Cqsr0gd8fuS9nK0zF-lW/s320/_AasiPhone_3146.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Street corner in Columbus, OH</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfGVYZVKi-U_ikdNnW2LnwAFyZ0ohb03Kyc7eBz2pvv4pU8RO6cNfCq-jvmgtUADYjpwfEeE-J1ZV5W3sgdX5xsEWujdWGsxpWskJtbcAC10ezAXD2OnNSVg9ruWqyeAry19LMv6-uHeLNrJ5AMpVq64FXroHjoyASdbVRmer79PQWwUWNdQt/s4032/_AsiPhone_0358.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfGVYZVKi-U_ikdNnW2LnwAFyZ0ohb03Kyc7eBz2pvv4pU8RO6cNfCq-jvmgtUADYjpwfEeE-J1ZV5W3sgdX5xsEWujdWGsxpWskJtbcAC10ezAXD2OnNSVg9ruWqyeAry19LMv6-uHeLNrJ5AMpVq64FXroHjoyASdbVRmer79PQWwUWNdQt/s320/_AsiPhone_0358.JPG" width="240" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>The lobby at The Westin Great Southern Columbus hotel, formerly </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Great Southern Fireproof Hotel and Opera House</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgSPo-UmWaAVDbwjHiXZMVQ7YEcKVu9uTtyJmzUIk_n01hG5PNmbyNfp7vdNfAJcvkBcHgoQTCpnO397tp-rObz2YGkWFLcbMg_gDistRViNUGpOKb9OQHU19DiBfK6RBJ0IkyKYgUOIPqjaLf8taAQvGrEOHM_Ch8naco11T1MEwvq-xAQVF/s4032/_AasiPhone_3150.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAgSPo-UmWaAVDbwjHiXZMVQ7YEcKVu9uTtyJmzUIk_n01hG5PNmbyNfp7vdNfAJcvkBcHgoQTCpnO397tp-rObz2YGkWFLcbMg_gDistRViNUGpOKb9OQHU19DiBfK6RBJ0IkyKYgUOIPqjaLf8taAQvGrEOHM_Ch8naco11T1MEwvq-xAQVF/s320/_AasiPhone_3150.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br style="text-align: left;" /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoER9dA5EbrQWUFKVwQktI_XKMN3rowPmJ6ivzy1E-X-kC53AHmpwHLtaUonKp3LqLm97lM81dRcUFN5eT4o1YkLY1QaDSb_4pGn4E8YJFQvLEyk0mcpE0nboqGiQFjyeaUi6o4bEzv5B2F8XA3AFT_Hajeq_37DJW7Fz6ez7pWW3IxMz1yLp/s4032/_AasiPhone_3152.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkoER9dA5EbrQWUFKVwQktI_XKMN3rowPmJ6ivzy1E-X-kC53AHmpwHLtaUonKp3LqLm97lM81dRcUFN5eT4o1YkLY1QaDSb_4pGn4E8YJFQvLEyk0mcpE0nboqGiQFjyeaUi6o4bEzv5B2F8XA3AFT_Hajeq_37DJW7Fz6ez7pWW3IxMz1yLp/s320/_AasiPhone_3152.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>The making of The Bourbon Twilight at Bar Cicchetti - The Westin Hotel</i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The breakfast at the hotel was a different story. Who puts butter on a smoked salmon bagel sandwich? Apparently Bar Cicchetti does. The cocktails the night before were spectacular, especially the Bourbon Twilight. Bourbon flambé, anyone? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The vibe was gone in Charleston, WV. I have not really experienced West Virginia more than just driving through it and cursing the broken highways. What I have seen of it is indeed “wild and wonderful”, as the state slogan advertises. But I also know of poverty and deep challenges, cracks in infrastructure and education so big that they seem that can never be mended. I have always wanted to visit at least Charleston, the state capital, even if for no other reason than because they have - from the speed of the highway, at least - the most beautiful Capitol dome that I can remember of any other US State I have been to. Gilded in 24K gold, it reminds one of the riches of castles of Europe or the church domes of Russia. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwFXs7Ix2XqZkI2TChj8dto5JCvrCTtkfOBuXsSwAxnIbWs71nMmV1FoLZyUqk3iMaWPSsN75TyMnOEnCF7XT4HvcXh9qoQAv90PBOg17mcDM3m_MjYiaTNMS7qypWSgLBso3nqmaeQ62x_sIfSbAvatKxgvyf_oqcnq7hZ934fNKumBYCTDS/s3859/_AsiPhone_0591.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3859" data-original-width="2894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvwFXs7Ix2XqZkI2TChj8dto5JCvrCTtkfOBuXsSwAxnIbWs71nMmV1FoLZyUqk3iMaWPSsN75TyMnOEnCF7XT4HvcXh9qoQAv90PBOg17mcDM3m_MjYiaTNMS7qypWSgLBso3nqmaeQ62x_sIfSbAvatKxgvyf_oqcnq7hZ934fNKumBYCTDS/s320/_AsiPhone_0591.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>The Capitol in Charleston, WV</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As I have already said, Charleston did not have a vibe. It felt like a town that is virtually, generally closed for business. We arrived on a Thursday evening and most restaurants were already closed at 7.30 (had already closed at 6PM). The handful that were open would have closed by 9 PM. Driving through the city felt like driving through a ghost town. Maybe it’s because it was the week of July 4th and the government (and maybe the city folk) were on vacation? But there were tons of businesses closed, some stripmalls that looked deserted truly, and some of the houses in what one would deem the “desirable” neighborhood of The Capitol block, right along the Kanawha river (waterfront, in fact) bore many signs that announced them to be “available”, “for sale” or “for lease.” Most had the sign of age and decay written clearly on their chipped brick walls and cloudy windows thick with cobwebs. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Capitol building is indeed impressive. But, Charleston was sad, dark, and lonely ... I wished that the stereotype of West Virginia being one of the poorest states in The Union, lacking opportunities and draw would be busted ... But from the little time we spent there, we were left wanting for more ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Indiana Dunes is the 13th National Park we have visited so far. You’re not really sure when you’re drifting from Ohio into Indiana and into Michigan onward. The park is unique because it’s a National Park surrounded by a State Park beach that opens up on Lake Michigan. The National Park piece is wild, criss-crossed by trails, and really diverse, a mix of sandy dunes, juniper trees and desert-like vegetation, right along marshes filled with birds, turtles and ducks. The State Park piece is full of people sunning on the beach, bringing all their people-ness along - noise, mess, busy-bodiness ... Quite mysteriously placed, only to remind us we’re still in the manufacturing Midwest, a very active steel plant neighbors the parks; its flames rush towards the skies frantically, adding more heat to the already melty summer air. I wish we had a wee bit more time to explore the trails ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87Np1aDvhWpINW5k4Crej56YvgzwbGuskJ6hElUpgQoRgqnOlqi3u2dGAOfy-vinrRouqDpJIuaHINrouu3Yhgs-peWmzcxFGLxvclP3G6n-kRGSGqMDCgYE3IAg5Z0TiJCw5BNdTuMlzF8m4URuOrN7U3pv7fXD_-ueq3VCtRx3-nhhi2uLh/s6240/_Aas_0016.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87Np1aDvhWpINW5k4Crej56YvgzwbGuskJ6hElUpgQoRgqnOlqi3u2dGAOfy-vinrRouqDpJIuaHINrouu3Yhgs-peWmzcxFGLxvclP3G6n-kRGSGqMDCgYE3IAg5Z0TiJCw5BNdTuMlzF8m4URuOrN7U3pv7fXD_-ueq3VCtRx3-nhhi2uLh/s320/_Aas_0016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>The beach at Indiana Dune State Park on Lake Michigan</i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj-1WNcItxdNpV7XodHvTKOeyk_E_T4EuPDpUS7ohVphMzRjptdhZ6KcNMTEdmWsESRzDlSDhJG1Hlp0EUkTSWPJazWOLxQCkCNTxshqXBhcbkcNvV4PAtCknXvl9HdxNztGSVCJqKG02GBdLyiq_WYReEn3HzlNNfheXJZh51PEflKuKJaln/s5184/_As_8823.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicj-1WNcItxdNpV7XodHvTKOeyk_E_T4EuPDpUS7ohVphMzRjptdhZ6KcNMTEdmWsESRzDlSDhJG1Hlp0EUkTSWPJazWOLxQCkCNTxshqXBhcbkcNvV4PAtCknXvl9HdxNztGSVCJqKG02GBdLyiq_WYReEn3HzlNNfheXJZh51PEflKuKJaln/s320/_As_8823.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>An oasis in Indiana Dunes National Park</i></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kalamazoo, MI used to be somewhat of a sad, gray, Midwestern, blue-collar city, too, when I first started visiting, back in 2009. But with every visit since, it has come more into its own. Tons of new stripmalls are popping up, new construction, condos, new homes, some of them incredibly modern in architecture, new coffee shops, updated diners (instead of the greasy-spoon ones of the 50’s). It was particularly cheery in the summer - weather does cast a more somber shadow on it, when days on end fail to show the sun during winter and fall ... But the feeling of fresh, new blood and life was refreshing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Holland and South Haven, Michigan have similar characteristics to one another. My husband said they are “typical coastal towns” which I guess makes sense: they are both sitting proud on Lake Michigan. Holland is a college town meets mid-century modern homes. South Haven leans more towards the colonial, or even Victorian architecture. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8paLnrHNKlaGyeoVfJF9yP5NIhg9QeM38oJt0h8lz3j4GQZlgD8mXt4C4Rnw5BzvSiW9hlaX7fbYgYBpJRjuyUPFtXcAKKvlRVi2wRunCe8BIgf4SZKt6CTtzC-_-yav9rTVRdpbt1txJ7-sT32NLyHoOD97l3cXpYIaOUJTcZz_f1PbhCC-u/s4032/_AsiPhone_0520.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8paLnrHNKlaGyeoVfJF9yP5NIhg9QeM38oJt0h8lz3j4GQZlgD8mXt4C4Rnw5BzvSiW9hlaX7fbYgYBpJRjuyUPFtXcAKKvlRVi2wRunCe8BIgf4SZKt6CTtzC-_-yav9rTVRdpbt1txJ7-sT32NLyHoOD97l3cXpYIaOUJTcZz_f1PbhCC-u/s320/_AsiPhone_0520.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>South Haven Lighthouse in South Haven, MI. You can tell the muckiness of the smoky and humid air above Lake Michigan</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Outside of Holland, we went for some baked goods at Crane’s Orchards. My companions raved about the freshly baked pie. My pretzel was delicious, so hot out of the oven that it burned my lips. But the waitress had a terrible time figuring out how to charge for two slices of pie and a pretzel. You see, people come here for pies, mostly. That part, she figured out. The pretzel was an appetizer, and although I ordered it as it was on the menu, she was taken by surprise and could not figure out what to tell “the computer”. Crane’s is one of those places that has ‘regular” dining options (like sandwiches) just to attract the new folk, but they are known well for one thing only by “the regulars” (pies) and they draw probably 99% of their customers for pies. They are on autopilot for pies. The rest of the options on the menu seemed to be a mystery to them ... A nice stop, overall, but just be ready to allow for some ungainliness if you crave something other than ... a slice of cherry pie </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">a la mode</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL-_yTyJxM3jWqW7wC0wy3mttElVZf92a3ou_yqtKFXVgMkmdBZbk7M4TboDdN-73E7yGKdrjPT-ehnUuWu-sMF2Og50tuv72Iu14LIYfnd3HDYHwnBqgU5OIo_fWQb1WLb79450EgHra9um1K59fIDN_O1lBR-t-lZxvzhbqv683qORrA4TL/s4032/_AsiPhone_0430.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvL-_yTyJxM3jWqW7wC0wy3mttElVZf92a3ou_yqtKFXVgMkmdBZbk7M4TboDdN-73E7yGKdrjPT-ehnUuWu-sMF2Og50tuv72Iu14LIYfnd3HDYHwnBqgU5OIo_fWQb1WLb79450EgHra9um1K59fIDN_O1lBR-t-lZxvzhbqv683qORrA4TL/s320/_AsiPhone_0430.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>The pie place: Crane's Orchard in Fennville, MI</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Speaking of ungainliness, at Anna’ House (a modern diner with a very exhaustive and diverse menu in Kalamazoo), they will spill two pints of ice water and half of a hot cup of coffee on you without much of an apology. After drenching my mother-in-law in said liquids, we all got free coffees ... No apology, really (other than “Sorry, this happens sometimes”), no manager came to visit, no one offered a dry cleaner’s coupon for the snow white shirt that was not splotchy brown from coffee stains ... But the food is delicious! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We passed through Springfield, Ohio, where we stopped for a couple of hours to visit The Westcott House, a Frank Lloyd Wright construction which was finished in 1903. This is only the second F.L. Wright building we have seen (the first one was Taliesin West which is a home and a school - a bit of a different purpose), and the first one that we have seen that was built for a family. If you are at all interested not only in architecture, but human innovation, history, and the daring ideas of a visionary spirit, I strongly encourage you to get into the mind of Frank Lloyd Wright. The possibilities of learning about looking at the world through different-colored glasses are endless with this guy! When you think of the period he grew up in and of the years during which he created (between 1860s and 1950s) and the type of architecture he created (some elements of which did not become mainstream till 1980s and 1990s), your mind will be blown away! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">America was still designing homes with 2x4 ft closets all the way into the 1970s! Wright designed walk-in closets (arguably some of the first ones ever), with built-in drawers, shelves, areas separated by function and purpose ... When people hardly had indoor plumbing, he added bathrooms to every bedroom or, for smaller bedrooms (meant for children), he connected them by Jack-n-Jill bathrooms. The craftsmanship, the wood paneling, the unique pigmented stucco walls, the stained glass doors and light fixtures, the long, tunnel-like, canopy gardens are signature items we have seen in both of the places we visited. They bring everything together into a cohesive style, stamp it with his unique signature ... Oh, how I wish I would have met him and seen his thinking process. As the granddaughter of a construction engineer, I am fascinated by how people create something from nothing. Or something from a dream, or a feeling of where things should go ... I wish I could see a house from a plotting design, but I can’t ... And it’s perhaps because I can’t see this that I appreciate and respect it so much. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Full disclosure: The Westcott House you see today is almost a 100% restoration. The home was inhabited by the Westcott family who commissioned it from the famous artist between 1903 and 1926. After that, it went through many identities, being anything from a single-family home, a boarding house, and later an apartment complex. The house was later left in disrepair which made the ubiquitous wood fixtures rot and the foundation collapse. The floors, the built-ins, the roof beams collapsed and made it unsafe to live in. The Wright Foundation eventually bought it from the last owner and restored every inch of it. They used the original plans, and pictures from different stages of the house’s life to restore it. I think the job was done well and the place shows like the masterpiece that was intended to be. You’ll learn about the Springfield and Ohio history and industry while you're here - the docent is a retired newspaper employee and she is full of facts. After telling us the many details about the many industries of Springfield and Ohio, in general, she concluded with pride “We are pretty cool!”. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAysqqpeUhKus-5e9OBd5zQH6LD1UTbxTUXj1xLY63pwscE0uTKrgtqFQq3jTv-apyfAmi_2pgmd6QickUFeLrs17q2N2nTzLOzZ0STgaL0Qr_f_4-SWVICOnn-HvkpDRFhCxRq8OCKwQGLTE2toOv2QS0v7rHJnyIZECABLtQ1SV9VooQUwuN/s4032/_AsiPhone_0524.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAysqqpeUhKus-5e9OBd5zQH6LD1UTbxTUXj1xLY63pwscE0uTKrgtqFQq3jTv-apyfAmi_2pgmd6QickUFeLrs17q2N2nTzLOzZ0STgaL0Qr_f_4-SWVICOnn-HvkpDRFhCxRq8OCKwQGLTE2toOv2QS0v7rHJnyIZECABLtQ1SV9VooQUwuN/s320/_AsiPhone_0524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5M5YSRxi3sLtNcdt_4HQV2RdgjKBoP5xxRCBh9zzlfebX_K9RDQh2QWvm75gJTxrA1zbinLocOEaEIyzo3Cwsy_qFDmgoyhRxjpvLklS8O7UIjjWckJ2Efw6yxOP6fSy5YGoZT7nKt8nsiHy8wlv5hw_u8EiEnGyJ5yU60mXdPjQZbVq5TZu/s4032/_AsiPhone_0540.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5M5YSRxi3sLtNcdt_4HQV2RdgjKBoP5xxRCBh9zzlfebX_K9RDQh2QWvm75gJTxrA1zbinLocOEaEIyzo3Cwsy_qFDmgoyhRxjpvLklS8O7UIjjWckJ2Efw6yxOP6fSy5YGoZT7nKt8nsiHy8wlv5hw_u8EiEnGyJ5yU60mXdPjQZbVq5TZu/s320/_AsiPhone_0540.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Frank Lloyd Wright's The Westcott House in Springfield, OH</i></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We traveled for the entire week through the smoke of the wildfires in Canada. Couple that with the normal wet heat of the East Coast, you’d know that the weather was a hot stew: wet and burning any way you breathed it ...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I love summer travel when kids are out of school and they are instead serving customers at the fast foods on their summer jobs. Their innocence and sometimes charming absent-mindedness is somewhat endearing to me (maybe now that I have nephews old enough to work in a restaurant for the summer is what causes this nostalgia).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In Columbus, we had to allow our car to be parked by the valet. We had a 6 pack of beer in the trunk and someone got a little happy with the steering wheel on the way to or from the parking lot. The following morning, they brought it back with broken beer bottles in the trunk. We drove from Columbus to Kalamazoo the next day in beer fumes, trying nervously not to get pulled over and charged with drunken driving, considering the obvious stench ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">West Virginia had the most, shall we say, unique ... billboards. Some websites advertised in big, bold letters things like </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">helltruth.com</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hicksoutdoor.com</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. I am afraid to ask! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We passed innumerable mobile homes on this journey, some of them so decrepit and run down, we wondered how many breaths they had left before their time was over. Leaning walls, leaking roofs, boarded windows, but with perfectly-looking cars parked up front and small, half-naked, mired in mud, little kids upfront. I would only wonder what they had for breakfast or dinner the previous night ... It could not have been much. The penury was palpable. And yet, on so many of them, there was a sign on their front door that spelled in bold, bright letters very clearly: “BLESSED”. I have zero room to complain! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the most beautiful drives is along the river Kanawha through West Virginia. The river flows right along the side of the highway like a good, loyal companion. It, with the road and the train tracks, snake along together telling the same coal-dark story ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">America is a country of contrasts. Of rich and poor. Of sad and happy. Of light and shadows. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Confederate flags hanging on farmlands like bleeding wounds, Trump political signs reading like the sure threat they are. All this while the cd was spinning in our dashboard and Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo was bellowing out: “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Let’s build a fortress of love by the river with all the happiness that we can find.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Let’s! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mva7JO2KmJD7hGfD3cSgXFsl8mAszvKpAzia9DIsGnpJjaI-hgwi-bVT7kkPZGMXF9RN5UX2fdNgHw_UNWn5xUxEqqzUTw6kDDSJP79Xj0ABAfrFfGYqg-Yw40SL9Qm-4gF-TlSLFKH88b8NQ0iL1EX2_BrGTlyc4WcMGnzPOiNfXGbSZZ-J/s5184/_As_9040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mva7JO2KmJD7hGfD3cSgXFsl8mAszvKpAzia9DIsGnpJjaI-hgwi-bVT7kkPZGMXF9RN5UX2fdNgHw_UNWn5xUxEqqzUTw6kDDSJP79Xj0ABAfrFfGYqg-Yw40SL9Qm-4gF-TlSLFKH88b8NQ0iL1EX2_BrGTlyc4WcMGnzPOiNfXGbSZZ-J/s320/_As_9040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhoK0uig0Ne9sU1qxVe97AXQrAtaD6IeHjirjr64rxkC3leqIo_mz0nWKo3KszuvhPSdSzSCYBZzATWFqzaHFodoOwCiHB-mEOE_HLriw2nArh_9-tcJXXw3ZoG6UUgUixoQpkxi5PoXk0GdVcgQli-NID-GFWWkiWMDumz5si87vN8Or40es/s3379/_As_9086.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2479" data-original-width="3379" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhoK0uig0Ne9sU1qxVe97AXQrAtaD6IeHjirjr64rxkC3leqIo_mz0nWKo3KszuvhPSdSzSCYBZzATWFqzaHFodoOwCiHB-mEOE_HLriw2nArh_9-tcJXXw3ZoG6UUgUixoQpkxi5PoXk0GdVcgQli-NID-GFWWkiWMDumz5si87vN8Or40es/s320/_As_9086.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Quintessential America: Charleston, WV around the Capitol block, and on the side of the road somewhere in the Midwest. </span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-56225987101313847112023-06-01T18:04:00.001-06:002023-06-03T08:45:22.264-06:00The Dog That Never Stopped Barking<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day they come into our lives is the happiest. And the day they leave us, as all things do, eventually, is the saddest. Today is one of these sad days. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c4ae0c34-7fff-92bb-623c-923b08abcb29"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I speak, of course, of our pets. Our creatures. Our friends. Our family members. Our companions. Our worry. Our ball and chain. And our ultimate happiness, joy, and sometimes even single reason for getting out of bed in the morning. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our family has had cats that we all shared. They were </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> cats. Maybe only Bella, the half-siamese stray kitty (</span><a href="https://wander-world.blogspot.com/2018/12/good-night-sweet-princess.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://wander-world.blogspot.com/2018/12/good-night-sweet-princess.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) was half a stray and half </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my dad</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s cat. But the rest of them were </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ours</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The dogs, though, the two dogs my family ever had, were without a question </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my dad’s dogs</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. No one disputed this! They were both named Bobby, both pure-bred German Shepherds. And were absolutely 180-degrees diametrically opposed! They were massive, scary-looking dogs, all chest and muscle, all head. But temperamentally, they could not have been more different!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bobby #1 (</span><a href="https://wander-world.blogspot.com/2010/06/cainele-care-latra-numai-la-pisici.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://wander-world.blogspot.com/2010/06/cainele-care-latra-numai-la-pisici.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) was quiet, and patient. He used to put his large head on your knee as you sat down and just sit there, looking at you with begging eyes, just to be close to you. Not Bobby #2. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bobby #2 came into dad’s life mere months after Bobby #1 died. Dad got his </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first Bobby </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the year my sister got married (2000) and when he died, the year I got married (2010), dad got Bobby #2. The second Bobby was all voice! You could hear him from two neighborhoods down the street! He would bark at cars, people, birds, cats - a loud, aggressive, piercing bark and howl. All lungs. All power. You’d wish you died a decent, painless death before you came face-to-face with that dog. He seemed to be a menace and he was after you till you were over, for sure - the very last breath of you. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dad loved it, though, because he wanted people to fear him so they’d never think of approaching his house! It worked. I am sure of it. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first thing he did when he grew up tall enough to not be a puppy anymore was to pull down all of mom’s laundry off the clotheslines and bury it in the yard! Freshly clean white sheets - buried in the yard’s muck. Deep. It was the day I thought for sure mom would kill dad! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, my aunt went to feed him one day, and he shredded off her pants! Never bit into her flesh at all, but tore up her pants. And she is the kindest, most caring people you’d meet! And she was, after all, the hand that fed him. No matter! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My parents knew pretty early on that this was no dog to be let loose in the yard, like the first Bobby. Dad immediately built a separate yard enclosure for him, where he was free to roam and as loud as he wanted to be (and boy, was he loud!), but where he could not get in trouble with people. Mom and dad went in there to feed him. Dad had his meat-smoking and wine-making equipment in there, so he went in there quite often. He played with him every time he went into his "territory". He also had a clear view of the rest of the yard and who came and went. He never seemed alone nor lonely because he <b><i>spoke</i></b> with every breath he took. You could say he was the perfect dog for our chatty family! Finally we met our match! He'd wag his whole body and pull at the fences and gate around him to tear them down if you ever so much as made eye contact with him! You would never be able to ignore him. Ever. It was a thing to watch! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For years - 10 or so - I believed Bobby #2 was just an aggressive, angry dog that was so defensive of my dad and the house that he was willing to tear anyone or anything up that, to his perception, came between dad and his security. But later on people started debating whether he was truly just angry and hateful towards people (he was raised from birth by people, always with a family, always cared for), or just lonely and asking to play ... A dog that should have never been a yard dog, but rather a family, living room kinda dog?! We will never know, because all he ever was was a yard dog ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was not till last year, when we went back to bury dad and when he was over 12 years old, that I finally got the courage to pet him! It took 12 whole years for me to build up the courage to approach him. And for mom to feel safe enough to let him out of his enclosure and around people. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bobby #2 died today, June 1, 2023. Ironically enough, like the big kid looking for play that he was all his life, he died today, on International Kids’ Day! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Six months, one week and three days after dad left us, Bobby finally crossed the rainbow bridge to be with him. They are both in Heaven now, Bobby waking up the dead, quite probably, and dad trying to catch up with his shenanigans. They are probably both looking for Bobby #1 and all our kitties to have a good ol' family reunion and dad is surely smoking some yummy ribs and sausages and sharing them all around. I'd like to think of this, rather than spend some time just crying and letting my heart bleed ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our house back in Romania is probably dead-quiet. Our streets have found a silence and a peace that they have not known for 13 years now. As much as the neighbors will enjoy the silence, they will also probably miss the bucolic flair of the barking dog in the night... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My heart goes out to my grieving mom who had to muster the courage and the force to put him down after he had been suffering for months from a tumor and a frail back. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rest in peace, sweet fellow! Our lives are richer and kinder because you were in them! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUntW5mHXeOJFQyV0Mvoe4lVvSBuW0ErK1QRMGOeqwXPxBhWErSNre3dZ4_3xZpQlKCtGedlN1L5GTo2mQHgO0mjcpSSmmvNgxPI7raA0xXObh3PQ3NQT9HAcuf-o1NJithVW2rGOYsI6yC1G4n_gQ6mwkVH5mME2gzn0hbk7dIKQJxjPcfA/s2776/6F9EC854-5993-4EA0-8895-0716805B501F.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2776" data-original-width="2776" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUntW5mHXeOJFQyV0Mvoe4lVvSBuW0ErK1QRMGOeqwXPxBhWErSNre3dZ4_3xZpQlKCtGedlN1L5GTo2mQHgO0mjcpSSmmvNgxPI7raA0xXObh3PQ3NQT9HAcuf-o1NJithVW2rGOYsI6yC1G4n_gQ6mwkVH5mME2gzn0hbk7dIKQJxjPcfA/s320/6F9EC854-5993-4EA0-8895-0716805B501F.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 18.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Bobby #2 in 2018 and last year (2022) when he finally came out of his enclosure. He was a handsome guy, for sure. </i></span></div><p></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-56548010474684043212023-05-15T20:36:00.004-06:002023-05-16T06:53:14.692-06:00A Bit of Everything: St. Petersburg, FL<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">St. Petersburg, FL is a city on water. It sits on the Pinellas peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, and is connected to mainland Florida to the north.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-95e16054-7fff-b471-078b-b9c48a1a8805"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I finally managed to string a few thoughts together after our trip there about a month ago. </span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On our first morning in St. Pete (as we have learned that everyone calls it), we went to </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Hangar</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> restaurant for breakfast. Appropriately named, it is perched above a small private airport, where planes take off right from under your plates. I actually know someone who lives in Florida and not only owns their small private plane, but they built it themselves (former airline pilots, now retired). Yeah, Florida does seem sometimes like the land of all possibilities, until you check out their politics (I could not help but notice that there is even a “Fox” car rental place in the Tampa airport. No joking!). I was just fascinated how much traffic that small airport displayed in just less than an hour while we were eating our fresh fruit. And Florida does have really good fresh fruit! </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the restaurant, we had a very cranky waitress. She was fine and all till the hostess placed two small children with their grandmas (who reminded me of Grace and Frankie: one, in a posh pair of pressed pants, and the other in a Dali “surrealist” shirt and a flower-pattern Hawaiian pair of baggy pants) in her section, right next to our table. She hurried to get the kids’ order ready first, saying that “She tried to be fast so they have something to keep them busy for a bit.” One of the grandmas is impressed and says “Wow! You must have kids of your own. You know how to handle them!” to which the waitress says with a frown: “No, I don’t have any. I actually very much dislike kids.” Mic drop! I have been accused of being bluntly honest myself, but dang! </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The cranky was everywhere in Florida, I might add: the hotel receptionist was flustered when someone came to grab a drink from the fridge at the front desk and asked them to add it to their room tab (why? isn’t this how it works?!). Then, the receptionist told us that to get our valet to drive our car around, we should text this number (showing it to us on a piece of paper), and “they </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sometimes</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> answer it.” I was confused. So, </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sometimes</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we won’t get our car back (the parking was valet only). Another hotel guest confirmed in the elevator that “yeah, you need to call and then come down and wait for at least 20-30 minutes and sometimes they need reminders even after that. But they will </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eventually</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> get your car. Good times!” - she added. I was beginning to wonder where the “Southern hospitality” lives in Florida?! Definitely not in the ... umm ... “hospitality” industry. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We did run into this sweet hostess at the Dali museum, right after we stepped in. She advised us, unsolicited, where we could go and start the guided tour through the museum with a docent. This proved to be a really nice experience as the docent walked the galleries with us, sharing real-life stories about Dali and explaining the paintings through that realistic frame. This docent was one of the most memorable parts of the trip: she could not have been more than 4ft 11in in height, with a voice as quiet as a whisper, and she must have been at least 100 years of age! And this is no exaggeration. She was using a walker and her small frame was bent over by age and osteoporosis. Her fingers crooked and gnarly. She was frail in stature and physique, but so sharp in mind and humor. At times, she made the stories about Dali eating cheese on the Parisian sidewalks and watching the bull fights so real that we were thinking she must have been there and witnessed these moments herself. </span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are details like these that make travels unforgettable. The museum was everything I was looking forward to: originality, breathlessness to be in the same room with some of the most amazing works of art of all centuries. But the docent, the Avant-garden where we had a small pastry snack on the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">persistence of memory</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bench, were details that punctuated it with uniqueness and gave it a vivid contour, all ours. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCepTnQbSgpcPY5rq1drbpFN4sEhbqwj03I9BjDxRyhV3I73RmcdV4KUUXwVi4MZF_Nm8SLggLeCPC0pnLpN31Or1T-YgFkwQjCpnDtFryEPQvw5La_XSZQjd2QuARACpDclJ5IfSl8YHepjgb1du2pQGVRYITILJOYKsQQUq5WEcDHxeTlQ/s4032/_As_9004.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCepTnQbSgpcPY5rq1drbpFN4sEhbqwj03I9BjDxRyhV3I73RmcdV4KUUXwVi4MZF_Nm8SLggLeCPC0pnLpN31Or1T-YgFkwQjCpnDtFryEPQvw5La_XSZQjd2QuARACpDclJ5IfSl8YHepjgb1du2pQGVRYITILJOYKsQQUq5WEcDHxeTlQ/s320/_As_9004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z50qnGZgF-ho2BXsv92v1Rgs2SlEjrW9xaZXqgMxMZJViL4xXMpgb__mE9DfShrJHoT8oAhtPe1lIKk-1OeSmxUdITxO7MdvCfNed41av8DV7K1T7VVGG4H4n9fjK_ozDLJ94nfpwBlH60i9oJKM97p185jc6QPby-VHByMfv_Ju5YkpAw/s5184/_As_8380.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1z50qnGZgF-ho2BXsv92v1Rgs2SlEjrW9xaZXqgMxMZJViL4xXMpgb__mE9DfShrJHoT8oAhtPe1lIKk-1OeSmxUdITxO7MdvCfNed41av8DV7K1T7VVGG4H4n9fjK_ozDLJ94nfpwBlH60i9oJKM97p185jc6QPby-VHByMfv_Ju5YkpAw/s320/_As_8380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQYq7m4UKiiWAGbEPtS5MI8flR2q6SnIzDF3CwiSbMrHA_kXxDi9DQ1FrTtrbEUMe90tdQjr9EzV0JCWMRDrM9j_5Yb0q8rs0EmkRxD5TDaYqGbOOpXpYU4InqqbiQgSmR7BZNpX81l9fbU2XEzoVYd0lWgsvT2CJqIZg4C619A0P-rHqHA/s4032/_As_9008.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQYq7m4UKiiWAGbEPtS5MI8flR2q6SnIzDF3CwiSbMrHA_kXxDi9DQ1FrTtrbEUMe90tdQjr9EzV0JCWMRDrM9j_5Yb0q8rs0EmkRxD5TDaYqGbOOpXpYU4InqqbiQgSmR7BZNpX81l9fbU2XEzoVYd0lWgsvT2CJqIZg4C619A0P-rHqHA/s320/_As_9008.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcz4ZuuY-OxJexy3faMo1fA3o-cAjahEmf4X3QtVAfAKryH74jGA_ru2VNTRiBX4KFWaZ1pe8fulCfAioYPHV2mK1TERip48H_JcijdqMF-yeId_mLCOin6Haf0t4SmrlgzcUhP7DooD4ozgNI1cIJx8guISVQG1DuoOBMuzhLMolqwTkzg/s4032/_As_9015.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKcz4ZuuY-OxJexy3faMo1fA3o-cAjahEmf4X3QtVAfAKryH74jGA_ru2VNTRiBX4KFWaZ1pe8fulCfAioYPHV2mK1TERip48H_JcijdqMF-yeId_mLCOin6Haf0t4SmrlgzcUhP7DooD4ozgNI1cIJx8guISVQG1DuoOBMuzhLMolqwTkzg/s320/_As_9015.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Various scenes from The Dali Museum. Standing in front of "The Ecumenical Council" (and so many others) was a "bucket list" moment for me</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmm8XdaQry3Lz6rPD0FZLanv2uhNyAMofXRdagQA8Qv4NlzwTvmSvJdg9K4KtPjuKcyzFUWymmJGQ-7bRjE4QpjwNze-htlbJxX2QOfPVrAjAy1E7yZafjBDexgrqOIXkYa-tJe0g4nfhYfDlU-rJaiDnYeCWjslaNMEBiF8Hfufey24JVIQ/s2933/_Aas_2738.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2933" data-original-width="2363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmm8XdaQry3Lz6rPD0FZLanv2uhNyAMofXRdagQA8Qv4NlzwTvmSvJdg9K4KtPjuKcyzFUWymmJGQ-7bRjE4QpjwNze-htlbJxX2QOfPVrAjAy1E7yZafjBDexgrqOIXkYa-tJe0g4nfhYfDlU-rJaiDnYeCWjslaNMEBiF8Hfufey24JVIQ/s320/_Aas_2738.JPG" width="258" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>I could not peel myself away from the t</i></span></span><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>rompe-l'œil of the </i></span></span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at Twenty Meters Becomes the Portrait of Abraham Lincoln" painting. I just could not figure out "how he did <u>that</u>" ... </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">(For full effect, click the picture to enlarge it, then look carefully at it by squinting your eyes. After a while you will see that the window becomes Lincoln's portrait.) </i></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If in Arizona, we had the best experience with foods - availability and diversity everywhere - in St. Petersburg we had some spotty encounters. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were hard pressed to find a breakfast place on Sunday morning (which was also my birthday as well as Easter). After striking out on several places that could not place us or offered to place us after a minimum of two hours, we ended up having breakfast at Starbucks! And what do you know: even Starbucks was out of bagels. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We wanted to try out what seemed to be a more off-the-beaten-path breakfast place called </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bacon Bitch</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Seriously - who would not want to eat in a place by this name?! But as we were waiting to be seated, I saw one of the waitresses smoking in the kitchen as she was rearranging her shorts and ponytail while she cleaned out the edges of the plates with her spare hand before taking them to the customers in the dining room. I was hungry, but umm ... Nope ... Sorry, </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bacon Bitch</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: clever name, but you lost me! Literally. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We did find a couple of good food places. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Frenchy’s Outpost </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Dunedin had the fresh seafood you expect from a seashore town. The </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teak</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> restaurant is a show stopper: it is at the very end of the St. Pete Pier and a feat of architectural design. It looks like a spaceship waiting for lift-off. Although the food was remarkable (they had replaced their regular seafood menu with “Easter”-inspired dishes, so it was more mashed potatoes and ham and less seafood gumbo), the view is why it’s worth the trek. Best views of the water and of the bay towards the city that we could find. The sunset over St. Pete was stunning, even on a cloudy day. </span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDH2r469tRF6YLMWvCcY3TWX5PenDRXe6es6EHY5pUzRIRdbqoSH_v4oybalS85Rfjb--vbSxeLYWTzFgndX9zhz7N9z9xhfPRsL7Rf__XxkGkSelkkk_khRHvba1GV0xbdmeB__9D_JR5yxx6q81qHPuh7u7t0u74HZvRF35vodBzYrbuw/s4032/_Aas_2740.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDH2r469tRF6YLMWvCcY3TWX5PenDRXe6es6EHY5pUzRIRdbqoSH_v4oybalS85Rfjb--vbSxeLYWTzFgndX9zhz7N9z9xhfPRsL7Rf__XxkGkSelkkk_khRHvba1GV0xbdmeB__9D_JR5yxx6q81qHPuh7u7t0u74HZvRF35vodBzYrbuw/s320/_Aas_2740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Scrumptious claws at Frenchy's Outpost</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7ionDmrjat5lPfdpUbEYi2k9tEf_nII_XWzoaueveg7yPHDiZUSzfy9tdSioRvE6tsVxse2qDL6ir5ZGKJTpf07Kw_d_jGo83t09fNQ7f93-p1mWWRLE34E34Yq8cFWuDhayLpJ5_sFoO-1_uJY1ZSwmTtfKgiAOdoVpbaLbMDMzVUEzFw/s4032/_As_9224.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7ionDmrjat5lPfdpUbEYi2k9tEf_nII_XWzoaueveg7yPHDiZUSzfy9tdSioRvE6tsVxse2qDL6ir5ZGKJTpf07Kw_d_jGo83t09fNQ7f93-p1mWWRLE34E34Yq8cFWuDhayLpJ5_sFoO-1_uJY1ZSwmTtfKgiAOdoVpbaLbMDMzVUEzFw/s320/_As_9224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-PejzuZjy13HqQFD4cydUJfaToiVhgcamNn1QwAFuC6_m4Cs2nBE_NIC6G3Bg44rB5e4MPv4fSJL9cE3tZngk5A0hzaHhiZ1TOpszauNwY9OuClTmEfADc08EiBQyZt_J4_XEFmn9Ju_DNpxuq2k0uprBTx-SU6MCW6b5Ha1T4rM9yJiTA/s4032/_As_9247.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-PejzuZjy13HqQFD4cydUJfaToiVhgcamNn1QwAFuC6_m4Cs2nBE_NIC6G3Bg44rB5e4MPv4fSJL9cE3tZngk5A0hzaHhiZ1TOpszauNwY9OuClTmEfADc08EiBQyZt_J4_XEFmn9Ju_DNpxuq2k0uprBTx-SU6MCW6b5Ha1T4rM9yJiTA/s320/_As_9247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJauclIvutjU8v-EPWi8mgbMrAZtlwEkwc5MTXGfHBY5ETaNOyydvGqqemT-ynDgQLTQKdAHpAtmmvqeFFITbYzfLqW5ykMwB_ZJtBoaVzJVsnXC_pZYApNBZlJEGVv8zZkr3zREvvgaRX-GTC37uKRVw3_ePp_MTxVjdF7Pf4TOydhLN0Q/s4032/_As_9252.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJauclIvutjU8v-EPWi8mgbMrAZtlwEkwc5MTXGfHBY5ETaNOyydvGqqemT-ynDgQLTQKdAHpAtmmvqeFFITbYzfLqW5ykMwB_ZJtBoaVzJVsnXC_pZYApNBZlJEGVv8zZkr3zREvvgaRX-GTC37uKRVw3_ePp_MTxVjdF7Pf4TOydhLN0Q/s320/_As_9252.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Various views of and from The Teak restaurant, on the St. Pete Pier</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We visited the Chihuly Collection at the Morean Arts Center on one of the days. The Chihuly pieces were amazing, as we expected, but what was truly memorable was the glass-blowing demonstration we watched after visiting the museum. Glass blowing is not only an amazing feat of human skill and ingenuity, but there is also so much science - particularly chemistry, physics and biology that goes into it - and those were explained in detail. Made me want to call my nephews and ask them to make sure they stay in school and won’t skip their science classes ever. They will be useful for something. One day!
</span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7puPwrtjPukzSfyDfpz1FaAEk0JH25YmqNFoWR1S_f63apHwb8Efl4ncnMpv2TaGPxo13EgWA0bk0xhrNIwuRogExPM64kFV7otOyJp6z08rQOml6KNNVbyLp8xUhZchEwjrIriAMoj4OinLf7VZPUA_0MPDVE56UkNWeDrMQRDMcPRCP4A/s6240/_Aas_0107.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7puPwrtjPukzSfyDfpz1FaAEk0JH25YmqNFoWR1S_f63apHwb8Efl4ncnMpv2TaGPxo13EgWA0bk0xhrNIwuRogExPM64kFV7otOyJp6z08rQOml6KNNVbyLp8xUhZchEwjrIriAMoj4OinLf7VZPUA_0MPDVE56UkNWeDrMQRDMcPRCP4A/s320/_Aas_0107.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Glass blowing demonstration at the Morean Arts Center</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJBKczeXiELV7FNO2Gf6zM74KkYHKuph0kF5UA7HnUIhmWmzr_hyMS6Qc3OjKB5N9xvARRnk9erzTShTV7DevsPD1cJW7arjGdtshbyANWWh10jPb__WD3UCoKfTlJVEcT0F35IG4zHlJDRt8zipv5klVEObVV2A64pqZif2Or_djCxXuLQ/s4032/_As_9126.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJBKczeXiELV7FNO2Gf6zM74KkYHKuph0kF5UA7HnUIhmWmzr_hyMS6Qc3OjKB5N9xvARRnk9erzTShTV7DevsPD1cJW7arjGdtshbyANWWh10jPb__WD3UCoKfTlJVEcT0F35IG4zHlJDRt8zipv5klVEObVV2A64pqZif2Or_djCxXuLQ/s320/_As_9126.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Ceiling in the hallway at the Chihuly Collection</i></span></div><br /></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am glad to see more and more mural art in many of the towns and cities we visit. I have always liked murals and even tasteful graffiti art - it’s always surprising the amount of talent and thought that goes into creating them and really gives the </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">flavor </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tone</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of a particular city. And St. Pete is another one of these “mural cities”. </span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTGL3CrS5RtfvFyrUN7p-VFXp3bhP3Ersf2DX2x1amMCbG3KJFqOi0qrk4-BZ3BMaoIEbqKQvixi7JEGy6i8DlPPkwIAZ027qLAMef9u_RQlzClFvbBAvIUDc-St9VNX5Jf5VIUzYkIsZ9JIEEb5aQyIzIuS6et8JYRnZ4giXgdeY0hpIw/s4032/_As_9173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTGL3CrS5RtfvFyrUN7p-VFXp3bhP3Ersf2DX2x1amMCbG3KJFqOi0qrk4-BZ3BMaoIEbqKQvixi7JEGy6i8DlPPkwIAZ027qLAMef9u_RQlzClFvbBAvIUDc-St9VNX5Jf5VIUzYkIsZ9JIEEb5aQyIzIuS6et8JYRnZ4giXgdeY0hpIw/s320/_As_9173.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-2IPVLsIy8FtuR0JtRXslmHru6pUahIkJcXTLnKfjGVPzjolrArl04r-LvNZ4xdzzqfuBFAgUZHPgflaLqnUny3p1j0ryk3_l33RhSjvWM5FKtnlJwq_Ymt6JotlahoTubvCQJtkKqCuxy8vfVN_AmWIwZwT_H1VXnxZTd_v0dED7iE2lw/s2886/_As_9238.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2886" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-2IPVLsIy8FtuR0JtRXslmHru6pUahIkJcXTLnKfjGVPzjolrArl04r-LvNZ4xdzzqfuBFAgUZHPgflaLqnUny3p1j0ryk3_l33RhSjvWM5FKtnlJwq_Ymt6JotlahoTubvCQJtkKqCuxy8vfVN_AmWIwZwT_H1VXnxZTd_v0dED7iE2lw/s320/_As_9238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Just a small sample of the much mural art adorning the walls of St. Pete's buildings</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">St. Petersburg seemed like a mish-mash of a variety of styles, really: I would say that here, </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">modern </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">meets </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">art deco</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> meets </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">traditional Southern charm. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In terms of vegetation, palm trees, live oak and Spanish moss dress up the avenues. A bit of the tropics line up the St. Pete Pier parks. If you really want to take in the tropics, the Sunken Gardens has them on display! You get lost in the tropical forest there, with no hope of finding your way back. </span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfPxIyQ2NiHeLx_sp4xIn07z0Betxd12BWewMYE1MZJWmmglbU-mT0Eb3_BElREDuumjY8c_AmgspkFV8dve0tGRkZRu6gU0GIslMBYkLfLC3LaiEVlrEhvsR3odnLY6NgH2s-V_ZTn9pliM_LpI2pyUBit5Sj47htpAeuLSeeS08kS-sgA/s3390/_Aas_0170.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2395" data-original-width="3390" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJfPxIyQ2NiHeLx_sp4xIn07z0Betxd12BWewMYE1MZJWmmglbU-mT0Eb3_BElREDuumjY8c_AmgspkFV8dve0tGRkZRu6gU0GIslMBYkLfLC3LaiEVlrEhvsR3odnLY6NgH2s-V_ZTn9pliM_LpI2pyUBit5Sj47htpAeuLSeeS08kS-sgA/s320/_Aas_0170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35O5A2Cbew_fcBNGRzFHTbVVYdSMsM0FXQl-b2csAJQKPXq1YziJxu9BF4TzN2PXCyKVahrHyim17qd_BEUjoqeMlcDH3j1KRt4zWFW7Kn3hnTAELrpMOIrxLjYRKKjxq9hCeVO4cLtGACrZMogxNE-Xk3lgZ7NFJGhQeHVoDlz4NaRsNlA/s5184/_As_8418.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35O5A2Cbew_fcBNGRzFHTbVVYdSMsM0FXQl-b2csAJQKPXq1YziJxu9BF4TzN2PXCyKVahrHyim17qd_BEUjoqeMlcDH3j1KRt4zWFW7Kn3hnTAELrpMOIrxLjYRKKjxq9hCeVO4cLtGACrZMogxNE-Xk3lgZ7NFJGhQeHVoDlz4NaRsNlA/s320/_As_8418.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipySxpVN2Ic-QjKqzeEviv9KackGJ27Wp2mHJmVTHSmcz32FYI2vwuuvL2Mxk_vxjTgQYoOjyr6LrYlD68fy3KWVfMDGyBkiJrdVUoOYeNZcvn9MB_A56VBnFiyXoBjuya2rj35F29oo-p6Mr89AxIxvAaoslf0ZsbsoCB4N0JU7asjgzjA/s4032/_As_9183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhipySxpVN2Ic-QjKqzeEviv9KackGJ27Wp2mHJmVTHSmcz32FYI2vwuuvL2Mxk_vxjTgQYoOjyr6LrYlD68fy3KWVfMDGyBkiJrdVUoOYeNZcvn9MB_A56VBnFiyXoBjuya2rj35F29oo-p6Mr89AxIxvAaoslf0ZsbsoCB4N0JU7asjgzjA/s320/_As_9183.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br style="text-align: left;" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLFxnLXCeHKq6kolzh3tZRvbmAyVnCOnRNgWDCb2q1ASZDn2yZ_9kQJNYG0mjruanDss4d50xQ8stFfbU22ecJ_977BDQpLAQIw_SoXYXM6F17VHUtiVF485fnhVvPxeFuKox5ZcazegXLde25y_cDnjB_izawJPNFCciP92dp6O68iGuww/s4032/_As_9186.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLFxnLXCeHKq6kolzh3tZRvbmAyVnCOnRNgWDCb2q1ASZDn2yZ_9kQJNYG0mjruanDss4d50xQ8stFfbU22ecJ_977BDQpLAQIw_SoXYXM6F17VHUtiVF485fnhVvPxeFuKox5ZcazegXLde25y_cDnjB_izawJPNFCciP92dp6O68iGuww/s320/_As_9186.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Small glimpses of Eden at the Sunken Gardens</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a lunch snack at the </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> right at the pier. The place was an absolute zoo on a holiday (there is definitely no Covid19 anymore, folks!), but </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Eagles </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(who we had just seen in concert in Greensboro only 4 days before our trip) music was blasting and our waiter, Patrick, knew how to serve up pina coladas and yummy crab cake appetizers.
</span></p></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yvd3J9v-IRCyZQV9WSp581_cr6CA0iKt7JyOgHF4MTl2vzQm3Sgxx8YveBnx48zj7OuPVQzaBeM48tbY-gXJyGVjM9r9tWdGwSdNCBjhbMvuCRO_aP71JMA5CgedKNUmSruAw1A1zuFfq4ShknyPTGJ_dH254Ns_Y74zhbRRj_hcUKdmyA/s640/food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_yvd3J9v-IRCyZQV9WSp581_cr6CA0iKt7JyOgHF4MTl2vzQm3Sgxx8YveBnx48zj7OuPVQzaBeM48tbY-gXJyGVjM9r9tWdGwSdNCBjhbMvuCRO_aP71JMA5CgedKNUmSruAw1A1zuFfq4ShknyPTGJ_dH254Ns_Y74zhbRRj_hcUKdmyA/s320/food.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Beach fare at Doc Ford's Rum</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not sure if this is all of Florida, but at least St. Petersburg on a busy, warm afternoon in the blazing sun is a pure stench cocktail: the smells of the ocean, salt, sewage, and sweat mix together in the most distinctive odor. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The area around the St. Pete Pier reminded me of so many other public touristy </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">piazzas</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> where jokers, dancers, mimes, religious orators trying to save your soul merge to remind you that this world is nothing but Babylon redone: we saw people walking a tightrope as they were practicing yoga in a park, people stringing hammocks from palm trees on the bay, and a crowd of people dancing on club techno music, as if in a reinvented version of the 1990’s </span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTV’s Spring Break</span><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> shows. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You know you’re in Florida when you drive on what seems to be a highway but you see nothing but water all around you, not a lick of civilization, for miles on end. Only in Florida do you drive endlessly on ... water. We saw this sign while getting ready to drive on one of the many bridges that read: “Long bridge ahead. Check gas.” And I thought running out of gas in the middle of the desert in Utah would be bad ... </span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was a weekend of strange coincidences. As coincidences go, you never know what they mean. You just notice, if barely: we went to St. Petersburg for my birthday which is 4/9 - or 9/4 in Europe. The entire weekend, these two numbers kept popping up everywhere:</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Starbucks we finally had a small breakfast at on 4/9 was at the corner of 4th St N and 9th Ave N. Its address was 900A 9th Ave N. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I woke up that morning, I had 9 tabs open on my google app.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chihuly’s Macchia Forest collection has 9 pieces in it.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of the day, I had walked 4.09 miles, according to my watch.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our departure gate was number 90. The very last one. </span></p></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 17.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdal0cKdc5oJDlTdh9zLGmLyDYow2iXOPxXvom5gaXvtKt7Cyp-NQ9CIkeaPFVz-F2eVr27Ni1Boj2nL4fsR2JZgLr7n69vLpdD67OvxEy8MEFhFbe_Uag6674PmVjO-xxi1jbGkrTfb3oKLNzbk2ILBPTjvccOrCS1n-xqZmH1TpVXTPJw/s2862/_As_9152.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1568" data-original-width="2862" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdal0cKdc5oJDlTdh9zLGmLyDYow2iXOPxXvom5gaXvtKt7Cyp-NQ9CIkeaPFVz-F2eVr27Ni1Boj2nL4fsR2JZgLr7n69vLpdD67OvxEy8MEFhFbe_Uag6674PmVjO-xxi1jbGkrTfb3oKLNzbk2ILBPTjvccOrCS1n-xqZmH1TpVXTPJw/s320/_As_9152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Chihuly’s Macchia Forest with the 9 pieces</i></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seeing the Dali museum was the purpose of this trip and that did not disappoint. Everything else was just the cherries on top. </span></p><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/AVvXsEiH0Jboj2aDKgso7ZOK-IYmNQk_SS2NnHhVZ38-s9mPVUvi9citFgBLVtJH63-T5Ltwg9DgNuW-0BlIdgNPrNkUrGsWZUvOvoo_mHuZ74bKI6BZIxnN-UklTwfLPggrLYyDFCNHBDjdee-zNEAEUY49QRLffqlSQcJpkdnwn4ftfjQ9XEEbWA/s4032/_As_9274.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0Jboj2aDKgso7ZOK-IYmNQk_SS2NnHhVZ38-s9mPVUvi9citFgBLVtJH63-T5Ltwg9DgNuW-0BlIdgNPrNkUrGsWZUvOvoo_mHuZ74bKI6BZIxnN-UklTwfLPggrLYyDFCNHBDjdee-zNEAEUY49QRLffqlSQcJpkdnwn4ftfjQ9XEEbWA/s320/_As_9274.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 17.3333px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Sunset over St. Pete, as seen from The Teak restaurant on the St. Pete Pier</i></span></div><br /><br /></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-63103844404178783192023-04-28T22:27:00.003-06:002023-04-28T22:27:27.284-06:00You Have Arrived! <p style="text-align: center;"> <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxo6w-BywddYHi5q3aqp8nKe_yV4QOeae7XcZAcuSrBzAfaUaj5p_CuHs_GQAeQaJd8iGRVBAlsPPM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-45efa1c6-7fff-53e7-3aa1-8271648af484"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know I always start with this question: “where have the years gone?” or “when did this happen?” so I will switch it up this time. I’ll just say: you’re here, on the 15th year of your life! You have arrived. And, I am sorry to say - I know it’s painful and depressing and what not (or knowing you, probably not) - but you’re no baby anymore. Welcome to young adulthood, son! The fact that you are a tax-paying, potential union-enrolling workforce member should tell you that childhood is in the rearview mirror. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And oh, I am so happy for you! I feel like in some ways we have all been waiting for this day since the minute you were born, on your terms only, 2 months before your time 15 years ago today, when you could not even breathe on your own... I have been wondering and dreaming about what purpose you might have been put on this planet for. And now, that day is near: we’re gonna find out. I hope soon!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope your natural-born curiosity, your immense empathy, your love of family among other things will guide you to great things, sweet boy, and will only put you in the best places to make the most of. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As any teenager, of course, you are playing the part: confused, klutzy, lost at times, eyes wide-open with clever and not so clever ideas, full of energy and drive, almost to a fault, with seemingly no direction at all, you plough right on through ... You try out every thing that comes to your mind (just like you did as a small child when you were learning how to knit and do woodworking right alongside learning how to build stuff from legos and how to play Minecraft several years before your time). And yet, there is a grace and a kindness about you that warms my soul and wants me to always draw you near ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes I think you’re like a garden: beautiful and loaded with richly-growing, blooming vines, with breathless smells and vibrant colors; but also full of weeds. I want to compulsively reach in and pluck all the weeds out, so I can let all the flowers shine free. And then I stop myself and think: those are not mine to pluck! Those are yours to groom or let die; yours to decide how to use them; yours to turn into lessons or let overgrow and eat all the beauty out. But yours. Your decision only. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hopefully, with guardrails and “training wires” all around you from all of us, you will find the right path to grow into. Or maybe not. But you will have to do you, and do it on your terms just like you did your birth in your own terms, too. You will be either a worse version than we all ever dreamed for you to be, or much, much better yet than our wildest imagination. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spring forward, sweet child! Shoot to the stars and be daring! I know somewhere in there there are good bones ... you just need to fill them with good dreams and put them up to good deeds, too ...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you remember my bracelet: find your purpose, my dear boy! The world is your oyster. Make yourself count for it all! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love you mostest still and forever ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happiest of birthdays and I wish you the best wishes you can ever wish for yourself! </span></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-24901074428382632922023-04-18T19:32:00.001-06:002023-04-18T19:40:39.071-06:00Point. Shoot. And gorgeous.<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is past due, but such is life ... Better later than not at all, I guess. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4c60721f-7fff-4c02-7f66-39d56ab4f028"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, I live in a world of a fragmented mind, one which most days is not my own. It’s occupied by work, dark thoughts of having lost dad, endlessly trying to find him in everything; and even darker thoughts about mom and where she is in her life, will she ever be “mom” again ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The world as it is seems to blow up with every breath ... We lose more rights, we lose more people to guns, to suicide, to hunger and thirst, to diseases, we lose whole countries to despots, we lose ourselves, we lose hope. Especially hope. Some days I feel like every headline is an April Fool’s joke! And I need to double and triple check every sentence. And then I sigh. It’s all true. All disappointingly, gut-wrenchingly true ... It’s the world as we see it now - shitty, abject, unfair, gaunt, non-common-sensical. It is no joke! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And among all these thoughts, among it all, a faint desire to live on, to travel, to seek beauty, to push through it because we never know which day is our last. And when that day </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">will</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> come - do we really want to say “I wish I did”? I know I don’t. So, drained of hope and energy, I push through, I bite down and make travel arrangements, buy plane tickets (now, we’re in the world of “where can we fly direct?” to save as much time as possible through not too many airports and to minimize the exposure to too many people for too many hours on end), rent cars and hotels, and charge my camera to prepare for our next destination. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, in February-March we took a trip to Arizona. We booked a hotel in Tempe, then spent almost equal amounts of time between it, Phoenix, Scottsdale. One day, we spent most of the time in Saguaro (pronounced “sah-war-oh.”) National Park, less than 2 hours from Scottsdale, and the rest of the same day we took a brief tour of Tucson. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoIZC7Sd-ygxzClHHVoQJ5VGeIYjuLvDu0Hpu526qGtA6Ywc8kd4nhQCvNilC7jICuKtdvf4W9tqcpNonSA2a5igHIr32vixQz4D2Bj3M6FnOzT3SbhON5mJqM6RbaVfgnu5tbiwR0aRPl9DazRttjNECmrD70CX4xN140axqujdUcEHLFw/s5184/_As_7650_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWoIZC7Sd-ygxzClHHVoQJ5VGeIYjuLvDu0Hpu526qGtA6Ywc8kd4nhQCvNilC7jICuKtdvf4W9tqcpNonSA2a5igHIr32vixQz4D2Bj3M6FnOzT3SbhON5mJqM6RbaVfgnu5tbiwR0aRPl9DazRttjNECmrD70CX4xN140axqujdUcEHLFw/w400-h266/_As_7650_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Our first stop in the desert was at Papago Park, between Tempe and Scottsdale</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I read somewhere a short description of these cities like this: “Tempe is a college town. Scottsdale is touristy. They know tourism and do it well. Phoenix is just a big metropolis.” (did you know that Phoenix is the 5th most populous city in the US, even before Philadelphia and way before San Francisco?! Neither did I!). I could not have put it better myself. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the random thoughts and a couple of images from that journey ...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If this trip won awards in any category it was for the amazing food everywhere. Not just good, but diverse - the variety and the many options for this vegan pescatarian were almost endless. Flavor galore, diversity - Phoenix has it all. One thing that stuck out was that most places serve three meals every day and “Benes” were on almost every menu. Translation: “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">benes</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” are eggs Benedict done 100 ways. I am still puzzled as to why in the middle of the American Southwest an egg dish is so popular?! Or breakfast for that matter?! </span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9nbyzlhFOwYPaHRSaCk1PrEyNXv0R3fEvZ_7K-JIljr4AHEYtDTRbIEParldhSt4ylr5bYkY2bq7JaNxYp_e2v-biE0iZJDsrCMXHG9Z1E3WahzqFutg1BkSR3pTXr3y1cKq_uqna0HnIcrbN-Q3ItaOSaIigyYT1XlMJMVJfbvUpVevWw/s3708/_AasiPhone%202023_037_original.jpg" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1534" data-original-width="3708" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9nbyzlhFOwYPaHRSaCk1PrEyNXv0R3fEvZ_7K-JIljr4AHEYtDTRbIEParldhSt4ylr5bYkY2bq7JaNxYp_e2v-biE0iZJDsrCMXHG9Z1E3WahzqFutg1BkSR3pTXr3y1cKq_uqna0HnIcrbN-Q3ItaOSaIigyYT1XlMJMVJfbvUpVevWw/w400-h165/_AasiPhone%202023_037_original.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The Phoenix Saute at <b>The Daily Jam</b> in Tempe - a perfectly complete and completely vegan breakfast</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a huge bottle of lotion in the bathroom, anchored to the wall. This thing was like 1lb of lotion: a clear reminder that you’re in the desert now and your skin will crack. So, lather up! </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was nice to see “letter mountains” again: is it a custom? A tradition? Don’t know, but in the American West where they post huge letters on some of the most prominent mountains in the middle or on the side of a city: there was a T for Tempe, an A for Arizona State University in Tempe and another one yet for University of Arizona in Tucson.</span></li></ul><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A billboard showed ‘Straight into the mountain we head. Just like we like it!’. And I could not have agreed more ... </span></li></ul><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So. Many. Cacti. I grew up with cactus plants in my house: they were small, maybe 8 inch pots. My grandma had about 10 green thumbs, not just one! She did so well with all the plants, but she did the best with cacti, I think. Growing up I heard about it from her that it is easy to grow cacti but that it is hard to make them bloom or make them grow - they grow slowly, they bloom </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">once in a hundred years</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - is what grandma said although later on in my life I lived in the desert and I think they bloom more often than that. She had all these types of cactus plants - the ones that looked like flattened footballs (the prickly pears), the ones that looked like cucumbers, and these ones that looked like leafless twigs with millions of long, poky thorns on them. She made them all grow and bloom. It seemed like every year. </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, now, in the desert during this trip, I saw all of these and then some, about 1000 or more times bigger than I could have ever imagined as a kid. My childhood cacti were mere molecules compared to these plants we saw in Arizona.<br />The saguaro cactus (the one that looks like a person with arms) is on every postcard and license plate in Arizona. You think you’ve seen them all till you’re standing next to one of them and then you’re asking yourself: what the heck is this <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creature</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?! They could be a power pole? A frozen human being? A tree? Definitely not a mere </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">plant</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They are enormous! The height of your house or bigger. And then you learn about their age - they don’t even get an arm till they are 100 or 150 years old. You drive down the road and you’re thinking: these cacti lining up the dusty roads have been here longer than any of the houses and maybe even longer than the whole state of Arizona.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></li></ul><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tucson was clearly poor: barred windows, homeless people in empty deserted mall squares - in contrast to the new almost posh campus of ASU in Tempe and the hopping, happening Biltmore fashion mall in Phoenix. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tucson felt like the place where all ideas or dreams came to die. It was almost like a depressing, ghost town where humans have not been convinced yet that the town is truly over. It was at the exact opposite end of the liveliness of Tempe and Scottsdale. </span></li></ul><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scottsdale Old Town is a must-see - yes, a bit touristy but done well, with minimum kitsch. Clean, inviting, and the people are welcoming, knowledgeable, and bend over backwards to accommodate. Just inviting! </span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVYjepNUT_HiLKcbvySea6RN6NjyyH1ogru_SVUe-PGtkm2KrGbEb2KUkcpW_kMCGQ4pcukkpt0uaJsUd0kQh9Q-H2Z8Ps8pCJTwfcEzLEigquh0pbFqtaV5Irbxny0n5v-odtZQJ4jdZL_FZkCnqcqVV6NNJXMsV8mfh2qygeLUfidOlbA/s4032/_AsiPhone_8369_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVYjepNUT_HiLKcbvySea6RN6NjyyH1ogru_SVUe-PGtkm2KrGbEb2KUkcpW_kMCGQ4pcukkpt0uaJsUd0kQh9Q-H2Z8Ps8pCJTwfcEzLEigquh0pbFqtaV5Irbxny0n5v-odtZQJ4jdZL_FZkCnqcqVV6NNJXMsV8mfh2qygeLUfidOlbA/w400-h300/_AsiPhone_8369_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCWsOknUZU66lA1ceHou4wUE62twd6v4eb1lezja8lBhefzNHjiX2OQoiytGUp8H1mJG5fi_yHFr7su6mVgTnrn3x_KO7d_qwX_abPs0OkrC8zNcEBB6Hghvav3sCYUYulk19WKokcdL-XcOewP2JwR7GD5nA20-cK3AU-DUm_6bqT31uGg/s3047/_AasiPhone%202023_023_original.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2332" data-original-width="3047" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCWsOknUZU66lA1ceHou4wUE62twd6v4eb1lezja8lBhefzNHjiX2OQoiytGUp8H1mJG5fi_yHFr7su6mVgTnrn3x_KO7d_qwX_abPs0OkrC8zNcEBB6Hghvav3sCYUYulk19WKokcdL-XcOewP2JwR7GD5nA20-cK3AU-DUm_6bqT31uGg/w400-h306/_AasiPhone%202023_023_original.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Some snaps of Old Town Scottsdale</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A reminder that you’re in the high-desert and in big-sky country: you must wear sunglasses even on cloudy days.</span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPex0Mag3wX6EASSfOs_cZTZAwwI9eIHQopbg8th3p4oJsBh98CN90TuxDQ5MKTJfB0Pnv_zXlwQdzxuzYWGVKGAC1srNPmAZzPHULYzDceHaV7b6BrOyASsUk1ELTcM4RFPb3qKOyibPttZ6RYULOrkSbwDy4DuIhE5CwD4AaohLRLNIWg/s4032/_AsiPhone_8421_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPex0Mag3wX6EASSfOs_cZTZAwwI9eIHQopbg8th3p4oJsBh98CN90TuxDQ5MKTJfB0Pnv_zXlwQdzxuzYWGVKGAC1srNPmAZzPHULYzDceHaV7b6BrOyASsUk1ELTcM4RFPb3qKOyibPttZ6RYULOrkSbwDy4DuIhE5CwD4AaohLRLNIWg/w300-h400/_AsiPhone_8421_original.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>I have no idea how many hundreds of years this saguaro is for as many branches as it shows, but ... many ... </i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tempe - more than just a backdrop, a mountain in the middle of the city is just another bump in the skyline.</span></li></ul><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Street names and people remind you you’re on borrowed land here and must walk carefully: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Talking Stick Way</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Indian Bend Road</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A rich Native American and hispanic majority of people live here. Their influence in everything from architecture to menu items; we had avocado in some shape or form with every meal, just like I had olives with every meal in Turkey.</span></li></ul><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West compound (home and architecture school). There, where human ingenuity meets and gets lost in nature, we got the best advice: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">if you hear a rattle, don’t investigate! If you see something, don’t take a picture of it. Just walk away!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - this could be the motto for just about every stop anywhere in Arizona.</span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-V-uxnQeD3hk42yShOcCFuSAApaEZB1FIT9Sc7bRp5K0l_6_EQSpXTdPHzCWQxY5aDpGtcwqNfFTOAkCIrvHDhEWLSJ3Mnfk8vjnDJqEdcnNyOcQzsTd_UdhbVX9d4HCJ7jpqbW5XAJbn77kqnwxzxgTbdYiitjw8hi7oiYxRqhWuHZb-Qg/s4032/_AsiPhone_8498_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-V-uxnQeD3hk42yShOcCFuSAApaEZB1FIT9Sc7bRp5K0l_6_EQSpXTdPHzCWQxY5aDpGtcwqNfFTOAkCIrvHDhEWLSJ3Mnfk8vjnDJqEdcnNyOcQzsTd_UdhbVX9d4HCJ7jpqbW5XAJbn77kqnwxzxgTbdYiitjw8hi7oiYxRqhWuHZb-Qg/w400-h300/_AsiPhone_8498_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West compound - Scottsdale, AZ</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While driving through Saguaro National Park, or hiking at the Javelina Rocks, or taking in the hundreds of cactus species at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Scottdale, or chasing quail and so many other birds making homes inside the saguaros, you can easily see that you are clearly back in the land of point-shoot-and-gorgeous. No special training or qualities required for amazing pictures. Every single picture is a winner! </span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Gjc9pRd_FC8JMYvx9QGkjCsl8QZMnUNXwOUGfZMy0XxflUIORNaf7INLD8j245gl2yMRjFk1QxJCPibQ_-oo61hwZdigsNI_XlQtue6Aj7moGC40hlbwIqrbrbkWXdogUPHxMQL0C5JdSmCqozfgj_IV0AgG6D53a_0OJpigkJSYOFSY2Q/s3888/_Aas_0091_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3888" data-original-width="2592" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Gjc9pRd_FC8JMYvx9QGkjCsl8QZMnUNXwOUGfZMy0XxflUIORNaf7INLD8j245gl2yMRjFk1QxJCPibQ_-oo61hwZdigsNI_XlQtue6Aj7moGC40hlbwIqrbrbkWXdogUPHxMQL0C5JdSmCqozfgj_IV0AgG6D53a_0OJpigkJSYOFSY2Q/w266-h400/_Aas_0091_original.JPG" width="266" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZpjCVpg-lPNdGnzBRhfeKuzbKSOMYkP3wT3W38xqUUg-ZS8kGg2D3_856IMcT9y-uS4zFt7aj6Torq1S96f4GFY8Z7UXftfvNrNml8_J6TDhXMT4KJ7_FJHNI0SgaB-7sLvzha0GaULgstx0B5t1Txk_ejRksCeLEl_X6Pl43F-Og6bbCg/s3888/_Aas_0101_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZpjCVpg-lPNdGnzBRhfeKuzbKSOMYkP3wT3W38xqUUg-ZS8kGg2D3_856IMcT9y-uS4zFt7aj6Torq1S96f4GFY8Z7UXftfvNrNml8_J6TDhXMT4KJ7_FJHNI0SgaB-7sLvzha0GaULgstx0B5t1Txk_ejRksCeLEl_X6Pl43F-Og6bbCg/w400-h266/_Aas_0101_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kDdqapKTYRgU9DMX_M_qjY6BIjqJHWpb-IF8DJ2UC-h3pT11KpIaxkfQ2C9mwXFcT2OY35inxIMv1GnVm3PjeEayHRBRxTZYszUsoaNLh26Tn31Am9hgpSKiBY7D9tizNP8SJY0_nlgvg_yAOvlS4zssxXawFxtB60l8lnaBKzP0mZsBzw/s3979/_As_7874_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2785" data-original-width="3979" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kDdqapKTYRgU9DMX_M_qjY6BIjqJHWpb-IF8DJ2UC-h3pT11KpIaxkfQ2C9mwXFcT2OY35inxIMv1GnVm3PjeEayHRBRxTZYszUsoaNLh26Tn31Am9hgpSKiBY7D9tizNP8SJY0_nlgvg_yAOvlS4zssxXawFxtB60l8lnaBKzP0mZsBzw/w400-h280/_As_7874_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTiqyOAMUIeUP6Ov1eKltDuHkptS23wugk2gtReB431zKVs2jfTbU7PnEqHDqyFD7_9bfZnO7NKnl_qrcckoG9P1pRkX4MXyw5trAJZU2RXX5Nopg04BxmJOinwItho0aOPceKQ4KOXYnzDHbOmghn6xe3cKkjrtnfdhbLcDU7WqGU4b_fw/s4032/_AsiPhone_8414_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTiqyOAMUIeUP6Ov1eKltDuHkptS23wugk2gtReB431zKVs2jfTbU7PnEqHDqyFD7_9bfZnO7NKnl_qrcckoG9P1pRkX4MXyw5trAJZU2RXX5Nopg04BxmJOinwItho0aOPceKQ4KOXYnzDHbOmghn6xe3cKkjrtnfdhbLcDU7WqGU4b_fw/w400-h300/_AsiPhone_8414_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The many aspects of Saguaro National Park outside Tucson, AZ</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More modern architecture than I expected - I would have expected this modern vibe somewhere like L.A. or something, but not in the middle of the desert. I also know now where all the ranch homes of America have settled: in the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe area is where they all went! You are hard-pressed to find anything but a ranch anywhere. They must be easier to keep cool in the torrid summers. </span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0HRvLZbsLKH0Aya_L78lOIvvLFJ1wMdheRGsne7zGJaR6xu7yVdd0oqJB4z3UnpBBbYPebPlytlPopL2XUwuIZH_ngjBHv2EMsLR5lnl_aX_hM8d_XNf8z3nrdWVC4qCkmxWvJLaBVZsJmtjOWFjRU1GKjkW8C9iENj0QBBXwYgQT8aFKA/s4195/_As_7632_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2017" data-original-width="4195" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0HRvLZbsLKH0Aya_L78lOIvvLFJ1wMdheRGsne7zGJaR6xu7yVdd0oqJB4z3UnpBBbYPebPlytlPopL2XUwuIZH_ngjBHv2EMsLR5lnl_aX_hM8d_XNf8z3nrdWVC4qCkmxWvJLaBVZsJmtjOWFjRU1GKjkW8C9iENj0QBBXwYgQT8aFKA/w400-h193/_As_7632_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>One of the modern apartment buildings in Scottsdale, AZ</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can say that this trip started with a beer. Several years back (2012), we went to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO. There, we tasted many beers but one in particular stood out for us and one of Aa’s friends: the Orange Blossom (a lager) of the Papago Brewery in Scottsdale, AZ. Ever since 2012, I have wanted to find a way to visit Scottsdale and get all the beer I wanted. Coming here, I was hoping that the beer is local enough and good enough (it won a medal in its category at the beer festival) that every restaurant would carry it on their menu. Not the case. We finally did find one of the two beer joints (Huss Brewing) that carry it on tap and it was every drop as good as I remembered it. </span></li></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUilmu6__VabPmABBpfaEARPFJOYSQ6xj7R-dlGlkh8fKY07sZ3ZMMdW_NkhlUww9dtYogjb61Mh9ohLvs8uRJXj_hx4owbOa4H9rcl4qgvPfNSuWToBOPVF32VtDtFnPAM2vHU_flx9d-yRwNqBszi9MnWT0Q3IqBVwSzqY-LN0MbuKgSIQ/s4032/_AsiPhone_8558_original.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUilmu6__VabPmABBpfaEARPFJOYSQ6xj7R-dlGlkh8fKY07sZ3ZMMdW_NkhlUww9dtYogjb61Mh9ohLvs8uRJXj_hx4owbOa4H9rcl4qgvPfNSuWToBOPVF32VtDtFnPAM2vHU_flx9d-yRwNqBszi9MnWT0Q3IqBVwSzqY-LN0MbuKgSIQ/w300-h400/_AsiPhone_8558_original.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Orange blossom lager (right) at Hussing Brewing in Scottsdale, AZ</i></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Food and service won everywhere in Phoenix except the airport. If you want a piece of white bread (when you actually ordered a slice of sourdough) with a side of attitude at 7AM - go to the airport and order it first thing in the morning. Not a lie! </span></li></ul><p></p><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/AVvXsEioo9cyKT2eul_KD4uyFqDGtBp0UxttES6KWsWE-w3XPYE94drBd85s4r3xgg2eeQ10uvObqMRJ82IeJC_IFJ3l4mIL_SaQWAvDBzsoU0_ydMOEaEUZd3VUcIBeTlfrJV6Ufw_-DGPhMQrAxrHrz1jBK3gp5sc6-z8ajW17OUyybgJQw3K57w/s1734/_Aas_0211_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1734" data-original-width="1543" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo9cyKT2eul_KD4uyFqDGtBp0UxttES6KWsWE-w3XPYE94drBd85s4r3xgg2eeQ10uvObqMRJ82IeJC_IFJ3l4mIL_SaQWAvDBzsoU0_ydMOEaEUZd3VUcIBeTlfrJV6Ufw_-DGPhMQrAxrHrz1jBK3gp5sc6-z8ajW17OUyybgJQw3K57w/w356-h400/_Aas_0211_original.JPG" width="356" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3v2bL-lciqApPjve_fpfFNopM3fH3I7Z7tKUwujWra5yyA2uXwFyVfwDg1E7eKfH4b8-t4C_8nbJ79-uwR09syQjz6RArfZupwRJnewMQEQ-yvUNtjIGDAkf9AF3drXlTepOeQTM1KkxScrzapIXS4xcyRGR87EjRkNC9673JE5WA_kCMQ/s2397/_Aas_0384_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1694" data-original-width="2397" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3v2bL-lciqApPjve_fpfFNopM3fH3I7Z7tKUwujWra5yyA2uXwFyVfwDg1E7eKfH4b8-t4C_8nbJ79-uwR09syQjz6RArfZupwRJnewMQEQ-yvUNtjIGDAkf9AF3drXlTepOeQTM1KkxScrzapIXS4xcyRGR87EjRkNC9673JE5WA_kCMQ/w400-h283/_Aas_0384_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwivdnZUvv3caVkvZlwDpEUGBPtioQmP5jWTbYbq9Va2QN0MAHNqllMN6cuXrNoCz62upOMi7nEOXP61jmB2y4gdkGSOjEOBn_OmAFjJz6FdwiBYJT2pZlt6Cewy413W8VIWkNsIXaA7Gc1W7A8dJ1HCQXPxuz7f6ddJqW-AVCRdcS6se3ag/s4435/_As_8179_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2869" data-original-width="4435" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwivdnZUvv3caVkvZlwDpEUGBPtioQmP5jWTbYbq9Va2QN0MAHNqllMN6cuXrNoCz62upOMi7nEOXP61jmB2y4gdkGSOjEOBn_OmAFjJz6FdwiBYJT2pZlt6Cewy413W8VIWkNsIXaA7Gc1W7A8dJ1HCQXPxuz7f6ddJqW-AVCRdcS6se3ag/w400-h259/_As_8179_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></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/AVvXsEiVLT71rcK8Ri9umOUGXdTpcxiOQzn-1I9Y2hfQMj3s4neyuz4GN30pEtav-SOY6FZfba89jCG3xsnsI-4h3QmLAMrAzGh9UH1xxOPm3J6G5T7v7PgGdgjicAfkQl59JQydqAT5XQR_RTxbUbWdpDIWnnAkFvNVvqGAMn83TdaQPPDpsELe-w/s2484/_As_8253_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2484" data-original-width="2041" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLT71rcK8Ri9umOUGXdTpcxiOQzn-1I9Y2hfQMj3s4neyuz4GN30pEtav-SOY6FZfba89jCG3xsnsI-4h3QmLAMrAzGh9UH1xxOPm3J6G5T7v7PgGdgjicAfkQl59JQydqAT5XQR_RTxbUbWdpDIWnnAkFvNVvqGAMn83TdaQPPDpsELe-w/w329-h400/_As_8253_original.JPG" width="329" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>So. Many. Birds. We saw such great diversity of birds and hundreds of wild quail. </i></span></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/AVvXsEhaiaCt-OhbGSo7YbCpQ-L8gsgNZ6_QrphFkuz1xhsHxb1G_C5xM_1StO3oH-c1P0QYKAxrwV0IvBik9tN8_fu-thFFBkETD8qX3bSqazRf7fxcMuFBQdfDbxSVUsYbZzeL9yp5RPFJr9JYAXxsKIO_OZDI5V_ZQEcDYe0Nyo0E3-nNFmn-8Q/s4032/_AsiPhone_8580_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaiaCt-OhbGSo7YbCpQ-L8gsgNZ6_QrphFkuz1xhsHxb1G_C5xM_1StO3oH-c1P0QYKAxrwV0IvBik9tN8_fu-thFFBkETD8qX3bSqazRf7fxcMuFBQdfDbxSVUsYbZzeL9yp5RPFJr9JYAXxsKIO_OZDI5V_ZQEcDYe0Nyo0E3-nNFmn-8Q/w400-h300/_AsiPhone_8580_original.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKk6RgECBeiv-ogIuNVqugUcyCo3SDBnt8Stkb-pTcS5XFeHtM22DPG4i60zlLOtHiF1Sp9cIWFPzg3f0L4F_2h7HovST81EyDVGMytAt6Fb0r_xGO97Mb6xMbVwyhufJuRNUFiY6IDg_3oCi5XD2AT1puCCI2XPwK_4f3S6SQ5bOwp-I8Q/s3442/_AsiPhone_8606_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2581" data-original-width="3442" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAKk6RgECBeiv-ogIuNVqugUcyCo3SDBnt8Stkb-pTcS5XFeHtM22DPG4i60zlLOtHiF1Sp9cIWFPzg3f0L4F_2h7HovST81EyDVGMytAt6Fb0r_xGO97Mb6xMbVwyhufJuRNUFiY6IDg_3oCi5XD2AT1puCCI2XPwK_4f3S6SQ5bOwp-I8Q/w400-h300/_AsiPhone_8606_original.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Just a glimpse of the Desert Botanical garden in Scottsdale which was amazing. One of the most beautiful botanical gardens I have seen. You think that desert vegetation is sparse and poor, but it offers such diversity and surprise. Life is truly miraculous and it springs everywhere ...</i></span></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/AVvXsEjFXIlV4YEtsfCfd67e-aXPFO0giLb0se-XclJwulXADv600WAG7eR4G0f0MERPsL0BbF5zalQ5qJctRZ0gRi91qWwQ1S0WIgMAGnXcNE-BylmqgtqT_4_0qXPWaQutI8MFbA8AYmLxWHwQEvqV4p7bsBYo29Qh7Az6bG4m7My6beenh9LCug/s4032/_As7_original.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXIlV4YEtsfCfd67e-aXPFO0giLb0se-XclJwulXADv600WAG7eR4G0f0MERPsL0BbF5zalQ5qJctRZ0gRi91qWwQ1S0WIgMAGnXcNE-BylmqgtqT_4_0qXPWaQutI8MFbA8AYmLxWHwQEvqV4p7bsBYo29Qh7Az6bG4m7My6beenh9LCug/w400-h300/_As7_original.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;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we were making our way out of the botanical gardens, we caught a glimpse of the iconic Arizona sunset. It was as breathtaking as you always hear about ... </span></span></i></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-33927200537853372542023-03-07T21:30:00.000-07:002023-03-07T21:30:06.397-07:00 Amintiri de Pret, ca Niște Bijuterii ...<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Am prieteni și membri ai familiei (părinții mei, de pildă) care au crescut cu cate 10+ mătuși. Noi am avut doar una - pe sora tatei. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c888249c-7fff-ae08-103d-f81cf88c8de9"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ca multe alte relații din familia noastră, am fost mereu apropiată de ea - suntem o familie unită, care nu se lasă intimidată de depărtarea fizică, oricât de mare ar fi aceasta. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mătușa noastră, singura sora a tatei, a fost mereu o parte integrantă din familia noastră. Mereu alături de noi, la nevoi, la bucurii, la petreceri și ocazii mai puțin vesele - nu-mi pot imagina familia noastră fără ea! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amintirile sunt multe din cei 47+ de ani de viață alături de ea. Una din cele mai frumoase amintiri este atunci când, în copilărie, mergeam la ziua ei, în martie. Casa era plina de flori, cei mari se adunau în sufragerie în jurul mesei pline de bunătăți, iar eu și sora mea ne refugiam în dormitor. Acolo, într-un dulap care părea ca un seif secret, plin de comori ascunse, descopeream colecția mătușii de bijuterii! Alese tot una și una, cu pietre prețioase de care nu auzisem niciodată, una mai frumoasă și mai speciala ca alta, descopeream pandantive, lanțuri, coliere, brățări, inele de tot felul de mărimi și modele - pungute si cutii care păreau ca nu se mai termină. Le admiram și le încercam - ele părând enorm de imense pe mâinile noastre de copii - ore întregi, pierzând cu totul trecerea timpului. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peste ani, ne trezeam cu câte un cadou de ziua noastră care semăna teribil de mult cu vreo bijuterie din colecția neprețuită pe care o cunoșteam așa de bine. În fiecare an, cu fiecare vizită, colecția parcă arată altfel. Și astăzi, după mulți ani de zile, și după multe daruri, mă-ntreb oare câte din aceste comori le mai are?! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fiecare piesă din colectia ei care mi-a revenit spune câte o poveste și îmi amintește de zilele de odinioară în care eram cu toții împreună, prinși în coconul cald și plin de siguranță al unei familii unite. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Există o istorie a fiecărei piese de bijuterii - fie ca e legată de zodia noastră, de culorile preferate a celor pentru care este cumparată, fie ca e o piesă “care se asorteaza cu brățara pe care mi-a dat-o anul trecut”, aceste mici comori au viața lor, unică și plină de farmec, și încorporează până la ultimul detaliu eleganța și gustul mătușii mele pentru ceea ce se numește frumos și artă. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">De ziua ei, îi doresc din suflet o zi frumoasă așa ca o bijuterie de pret: plină de înțeles și de istorie, bogată și darnică așa cum este și ea. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La multi ani, Rodi! Te iubim mult și îți dorim mulți, mulți ani sănătoși în continuare! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDP6070NBEYG3ZrOdYa3mq2n4B_yOq4EpX-Zxf7Otzx3-MID9lh62ZRTe2vc-NhJ_GpzTicSZc7giVMoWtpyT1inK1c7igrGLyXqWzehTpwmY65amlfMtUHu-gCG_oKkF97YMv-B8Ic-E9Rs81EA9uIs6GNCL9mMC6Wg6tPWQWQuGZPTKqQ/s3465/E57B1F2A-AEE2-4E95-9714-A0C8BB358741.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3465" data-original-width="3465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDP6070NBEYG3ZrOdYa3mq2n4B_yOq4EpX-Zxf7Otzx3-MID9lh62ZRTe2vc-NhJ_GpzTicSZc7giVMoWtpyT1inK1c7igrGLyXqWzehTpwmY65amlfMtUHu-gCG_oKkF97YMv-B8Ic-E9Rs81EA9uIs6GNCL9mMC6Wg6tPWQWQuGZPTKqQ/s320/E57B1F2A-AEE2-4E95-9714-A0C8BB358741.JPEG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">C</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">â</span><span style="font-family: arial;">teva din micile comori dăruite de mătușa mea, peste ani </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">ș</span><span style="font-family: arial;">i ani. A</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">ș</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> vrea s</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ă</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">î</span><span style="font-family: arial;">i dea viața comori </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">î</span><span style="font-family: arial;">nsutite, mai mult sau mai pu</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">ț</span><span style="font-family: arial;">in materiale, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">î</span><span style="font-family: arial;">n anii care vor urma ... </span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-89463232514691646092023-02-27T07:35:00.000-07:002023-02-27T07:35:39.001-07:00The Past?! No. More: the Future! <p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dad used to say that birthdays and New Years are great times to "draw the line" and remember how far you've come. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, today, as I celebrate you, I am also celebrating all the memorable, sometimes hilarious, sometimes </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">scary</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> times we have shared. I can't help but feel grateful and blessed that you were born to share all these times with me! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I look back at all the years that have gone by since that fateful day when we glanced at each other in the newspaper hallway. I would have lost good money if someone would have told me we'd be where we are today on that day. And I am glad I would have lost! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you remember ... </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our first camping trip on Kerr Lake (2008) - I could not believe it that Mr. “Comfort Man” agreed not only to a </span></span><b style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>tent</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">-camping trip with me on Kerr Lake, but also </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">agreed</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to it in the middle of Bug Season, North Carolina. This was back when we were just “work friends” and not even dating. I guess a man does a lot when he’s (somewhat secretly) in love. You worked tirelessly for days to prepare to make sure we'd have everything, but still forgot your newly-bought, much-talked-about lantern at home. Maybe that was a good omen since our life together has been just that: a mix of well-planned years as well as feeling in the dark. Who knows?! </span></span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That hot July 4th in the Moab desert, when we rented a hot-red Jeep Wrangler to drive around Canyonlands, totally off-grid, when it was so hot that our ice melted in the hard-top cooler inside the car with the A/C blasting? We had no cell-signal, our water boiling hot, 30 miles away from any paved roads, and truly I thought we will just die in the middle of nothing and they’ll find our bare bones, meat shriveled up from heat, maybe a week later, we'd cook that fast! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “big proposal” in a poetic and <i>friendly</i> spot called “The Devil’s Kitchen”, in the middle of nothing, atop a mountain desert in Utah?</span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our wedding day when the wind picked up so strongly it was impossible to light our unity candle. Our minister said “it’s mostly symbolic” and everyone laughed, as in "isn't it <b><i>all</i></b>?!". Two people had to hold the screen behind the "unity table" so as not to be blown away by the wind. In the nervousness of it all, I had to also drop your ring and scratch it before I could put it on your finger. Should we say "ominous" again?! Hmm ... </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we drove to Bryce Canyon for our first anniversary, having booked a hotel and paid for it and everything, and arrived around 11PM (after work, tired, and weary, driving through the desert with no soul around) and finding that the hotel is “closed for the winter” (April is “winter” in Utah, I guess!). Good thing that another, smaller, local hotel was open right across the street, and almost empty and could put us up for a couple of nights. That "luck" followed us years later, when we tried checking into another hotel we thought we made reservations for in Boone, NC, only to be told they have no record of us. Again, we were lucky that we found another room nearby, despite it being Labor Day weekend. Life is just fussy enough for us to make us remember it, isn't it?! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why is it that our weirdest memories are hotel-related mishaps?! Hmm ... Like that time when we were haunted in our hotel room in Blowing Rock, NC.</span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The time when we flew to Europe and we almost got stuck there in the middle of the French airline workers’ strike. We got rerouted through Germany on our way back, only to have me detained and patted down three times before allowing me to book the flight to the US. </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first time you took me to a casino in Mesquite, NV, the day I got laid off and on my first try, the first time in my life when I touched a slot machine, I won $20. I reckon life knew I needed it that day ... </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have all the luck with the snow, too - especially hitting us at the least expected times: on top of Grandfather Mountain in early November (early for North Carolina for sure), when the snowstorm wind got us locked out of the car, we got snowed in in Deer Valley, UT one year and then again in Jackson Hole, WY the following year both on Memorial Day weekend (end of May). Someone up there must know you’re from Michigan and that you of all people can take it. Little do they know that 20+ years of The South melted you up. </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we rode the motorcycle on the Alpine Loop in Utah (25 miles away from home) and our battery died in Lehi (50 miles away from home), on our way back in the middle of a scorching hot July summer day! We had to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">walk</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> our cycle to the nearest grocery store to get into some A/C for comfort, and wait for a tow truck. But how available is a tow truck on July 4th?! I have never in my life spent that many hours in a grocery store without buying a thing, let’s just say that. </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we took your mom for her 70th birthday to Niagara Falls and the only restaurant open for dinner was in a ... discount t-shirt store?! Yeah, classy all right! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">hat time you walked into my parents’ kitchen for the very first time, at night, famished from a 24 hour trip across the world, grabbed your first morsel of meat sitting on the table and said “I love this! What is it?!” We all answered: “Cow tongue!” </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The time when we ended up in a shipping container in Bucharest, in the middle of a foggy, wet, November night, trying to rent a car on the black market from these kids who declared the container their very legit and very official “office”. </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you remember the wind- and sand-storm in Sulphur Springs, Montana, in the middle of the prairie, waiting for Donna the Buffalo to start playing at the very originally named “Red Ants Pants Music Festival”? I have never eaten that much dust in my life! I swear, 10 years later, I am still dusting off my camera and my backpack, 10 years later!</span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">hat time you volunteered to slice lemons for a friend’s wedding and you sliced your finger instead, bad enough to require stitches?! You never touched a mandoline again, but I can't remember if you even ever attempted to slice lemons either! If life hands them to us, we eat them whole nowadays, it seems. </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You remember how you did not <b style="font-style: italic;">die</b>, despite all your protests and refusal to advance, when I made you climb up to Timpanogos Cave (6700 feet) in Utah, nor to the end of the South Mountains Park trail in North Carolina?! I love when you just trust me ... </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time we saw the black bears hang out in the trees off a trail in Georgia?! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when you fed the iguanas in Honduras? </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">hat time we thought we bought a turkey breast and all we got was turkey nuggets in a bundle and we had a house (almost) full of people to feed for Christmas? Hmm... yeah - good times! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time we were so excited to see Willie Nelson in concert and he walked off the stage and never returned?! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we lobbied together in the halls of Congress in DC for FH Awareness (serious) and made fun of the Ben & Jerry's cow decal outside Senator Bernie Sanders' office (not so serious)?! And that is <b><i>so</i></b> you: a mix of stern elegance and casual comedian all rolled-up into one! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we had our first Thanksgiving dinner in our brand-new house in North Carolina with an unboxed, newly-delivered but uninstalled yet dishwasher in the middle of the dining room? </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our big trek in our camper, The Pup, across America?! Boy, how I want to do that again soon! </span></span></li><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-15b1618a-7fff-8879-7d0f-c1150b563ec8"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That time when we judged the beers at the Athens Beer Festival in Ohio and actually felt like we knew what we were doing? I guess everyone thinks this after a few sips of craft beer?!</span></span></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But much, much more than the many times we have spent together, I love the possibilities of what is coming ahead of us! There will be hard times but I am sure as I am of these two hands typing this that there will be good times too. I just pray for health and peace and strength and cannot wait to see the future. With you, hand in hand. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether we are climbing a mountain, shooting birds, making dinner, or buying a car, a house, or a camper, I know we’ll have a good time and live to tell the stories for whoever is there to listen. Even if it's just us, recollecting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether I am mourning a friend, a parent, or a pet, or I am going through some near-death health scares, I know you’ll be there, stronger than the Rock of Gibraltar to support me. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love you with all my stitched up heart. I would be lost, scared, confused and adrift without you. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for being you. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And thanks for being mine. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ztRLe4ySEbFqnTjgqmyIu-jFegLJo7eByqCgmhvHPiuLJgfDyya27j25oiBvgcTuHbARRK2UFHblft1NW2H5Donm47ljYN8vEsDYh6MEBB0x12i2KiAk6wqlRnuNMWN4P0AMEIYuApilc3QLqlxwy0LkblIJ7SzuB-bZlmembYxwwd2uNQ/s3464/DDEFBF54-44F5-48AA-8EDC-149F255B127B.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ztRLe4ySEbFqnTjgqmyIu-jFegLJo7eByqCgmhvHPiuLJgfDyya27j25oiBvgcTuHbARRK2UFHblft1NW2H5Donm47ljYN8vEsDYh6MEBB0x12i2KiAk6wqlRnuNMWN4P0AMEIYuApilc3QLqlxwy0LkblIJ7SzuB-bZlmembYxwwd2uNQ/w400-h400/DDEFBF54-44F5-48AA-8EDC-149F255B127B.JPEG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Happy birthday, my love! Can't wait for the next 50+ years ... </i></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-45102843232741233102023-02-11T08:24:00.003-07:002023-02-11T08:28:43.568-07:00 Memories on your birthday ...<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hotter than hot wedding in Romania one August 20+ years ago. Yours. Your insistence that you must remain in your groom’s suit-and-tie, even at 114F. Hottest day in Romania in something like 40 years! Commitment. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d5a4c92-7fff-af17-35e6-5879629df43c"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Learning how to drive together and passing our exams almost at the same. All encouraged if not forced by dad. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living in the off-the-beach house in Costinesti all together - piled up together in one room like hippies in a commune. So young - both you and me, my sister and your brother ... Long nights in clubs - loud music and tons of vermouth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traveling over the years - watching each other travel and sharing impressions. Almost missing trains and planes and living to tell the tales. Oh, the stories! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discovering Canada and sharing the acutest, sharpest pain of a 40-degree-below day ... The inability to breathe. The frost-bite-like symptoms of simply walking outside to see what the air “feels like”. It doesn’t. It just paralyzes you. The howling wind of a Quebec winter night. The insulating of the windows, taping them shut to keep the frosty air out. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your first Canadian car with wires coming out of the dashboard. The lessons. Slow and steady till you came into your own adulthood. Then, head of a beautiful family. Becoming a dad. And me, an aunt. And then again, times two. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both of us - watching our hair gray and our forehead wrinkles deepen. Learning, discovering. Together. And through it all sewing this long thread that unites us through the decades ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking up the steep, gruesome, penance-like stairs of Mont Royal. Riding the mountain cable car in Mont Tremblant. Walking across the swinging bridge of Ste. Anne and Montmorency waterfalls. Sharing with us your favorite spots in Quebec City and Vieux Port in Montreal. Discovering Canada through your naturalized eyes. Your adoptive country. And then again, sharing my new home country back...</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riding the ferry to Toronto Island Park on Lake Ontario. Bracing the sharp, cutting wind of the Great Lakes in November. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Always enjoying delicious food along the way - everywhere. This family is nothing if not a bunch of indulging gourmands and you fit in it well. Thank goodness! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traveling together to dad’s last birthday. The unbounded joy of togetherness, right alongside a deep sadness of the inevitable end possibly coming - the old age, the wear and tear, the loss of function in those we left behind in Romania ... Shared joys and sadness, just the same. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Winery hopping and wine and beer tastings. Indulging some more. Enjoying the simple and complex things of life. Food. Drinks. Good movies. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discussing politics and wondering what the heck went wrong in the world. Respecting. Each other and wondering where the respect of the world was lost and how. Growing old. Together. Side by side. Our families becoming one. Our destinies united ... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Almost a whole week of Christmas cooped up in one house. Eating. Drinking. Watching too much tv. Talking. Remembering. Bonding. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How we (almost) share a birthday. Today. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of these and more ... Memories we both made together. Adventures of the mind and body. Reminders of where we’ve been and tracing a map of what happened. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than our shared history and memories, I love our honesty. Nothing fake. No pretense. Even when it’s hard. We speak the truth, you and I. The most precious gift! Knowing you, knowing me ... I know it will persevere in the years to come! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On your special day, I wish for more memories and more journeys. I wish that the special bond we forged over these 25+ years will continue to remind us where we’re from, where we’re going and that we’re family. And more than anything: I wish every happiness you wish for yourself! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy birthday, G.! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU-adwdFRz8l7eLbz2SPpgxw-jIxMptJICHNGqMLZsct12CCciBaGBN0b-BZSjrk8NGEdJrQ9pfWceAQs61E8NNYP74GqXoVabhKuMH2rB0dFtcCfagc9ecS3tYi7fKVpM0m1Z_rW2a2CE6WzhB1jTyfY-TsEkEg7KkHoYJeQMVtxPXv0-A/s971/00-x6gccfg3hjMTARwMfx6C-zTut1SP3RKBDFbf482AdubXDpQC7cpFXyEBzq7DQNGh.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="971" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizU-adwdFRz8l7eLbz2SPpgxw-jIxMptJICHNGqMLZsct12CCciBaGBN0b-BZSjrk8NGEdJrQ9pfWceAQs61E8NNYP74GqXoVabhKuMH2rB0dFtcCfagc9ecS3tYi7fKVpM0m1Z_rW2a2CE6WzhB1jTyfY-TsEkEg7KkHoYJeQMVtxPXv0-A/w400-h206/00-x6gccfg3hjMTARwMfx6C-zTut1SP3RKBDFbf482AdubXDpQC7cpFXyEBzq7DQNGh.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Montreal 2015: I love when you light up around your boys. You do 'dad' well! </i></span></div><p></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-28433595979623083122023-02-10T07:34:00.001-07:002023-02-10T07:34:44.681-07:00Small Guy. Big Personality. <span id="docs-internal-guid-f8a47cb2-7fff-273c-11ec-688797dd1afa"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yeah, you are “the Small Guy” because in my eyes, at least for another year or two, you are still “small” in every way. You are not as small as a year ago, or even as yesterday, sure, but in the general scheme of things you are small. And "perfect in every way", as you would say about polar bears. Or cats. Or owls. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When people ask me to describe you, I just sigh a deep sigh. How can I fit such a huge (physically small) personality into just a few words? There are no words ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I say things like: Kevin is amazingly ... his own person. He is 12 going on 50! Before anything, he is wise beyond his years, self-possessed and he has a deep sense of who he is and where his life is going. Before anything, it takes loads of effort to impress him. Even at 12, he will tell you in no ambiguous terms how lame you are, or how sexist, or blind you are at the diversity of the world around you. How careless and messy you are when you can’t pick up after yourself. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He’ll tell you how much you still have to learn about the world around you. He will scold you like you’re the child and he’s the grown-up. He is cool and collected as well as passionate and irate. He frowns upon your every lame move and breaks into song and cheer completely unprompted and unannounced. He is not one thing or another. He is never one-note and boring. He is a constant wonder and a constant guess ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He knows what he likes (books, animals, food, comfort, among too many other things to enumerate), he knows what he is about (serious, punctual, reliable, hard working, more responsible than the adults around him sometimes), and he also knows what he’s not about and what he hates (being told what to do, waking up too early in the morning, boiled broccoli, people talking too much around him when all he wants is quiet time). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that, dear Kev, is where you lose me: I wonder whether our blood is truly flowing through your little veins when you complain about people talking </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">too</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> much around you. But it must be, because you’re the spitting image of your grandfather, so I know better. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also tell people about your incredible talent to carry on interesting conversations about anything, your amazing knowledge about animals, plants, anything that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lives</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Your interest in understanding the living world around you, your maturity, about your being kind and caring and protecting towards our planet and our environment ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discovering you every year, seeing you grow and explore the world, watching you sift through everything that the world throws at you and choosing what it makes sense to you, choosing what gives you pleasure, what grounds you, what makes you whole is a privilege I will be forever grateful for. I love all your discoveries, from your new axolotl pet, to the fact that you love coffee so much (you’re definitely in the right family there!), to the fact that you read more than I ever do and that you can carry on a conversation with the vocabulary of a college student already. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like you noticed a couple of months back, the past year “tried you” with all sorts of bad happenings. I wish you a much, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">much</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> better year ahead, full of happiness, joy, and overflowing with beauty, kindness and every good wish you have for yourself. And never forget your strength! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I am at my saddest, I will always remember Christmas morning at my house last year: when you slipped on your PJ’s and your flannel robe, you poured your coffee and made a half-serious and stern face, half-goofball and joker (just like your grandpa) and demanded a picture by the tree, saying something like: “Let’s get into my robe and take a picture looking like a retired old dad.” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for giving me a front-row seat at this wonderful journey you call your life. I know it will never be boring ... Love you, sweet Kevs! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPCXoz6YyPn2T0TToFJvvxAD7ClkwNyZM-sLCUnS2fqKAwQX-TrRLPq7A83owx9INgu4djBPLpmDCpj_dRbJQffHjXDLiDz0edvZPkGtOPa6vjJIDjIbM9XeeKj4QXd0E8Y1zf54h20k2x5zIWHFKNMdcInqdzPnipQrYY2xA8S7SM-J6BA/s3382/_Andy_0656.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3382" data-original-width="2211" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPCXoz6YyPn2T0TToFJvvxAD7ClkwNyZM-sLCUnS2fqKAwQX-TrRLPq7A83owx9INgu4djBPLpmDCpj_dRbJQffHjXDLiDz0edvZPkGtOPa6vjJIDjIbM9XeeKj4QXd0E8Y1zf54h20k2x5zIWHFKNMdcInqdzPnipQrYY2xA8S7SM-J6BA/s320/_Andy_0656.jpeg.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>December 2022: My small "retired old dad"</i></span></div><p></p></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-36097553614402962522023-02-04T11:37:00.001-07:002023-02-04T11:37:13.037-07:00 Wrightsville Beach, NC<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mind is very fragmented lately. I have struggled to write complete sentences and the truth comes to me in snippets, much like a bulleted list. Without numbers. Without a specific order of events. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6c56f327-7fff-ed64-9d2e-884ff75ea045"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are my random thoughts on our recent trip to Wrightsville Beach, NC. </span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hotel beds are the worst. Why do they make them so back-breaking soft? </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Off-season beach season should be the most popular. Who needs the heat, the noise, the sand when you can have the beach to yourself to roam and any restaurant open with no waiting time? But I guess if this would be the peak season, this all would change?! Hmmm ... </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Falling asleep to the sound of the waves. Who needs a noise machine? </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I still love the cheap t-shirt beach stores where everything is always on sale. You can never have too many cheesy painted t-shirts (for the days when you decide you’re bored enough you want to start painting your cabinets) and too many $1 thong flip-flops. Summer </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">long in North Carolina. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Overheard in a coffee shop (paraphrase): “All I have left is to prepare for class this semester. Which is basically a lot of reading. But it’s kinda odd because all I have to read are heavy books. Like, you never thought you’d ever say ‘boy, I am really pumped about reading this book on ... </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">suffering</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!’, ya know?!” Laughter follows. (</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drift</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> restaurant in Wrightsville Beach)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The best seafood gumbo vegan outside of the fish is at </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Oceanic at the Crystal Pier</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Best view in town too, right on the ocean.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s a mystery to me where birds go when we go to the beach. You see all these gorgeous waterfowl photography everywhere from the fancy hotels to your dentist’s office and you’re thinking: “sure, I can do </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! Just get out there on the marsh, point and shoot.” Only you can’t. Nope. Not birds at any rate. I watched the sunrise from my 7th story hotel room and there were hundreds of water birds on the beach. I get dressed and get out there to “shoot them up close” ... not a one! Ridiculous! And that curse followed us everywhere else all weekend. Almost. A small pond in the middle of the Airlie Gardens saved the weekend.
