Eastern Canada

by bill - 1989-09-08 ( life / travel / canada / blog ) [html version]

Roving reporter returns from East

(September, 1989) -- Bill returned from his trip to eastern Canada a few weeks back. He was supposed to seek out and capture "Wild Man" Doug. Remember? Well, he's back. Bill, that is. When asked to report his findings, however, Bill said, "What? You never said anything about finding anyone!"

Well, there you have it. Another in-depth report from the Newsletter news team. Fortunately, the Newsletter, predicting such a "report", sent a private investigator out after Bill. And here is his report:

DAY 1

Doug meets Bill at Burlington (VT) Airport. They greet each other brotherly-like, then leave airport together. It takes them 27 seconds to get from Gate 4 to the airport parking lot, the airport is that big. They spend the night in Doug's camper in a shopping center parking lot.

DAY 2

They do a little shopping, then head north.

They cross the Canadian-American border (is there any other Canadian border?). Doug's camper is searched while Doug and Bill are held for questioning. The border guard has trouble believing Doug and Bill do what they do for a living, but finally lets them go with a warning.

Doug kills bird on highway. He could have swerved, but no. He aimed for it! Then he stopped, turned around, and picked it up while Bill took pictures!

The murderers drove to the city of Quebec that night and spent most of their time pretending to be innocent tourists. You know, buying shirts, flirting with girls, stuff like that.

DAY 3

Doug attends the Changing of the Guard at Quebec's Citadel, while Bill spends his time wandering around the Citadel, apparently trying to find a way of getting in for free. He never does.

Doug and Bill meet up again and spend the rest of the day looking through gift shops, taking pictures (well, Doug takes pictures, lots of pictures), etc.

They head east toward New Brunswick and spend the night in the middle of nowhere.

DAY 4

Doug wakes up feeling sick to his stomach, so Bill drives.

They go to a national park called Kouchibouguac. Don't ask me to pronounce it. There's a beach at this park. Bill wades in a ways then wimps out. Too cold, he says.

Meanwhile, Doug can be found wandering around the nearby swamps frog-gigging and taking pictures.

Then they head east to Nova Scotia.

DAY 5

Doug spends about an hour wandering through a cemetery in Halifax with a shovel and a camera! Bill runs away screaming.

Found Bill walking around in a daze in an indoor mall.

Eventually, they leave Halifax and drive to another national park with a weird name: Kejimkujik.

DAYS 6-8

Lost them when they take off in a canoe in the wilds of Kejimkujik. Kept an eye on their parked truck. It didn't do anything for three days.

DAY 9

Found Bill hiking back to the truck without Doug. All he has is his outback hat, his brand-new boots and a canteen (and his clothes, of course). He looks thinner and unshaven. His boots are dirty.

He gets into truck and drives away. Meets Doug where he was waiting with the canoe and all the equipment.

They leave Kejimkujik and drive to the western-most edge of Nova Scotia to a town called Digby.

Doug drops Bill off and heads north, saying something about Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Bill catches a ferryboat headed for Saint John, New Brunswick.

I follow Bill.

Bill gets off ferryboat at Saint John and catches a cab to a motel for the night.

DAY 10

Bill spends most of next day wandering around Saint John, apparently waiting for the bus to Bangor, Maine to arrive.

Bus finally arrives at 3:46 p.m. Bill gets on. Bus leaves at 3:59 p.m.

Bus arrives in Bangor, Maine at 8:34 p.m., local time. Bill was supposed to get off here, but he doesn't, obviously trying to lose me. He enters bus station and pays additional fare to take him to Boston.

DAY 11

Bus arrives in Boston at 2:30 a.m., local time. Bill makes a couple phone calls. Finally, catches a cab to Logan Airport.

Bill makes more calls at the airport. Tries to sleep on couch in airport. Can't.

At exactly 5:45 a.m., he takes his place in line at the ticket counter. Gets his ticket. Wanders around airport some more.

Then he does something strange. He puts his bags in a locker and starts asking where the control tower is. (If he has a bomb, it's an awfully small one.)

He follows the directions to the tower. But when he gets there, he can't get in. The doors are locked. It's too early in the morning.

He walks back to Gate 34C, buys a paper, waits around, then at exactly 7:31 a.m. boards United Flight 91 to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, he catches a connecting flight to Oakland.

Europe Video (1996)

by bill - 1996-09-15 ( life / travel / europe / blog ) [html version]

You can watch it here: vimeo.com/Europe '96

I was in Bratislava, Slovakia for Doug and Jana's wedding, but this doesn't include the wedding itself. That was filmed by a professional. This video is so badly-done it's almost funny. There's also some footage on here from Budapest, Prague and Berlin!

For the full article, go here.

Trip to Europe (1996)

by bill - 1996-09-16 ( life / travel / europe / blog ) [html version]

Jump straight to the video, if you want.

I was in Bratislava, Slovakia for Doug and Jana's wedding, but this doesn't include the wedding itself. That was filmed by a professional. This video is so badly done it's almost funny. There's also some footage from Budapest, Prague and Berlin. The story is below.

Nashville -- June, 1996

I planned everything in advance. Or so I thought. I bought my round-trip plane ticket three months in advance. I "surfed The Web" and researched whatever I could find regarding my destination cities and countries. I bought renter's insurance for the apartment, a video camera, a new suit for the wedding. For me, this was serious preparation.

My friend Charlotte gave me a ride to the airport. My brother Don had offered, but Charlotte really wanted an excuse to get off work, so she won the "honor" of driving me to the airport. I'm sure it was a thrill for her. She gave me all sorts of motherly advice along the way. She would have called it simple advice, but to me it sounded like motherly advice. She's a good friend, so I let her get away with it.

After I checked my baggage with the woman at the ticket counter, we hugged good-bye. Charlotte and I, that is. I wanted to hug the ticket woman. She was gorgeous. But something told me she wouldn't go for it. As Charlotte and I hugged, I wanted to sneak in a kiss, just in case my plane blew up and it was the last chance I had for that sort of thing, but she didn't let me. I think she and the baggage check woman were conspiring against me. Just a theory. Probably nothing to it. But still, you've got to wonder.

In The Air

On the flight from Atlanta to Vienna, I sat next to a 6'5" teenage hillbilly chatterbox named Chip. Just my luck. An 8-hour flight ahead of me, and I've got to sit next to this guy. Making matters worse, he was a Christian missionary. I cannot stand Christian missionaries. Can't stand religion itself, actually.

His group was on its way to Minsk, Belarus, to preach the gospel, or whatever it is they do. Chip kept referring to his trip as a "business trip." I don't know who he thought he was fooling. Himself, I guess, like religious missionaries everywhere.

When I told him I don't believe in religion and would greatly appreciate it if he didn't try to "recruit" me, he was good enough to stop evangelizing. He didn't stop talking, he merely contented himself with constant non-religious conversation.

He loved roller coasters. He mentioned this several times. I don't know why. "Have you ever been on a roller coaster?" he asked. "Yes, I have," I replied. "What's the biggest one y'ever been on?" "Probably the Giant Dipper ... in Santa Cruz. Northern California," I replied. He didn't seem familiar with that one, so I added, "Or maybe one of the ones at Magic Mountain in Southern California. I don't really know." Or care, I thought. Again, he shook his head. He mentioned a roller coaster in Florida I'd never heard of. It was my turn to shake my head.

It was a fascinating conversation all the way to Vienna.

Vienna

In case you didn't know, the Vienna airport is nowhere near the city itself. All I saw of Vienna was from the air. It looked like a wonderful town. I'll have to visit someday. At least I got some video footage of the Austrian Alps on the way in.

Once disembarked at the Vienna airport, I voluntarily walked through the "Customs: Items to Declare" checkpoint. I told the customs agent I didn't know if I needed to be there. He was busy with someone else, so he quickly asked if everything in my possession was mine and if I intended to sell any of it. When I said it was mine, and I didn't intend to sell it, he waved me off impatiently, almost angrily. "Go. Go! "

Doug, Jana and Jana's father, Milan, met me at the gate. I had spoken to Jana on the phone once or twice and had seen a couple of photos, but it was the first time I'd actually met her in person.

She kissed me, of course. Women like to do that when they meet me. It's just my animal magnetism, I guess. The fact that I was in Europe now and it was customary for everyone to kiss everyone never entered my mind.

When we got outside I noticed how unseasonably cool it was. As Milan and I stood waiting for Doug and Jana to return from the bathroom, Milan taught me my first Slovak word: Zima.

"No thanks," I replied. "I never drink before noon."

He shook his head, not knowing what I was talking about. He didn't speak a word of English, so he demonstrated the meaning of "zima" by folding his arms across his chest and shivering. Then I understood. It was a bonding, learning experience. For me, anyway. I'm sure Milan just figured I was an idiot.

Bratislava

Once settled in at Jana's parents' house, Doug and I took the train to downtown Bratislava. Out on the street, I was impressed with the beautiful women. They were white, with some Nordic looks here, gypsy looks there, and Mediterranean looks over there. Very sexy, Earthy-looking. I wanted to take one home with me, or at least on the rest of my European trip. I later told Jana that I had thought Slovak women all looked like Martina Navratilova. I was wrong.

After she finished up some final wedding preparations, Jana met us at Bratislava Castle. At the castle and needing directions or whatever (I can't remember what), Doug and I found a couple of women on a bench. Doug asked if they spoke English. The one who was awake replied, "We are English," as if we should be impressed. I almost replied, "Well, we'll try and converse anyway." But I held my tongue.

At the castle gift shop, I managed to find some souvenirs. Well, a spoon. The spoon was for my sister. I don't know why she collects spoons. Ask her.

Over the past two days, I had gotten a total of 6 hours sleep. The night before I left Nashville I got about four hours. That night around 2:30, I had awakened in a sweat because the air-conditioning was broken and it was probably 85 degrees with 85 percent humidity outside. I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. I then got a "whole 2 hours" of sleep (if that) on the flight from Atlanta to Vienna. Then I lost seven hours due to the time zone change. A 15 minute nap in an actual bed at Jana's parents' house helped somewhat.

Thanks to Jana, her father Milan, her mother Ludmilla, her brother Milan, and her aunt Myca (which is the same name as my cat, by the way) I soon expanded my Slovak vocabulary beyond "zima." Don't worry, it's a short list:

Hello "dobry den" (same as Russian, actually, and literally means "good day") or "ahoj" (familiar; pronounced "ahoy" as in "Ahoy, matey!"); good-bye "ciao" (actually Italian, of course) or "ahoj" again; yes "ano"; no "nie" (pronounced "nyeh"); thank you "dakujem" (pronounced "dyahkuyem", or something like that); and "á"; please or you're welcome "prosim"; beer "pivo"; cognac "cognac"; enough/done "dost" (pronounced "doast").

Doug and Jana's wedding -- my main reason for being there, by the way -- went fairly quickly. I was one of the "witnesses." They don't seem to have a Best Man and Maid of Honor there. Jana's brother ("brat" in Slovak) Milan was the other witness.

There was no rehearsal, though there probably should have been, since I had no idea what to do. I decided early on to just follow Milan's lead. Throughout the ceremony, he and I stood like statues behind Jana and Doug (a.k.a. "Janka á Douginko"). Just making sure they didn't run, I guess.

The priest crossed himself a lot during the ceremony, and everyone in attendance was supposed to follow his lead. I hesitated a moment the first time this happened. Remember, I don't believe in religion. The way I see it, it's the worst thing ever invented. And crossing oneself has always been particularly abhorrent to me.

I ended up crossing myself right on cue, though, if only halfheartedly, just for appearances' sake. I didn't want to make a political statement at Doug's wedding. Mighty considerate of me, eh?

A bunch of people from a Hungarian/American friendship society that Doug corresponds with were in attendance. It ended up being a fairly large crowd. At the time, I thought a good portion of the crowd was just curious tourists or locals. But most everyone there was actually invited. I had no idea Doug and Jana had so many friends.

After the wedding, there were lots of pictures. I was then enlisted as the amateur video cameraman. I didn't do a very good job, but it was better than nothing. My main task, as given to me by Milan senior, was to film a billboard outside of Bratislava that said, in Slovak: "Do you know what you're getting into?"

The reception was held in a rented hall several miles outside of town. There was a lot of eating, drinking, dancing and singing. We got a lot of it on videotape, which Doug later decided was, for the most part, unfit for public consumption. Thanks to his editing, memorable scenes of my dancing may never see the light of day. It's a shame, really. I'm one hell of a dancer.

The next day, Jana, Doug, Milan Jr. and I went to an old 12th Century castle ruin called Pajstun (pronounced "py-shtoon"). It was very cool (as in "interesting," not zima).

We then went to another castle (not so much a ruin) also in the area. Access to the top of this one was limited due to someone filming a movie or something, so we just walked around its perimeter. It was located at the confluence of the Morava and Danube ("Dunaj" in Slovak, pronounced "doon-I") rivers.

Earlier, I had said that some of the women of Bratislava have a "gypsy look." Turns out I was wrong again. Gypsies are actually dark and, presumably, of Indian descent. Some even look like Australian Aborigines. And from what I've seen of gypsies, they are generally unattractive, sleazy-looking people. Sorry to be so harsh, but the ones I saw just gave me the creeps.

Budapest

Jana's father drove us from Bratislava to Budapest, Hungary (about a four-hour drive), dropped us off, and picked us up the next day. In Budapest, every single woman is beautiful! Well, okay, maybe just the ones Milan Jr. and I noticed. I would definitely like to go back there. But there are so many places I want to go, I may never get back.

Doug's friend Klara and her boyfriend Istvan, who had attended the wedding and reception, took us to lunch at their favorite vegetarian restaurant. We then walked the length of Margaret Island, which sits in the middle of the Danube ("Duna," locally) River. We then got lost -- though Doug insisted otherwise -- and wandered through some slums -- with Tina Turner concert posters everywhere -- until we found our starting point again. From there, we walked up to Budapest Castle (or whatever it's called). We were going to take the tram, but the line was too long.

My fellow hikers checked with me to see how my back was doing (due to recent problems). When I said I was fine, we scaled the castle walls! Well, okay, not really. It just felt like it. We climbed up a steep and winding trail into the castle.

I only learned two Hungarian (Magyar) words: " Kuszunum" (pronounced "kuh-suh-nuhm", meaning "thank you.") The other word was "híd" (pronounced "heed"), meaning "bridge." The Hungarian language is nothing like Slovak.

Bratislava again

After returning from Budapest and before leaving Bratislava, I was able to see the professionally-done wedding video. I think the cameraman was in love with Jana's cousin Sylvia. He spent quite a bit of footage on her. Otherwise, the video was great.

When it came time to leave, Jana's mother Ludmilla kissed me goodbye and said "our door is always open to you." Everyone who was in the car for the Budapest trip then piled in and drove me to the train station for my trip to Prague. Once the train finally arrived, half an hour late at 1:15am, we said goodbye and I took my seat on the train.

An argument (in English) broke out in the compartment behind me. Some young guy was shouting: "I'm telling you, there aren't any seat assignments! You just sit wherever you want!" My cabinmates and I smiled at each other. I don't know if they spoke English, but you didn't have to.

Doug then shouted at me through the window: "Bill, get your things!" Aloud, I mumbled "Why." But I wasted no time in complying. For all I knew, I was on the wrong train.

Milan ran in and grabbed two of my bags. As we all ran several car-lengths down the boarding platform, Doug explained that they had arranged to get me into a sleeper car. It wasn't until I was already running that I realized this was the first time in several months that I had run (again, because of my back).

The sleeper car manager (or whatever he's called) put me in with a young woman. This surprised me, but I didn't complain. She smiled, and went right back to sleep. Yes, my "animal magnetism" at work once again.

En route to Prague

The few times that my cabinmate awoke (usually when I was either opening or closing the window) I spoke pidgin English to her. When she did reply, it was also in pidgin English.

I didn't sleep at all for fear of oversleeping and missing my stop. That fear turned out to be unwarranted, for when we arrived in Prague ("Praha" locally), the sleeper car manager (or whatever) came in and said, "Good morning. We will be arriving in Prague in five minutes."

Prague

As the young woman awoke and gathered her things, I attempted to speak in complete sentences to her. It was then that I learned she had been on the train since Budapest, was originally from San Francisco, and spoke perfect English. I invited her to breakfast, but she made an excuse and we parted company. Bitch.

With all my bags in tow, I spent the next several hours wandering all over Prague (mostly by foot, but also by subway, bus and trolley). I found a room at a place called the Hotel Kafka. It was more expensive than a youth hostel (which were all full), but not bad at $42. I figured I could "splurge," since most of my food and lodging had so far been free, courtesy of Jana's parents.

I saw a good portion of Prague that day, width=240 height=360 although I didn't set foot in any castles or museums, which, of course, I now regret. My guidebook said that Czechs are "a warm and friendly people." The ones I met were not, particularly.

A cab driver was friendly enough. I had flagged him down after wandering around on foot until my feet were killing me. I think he appreciated the fact that I used pretty much every one of my Slovak (very similar to Czech) words in a sentence. He had a postcard of a naked girl on the dashboard, at which I pointed and said "Dobré" (good).

When he took me on a suspiciously circuitous route to the hotel, I thought maybe he was taking me for a ride, literally. But as I watched him drive (in my foot travels, I had become fairly familiar with the area) I realized it was the one-way streets and various construction detours determining our route, not the driver's greed.

Since I spent more time in Bratislava than expected, I spent only one night each in Prague and Berlin. In between Berlin and Amsterdam I would spend the night on the train.

I didn't go out to a pub while in Prague. After Milan and I had gotten drunk and stayed up 'til dawn in Budapest (hey, there was free wine and beer in the fridge, what were we supposed to do?) I just wasn't in the mood. Besides, my feet were sore, and I was tired of walking around.

I didn't take any video or still pictures in Prague (except in the hotel room, for some stupid reason). I was tired of doing the "tourist thing." Besides, in some of the areas I wandered through I didn't feel comfortable whipping out the old camcorder and marking myself as a prime robbery victim.

Berlin

In Berlin, purple hair is real popular. Just thought I'd mention that.

I wandered until finding Kurfurstendamm ("Ku'damm," locally), the famous tourist street. I sat at an outdoor table in the main square near Kurfurstendamm Strasse and Zoo Station. I drank German beer (Schultheiss) and smoked French cigarettes (Gauloises). Next to me, two men spoke English in a passionate discussion of chemistry and physics. I was so happy to hear English being spoken, I wanted to join in. In front of and around my table were young people (punks mostly, but not all) rollerblading, skateboarding, playing hacky-sack, and just hanging out and smoking cigarettes.

There are actually a few black people in Berlin, unlike Prague, Bratislava and Budapest. Descendants of American military men, I guess. Most of the black men had white girlfriends.

That night sometime past midnight, I went to a disco called Big Eden. A pamphlet claimed that admittance was free and beers were the equivalent of $5. The sign out front said "frei" (free) something or other.

At the bar I ordered a Heineken from the knockout blonde bartender. She said something to me in German. I said "Sprechen sie English?" She said "Ten Deutschemarks [the equivalent of $7 or $8], please."

When I flashed what I thought was a "free beer" ticket I had received at the entrance, she explained that it was no such thing. "What is it then?" I said irritably. "Just a ticket," she said happily.

I took the U-Bahn back to the hotel. That was the plan, anyway. When it stopped (for the night) one stop shy of my stop, I was forced to figure out how to get back to the hotel.

I wandered down some darkened street in the middle of the night, not really sure where I was. It kept me alert, I'll tell you. When I came upon a small, utterly-dark park, I was doubly alert to even the slightest sound. But I made it back to the hotel in one piece, though I did approach it from the opposite direction I had thought I would.

I spent the next morning lost on the S-Bahn (elevated train), trying to get back to the Berlin-Lichtenberg station, where I had arrived in Berlin. I needed to buy a ticket to Amsterdam and thought that this might be the place where I had to buy it.

When I reached the station, I couldn't find the place where I had disembarked after arriving from Prague. There was nothing there even closely resembling the train station I had arrived in. Hell if I know! So I got back on the S-Bahn and rode all over town before finally returning to the more familiar Zoo Station. There, I bought a ticket to Amsterdam (or so I thought), got a locker, threw everything in that would fit, and returned east on the S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz.

There wasn't room in the locker for one of my bags, so I just carried it everywhere I went. I'd been doing that throughout Europe, anyway. I'd gotten used to it.

Getting off at the Alexanderplatz station, I found the Unter den Linden. It's a major, Old Berlin street with many landmarks, museums, libraries, universities, etc. I walked all over the area. Had I known it was so noteworthy, I would have brought a camera! Oh well.

After touring the Unter den Linden and Alexanderplatz, I still had nine hours to kill. I probably should have spent some time in museums and whatnot, but, again, I didn't.

Not sure what to do next, I ended up taking the U-Bahn (or maybe the S-Bahn, I can't remember) to a part of town called Charlottenburg. There was an open-air bazaar several blocks long. I wandered up and down its length, twice.

Four more hours to kill and I found myself back at the Zoo Station. The scum of society who hang out in the train station (gypsies, punks, and foreign tourists like myself) really got on my nerves after a while.

While sitting on the floor of the Zoo Station, watching the Olympics on the bigscreen TV (and enduring the same three or four commercials every ten minutes) I witnessed the end result of a pick-pocket. A young white girl was waving a wallet in the air in front of her girlfriends as they made their way toward the exit. I knew she had stolen it from the way her friends glanced guiltily in all directions and tried to get the thief to put the wallet away.

A couple of times I got up to use the public bathrooms, but there was always a long, unmoving line. In line, I was surrounded by gypsies pretending to also be in line so they could pick my pockets. I kept my wallet and passport in my front pockets. Even so, I was constantly checking to make sure they were still there. When you're a gypsy and you pick pockets for a living, front pockets are probably not much more difficult than back pockets. I ended up waiting and using the bathroom on the train. Aren't you glad I'm telling you about my bathroom habits?

When the Amsterdam train finally arrived and I tried to board the sleeper car, the cabinmaster (or whatever he's called) said my ticket was for the wrong day. I was worried because there was some confusion earlier when I bought the ticket. I had taken great pains at the ticket counter to verify that my ticket was for the right day. I was assured that it was, though the ticket woman did not speak English very well. I wish I was fluent in all languages!

The cabinmaster refused to speak English, in spite of the fact that five years of English study is required in Germany. Luckily, a young German-speaking couple with tickets to the same train for the same day as me verified that both of our tickets were for the right day and train.

When I boarded the train and found my cabin, the semi-conductor came back and asked for my ticket. When I gave it to him, he kept repeating: "Nein, nein! Reservation! Reservation!" All I could do was point at my ticket and keep saying: "Ja, ja! Reservation! Reservation!"

Several times I tried to convince him to speak English, even if he couldn't. He finally waved me off and left me alone in my cabin. I thought that was the end of it. It wasn't.

En route to Amsterdam

Some time in the middle of the night, I was awakened by a loud rapping on the door. A large, muscle-bound security guard and the conductor himself were there, along with the cabinmaster, to tell me that my ticket was no good.

Luckily, the security guard spoke English. Not politely, but at least we could converse. Accusingly, he said, "This is not your ticket." I thought he was implying I had stolen it, but he simply meant that it was not a complete ticket. It was a ticket without a reservation. In any other civilized country, your ticket is your reservation. Not so in Germany.

The guard then said, "So you have no money."

"I've got money!" I said. "I've got American traveler's checks, credit cards, American cash. What do you want?!"

Meanwhile, the train was slowing down. They spoke amongst themselves and finally agreed to take my traveler's checks. As I was signing the checks, the security guard said, "We will be back in a moment."

The train made an unscheduled stop, done for my benefit, I'm sure, so they could throw me off the train. The train then started back up and the three men returned to take my checks.

As he exited my cabin, the security guard smiled and said, "Have a good night." I glared at him and shut the door.

I ended up having to pay an additional $90 just to stay on the train! I was glad they took traveler's checks so I had a record of the transaction.

Before reaching Amsterdam, the new (Dutch) conductor, a woman, demanded more money. Obviously, the ticket I had bought at the train station was absolutely worthless. At least she spoke English.

She wanted Dutch gilders. I didn't have any Dutch gilders. With my scrape with the Germans fresh in my mind, I asked: "Do you take American traveler's checks?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Credit cards?"

No.

"American cash?"

Yes.

Well, thank God, I thought. I dug into my wallet and pulled out a $100 bill. She said, "I cannot accept $100 bills. Do you have any Deutschemarks?"

Well, sh*t! I thought. I didn't have any Dutch gilders, and I was pretty sure I didn't have more than a few Deutschemarks.

"What now?" I said to her. She shrugged.

I dug into my wallet again. Luckily, I found a 50DM note. I gave her that, shook my head, and laughed in relief. She smiled thinly, and gave me a few gilders worth of change.

[When I returned to Nashville, I called the bank and had them check into this ticket fiasco. They informed me that a credit check had been done on my credit card at Berlin's Zoo Station, but nothing was actually ever charged. A month later, when the charge mysteriously showed up on my statement, I requested and filled out a refund request, which I ended up never sending in.]

Amsterdam

By the time I got to Amsterdam and checked my luggage into a locker at the airport, I only had a few hours to spend checking out Amsterdam. There was enough time to see the canals, the prostitutes in the windows (extremely ugly women, by the way), buy a t-shirt, and have lunch. I looked for trinkets for friends, but didn't find any. I ended up not even buying postcards since I would be home before they could be delivered.

Security was very tight getting out of the Amsterdam airport. At Delta's Atlanta-bound ticket counter, there were security guards with machine guns! They ran my bags through the x-ray machine, and an attractive security woman then pulled me aside and asked me the standard questions. I answered all her questions (throwing in the occasional flirtatious glance, of course, out of habit), and she eventually let me board.

It was while waiting to board that I heard the news of the Atlanta Olympic park bombing, which explained the machine guns.

Atlanta

When we landed in Atlanta, several people applauded. No kidding! I guess they were infrequent flyers. In the terminal, everyone had to go through customs, of course. I never was strip-searched, though. Damn!

Nashville

Don picked me up at the Nashville airport. We stopped by his house to pick up my cat, Myca. Back at my apartment, Myca re-acquainted himself with things. Before leaving home, I had unplugged everything but the refrigerator. I plugged it all back in and went about the task of getting back to normal. THE END (finally!)

And here's the video to prove it!

Portugal to Hungary

by doug - 1998-09-16 ( life / travel / europe / blog ) [html version]

How I Spent My Summer Vacations (Portugal to Hungary) [from 1992]

Portugal/Azores

On Sunday, July 12th, I woke up... but while getting ready for the flight to Portugal the next morning, I never went back to sleep. In Lisboa, my 2nd cousin and her husband Antonio Melo met me at the airport. They served as chauffeurs, tour guides and translators. Teresa's father, Silvano Rocha Homem, is Dad's 1st cousin. Sometimes staying at their apartment in Lisboa and sometimes at Silvano's "grand casa" in Cartaxo (45 min. away in the countryside), they treated me to all the sights possible in the 5 days I spent there. Although Lisboa is full of history, crowded cities with bad traffic problems have never interested me. The best sights were found nearby at Sintra where a castle dominates a mountaintop surrounded by rich and beautiful homes and great views. A drive along the coast revealed quaint villages and wonderful cliffs similar to the California coast south of Big Sur.

The topless beaches were also a nice surprise! Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Portuguese girls aren't pretty. Portugal has its share of beauties. One of them is Teresa's sister, . Ana had modeled at one time, but quit because of the constant concern with her looks.

I met another sister, Cristina Rocha Homem, a lawyer and considered the brightest of the family and very pretty, to boot. Finally there was , the only boy and a very nice person. He is the one that will eventually run the very successful family winery business. I didn't meet the oldest girl, Isabel. All five of Silvano's children are married. Ana and Cristina have husbands that are direct descendants of some of Portugal's oldest noble families. All five also have college degrees; almost mandatory for a person to be successful there unlike in the U.S. Silvano de Abreu Cardoso Rocha Homem, as mentioned, has a really nice house in the small town of Cartaxo. He is semi-retired from his practice as a family doctor, but still works 2 or 3 days a week at home where he has his office. Silvano is a wonderful host. Because of his lack of practice with English he spoke mostly Portuguese with only a few words of English, although at one time he spoke English well. The overall impression one gets by a visit to his home is that you are in the company of a very rich and well respected man who lives in a place that could be described as a hotel with many servants and a music room and dining room fit for a duke.

One can only admire the close relationship of his family who travel every weekend to Cartaxo to visit. The huge house and the winery business come from Silvano's wife's side of the family who has unfortunately suffered many strokes and is now practically helpless.

My last day there was on Sunday, July 19th, and I was treated to an extravagant midday meal before flying to the island of Terceira in the Azores where the Rocha Homem (Holmes) family originates from.

There to meet me was Dad's other 1st cousin, Jose Leal Armas, one of the most important men of the island. Jose is a thoroughly likeable guy. Real down-to-Earth.

Staying at Jose's modest house and sleeping on a antique bed valued at more than $6,000 US dollars, I was shown the way to the Archives of Angra where I spent 50% of my time digging through old records of the island. If it weren't for the fact that the archive closed at 5pm, I would have missed seeing most of the sights a normal tourist would see.

Angra is more than 500 years old and is very interesting to see, especially if one's own family played a part in it's history. Manoel Joaquim Leal da Roza came here as a rich man from Chile and established the first pawn shop, "Prego," of the island. This building and several other family homes were photographed. Seeing these tend to bring to life the history of one's family.

Another benefit from genealogy (besides implementing an "adopt-a-ghost" program on Halloween) is discovering living relatives previously unknown. (As if we don't have enough already!) Such was the case when I and Jose went to the home of Francisco Homem, a farmer in Angra. Jose knew him and called him "cousin" without knowing how they were related. I revealed that they both shared the same great-great-grandfather, Manoel Homem born in 1786. So this man is a 3rd cousin to Dad and Jose.

The research done in Angra, which is not even close to being complete, has revealed the oldest member of the Rocha Homem line to be a Joao (John) Bras born circa 1660. He didn't use the Rocha name, so this is yet another puzzle to solve.

The final portion of my trip was to the island of Pico where the Silveira family (Grandma's parents) comes from. This was the prettiest of the islands visited. Very lush; green plants were everywhere with the dominant mountain soaring 8,000 feet above the sea, from which the island gets its name. São Roque was my major place of interest, where, on Sept. 17th, 1896, Jose Francisco da Silveira and his new wife Emelia Candida Leal left for America. Grandma was born the next year in Sacramento.

Another village of Pico, Piedade, is where the Leal da Roza family (mentioned above) comes from. With the assistance of the taxi driver hired for the day, I was able to meet a heretofore unknown member of that family, Jose Leal da Rosa, a wine-maker in that village. The connection between our families has not been established yet, but it's nice to know the name has not died out in its native land.

Hungary/Slovakia

Arriving home on Thursday, July 30th at 12:30am, I had 6 days to recover before I was grabbed and thrown onto a plane headed for Budapest, Hungary. Luckily, I was already planning to go there and was fully packed.

Now being a seasoned traveller (my 3rd trip to Europe in two years), I negotiated for free housing in some girl's apartment in Budapest for the first 3 nights there. The girl is Klara Szmodits, a cousin of Irene Poutinen (our cousin) who lives in Florida.

I was soon heading for the countryside of western Hungary where there are beautiful rolling hills and mountains that are a joy to travel through. For a little danger and excitement, I crossed the border into the new Croatian republic to get my passport stamped. To prove this side trip to those inevitable doubters, I got it all on videotape. The trip lasted a whole 10 minutes, but my passport never got stamped -- damn! No gun shots were reported.

Continuing on to Békéscsaba, Hungary to the East, I checked into the Koros Hotel where I stayed last year and where, for $15 a night, one gets a room with a shower and sink but no toilet. I'm becoming a regular there.

One of the main objectives of this trip was to contact living relatives in the towns of Szarvas and Mezobereny where the Liska family has its roots. Re-establishing contact with friends I met last year proved very valuable. In Mezobereny, where grandma Irene (Liska)was born, my elderly friends secured permission for me to look through all the church record books for relatives (information after 1895 not available on microfilm). So far, the most valuable result of this is a gift from an 82-year-old man of a big picture of Irma Liska (this man's godmother) who was our grandma's 1st cousin. He also had more family information since he knew many of our relatives. But, sad to say, this branch of the Liska family has no living descendants.

In Szarvas, with the help of my friend Andras and his girlfriend in the mayor's office, I looked through secret information for more relatives. In addition, the computer gave me the current family names I was searching for. In this way, I was able to contact many relatives still living in the town where the oldest known Liskas from Slovakia first settled in Hungary after the Turks withdrew in 1700. These families have remained in Szarvas for almost 300 years!

Among the relatives I met were those with the family name of Pecznik, Brauner, Hlivar and Liska. The 84-year-old man, Gyorgy Hlivar, is the last male with the name and therefore that name in Szarvas will die out. He was particularly happy to meet me and he told me the story of his lands and wealth being confiscated by the communists after WW2. And in the book I am planning in the future, he wanted this fact and his sad life afterwards mentioned. He also told the story of the first Hlivar of Szarvas who was the town's first magistrate.

The highlight of the whole trip was the discovery of the last related Liska family in Szarvas. Out of all the many Liskas on the huge family tree I made, only this family still has the name of Liska. Surprisingly, one of them, Janos Liska, had seen my photo in the county newspaper from last year's trip when I was interviewed and was trying to meet relatives. Janos contacted the newspaper, but for some reason the paper couldn't give him my address. On the Hungarian "Coronation Day" of King Istvan in 1000 A.D., equivalent to our July 4th, the whole Liska family was gathered for a big meeting where I showed everyone the large Liska family tree and took everyone's portraits. A parting gift of bootleg "szilva palinka" (plum brandy) was received with promises to return there in the future. These Liskas are 5th cousins to us.

The closest relative, a 4th cousin, was discovered by accident while I was looking through the Szarvas church record books. A lady talking on the phone was overheard saying her name was Nobik Erzsebet. Hearing this, I perked up and quickly looked through my notes confirming that the Nobik name was a Liska relative. After the phone call, I introduced himself and showed her my notes hoping this lady would have some information. An Irma Liska had married a Sandor Nobik and these were her grandparents! She was astonished and invited me to her home where we had lunch and talked for many hours (in Hungarian, of course). She was also a 4th cousin from the Pecznik name. So, does that make her the equivalent to a 3rd cousin?! Her occupation is the female equivalent to the priest of the Old Evangelical Church in Szarvas. She had much family information and a few old Liska photos which I copied with my video camera.

With all who met me giving their assurances that they will send photos of any female prospects for my future wife, I finally left Szarvas and headed to Slovakia. Driving on the eastern-most roads possible (within view of Russia), I toured the beautiful hills and valleys of Slovakia. On another whim, I decided to go into Poland where I picked up some teenage Polish hitchhikers returning from camping in Slovakia. After trading for 13,000 Polish zlotys (the equivalent of $1.00) I dropped them off and continued for a few more hours before crossing back over into Slovakia.

In the tiny village of Molca, Slovakia, I found a possible relative named Ondris Pecnik, who is the town official, and his son, Ondris Pecnik, Jr. Finding a lady who spoke Hungarian, I was able to tell Mr. Pecnik why I was there. This man said that the Pecnik family were landowners of this village ever since 1426 according to the records in the local Banská Bystrica archives (the major city nearby). So, there is a very good chance we can trace this family back that far eventually. After promising to return in the future, I again parted company with new acquaintances and headed back to Budapest for one last day.

With the assistance of some friends, I, as Director of the Sacramento Hungarian/American Friendship Society, received permission from the Hungarian National Archives to purchase any of the microfilms of the church record books (the primary source for genealogy research); thus opening up many possibilities in the field of Hungarian genealogy to make money.

During the trip, I decided that in the future (maybe two years from now) I will make an extended visit to Hungary for maybe 3 to 6 months to learn the language well and find a wife. When asked why I want a Hungarian wife, I say because of my interest in Hungarian culture and language and I want any future children to appreciate this heritage as well as the Portuguese and German ancestry. If I married a Portuguese girl, there would be such a dominant percentage of Portuguese that the German and Hungarian ancestry would not likely hold much interest.

I feel most Americans are afflicted with too many ethnic backgrounds, unlike most Europeans, and I prefer to limit the amount of new ethnic backgrounds. But why not marry a German girl? Well, I haven't yet met any that were appealing (admitting that I really haven't met many at all). And the Hungarian women are great cooks!

Atlanta Trip

by bill - 1999-05-11 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

Tara and I just got back from a long weekend in Atlanta. It was nice to see the town. I'd passed through before but never stopped to look. The first touristy thing we did after finding our hotel -- the downtown Courtyard-by-Marriott, which was much better than the Motel 6 that I would've gotten us -- was to ride the MARTA subway down to Turner Field for the Braves game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It was the highlight of the trip for me. It's a nice new ballpark made to look old-fashioned, like Baltimore's Camden Yard, I guess, though I've never been to the latter. Best of all, the Braves lost the game! It should have been a real pitcher's duel between Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine and perennial all-star Randy Johnson, but the final score was a relatively high 8-3.

Matt Williams, formerly of the San Francisco Giants and one of my favorite players, is now on the Diamondbacks. The guy behind us kept mentioning to his friends that Matt Williams is bald. Yes, he is bald, but it seemed an odd thing to keep bringing up.

We saw the Coca-Cola Museum, which was a waste of time and money. It's basically just one long 3-D Coke commercial, including a 15-minute Coke commercial that is billed as a movie. As we were leaving the little theater, the guy in front of us felt the same way and joked, "I'm a better person now." I guess I was hoping for a real live bottling plant tour, which this isn't. The free Coca-Cola products at the end was nice, though.

They had this thing where you put your cup in the right spot and push the button and your drink comes shooting out in a giant arc and into the dispenser that then pours it into your cup. A little later on, they have a tasting booth with various Coke products from around the world. Rex, a friend from work, had warned me in advance about this one called "Beverly" (yes, that's the name of the drink). It's sold in Italy. Everyone in line in front of me was making faces tasting it ("Tasting Beverly", how's that for a movie title?!), but when I tasted it I realized it's just carbonated water with no real "taste" at all. Still, I can't imagine anyone actually paying for such a drink.

Next stop was this thing called "The Underground." It's just a below-ground-level shopping mall! Nothing special at all. I hate to be so negative, it's just that people had built these things up as something worth seeing, which they really weren't.

I liked the Margaret Mitchell ("Gone With The Wind") House. I normally wouldn't have included it on my itinerary, but Tara wanted to see it, and I'm glad we went. It's been completely rebuilt twice due to arson, though, so it's not the "real thing." Oops, my Coke brainwashing is showing! We took the tour through the house in which she wrote her famous book. The tour guide was good.

The Jimmy Carter Library was interesting, too, for a while. But, like politicians in general, it didn't hold my interest long.

In the Mid-Town area that we drove circles through several times as we went looking for things, we couldn't help but notice the large gay population. I decided Atlanta's city motto should be: "Atlanta: A great place to be gay!" But, as Jerry Seinfeld would say, "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"

We visited the CNN building, but after walking around a bit gawking through the glass at the CNN/SI and CNN-Interactive staffers who, in turn, were generally gawking at computer monitors, we decided that a full-fledged tour wasn't really necessary.

In the end, we both enjoyed the trip. We left town Monday morning, just missing that construction worker on the crane being rescued by helicopter from the warehouse fire that's been in the news.

Quick Trip to Chicago

by bill - 1999-05-11 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

Tara and I left Nashville for Chicago on a Thursday morning. At the last minute I decided to let my cat Myca out. I figured he would return shortly after doing his "business" in the neighbor's bushes, as usual, and I could then lock him in the house for the duration of our trip. When he didn't return as expected, I put the cat door in the front window and we left. The cat door, on orders from the homeowners' association, had been out of service for almost a year, but I was confident that Myca was intelligent and resourceful enough to either remember how to use it or figure it out all over again. He didn't, but we didn't find that out until we got back.

We drove north on Interstate 65. About thirty miles outside of Nashville, just past Tara's hometown of White House, we hit a traffic jam. We learned later that it was caused by a tanker truck overturning. Anyway, we sat in virtually unmoving traffic a full excruciating hour before I finally did what several other drivers before me had done and crossed over the grass median and headed back south.

Tara suggested a minor state highway we could use to bypass the Interstate. Unfortunately, it was just as backed up. So we backtracked all the way to Nashville and picked up Interstate 24 "West" (though it runs more north than west through Nashville), then up I-57 through the heart of Illinois.

Some eight hours later, we were pulling into downtown Chicago in search of our hotel, Best Western's Inn of Chicago. Don't ever stay at this hotel. It's way overpriced: $129 for Thursday night, then $169 each night for Friday and Saturday. The 1-800 reservations girl said it had an in-room Jacuzzi and hair dryer, but it didn't. And they don't provide parking (though she implied that they did) or even a free continental breakfast. We didn't learn of these last two omissions until the next morning. Upon checking in and parking the car, our first order of business was dinner. We found some good Chicago-style pizza at Gino's East a couple blocks away.

The next morning, I had to pay $16 to get the car out of the garage! Upon reflection, I guess that's not completely outrageous. But when you're expecting free parking courtesy of the hotel, it hurts.

We drove south along Lake Shore Drive to the Museum of Science & Industry. That's a great museum. If you ever get the chance, go see it. In the Navy section (or whatever it's called), we rode an F-14 flight simulator, which was lots of fun. In the Human Anatomy section, there's a display of real human embryos ranging from the age of 1 day old to full-term. I found this to be fairly disturbing. Did you know that at some point (can't remember what point, exactly), the human embryo looks just like an alien? Not that I've actually seen an alien, of course, but I've seen movies.

Next in the museum was the plumbing exhibit, which seemed appropriate after human anatomy. Then came the electromagnetic and nuclear exhibit. At some point after that, there's the coal mine exhibit where they take you down a simulated mine shaft elevator and then put you on a little train and show you what you might expect on your next coal mining temp job. The girl giving the tour was funny. She's probably an aspiring stand-up comic.

Once finished with the museum, we returned to the hotel to cancel our Saturday night stay at the Inn of Chicago and reserve a room at a hotel on the north side of Indianapolis. I didn't want to pay another $169 when we could just as easily find something cheaper out of town. We had to park somewhere while in the hotel, of course, so we pulled into the hotel's parking garage. We were parked there a little over an hour, and the parking bill was $11!"Eleven dollars for one hour!?" I said to the cashier. "Well, it was an hour and 15 minutes," said the cashier. "Good thing we took out that small loan," Tara added. The cashier had no response.

We then drove west to Oak Park and Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. We didn't enter because it looked like it was under construction. Besides, who cares? It was just the house his parents were living in when he was born. It's not like he accomplished anything there. We did spend some time in the Hemingway Museum, though, just down the street. A couple blocks away was Frank Lloyd Wright's old house/museum. It was closed for the evening, though, so we just saw it from the outside. It and most of the houses along that street had very creative designs.

Getting lost, we drove through the ghetto, which is always fun. The Hemingway Museum is in the very nice, upscale neighborhood of Oak Park, but while looking for an on-ramp onto the Interstate -- not easy to find in -- we ended up in a decidedly bad neighborhood. I held my breath as we drove until we got to a neighborhood with White people walking around. Images of Reginald Denny getting beaten half to death during the Los Angeles riots came to mind. Yes, I know, I'm a racist.

Quick note about drivers: They love to honk their horns. As soon as the light turns green, invariably, there will be someone in line who honks their horn. Even if you're Jeff Gordon (top NASCAR driver), you won't be quick enough off the line to satisfy the driver behind you!

I pulled into a gas station for a fill-up. My visit to the young black male cashier went without incident. After I had returned to the car to pump gas, however, Tara went in to get a couple of Cokes. After she paid, she was flat-out told by the cashier: "Now, get outta here." Upon returning to the car, her words to me were, "We're still in a bad neighborhood." So, we got out of there as requested.

That night after returning to the hotel, Tara hailed a cab (something she specifically wanted to do) and we went to Navy Pier and had dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company (based on the movie Forrest Gump). The waitress messed up my order, but I forgave her. She was fun and friendly. She quizzed Tara on Forrest Gump trivia. Tara was up to the task, scoring nine out of ten. But, even if the waitress had been a boring idiot, it was still cool just to sit there eating, talking and enjoying the evening air with the skyline as a backdrop. After touring the pier, with Tara buying a few souvenirs and both of us buying Bubba Gump t-shirts, we caught the free shuttle back to our hotel.