</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabATt2H5tDFXwRrkkY0PbwOA8zaQi2pZKM3Q8qnNNwry6lzTEQC5AVDsoSnr1tGK5JrsKQo2Hu2rB4iCE04yvvN39W6PnUyFXr6ByZ_XRcDOfnNMWpAJXuRqVECXxgQiEG8M8Mv3Tk3M5CF-EPkuosM-gy3BdxychjGGMHih7PHTUMIVgpg/s5184/_As_7226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabATt2H5tDFXwRrkkY0PbwOA8zaQi2pZKM3Q8qnNNwry6lzTEQC5AVDsoSnr1tGK5JrsKQo2Hu2rB4iCE04yvvN39W6PnUyFXr6ByZ_XRcDOfnNMWpAJXuRqVECXxgQiEG8M8Mv3Tk3M5CF-EPkuosM-gy3BdxychjGGMHih7PHTUMIVgpg/s320/_As_7226.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65dEdw506PVmkUY_eTDXJA0ueW1yTnyUT-2co3xVT_hRB4v9xCitdDJ2TSCsJXrjs8pV2-GLTCzHWpxbnvkuWzyUA_4dpzOHsElzSM-77KqqcajEmkDyGumZYVIh6BAp_LWfX1ruh53EWK_YW3JZvESPoyWF6w4mb2Rhl1vWtIutM8gZDA/s2945/_As_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2945" data-original-width="2773" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65dEdw506PVmkUY_eTDXJA0ueW1yTnyUT-2co3xVT_hRB4v9xCitdDJ2TSCsJXrjs8pV2-GLTCzHWpxbnvkuWzyUA_4dpzOHsElzSM-77KqqcajEmkDyGumZYVIh6BAp_LWfX1ruh53EWK_YW3JZvESPoyWF6w4mb2Rhl1vWtIutM8gZDA/s320/_As_7248.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<i>Finally birds! At Airlie Gardens.</i></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div>
</div><p></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have never found so many absolutely perfectly whole sea-shells in a 20 minute walk on the beach. And I didn’t even pick up all the ones we spotted.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When coming out of The Oceanic, a random gentleman with a zoomy-zoom camera propped up on the railing told us he is waiting to see the launch of a SpaceX rocket somewhere South from where we were standing. Now, we were about 600 miles (more than 8 hours) away from where the rocket was launching, so this sounded highly dubitable, but we decided to wait for the rocket. </span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And oh, wow!, were we in for an experience! The rocket, like a crisp white beam of light, came out from low on the Southern horizon and ascended so incredibly fast, leaving behind a thick and luminous train, so long that given the distance we were aware it was from us, might have been hundreds of miles long in the sky. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At one point, we could see it drop its boosters that had propelled it into space, and then the two boosters, like mini-rockets themselves, made their own train of light from the dropping point all the way back towards Florida where they eventually landed. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At some point, it looked like the rocket stopped “writing” on the sky with its white, luminous train, and it kept only a short “tail”, almost like a comet flying high above the water. Although we could not hear the launch nor feel the earth shake, it was still breathtaking. Definitely the highlight of this weekend, regardless of however many successful pictures of birds we might have gotten. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes what you get out is not what you go there for. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we left our house, we were not too eager to be on this trip, for various reasons. But once seeing this miracle of human engineering, just a token of what is possible once you venture out beyond your front door, you realize that no matter how sad or poorly you feel, as long as your body is still able, you should get out and take in the amazement that the world still has in store for you. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The synchronicity was moving: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We saw the SpaceX Falcon Heavy on January 15 - a Sunday - outside </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Oceanic Restaurant </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Wrightsville Beach, NC. The rocket launch had been scheduled for January 14th (the day before) and it had gotten delayed till the following day, for “reasons not immediately disclosed” (if you follow the SpaceX launches, they have a good record of punctuality). We knew absolutely nothing of this, as we don’t follow rocket launches. </span></p><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had come to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Oceanic</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the day before, but we could not get in because they were too busy, so we decided to come the following day a bit earlier to have a chance at eating dinner there. And a place we picked totally randomly, and a day and time we picked totally by accident paid off in a big, big way. We took the experience as a reminder to stop making plans (or hiding from them) and get out there and embrace life and wonder just as they are: always there, always waiting, always in need of nothing but eyeballs to enjoy it. </span></span><div><span><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/AVvXsEg9FGdDNmcBgmYlXyubUROItbRmb2vJpS7NObpUSRFiiY5mljtOq5thwgzCRhVMk3sbXFbEm0oe8-TGBjuCKDUsWQEtkqvrBItGoyS89hlK1_1w1ilwyuOSsxcYrc8Rr7ec5jjewLwU8N8F-DfxLW7uWa8aza88bCODrpLsjLhcD-MQD3ftow/s3084/_As_7880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="3084" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9FGdDNmcBgmYlXyubUROItbRmb2vJpS7NObpUSRFiiY5mljtOq5thwgzCRhVMk3sbXFbEm0oe8-TGBjuCKDUsWQEtkqvrBItGoyS89hlK1_1w1ilwyuOSsxcYrc8Rr7ec5jjewLwU8N8F-DfxLW7uWa8aza88bCODrpLsjLhcD-MQD3ftow/s320/_As_7880.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The rocket and the two boosters putting on a spectacle as seen from Wrightsville Beach, NC on January 15, 2023. Who needs New Year's fireworks when you can have this?! </i></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-8004297333280964372023-01-19T19:02:00.000-07:002023-01-19T19:02:24.988-07:0025 Years<p><span style="font-family: arial;">25 years ago today, I boarded a KLM flight from Bucharest, Romania, where I said "goodbye" to my tearful parents, sister, and a childhood friend, en route to Amsterdam for a brief layover. After that, I boarded a Northwest flight to Atlanta, GA onward to my very first visit to the USA. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My mom would tell you that after I passed passport control in Bucharest, I waved them goodbye one last time, and headed for the gate, without ever glancing back. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I came here on a Business Visa that was to expire in exactly 4 months, on May 19. On that day, January 19, 1998, I had no way to envision that you could build a while life in as little as 4 months! But dad was very adamant: "You make it or break it in those 4 months. You might never see another visa again, so make it worthwhile!" I was not yet 23. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My 'to do' list was pretty short, but ballsy, nonetheless. I didn't know what the future would bring, but if the future offered me to stay in America (which was my dad's wish for me ever since I could remember), I wanted a couple of few things:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">A legal status. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">A job small enough to be able to perform with my education at the time (English major graduate) without having to go back to school, and big enough to afford me to live a decent life - a small place to live, a small but reliable car, some pocket money to travel once or twice a year.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Some sort of treatment for my genetic condition which was predicting that I would not make it past the age of 25. I so wanted to live past that fast-approaching age! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">To be free. To be truly free to be who I am, without apologies. To not pay bribes for the rest of my life for things that are my rights. To be free to speak my mind without fear that some government functionary would take their power tripping on me just 'cause they can. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">That was about it. You can call it "my American dream".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Northwest is long gone - I almost cried when it became Delta. That was my plane! My Mayflower, if you will! I have learned more things than I can count, and I have aged by many decades, physically, and by centuries emotionally and mentally. I have had my moments at the top of the mountain, victorious and lonely, and I have had more joy than anyone should be allowed in a lifetime. I have been truly blessed. I have had my heart broken more times than I can count. By people, by love, by governments, by times ... But all in all, I have felt fortunate and oh, so undeservingly and hopelessly lucky! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">On such an important day for me, I don't feel accomplished, I don't feel short-changed, nor disappointed that I have not done more. I feel at peace. I truly hope I see many more anniversaries, but if this were to be my last one, I'd be pretty pleased. More than anything - I feel tired and ready for more - all at the same time. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope that the next 25 will be half as eventful as these first 25. And today, I am without a "to do" list. Today, I just want to never forget that when you truly mean to accomplish something, 4 months is enough! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithFxPzX4i_6vvRNMfEMxQ3K7BO3zdo8D9plaI6P80mEc35IYwUXYD_KguSQEeHUC2xBV2uj_8W_TkQtIeSMWDrJBlC7r962W4hCCWqJxdU-tUJLDsURJf9pGlJzp_z3YZ26mCEQRUuMl8WlilrAj1gmY6hY7zNi8ZEKjbRwSU8sxazoPgGQ/s640/northwest.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="640" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithFxPzX4i_6vvRNMfEMxQ3K7BO3zdo8D9plaI6P80mEc35IYwUXYD_KguSQEeHUC2xBV2uj_8W_TkQtIeSMWDrJBlC7r962W4hCCWqJxdU-tUJLDsURJf9pGlJzp_z3YZ26mCEQRUuMl8WlilrAj1gmY6hY7zNi8ZEKjbRwSU8sxazoPgGQ/w400-h269/northwest.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>It was a plane like this one that brought me over on my first journey. I will never forget it! </i></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-63143492092324619212022-12-31T08:05:00.000-07:002022-12-31T08:05:17.015-07:002022 - The Year of the Big Loss<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many superstitions about starting a new year right. </span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9bc540fc-7fff-84ad-52cc-0debe43b4ad6"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need to have a full glass of something at midnight (preferably champagne), to ensure you’re rich all next year. (according to both Romania and America)</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You cannot be alone on New Year’s - it’s better to be surrounded by people, so as not to be always alone in the new year. (Romania)</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need to eat grapes at midnight, for the same reason. (Romania)</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need to open the front door wide open to let the old year out and let in the new year. (Ireland, I think)</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You need to eat collard greens and black-eyed peas for health and riches. (in the American South. What if you grew up in a place where neither grows?!)</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I never really paid too much attention to these, other than just acknowledging them as oddities or interesting facts. But after this year, I am now a convert that will look for </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sign that will foretell a better year than the next. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The way I started this year (2022) and the way this year evolved and ended - I never want to repeat any of it any time soon! </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We started the year in an Airbnb condo on an island in Georgia. We were alone on New Year’s Eve night, at midnight, and the remote for the TV was fried, so we could not even put CNN on to watch the NYC ball drop! We had no champagne, because we were sure that we could spend midnight at the bar of the condotel we were staying at. Only they kicked us out literally 15 minutes before 12 midnight. Who does this on New Year’s Eve night?! </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The next day, we had reservations for brunch on the beach at the Echo restaurant in St. Simons Island, GA. When we got on the patio, which is right on the beach of the Atlantic ocean, there was no ocean: the beach was swallowed into the thickest fog I have ever seen. I lived on the beach in The South for close to a year, in all sorts of weather and I have not seen the fog so thick where you could not see the ocean. It was a still day, so you could not even hear the ocean. It was just as eerie as a Stephen King novel. If we started walking towards the ocean, we could have gone blindfolded because we could not have seen where it started and the sand ended. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tYG-JmkVQBYHriTMW67kJ69dCGUvjkDIUdVdgZB1cXXp3sJGAqgvmpDCt_CKISJPSep2_1Lsu6uzx5152hB1fBfJnvjqAcjzBB-UDnYgaG3JpJHPU3OniD2mytkGiyY8Llk8ItG4-_qUbKjSUzxw-0zFO5HTzxGXeW8iVeu-jPnpQv9lXA/s1600/IMG_3377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tYG-JmkVQBYHriTMW67kJ69dCGUvjkDIUdVdgZB1cXXp3sJGAqgvmpDCt_CKISJPSep2_1Lsu6uzx5152hB1fBfJnvjqAcjzBB-UDnYgaG3JpJHPU3OniD2mytkGiyY8Llk8ItG4-_qUbKjSUzxw-0zFO5HTzxGXeW8iVeu-jPnpQv9lXA/s320/IMG_3377.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;"><i>January 1, 2022 - St. Simons Island, GA</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought even then - “I wonder what this means, that the first thing I see on the first day of the year, for the first meal of the year is ... well, pretty much nothing?!” I was thinking this might be foretelling something ominous, some sort of a warning. And now, in hindsight, I know it did. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After breakfast, we went to visit the area and we took this longest walk through a cemetery. Talk about strange and eerie: why would anyone want to walk through a cemetery for their first walk of the year?! The truth is: we didn’t know it would end up being a cemetery: we wanted to see the Christ Episcopal Church, one of the oldest churches in Georgia. It just so happened that it was in the middle of a graveyard, draped in spooky Spanish moss, like a death bride. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngaMH4ppbwO8hxtkXn3IVbkZNV-5Xc0UAehXmbeluQ9dg2x0tutTls9g9EbMxFFQZnh__h9Bj38SAJ08Hwx9wuni-qfjLgZhZVfsfRws1ijF2LaIoSqx2HY9S15rpD-2cVLG-luLdU3q_0NGh6RdDu_jAuHVvTIeVL5_-mL1D9tChn2y_Zg/s1600/IMG_3380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjngaMH4ppbwO8hxtkXn3IVbkZNV-5Xc0UAehXmbeluQ9dg2x0tutTls9g9EbMxFFQZnh__h9Bj38SAJ08Hwx9wuni-qfjLgZhZVfsfRws1ijF2LaIoSqx2HY9S15rpD-2cVLG-luLdU3q_0NGh6RdDu_jAuHVvTIeVL5_-mL1D9tChn2y_Zg/s320/IMG_3380.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;"><i>January 1, 2022 - The cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church - St. Simons Island, GA</i></div><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the evening, someone had tipped us off to go to this exclusive golf course resort and listen to a bagpiper play at dusk. It was the most beautiful scenery and the most beautiful spectacle, but I couldn't help but think that bagpipes always sound sad, they always are better played at funerals. Again, I thought for a minute that as beautiful and serene as that moment was, it was also deeply sad. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QUcKwJDIOft9COr_ZUhZ6I-QGNX9BmnLmH3p1nP_oCg6yuCgACl2dVdaPZNG597XfZTeugRstZGgJAS6ialEbY43R-lAjL8TJ6d-9WuJPKVUj3zzlvftUyIBM_4qK-CsS8eUg9QjrpQWiai26YYjAd0UuaQws71ANZU3vEGNjwroPuRPgA/s1600/IMG_3382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0QUcKwJDIOft9COr_ZUhZ6I-QGNX9BmnLmH3p1nP_oCg6yuCgACl2dVdaPZNG597XfZTeugRstZGgJAS6ialEbY43R-lAjL8TJ6d-9WuJPKVUj3zzlvftUyIBM_4qK-CsS8eUg9QjrpQWiai26YYjAd0UuaQws71ANZU3vEGNjwroPuRPgA/s320/IMG_3382.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;"><i>January 1, 2022 - The bagpiper at The Lodge at Sea Island Resort - St. Simons, GA</i></div><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;">Although a small piece of me almost tasted the foreshadowing of all the events that were to come this year, it’s now clear to me that all those odd superstitions that I have known all my life, might hold some truth! </div></span><p></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It was a rough year, personally and world-wide. Covid is still out there, hurting people, affecting our family multiple times this year. Some of my friends are caught in the Ukrainian war, and I fear for them every minute. Our collective health has been shaky and for some has gotten worse. Some dear friends have been affected by cruel diseases. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There has been a lot of loss this year, for us, for the world, and for those around us. A lot of unexpected death and loss of freedom, loss of values, loss of (more) friends. Painful, deep, unconsolable loss. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To top it all off, I lost my dad. My North Star. I am now getting ready to not only start a new year, but a new chapter in my life: it will be the “After-Dad Chapter”. How we do life without him is a mystery to me. This was the ultimate blow. The kick in the stomach. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Part of me wants to go back on that beach in Georgia and demand a do-over. But dad always hated quitters and always taught us to not live with regrets. We must march on. Somehow. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There were some silver linings at time: this was the year of wild horses, the year of being around family four times (unheard of in the past 25 years). The year we celebrated dad’s 70 years on this planet, when many people (and doctors) didn’t see him making it past 40. The year of Tori Amos and Brevard, NC. The year of walking the streets of Vienna with Aaron for the first time and of running into wild bears on the trails of The Appalachia in Georgia. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Like any year - it was good and bad. Some more bad than usual, but the beauty and hope are still there, even if just shyly, barely gurgling under the surface. Even if coy and unconvincing. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This new year’s eve night, I have champagne, I have grapes, and collards, and black-eyed peas. We will still be alone at home but, Duke Power permitting, we will be watching the ball drop with millions of others (we stocked up on batteries for the remote, too). And we will be with family on some sort of an online device. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And I hope that, God willing, I will restart a tradition that dad did with us, as children: to go to church on New Year’s Day. It’s so easy to do in Romania where all the churches are open around the clock every day, but so hard to do here. But this year, New Year’s Day is a Sunday, so I'm hoping this can happen. Maybe this will be the first baby step into starting to do life without dad. Maybe it is for a reason ... We cling on to all sorts of “things” when at a loss, blinded, and helpless. So, just maybe. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But whether I believe all of this or not, I pray for a better year for us all. A healthier, fuller, more meaningful year ahead, in all sorts of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">good</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ways. </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy 2023, everyone! </span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><br />A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-39886079263257862132022-12-07T17:18:00.001-07:002022-12-07T17:27:34.964-07:00Dad. An Obit. <div><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple of people asked me if dad had an obit and if they could read it. Romanians don’t write obits, at least not in the same fashion as they do here, in The States. The most they do is a death announcement which is pretty much a matter-of-fact statement that a person has passed with brief information about the time and the place of their wake and funeral. We didn’t publish a death announcement for my dad because our funeral home strongly advised us that a Facebook announcement would be much more effective than any newspaper announcement because “no one reads the paper nowadays.” So, we didn’t write one. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But I thought of writing an obit, of sorts, myself, for those of you who might be interested in who the man was. Here it goes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83-mxn9dmKPnG10jh7TNCLM7yIP8QFcZGXzavp1tmrrWjZcv_YDU7bNj1ShOoBUzq5cg8AlbdI819XjEtFyDWNTMm8afqBKUeRhuHYgoakt-poFMcjsO1BkffUcktAB1KyYzXk-yhDrOXIM07T5yGSFe_KJsV-pDVCx14QCpDFmIm2ouVLw/s849/IMG_6494.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="578" data-original-width="849" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83-mxn9dmKPnG10jh7TNCLM7yIP8QFcZGXzavp1tmrrWjZcv_YDU7bNj1ShOoBUzq5cg8AlbdI819XjEtFyDWNTMm8afqBKUeRhuHYgoakt-poFMcjsO1BkffUcktAB1KyYzXk-yhDrOXIM07T5yGSFe_KJsV-pDVCx14QCpDFmIm2ouVLw/w400-h272/IMG_6494.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Corneliu Afloarei (“Baby”)</b>, age 70, of Iasi, Romania, passed away on November 22, 2022. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Baby was born on July 19, 1952 in Targu Neamt, Neamt County, Romania. He was the second and youngest child of Sterian (a construction engineer) and Ioana (a registered nurse). Due to the nature of his father’s occupation, he spent his early childhood living in several counties of Romania, as his father was assigned to various construction projects. He spent time mostly in the Neamt and Suceava Counties, in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. His life-long love of the mountains started during those early days. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When he was in middle school, the family relocated to Iasi - the largest city in the province of Romanian Moldova and today the second-largest city in Romania. Mostly known for being a university center, Iasi offered opportunities for good education and a slower-paced, less industrialized city. Baby attended the Vasile Alecsandri high-school where he excelled in writing, history, and sports. Being extremely competitive, he played soccer and track during his high-school years. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">After a failed attempt at getting into law school because of the unfair disqualification of his entrance paper (due to an ink blotch), he turned to his other passion: animals. He was admitted to the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “Ion Ionescu de la Brad”, the Faculty of Food and Animal Sciences in Iasi. He graduated in 1979. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1973, he married Anișoara, also of Iasi, who he met a couple of years prior on a train headed to the beach city of Constanta. She was to be the love of his life, his soulmate and partner for almost 49 years. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During college, he worked as a music DJ in dance clubs, as a family photographer, and as a construction handyman, to support his small family while going to college full time. His first daughter was born in 1975 and his youngest was born in 1978 - during his college years. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">After graduating college, between 1979 and 1990, he worked on various government-owned farms in the counties of Galati and Iasi, managing chicken, cow, or pig farms or supervising meat production in slaughterhouses and meat producing plants. He always believed in keeping the animals happy and healthy and in treating them with dignity and compassion, even if they were meant for human consumption. These were hard times, where food, especially meat, was severely regulated by the Communist government. On a backdrop of penury and constant lack of food for the larger population, he found ways to keep his family and those close to them fed. During those days he used to say “if you have food, you have everything” as food was in such great demand and ever shorter supply. He worked hard, under the hard conditions of an overbearing and restrictive government, in the cold of the long Romanian winters, to ensure his bonuses (paid in food rewards rather than money) were paid on time. He shared those bonuses with anyone that needed to feed their family. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1990, after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, he changed careers and became the owner and CEO of his own company, Total Gaz. Total Gaz provided heating boilers for small businesses - an industry that was just then created, after Romanians found new ways to stop being dependent on the Government’s hot water and heating services and became more independent. He worked for Total Gaz until his partial retirement in 1999 when he also sold his share in the business. After that, he worked as a consultant for the Casa Design, SRL, a company similar to the one he sold that provides heating systems to residential customers. He completely retired in 2017, at the age of 65. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Although his Christian name was Corneliu, virtually everyone who ever met him called him “Baby” - a moniker that his mother gave him in his early childhood years and which stuck. There are many people out there who never knew his real name. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Baby will be remembered by everyone he met and helped for his incredible heart and generosity. He always helped everyone who needed help, and he always turned a sympathetic ear towards everyone’s challenges. He loved people, in general, and his family in particular. He supported his children in every endeavor they attempted, encouraged them and constantly cheered them on to achieve more, to reach for higher goals. In losing him, his family lost their patriarch, their center, their rock, their North Star. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Second only to his big heart was his abundant sense of humor. Although he could be a stern and ruthless businessman (at only about 5’5”, the man could intimidate just about anyone in a well-pressed suit), he was also the heart of every party and the clown of every gathering. Everyone that ever met him privately will remember him with a smile on their faces and they will recount the many jokes he told at parties and the many pranks he played. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He was notorious for his parties. Even in the darker days of Communism, when life was hard and happy moments were few and far between, he always took the time to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or milestones, like his children getting into a new school, or buying a car, or even buying a house appliance. He loved to cook and his multiple-course dinners that started at 2PM and lasted way into the night will remain unforgettable to anyone who participated. His parties were always about savoring good eats and drinks, laughing so hard your stomach would hurt, dancing while listening to “good music” and forgetting about the challenges of life. They were always a reprieve from a harsh reality and a journey into happy times. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He was somewhat of a hedonist when it came to food and drinking - everything had to be in excess. For years, he made his own wine, various specialties of smoked meats, sushi, and together with his wife, he cooked the most elaborate dinners. He was the chef-in-charge and Anișoara was his right-hand sous-chef. The ideas for the dinners, the decorations and table settings, the decorating of the house for The Holidays were all his ideas and orchestration. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He loved freedom in its purest form. Again, during the dark days of Communism, even with the risk of getting caught and thrown in jail for destabilizing The Regime, he instilled the love of freedom and of America, in particular, (the “only country in the world,” he used to say, “with true freedom and respect for the individual”) into his children. He raised them to, one day, be citizens, “and not just tourists”, of the Free World and both his daughters now live in the US and Canada. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">One of the highlights of his adult life was coming to America and visiting New York City - the “ultimate American experience”, he used to say. His visit to Ellis Island, the cradle of American immigration of sorts, was deeply emotional and moved him to his core. It was a dream come true. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Besides photography, he also loved music. He never took English in school, but he spoke conversational-level English “just from listening to The Beatles”, he used to say. His favorite band was The Beatles, but he instilled a deep passion for all ‘60’s British and American music into his children - The Rolling Stones, CCR, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin were among his favorites. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He was a Renaissance man - he used to tell his children that a “well-rounded person never walks into a room full of people without being able to be fluent in whatever the topic of discussion is in that room: whether politics, sports, music, money, family, literature, history - you need to be able to hold your own and never be at a loss for words and devoid of your own opinions.” He was a gifted conversationalist and he shared advice freely with anyone who would listen. He leaves behind an impressive collection of books and he always encouraged his children to be avid readers. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He loved animals, especially cats and dogs. As a child, he practically collected stray dogs and cats and his parents never knew what they would come home to every day because he would shelter yet another creature, giving them a bath and feeding them whatever leftovers he could find. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Taking after his mother, he also had a green thumb - his house and garden are filled with plants and flowers that always look healthy and full of life, in any season. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Baby was born with a hereditary condition which he inherited from his father, called Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). FH causes early onset of cardio-vascular disease and strokes. He started seeing signs of his arteries being blocked with excess cholesterol which caused his heart disease and his first minor strokes in his 40’s. Eventually, he died of a number of massive strokes which lead to cardiac arrest. His death was very similar to that of his father, who also died of multiple strokes at the early age of 65. In a strange twist of fate, his wife also has the same condition and his daughters and one of his grandsons also inherited it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">He was preceded in death by his parents, Sterian and Ioana, and by his parents-in-law, Constantin and Ileana. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Anișoara, his only sister, Rodica Todică, his two daughters, Alina Wilson (Aaron Kuehn) and Andreea Arghire (Gabriel), his two grandsons (Patrick - 14, and Kevin - 11), and many other cousins, and second- and third- nieces and nephews. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">For those of you who knew him and who might feel so inclined, if you want to donate anything in his name, you can donate food to anyone in need, or give any kind of help to homeless pets. He would have loved that. Sharing food was the best gift he could give to humans and animals alike, the surest and purest way he could show his love. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Also, if you want to aid with creating awareness for FH, you can also support <b>The Family Heart Foundation</b> (<a href="https://familyheart.org/donate">https://familyheart.org/donate</a>) who dedicates their efforts to educating individuals and medical professionals alike about the severity of FH, if left untreated. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to all of you who have been by our family’s side since his passing. It means a lot more than I can put into words. </span></div><div><br /></div>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-53799176019722334292022-12-06T13:23:00.007-07:002022-12-06T14:05:55.398-07:00Despre tata ... <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Am început aceasta postare în seara cand tata nu a mai fost - pe 22 noiembrie 2022. Dar ... val-vartejul pregatirilor pentru inmormantare, pomenirea de 9 zile și alte treburi administrative m-au împiedicat sa il public. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Așa cum de multe ori am mai zis: pentru tata nu existau străini! Dacă ți-a fost dat sa il intalnesti măcar o data îți devenea instantaneu </span><span style="font-family: arial;">prieten </span><span style="font-family: arial;">și știai te poți baza pe el sa iti fie aproape în orice circumstanță, buna sau mai puțin</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> buna pentru toata viata. De asemenea, nimeni nu putea sta serios cu tata prin preajmă. Așa cum veți citi și aici - toți avem multe amintiri care ne fac sa radem sau măcar sa zambim cand ne vom gandi la el. A iubit viața și a savurat fiecare clipa! Umorul și voia buna i-au fost mereu contagioase. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Pe 19 iulie 2022, tata a implinit 70 de ani. Cativa din mulții lui prieteni au dovedit o generozitate deosebita și și-au făcut un pic timp sa îmi trimită un gând despre el. I-am dat într-un plic aceste ganduri de ziua lui si a rămas fără cuvinte, plin de emotie si surprindere. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As putea petrece o viata intreaga sa vorbesc despre tata, să-l descriu si sa explic de ce era un om extraordinar si rar, dar cuvintele mele nu i-ar face vreodată dreptate. Așa ca impartasesc cu toată lumea aceste cuvinte care vin din multe colțuri ale lumii, de la mulți cei care l-au iubit și care le va lipsi enorm de acum încolo ca să-l împărtășesc cu lumea pe acest om minunat care a lăsat un gol imens în sufletele tuturor. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Sper ca prin ele sa ne reamintim cu toții de cel care a fost pentru mine tata, și pentru noi toți, Baby. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Asa cum am mai spus: celor care au contribuit: va multumesc din suflet încă o data. Nu știam atunci că aceste cuvinte vor căpăta o greutate si o semnificație și mai mare, peste timp, pentru ca recitindu-le în aceste momente de tristețe dupa ziua aceea fatidica de 22 noiembrie, ne alină sufletul sa stim ca a atins atat de profund pe atati de multi dintre voi. Multumiri eterne tuturor! </span></p><p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-3c71f459-7fff-b52f-2569-5581a32be4d1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anișoara (sotia)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Draga Baby, </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avem 49 de ani împreună și am avut și zile bune și mai puțin bune. Am avut o viață bună și încă te iubesc așa cum ești. (...) Eu sunt lângă tine până la capăt și îți doresc multă sănătate. La mulți ani!” (Any) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><br /></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alina (fiica)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Tata, așa cum știi și cum știe at</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">â</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ta lume - ai făcut multe pentru foarte mulți. Pentru mine, în schimb, e simplu, și-n același timp și complicat: m-ai învățat lucruri concrete și fără de care nu se putea să cresc, și să devin un adult </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bine format</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. De pildă, m-ai învățat să-mi pun cămașa în pantaloni ca să nu iasă și să-mi leg șireturile la papuci. M-ai învățat să joc tenis, să culeg bureți și să dezosez un animal. Cred că prima lecție de anatomie a inimii mi-ai dat-o tu, când dezosam un pui și mi-ai arătat cele 4 “camere” ale inimii. Atunci nu știam ce mult îmi va trebui această lecție, mai târziu. M-ai insuflat dragostea de a citi și de a scrie ...</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mai presus de toate, m-ai învățat independența și mi-ai dat încrederea în mine, în puterile proprii de a răzbi oriunde și oricum în viață. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Îți mulțumesc pentru </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tot</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! Cuvintele nu vor putea </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">niciodată</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> să-mi exprime recunoștința pentru tot ceea ce am invatat de la tine. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tot ce-mi doresc în aceasta zi deosebită este ca tu însuți să asculți de sfaturile pe care ni le-ai dat nouă de ani de zile: să fii independent, să fii încrezător în puterile tale proprii de a te menține pe pământ puternic, sănătos și cu dorința de a trăi mai departe, în următorii doi-cinci-zece ani și așa mai încolo, mulți, mulți, mult mai mulți! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Așa cum mi-ai spus mie să nu mă las doborâtă de boală orice ar fi, aș vrea să-ți asculți propriul sfat și să valorifici toate avantajele pe care ți le dă medicina, Dumnezeu, viața în genere, să te menții sănătos în anii care urmează. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Se poate</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Îți spun asta din proprie experiență. Dumnezeu și-a făcut datoria și te-a adus până la 70 de ani și asta înseamnă că are un rost viața ta. Ajută-L și tu să mergi înainte ... </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pe picioarele tale</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> și să găsești care e rostul. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lumea, familia ta nu se termină cu tine. Așa cum deseori spui tot tu, “pune osul la treabă” ca să fii în continuare în putere și independent nu numai pentru tine (în primul rând), dar și pentru noi, pentru cei mici și pentru toți cei care te iubesc și așa cum vezi își aduc aminte cu respect și bucurie de momentele petrecute împreună și pentru toți cei care te vrem încă să fii langa noi mulți, mulți ani de acum înainte. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sănătate! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Te iubesc mult! Alina” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Andy (fiica)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Dragă tata,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ce pot să-ți zic la ceas aniversar, decât că te iubim mult? În fiecare moment știu c-ai fost lângă noi, chiar dacă departe! Fie numai în gând, dar te regăsim mereu și într-un gest, într-o vorbă, o emoție, o amintire. Mă gândesc la ce ne-ai transmis, prin gene sau prin exemplu. Mereu vei fi cu noi: în ceea ce trăim și în ceea ce suntem, când iubim animalele ești cu noi, când ne bucurăm de un grătar cu prietenii, când ascultăm o muzică bună, când iubim cărțile, când iscodim starea de lucruri, când iubim munții, sau istoria, sau când gătim sau savurăm o mâncare bună. Toată această sete de viață, de cunoaștere, de călătorie, curiozitatea și spiritul critic, ți le datorăm în parte și pentru toate astea îți mulțumim.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sperăm să fii sănătos și să rămâi mereu același spirit năstrușnic și glumeț, același original și nonconformist! La mulți ani!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Andy” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aaron (ginere)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Încă înainte de a-l cunoaște pe Baby, am văzut poze cu el. Și una din pozele care tot ieșea în evidență și care mi-a rămas în minte până azi, îl arată pe el, fără cămașă, deasupra grătarului, frigând niște carne. Acum, de când îl cunosc mai bine, știu cu siguranță că e un om comic, cu o plăcere deosebită de a-și amuza oaspeții. De-a lungul anilor, am învățat că e un bucătar priceput mai ales în fața grătarului, și un socru care câteodată stă în picioare pe scaun și cântă odată cu muzica de la dvd-player. La mulți ani, Baby!” (Aaron)</span></p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span> </span>Original: “Before I met Baby, I saw pictures. And the one that has always stood out, and sticks in my mind to this day, is a picture of him, without a shirt, standing over flames, grilling meat. Since meeting him I’ve learned that he’s a funny goofball, who wants to make people laugh. For sure, over the years, he’s lived up to his fame as a master of the grill and the father in law who will stand on a chair and sing along to the music! Happy birthday, Baby!” (Aaron)</i></span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Kevin (nepot) </b></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Dragă Baby,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sper să ai o zi de naștere superbă, plină de bucurii și prosperitate. Să nu uiti să petreci cât mai frumos, înconjurat de prieteni și de familie! Sunt foarte fericit că pot să petrec ziua asta specială lângă tine și să te revăd după 5 ani! -- Kevin”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Patrick (nepot)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Dragă Baby,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acum că ai implinit 70 de ani, cred că putem să nu te mai numim “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baby”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, nu?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">În cei 14 ani de viață ai mei nu am putut petrece mult timp cu tine, dar vreau să știi că toate momentele cu tine au fost memorabile și mai ales amuzante! Mi-e dor de tine și abia aștept să ne vedem!” (Patrick)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gabi (ginere)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Îi mulțumesc lui Baby pentru lungile conversații despre muzica rock, pentru încrederea de a ne lăsa să ne mutăm împreună chiar din timpul liceului, pentru că m-a înscris obligat-fortat la școala de șoferi ... ! 😀 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sănătate și viață lungă!!” (Gabi)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rodica (sora)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“După nuntă mi-au făcut cadou un ceas de mână foarte frumos, pe care l-am purtat cu mare drag, mult timp. M-a surprins. Pe Anișoara nu o cunoșteam prea bine, dar la el până atunci nu mă așteptam să se gândească la mine. Asta m-a emoționat foarte tare. Dintotdeauna până atunci nu făcuse nimic care să mă uimească în sensul bun. Nu valoarea m-a uimit. Deși eu l-am iubit și l-am ajutat întotdeauna cu mare dragoste din toată inima. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">După aceea a mai făcut multe lucruri bune pentru mine, dar ăsta îl consider cel mai surprinzător din viața noastră de până atunci dar nu m- am gândit nici o clipă că nu mă iubește. Nu mai spun eu - pentru mine a fost întotdeauna cel mai important din viața mea. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(...) Avem multe amintiri frumoase din viață. Vă iubesc pe toți ai mei și mă rog în fiecare zi pentru voi. La mulți ani, Baby!” (Rodica)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lucretia (prietena)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“La mulți ani OM FRUMOS! Să ne trăiești cît mai mult pentru că meriți cu prisosință. În viața ta multă lume ai ajutat iar printre ei mă număr și eu. Am trecut prin multe împreună. Îți amintești acel concediu la mare cînd am mers împreună? Dar despre ce s-a întâmplat când mă învățai să conduc? Cu orice apelam la tine găseai soluții. Să-ți dea Dumnezeu sănătate și să vegheze zi de zi asupra ta.” (Lucretia)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlene (cuscra)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saaa – LAUTE</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!!!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Într-adevăr, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saaa-LUTE</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> la 70 de ani de când locuiți pe pământ Și, după cum spune reclama, „ÎNCĂ MAI TICĂIȚI!!!” Ce contribuție imensă la societate și ce moștenire pentru următoarea generație ați stabilit! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">48 de ani de căsătorie, așa cum a intenționat Dumnezeu și foarte rar în zilele noastre. Ați îndurat multe încercări și necazuri, precum și bucurii și succese și ați transmis ACEEAȘI abilitate de a trece prin multe încercări ambelor fiice ale dumneavoastră.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Și ele continuă să trăiască viața cu aceleași abilități de care ați dat dovadă și dvs și cu care ați răzbătut prin greutăți. Aveți TOT dreptul să fiți mândru și să vă lăudați cu ele!!</span></p><br /><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 257px; overflow: hidden; width: 263px;"><img height="257" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BTM8SVHp2PEC6YWbWOK3qslAZZv_Tl0MWW0xWW_9dvEqKQdjKrPOZuFtCYgFymkk5UBZL8w5PhKPTkX1A_lmFy1alnfNjRX0mJOGSLvmVKj-VZmScLTziTDhIlcAIWWEnfve6MUqMGjI4TQg8jqjoYwNPaQsqBkW6z9FlFV7nInC4Jiwxyezb6BeDdl5Vw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="263" /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ca părinți, nu suntem perfecți, DAR le-ați demonstrat cum să facă față încercărilor și să păstreze viața în perspectivă. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ce onoare a fost/ este pentru mine să fi fost prezentă în ziua în care v-ați încredințat fiica fiului meu. Din acea zi, Alina este o binecuvântare pentru familia noastră și o bucurie deosebită pentru Aaron. Ea este legătura care leagă familiile noastre și ne ajută să înțelegem perspectiva din punctele de vedere ale AMBELOR familii.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Evident că vă cunosc doar prin informații second-hand. Cu toate acestea, caracterul și faptele DVS. sunt demonstrate sub diferite forme. Am VĂZUT poze cu:</span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sistemul DVS. de afumare a cărnii</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">O gamă variată de alimente prezente la orice ocazie pe mesele festive</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Călătoriile DVS. în care sunteți ghid pentru a arăta vizitatorilor zonele în care trăiți</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Casa DVS și animalele de pe lângă casă. </span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Am AUZIT de:</span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Multe bunătăți pe care le-ați gătiți, mereu noi</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sacrificiile pe care le-ați făcut</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vizita „SURPRIZĂ” făcută în Canada pentru a sărbători ziua de naștere a soției!!!</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Determinarea de care dați dovadă pentru a face lucrurile mai bune pentru alții. </span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DA, ÎNTRADEVĂR!!! Saa-LUTE la 70 de ani de viață bine trăită!!! 😀😀😀</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fie ca Dumnezeu să continue să VĂ binecuvânteze din belșug pentru anii rămași pe care îi are în plan pentru dumneavoastră, și vă doresc succes în continuare pentru tot ce faceți pentru a vă îmbogățiți moștenirea!!! Sunteți cu adevărat o binecuvântare!!!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NUMAI prin harul SĂU suprem,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlene Kuehn (Soacra Alinei)” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Original: “Saaa – LUTE!!!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Indeed Saaa-LUTE to 70 years of earth dwelling AND, as the commercial goes, “STILL TICKING!!!” What a contribution to society and a legacy for the next generation YOU have established. YOU have been married for --- years, which is the way it was intended and very rare these days. YOU have endured many trials and tribulations as well as joys and successes and have passed THAT ability on to YOUR two daughters.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They too carry on with those same abilities. YOU have every right to be proud and brag on them!! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As parents we aren't perfect, BUT YOU have demonstrated to them how to cope with such things and to keep life in perspective.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What an honor it was/is on that day when YOU surrendered YOUR daughter and entrusted her to my son. She has been such a blessing to our family and a very special joy to Aaron. She is the link that connects our families together and helps us understand the perspective from BOTH viewpoints.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously I only know YOU by second-hand information. However, YOUR character and deeds are demonstrated in various forms. I've SEEN pictures of: </span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOUR meat smoking system</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOUR various array of food, multiply times, on the table</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOUR travels to show a visitor YOUR area</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOUR home and the animals that share it with YOU.</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've HEARD of:</span></p><br /><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The many kindnesses YOU have done</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sacrifices YOU have made</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “SURPRISE” visit to Canada to celebrate YOUR wife's birthday!!!</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YOUR determination to make things better for others</span></p></li></ul><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YES INDEED!!! Saa-LUTE to 70 years of a well lived life!!! :-) :-) :-) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May God continue to richly bless YOU for the remaining years HE has for YOU as YOU CONTINUE to enrich YOUR legacy!!! YOU are a blessing!!!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ONLY by HIS grace,</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlene Kuehn (Alina's mother-in-law)”</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doina & Ovidiu (verisori) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ASTĂZI ANIVERSEZI 70 ANI ! FELICITĂRI ! ÎN SPATELE TĂU, SE ASCUNDE O VIAȚĂ ÎNTREAGĂ PLINĂ DE AMINTIRI FRUMOASE ȘI NU PREA, DIN CÂȘTIGURI ȘI EȘECURI, LACRIMI ȘI ZÂMBETE, DURERI ȘI PLĂCERI. DAR E FIREȘTE, AȘA ESTE LA TOȚI.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> DEȘI AI TRECUT PRIN ATÂTEA, OCHII TĂI ÎNCĂ EMANĂ BUNĂTATE ȘI MULTĂ BLÂNDEȚE.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> LA ACEASTĂ VÂRSTĂ MEMORABILĂ ÎȚI DORIM CA NEPOȚII ȘI COPII SĂ TE RESPECTE, SĂ-ȚI FIE ALĂTURI ÎN TOATE ȘI SĂ TE IUBEASCĂ NECONDIȚIONAT.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> FIE CA VIAȚA SĂ IȚI FIE ÎN CONTINUARE, PLINĂ DE CĂLDURĂ ȘI CU MULTE EVENIMENTE PLĂCUTE.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> LA MULȚI ANI ! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> DOINA & OVIDIU”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beth (prietena a Alinei)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ultima dată când i-am văzut pe tatăl tău și pe mama ta a fost când au venit de ziua ta în jurul Paștelui. (Am uitat în ce an. Poate 2009? (sic)) Ca de obicei: o mulțime de alimente delicioase și o mulțime de băuturi, plus un tort frumos de aniversare. A fost întotdeauna un răsfăț să fii în preajma tatălui tău. Atât de plin de sine și distractiv! Cu acea ocazie, îmi amintesc că a vrut să vorbească cu noi, dar nu a putut să exprime ceea ce voia să spună în engleză. Așa că a încercat să vorbească cu noi în franceză, italiană și cred că și în germană. Nu am înțeles mare lucru din nimic din ceea ce spunea, dar râdeam cu toții și îmi amintesc că am petrecut extrem de frumos.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Te rog să-i urezi o zi de naștere foarte fericită și plină de bucurii și din partea mea.” (Beth)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Original: “The last time I saw your dad and mom was when they came for your birthday around Easter time. (I forget what year. Maybe 2009?) Per usual, lots of yummy foods and plenty to drink , plus a beautiful birthday cake. It was always a treat to be around your dad. So full of himself and fun! On that particular occasion, I remember he wanted to talk with us but couldn’t express what he wanted to say in English. So he tried speaking with us in French, Italian, and I think, German. We didn’t understand much of anything he was saying but we were all laughing and having a ball. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please wish him a very happy and joyful birthday for me.” (Beth)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dl și Dna Șerban (prieteni)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Bună dimineața și îmbrățișările noastre le trimitem. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scrisul nu este punctul meu forte iar pentru un asemenea OM, este foarte greu să-l descrii în cuvinte.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"O zi importantă pentru un OM minunat! Corneliu Afloarei sau dl. Bebe, prietenul nostru!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Da, putem vorbi mult pe acest subiect!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Un om onest, un jovial ce-ți aduce mereu zâmbetul pe buze, dar mai ales cum îi spunem noi "profu" fără ca el să știe (se înțelege de ce )🤣.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Multe chestii meseriașe am învățat de la el, profesional dar și d'ale vieții. Subtil de cele mai multe ori ne-a arătat că viața merită trăită cu bune sau rele.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dar, cu certitudine, cele mai fabuloase amintiri le avem de la fastuoasele lor mese, unde clar a demonstrat ca într-o viață anterioară, sigur a fost "masterchef " la Curtea Regelui.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cuvintele sunt prea simple și niciodată nu vor putea descrie acest om minunat și de care noi suntem mândri că-l avem în preajmă și că este prietenul nostru.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vă îmbrățișăm cu drag și vă dorim să aveți parte de tot ce este mai bun și frumos posibil, să aveți sufletul însorit și să puteți zâmbi mereu, să fiți sănătos și bucuros și să prețuiți fiecare clipă a vieții dumneavoastră!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Pentru zâmbete, vor mai contribui și prietenii, adică noi )</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La mulți ani cu sănătate, alături de cei dragi!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fam. Șerban”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dna Elena Florea (prietena a mamei) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“L-am cunoscut pe Corneliu Afloarei încă dinainte de a-și forma o familie, datorită faptului că am fost colegă de serviciu cu mama lui! După ce și-a format această familie am devenit mult mai apropiați și spun cu tărie, buni prieteni! Din partea unei prietenii de peste 40 de ani în care am avut clipe deosebite și frumoase, uneori cu sprijin din partea lui Bebe,am ajuns să-l sărbătorim la frumoasa încununare a celor 70 de primăveri, timp în care am avut clipe minunate împreună!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Noi, familia Florea, îi urăm din inimă sănătate multă, știu că are nevoie, bucurii de la cei dragi și împliniri!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LA MULȚI ANI!" (Dna Florea)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dan Popescu (coleg de facultate al Alinei)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Dragă domnule Cornel, </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La ceas aniversar, când împliniți o frumoasă vârstă, vreau să vă mulțumesc pentru ospitalitate, pentru umor și pentru atitudinea tonică și pozitivă. Voi prețui mereu momentele petrecute în casa dumneavoastră, unde mâncarea și vinul bun s-au asortat mereu cu o glumă bună. Vă doresc multă sănătate, bucurii aduse de copii și de nepoți și puterea de a rămâne același om șugubăț și bun la suflet. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LA MULȚI ANI! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dan N. Popescu (Țuți)”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cătălin (prieten) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Prin anii 1994 eu am fost ca și adoptat de Rodica și Bunica. Astfel l-am cunoscut pe Bebe și implicit și pe (...) familia lui. Îmi amintesc că atunci lucra la abatorul din Tomesti, și abia asteptam ziua în care ne aducea preparate din carne. Sunt multe amintiri frumoase petrecute alături de voi și îmi amintesc cu plăcere de fiecare dată. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Am însă două soluții tehnice în cum să conduc mașina în anumite situații limită, pe care le-am învățat de la Bebe, și pe care nu le-am uitat nici în ziua de astăzi: cum să simuleze o frânare ABS, la o mașină ce nu este dotată din fabrică cu așa ceva și cum sa iau virajele, ca piloții de curse, dacă am intrat într-o curbă cu viteză mai mare decât trebuia. Cu siguranță își va aminti și Bebe de cele doua recomandări. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eu îi doresc lui Bebe, din tot sufletul, toată sănătatea din lume și o viață lungă și frumoasă alături de cei dragi lui! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La mulți ani, Bebe!” (Cătălin)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><u><br /></u></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lucica si Manuela (prietene) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Iată una din nenumăratele chestii care i-au legat pe ai mei de BEBI. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Își amintește mama: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">În primul rând, LA MULTI ANI BEBI !!!! Multă, multă sănătate și tot ceea ce-ți dorești!!!!!!! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BEBI, ți-amintești cum, cu ceva timp în urmă, la începuturi să zicem, pregateai împreună cu Dan toate aperitivele când veneați la noi???! Mama a rămas întotdeauna foarte impresionată de îndemnarea ta, de fantazia cu care aranjai masa, de tot ceea ce făceai!!!! Timpuri de neuitat!!!!! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trebuie să-ți mulțumesc, din toată inima, pentru toate fotografiile care le-ai făcut, fără tine și Dan nu as fi știut nimic de cum arătam toți pe-atunci, viața care am trait-o, totul. Îți voi fi recunoscătoare pentru totdeauna !!!! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vă doresc tuturor o zi minunată, să vă bucurați de întâlnirea cu copiii și, cred, sper, că ne vom vedea cât de curând și noi!!! 🎂🍾🥂😘😘😘” (Manuela) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Petro (nepoata nasului de botez) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Mai ții minte faza cu cofrajele de ouă?Avea nenea Bebi Dacia verde și cu huse galbene. Noi eram în spate și el a pus o frână brusc că noi ne-am ridicat și-am venit cu nasul în față, iar cofrajele de ouă au căzut pe bancheta din spate, iar noi am căzut pe ele. Și bineînțeles că le-am făcut praf și ne-am udat și murdărit, că </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">s-au spart sub fundurile noastre.” La mulți ani. (Petro)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elaine și Frank Hahne (prieteni ai Alinei)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“La mulți ani, Baby! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Îți dorim o zi MINUNATĂ cu binecuvântări multe pentru sănătate și multă fericire. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sperăm că într-o zi, când vii să o vezi pe Alina, sa ne putem vedea din nou. Ne-am dori din inimă să vă revedem, pe tine și pe Ani. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cu dragoste, Elaine și Frank (părinții lui Jeff).” 🥰</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Original: Happy Birthday, Baby!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We wish you a WONDERFUL birthday with Blessings of Good Health and much Happiness. Perhaps, one day, if you come to visit Alina, we will get to say "Hello". We would love to see you and Ani again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy, Happy Birthday,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elaine and Frank</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Jeff's Parents)” 🥰</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lori Ciobanu (nepoata nasului de botez)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Pentru mine, "nenea Bebi", căci așa-i spuneam noi, copiii, rămâne tăticul de la Iași, așa cum și tanti Anișoara, rămâne mama de la Iași. Vă mărturisesc că mi-a fost ușoară acomodarea, aici, în orașul celor 7 coline, fiindcă m-am simțit, întotdeauna, ca acasă, m-am simțit protejată și iubită. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Îmi amintesc weekend-urile, atât de pline de farmec, în sânul familiei Afloarei: totul organizat, pregătirea mesei, un adevărat ritual, servirea mesei, discuțiile pline de sens și înțeles. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doamne, vă mulțumesc, vă mulțumesc pentru grija pe care mi-ați oferit-o, pentru protecție, iubire, dar mai ales, pentru încurajări! Vă iubesc din tot sufletul, pentru tot ce mi-ați oferit, pentru tot ce m-ați învățat nenea Bebi, tanti Anișoara și pentru prietenia sinceră care s-a legat între noi: eu, Alina, Andreea și toți ceilalți a-i copilăriei noastre, de la Bicu și de la Bica! Vă doresc tot binele din lume și vă iubim!” (Lori Ciobanu)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeff Hahne (prieten al Alinei)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bun</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ziua și buci mișto!</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E nemaipomenit cum doi oameni - unul care nu vorbește deloc engleza și celălalt care nu vorbește deloc românește - pot să vorbească timp de 20 de minute în timp ce așteaptă să se coacă carnea și micii pe grătar. Aceasta e doar una din multele tale calități deosebite - talentul să comunici, în ciuda barierelor lingvistice dintre oameni. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ob-la-di, ob-la-da.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iți doresc cele mai bune urări de ziua ta - și să fii atent la lumânările care nu se sting! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La mulți ani - Jeff” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Original: Bună ziua and buci mișto!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's amazing that two people - one of whom speaks no English and one who speaks no Romanian - can talk for 20 minutes while meat and mici cook on a grill. That's just one of your amazing qualities - the ability to communicate, even when there is a language barrier. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da. I wish you the best wishes for your birthday - and watch out for trick candles! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La Mulți Ani - Jeff”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Charlie (prieten al Alinei)</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Am o amintire cu tatăl tău pe care nu o voi uita niciodată. Eram la o petrecere de Crăciun, poate. S-ar putea s</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> nu fi fost de Cr</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ciun, dar eram la apartamentul Alinei și eram la o petrecere cu mama (sic) și tatăl ei. Tat</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">l tău adusese niște țuică din România s</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ne ofere de băut și eu adusesem o sticlă de tequila. I-am spus c</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> o să beau un pahar de țuică pentru fiecare pahar de tequila pe care îl bea el. Presupuneam eu c</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> e mai greu pentru el s</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bea tequilla decât va fi pentru mine sa beau țuică. După vreo 3 paharele de fiecare, eu eram sub mas</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> și la el nici nu se observa c</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> b</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ă</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">use ceva. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">(...)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">La mulți ani, tata!” (Charlie)</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Original: “I'll always have one memory of your father that stands out to me. We were having our annual Christmas party, I think. Might not have been Christmas but we were at Alina's place having a party and celebrating with mom and dad. Your father brought some homemade tuica to share and I think maybe I had a bottle of tequila on my side. I told him I'd do a shot of tuica for every shot of tequila he did. I figured he would have the more difficult time of it but after maybe three shots of tuica, I was literally under the table and your father was none the worse for wear.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That wasn't my only experience with tuica. I went to Romania with my MBA class years later and spent a night at a little chalet outside Bran drinking Tuica, Vodka, Wine and whatever else we could get our hands on from the local convenience store.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was so drunk I passed out in the middle of making out with the cute Italian girl I was crushing on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That one got away, unfortunately! 🙂</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy birthday, dad!”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonya (prietena a Alinei)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nu pot să cred că împlinește 70 de ani! Una dintre amintirile mele preferate cu el trebuie să fi fost la aceeași petrecere de Crăciun pe care a menționat-o Charlie. Dragostea lui pentru petreceri a fost evidentă din momentul în care am pășit pe ușă. Punctul culminant al nopții a fost c</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">â</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nd am dansat cu el după ce toți băusem mult prea mult.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A doua amintire preferată a fost c</span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #201f1e; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">â</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nd l-am văzut cu tatăl meu și Layne Rakes testându-și tăria băuturii celuilalt: bărbați din diverse colțuri ale lumii, vorbind limba universală a băuturii.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Transmite-i dragostea și urările mele pentru mulți ani fericiți. Dacă doctorul îi da voie, vă doresc să sărbătoriți vremurile bune de demult cu o băutură bună.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adaug și două poze.” (Tonya)</span></p><br /></span><span><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 176px; overflow: hidden; width: 236px;"><img height="176" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wNTyWs0dbRdWC1501PyXggTbm4KbyC_wPahp8Tf9Nr1tk7QCOIUOVbbJAxNq1q9E4-l55YBA1p8fTpt7RfmVzW7wOHVI_dD0MtmphxoClLBVJ-qpq-4lkZDWMyeT-l_URJHpsiBy_yVFviqtO8250slQ5_bhgsrI5WDlaw3JkNZeQpbN1wqxt9Lj1jD4RQ" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="236" /> </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><img height="213" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/S_Q9G1OmFbXvSBJU6OFnOWyB5wtt-VMBjuwMJN8YO47yGGemRCXJ9zmWz9b2ne60ZMGre_i96WocdEj25FyJ_qgZ-TTWbmefE9jql5W5cPqLpMX2FGtD0zI0WMpk2bzd0d0c83VPyYc5hwHVPGVVubqkAssPDiAxo3JNX9HHz_QFWxqw-_qrjQrUzLelDQ" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="204" /><br /><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Original: I can't believe he's turning 70! One of my favorite memories with him has to have been at that same Christmas party Charlie mentioned. His love of entertaining was evident from the moment we walked through the door. The highlight of the night was dancing with him after we all had way too much to drink. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My second favorite memory was seeing him with my dad and Layne Rakes as they tested the proof of each other's liquors. Men from both sides of the world, speaking the universal </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">language of drink.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pass my love and wishes for many more happy years. If the Dr doesn't frown upon it, have a shot and celebrate the good times. </span></p></span></div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found a couple pictures to add.” (Tonya) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">***</span></p></span></div>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-84457631999169865952022-10-27T17:36:00.001-06:002022-10-27T17:36:29.070-06:00Squirrels, Art, Waterfalls, and So Much More in Brevard, NC<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was flipping through our pictures from our most recent trip to this little North Carolina mountain town called Brevard. The trip was over Memorial Day this year but I have not managed to write two words about it yet. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b32825c7-7fff-590a-dcd3-764b9cdbd62f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seeing all the memories stuck on "pixel paper” I told myself: boy, we surely do pack a lot in a weekend! I think it’s safe to say that both of us are more towards the couch potato side of the spectrum when it comes to how active we are rather than the sprint-like, marathon runner type. However, if it’s accessible by foot (and car), we can manage it! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve never been to Brevard before, and let me tell you - that fact alone is a rarity for someone who’s lived in or around North Carolina as long as we have. Especially for two mountain lovers like us. One of our favorite bands (The Steep Canyon Rangers) has their roots here - for this reason alone we should have graced them with a visit way before this late. Well, better late than never, they say. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We rented a small “cabin” (when you see the pictures you’ll know it’s a lot more like a super-modern, Japanese-style hut in the woods) outside of town but within just 15 minutes’ drive from downtown. We drove to Brevard for all the meals and wandered the streets and the many art studios. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like any mountain town, Brevard is put on the planet to force you to live your life at a different beat. Your heart rate slows down, you breathe deeper, you are forced to look around and not just see but understand what surrounds you. Everyone that’s been to Brevard will use words like “hippie”, “chic”, “arty”, “unique”, “original” to describe it. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll share some of the things we found and you’ll be the judge. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtAiy2jb0rmwgOuVWFBj33K1le8cleaUVN9SeNSRDlXtgu1ROxcQZ6UOc5tlMCUr-LgTXmF1CtxdtASnus7Izw7eDDcXfOa9ETP6Y0wP47blJLdhZzgmudP0k7RNogbo1uaZE-qBFYqLQG9vQwRxtuN9ejhy9u1iqrPr6PkLI36FAd_s96A/s4032/_AiPhone_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtAiy2jb0rmwgOuVWFBj33K1le8cleaUVN9SeNSRDlXtgu1ROxcQZ6UOc5tlMCUr-LgTXmF1CtxdtASnus7Izw7eDDcXfOa9ETP6Y0wP47blJLdhZzgmudP0k7RNogbo1uaZE-qBFYqLQG9vQwRxtuN9ejhy9u1iqrPr6PkLI36FAd_s96A/s320/_AiPhone_3318.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brevard, in a picture</i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a downtown area along Broad and Main Streets where the soul of the town seems to be: all the interesting shops, art galleries, boutiques, wine bars, bookstore, ice-cream store, etc strung together like a bead necklace. Being a holiday weekend, these establishments were thumping with folks! We tried to find a place to eat dinner our first night in town and we could not find a place that took reservations - everything was booked (and yes, apparently even in a “hippie” town you need reservations when everything is in such high demand!). We ended up in an Irish Pub off the main drag which was just fine, too. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgG4Ptj6VgV2Sn2Y13mYdma9vJy0XQTYSh2gejmELAIRjH4e8nkNGOYGK9XyV92hClY0eCttvBlTbxJtj7WoIbAbvQ_gHLCEjkMdgjn_lSB16t1t5G51DSXMyScscYTLzoplYWj3ASumgNPwI_XBRPRtsL3r20Upi_TX_9oOiBOdH_vQ7Ug/s3711/_AiPhone_3327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3002" data-original-width="3711" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLgG4Ptj6VgV2Sn2Y13mYdma9vJy0XQTYSh2gejmELAIRjH4e8nkNGOYGK9XyV92hClY0eCttvBlTbxJtj7WoIbAbvQ_gHLCEjkMdgjn_lSB16t1t5G51DSXMyScscYTLzoplYWj3ASumgNPwI_XBRPRtsL3r20Upi_TX_9oOiBOdH_vQ7Ug/s320/_AiPhone_3327.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Above the entrance door of a downtown store - again: Brevard in one picture. (OK! Maybe two.)</i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first art gallery we walked in, one of the painters that provided some of the works was there that day - she lives in Florida but always comes up for the weekend to find inspiration to paint. This year, she said, she has a whole birds series where she paints stylized birds that could be any kind of bird in a rainbow of colors. She chuckled “I don’t want to be too specific about what kind they are and what color they can be. For obvious reasons.” - she said with a wink. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll tell you, one of the things that intrigued me about Brevard was all the talk about “the white squirrels”. They have lots of “white squirrel this and that” (stores, streets, etc) in this town. I thought for sure we’d see at least one </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">live</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> white squirrel. But we didn’t see even one ... any kind of squirrel. Not any squirrels, in fact. Not in town. There were a couple around our cabin, brown and bushy-tailed. But no white ones and not in Brevard. As a matter of curiosity: the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">White Squirrel Shoppe</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offers “adult cocktails” while you shop. This speaks for the hippie vibe of the town, I guess: I am used to “no drinks or food in the stores”. Not in Brevard, apparently. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqzT6eN0aT95mUIJ1CDzThdQLJnU9lsVnY31d4xocvD-ob42RUwx4-u3bJrYDkzY3y4cQ6Uo2hpXkNIBo-OXYZAIjLtbsU7T_FZI0yblKSrZz44bZttZ3TRT5aYUxq6-vFggJhTrM4OvKdkuBEyuMrIXGfzaq-tITfkaiYKUJp7IfjtpQng/s5184/_As_5802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqzT6eN0aT95mUIJ1CDzThdQLJnU9lsVnY31d4xocvD-ob42RUwx4-u3bJrYDkzY3y4cQ6Uo2hpXkNIBo-OXYZAIjLtbsU7T_FZI0yblKSrZz44bZttZ3TRT5aYUxq6-vFggJhTrM4OvKdkuBEyuMrIXGfzaq-tITfkaiYKUJp7IfjtpQng/s320/_As_5802.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Outside the White Squirrel Shoppe</i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is this store in town that is called “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mantiques</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” - it’s like “Antiques” but apparently for men only?! That intrigued me as much as it annoyed me, but it piqued my curiosity enough to go in. I kept wondering why did they need to skew their point of view so much towards men? Maybe as a matter of curiosity and to get people intrigued enough to step in?! As if women could not be interested in all-leather furniture, or rough wood dining room sets, or massive walnut china cabinets with antique mirrors. Or as if all men would be into killing things (stuffed wildlife alert at every corner in this store); or as if women would not drink beer and scotch (they had lots of funny signs with both floating around bar stools for sale). Because the store had a viewing room upstairs on the second store where they were projecting the first </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Top Gun</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> movie that day, they gave free popcorn away to all the customers. Again: shop and eat! They surely know how to please a crowd around here. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also found this “other” area of the town called “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lumberyard District</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. It was in the heart of what looked like a neighborhood full of small, old homes mostly ranches made of wood. Here, we had a delicious, locally farmed breakfast at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Morning Social</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> one day, and afterwards we perused the antiques and beautiful lumber pieces at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Underground Salvage Co</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. - a lumber, antiques, and reclaimed wood store in the district. Our next coffee table might just come from some of the wood my husband picked up in this store. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMKpYiAnPOfxB56lul46-oH_fs8xjwfHu8m1qCuaVzHeIq9iGQgl3iWlTyofU48YGfezrfRZtciFEUCnc6jLlvHOrP6zGFAT-PvPlhWTIa8-wHgS91-uFvi4c8ZE9qDqVTHTd7fPKmJqVNaZCAMl4Ek1ecS5uQGCT7Lci_0ZpVMGh8eOu2A/s6240/_Aas_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMKpYiAnPOfxB56lul46-oH_fs8xjwfHu8m1qCuaVzHeIq9iGQgl3iWlTyofU48YGfezrfRZtciFEUCnc6jLlvHOrP6zGFAT-PvPlhWTIa8-wHgS91-uFvi4c8ZE9qDqVTHTd7fPKmJqVNaZCAMl4Ek1ecS5uQGCT7Lci_0ZpVMGh8eOu2A/s320/_Aas_0042.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Brevard Lumberyard Event Hall in the Lumberyard District</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c-1B3F10J8ML52cFkRSLf0Bp5q9V_y3t6wWI1q75Dtp3CD2PNdXgz5G5yA7kr2EEIhCn-f54ZlKkVAQNANQDQTC7-nIfC6M6ul722zFOoHGp8M565yMv8fYBRm2DZ1KL27zu3WU_TJ389bD55nmy_8LBX5CiWeqVsDuuumETPsN0T4IqrQ/s2598/_AiPhone_3320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2598" data-original-width="1954" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1c-1B3F10J8ML52cFkRSLf0Bp5q9V_y3t6wWI1q75Dtp3CD2PNdXgz5G5yA7kr2EEIhCn-f54ZlKkVAQNANQDQTC7-nIfC6M6ul722zFOoHGp8M565yMv8fYBRm2DZ1KL27zu3WU_TJ389bD55nmy_8LBX5CiWeqVsDuuumETPsN0T4IqrQ/s320/_AiPhone_3320.jpg" width="241" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Funky mural in the Lumberyard District</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzm1SwemMKDUHDtyxabs0H13c5jnrPCBydVB-G_5IJWk8lOGR8M4TpoUIp3Zw5CCy0svj9P6NmnuinoigZklo16OLXKgmoiGEw-iz9s5tsn_-pywSJ94IMjeKHL70joRKfWKfNdSQcibFyhdOeWBhccEaZE-CJx5-b_v9-ZtGYlQ0Luj-AA/s4032/_AiPhone_3324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzm1SwemMKDUHDtyxabs0H13c5jnrPCBydVB-G_5IJWk8lOGR8M4TpoUIp3Zw5CCy0svj9P6NmnuinoigZklo16OLXKgmoiGEw-iz9s5tsn_-pywSJ94IMjeKHL70joRKfWKfNdSQcibFyhdOeWBhccEaZE-CJx5-b_v9-ZtGYlQ0Luj-AA/s320/_AiPhone_3324.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The vinyl corner at The Underground Salvage Co</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We loved the dinner on the second night at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marco’s</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - the trout and mashed potatoes was just the mountain comfort food that could hit the spot! The following morning, the bagels at </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sully’s Steamers</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (steamed bagels never tasted this good!) were amazing! They make you feel like a pig even when you order a vegan bagel with all the fixins’. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most attractive qualities of Brevard is that it’s located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains which themselves offer an infinite amount of attractions. So, if you ever get cabin or “city” fever and want to escape - the roads are full of even more treasures ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can chase waterfalls along the mountain roads, as there are </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">many</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> around these parts. We stumbled upon Connestee Falls, Looking Glass Falls (this was impressive but also by far the most crowded), and another smaller waterfall tucked away off of a graveled road about 20 miles long, off of which lots of people just camped in the woods. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhVOzPL99FQiq74ryU3K1ARq6h8F6IMnwQfLbTPd-rXYRd-KJ614M_Nv5fccRLaGK4FLyBjRUJQNaSfGnJUhGx3QXCVRnmCI0Q3M5Cu78L-QmaIkOgmlnk38yvW2cpJvwa9kbTA4Jp-Z-y-tCJTFY2254Aiya_PbkyItd_FzFEUrEdn9HPg/s4032/_AiPhone_3388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhVOzPL99FQiq74ryU3K1ARq6h8F6IMnwQfLbTPd-rXYRd-KJ614M_Nv5fccRLaGK4FLyBjRUJQNaSfGnJUhGx3QXCVRnmCI0Q3M5Cu78L-QmaIkOgmlnk38yvW2cpJvwa9kbTA4Jp-Z-y-tCJTFY2254Aiya_PbkyItd_FzFEUrEdn9HPg/s320/_AiPhone_3388.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Looking Glass Waterfalls</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A short trip to Asheville to the Sierra Nevada Brewery is only 20 miles away. The place looks brand new and offers an informational tour of the brewery (which can be guided or self-guided) and is complete with one of the best and possibly largest tap bars I have ever seen. They also have a pretty large restaurant with a huge patio in the back - it’s a must-see for anyone who likes beer, food, mountains, and just to have a good time. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUyTJj58xTJ1GR2epA2feuqRLf3tPuvkpkCdLWFxPv6KGFEHH5nCoUkEjYRXw1PZv_ZcTt0pSTsjBalz8Vk4s2fmrUgKpzS3bbUYL6Z3dT-g5J76_y9R_keVg9LG8gZaFKLvjpOK-FwsOEzTiT8ZA0vh4LB4WnjNhth6Q6ytB7Pei0WvSwg/s6240/_Aas_0231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkUyTJj58xTJ1GR2epA2feuqRLf3tPuvkpkCdLWFxPv6KGFEHH5nCoUkEjYRXw1PZv_ZcTt0pSTsjBalz8Vk4s2fmrUgKpzS3bbUYL6Z3dT-g5J76_y9R_keVg9LG8gZaFKLvjpOK-FwsOEzTiT8ZA0vh4LB4WnjNhth6Q6ytB7Pei0WvSwg/s320/_Aas_0231.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The entrance of the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Asheville, NC</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUBTbte8iB5QpgSoEQzOTNxrfuHGeasHIGy5vNdacK543ozMR5GCo92UlIUHuFaKM799CFWpkvg8_ceayNt_Qu0Of54TcZ1zxU26QsQMttRHlYooIiKVjM3UAycHMs626LtsX8U996H24579MJnT934CUU-W6NrPWPYUtvd-kbX4HQR5njQ/s6240/_Aas_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkUBTbte8iB5QpgSoEQzOTNxrfuHGeasHIGy5vNdacK543ozMR5GCo92UlIUHuFaKM799CFWpkvg8_ceayNt_Qu0Of54TcZ1zxU26QsQMttRHlYooIiKVjM3UAycHMs626LtsX8U996H24579MJnT934CUU-W6NrPWPYUtvd-kbX4HQR5njQ/s320/_Aas_0190.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Corner of the fermentation room at the Sierra Nevada Brewery</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7S9Vzpt1XP29bTEbPGVNqsuIqkNHkriVFeaPMJB-zfd8zU6fT05q18AUD7XqRCKVLm06moBalmOrcRvEiAN4LUE23arsn-59sbFsKCCuOc961rfeFNKqWjRPCSETDST9ziut7wIHkQohI1IwFRLeJ32ZpF2t4MseTbvzBh1hNNQ4Um9B-9w/s4032/_AiPhone_3446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7S9Vzpt1XP29bTEbPGVNqsuIqkNHkriVFeaPMJB-zfd8zU6fT05q18AUD7XqRCKVLm06moBalmOrcRvEiAN4LUE23arsn-59sbFsKCCuOc961rfeFNKqWjRPCSETDST9ziut7wIHkQohI1IwFRLeJ32ZpF2t4MseTbvzBh1hNNQ4Um9B-9w/s320/_AiPhone_3446.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tap bar at the Sierra Nevada Brewery</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many wineries around Brevard, too. Hopping wineries is one of our favorite things to do on lazy afternoons when we have no energy for much else. Sipping a glass of something new and listening to a band, or just looking at the mountains and taking in the vineyards and the roses popping with color is just food for the soul. We stopped at St. Paul Mountain Vineyards and Sawyer Spring Vineyards. They had a bluegrass band from Eastern Tennessee at the first one, and a special flight made of “red-white-and-blue” wines at the second one, since it was Memorial Weekend and all. They told us to “go on google and find out what plant they used to make their wine blue”. We tried, but we never found out the secret. It was kinda mean not to tell us, I guess, but I suppose it’s good to be a bit mysterious. It keeps calling you back. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjGwKifqxwNWMd-q7sKlWLpXG5bdQWC0AaCearXq4wLKvpRHLqsYtJFEAwrfcGjm-xPMYG1N5-LUe8aS3HAE_f5Lpn0n3GrM9snID2_7SRWQLD8Tu_xs_kBXWeRfNewvUjtTMWPKPIcnnZpe2o0jJKN3EQyai0-DUXrPC0fjfrsQQzuDbEw/s4032/_AiPhone_3492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJjGwKifqxwNWMd-q7sKlWLpXG5bdQWC0AaCearXq4wLKvpRHLqsYtJFEAwrfcGjm-xPMYG1N5-LUe8aS3HAE_f5Lpn0n3GrM9snID2_7SRWQLD8Tu_xs_kBXWeRfNewvUjtTMWPKPIcnnZpe2o0jJKN3EQyai0-DUXrPC0fjfrsQQzuDbEw/s320/_AiPhone_3492.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The red-white-and-blue wine flight at The Sawyer Springs Vineyards</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the way back home, we stopped for lunch at Burntshirt Vineyards right under Chimney Rock State Park - this is an old favorite of ours. Just like the Sierra Nevada Brewery - they have a beautiful restaurant and good looking tasting bar, too ... People here are so nice, too, that we always come back - it’s almost always on the way from anywhere in the Western mountains back to our house. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0OjwGnFFasmrmQDgP2b7yjOFJjCoZWv0BSYRy3o_0jFTr8vj7zFBcSA-DmKNMABWO6dkNXCC0jde9mQYEEQ8i8OTwlg8R3S0CE6SLaMjG48djNYYx9R709oQLhSrCmP0KPhmtOT0a8IzHnxhKhi7x7-8X-ItrZeLFl7RYZfy_5DAcuLr8Q/s4032/_AiPhone_3505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0OjwGnFFasmrmQDgP2b7yjOFJjCoZWv0BSYRy3o_0jFTr8vj7zFBcSA-DmKNMABWO6dkNXCC0jde9mQYEEQ8i8OTwlg8R3S0CE6SLaMjG48djNYYx9R709oQLhSrCmP0KPhmtOT0a8IzHnxhKhi7x7-8X-ItrZeLFl7RYZfy_5DAcuLr8Q/s320/_AiPhone_3505.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The peach wine slushy at Burntshirt Vineyards </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After lunch, we made the drive up to Chimney Park - a first again for both of us - although we’ve seen the park from the highway possibly hundreds of times. In order to climb all the way to the top of this rock, after you made it to the parking lot through the steep, winding mountain drive, you need to walk through a 198-foot tunnel carved in the rock of the mountain that leads to a 258-foot elevator shaft. After you take that elevator up, you have 40 wooden stairs to climb to the top of Chimney Rock. The view is an incredible 360 degree vista of the valley of the Eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I will have to say, we would do this backwards next time: go to the Chimney Rock to work up an appetite and then go down to Burntshirt Vineyards for lunch, instead of the other way around. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I loved all the amazing things we saw on this trip for the first time, although a stone throw away from us. I also loved how these communities have a sense of timelessness around them - the beauty of nature, the willingness of people to share their land, food, and art with strangers proudly, the permanence of rock and water and forests - it anchors you. It gives you a place to start once you come back home full of renewed energy and willing to see the world with new eyes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is this corner art store in Brevard called </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Number 7 Arts</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Call me nuts, but to me, it brought back memories of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seinfeld</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, so you know I had to go in! It’s beautiful, clean, and roomy, with generous windows flooding the light in; it is filled with local art treasures. However, what stays with me is this: as we were walking in there, this kid, could have been probably 15 or 16, sporting a jazz hat on his frizzy head was walking out of the place with a couple of his friends and burst into song: “Good Golly, Ms. Molly!” - started snapping his fingers to the beat in his head and did a twirl in the middle of the sidewalk. It made me wonder for a minute what century we are in? And how can a 21st century kid know a 1950’s song so well?! And then I realized: this is what this trip felt like: from here and now into the beauty and newness and oldness of everything timeless. </span></p><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/AVvXsEjzMvDfbatbc67VLzHUD-_AK8fi3J-z1F77m0VuzsExMR-BXD5LlEMVIl_R2TnwYGM5tsCjJYntTRnxKWHSB-yyVCtdnEuKo4q9RUXl0j9Kbq5oXSJnkWHzG9pHTwgrrqQqAyUmFfAlZCsRs3_pDqSXk9curaxY_XuM0Ildj0WobV0R5Y9n7A/s6240/_Aas_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="6240" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMvDfbatbc67VLzHUD-_AK8fi3J-z1F77m0VuzsExMR-BXD5LlEMVIl_R2TnwYGM5tsCjJYntTRnxKWHSB-yyVCtdnEuKo4q9RUXl0j9Kbq5oXSJnkWHzG9pHTwgrrqQqAyUmFfAlZCsRs3_pDqSXk9curaxY_XuM0Ildj0WobV0R5Y9n7A/s320/_Aas_0243.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Climbing the final stairs towards the top of The Chimney Rock</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://wanderworldpics.shutterfly.com/31041" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfsRg1Bz4DiPRvhnx863tUPIOFqzy7hNZKfS0lD6BO-uq3y9kQzGFR8ltGR2cvPaB-zDeEuEEehU2Xe7SZQ4zEcZQRMTrfzjhTGP5a8924zOA94cjIW1-Gd4uuWoskaAn9nkZHc7I-ihb_AhBSoPYyBPKCDrRJsDht8lR8c0P-UbuYb0-EoA/s320/_As_5971.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;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Views from the top of The Chimney Rock. Click the picture to see the entire album from this trip. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14500335.post-16383858619751679742022-10-23T17:58:00.008-06:002022-10-23T19:06:18.739-06:00Autumn Hikes <span id="docs-internal-guid-2d9971c7-7fff-5734-b5f6-c328876cd6f6"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love hiking in the fall, especially down here, in The South! I am not quite as bothered by snakes as I usually am in the summer, and the (still) warm temperatures make for a pleasant excursion - winter hikes can be chilly, even around these parts. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also like fall hikes because, for some reason, there are not many people out. I guess there are so many fall festivals, harvest gatherings, Oktoberfests that people are not much for solitude in the wild. It’s a quiet, peaceful time and you feel like you have the trails for yourself. You and just a couple of random loners like you, being walked by their dogs. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fall is the best time for pictures, too. The colors are popping, even when they are not 100% in full peak - like it happens to be the case right now in the area we live - in the middle of the Tarheel state. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaves float in the air like butterflies: they catch my eye on their way downward and I turn with a startle trying to catch the creature only to figure out that it’s not a winged beauty afterall, but a dead, dry leaf. Pretty nonetheless. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The air is dusty and crisp with dead-leaf smell. Bath and Body Works have this candle called something like “Leaves” and it’s no surprise that they thought about bringing that to the home. They smell like lumber, fire, warm, soft sweaters, and mulled wine all wrapped up into one another. They smell like what a cozy night in front of the fireplace feels like. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The light is soft and it’s almost hard to focus the camera - it’s not the sharp air of the spring or that of a bright summer morning - it’s dimmed, like a wispy hair of a on woman; the lines of things are blurry and you feel the need to increase your contrast when you process the pictures to get some clarity. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We picked a couple of spots to take in nature this time of the year during this past week, and they were very different but of course beautiful in their own right. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first one, Reservoir Park in Southern Pines, is a 2 mile loop around a lake, the trail flanked by tall Southern pines. Since the forest was mostly piny, the colors were not as bright as you’d expect in the fall but a few bright pops were peeking from here and there. It’s almost a completely flat trail - wide, groomed, sandy in parts, very comfortable. The trail makes it for a nice walk where you could just get lost in taking it easy and taking everything in - the lake, clear and calm; the fish jumping out of the water catching lazy flies resting on the water for dinner; the ducks, lazily drifting by, the dragon flies (still!) mating, and the trees, in all their height and glory. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfZFflS7M0o08eWM28gMELu6xk4QF0yl3c_DF4fRX8oIfC0EWzjWPCeMFdzCuizxJyq6LNxDAimX-XTE_1rpcv0BjDUZs9VFmoaSNg8SMmkAt0BThxPS_DZmJL5xkpCONPjZLTGPBdmWlIQIsSkNW6ZcSJVXEknnwohBCaVO2dHtj5J-KJQ/s5184/_As_6679.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfZFflS7M0o08eWM28gMELu6xk4QF0yl3c_DF4fRX8oIfC0EWzjWPCeMFdzCuizxJyq6LNxDAimX-XTE_1rpcv0BjDUZs9VFmoaSNg8SMmkAt0BThxPS_DZmJL5xkpCONPjZLTGPBdmWlIQIsSkNW6ZcSJVXEknnwohBCaVO2dHtj5J-KJQ/s320/_As_6679.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The lake at Reservoir Park in Southern Pines: it is almost completely round with a 2 mile trail around it and views of the water from every corner.</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg614GGNWlntWv_J4grx431OIU6RvZyTIpfOJt2Gc9957QInBZKm3hZ7C6A4hU3czxMvJAOzLilyqamhr6aPrtrnCSEePDU5SFpuMJiZQYJs4nvEgj5NuYkGI05vTYCGj4NPXcGvD-rdo8cwY4Lj_zZ-kggAwTGlpxToQWR2TvevCGs9zJvLg/s2947/_As_6645.JPG" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2947" data-original-width="2832" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg614GGNWlntWv_J4grx431OIU6RvZyTIpfOJt2Gc9957QInBZKm3hZ7C6A4hU3czxMvJAOzLilyqamhr6aPrtrnCSEePDU5SFpuMJiZQYJs4nvEgj5NuYkGI05vTYCGj4NPXcGvD-rdo8cwY4Lj_zZ-kggAwTGlpxToQWR2TvevCGs9zJvLg/s320/_As_6645.JPG" width="308" /></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">A duck was drinking water but it looked like she was gurgling ... </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNJ-FzwmfLLAEZb2AbwH1YZY6K_H0r4CG7XhmCpxcK_To8bQxJ2EX2iIWgTbO6r-6rj4XcgT0AVBXiRm4pI5Xa_egdLqpPE7khiZOcpXY_uS5UapmHWt1sIzcT5wqRd9JL6METJZMIC7dGOC57BFHlvAz109UOYeCYOjwSHjl8M4fgWQUuQ/s5184/_As_6649.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNJ-FzwmfLLAEZb2AbwH1YZY6K_H0r4CG7XhmCpxcK_To8bQxJ2EX2iIWgTbO6r-6rj4XcgT0AVBXiRm4pI5Xa_egdLqpPE7khiZOcpXY_uS5UapmHWt1sIzcT5wqRd9JL6METJZMIC7dGOC57BFHlvAz109UOYeCYOjwSHjl8M4fgWQUuQ/s320/_As_6649.JPG" width="213" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">As the name suggests it: Southern Pines is full of ... pines. These beauties surround you anywhere in Reservoir Park. </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83dzfjbtuGZf0gu7W9uto8w2CEPWtzDPAGh5docHKhTcOlb0fXnjFjHQRx35C7F2bfrI8-ogA6CzzWmKXnbSZLuvo-df84IecTc9-zO1YlJO1xXsER0-4KSd9saMOYsR86K8kGEBLrZ43wvDdKgp9Q13JMfEpUN7JCSI-8ju1oEfavzml2Q/s5184/_As_6651.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83dzfjbtuGZf0gu7W9uto8w2CEPWtzDPAGh5docHKhTcOlb0fXnjFjHQRx35C7F2bfrI8-ogA6CzzWmKXnbSZLuvo-df84IecTc9-zO1YlJO1xXsER0-4KSd9saMOYsR86K8kGEBLrZ43wvDdKgp9Q13JMfEpUN7JCSI-8ju1oEfavzml2Q/s320/_As_6651.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another favorite during autumn (and winter) hikes are the berries: there are so many of them, in various colors, to remind you that all is not dead, after all! </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhV5GgUtpbJbd0loE5BYBYiNiMnwSnxhoJGssQAHeJcnUsCFktJ2s-SNL6OIaR7Zufi-XR_uPYSJW0T7uTQmE9s4ST2NF0Whj1gx9MVWIPVKAfVw8Y3E4HkI6xL0AzdTkOGESNa-4zIWe3SfIev9tPLa7PGzUy6swgozYDePI2y2x5TTiQ/s5184/_As_6665.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhV5GgUtpbJbd0loE5BYBYiNiMnwSnxhoJGssQAHeJcnUsCFktJ2s-SNL6OIaR7Zufi-XR_uPYSJW0T7uTQmE9s4ST2NF0Whj1gx9MVWIPVKAfVw8Y3E4HkI6xL0AzdTkOGESNa-4zIWe3SfIev9tPLa7PGzUy6swgozYDePI2y2x5TTiQ/s320/_As_6665.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The trail at Reservoir Park - pretty flat and wide - and some beautiful colors popping from among the pines. </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfjRx1q07a5xas134s6qDQwzS3KtH4Eij_D-PZ_iUFrbqy9giwE_mHhaP0tadxtRDhUpRK38bpmfEIO74wuiQY6VYajfBB3juwHPJdFmHdtp6bSNB0AQPI9QN-zNfo0VEgOi810IWca52ULfxe3DR2SpXC5el5XylSF2z4MdVgV0ZYWdyRA/s3888/_Aas_0023.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfjRx1q07a5xas134s6qDQwzS3KtH4Eij_D-PZ_iUFrbqy9giwE_mHhaP0tadxtRDhUpRK38bpmfEIO74wuiQY6VYajfBB3juwHPJdFmHdtp6bSNB0AQPI9QN-zNfo0VEgOi810IWca52ULfxe3DR2SpXC5el5XylSF2z4MdVgV0ZYWdyRA/s320/_Aas_0023.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is it a leaf in the air? Or on the water?! Who knows or cares - it has given up for this season ... </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMdxlEB4pY_QUKuvxZ0Sen2ZCJ3nVOzk225IvjBriT55eRsuPwFLT9-Wd-9weo1QpSRBTaxkt_WWUhBFiD-MwyYf5_T0delThDw_LTkWfkPVKLyMdMLZjwoJO2w2oewBDRSZf7Cs1aOl_6DDWoy82s6mCBJT3Z6QGjEDxc0JTPXhBUkzYNw/s2077/_As_6682.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2077" data-original-width="2027" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMdxlEB4pY_QUKuvxZ0Sen2ZCJ3nVOzk225IvjBriT55eRsuPwFLT9-Wd-9weo1QpSRBTaxkt_WWUhBFiD-MwyYf5_T0delThDw_LTkWfkPVKLyMdMLZjwoJO2w2oewBDRSZf7Cs1aOl_6DDWoy82s6mCBJT3Z6QGjEDxc0JTPXhBUkzYNw/s320/_As_6682.JPG" width="312" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">We could never figure out what "fruits" these are (persimmon, maybe?!), but the tree in the picture below was loaded with them. They looked like tomatoes and if you didn't look too carefully they got lost in the overall fall color of the whole tree. So cool! </i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmIN-AJ5SvgFVUi6lpcSTyQ13BkD8GAS7W1sUZ_2NUkX8X54_-kQyr5SwZZDxwlgFun5_IwSvsMGnOXF920BQBhD8Rlv9HwWNJ_WJ7ovOANAsF82QJUfG4ljMtN-3CMKzoe-PNl4xUaXrtzNOf-V-yKVDJ76lLpEfYWSbvOwrQSkCG3A5UA/s5184/_As_6686.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmIN-AJ5SvgFVUi6lpcSTyQ13BkD8GAS7W1sUZ_2NUkX8X54_-kQyr5SwZZDxwlgFun5_IwSvsMGnOXF920BQBhD8Rlv9HwWNJ_WJ7ovOANAsF82QJUfG4ljMtN-3CMKzoe-PNl4xUaXrtzNOf-V-yKVDJ76lLpEfYWSbvOwrQSkCG3A5UA/s320/_As_6686.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your "typical", if there is such a thing, fall-colors picture at the entrance of Reservoir Park. </i></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second hike we ventured on was the loop trail at Raven Rock State Park which takes you all the way up to Raven Rock, on the banks of the Cape Fear River. The trail goes up and down - not quite as flat as the first one - and it’s full of trees of all sorts - oaks, and maples, and pines - and others we could not identify. We kept seeing these nuts that looked like pecans all over the forest floor - we still don’t know what they were ... </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The two main points of attraction on this trail are the “overlook” - from where you can see the river from up high on the hill. There is something filled with tranquility and perspective, seeing a river meander between hills from up-above, carving the shape of the world, that I always find fascinating. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other landmark on this trail is the Raven Rock itself: a 150ft massive rock nested in the cliffs by the river. You come up to its tippy-top on the trail and you have to climb down these steep stairs to see it from the bottom. It’s a breath-taker, for sure, but so worth the trek. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once you’re down at the bottom it feels like you just descended in the belly of the earth - everything is so quiet and peaceful, and lost. The river is calm, almost like a lake, and there are no sounds. No creatures. Huge, enormous, knotty roots spread along the side of the rock, barely clutching on to the soil, almost floating above earth. Trees taller than the 150ft rock itself doing a frail balancing act on these roots like ballerinas on toe points. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In fact, the entire trail in this park is covered with stone-like, dry, knotty roots which makes it treacherous to walk on: you feel with every step like you’re going to slip and fall - the roots are covered by newly fallen leaves and it makes for a slippery, unstable-footing journey. But again - so worth it. </span></p><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/AVvXsEjqzvsonN0c5GGJml51dCqUsf1MIX33wssJip1LlhZKK8Vo8uNWq-1oSjASLg0dhOkvktkGN2Y34XZTryib2shGb8tJ2DJdLyz0q8xBjPyeij1SLUSNpck9AEEE02LY-qSYrim3Y0sRS-PL992sUS_4QladpkCgPGNCXPQLVhCjcrssqFARVw/s5184/_As_6704.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzvsonN0c5GGJml51dCqUsf1MIX33wssJip1LlhZKK8Vo8uNWq-1oSjASLg0dhOkvktkGN2Y34XZTryib2shGb8tJ2DJdLyz0q8xBjPyeij1SLUSNpck9AEEE02LY-qSYrim3Y0sRS-PL992sUS_4QladpkCgPGNCXPQLVhCjcrssqFARVw/s320/_As_6704.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cape Fear River as seen from "the overlook" on Raven Rock Loop Trail - Lillington, NC</i></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/AVvXsEihPAj69PZ7WckFKATaUZc5TMhbRY7Tp_tYxXIRxgczqkUlPUCVzcBX7daVAb7nzZofKI5S2C8TqaDM1o1UmOJSnuH-_IQ_O1HyYGW9qNo8TGThmP482vLPJk64NFBkd3OvuXfiQ0MIeBWHp1bMRb9RvpVmnnc6PWrRRjtZxmbkegcoZoLaUQ/s5184/_As_6721.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPAj69PZ7WckFKATaUZc5TMhbRY7Tp_tYxXIRxgczqkUlPUCVzcBX7daVAb7nzZofKI5S2C8TqaDM1o1UmOJSnuH-_IQ_O1HyYGW9qNo8TGThmP482vLPJk64NFBkd3OvuXfiQ0MIeBWHp1bMRb9RvpVmnnc6PWrRRjtZxmbkegcoZoLaUQ/s320/_As_6721.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Raven Rock forest was almost exclusively of deciduous trees going through "the change". So, we got a lot more color on this hike. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGXkXGBEh2Vdsca5LORSbrySqDClPQHjmqrLh3k6R01fFck6sDtSSo2kJr2I8bEIuxfglPVibm9BLNGwF95naxXYc9sb5t5RuoyP7Fug-PJj8SQyS0uJwqRhUgDKkUE-e4zbJ8t3JtdbqpvSq1hw16aJw7EKhaumEgPMEg6Z7vvjFGqTcIA/s4032/_iPhone_5966.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieGXkXGBEh2Vdsca5LORSbrySqDClPQHjmqrLh3k6R01fFck6sDtSSo2kJr2I8bEIuxfglPVibm9BLNGwF95naxXYc9sb5t5RuoyP7Fug-PJj8SQyS0uJwqRhUgDKkUE-e4zbJ8t3JtdbqpvSq1hw16aJw7EKhaumEgPMEg6Z7vvjFGqTcIA/s320/_iPhone_5966.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Raven Rock forest was full of trees like these - that seemed to have taken "detours" (perhaps around rocks, at one point?) to find the sky, during their lifetime. </i></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/AVvXsEj6ajeWzElxfNvp7BxRw9znJPVPf4lt6WUUWJ1znHnzPwTgxolOoAldOfvNbQQ3zBM6ebEuoMJfj7xULwIXs5Nw1qPIOYzM7v7jZhzIrxVK7d_agJtXVWkC7YUXhrWY2wtfHtuFfHx4NW9KB5tA8qaNnMrXvGbmnoolqzs7f46q35jyLaILXg/s3888/_Aas_0016.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3888" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ajeWzElxfNvp7BxRw9znJPVPf4lt6WUUWJ1znHnzPwTgxolOoAldOfvNbQQ3zBM6ebEuoMJfj7xULwIXs5Nw1qPIOYzM7v7jZhzIrxVK7d_agJtXVWkC7YUXhrWY2wtfHtuFfHx4NW9KB5tA8qaNnMrXvGbmnoolqzs7f46q35jyLaILXg/s320/_Aas_0016.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 150ft worth of wooden stairs you need to climb down to find the river and the bottom of the Raven Rock. </i></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/AVvXsEiB13kk1Ybtz0nUWaJbmDvPUE90pv1ZpyLUH68ixLlTxEm_FM8-Gfe7PQWstZ9Lon_TqD3JteC8ndb0W0jrIAOp6D8hqckULQ8GqeWq7XzwyI2TzSQRGoWa5pbuZVuCNd2MgeJVX_f_lFaTXJbpTbdOMlblKdKcmT7qFRdcJ39Im87To37BSA/s5184/_As_6714.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB13kk1Ybtz0nUWaJbmDvPUE90pv1ZpyLUH68ixLlTxEm_FM8-Gfe7PQWstZ9Lon_TqD3JteC8ndb0W0jrIAOp6D8hqckULQ8GqeWq7XzwyI2TzSQRGoWa5pbuZVuCNd2MgeJVX_f_lFaTXJbpTbdOMlblKdKcmT7qFRdcJ39Im87To37BSA/s320/_As_6714.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Cape Fear River once you made it to the bottom of Raven Rock. </i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCaIWC47RfmCxLKDZrhEaGll1zFMv6gxym7hY8SsNEUydu8S1dpP-nIk1NMLyFxwzzUVp8sOrTGsF4Uc29qOELq_aqP3qd_a-T53ndPGl7WFpjeGiYnPY4aZvJn3dcuYLTH7IKYPyUgXdbGokFN8rIm_n92TH_OSHzk1I8StBtm4eXhe-yg/s4032/_iPhone_6015.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCaIWC47RfmCxLKDZrhEaGll1zFMv6gxym7hY8SsNEUydu8S1dpP-nIk1NMLyFxwzzUVp8sOrTGsF4Uc29qOELq_aqP3qd_a-T53ndPGl7WFpjeGiYnPY4aZvJn3dcuYLTH7IKYPyUgXdbGokFN8rIm_n92TH_OSHzk1I8StBtm4eXhe-yg/s320/_iPhone_6015.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Under the Raven Rock - it is a massive monolith with tiny streams of water dripping in its crevices. </span></span></i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWMLTBucST1tmGCJs8WjTs4e6d0VDUV6wminub6xY3fIJ_YP_s4I7eWPzGEdWS-qwbQKe548cs6dc0PoKNm-uzDj30gJRSGnUNs5p9hAjdytCCgwTNem4LHR4PMkbsL3RtjBI5nJKb5oBWtBLs9i3Ns0XzgdNfvGZ4Ifuy_goM0pPFoKusw/s4032/_iPhone_6029.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWMLTBucST1tmGCJs8WjTs4e6d0VDUV6wminub6xY3fIJ_YP_s4I7eWPzGEdWS-qwbQKe548cs6dc0PoKNm-uzDj30gJRSGnUNs5p9hAjdytCCgwTNem4LHR4PMkbsL3RtjBI5nJKb5oBWtBLs9i3Ns0XzgdNfvGZ4Ifuy_goM0pPFoKusw/s320/_iPhone_6029.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The amazing above-the-ground root system of these massive trees at the bottom of the Raven Rock - there is no place for the roots to go - it's all rock everywhere, and yet, somehow, the trees figured out a way to anchor themselves for many tens of years and survive despite it all. </i></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/AVvXsEh7RLQpUdZcvx5ZBKHSNm0u7KAmnsO38LHwRjXnej53liieewh0OxA2tfqocxYFa7G1g03kLtMHTm5ljsckM9Yb_1YF9MvQaQeo-WBH1r9coXGaSh_FB_qa346SUq7ISmRWx7D5y4oPU7W4Paoxku_Iivau6lkDCKOWhmz9QN5sgL11Whtfhw/s5184/_As_6727.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RLQpUdZcvx5ZBKHSNm0u7KAmnsO38LHwRjXnej53liieewh0OxA2tfqocxYFa7G1g03kLtMHTm5ljsckM9Yb_1YF9MvQaQeo-WBH1r9coXGaSh_FB_qa346SUq7ISmRWx7D5y4oPU7W4Paoxku_Iivau6lkDCKOWhmz9QN5sgL11Whtfhw/s320/_As_6727.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The trail in Raven Rock State Park is sheltered by the trees and very, very root-y ... </i></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/AVvXsEjPHiaVYEOOQSLuNXUT5ePpVA0-N4f5pf8HZeVuG3fqvfCd2yrNbtncdpTO6TE5wYKqGg0cjFBsUzOSHzR09REfGsqz0pRF9QDjDDjY0MsBrp9Gj3j1K968mwvxmq-d435CSudncdi3uiWWTM8lEEoya89O1OPNjZf96QqaB-3bssSNWrwR0A/s5184/_As_6701.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHiaVYEOOQSLuNXUT5ePpVA0-N4f5pf8HZeVuG3fqvfCd2yrNbtncdpTO6TE5wYKqGg0cjFBsUzOSHzR09REfGsqz0pRF9QDjDDjY0MsBrp9Gj3j1K968mwvxmq-d435CSudncdi3uiWWTM8lEEoya89O1OPNjZf96QqaB-3bssSNWrwR0A/s320/_As_6701.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gnarly roots right on the trail that you have to step on for 2+ miles to get ahead ... </i></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/AVvXsEgS4VsABC82zlJknKw-Yk_k5LQ5_w3--v4ZlZ1TqCwIvP4D9OK9qanShg6OuGoD91H0moF-Y8xBXi7VOVITYzKU8H4F2c-TDxEDXRkWPIQh4tZODEDc5HZ0BIr6u1HejG4TYQcurvTw4Co1UDRUdrUzn0gKBndpOiRpQzEOH8yg9v25k1p1LA/s5184/_As_6724.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4VsABC82zlJknKw-Yk_k5LQ5_w3--v4ZlZ1TqCwIvP4D9OK9qanShg6OuGoD91H0moF-Y8xBXi7VOVITYzKU8H4F2c-TDxEDXRkWPIQh4tZODEDc5HZ0BIr6u1HejG4TYQcurvTw4Co1UDRUdrUzn0gKBndpOiRpQzEOH8yg9v25k1p1LA/s320/_As_6724.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;"><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite picture from the escapades of this week - dead bugs, empty spider webs, dead leaves and a smooth, dimmed light that makes everything bright from the inside out. What says "fall" better than a natural jack-o-lantern?! </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get out there, folks! The world is amazing! </span></div></span>A. W.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16737228451358591747noreply@blogger.com0