The next morning, we checked out of the hotel, put our bags in the trunk of the car, and walked around downtown Chicago. Actually, it wasn't as simple as all that. Before we were allowed to leave our car overnight the previous evening, the Arabic-looking car park attendants insisted that I leave them the key to the car. We asked why they needed it, and they said, "To make sure you pay."

Anyway, in the morning when we went to offload our baggage, I simply assumed I would have to pay the parking bill in order to get the key back, if only for the purpose of opening the car trunk. As we were on our way back out of the garage, on foot with the car still parked upstairs, the attendant whistled at us and waved us over to his cage. "Where are you going?" the man asked from behind the counter. "We're gonna walk around a little," I replied, wondering "Why do you care?""So you're keeping the car parked here?""Yeah, just for a little while longer.""Then, why did you pay already?""I figured I had to pay to get the key so we could put our bags away.""You could've just asked for the key," he said. "I didn't know," I replied.

Then Tara jumped in, "We are not paying one more dime for parking!" And she tugged me away from the counter. "Hey," I said to Tara, "it's their garage ..." And they had my car upstairs. I wasn't about to leave in a huff with my car still upstairs vulnerable to towing. "We are not paying another sixteen dollars!" Tara said again, madder than I had ever seen her. "Hey," I shouted at her, "it's my car," meaning that it was my problem, not hers. "Calm down," the attendant said to her. "I'm not going to charge you again.""So, how do you want to handle this?" I asked him.

He conferred with the man standing next to him. They nodded at each other, took our stamped parking ticket, scratched out the timestamp with a pencil, took my key back, and said, "Here's your $16 back. You pay when you come back."

And so we left, with Tara still mad as hell: at the parking attendant and me. We then went looking for breakfast. Finding a coffee shop in a downtown high-rise mall, I had breakfast. Tara said she was still too mad to eat.

After breakfast, we walked up Michigan Avenue where all the stores are. FAO Schwarz was the first place we came to. After a few minutes in there, Tara forgave me (whatever my transgression) and distracted herself back into a better mood with a bit of shopping. Bloomingdale's was the next stop, and finally, The Viacom Store (where they have all sorts of television and Paramount movie stuff). Tara bought things for her niece.

As we pulled out of the parking garage, for good this time, Tara made the comment: "They're probably as glad to see us go as we are." Then, as if on cue, we heard clapping coming from the parking garage attendants. We both had to laugh at that.

Next stop: Milwaukee. Why? Because Tara wanted to be able to check Wisconsin off her list of states she's visited. We had lunch at an A&W on the way up. There wasn't much in Milwaukee. Not that we saw, anyway. But at least now Tara can put a checkmark next to it on her list.

We returned through en route to our hotel in Indianapolis. The next morning we drove through and around downtown Indianapolis. Like Milwaukee, there wasn't much of anything open, but we did see some landmarks. I guess most downtowns are pretty dead on the weekends, unlike .

After Indianapolis comes Louisville (pronounced lou-a-vul by the locals). Once again, we looked for someplace to eat, but couldn't find anything downtown on a Sunday morning. I did, of course, make a point of circling Churchill Downs. If you didn't know, this is the track where the Kentucky Derby is run. I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign at one of the entrances proclaiming Churchill Downs as this year's host of the Breeder's Cup (seven championship races on the same day, all worth a minimum of $1 million) on November 7. When I commented on this, Tara said, "Something tells me we'll be coming back here."

Up to this point, I had been doing all of the driving, but Tara took the wheel from Louisville to Nashville. When we got back home, we found that the cat door was no longer in the window. "Let's hope Don and Diane [my brother and his wife] did that," we agreed. As I opened the front door, Myca was there waiting to get out. It wasn't until I called Don a couple hours later that I was told that when he and Diane came to check up on him on Saturday they found poor Myca "looking despondent" on the front step. They said it was fairly apparent that Myca never did figure out the cat door and had spent two entire days locked outside! Poor Myca. I think he'd been complaining about it to the neighbors, too, for my two closest neighbors, both pet owners, had put food and/or water dishes out for him. They probably reported me to the SPCA. Judging by the look on Diane's face later that evening as I retrieved my house keys, she had considered reporting me as well.

Anyway, Myca was fine, and Tara and I were both glad to be home. For the next several hours, Myca couldn't decide if he wanted to be inside or out, taking his revenge on me by scratching at the door every ten minutes either wanting in or wanting out.

St. Louis Trip

by bill - 1999-06-10 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

Tara and I made a quick trip (if you can call a five-hour road trip quick) to St. Louis over the Labor Day weekend. We visited their historic Old Town district along the river where they were hosting the Big Muddy Blues & Roots Festival. That was just good timing on our part. We had not originally intended to see it, but since it was free we hung out there a little bit.

When we first arrived, the Festival was just setting up, so we wandered over to see The Arch, which was cool to see close up. We didn't bother standing in line to take the little elevator up to the top, though. Neither of us can really stand long lines. Besides, Tara's sister Sandi had done it before and Tara said it didn't sound like a whole lot of fun. Apparently, the elevator only fits three cramped people at a time and when you get to the top you only get to look out the little windows for a few seconds.

So, we wandered around downtown a little. But it was 95 degrees outside already (about 1:30) and we weren't up for an extensive trek through the city streets in that heat. We ended up at the air-conditioned downtown mall where we bought some T-shirts, postcards, etc. You know, the required tourist purchases.

We didn't stick around for the nightlife. We were both too tired and stressed out from the day's drive, I guess.

The next day was much better. We visited the Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens. Tara said she thinks these gardens are the largest in the country. It's a great place to visit if you ever get the chance, even if the Japanese Festival isn't going on when you visit. But, since there was the festival, we saw a Shotokan Karate demonstration, which for me was just like watching one of my own former karate classes. The style of karate I used to do was called Wado-Ryu, which is apparently 90% the same as Shotokan.

We then watched some local kids perform Suzuki-style violins and cello recitals. Tara wanted to see how it's "supposed to be done" since she took Suzuki violin classes as a kid. It was good, and the kids were cute.

Then Tara and I split up. I went to see the drummers. I forget what they were called, but they played various sizes and types of drums. Tara took that time to wander through more of the gardens.

And then we drove home. The End. :)

Alaska, a True Wilderness

by rex - 1999-07-06 ( life / travel / usa / alaska ) [html version]

I've always heard people use the words "wilderness" and "Alaska" in the same sentence. It didn't mean a lot to me until recently when my wife Carla and I cruised the Inside Passage of Alaska. The state is huge, but it still takes a good seven days (round trip) to cruise up and back on the western coast. We stopped at Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Each town offers its own taste of culture and atmosphere. Before we set foot on the beautiful ship called the "Westerdam" we spent two days in Vancouver, Canada. The best advice anyone gave me was: "Spend some time in Vancouver." It truly was a fun and interesting city to visit. What I noticed immediately were the numerous water fountains and flowers. It was 70 degrees, slight breeze, no humidity. That was a reminder as to why this area is so bountiful with beautiful flowers. The money exchange was great at $1 Canadian to 70 cents U.S., it didn't get dark until 10:30pm. This is too good to be true! If you go there, I recommend the Beuchart Gardens in Victoria, IMAX theatre, Grandville Island, Stanley Park, Gastown district, etc... Be prepared to ride on a sea-plane or a ferry at some point during your travels.

After all this Canadian splendor we did finally get aboard the cruise ship and spend a week cruising the Alaskan coast. The three towns in Alaska I mentioned earlier were fun ports-o-call. Juneau is the capitol of Alaska but isn't very big. No roads lead into or out of this little town. You arrive by boat or plane to see its splendor. They seem to have a lot of wood-carvings and natural art all around. We chose to take a sea-plane to a wilderness lodge on this stop. We flew over large ice glaciers and when we arrived at the "Taku" lodge, they grilled us a salmon dinner over an alder wood fire. While eating our homemade cookies, a bear came out of the woods and went straight for the leftover ashes from the grill pit. The guide said the bears know that the salmon juices drip over into the pit, so when the coast is clear from humans they dig in.

Next stop was Glacier Bay, where you don't get off the ship. You actually cruise for most of a day around ice glaciers that are always teaming with wildlife and crashing down into the sea. When they break off, it sounds like thunder overhead. Have your camera out and loaded with a lot of film.

The next town was Skagway... we decided to take a train ride into the mountains where the Gold Rush of 1898 took place. It had awesome scenery and tall bridges the train went over. A lot of sad stories came out of all the foolishness men went through to find their fortune in gold. We also had a boat ride planned at "Haines" to see an eagle preserve. It got cancelled but, we got a free salmon dinner, a bus tour of the town. and we saw several eagles anyway!

The last town we stopped at was Ketchikan... Carla and I split up here. I went on a fishing trip, because this is the "Salmon Capitol of the World!" Carla opted for a sea-plane and boat ride to see the Misty Fjords. It's an area with a lot of natural beauty and wildlife. We were both pleased with the adventures of the day. I had the salmon I caught vacuum-packed for shipment back to Tennessee, and Carla saw a dead whale. What a contrast in stories to compare.

As you might guess, there were a lot of "cool" things I couldn't possibly put in this little update. We took eleven rolls of film, bought a few gifts, ate a lot of food, enjoyed the entertainment and whale watching from the cruise ship. Yes, we saw both "Killer" and "Humpback" whales. I recommend this cruise to anyone who wants to see life at a slower pace than some of the cities we live in. As my wife pointed out while on our travels to the north... "Folks here probably have low blood pressure!"

The Breeders Cup at Gulfstream Park

by bill - 1999-11-12 ( life / travel / usa / horse-racing ) [html version]

...with a side trip to Miami from Ft. Lauderdale.

I flew from Nashville to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the Breeders Cup horse races at Gulfstream Park (actually Hallandale). It was fun just being there. Southwest had given me a free round-trip ticket for some reason (I don't remember why), and I was taking advantage of it. I'd never been to south Florida before.

How'd I do on the races? Well, I bet a total of $45 and won $35 back, so not bad.

I didn't stick around for all the races. There's a half hour between each one, and I got bored. If I had a better seat I'd be more inclined to stay put, but from the bleacher seats along the first turn, you can't see the races very well. Plus, I'd forgotten my sunblock and they weren't selling hats (which I had assumed they would). With my fair skin, I have to stay out of the sun if at all possible. After just a couple races, I could already feel my skin burning.

So I retreated to the ground-level betting tents, studied the program and horses' past performances, and used the AmTote computerized system to place my bets ahead of time. The only drawback there is that you can't wait until the last minute to see what sort of odds you'll be getting.

Anyway, with bets placed, I got my hand stamped, left the track and drove 30 miles or so to Miami. As I said, I'd never been to "F-L-A" before and wanted to take a look around. Unfortunately, I-95 was under construction a few miles north of Miami and the normal five lanes were down to one. So, I sat in traffic for about an hour. When I saw the traffic jam ahead, I took the next exit, but the neighborhood was not good [I have a bad habit of finding "the 'hood" wherever I go], and I'd heard of too many tourists recently being mugged and/or killed in Miami. So, I got back on the Interstate and suffered through traffic.

Once through, still a little north of Miami, I cut over to Miami Beach and drove down the famous (for Jimmy Buffett fans) Highway A1A through the touristy spots, including South Beach (the "art deco district"). It was cool. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to stop. I just stayed in my car and drove, cutting back over to Miami-proper before heading back north on the Palmetto Expressway to Hallandale and the Breeders Cup.

I got back in time for the last race, The Classic, which was won by Pat Day and Cat Thief. As soon as he won, I knew my girlfriend would kill me for not betting on him. Throughout the year on the televised races, she would always pick him to win. She just liked the name (probably because she wishes someone would steal my cat, but that's another story). I had considered placing a bet for her, but never did. His odds were 8-1, so my usual $5 bet would have won us $40! Oh well.

My hotel in Ft. Lauderdale Beach, the Days Inn -- Oceanfront, was right on the beach! Well, okay, there was a street between it and the beach. But still, it was a great location, though I can't recommend it. The walls are thin and there was some damn woman (probably a hooker) walking back and forth on the concrete sidewalk a floor or two above me all night long in her high-heels.

I was glad when my alarm went off at 4 AM since I couldn't sleep anyway. I returned the rental car to Hertz (another minor misadventure itself because their terminal is not on the airport grounds like the other rental companies); caught my 6:25 AM flight; and was back home in Nashville by 8:30 AM.

Like I said, it was fun just being in South Florida, if only for a day.

California, What a Trip

by carla - 2000-02-06 ( life / travel / usa / california ) [html version]

Before we left, I took Austin to his Grandma Joy's house. We had a good visit and he took to her immediately. I left him on Friday morning and drove back to Nashville. I was supposed to get my ear drums cut open for the plane ride because I had ear infections, but the steroids and antibiotics had put a negative pressure situation in my ears and the eardrum was inverted. I couldn't get the procedure done. I was so scared that my ears would hurt, but they did pretty well.

We left on Saturday morning about 6 AM. We flew to San Diego and got there around noon. We stayed on nearby Coronado Island. The hotel was beautiful and the island was immaculate. We rested about an hour and then went to the San Diego Zoo. I was disappointed in the zoo. Everyone said that it was amazing, and it was just so-so. People were waiting for 90 minutes to see the giant pandas. I caught a glimpse of them through the slats in the wooden fence after we waited for 30 minutes. I decided to get out of the line -- who needs another hour wait to see a sleeping panda in full view. I saw enough. The maps were backwards -- all tourists just turned them upside down -- looks like they would fix that. The gorillas were the best by far. We spent about four hours at the zoo and then drove around San Diego.

It was a really cool place. The nearby Spanish Harbor was packed with hundreds of boats and it was beautiful. We went to the Fish House for dinner and had an hour wait at 8:30pm. By 10pm we were eating in our sleep (jet lag). We were so tired. Rex went to sleep 3 times at the table. I ordered lobster and barely had the strength to wrestle with it when it came. We would have been eating dinner at midnight at home!!

Sunday morning, we drove around Coronado Island and stopped at an artist exhibit. Their work was good, but not as good as the artists thought, judging by the prices. We went to La Jolla and strolled around the streets. That is a very neat and scenic place. The beautiful people live there. It was really strange to see so many pretty people in one place. We had lunch at George's on the Terrace, overlooking La Jolla Cove. We had great fish sandwiches and a great view of the ocean and cliffs. One thing that I did notice was that the weeds that we spray our yards for back home end up on their "gourmet sandwiches"!

After our meal, we drove up the coastal highway through Oceanside, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, LA, and Rex's favorite, Laguna Beach. On the way we stopped to see the Queen Mary cruise liner that was in Long Beach harbor. They use it as a hotel now, but it has an interesting history of elite cruises and wartime service as well. It was the sister ship built after the Titanic. Sunday evening we stayed in Santa Monica. Big disappointment. That town was so dirty. We got up the next morningand went to the famed Santa Monica pier. The carousel was impressive, but that was it. The place was like a filthy fairgrounds. We walked through the Pacific Palisades park that was supposed to be so beautiful -- there were bums everywhere. We actually saw different classes of bums. Some had camped all night under the trees and just woke up like they were in bed. They would prop up against a tree still under their covers and made you feel like you were trespassing in their bedroom.

Monday we drove to Hollywood and saw the Walk of Fame and Mann's Chinese Theatre. Again we were struck by the nastiness of the city. We drove up to the Hollywood sign and that was neat. We drove through the hills and looked at a few stars' gates -- you can't see anyone's houses. We tired of that quickly. We saw the gates of Liz Taylor, Brad Pitt, Ronald Reagan and the houses of Art Linkletter and Madonna. The roads there were rather hilly. The homes were a lot smaller than I had thought. One thing that was impressive was the Rodeo Drive stores and the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel (Pretty Woman). That evening we drove to Morro Bay. On the way we saw Malibu (speck on the map), lots of little beaches, and ate dinner in Santa Barbara -- it is really pretty. It looks a lot like San Diego, but nicer. The streets were pleasant with nice shops, and the harbor was full of boats. We spent the night at a bed & breakfast in Morro Bay, The Baywood Inn. Our room was beautiful. Rex had a bottle of champagne and a cake waiting in the room.

Tuesday morning we woke up and strolled by Morro Bay. We stopped in a little coffee shop for the best hot chocolate that I have ever had. It was a very relaxing place and very remote. Their claim to fame was the Morro Rock, made of volcanic rock from thousands of years ago. We drove to the rock. It was in the bay area. What you will never see on any advertisement of the place is that immediately to the right of the rock is a factory with smoke stacks. They cut that out of all postcards. It kind of takes away a bit of the allure. We saw a rock in the ocean beside a factory. After an appropriate two minutes of looking at the rock, we drove to Hearst Castle. It is in the middle of the desert at San Simeon. It is a true sight to behold. It belonged to William Randolph Hearst -- Patty's grandfather. He had it built over a period of 15 years. It was magnificent!! It was started in 1919 and building stopped in 1934. It wasn't completely finished, but he got into some financial trouble for a while and ceased building. It had three guest homes that went with the main home. It had indoor and outdoor pools. It had a private zoo. You must see it if you are ever in the area. It is remarkable. It is even bigger than Biltmore Estate. That tour took several hours. We ate lunch at a roadside market where they charged $2.79/gallon for gas!! The average price was $1.89 all over California. I guess that you can charge anything out in the desert.

We drove to Monterey that evening. We went through Big Sur, Carmel, and all of the beautiful beaches on the way. You don't want to miss the area around Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park -- some of the best scenery in central California. In Monterey, we stayed in town at the Monterey Bay Double Tree Hotel. The town was so lovely. We got up the next morning and walked a couple of miles on the ocean walk to the aquarium.

The walkway was by the beach and we saw a lot of sea lions on the rocks. The aquarium was fabulous. It is a must-see if you ever go there. It has a great design and lots of cool things for kids and adults. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's restaurant. It was a typical theme restaurant -- cool setting with mediocre food. We did a bit of shopping by the pier and then took the 17 Mile Drive. It is a very scenic drive that centers around Pebble Beach golf course. It is also the only private toll road west of the Mississippi ($7.75 per car). It was the highlight of my trip. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. The homes are enormous and stately. The ocean is so beautiful with the cliffs and rocks. The famous Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach is the most scenic place. The greens fees were $295, so Rex just looked at the course. I can't believe that people actually pay that amount for a game of golf. There were tons of deer on the golf course. We counted over 40 at just two holes. Factor in the difficulty of the deer and the greens fees and I just wouldn't play there. One deer was laying over one of the holes!! If you ever go to Monterey, please take time to do the 17 Mile Drive -- at least the coastal part of it.

Wednesday evening we drove to San Francisco. We drove into the city at night. It was a sight to see. The Bay Bridge was all lit up and was beautiful. It was a clear night so all of the lights were bright. We stayed downtown by Fisherman's Wharf. The next morning we got up and walked around the shops on Pier 39. We saw the famous seals at Pier 39, they were having a big time. They used to stay on Seal Island, but after the earthquake several years ago they wouldn't go back. They took up residence at the pier so they built little floating docks for them. We toured Alcatraz that afternoon, very cool. That evening we took a tour of the city which included the Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge. I have never seen so many different cultures of people in one place. We ran across Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Czech, British, French, Chileans, Mexican, etc. It really was a potpourri of people. The lack of space really bothered us. They don't have civilian cemeteries because of the land expense. The average rent for a 2-bedroom home is $2700 per month!!!

Friday morning before leaving San Francisco, I decided to drive down Lombard Street, the most crooked street in the world. We then headed for Muir Woods -- redwood forest. It is a must-see. It is the most peaceful place on Earth. The trees are enormous. There was one tree that we could not see the top of! We took a three mile hike through the woods and enjoyed it immensely. Afterwards, we drove to Napa Valley. It was very different from what I thought. I envisioned a two-lane road with the grape vines growing right up to the roads. I thought that it would be hilly and lush. What we saw was wineries located on a 4-lane highway that was very commercial. It was disappointing. I guess that I thought that it would be a quaint town. The bikers were riding on the side of the interstate road. We stopped at five wineries and tasted at four: Stags Leap, Plumbjacks, Robert Mondavi, Francis Ford Coppola's, and Beringer Brothers. The best was at the Coppola winery. He also had a museum of his Hollywood awards and props -- the desk from the Godfather movie and the car from Tucker. The Beringer Brothers was the most visually pleasant -- it looked like a real winery that you think of. After tasting some 18 wines, I decided that I just don't like wine at all. I did make one purchase of a special "director's series" that was the best and that I considered tolerable. That evening we stayed at a fabulous bed & breakfast in Calistoga Foothill House. You must stay at this B&B if you are ever in the area. We stayed in the Evergreen Room and it was so wonderful. It had a private patio with a garden and waterfall just for us. Some of the other rooms were wonderful too. One had a waterfall outside that looked like it fell right in to your bathtub inside. It was a big tub for two with the waterfall outside a full window. The owners were interesting. Doris went to the American Culinary School and is a fabulous cook. Gus is retired from Toyota and is a very gracious host. Every evening they host a gathering with appetizers and wine tasting. It went well into the night when we were there. I think that Doris had a bit much. We didn't see her the next day. They really did a lot of extra-special things. They put fresh-baked cookies in the room with a stuffed animal. They put sherry by the bed for a night time toddy. Everything was so PERFECT!!! It was the most wonderful place that we stayed.

Saturday, it was time to go home. We left for the San Francisco Airport at 10:00AM and our flight left at 3:45. We had a wonderful time. Austin stayed with Mom, Laverne, and Brenda over the vacation time. He got to know everyone well and hopefully everyone has fond memories of his visit. We couldn't wait to see him till Sunday. We crashed Laverne's hotel room at midnight when we returned to Nashville, so we could be with our boy. He seemed irritated that we woke him, but the next day he was so happy.

If you ever plan to go to the coast of California, please tell us. We had some friends help us with our plans and they did a fabulous job of telling us the important things and the ones to avoid. I know that I would have done the one hour drive to the famous geyser in Calistoga, but a friend of Rex's saved us. She said it was like an old man's moist fart -- not the 60 foot spectacle that it is advertised to be.

I forgot one of the best things -- The Madonna Inn. It is outside Morro Bay. It is an inn with theme rooms. The decorations are like nothing that you have ever seen before. It is like Elvis and Phyllis Diller decorated the place. It is so interesting. The men's bathroom is a cave. The urinal is a waterfall!! Each room is unique. Some have 7 foot stone tubs or special stone beds. It is truly weird. You should see this if you get a chance.

Anyway, just a long note to catch you up on what we have been doing!!

New Orleans

by rex - 2000-04-07 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

We flew into New Orleans about noon time on a Friday. Since the room wasn't ready for such an early arrival, we walked four blocks to the pier and decided to ride the paddle wheel boat "Natchez." It basically goes a mile up the Mississippi, then heads back. You'll see a lot of other international cargo ships, and the Domino's sugar refinery, and an oil refinery (flames shooting in the air). The boat dock (pier) area is safe and clean, and basically new-looking. That is the same area they call "River Walk." It leads to the Aquarium and Imax theaters and shops galore.

We stopped on Bourbon Street to eat some red beans and rice, and try a locally brewed beer. Bourbon Street is all I'd heard it would be. One place had naked dancers, the next place was a grocery market, the next place might be a nice eatery, the next place might be a dance club, etc., etc., but, interesting to say the least.

The next day we had a plantation home tour booked, with Grey Line Tours. It's about an hour and ten minute ride in a nice coach bus to the two homes we visited, Oak Alley and Nottaway plantations. The Oak Alley was my favorite with its rows of 200-year-old oak trees in the back yard, plus it's where a lot of movies have been filmed, "Interview with the Vampire" and "Primary Colors," just to name a few. Nottaway was nice too, and is famous for the "white room" which has hosted over three thousand weddings.

When we returned to town that evening we decided to see an Imax movie, and afterwards walked through Harrah's casino, which has a real big oak tree in its lobby (pretty cool). Carla and I actually left the casino with a profit of about $12 from playing the 25 cent slot machines. We decided to eat at a local place called Mother's (really good sandwiches).

Darkness fell on us as we walked back toward the hotel, but there was a parade we had to pass around. It was several streets long and was an "American-Italian" parade. It was a miniature Mardi Gras with beads everywhere, beer, booze, crazy people hanging from the balconies. We were right in the middle of it. What a treat for us, because I thought Mardi Gras was the only annual parade they have. Joke's on me. The folks in New Orleans live to have parades, so there are several every year. We made it back to the room and watched an in-room movie and went to sleep.

The last day there we decided to eat breakfast at the world famous Brenans which is the creator of the Bananas Foster. It is the best tasting dessert in the world. Watch out, though, those $15 omelets will get ya! We decided to walk around Jackson Square to see the cathedral and the local artists. There are some excellent artists located here. This is a great place to get a horse and buggy tour around town. We walked on over to the Farmers Market which was really interesting with fruits and hot sauces, T-shirts, vegetables, etc., to buy.

We had a two hour walking tour booked for that afternoon in the "Garden District." These are some beautiful old homes about four miles from downtown. It's hard to believe the contrast from these homes to the French Quarter homes. We saw Anne Rice's and Archie Manning's houses, as well as some others, including the house the MTV Real World used last season. You'll get to see one of the famous cemeteries on this tour, too.

It was getting late when we returned to town but we had time to walk through the aquarium, (fish, frogs, birds, etc.). Afterward, we ate at a local steak house. We were on Bourbon Street as night fell and, boy, was that interesting to hear the music and drunkards crank up all around us. It was surreal to watch all this from a steak house window ... ha! We were tired afterwards and walked the two blocks back to the room and went to bed. Great two and a half days in .

Hints:

1. Stay close to, but not on, Bourbon street. Noisy. We were at the Maison Duprey which is two blocks from Bourbon.
2. We paid for a rental car that we never drove except to get to the hotel and to get back to the airport.
3. We paid $15 a day for parking a rental car we never drove.
4. Bring an umbrella.
5. Don't walk in empty alleys after dark.

A lot of people stay at the Royal Sonesta. It is on Bourbon Street and looks really nice inside. I think they have better room rates than most places there. I suggest using placestostay.com. I have used them for a lot of hotel bookings lately as opposed to calling the hotel directly.

Charleston and Savannah

by bill - 2000-08-07 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

[Updated: 2023-11-15 06:43:08]

Charleston, SC

We drove ... and drove ... and drove -- 10 hours or so- from Nashville until finally reaching Charleston, South Carolina. Along the way, we stopped in Asheville, North Carolina at the Biltmore Estate because Tara had forgotten to get postcards when we were there a couple years ago. That's one of her things. She buys postcards from places we visit. Doesn't mail them to anyone, just buys them for herself and later puts them in a scrapbook. Weird, huh? Kidding! It makes sense, actually. The postcards are guaranteed good photos of things we saw when we were there, plus there's a little description on the back. It beats lugging our own camera around and hoping to get a good photo or two.

That's something else I used to do: carry my video camera everywhere and then never use it. I prefer to sightsee through my own eyes, not the camera lens. And it's not as if anyone other than Tara or I ever want to see the video later. I've gotten to where I bring the video camera along, but keep it in the car trunk in case I really need it. Vacation videos have replaced slide shows as the most dreaded thing your travelling friends and relatives put you through! Well, that and stories such as this one!

Upon our arrival in Charleston, our first stop was dinner on Market Street at a place called Papillon. Good food. The next day, we got on the city trolley, bought a couple of all-day passes, and trollied and walked all over town. I guess our first trolley stop was Battery Park at the end of Charleston's peninsula. From there you can walk along the perimeter wall and look across the bay to Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started.

Along Market Street, Tara bought several lithographs. I bought at-shirt, as usual. Typical stuff.

That night, Tara bought us tickets to a "ghost walk" in which the tour guide -- a fairly scary guy himself who claimed to live with two ghosts- told ghost stories as he led the group of us all over town, through cemeteries and "haunted" alleyways. The guy was definitely very entertaining. Very animated. But, in the end, I think most of the group were left with a feeling of: "That's it? No actual ghosts? Nothing actually terrifying?" I guess the scariest part was how he ended the tour nowhere near where we started; leaving us clueless tourists wondering how to get back, in the dark, not knowing our way around. We made it back alive, though.

Not to end the story on any sort of sour note, though, I would like to say Charleston is definitely a worthwhile stop on any itinerary. There's just so much history and charm to the place.

Savannah, GA

Savannah was nice, too. For whatever reason, though, I didn't find it as enchanting as Charleston. Tara thinks that's just because we were worn out from walking all over Charleston. But still, Savannah's definitely a nice place to visit, though we could've done without all the travel guide and brochure references to that overrated movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

We visited or drove by each and every town square for which Savannah is famous, including Chippewa Square in which Tom Hanks was filmed telling the story of Forrest Gump. On the edge of another square, we visited the former home of famous local writer, Flannery O'Connor.

That night we had a nice dinner along River Street at a place called Exchange Tavern. They gave us a window seat where we could watch the ships come and go through the harbor. Every time a ship passed by, the bartender in the adjoining bar rang his bell and shouted out something or other. It was funny the first time he did this. We were sitting at the bar awaiting our table when, as it just so happened, the hostess almost simultaneously called our name off the waiting list. I was settling the bar tab and getting up to follow her to our table, leaving Tara to wonder why I was getting up all of a sudden. She hadn't heard our name called and thought I was, for some reason, getting up in response to the bartender ringing his bell.

After dinner we spent some time strolling along River Street, shopping for mementos.

And that's about it. All in all, a nice relaxing four-day weekend.

Trip to Vancouver

by greg - 2005-05-09 ( life / travel / americas / canada ) [html version]

Our trip was great. Here's a very short story.

We left on 8/11 from my work. My boss made me attend a meeting that day which ended at 2:30, whereupon I joined June, Brian and Andy who were in our van, waiting in the parking lot. Boy, did I need a vacation!

We arrived at Jeannie's that night, stayed overnight and dropped off Cedar, who escaped immediately from Jeannie's garage and was running around. We wondered how we'd catch her, but Jeannie knew. She opened our van door and Cedar jumped right in, but since it was a trick, she ended up staying at Jeannie's.

The next day we went to the Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland, near Ukiah north of San Francisco. It was interesting to me and June, with solar power, buildings made of straw bales, and an organic garden. But it was boring to Brian and Andy,who were not impressed with the self-sufficiency aspect of the place.

We stayed in Willits, about halfway up the coast to Eureka. The next day we drove through Eureka, ate lunch at a good seafood restaurant, and proceeded on to Oregon. We passed through some beautiful redwood groves on the way. We stayed that night at a Motel 6 in Eugene and, yes, they left the light on for us. Next morning we took the short two-hour drive to Portland and visited Gay, Jim and their kids. We got a boat ride up the Willamette River to downtown Portland, played pool in their family room, and were treated to a good dinner and breakfast the next morning. We thank them again for their hospitality.

Leaving Gay's, we took what should have been a fairly easy drive to Whistler, about 75 miles northeast of Vancouver, B.C. However, we took a wrong turn in Vancouver and ended up on the scenic route through the city. I had no idea it was such abig city! We finally got onto the winding road to Whistler and it started raining. Since it was getting dark, I didn't stop for anything but traffic lights. When we arrived at Whistler just about dark, we heard on the one radio station there that we had just missed a rock slide by about an hour! After check-in at the resort office, we arrived at our timeshare condo, Lake Placid Lodge, around 10:00.

I won't go into what we did every day, but our activities included shopping, bicycling, hiking, swimming, and just lazing around. Brian and I played pool onenight and saw two local rock bands, one called New Big Shoes and another called Luma. The former was OK and the latter was pretty good. June and I went to a sales presentation where they tried to sell us another timeshare (which we didn't buy), and for enduring that we received $100 (Canadian, which is about $70 U.S. right now) in scrip which was good at the local shops. Whistler is a fancy ski resort, so there were plenty of shops, albeit somewhat expensive.

Bicycling is great there -- we rented 24-speed mountain bikes for $8 an hour (about $5.50 U.S.), which isn't bad. One day we went hiking at Brandywine Falls, just off the highway. It's a beautiful waterfall, one of the best I've seen. We then took a 4km (about 2.5 miles) hike to a suspension bridge. It's a well-made bridge, about 100 feet long, but it was funny watching June's uneasy steps as she crossed it. Brian and Andy had fun bouncing on it to make it more exciting to cross.

You may know, or by now have guessed, that Canada is on the metric system. Their money is also funny. Their one-dollar coin is called a "looney" and their two-dollar coin is called...have you guessed it? A "tooney".

Well a week ended all too quickly, so on Sunday we got up early and left before 10:00. We had an incentive to leave on time -- they charge you $100 for leaving late. This time we took the right way out, bypassing downtown Vancouver and arriving promptly at the border where we had a 1½ hour wait. They asked when I had arrived, and for what purpose. Those were easy questions. Then they asked if I had anything to declare, I said no, and they waved us through.

We stayed at a "bargain" motel in Woodland, Washington, just north of Portland, on the way back. It made the other motels seem clean and in good repair by comparison, that's all I'll say. At Brian's insistence we stopped at a mall in Portland. We're still not sure exactly why, but we think he was trying to meet someone he has been conversing with in an Internet chat room. I don't think he found that person, but since he emerged unscathed after we left him alone for an hour, we were happy and left.

The skies were threatening that night and we thought it would rain, so we stopped in Medford, Oregon, in an older but pretty decent motel. We went shopping in a huge store called Fred Meyer, where they sell everything from groceries to cameras to jewelry. The next morning we crossed the California border. As we neared Mount Shasta, we saw some forest fires that we heard had been started by lightning the night before. Later, those fires would spread and eventually fill much of Northern California with smoke.

We traveled to the town of Arnold, near Angels Camp in gold rush country, to check out our timeshare for next year. With timeshares, you have to reserve a place at least a year in advance to get into anything desirable. We'll be staying in a very nice two-story condo, in the forest near Calaveras Big Trees.

We stayed in Angels Camp that night, in a very nice motel (they kept getting better after that first one on our way back). The next morning we stopped by Jeannie's and picked up Cedar, who was more than happy to go home. The trip from there was uneventful, except that it got up to 108 degrees outside. Luckily, we have a good air conditioner. That was the only hot weather we encountered -- it had averaged about 75 in Canada.

Well, that's about it. How's that for a very short story? Sorry -got carried away.

Visiting Family in Kansas

by bill - 2005-05-11 ( life / travel / usa / kansas ) [html version]

Kansas. What an incredibly boring state. Tara, her sister Sandie, niece Destiny, and I flew from Nashville to attend her youngest sister Stephanie's high school graduation in Council Grove. Tara and I figured we'd find something to do that night upon arrival in Kansas City, followed by more touring the next day before catching up with the other two, who had gone straight from the airport to Council Grove.

We were wrong. There were no concerts, sporting events, cultural events or anything else of interest happening in Kansas City. We drove around town just to kill time and maybe see a few sights.

No luck. Usually there's something worth looking at! Not so in Kansas City. We did find a quaint little deli off Main Street called JT's, but that was it.

So, we left for Topeka, our next night's hotel, a little earlier than planned. Of course, there's nothing to do in Topeka, either, but we expected that so it wasn't so bad.

Stephanie's graduation ceremony was pretty much what you would expect from a high school graduation. First, some sort of glee club sang horribly, then the co-salutatorians each spoke gibberish. Then, the co-valedictorians spoke. The first girl was sweet but scared out of her mind. Everyone sighed in relief and sympathy when she finished. The other girl must have been a math major, for she broke life down into days, hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds, with examples of what a difference each one could make. Despite how I made it sound, it was actually a pretty good speech. But she wasn't as pretty as the first girl, so everyone booed her off the stage. Just kidding.

After the ceremony, friends and relatives of Stephanie met up at a local house rented out for special occasions like this. I sat around nibbling peanuts and smiling benignly a lot. Tara videotaped and tried to avoid everyone she despised, which was pretty much everyone but me and her blood relatives. Her latest stepfather and Sandie prepared/spiked the punch. Stephanie made a speech declaring her future plans which, to my surprise, included the possibility of law school. She'd probably make a good lawyer. No offense.

Finally, mercifully, it ended and we drove back to Topeka. We had to double-back to pick up Sandie and Destiny the next day, but all that was left was to catch our flight out of Kansas City and back to Nashville!

The moral of this story? Avoid Kansas if you can.

Trip to Roanoke

by lucy - 2005-05-11 ( life / travel / usa / blog ) [html version]

I'm home after a long trip to Roanoke, VA and back. It was quite an experience overall. The 1-3/4 hour drive to SMF was punctuated by the puppy screaming and howling in the crate behind me in the van. She messed the newspapers once and I stopped and changed them. Once I got to the airport, I put her into the carry-on Sherpa Bag and she was much happier.

After riding the shuttle from the parking lot, I arrived at the terminal about 1½ hours before my scheduled departure time. After waiting in line at the very long United/Lufthansa counter at SMF for about ten minutes, the people around me told me I could do curbside check-in if it was a domestic flight (much shorter line). After waiting through that line to be checked-in, the Sky Cap informed me I had been "randomly selected by the computer" for special inspection and would have to go back to the inside line!

I did so, then spied my two acquaintances half way up and asked them if they'd mind if I went back to my original place beside them and they had no problems, so I moved up, but the line was still so long, I was worrying about the time factor. After another twenty minutes or so, the Sky Cap came and rescued me and brought me up to a new window just opening. There I was directed to a special area where they would search my checked bag and stamp it before I could receive my boarding pass. I received my boarding pass at the same time my two "friends" were receiving theirs.

I next joined the long line up the stairs to the x-ray machines. They had blocked off the escalators in order to have people form one line up the stairs. This took at least another twenty minutes. I placed my purse on the conveyor belt and was told to take the puppy out of the carrier, place the carrier through the machine and carry the puppy through. No problem. I arrived at my gate about ten minutes before take off and presented my boarding pass. Oops! I was specially coded so had to go to a man who completely searched my purse, asking me to turn on my cell phone (to ensure it was indeed a cell phone), "wanded" my body for metal, then finally allowed me to return to the door, just as it closed and locked in front of me. An airline employee opened it and as I ran down the ramp I could hear them closing the airplane door, so I called out to wait for me. The flight attendant sternly informed me that "you just made it", to which I replied that I'd been there, honest!

The flight itself was fine. I had a window seat; there was thankfully a dog lover in the aisle seat, with no one between us. So, after take off, the puppy carrier rode in the middle seat, with the puppy either on my lap, or in the carrier with her head sticking up looking around. The puppy learned about "people food" on this trip, sampling some of my omelet, and my seatmate gave her water in a cup.

After landing at Washington/Dulles, I informed the airline personnel at the check-in that I was specially coded for inspection and didn't want to miss my flight because of it. They were very sympathetic to my tale and I boarded the next flight with plenty time to spare. However, this flight was a very small plane and I was assigned a single seat on the left, with no room for a puppy carrier under the seat in front of me. I placed the puppy under the seat to my right across the aisle, and a young woman offered to trade seats with me, which made everything much better.

The puppy was quite tired by now and slept the entire flight, even though several people petted her. Upon arrival in Roanoke, I was greeted by the puppy buyers, Lois and Anne, who immediately fell in love with her. I had a nice visit with them in their beautiful home, including going for a short jog Saturday morning, only to run into a 10k race, which I joined for a short time.

The fall colors are absolutely beautiful, the air cool and fresh, but the hills almost killed me. The people in the race encouraged me to continue on with them, but as I haven't run a 10k in years, I turned around at the huge "cemetery hill" heading into the tiny village of Fincastle (est. 1772), ending up with my planned 3 mile-run. Spent the rest of Saturday hanging out, playing with puppy, etc. Had a good seafood dinner that evening, then got up at the crack of dawn Sunday to be sure to arrive at the airport early (in case I was still specially coded).

Luckily, the computer did not send up any red flags on the return flight, so I just had to endure the long hours getting home.

To my travel agent, Dana, and my dog sitter, Marlene: Thanks for all your hard work!

Visiting Family in Guatemala

by michael - 2005-05-11 ( life / travel / americas / blog ) [html version]

We visited Evelyn's family [in Guatemala, hence the title of the post :)] and ate like the pigs that we are. Bijou had fun. I guess the highlight was going to the cemetery. Believe it or not, it was really Gothic, colorful, historical and very interesting, in general.

We didn't have much time for sightseeing this time (only 4 days), but now everyone has at least met Bijou, so the mission was accomplished.

Travel Day

by bill - 2007-10-03 ( family / adoption / holmes ) [html version]

We fly out today. It would've been nice to have gotten one last good night's sleep, but the cat made sure that didn't happen. Stupid cat. Anyone want one? Seriously. She's very pretty; and sweet when she's not keeping you from sleeping. I'll miss the pugs while we're gone, but if one of our pet sitters happens to "lose" the cat, it wouldn't kill me.

Gotta go. I'll be adding to this on my laptop then uploading it once we land and get re-connected.

Tuesday (10/2/2007)

by bill - 2007-10-04 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Just some random notes this morning

There's a real stray dog problem in Russian cities; or, at least Moscow and Astrakhan. A lot of people even apparently let their dogs run loose. They're almost all large dogs. The small ones don't survive.

There's a real "man purse" problem, too. Many men have what amounts to a small purse that they carry by hand, not over the shoulder. People probably thought that's what my camera bag was when I was carrying it through airports.

We were watching television last night, even though there's absolutely nothing in English. Well, that's not quite accurate. There was a CSI rerun, but it was voiced-over in Russian. I wonder why they use dubbing instead of subtitles. I could almost watch and hear it normally, ignoring the subtitles, if they used them. Maybe they don't use subtitles because they don't want to assume that their audience is literate? I'm not saying they are illiterate, I'm just guessing the television stations think they are.

The entire town of Astrakhan is apparently under construction. We thought it was in preparation for next year's 150th anniversary of the city's founding, but apparently they're preparing now for the 450th anniversary that takes place in six years. Next year's is "only" the 444th anniversary.

Anyway, the Ministry of Education was under construction; to the point that their office inside the building was not even marked, adding just that much more to our experience. Our hotel is under construction, with scaffolding partially blocking our otherwise nice view of the Volga river. If you turn left coming out of the hotel and walk that way, even the riverfront is under construction though mostly finished. They haven't finished much of the riverfront in front of the hotel yet, but the rock breaker is out there on the levee every morning making sure that no one sleeps in. If you turn right coming out of the hotel and go less than a block, you're immediately in the slums. There are some scary and depressing neighborhoods between us and "downtown" Astrakhan, but that's like any big city.

Everyone stares at everyone here. It's not a stare-down. It's just that when they look at you, they're actually looking at you. But only for a second or two. It reminds me of L.A. where everyone checks everyone else out without being creepy or obnoxious. Of course, here in Russia, when they hear us or our interpreter speaking English, they look and listen.

In the Air

by bill - 2007-10-05 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

28 Sept -- 3:55pm CDT -- We're in the air on our way to Moscow. A little bit of good news is that it's "only" a 10 hour flight instead of 12 as we had thought.

We're in Moscow

by bill - 2007-10-05 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We'll be spending the night in Moscow, after all, and flying down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon.

I was stressed out without an internet or even a usable power connection. But I'm obviously connected now. I had the power converters, but not the three-prong-to-two-prong adapter that I have plenty of at home.

We ran into another couple from Nashville doing an adoption, but they're flying to the Kemerova region tonight. We had lunch with them at a Mexican restaurant of all places. "Only" $45 (1100 rubles).

Links to All Holmes Family Adoption Posts

by bill - 2007-10-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

This Time Next Week -- I'm happy to say that this time next week, we will be in Astrakhan, Russia! We leave the States on Friday, September 28 and arrive in Moscow on the 29th. Depending upon the schedule of the flights to Astrakhan, we may have to stay in Moscow one night or we will board another plane on Saturday...

Preparation for Our First Trip to Russia -- Tuesday morning. Everyone's still asleep except for me, the pug Joey and the cat Sunny. In preparation for our trip, I'm trying to reacquaint myself with the digital cameras, video and still. I would've put Joey's and Sunny's pictures here, but the camera is connected to Tara...

Travel Day -- We fly out today. It would've been nice to have gotten one last good night's sleep, but the cat made sure that didn't happen. Stupid cat. Anyone want one? Seriously. She's very pretty; and sweet when she's not keeping you from sleeping. I'll miss the pugs while we're gone...

The Day Before -- Sounds like a movie title. Anyway, it's Thursday morning. Grey's Anatomy season premier tonight. Tara says...

Tuesday (10/2/2007) -- Just some random notes this morningThere's a real stray dog problem in Russian cities; or, at least Moscow and Astrakhan. A lot of people even apparently let their dogs run loose. They're almost all large dogs. The small ones don't survive. There's a real "man purse" problem...

In the Air -- 28 Sept -- 3:55pm CDT -- We're in the air on our way to Moscow. A little bit of good news is that it's "only" a 10 hour flight instead of 12 as we had thought....

We're in Moscow -- We'll be spending the night in Moscow, after all, and flying down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon. I was stressed out without an internet or even a usable power connection. But I'm obviously connected now. I had the power converters, but not the three-prong-to-two-prong adapter that I have...

Adoption Videos -- OK, so it took a year, but here they are, finally: You'll see all of our videos of Elizabeth, including the updated version...

Links to All Holmes Family Adoption Posts -- This Time Next WeekPreparation for Our First Trip to RussiaTravel Day...

First Time in Moscow -- Well, we made it to Moscow!After a long plane trip, we managed to get through passport control and customs with no problems. And all of our luggage made it!Our CHI Rep and driver were late getting to the airport and we were worried, but they did eventually show up. We got our first taste of traffic,...

It's Only Monday? -- Monday -- 1 Oct 07 -- 6:37PMzzzDRAHST-vueet-ya, DRAHST-ya, BREEV-yet ee DO-bree-dyen from Astrakhan! I just (phonetically) said "Hello, hey, hi and good afternoon" (even though it's now evening here) in Russian. I couldn't remember how to say "evening."We visited the Minister...

Check-Out Time -- We check out in an hour. We got a nice free breakfast this morning, then went back to that grocery store and managed to pay the right amount for the right kind of water (still, not sparkling, which is hard to find). Security guard work is apparently a...

We're in Astrakhan -- After a nerve-wracking trip to the airport and getting through the airport security we finally made it to our plane. We were told that our Rep, Galina, would be flying with us. We never saw her until we were already on the plane. She was one of the last passengers on the plane, she saw us and...

What a Day -- Where to begin... The original plan was for us to go to the Minister of Education and submit our dossier and then formally receive our referral. What really happened:Galina called the ministry this morning only to find out that they were closed in the morning supposedly because there had been a death...

It's a Girl It's a Girl -- Oh My Gosh what a difference 1 day makes! So, we have a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed, 2-1/2-year-old girl!First, the obvious question: "What happened to the 4-year-old boy?" We don't know. After 2 trips to the Minister of Education, and two interviews, they gave us a referral for...

Great Visit -- We had a great visit with our little girl this morning. There were no observers. That happens this afternoon. Vika mentioned we should think about showing more affection in front of the observers. It's more in line with how Russians treat their kids. We're fine with that. We like kids so much...

Sights of Astrakhan -- I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room. We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while the rooms are decorated in traditional...

Wednesday in Astrakhan -- We just got back from today's first visit with the child (we're not supposed to mention her name online). We'll be going back this afternoon. In the meantime, Tara's trying to catch up on her sleep. She had woken up around 5 this morning. I was able to sleep until almost 8. The girl...

Last Visit for a While -- We'll be leaving in a few minutes for our last visit to the orphanage this trip. I'm practicing asking for my baggage back from the hotel baggage room. Baggage actually sounds like "boggage." "Please" is pa-ZHAL-sta. Fascinating, I know. I thought about getting a parting...

Thursday in Astrakhan -- First things first: Our little girl is warming up to Tara. She gave her a kiss yesterday, I think without even being asked. Now, for some more random thoughts:Before I forget to mention it, I need to tell you what happened Tuesday. I think it was Tuesday. My whole sense of time is pretty messed up....

Another Great Visit -- We're feeling closer and closer to our child, especially after today. And I think we passed "the test" of having the psychologist there, observing. She was pretty cool, actually. She didn't stay the entire visit. I think she could see that Tara, the child and I are all getting along...

We're Home -- OK, now we're home! I'll try and do a trip summary tomorrow after a good night's sleep... in my own bed. Tara says she feels like Dorothy, "There's no place like home!"...

Back in Atlanta -- We're in the Atlanta airport now! Good to be on US soil, except that they keep mentioning George Bush (... as in the Houston Airport). :) It's 1:45a.m. Moscow time right now (5:45p.m. EDT), but I'm not tired. I'm anxious to catch the flight to Nashville. Customs and "security&qu...

Round Two -- We've received our court date. We're haggling with the airlines now. One round-trip ticket for one adult costs a little over $800. One one-way ticket for our daughter's flight home with us costs $1,600!! I suggested just buying our daughter a round-trip ticket (which would be "only&...

Skora Mweh Tam Boojum -- Translation: "We'll be there soon." This time next week, actually. I really want to be able to communicate with our daughter Elizabeth when we get there. I've been playing...

Elizabeth's Room -- OK, here are the pictures:Before After...

Internet Access -- I'm wondering about internet access now that we've tentatively planned to stay in a weekly apartment in Astrakhan instead of the hotel the entire time. We'll probably want/need that internet access for the sake of something to do. Normally, we could go sightseeing, but when it's below...

Back in Moscow (11/26/2007) -- We made it. The flight was horrible. I think I slept about 30 seconds out of the 11 hour flight. It was not a full flight, and half the people around us were able to take up two or three seats, but we weren't quick enough. The other movie on the flight was...

Tuesday (11/27/2007) -- Time flies when you lose nine hours. We fly to Astrakhan this afternoon. This morning, we'll be having the free breakfast that the hotel offers. Then we'll exchange our dollars for rubles (before the dollar devalues even more). I could've done that yesterday, but I... just... didn't...

Mweh Yeddum V Aeroport Eta Ootra -- You probably guessed what that means: We are going to the aiport this morning. It's probably not grammatically correct, but I ain't got no time for linguistic correctitude. :)Unlike last time when the cat kept waking me up, this time I was able to get a good night's sleep. I was up at 5...

In the Air Again -- Sunday, November 25, 2007, 5:00pm CSTWe're in the air on our way back to Moscow. Delta Flight 46. The current in-flight movie is "Evan Almighty," which we saw on one of our other flights to or from Moscow last time. You know, when you jet back and forth like we do, you forget exactly...

Back in Astrakhan -- We made it to Astrakhan, but I've lost my immigration form that goes with the passport and visa. It's just a little sheet that they have you fill out on the airplane before you land. If I'd known it was so important, I would have stapled it into the passport instead of just sliding it in...

Comments Welcome -- I set this blog so that you can now add your comments anonymously without logging in. So, comment away! I was afraid that the requirement for a login was keeping people from participating. Now you can go crazy because you're anonymous. Just watch your language! Elizabeth is reading this, too ......

Russian Adoption Consultant -- I've taken a job here as a Russian adoption consultant. The hours are long, and the pay is in barter, but you gotta do what you gotta do, seein' as how I can't leave the country. :)But seriously, the Children's Hope office in Brentwood, TN has an opening for such a job....

Russian Bureaucracy -- Oh... my... God. Do not EVER lose that document they have you fill out on the plane before you land! Stapling it to your forehead would be less painful than what Galina, Liena and I went through today. Vika was tending to the other couple, Nancy and Joel. Anyway, we just spent ALL afternoon standing...

It's Showtime -- We leave in an hour for Court. I just got back from breakfast. Tara did not join me because she can't eat, she's so nervous. Gotta go get dressed. Wish us luck!...

And the Judge Says -- She's ours!It's official! Elizabeth is ours. The court hearing went very smooth. It took about an hour and a half. There was a judge, prosecutor, a rep from the Child protective services, and the Minister of Education. They had a lot of questions about our parenting style, our finances and...

Success -- As you probably read below in Tara's post, our court appearance went very well. Ten days from now we will officially be the proud parents of Elizabeth! And now Vika tells us that we get to visit her not just a...

Went for a Walk -- ... in the freezing cold, we were THAT bored. I'm starting to hate this place. There's just nothing to do when we're not visiting Elizabeth or going shopping, and both of those require a driver, and usual...

Much Better Visit Today -- Elizabeth (a.k.a. "Masha") was much happier today. We were told that the orphanage caretakers probably were not telling her that we would be "taking her away," but who knows? She let me "fly" her...

The Day After -- Well, we're much more relaxed now that we've gotten past the court appearance. The problem now is getting Elizabeth to like us again. Today, she cried for the first time. She let me hold her, but my Russian...

Beet Salad -- The time stamp on these blog posts are in US Central Time, not Russia time. It's 6am Sunday morning here. We had lunch the other day with Nancy, Joel, Vika and Liena at a Western-themed restaurant...

Saturday Morning -- Tara made a good guess earlier. She thinks the orphanage caretakers are telling Elizabeth that we will be taking her away soon. They think they're doing us a favor, trying to prepare her. But now, every...

It's Going to Be a Good Week -- That's all I wanted to say. :)We had a shortened visit with Elizabeth today because we had to first stop by the pharmacy and get some Ben-Gay and ibuprofen for my...

She's Warming Up to Us -- We had her laughing, smiling and giggling today. I pushed her around on the three-wheeler, then "flew" her around the room. She even let us chase her around, and it didn't scare her when I chased her!She seemed...

Light at the End of the Tunnel -- We visited Elizabeth again today. We caught her when she was in the music room with all the other kids in her age group. She smiled wide when she saw us, but by the time she reached us, she tried to keep it cool. Like...

Picture of Us Before Court -- ...from several days ago, the morning of our court appearance. Taken by the other...

She's Ours -- We have her in the hotel now. I tried typing that sentence earlier but she shut the computer down as I was typing! I don't know how. But just a few keystrokes and it was shutting down. Now she keeps trying to run...

The First Hours of Parenthood -- Oh my gosh! She's a handful!Well, we left the orphanage without much incident. She told the orphanage staff that she wanted to leave in the car. But, she refused to let me or Bill hold her hand or touch her other than put her snowsuit and boots on. The orphanage director walked her out and then...

More Pictures (12-09-2007) -- Here are some photos from today of the hotel and the closest major street to us. We didn't get very far on our walk because it was too cold....

Bowel Movement -- I like a headline that demands attention!It's official, I'm a parent. Elizabeth had her first bowel movement since we've had her, and it was on my watch! Tara was unable to put Elizabeth down for a nap while I was out walking around town looking for groceries and sundry items. Once I...

Nothing Much to Update About -- She's just driving us crazy. Luckily, Tara is taking the brunt of it. I had to get out and walk around town in the freezing cold, just for the sake of getting out. I was at least useful, coming back with some groceries. Elizabeth's sweet as can be and very playful most of the time, but she...

Sleep, What a Concept -- I slept on the floor most of last night. It's a little after 7 a.m. here. Elizabeth refuses to sleep in her crib, even though we're told that's what she slept in at the orphanage. So, she sleeps with us in our bed. That bed is barely big enough for just me and Tara. Anyway, Elizabeth can...

Here's Your Update -- Everyone is wanting an update! Well, we're parents of a two-year-old now. No time for updates!She is keeping us busy. Her favorite things to do are: play in the sink, play in the tub, and play in the toilet. She is a waterbaby! One of the things we were warned about an adopted child from an orphanage...

51-1/2 Hours -- That's how long before we leave Astrakhan for Moscow. Not that we're counting or anything. The bad thing about these in-country flights is that they don't use "jetways," those expandable tubes that protect you from the weather as you get on and off the plane. You are out there...

Back in Moscow (12/18/2007) -- We made it this far! The plane ride was terrible for several minutes when we had to fasten our seat belts, which Elizabeth did not want to do. She SCREAMED loudly for quite a while, ticking off everyone nearby. Luckily, part of it was drowned out by the sound of the jet engines revving up and taking...

Pictures of Our Life in Astrakhan -- Tonight is our last night in Astrakhan. So, I thought I'd post some pictures of where we've been living for the past 19 days. We've had many battles over clothing. She thinks I put too much clothes on her. In the hotel room, she wears her thermals. But, she loves her boots. So, she often...

Just Another Week to Go -- ... maybe less! That cheers me up. That's assuming everything goes as planned... and it WILL. I believe in positive thinking (when I'm desperate, anyway, because it leads to positive actions, which lead to positive results, or at least your chances are better). I don't always practice...

Riding the Metro, Part Deux -- All three of us went to Red Square this time. I'm glad Tara was able to see it. Elizabeth was fascinated, too, but probably won't remember a thing. We then had lunch at Sbarro in the...

Update to the Update's Update -- I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. [Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it.] The hotel sure did send up some techs quick...

Moscow Update Continued -- We're in Moscow.Bill already summarized our trip here. I do believe that I am fully initiated into the sisterhood of Mothers. I have changed an exploding poopy diaper in an airplane bathroom, with turbulence! I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say, I will be burning our clothes...

Can't Leave Early -- ... but at least it's all over. The Embassy visit went fine. Delta said that the only way we could take the available seats on earlier flights was to pay $2800 extra FOR EACH ticket. We said no. Unless someone wants to donate that to us, then we'll call them back. :) As it is, we can't...

To the Embassy -- Our last stop before the airport on the magical mystery tour is the US Embassy. They will make Elizabeth a US citizen and a registered...

Still in Moscow -- We're in a different hotel, the Holiday Inn -- Moscow Sokolniki, for the rest of our stay. This is the one that was originally reserved for our return from Astrakhan. It has a reliable internet connection, costs less per night than yesterday...

Riding the Metro -- We're going to attempt to ride the Metro subway to Red Square today. Wish us luck. The exits aren't numbered, they are listed by name... in Cyrillic. Of course, the overhead announcements are in Russian. One helpful thing is that the announcements are in a male...

We're Home! (For Good, this Time) -- And now I'm going to bed! :) I'll blog tomorrow....

A Few Pictures -- Finally, some pictures of Elizabeth. They're not even the latest, but it should hold you over if you've never seen her before....

Stay Tuned -- I hope to get the rest of the photos and videos on here, at least in raw form, over the next few days. I think I'm getting over my post traumatic stress disorder from the trip and can now face looking at the video again. :)Regarding Comments, I had to set those to require approval before showing...

Summary of Our Russian Adoption Experience -- Fill out this adoption video permission form to get access to any videos in this post.To sum it all up: We love our daughter. Elizabeth is a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent little girl. We thank Russia for giving her to us. Otherwise, we did not enjoy Russia. In their...

Baby Shower -- Tara's female family and friends threw Elizabeth a baby shower last weekend. I was the only man there. The only reason I went was so that any other men showing up wouldn't be the only man. Oh well. I was able to get a lot on video, and Tara took pictures....

Doctors Say She's Normal -- Tara took Elizabeth to the "international adoption specialist" doctors today for a psychological evaluation and another physical exam. They say she is perfectly average/normal for a girl her age. Of course, that puts her well above average for a foreign orphan. We think she's better...

Recent Photos of Elizabeth -- Around the house...

Holmes Russian Adoption Videos -- The links to both 1 and 2 are here. has been updated slightly, in case you want to watch it again. might be updated eventually, too, if more pictures come in. Here are the links:...

Elizabeth's First Video -- Elizabeth's directorial debut. A probing, provocative, sometimes introspective look at a typical weekend around the house with Mama and Papa and the pugs....

A Few More Videos -- I finally edited these a little bit and uploaded them:Chandler hanging outElizabeth's baby shower in February...

Adoption Videos Updated -- You can watch them here:Holmes Russian Adoption, (updated)...

Our Russian Adoption Story -- With the recent headline news about the Russian adoption that went very very wrong, I have been asked by many friends and family about my opinion of the situation. I've not been able to real...

Our Adoption Story -- My wife Tara has written up our adoption story in response to that woman (not far from us, unfortunately) who returned that boy to Russia a couple weeks ago. With the recent headline news about the Russian adoption that went very very wrong, I have been asked by many friends and family about my...

Gotcha Day and Merry Christmas -- Today we were finally able to celebrate Gotcha Day with our now-16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. She and I both forgot about it on the actual day, December 10th. Her mom, Tara, remembered but Elizabeth was working late, Tara knew it would not work out, and so said nothing. Elizabeth called us that...

First Time in Moscow

by tara - 2007-10-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Well, we made it to Moscow!

After a long plane trip, we managed to get through passport control and customs with no problems. And all of our luggage made it!

Our CHI Rep and driver were late getting to the airport and we were worried, but they did eventually show up. We got our first taste of traffic, and let me go on record to say -- I will never complain about Nashville traffic again. These people are nuts when they get behind a wheel! And you have NO rights as a pedestrian! They'd sooner run over you than slow down.

We are staying at the Holiday Inn while in Moscow. It's very nice. It's a high-rise and very modern. It's brand new, only been open for a year. They have staff that speak English -- that's a very good thing. And there is a bank in the lobby where we were able to exchange our money. Our Rep said that they have the best rates right now. But it's 24 rubles $1.00. So, we're trying to do quick math everytime we buy something. We just tried to buy a couple of bottles of water and a coke at a nearby grocery store and we mis-calculated how much it would be, when Bill underpaid the clerk, she started yelling at him in Russian. Of course, we had no idea what she was saying. We finally figured it out when she pointed to the screen on the cash register.

We met another couple that are adopting from Kemerervo. They are on their first trip too. They were able to get another flight out tonight to Kemerevo but had about 8 hours to kill. So, we all went to lunch together and walked around a little. They left their luggage with us in our room and they went out again to check out more. The hotel was going to charge them to store it for a few hours. Bill and I are pooped. I figure we still have a chunk of tomorrow to see more of because our flight to Astrakhan doesn't leave until 4:30pm. Below are some pictures I took while out today. Hopefully better pictures are to come!

It's Only Monday?

by bill - 2007-10-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Monday -- 1 Oct 07 -- 6:37PM

zzzDRAHST-vueet-ya, DRAHST-ya, BREEV-yet ee DO-bree-dyen from Astrakhan! I just (phonetically) said "Hello, hey, hi and good afternoon" (even though it's now evening here) in Russian. I couldn't remember how to say "evening."

We visited the Ministry of Education today, the people who decide who lives and dies, I mean, if/when we get to adopt a child. The department head we were supposed to speak to today was out sick. Of course. So, we spoke with her assistant, who gave no indication whatsoever that she had ever heard of us or that we had in fact already been given a "referral" for a specific child. It was our "good luck" that because she was filling in for her boss, she covered herself by putting us through a complete interview which they don't normally do. It was very nerve-wracking for Tara. I just found it interesting to be interviewed by a woman in a tight skirt, no bra and fishnet stockings. I was not going to mention the "no bra," but Tara brought it up later. I told her I only noticed because, when someone stands up and says "hello," it's only polite to acknowledge them. :)

Our interpreter, Vika, "held our hand" through it all. Vika, by the way, dresses very modestly; not the usual tight pants, belly shirt and spike heels that most young women here wear. :) She's a very sweet person. She's also been a lifesaver because she speaks English and, having recently spent a year in Louisiana going to LSU, knows that it's rude to look at us like we're retarded when we don't understand something, like so many clerks have. Galina, our official agency representative, has helped a lot, too, behind the scenes; but she doesn't speak English, so we can't interact with her much.

Check-Out Time

by bill - 2007-10-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

[Updated: 2022-08-18 13:47:40]

We check out in an hour.

We got a nice free breakfast this morning, then went back to that grocery store and managed to pay the right amount for the right kind of water (still, not sparkling, which is hard to find).

Security guard work is apparently a large part of the workforce here, because every single business establishment we've been to has had a security guard at every exit.

I figured out the word for "cashier" and I can type it here because it uses our usual characters, "KACCA," but it's pronounced "casa." They don't have lowercase and uppercase here. [That's wrong, they do.]

We ended up not having enough time to see any sights this morning because, even though we were both up by 4 a.m. local time and ready to go, there was nowhere to go. Then, after blogging and emailing a little bit, we went back to sleep and just barely got up in time for breakfast. The menus on the tables showed their usual breakfast prices, something like $10 for a glass of orange juice.

We're in Astrakhan

by tara - 2007-10-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

After a nerve-wracking trip to the airport and getting through the airport security we finally made it to our plane. We were told that our Rep, Galina, would be flying with us. We never saw her until we were already on the plane. She was one of the last passengers on the plane, she saw us and gestured to Bill. He figured it was Galina. Her seat was actually next to ours. That would have been great, except, Galina does not speak English. So, it was a quiet trip for the 3 of us. We didn't meet the translator until we got off the plane. Things got better after that.

It was already dark when we landed so we could not see much on our way to the hotel. But it appears that Astrakhan traffic is better than Moscow (nothing could be worse). The entire town of Astrakhan is under construction. They are celebrating a big anniversary next year and are making big plans.

Our hotel is also under construction. But it's nice and clean. The staff seems friendly and some speak English.

The plan for tomorrow is that Galina and Vika (our translator) will take all the new, updated documents to be translated and notarized (again? I guess they need a Russian notary?) then they will call us and make plans to meet us at the hotel around 11:00am. We will then go to the Minister of Education and submit our dossier and formally receive our referral. After that, I think we get to go to the orphanage to see the child and get his medical and history. I say "I think" because, we asked Galina a couple of times about when we get to meet him and she was vague in her reply. I think she is just being vague in case we run into problems at the Minister of Ed and we get delayed going to the orphanage by a day. But, of course I hope that is not the case and we will finally get what we came for -- THE CHILD!

Bill and I both feel like we've been in Russia for a month already. It's really only been a day and a half.

Pictures of Astrakhan and our hotel room will come later! We are using the lobby computer tonight until we are able to purchase a calling card to use the internet in our room.

Read, listen or watch the rest here: more pictures. And, here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

What a Day

by tara - 2007-10-07 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Where to begin...

The original plan was for us to go to the Minister of Education and submit our dossier and then formally receive our referral. What really happened:

Galina called the ministry this morning only to find out that they were closed in the morning supposedly because there had been a death within the ministry (I'm assuming a natural death, but after what we've been through, it could have been some other adoptive parents that decided to just kill the representative they were working with). They told her to call back in the afternoon because the department head would be in. She told us to be ready to go at 1:30. So, at 1:30 our interpreter, Vika, picked us up and we thought we were going to the Minister of Ed. We were dressed for that. What we didn't know until it was too late, was that Galina was still waiting to get an appointment for us and had instructed Vika to take us on a walking tour of the city.

I definitely wanted to see Astrakhan and its historical sites, just not in business clothes and dress shoes! We walked around for over an hour waiting to hear from Galina. Finally, Vika called Galina and we were informed that we had an appointment to see the department head's assistant at 4:00. Now the story was that the department head was sick and out of the office all day. At first we were told that all we would do today was literally walk in and hand over our dossier, they would review and call tomorrow with an appointment time to come back to receive the referral. About 10 minutes before entering the building Vika mentioned that we might be asked some questions by the assistant, but she was not sure and kinda doubted that they would ask us anything. But, at least we had about 10 minutes to think about it.

We got to the office and they quickly ushered us into a small room where the assistant came in and immediately asked to see our passports (everyone wants to see your passport here). She thoroughly reviewed each passport and visa. Still not sure what she was looking for. Then she started asking questions: "Why do you want to adopt?" "Why Russia?" "Are you aware of problems that orphaned children have?" "Are you aware that many kids in Astrakhan have Asian features?" "Would you accept a child with Asian features?" I was so flustered and exhausted from the day's events that suddenly I could not remember why we wanted to adopt and certainly adopt from Russia! Why would anyone put themselves through this? But, I managed to get out that we were unsuccessful at having biological children and decided to adopt instead of pursuing the more expensive and more invasive fertility treatments (although IVF doesn't sound so bad right now); that we chose Russia after investigating adoption in the US and found the US to be a very long wait with a high risk of the birth-mom changing her mind.

After that, Bill took over answering the questions and was much more composed than I was. After the questions, she informed us that they would take our dossier and, by law, they have 10 days to review and decide to give us a referral. At some point she told Vika that we could call them at 4:00 tomorrow and they would tell us if they had a chance to review and had any questions. Vika did not tell us that until we got back in the car. Galina went back to the office and did manage to negotiate an earlier time, 11 am.

So, now we wait. Hopefully, we will receive the referral and get to go to the orphanage tomorrow. However, it seems to take twice as long as expected to do everything here. I'm really concerned that we will not get to meet the child until Wednesday or Thursday and then be pressured to make a decision too quickly. We're supposed to leave Astrakhan on Friday. The most confusing and disconcerting thing about this whole freakin' goat rope is that the Minister of Ed already knows us, knew we were coming, has already matched us with a child, everything. But we have go through the formality of it and they act like we just walked in off the street. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

It's a Girl, It's a Girl!

by tara - 2007-10-08 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Oh My Gosh what a difference 1 day makes! So, we have a beautiful blond-haired, blue-eyed, 2-1/2-year-old girl!

First, the obvious question: "What happened to the 4-year-old boy?" We don't know. After 2 trips to the Minister of Education, and two interviews, they gave us a referral for this girl. It's been so difficult getting to this point, that we just didn't want to "rock the boat" by asking any questions. We think that after the Minister of Ed saw us and our pictures, they thought they'd match us with a child that looked more like us. It's just a theory, I really have no idea.

We got her medical today, there have not been any documented problems. A sore throat and bronchitis. That's about it. But, we are still consulting with the Vandy doc just in case there is a problem that we did not see. We questioned the bumps on her face and found out they are mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are really bad here. I had been warned about that, so we brought bug repellent. Her birth mom is in an institution for the mentally handicapped. So, of course, our big concern is that something that could be passed on to the little girl. The orphanage doctor does not think so, after many evaluations from multiple doctors and the orphanage director does not think that she has any signs of mental handicap. We spent several hours with her today, and she actually seems really smart. She talks, dances, plays ball (Bill thinks that he's still going to have a little soccer player). She knows her colors, animals, and understands everything we (via translator) asked of her.

She took to Bill very fast. She's still afraid of me. I think it's because Bill was able to talk to her in Russian a little (damn him and his natural ability to pick up different languages! ) But, at the end of the day she was playing and laughing with me. She shook my hand (and Bill's) and told us good night and to come back tomorrow. She let Bill hold her for a little bit, but not me at all. This is typical of children in orphanages, they will latch on to one parent at a time. So, I was prepared for that.

As soon as we get our consult from the Vandy doc we will complete the forms to petition the court for her adoption. We have to do this before Friday, because the court is closed on Friday for some reason.

We will spend tomorrow morning with her and then we must leave for the mid-day and afternoon and are allowed to return at about 4:30 to spend another couple of hours with her. We will do this Wed-Friday. We've been told that the orphanage will have "observers" in the room with us and the child on Thursday or Friday to document how well we interact with her. They will have to appear in court to support the adoption.

The process to get here has been nerve-racking. Today at the Minister of Ed, the department head had a whole new set of questions to ask us in addition to the ones that her assistant asked yesterday. She wanted to know how we got to Astrakhan. My first impulse was to say "by plane." But I realized before saying that she meant how were we referred to Astrakhan. Then I had to do a little song and dance about how CHI-US (our agency) told us about Astrakhan. She quickly pointed out that CHI is not accredited in Russia right now. And I had to emphasize that we were adopting independently and the CHI in America is accredited and they did our home-study. Of course she knows that CHI led us to Astrakhan, and she knew that Galina, our CHI rep was sitting outside in the car (but could not come in with us for the reason of us being "independent"). It's just one more hoop that we have to jump through to get our child. The funniest thing about this whole experience is that the whole time she was sitting there, interviewing us, she was holding the referral information. Finally she was done with her questions, she laid the paperwork down and walked away. Vika, our translator picked up the paper and said "here it is" and starting reading it to us. That's when we found out that we had a girl. The director motioned us over to her desk a few minutes later to show us a picture of the little girl. I swear she looked just like Sandy when she was 2 years old.

After going to a notary to get the form requesting permission to see the child, and returning it to the Minister of Ed, we went straight to the orphanage. We met the orphanage director, a big woman who seems kind of gruff, but you can tell she loves the children. We met the orphanage doctor, their lawyer (a formality thing), and one of the caregivers. The orphanage director started going through her medical report about the little girl. They've kept very good records. I was impressed. They had medical reports on her since she was 2 months old and recorded her height, weight, head circumference, when each of her teeth came in. Every cold. They had a picture (head shot) of her as an infant that I hope I can get or at least make a copy of. And they had a picture of her birth mom (passport photo). They have no information on the father. The orphanage director pointed to the birth certificate and said that the father was not even listed on it. The birth mom was also an orphan raised entirely in an orphanage (although she was about 25 or 26 when she had the baby). So, unfortunately, we do not have much family history to share with [our daughter] when she is older.

I really feel like she's been taken care of in the orphanage. Much better than I was expecting. The orphanage seems to be in a bad part of town and you literally "cross the tracks" to get into their dirt parking lot. But inside, it's clean, but old. We were not allowed to go anywhere in the orphanage except to the play room where we hung out with her. We did walk around the complex where they have a big playground but there were no kids out. We could not see any other children while we were there (but I could hear them).

We'll know more tomorrow! Stay tuned! Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

Sights of Astrakhan

by tara - 2007-10-09 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I'm attaching pictures we made of Astrakhan and our room.

We are staying at the Hotel Azimut in Astrakhan. They are going through major renovations right now. It's kind of funny to see the interior design mix. The lobby is decorated in Art Deco while the rooms are decorated in traditional Russian decor like lace curtains, handblown glass chandeliers, oriental rugs, and silk bedspreads. The place reeks of smoke and it's really getting on my and Bill's nerves. They don't appear to have smoking and non-smoking rooms and although they do have non smoking areas designated, no one adheres to them (that goes for the whole country).

Picture 1 is of our bedroom in Astrakhan the room is a "mini-suite". I do mean "mini". We have a small sitting area outside the bedroom with a loveseat, desk and TV. Inside the closet is a pretty good size refrigerator. And then we have a bathroom that is almost the size of the bedroom.

The 2nd picture is of the elevators. They are the size of a phone booth. Bill and I barely fit inside one. And they are on a weird run pattern. You never know how long it will take to get an elevator, 1 minute or 10. They are doing repairs and renovations everywhere within the hotel and often the stairs are closed (can anyone say OSHA violation?) . Our hotel room door lock requires a key on both sides of the door. We were only allowed one key. So, if one of us leaves the room, we either have to leave the other in the room unsecured or lock them in. Let's hope there's no fire before we leave!

The next picture is of us in front of the Kremlin Cathedral (the Astrakhan Kremlin, not the famous Moscow Kremlin). We were not allowed to take pictures of the cathedral inside. But, it is very ornate. Lots of oil paintings of saints, lots of candles burning and even above-ground coffins that hold the remains of famous Russian saints. Lots of things painted or covered in gold.

The last shot is of one of the thousands of stray dogs they have. It's really hard to see these animals out on the street. But they are not aggressive. They are just living their lives on the streets, living off of scraps I guess. We asked our interpretor about the stray dogs and if Russia had animal control or a humane society and she said no. She agreed it was a problem, but it's just not a priority for the country.

Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

astrakhan-courthouse-another -- astrakhanairport -- astrakhan-station -- astrakhan-pier -- astrakhan-kremlin -- astrakhan-hotel -- astrakhan-kremlin1

Great Visit

by bill - 2007-10-09 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We had a great visit with our little girl this morning. There were no observers. That happens this afternoon. Vika mentioned we should think about showing more affection in front of the observers. It's more in line with how Russians treat their kids. We're fine with that. We like kids so much, we flew half way around the world to have one. We're just not used to getting all touchy-feely with a child we've just met. For one, we don't want to scare her. If we get too "aggressive," she'll start thinking of us as "those weird, grabby people who talk funny."

With that overt affection in mind today, however, I took a chance and picked her up and started flying her around the room like an airplane. You know, picked her up and tossed her like a paper airplane? But seriously, she absolutely loved it. That's the most I've seen her laugh yet. She also liked when I blew in her ear while she was trying to blow bubbles. She reacted like I was tickling her. She lets us both pick her up now. She's just very practical. If one is closer than the other and she wants up somewhere, she'll just use whichever one of us is handy.

Just don't get in her way when it's lunch time. The caretaker stuck her head in and announced lunch, and our girl just dropped everything and almost ran out of the room until the caretaker told her to stop and kiss Mama and Papa goodbye first.

Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE:

Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

Wednesday in Astrakhan

by bill - 2007-10-09 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We just got back from today's first visit with the child (we're not supposed to mention her name online). We'll be going back this afternoon. In the meantime, Tara's trying to catch up on her sleep. She had woken up around 5 this morning. I was able to sleep until almost 8.

The girl (hopefully soon to be known as "our daughter") is great. We discovered she likes it a lot when we put her on the plastic "motorcycle," Tara pushes from behind, and I "run" ahead of them as they try to run me down. Typical Russian driver. :) She likes to blow bubbles a lot, and spill half of it on the floor, though she finally did go looking for the cap at one point to put it back on and stop spilling. She likes to roll and kick the ball; and climb on things. The toys she wants the most are the ones hardest to reach. I got good at saying "be careful" in Russian, though at the moment I can't recall the phrase. That's how it is with me and languages. I can remember words and phrases for MINUTES at a time, only to completely forget 20 minutes later until I check my cheat sheet again. She likes to color, but thinks all colors are green. She can probably differentiate colors, but doesn't know the different word for each one.

She's still a little bit less comfortable with Tara than she is with me, for some reason. And I hate that, but what can you do? Chicks just naturally dig me, you know? The girl can't help it. :) If she only knew, it's been Tara's hard work and determination that got us this far in the first place! But that figures. The one who works the hardest almost never gets the credit.

I took some video again today. Just some neighborhood "scenery" shots from the back of the van/taxi they drive us around in. I was asked by our hosts to explain that the reason so many police and military are out on the streets today is because the country's new Prime Minister is visiting. Up until today, I hadn't seen many "authorities" on the street. Security guards in every store at every exit, yes, but not out on the street. I don't have the connections to upload it here. It'll have to wait until we get home.

I also tried to get some video "for the guys" for research purposes only, of all the beautiful women we see everywhere. Unfortunately, the air is suddenly 10-15 degrees cooler, so the women are fully dressed. They're funny here. It gets just a little bit cool, and they act like winter has set in, shivering and putting on sweaters. You would think that, given the infamously freezing winters they have here, this Fall weather would not phase them at all. They tell me and Tara to put on sweaters, and we just have to explain that we like the cool weather.

We were able to figure out the international calling card last night. Our interpreter, Vika, translated the Russian instructions on the back for us, but I couldn't seem to get an outside line in the hotel room. That, plus the fact that I had never used (never needed to use) a calling card before, made it difficult. I was forced to call down to the front desk for help, which we both try and avoid. There's a tall blond woman down there who, I'm pretty sure, does not dig me. I think she is the one I spoke to. I don't know. Maybe they just all hate me. Actually, most of them are very nice, but whoever she was, she was fairly snotty. "Do you know how to use it [the calling card]?" she asked, after making that expulsion-of-breathe sound that signifies disgust.

"Yes, I have instructions," I said, "but it's not working. I just need to know how to get an outside line." Silence on the other end. So I try to speak clearly and slowly and not use contractions. "Usually, in hotels you have to dial a certain number to get an outside line." I'm not being sarcastic with her. I'm actually impressed when anyone can speak a language foreign to them. She gave a derisive snort, then more silence. "... when you use the phone," I added, in case I hadn't made that part clear.

"You give us your card," she finally said. "We will make call for you."I said, "Yeah, okay," but never followed up. After hanging up with her, I said "screw it" and just started trying numbers to get an outside line. I'd already tried 8 and 9. The one that works, at least in this hotel this week, is 0.

Later.

Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

astrakhan-courthouse-another -- astrakhanairport -- astrakhan-station -- astrakhan-pier -- astrakhan-kremlin -- astrakhan-hotel -- astrakhan-kremlin1

Last Visit for a While

by bill - 2007-10-10 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We'll be leaving in a few minutes for our last visit to the orphanage this trip. I'm practicing asking for my baggage back from the hotel baggage room. Baggage actually sounds like "boggage." "Please" is pa-ZHAL-sta. Fascinating, I know. I thought about getting a parting video shot of the lobby as we sit here waiting for our ride. But then I thought, "why?" They have hotel lobbies back home, too. :)

We fly out tonight, get into Moscow a little late, then depart Moscow around 1pm, I think. It'll be good to get home. I need a nap. :) I think I'll suggest just taking our daughter (who we'll be naming Elizabeth, by the way) with us. You know, while we're here, and all. Otherwise, we have to wait until the court date which could be anytime from 6-8 weeks from now.

That'll be the hard part, but at least the waiting will be in familiar territory ... home. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

Thursday in Astrakhan

by bill - 2007-10-10 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

First things first: Our little girl is warming up to Tara. She gave her a kiss yesterday, I think without even being asked.

Now, for some more random thoughts:

Before I forget to mention it, I need to tell you what happened Tuesday. I think it was Tuesday. My whole sense of time is pretty messed up. Anyway, it was a momentous day. Yeah, yeah, there's the whole adoption thing. But what I'm talking about is beets. Beets are the one food that I will normally never eat. I just hate them. For lunch, however, I ordered some sort of herring dish for the first course. It was terribly fishy, but not bad once I started eating it. It had some sort of red topping on it that helped offset the fishiness, so I asked what that was. Vika said, "Beets." Tara about choked on her Coke. "Really?" It was the first time I've been able to eat beets. We tried to order borsch for the main course, but they were out so we had stroganoff. So, I'm still not sure what borsch is. I could look it up, but don't feel like it.

They have a thing about double-doors here. They just refuse to open the other door. So, like at the airports especially, everyone is forced to squeeze through the one door when it would be much easier if they'd just open both doors. As everyone tries to get through the one door, they literally push and shove and cut in front. These people are at their worst when it comes to properly standing in line and/or waiting their turn. They just don't do it. Don't get me wrong, they are very polite to people they know and/or have been introduced to. But if they don't know you and you get in their way, forget it. Otherwise, they're just like people anywhere else.

Men's dress shoes here are pointy and stick out about an inch or two past their toes. Just wanted to get that in.

It's funny to figure out written Russian words, with the Cyrillic characters. Once you sound out each word, it's often phonetically the same as English. Like that lunch mentioned earlier. It was a "business lunch" and that's almost exactly how it sounds in Russian. Our C is their S sound. Our B is their V. Our 3 is their Z. Our W is their SH. Our O is their O, except when it's not. :) "Seminar" is "seminar," or very close. "Meeting" is "Congress," etc.

Well, time to get ready for today's morning visit to the orphanage. This time, we'll have "observers." To add to the stress, Vika won't be there today, it'll be someone else interpreting. We don't know if today's observers will just want the usual song and dance "appearances" sort of "performance" out of us, or if they're seriously studying us to see if we're fit parents. You think job interviews are hard? Try interviewing in a foreign country in several venues in front of various people for a solid week. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

astrakhan-courthouse-another -- astrakhanairport -- astrakhan-station -- astrakhan-pier -- astrakhan-kremlin -- astrakhan-hotel -- astrakhan-kremlin1

Another Great Visit

by bill - 2007-10-10 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We're feeling closer and closer to our child, especially after today. And I think we passed "the test" of having the psychologist there, observing. She was pretty cool, actually. She didn't stay the entire visit. I think she could see that Tara, the child and I are all getting along well. She'll be observing again tomorrow, but we're not worried about it anymore.

Our daughter will probably be in the performing arts when she grows up. She's very artistic. One time, after getting bubbles in her eyes, she pouted and said something which today's interpreter, Liena, translated as "wanting sympathy." (It's difficult to write these sentences without mentioning our child by name, as I'm supposed to, but I'm trying.) Anyway, after the sympathy plea, I kissed her forehead and cheek, then Tara kissed her. Liena said, "She will be an actress." :)

Tara said maybe she'll be an actress and a musician. We have all these "meetings" with her in the music room, so there are toy instruments everywhere. They've even got a real piano. So, I taught our girl how to play piano, or at least hit several keys in succession. She's also fluent in the xylophone, drums and bugle. :)

This is our last night in Astrakhan. We fly back to Moscow tomorrow night, after two more visits at the orphanage. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE:

Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

We're Home

by bill - 2007-10-11 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

OK, now we're home! I'll try and do a trip summary tomorrow after a good night's sleep ... in my own bed. Tara says she feels like Dorothy, "There's no place like home!"

Back in Atlanta

by bill - 2007-10-12 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We're in the Atlanta airport now! Good to be on US soil, except that they keep mentioning George Bush (... as in the Houston Airport). :) It's 1:45a.m. Moscow time right now (5:45p.m. EDT), but I'm not tired. I'm anxious to catch the flight to Nashville. Customs and "security" here in Atlanta is sooo much smoother than Russia, though they did tick me off at the end when you have to quickly remove your shoes and belt, etc., open up everything, prove that this is an actual laptop, etc.

I swear this whole "security" thing has more to do with harassment than anything else. In the Moscow SVO airport, I added up the number of "checks" they put us through from the street to the plane. There were five. Six, if you count the additional frisking in between two other checks. I'm considering suing the US and Russian governments for harassment bordering on torture. I'll let you know how that goes. :)

They showed "Ocean's 13," among others that I've already forgotten, on the flight home. It was good, but the first one is still the best.

I kept thinking about Elizabeth on the flight home. She's such a great little girl.

I forgot to mention, before leaving Astrakhan I went for a walk down along the riverfront while Tara emailed several of you. As per Tara's instructions, I had our leftover sandwich meat and cheese ready to "donate" to the first stray dog or cat I saw. I didn't see any until I got to the very end of the walkway. There were two smallish dogs, a white female and a black and white male, I'm guessing. I didn't check. The male trotted away, before seeing that his mate was getting fed, so he came back over. Maybe they'll survive another few extra days thanks to me (and Tara).

Round Two

by bill - 2007-10-20 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We've received our court date. We're haggling with the airlines now. One round-trip ticket for one adult costs a little over $800. One one-way ticket for our daughter's flight home with us costs $1,600!! I suggested just buying our daughter a round-trip ticket (which would be "only" $900) and not using the return portion of it, but Tara's afraid they won't honor that and make us pay the difference at the gate, causing all kinds of hassle when we're at the airport with the child, trying to leave. I realize that free enterprise allows a company to charge whatever they want, but it's basically price gouging. We're working on it. At least this time we do have more advance warning than last time, which is probably why the round-trip ticket is cheaper this time.

UPDATE: delta.com ended up being the cheapest we could find, after all, so we're going with that. Even the Delta rep told Tara, "One-way flights are just really expensive." On the plus side, we're building up a lot of "sky miles."

Skora Mweh Tam Boojum

by bill - 2007-11-24 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Translation: "We'll be there soon." This time next week, actually.

I really want to be able to communicate with our daughter Elizabeth when we get there. I've been playing those language MP3's (other ones here and/or here) relentlessly for the past several weeks. Sometimes those phrases will just pop into my head. "Ne dyela bolna koshka" (literally, "not you hurt cat") might come to mind at work, out of the blue, as I walk down the hall. I'll have to stop and remember what it means. In this case, it means, "Don't hit the cat." That one stands out because it's nothing like "Don't hit the dog," which is "Ne bay saBAHka."

I keep dreaming about Elizabeth, during which she usually speaks a combination of English and Russian. Just before waking up this morning I dreamed that Tara's cousin Ronica and her husband Jayson were in Russia with us. Elizabeth preferred Jayson over me. He is much cuter, so I can't really blame her. I'll get over it ... :)

We've finished her bedroom. It really looks good. We painted it light green. Of course, Tara did all the designing. She's really good at that. She and her sister Sandi, niece Destiny, sister Stephanie and brother-in-law Todd sanded and painted the bed, chest-of-drawers and bookshelf for the room. I put up shelves in the closet, and mounted a couple things on the wall. I'll link some pictures here when I find them.

Time to get ready for work. "Para raBAWtats" or something.

Internet Access

by bill - 2007-11-27 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I'm wondering about internet access now that we've tentatively planned to stay in a weekly apartment in Astrakhan instead of the hotel the entire time. We'll probably want/need that internet access for the sake of something to do. Normally, we could go sightseeing, but when it's below-freezing outside, that doesn't sound fun. Anyway, if there are gaps in our "reporting," it's probably because we didn't have internet access that day. [UPDATE: We'll be staying at the hotel the entire time, after all, which has internet access.]

During that ten-day period, by the way, we will be able to visit Elizabeth in the orphanage once a day. [Correction: Only three times, total, but then she's ours.] But they also told us that the other family who will be there at the same time on their first trip will probably be given preferential treatment by the translator and driver. I don't really begrudge them that. You need preferential treatment on that first trip. Tara and I are old pros compared to them. Of course, if their child is at the same orphanage as ours, it would only make sense that we all go together. Here's a screenshot of the entrance. You can only barely make out the orphanage. The building to the left is an apartment/store.

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

Back in Moscow (11/26/2007)

by bill - 2007-11-28 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We made it. The flight was horrible. I think I slept about 30 seconds out of the 11 hour flight. It was not a full flight, and half the people around us were able to take up two or three seats, but we weren't quick enough. The other movie on the flight was Next with Nicholas Cage and Julianne Moore. It's about a guy who can see two minutes into his own future. Not bad.

I never could find those power connections for the laptop that one of my travelling salesman co-workers mentioned being under the seat. He lied! Salesmen. :)

We might go to the McDonald's across the street for dinner, just because several of Tara's friends and family wanted to know what it was like. Our driver Vitaly, who has been to the U.S., said it's not much different, except maybe the bun/bread.

We fly down to Astrakhan tomorrow afternoon. The weather here is a "lovely" mixture of rain and snow. Outside our seventh floor window, it's snow, but by the time it lands it's rain. It's not too terribly cold, though. The room itself is actually too hot. I had to turn the thermostat on the radiator-style heater all the way down. We didn't go to McDonald's for dinner. Instead, we had a very expensive buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant. It was good, but not THAT good. Oh well, at least breakfast will be free.

Tara and I have been discussing what to say to the judge in Court on Thursday. We're told that the judge traditionally addresses the husband directly instead of the "lowly" woman. :) Maybe not this time, though, since the judge is a woman. It'll probably be the same questions that the Minister of Education and her assistant asked us last time ... twice. I'm trying to get it straight in my mind without sounding rehearsed when it's showtime. I'm not too worried, actually.

Tuesday (11/27/2007)

by bill - 2007-11-30 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Time flies when you lose nine hours. We fly to Astrakhan this afternoon. This morning, we'll be having the free breakfast that the hotel offers. Then we'll exchange our dollars for rubles (before the dollar devalues even more). I could've done that yesterday, but I ... just ... didn't ... feel like it. :)

They don't get a lot of daylight here this time of year. Yesterday, when we woke up around 4:30pm from our naps, it was already dark outside. Now this morning at 7:20, it's STILL dark.

We're not exactly sure when checkout time is, but our driver told us to be checked out and ready to go to the airport by 1pm. We'll probably end up killing time in the lobby like last time.

Mweh Yeddum V Aeroport Eta Ootra

by bill - 2007-11-30 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

You probably guessed what that means: We are going to the aiport this morning. It's probably not grammatically correct, but I ain't got no time for linguistic correctitude. :)

Unlike last time when the cat kept waking me up, this time I was able to get a good night's sleep. I was up at 5:30, but I got a good seven hours. It helped that I had locked the cat up for the night.

We spent all day yesterday slowly, methodically, dreadingly packing for the trip. Dreadingly? My spell-checker questions the validity of that word, but Webster's says it's okay. I feel like we've been sentenced to the gulag in Siberia (although technically we'll be a little southwest from there), complete with a day in Court at the beginning of it all. But then I think about our daughter (nasha doach) Elizabeth, and none of that really matters. We'll be rescuing our little damsel in distress. The way I look at it, she's already our daughter, we're just fighting for custody. At least in our case, we're not fighting with an angry ex-spouse.

Our first concern is the court appearance. It's never any fun standing up in front of a judge explaining yourself. Not that I ever have, but it doesn't sound fun. I've seen it on t.v., and they never look happy. :) I'm worried that she (we already know the judge is a woman) won't like my attitude, or she'll be a bitter, screaming lunatic. If she is the latter, I'll probably just laugh at her (inwardly, of course) while outwardly smiling pleasantly. Maybe I shouldn't smile. We've actually read and been told that Russians, at least previous generations, think you're an idiot if you smile too much.

Tara's probably afraid I'll say something stupid, though she hasn't said so out loud. Just because I'm always saying something stupid privately in front her (and in this blog), it doesn't normally happen out in public, at least not when it matters. What she has said is that she's afraid the judge won't like her new red dress. I told her she looks pretty hot in that dress, but somehow that didn't assuage her fears. You think maybe she should wear a mini-skirt and fishnet stockings? That's not really her style, but if that's how it's done over here... :)

Beet Salad

by bill - 2007-12-02 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

The time stamp on these blog posts are in US Central Time, not Russia time. It's 6am Sunday morning here.

We had lunch the other day with Nancy, Joel, Vika and Liena at a Western-themed restaurant called The Horseshoe down the street from the hotel. I ordered some sort of goulash and a salad that Vika said was a traditional Russian dish. I should've known by now that it was basically beet salad. But it was not bad. I commented that the only time I've ever liked beets was in Russia. Vika said it must be my new surroundings that have made me like beets. I don't plan on ever eating them again back home, but they're not bad over here. I paid for Vika's and Liena's lunch that day, then Vika's and Galina's lunch yesterday. They all hesitated when I offered, until I reminded them that there's no chance of it looking improper now that the court date is over and we've been approved.

Today, Russia votes for a new president. I'm not even sure who's running, but everyone seems to like the guy who Putin hand-picked as his successor. I think that they genuinely like him. Ignore the American media that tries to make Putin out to be a dictator. He's actually turned this country around and taken it away from the Russian mafia ("oligarchs") that took over when Communism fell. Most of those oligarchs have run away to England, America and Israel.

Last night, I dreamt about paperwork. Actually, it was a nightmare. :)

My Russian speaking is getting better. I can tell people that I don't speak it, but now several of those same people have told me that I speak it very well. I couldn't actually understand their words, but I inferred from their body language and facial expressions that they were complimenting me. Vika's translation confirmed that. Now, I just need to learn to carry on a conversation with Elizabeth. That's the key to breaking the ice with her, which we have to do for a few minutes every time we visit. She gets a day off from us today, so that she can go vote. :)

In the Air Again

by bill - 2007-12-03 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Sunday, November 25, 2007, 5:00pm CST

We're in the air on our way back to Moscow. Delta Flight 46. The current in-flight movie is "Evan Almighty," which we saw on one of our other flights to or from Moscow last time. You know, when you jet back and forth like we do, you forget exactly which flight it was. :) I guess it's rentable, but don't expect too much.

All of the pugs were worried and/or depressed this morning as we prepared to leave. They always know when we're leaving town. Poor Chandler was especially worried. He stuck to me like glue. He is the most aloof of the three pugs, but apparently the most attached. During our last trip, Stephanie mentioned that he was throwing up, he was so stressed out. He got over it last time, I can only hope he gets over it this time, too.

Back in Astrakhan

by bill - 2007-12-04 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We made it to Astrakhan, but I've lost my immigration form that goes with the passport and visa. It's just a little sheet that they have you fill out on the airplane before you land. If I'd known it was so important, I would have stapled it into the passport instead of just sliding it in there. It's not the end of the world, but I can't leave the country without it. I'm told we can go to a visa service and have it replaced... for who knows how much money. Bummer.

[UPDATE: See Russian Bureaucracy].

On the plus side, we found out that we get to visit Elizabeth tomorrow before the court appearance, after all. So, that's great.

astrakhan-courthouse-another -- astrakhan airport -- astrakhan station -- astrakhan pier -- astrakhan-kremlin-1 -- astrakhan-kremlin-2 -- astrakhan-kremlin-3

Comments Welcome

by bill - 2007-12-04 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I set this blog so that you can now add your comments anonymously without logging in. So, comment away! I was afraid that the requirement for a login was keeping people from participating. Now you can go crazy because you're anonymous. Just watch your language! Elizabeth is reading this, too ... some day. :) Email me if you have a problem using the Comments section. Or leave a comment if you can't comment. Oh, sorry, the Russian bureaucracy is rubbing off on me.

It's 3:25am here. I went to bed around 9:30, so that's 6 hours. I would've stayed in bed just now, but that room is just disgustingly smoky. I wake up every morning feeling like I'd been smoking heavily the night before. I used to smoke, so I know what that feels like. They don't understand the concept of smoke-free rooms here. And, I KNOW it will really bother Elizabeth, once we have her. I get the impression she has sensitive skin and eyes. It would be nice to have a lower room, too, because the elevators are so flaky. We usually end up using the stairs. Being on the seventh floor makes for some good exercise, which I personally enjoy (and need), but I know Tara and I doubt Elizabeth will see it the same way.

Yesterday, to kill the time while we waited, Liena (the interpreter) gave me an "assignment." She's a teacher. That's what they do. :) Anyway, she asked me to write an essay on what comes to mind at the mention of the word "diversity." I said what? Was this some sort of secret adoption agency psychological test? Forgive my paranaoia, but it's hard to just relax and be yourself when you feel constantly scrutinized. Anyway, I answered that I enjoyed diversity because I'm a people watcher. The more variety, the better. I added some other politically-correct b.s., just in case. Something about people of all cultures living together in perfect harmony, holding hands and singing Koombayah (sp?). :)

Eventually, after much prodding, she was satisfied with my answer. It was then my turn to ask a question: What comes to mind when you think of the word "American." She wrote down "diversity and money." To make her work a little harder as she did to me, I asked, "That's all?" She added that America has "beautiful nature" and the people are positive. We eventually tired of that, as you probably did five minutes ago. So, we played "battleship." You know, both people make a square grid on a separate piece of paper, vertical side with letters, horizontal side with numbers, then call out various squares trying to "hit" their already-marked squares. Yeah, we got tired of that, too, but there was NOTHING else to do as we sat there waiting our turn at Immigration. Good times. :)

Our Court appearance is scheduled for 10a.m. this morning. For some reason, the theme of Rocky keeps running through my head. :) I feel like it's going to be a fight, or I at least need to expect a fight but hope for pleasant civility and a positive ruling. I could've been a lawyer. :)

Russian Adoption Consultant

by bill - 2007-12-04 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I've taken a job here as a Russian adoption consultant. The hours are long, and the pay is in barter, but you gotta do what you gotta do, seein' as how I can't leave the country. :)

But seriously, the Children's Hope office in Brentwood, TN has an opening for such a job. The hours are still long, but I'm pretty sure they pay in US dollars. :) If you or anyone you know is interested, email Brenda at Children's Hope (I stripped out the @ sign in order to confuse "spambots". Geeky stuff. Never mind.) You'll figure it out. :)

As to my own paperwork problem, I'm told that they just have to request that the form be reissued. I don't know why, since I'm the one who filled it out in the first place. Why can't I just fill out another one? But you know how government bureaucracies are. This will give me something exciting to do while we wait those ten days after (assuming) the judge grants us custody of Elizabeth. It's not a "problem," it's an "opportunity!" That's the corporate way of looking at it, right? You know me, always the corporate sort of guy! :)

Russian Bureaucracy

by bill - 2007-12-05 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Oh... my... God. Do not EVER lose that document they have you fill out on the plane before you land! Stapling it to your forehead would be less painful than what Galina, Liena and I went through today. Vika was tending to the other couple, Nancy and Joel. Anyway, we just spent ALL afternoon standing and sitting in line at the Immigration department. I'm not the one who had to do the hard work, though. I hope CHI pays Galina well because she jumped through some hoops dealing with Russia's infamous bureaucracy, smiling the entire time. She knows how to get things done.

But first, some news about Elizabeth, the whole reason we're here. We saw her in the orphanage for the first time in two months. She actually looked a little taller, and her hair was a little longer. She immediately let me pick her up and we both kissed her. But then she was suddenly not very friendly. We think she remembered she was mad at us for leaving her the last time. She WAS very sad that last day. She warmed up to us by the end of this visit, though. Tara pushed her around on the three-wheeler as they tried to run me down, just like old times! :) Still, her not being terribly friendly until the end was a little tough for me. It didn't phase Tara. She said it was just a 2-year-old being a 2-year-old.

After the orphanage, we shopped for groceries, then dropped Tara off at the hotel. Liena and I picked up Galina at her apartment and got to the Immigration office just before 2. The office is only open from 2 to 6. We put our name on the list (WAY down the list), and ran some errands such as getting things notarized, etc. We returned to Immigration around 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon there. Thank God there's no smoking allowed. Not that anyone honors those signs elsewhere, they do when there are armed guards nearby, probably happy to shoot anyone who acts up, out of sheer boredom. They did actually escort an irate woman out shortly after we got there.

By the time we finally got in to see the "document minister" (or whatever she's called) at 5:55, she spoke for about 30 seconds, signed something and sent us down the hall to see some other guy. Galina went in there to see him, only to come out a second later, unhappy. I asked Liena what happened. Galina had just been told by this man that the only days he "accepts visitors" was on Fridays. Today's Wednesday. Galina marched down the hall to the original woman for a few minutes, returned to the second man's office, came back out a minute later and went into another office. Liena and I just stayed in the hall, out of the way. Liena guessed Galina must have made a call to someone important to get this man to agree to see her. She then went in and out of several more offices, trying to talk to people before they left at 6pm SHARP. She finally came out of one office, set all of her things down, and started to go out the front door. "What?" I asked Liena. Galina was told she had to go make a copy of my passport. Now, you know those people have photocopiers somewhere in those offices, they just wouldn't let Galina use one. Before she went outside, however, she turned back around and went into another office and talked them into letting her use the copy machine. She then returned to the previous office and came out a few minutes later with a sigh of relief. She set her things down with a smile on her face and handed me the passports, looked up and crossed herself, and we all laughed and got out of there.

I told Liena to tell Galina "please forgive me" for losing that stupid form in the first place. Galina just laughed and acted like it was nothing.

The moral of this story is, don't ever visit Russia! No, wait, I mean, don't ever lose your "papers." After today, the court appearance suddenly doesn't look so bad in comparison. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

It's Showtime

by bill - 2007-12-05 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We leave in an hour for Court. I just got back from breakfast. Tara did not join me because she can't eat, she's so nervous. Gotta go get dressed. Wish us luck!

And the Judge Says

by tara - 2007-12-05 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

She's ours!

It's official! Elizabeth is ours. The court hearing went very smooth. It took about an hour and a half. There was a judge, prosecutor, a rep from the Child protective services, and the Minister of Education. They had a lot of questions about our parenting style, our finances and guardianship of her in the event of both our deaths. They asked some questions that really surprised us. Like, "if you divorce, who will get custody of her?" We have to admit, that's not a question we had considered. But, we managed to come up with an answer that was satisfactory to them.

So, now we start our 10 day waiting period. We will be allowed to see her once a day everyday, except Sunday during the 10 days. We will take her from the orphanage on December 10. Then we have another 5-7 days in Astrakhan to get her passport and translated adoption papers.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, I think they worked! But, keep it up, because we're not outta here yet!

Tara Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

Success

by bill - 2007-12-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

As you probably read below in Tara's post, our court appearance went very well. Ten days from now we will officially be the proud parents of Elizabeth! And now Vika tells us that we get to visit her not just a few times, but every day except Sunday. I don't know what Elizabeth has on her schedule for Sundays, but apparently she's busy. :) To me, being allowed daily visits is HUGE because we need to reestablish that bond with her as much as possible before we travel back home with her.

For the record, the courthouse is on Sovetskaya Street. [UPDATE: This might be it here, on the right..] The courtroom number was 114; just in case that means anything in numerology. :) In court, of the eight of us, I was the only man. For some reason, that calmed my fears a bit. I guess because I knew that if push came to shove, I could "take 'em." :) There was no "bailiff" or any sort of security person, which surprised me. I was expecting several unsmiling men with guns, in those iconic red and green Russian army uniforms.

One of the "witnesses," looking at the photo album before the hearing began, noted how much Elizabeth looks like Tara. I joked that she looks more like me, just because I'm contrary like that.

Once the hearing began, each person except for the judge stood and introduced herself, talked about her hopes and dreams and ... OK, not really, but they did state their names and titles. As expected, they started the questioning with me. I talked about how long Tara and I have been married, why we're adopting, why from Russia, and how much we love Elizabeth. A lot of it is just a blur, but apparently I performed well. They asked each of us about our jobs and finances, and me specifically regarding experience with children, what we would do with Elizabeth if we were divorced, and did we have a prenuptial agreement. That one also surprised us. I said that, in accordance with the pre-nup, we would sell her to the highest bidder on e-bay. :) Actually, I said we would see who she was closest to, and that person would be the one who kept her. Of course, the other spouse would try to get visitation rights, and there was no pre-nup.

At one point, the judge took an unexpected break and left the room. When she returned, she was unable to keep a straight face as she asked, "So, have you changed your mind about this adoption?" I just laughed and said, "No." After the hearing, Tara and I laughed about that question. "Yeah, we've changed our minds. We were just kidding. We never thought we would get this far. I guess we didn't really think this through."

At the end of the hearing, she again left the room, this time to make her decision. By the way, every time she came or went, we all had to stand. The same was true whenever we answered one of her questions. It was good exercise.

Anyway, the hardest part is over. Now we just have to worry about the rest of our lives.

After tonight, we will be relocating to a less smoky room on a lower floor. We went and looked at a possible apartment for the rest of our stay, but the neighborhood was just way too broken down, scary, depressing, and isolated. Vika said it was a safe neighborhood, but "you never know." The apartment itself was OK inside, but we just decided that we had it pretty good at the hotel, after all, so that's where we will stay.

Went for a Walk

by bill - 2007-12-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

... in the freezing cold, we were THAT bored. I'm starting to hate this place. There's just nothing to do when we're not visiting Elizabeth or going shopping, and both of those require a driver, and usually a translator. I can't wait until we're out of here, but we've got two weeks to go. I'll see if I can't download stuff from YouTube or something to give us more to pass the time with. We should've brought a laptop for each of us because the laptop is also the DVD player. At least Tara had the good idea of increasing our Netflix account temporarily so we now have five movies (plus the Friends DVDs) to watch ... probably over and over. We're so bored, we've started watching all the OTHER stuff on those DVDs. We also discovered that the hot-pot we bought has a three-prong plug, but for this one we need an American 3-to-2 plug adapter, not the European ones I have now. It's always something. My butt is sore from all the times I've kicked myself.

Tara says we can borrow a kettle from Vika, so that's good.

Grocery store down the street, now close permanently -- Might be the one, now with a different name, where I had that beet salad -- Might be "our" courthouse, but not sure

Much Better Visit Today

by bill - 2007-12-06 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Elizabeth (a.k.a. "Masha") was much happier today. We were told that the orphanage caretakers probably were not telling her that we would be "taking her away," but who knows? She let me "fly" her around the room again, which made her laugh. We played piano. Yesterday, she wanted up on my lap to play piano, but she batted my hand away so that only she was playing. Today, we did a duet.

One very good sign was that we're told she asked where her mama was before leaving her room. By the time she met us in the music room, however, she was shy again at first. But then she got into Tara's makeup purse and put it on. At 2½ she already knows which makeup goes where.

She put Tara's sunglasses on and someone told her that she would have many boyfriends in America because she is so pretty. Then she found Tara's cell phone and obviously knew how to use it. So, she "called" Vika on the phone, and they spoke.

Then she got back onto the three-wheeler. I pushed her all over the place while she drove and talked on the phone. Just like an American girl!

She barely colored anything today, and has not been especially interested in music lately except for the piano.

Anyway, today was great! Of course, she's two, so who knows how she'll be next time, Monday. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

The Day After

by bill - 2007-12-07 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Well, we're much more relaxed now that we've gotten past the court appearance. The problem now is getting Elizabeth to like us again. Today, she cried for the first time. She let me hold her, but my Russian words were not much consolation. She calmed down once our interpreter Liena returned to the room. Liena then commented that she was sorry that Elizabeth like her so much over us. I had to burst Liena's bubble and tell her that Elizabeth prefers anyone who speaks Russian. I'm doing my best to learn the language, but it's a slow process.

Thanks for your comments here. It's more fun when it's interactive like that, though I do wish that some of you would tone down the religious comments.

We like our new room MUCH better. It doesn't reek of smoke and we've got a view of the Volga again, like last time. Just now, the manager, an American named Robert, gave us a discount (not much, but we'll take it) because we'll be staying so long. He was surprised that we would be staying the entire time, but we explained that leaving and coming back would be even more expensive. Besides, we need a lot of time to reconnect with Elizabeth. I don't want her screaming the entire trip back.

One of the most remarkable things I've noticed about Russians is their ability to deal with adversity and life's daily aggravations. Pedestrians crossing the street are barely missed by passing cars, and they don't say anything. Almost nothing here is done the same way two times in a row, but they don't get angry. One bureaucrat tells a person to go see another bureaucrat down the hall, only to be told by the second one that today is not their day to work even though they're in the office, and the customer just laughs it off. People here just never get angry, at least not in public. They probably should, for their own mental health, but they don't. Anyway, I"m just impressed with how flexible they are.

Well, Tara's probably wondering where I am (I have to come down to the first or second floor lobby to blog because the wireless signal only goes that high).

Saturday Morning

by bill - 2007-12-07 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Tara made a good guess earlier. She thinks the orphanage caretakers are telling Elizabeth that we will be taking her away soon. They think they're doing us a favor, trying to prepare her. But now, every time we come to visit and they leave the room, she freaks out because she thinks it's happening now.

I would have preferred that they just pretend nothing was going to be different for her, until that moment when she simply leaves the orphanage and comes "home" to the hotel with us. See, by then, she might have been comfortable enough with us to let us take her wherever we wanted. But now, she just freaks out whenever she sees us, making this whole thing more difficult than it had to be.

We had a fire drill in the hotel yesterday. A woman knocked on our door and asked us to please go downstairs to the lobby. I told her in Russian that I don't speak Russian [phonetically, Ya nee gavar-YU pa-Russki], so she repeated it in English. She was very polite. When we got to the lobby, of course there was a crowd down there. One of the women from the front desk was very nice, going out of her way to come up to us and say, in English, "Don't worry. It's just a drill." There are some really nice people here, and I try and focus on those.

The younger men seem normal, but there are a lot pimp/thug type men around here. They're usually middle-aged and walk around with a swagger, just daring you to look them in the eye. People like that have barely evolved, and I try to avoid them. Let them think they "won" the staring contest, when in fact it is they who are the pathetic losers, lower than most animals. I'm sorry, was that too harsh? :)

I usually do try and focus on the positive, actually. I might speak negatively or sarcastically fairly often, but am usually fairly positive. I just don't always verbalize it.

The other adoptive couple here, Joel and Nancy, left yesterday. They are great people. They're adopting boy and girl siblings. Unfortunately for them, their return trip will happen in January or February, the dead of winter. But they're from Michigan and Montana originally (though they now live in Phoenix), so they can handle harsh winters. I have added their blog to our "blog roll" on the right. Here's a screenshot of the entrance

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

It's Going to Be a Good Week

by bill - 2007-12-08 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

That's all I wanted to say. :)

We had a shortened visit with Elizabeth today because we had to first stop by the pharmacy and get some Ben-Gay and ibuprofen for my sore neck. Ben-Gay actually sounds (and smells) the same in Russian, it just looks funny on the box. Then when we got to the orphanage, we had to wait 20 minutes before they brought Elizabeth to us.

Here's a screenshot of the entrance.

Tara and I are both anxious to get her out of there and into the hotel with us so we can spend more than an hour or so at a time with her. I'm sure she'll cry all the way to the hotel, but at least once out of the orphanage we can give her food to calm her down. Right now, that's not allowed ... unless you are Russian adoptive parents, apparently.

Here are some pictures:

The last one is the hallway of the current floor we're on at the Azimut Hotel. The ones of the trees show ribbons that bridegrooms are supposed to tie as high as possible to show their love for their new bride. The other two street scenes are just of the street surrounding the park with those trees.

And now, just added!, the first pictures Elizabeth has ever taken (as far as we know):

UPDATE: Recently discovered this map showing the entrance of the orphanage on yandex.ru

She's Warming Up to Us

by bill - 2007-12-09 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We had her laughing, smiling and giggling today. I pushed her around on the three-wheeler, then "flew" her around the room. She even let us chase her around, and it didn't scare her when I chased her!

She seemed more comfortable with Tara than she was with me today, so that's good. They can do "girlie" things together, you know.

I forgot to mention, but I think yesterday she told me I was smart, "oomNEETsa." Probably because I'm always telling her that. I'm always telling her how pretty she is, too.

So, it was a very good day with Elizabeth. Tomorrow, our visit is in the afternoon. Up until now, it's always been in the mornings, ending at her lunch time.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

by bill - 2007-12-11 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We visited Elizabeth again today. We caught her when she was in the music room with all the other kids in her age group. She smiled wide when she saw us, but by the time she reached us, she tried to keep it cool. Like, "Oh, it's you. I thought you were somebody else." Just kidding about that "quote." I hope I'm kidding. :) After the crowd of kids left and it was parents' visiting time, there were three kids and their adoptive parents left. The room was too crowded for me to be flying her around the room, if she would have even let me do that. She wasn't terribly comfortable with me today or yesterday. Maybe it's the Ben-Gay smell? She definitely prefers Tara ... this week. I'm used to rejection, though, so it's OK. :)

We tried fitting her with the new tennis shoes we brought, but they were too small. Still, she wanted to wear those instead of the ones she had on. They have little lights that go on and off. And then we put some new pants on her under her dress, and she didn't want to take those off. She loves new clothes. I can already see that she'll be spending all of my money on her clothes as she grows up. We went to a mall and found a new pair of little kid snow boots for her, since that's what we'll need immediately when we pick her up for good on Monday.

We adjusted our return flight tickets today at the Aeroflot office near the hotel. I hate to say anything definitively around here, but the plan now is that we'll leave Astrakhan for Moscow on the 17th instead of the 20th. That means we'll still be here almost two more weeks, but at least it's three less days than expected. No offfense, we're just bored and homesick. We still don't know if we'll get to leave Moscow for home any sooner than planned, but we'll try.

Picture of Us Before Court

by bill - 2007-12-13 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

...from several days ago, the morning of our court appearance. Taken by the other adoptive family in town for their first trip, the Mees.

We have one more visit today before we pick her up Monday. Our ten day wait is over tomorrow, but because that's Sunday, we wait until Monday. Then we start the process of getting her passport and visa, and wait another 5-7 days. We've already changed our return flight to Moscow in expectation of that second wait time being 7 days, but we'll change them again if we get to leave even earlier, although that's unlikely because of the weekend.

She's Ours

by bill - 2007-12-15 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We have her in the hotel now. I tried typing that sentence earlier but she shut the computer down as I was typing! I don't know how. But just a few keystrokes and it was shutting down. Now she keeps trying to run away from Tara down the hall. So far, she hasn't cried, just the occasional "I don't want to do that" sound that kids make. She's so great!

The First Hours of Parenthood

by tara - 2007-12-15 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Oh my gosh! She's a handful!

Well, we left the orphanage without much incident. She told the orphanage staff that she wanted to leave in the car. But, she refused to let me or Bill hold her hand or touch her other than put her snowsuit and boots on. The orphanage director walked her out and then Vika, our interpreter took her from there. She would only sit on Vika's lap the whole way to the hotel. Just as we pulled up to the hotel, she threw up all over herself and Vika. Vika was so surprised that she actually pushed Elizabeth out of her lap! Nothing personal I'm sure, just a reflex. So, we cleaned off Elizabeth and Vika outside the hotel. Bill went ahead upstairs to put away the groceries and other things we had bought earlier. Then Vika tells me that we need to go to Aeroflot's office to present them with the Adoption paperwork and Elizabeth's ticket. Apparently, Aeroflot needed documented proof that we are Elizabeth's parents. Aeroflot is about 3 blocks from the hotel. Galina needed Bill to stay and sign paperwork for Elizabeth's passport. So, Vika, Elizabeth and I walked to the Aeroflot office in 6 inches of snow and puke stained coats (go figure). At this point, Elizabeth still would not let me touch her, even hold her hand. She even wanted Vika to walk between me and her! She's very temperamental! But, she wasn't much happier with Vika at this point, either. Vika kept talking to her about the snow and other things we saw, Elizabeth would just turn her head and ignore Vika. So, it made me feel a little bit better that she didn't like Vika much either.

We finally got back to the hotel where Bill was waiting on the front steps for us. We finalized some details in the lobby and because Elizabeth was still being so temperamental, we asked Vika if she would walk up to our room with us in order to hopefully save us from a scene in the hotel lobby with a screaming child. She agreed and walked to our room. I had laid out all new toys, coloring books, play-do, her own bowl and fork/spoon on a chair and floor (kinda like Christmas) so that was the first thing she saw. We opened the door and she ran to see her new stuff. She never noticed that Vika did not enter the room. Vika closed the door behind us and stayed outside for a couple of minutes to make sure she would be okay. Within five minutes Elizabeth was talking to us about her toys and exploring the hotel room (what there is to it).

Within a few hours (actually within less an hour) she had tired of her new toys. She wanted other things, like to turn the TV on and off, on and off. Finally we had to unplug the TV. We've discovered that she has a very big vocabulary, much bigger than we originally thought. Unfortunately, we're not sure what she's saying most of the time because it's all in Russian. That will be our next big hurdle I think. I can already see that it's going to be hard to deal with her while she is still speaking Russian. Although she did help us communicate with the housekeeper. The housekeeper came in to change the linens on our bed. Elizabeth stood there watching her. The housekeeper asked me what her name was and I didn't understand. Finally, Elizabeth said "my name is Mosha." I then realized what the housekeeper was trying to say to me. Right now, we're still calling her Mosha. We certainly hope to change it to Elizabeth, but, one thing at a time.

She is also quite the fashion diva. She found her suitcase and pulled out more clothes and demanded that we change her out of her current outfit and into a new one. We did. Then later she came back to it and wanted another shirt and pants to be put over the top of her first pair. By the time we were done, she had a t-shirt, sweater, sweater vest, and long sleeve blouse on top, a pair of tights, a pair of cotton pants and two pairs of socks on the bottom. Then she found a pair of Bill's socks in the dirty clothes bag, pulled those out and put them on top! She is so funny!

Another time, she gathered all her toys in a bag, put on her coat, hat and boots and headed to the door carrying the bag of toys. She was turning the doorknob wanting out of the room. She kept saying something, but of course we could not understand. I told Bill I knew she was saying "I'm outta here Suckers!" I could just tell from her tone. Finally Bill was able to understand a little of what she was saying and she was saying "See you later!"

I can tell that she's really going to test us. She already is. I've had to scold her multiple times today for hitting and throwing things. Of course, this is a very confusing time for her and I'm hoping that part of this behavior is because of the drastic changes she has endured today. But I also know that a lot of it is just being 2 years old. That is their main purpose in life at two -- to drive their parents to the brink of insanity.

So, while I was writing this, Bill was entertaining her by walking her up and down the hall. Suddenly I hear her screaming and crying. We don't know what happened, but I took her and carried her back to the room. We sat down and I rocked her to sleep. She missed her nap (although we tried very hard to get her to sleep) so I think that was the problem. I finally laid her down in her baby bed. I hope she is still asleep when I get back. I'm not counting on it though. The bad thing is that it's only 7:00 here. I'm afraid she won't sleep through the night. We'll see how that goes.

More Pictures (12-09-2007)

by bill - 2007-12-16 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Here are some photos from today of the hotel and the closest major street to us. We didn't get very far on our walk because it was too cold.

I just had to go for a walk. I was getting cabin fever. This is where we walked. Tara's at the bottom right of one of the pictures.

Tomorrow (Monday) will be a busy day. We file some paperwork at a couple different places and pick up Elizabeth from the orphanage!

Bowel Movement

by bill - 2007-12-17 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I like a headline that demands attention!

It's official, I'm a parent. Elizabeth had her first bowel movement since we've had her, and it was on my watch! Tara was unable to put Elizabeth down for a nap while I was out walking around town looking for groceries and sundry items. Once I returned, Tara decided to take a nap herself.

We had been a bit worried about the "BM situation." We even emailed the doctor at Vanderbilt. He replied and said don't worry, just give her more juice, etc., probably muttering under his breath, "And stop bothering me, dummy."

Anyway, during Tara's 1½ hour nap, Elizabeth had the BM, we played happily in the "living room" after that, she wandered off and peed her pants, I gave her a shower, and put clean clothes back on her. All firsts for me, I'm pretty sure. But really, once is enough. I can't wait until she's FULLY potty-trained and able to bathe and dress herself. :)

Nothing Much to Update About

by bill - 2007-12-19 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

She's just driving us crazy. Luckily, Tara is taking the brunt of it. I had to get out and walk around town in the freezing cold, just for the sake of getting out. I was at least useful, coming back with some groceries.

Elizabeth's sweet as can be and very playful most of the time, but she turns on a dime. The main problem is just keeping her entertained/distracted ... constantly.

After her most recent crying fit, she "apologized" by breaking out the photo album and pointing to a picture of the three of us. She pointed at me and said, "You are my papa." She pointed over at Tara and said, "She is my mama." I said, "Yes, very good. And you are my daughter." She really liked that. This was all in Russian, of course. That was the first time I'd trying saying that sentence to her. I was never sure how well it would go over. She calls me "mama" or "uncle" half the time. I don't really care what she calls me, just so long as we get along.

Sleep, What a Concept

by bill - 2007-12-20 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I slept on the floor most of last night. It's a little after 7 a.m. here. Elizabeth refuses to sleep in her crib, even though we're told that's what she slept in at the orphanage. So, she sleeps with us in our bed. That bed is barely big enough for just me and Tara. Anyway, Elizabeth can go to sleep in the bed, but whenever she wakes up a few hours later and discovers me next to her, she starts crying. That's not the first time that's happened to me, but that's another story. :)

I finally just got out of bed and spent the rest of the night on the floor of the "living room." I like a firm mattress, but this is ridiculous. (We're in a mini-suite that's really no bigger than a normal non-suite room.) I couldn't take a pillow, either, because it would've woken her back up, so I used my jacket as a pillow. The hotel pillows suck, anyway.

They were both still sleeping when I snuck out to type this. Must be nice. :)

Some of you are probably wondering why we never post pictures of her here. It's because we're not supposed to. It might be OK now that the court decision is final. But just to be safe, we're waiting until we're back on US soil.

P.S. -- Tara tried emailing several people last night, but the internet connection here is so flaky, she couldn't do it. It'll tell you that you've got an "excellent" connection to their WiFi, but it never gives you the IP address you need in order to do anything. You WiFi users will understand what I'm talking about.

Here's Your Update

by tara - 2007-12-20 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Everyone is wanting an update! Well, we're parents of a two-year-old now. No time for updates!

She is keeping us busy. Her favorite things to do are: play in the sink, play in the tub, and play in the toilet. She is a waterbaby! One of the things we were warned about an adopted child from an orphanage was that they may hate baths and it would be very difficult to bathe them. Not our child! She loved it from the minute she found out she was getting a bath! And she takes every opportunity to get a bath. She is a little manipulative. And has a temper if she doesn't get her way. For instance, I gave her a bath this morning before breakfast. After breakfast, she and Bill were in the room playing while I was trying to answer emails from the lobby. She decided she wanted another bath. Bill told her no. She then proceeded to pee her pants so that he would HAVE to give her a bath! She apparently stood right there in front of him so he would see her do it! Man! We have a challenge ahead of us.

She also likes to brush her teeth -- all the time! I brought a baby toothbrush and toothpaste with me but had no intention of using it on the first day because I was not sure if she even had her teeth brushed in the orphanage. But only hours after being in the hotel room the first day, she spotted Bill's toothbrush while washing her hands, and begged for it. So, I got her toothbrush and paste out, put some on the brush and she stuck it in her mouth and began brushing. So, I was impressed with the orphanage that they do teach the toddlers about brushing their teeth. But now, she thinks she should brush her teeth EVERY time she goes to the bathroom, which is very often. At least once an hour. So, we have a screaming episode quite often when Momma and Papa do not want to brush her teeth for the 10th time that day. I've stayed pretty firm with her that she only brushes her teeth in the morning, after a meal and at night. That's at least 5 times. I think Papa has let her do it more often, but I predict that will end as time goes on.

She's starting to understand English some. She doesn't speak it, but I believe she understands quite a lot of what we are saying. Especially words that she hates, like : "nap", "bedtime", "sleep." I've started calling her "Mosha Elizabeth" in hopes that she will learn that Elizabeth is her name and we can drop Mosha. But that will take some time, and we may end up having to keep Mosha at least as a nickname. But, her legal name is Elizabeth Ashley Dievna Holmes. We got the adoption certificate and her new birth certificate on Monday. So, everything is legal.

As Bill mentioned in the previous post, sleeping is the biggest challenge right now. She does not want to go to bed... at all. She screams and cries forever. I've never seen a child that can cry and scream for as long as she can. I'm talking almost a solid hour. I hold her, rock her, sing to her. Nothing works. The first night we had her, she passed out in my arms fairly quickly, but I think she was so exhausted from the days events that she couldn't put up a fight any longer. The second day was bad. She screamed and screamed when I tried to put her down for a nap. She refuses to stay in her crib. She doesn't like our bed much better, but she stayed in it when I made her stay. The second night she finally passed out on top of me in the bed. That is how we slept most of the night, with her on top of me. I slowly got her to slide off of me during the hours of the night where she eventually turned cross ways to me and Bill. Then she slept with her head in my side and her feet propped up on Bill. Last night it was 10:00pm before we got her to bed. She was so sleepy she was almost walking into the wall. Finally I told her "Mosha, let's go to bed" and she actually got up off the floor and walked with me to the bed. She let me lay her down in our bed and only cried for a minute then fell asleep. But, at midnight she awoke and started screaming. I'm not sure how long that lasted. I just kept rocking her until one of us passed out. I'm not sure who fell asleep first. But Bill got up and slept on the floor. He's convinced that he is scaring her being in the bed. I'm not sure that's it. I think she just needs to take her frustrations out on someone at bedtime, and she's chosen him for that "honor". So, we're all sleep deprived and kinda walking around like zombies today. I was dreading another scene today at naptime, and was putting it off as long as possible. I decided that I would wait until 1:00 to start the process. I was washing clothes before that, and when I came out of the bathroom, she was standing at our bed with her head on bed with a little throw pillow sucking her thumb. I decided to give her a few more minutes on her own. By 1:10, she was asleep, standing up! So I carefully moved her legs up onto the bed and she's been asleep ever since! Hallejuhah!!!! At least one crying scene diverted.

In about an hour, we will take her to a photographer to have her picture taken for her visa. We should receive her passport and visa on Monday. We leave Astrakhan on Monday evening about 8:00pm. That puts us in Moscow around 10:00. But, on our last trip we did not get to our hotel in Moscow until 1:00 am because of the horrible traffic in Moscow, even at that time of night.

More later!

51-1/2 Hours

by bill - 2007-12-20 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

That's how long before we leave Astrakhan for Moscow. Not that we're counting or anything. The bad thing about these in-country flights is that they don't use "jetways," those expandable tubes that protect you from the weather as you get on and off the plane. You are out there exposed on the tarmac, which is no fun in bad weather.

Once in Moscow, Elizabeth has to get a "physical" which really just verifies that she's a real live girl, nothing more. Then we go to the US Embassy to make Elizabeth a US citizen. Then we fly home. Hopefully, that'll happen on the 21st or earlier. If it is, we'll have to adjust our flights with Delta, but it'll be worth the penalty fee.

Then I get to go straight back to work. At least it'll be Christmas time, so hopefully that means things will be slow.

Otherwise, everything is fine on the Russian Front.

Back in Moscow (12/18/2007)

by bill - 2007-12-20 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We made it this far! The plane ride was terrible for several minutes when we had to fasten our seat belts, which Elizabeth did not want to do. She SCREAMED loudly for quite a while, ticking off everyone nearby. Luckily, part of it was drowned out by the sound of the jet engines revving up and taking off. After that, she pooped her pants (I think for the second time this trip), and Tara had to take her to the bathroom to change her. It was horrendous. I'll let Tara blog about it, but I will say that the ONLY two times in the flight that the plane swerved at all was while Tara was in the bathroom trying to change Elizabeth's pull-up diaper. It swerved so much, I wondered if the pilot was avoiding a sudden flock of geese or something. At least getting out of the airport went very quickly and uneventfully.

This morning, after three hours sleep, Elizabeth passed her physical with flying colors. The reason we only got three hours sleep was because we got into the hotel late and couldn't sleep until about 1 a.m. At 3 a.m., Elizabeth woke up screaming. For some reason, I was the only one who could console her. Probably because of the few Russian phrases that I do know. Then we had to wake up at 6 to be picked up at 8 for Elizabeth's appointment. Just before that, we had the worst $60 breakfast I've ever had. No, this hotel, the Holiday Inn -- Moscow Lesnaya, does not provide a free breakfast like all the other ones where we've stayed.

I just got back from a long walk going to the grocery store and pharmacy to get more wet wipes for Elizabeth and a few things to eat in the hotel room. The refrigerators in these Holiday Inns are booby-trapped to charge you for any item you might move or remove. So, you can't use the fridge for your own stuff. At least, we're afraid to. They do provide a hot pot, so we can cook a few things. On my walk to the grocery store, I discovered a TGI Friday's! It's too far for Elizabeth to walk, but maybe they do take-out so I can bring it back to the room.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we have our Embassy appointment. So, I GUESS we can leave Thursday? I sure hope so. The only thing I dread about the flight back is the fact that Elizabeth's next poopy diaper on a plane will be MY turn to clean up. I'm fairly sure Tara will never let me forget that.

Pictures of Our Life in Astrakhan

by tara - 2007-12-21 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Tonight is our last night in Astrakhan. So, I thought I'd post some pictures of where we've been living for the past 19 days.

We've had many battles over clothing. She thinks I put too much clothes on her. In the hotel room, she wears her thermals. But, she loves her boots. So, she often walks around in her thermals with her snow boots. Ronica told me "pick your battles", and this is one I chose not to fight. :)

astrakhan-courthouse-another -- astrakhanairport -- astrakhan-station -- astrakhan-pier -- astrakhan-kremlin -- astrakhan-hotel -- astrakhan-kremlin1

Just Another Week to Go

by bill - 2007-12-22 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

... maybe less! That cheers me up. That's assuming everything goes as planned ... and it WILL. I believe in positive thinking (when I'm desperate, anyway, because it leads to positive actions, which lead to positive results, or at least your chances are better). I don't always practice it, but I try. It doesn't always work, but it never hurts. Kinda like that book "The Secret," only not quite so full of it. :)

Yesterday, Elizabeth got mad at me again for some reason while it was my turn to entertain her as Tara was down the hall using the computer, emailing people, etc. Elizabeth's tantrums are steadily decreasing in length and ferocity. Anyway, she got mad, grabbed a plastic bag and started filling it up with her favorite toys. Then she realized she needed another bag, so she grabbed another one and filled that up. She put on her boots and sweater and dragged those bags up to the (locked) front door, saying something about going some place where they speak Russian. :) She got over it five minutes later, just in time for Tara to return.

Later, during another one of my "shifts," after she wet her pants again, I helped her take a bath/shower combination. I'm not sure. Basically, she was playing in the water ... for 25 minutes! I figured "Why not?" It's not my water that she's wasting, and I really had no other plans for the afternoon.

Riding the Metro, Part Deux

by bill - 2007-12-23 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

All three of us went to Red Square this time. I'm glad Tara was able to see it. Elizabeth was fascinated, too, but probably won't remember a thing.

We then had lunch at Sbarro in the underground mall, where Tara bought some more souvenirs.

One more night, then we leave! We'll see some of you Sunday night at the airport. Some of you others, well, who knows? :)

This is the last blog post in Russia!

Moscow Update Continued

by tara - 2007-12-23 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We're in Moscow.Bill already summarized our trip here. I do believe that I am fully initiated into the sisterhood of Mothers. I have changed an exploding poopy diaper in an airplane bathroom, with turbulence! I'll spare you all the details, but let's just say, I will be burning our clothes from that trip. Internet access is very expensive in Moscow ($20.00 an hour!), so our updates will be less frequent. In Astrakhan, it was free. Our trip to the doctor went pretty well. She weighs 26-1/2 pounds and is 35-1/2 inches tall. He did confirm that she has an allergy, probably to food. He told us to keep her away from citrus, chocolate and nuts. He told us to use Benedryl cream for the rash that keeps breaking out on her. The first thing we will do when we return is get her tested for allergies. The doctor said that he thought the worst problem we will have is keeping the boys away from her. He told Bill to buy a shotgun! :) So, hopefully we will only have a couple more days. More later!!!

Update to the Update's Update

by bill - 2007-12-23 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I went ahead and paid for the 24-hour internet connection from the room. It wasn't even double the cost of one hour. I also swapped out the flaky cable and that seems to have fixed the connection problem. [Wrong. I had to call the techs back to fix it.] The hotel sure did send up some techs quickly to check it out. Tara and Elizabeth are asleep, though, so I sent them away, saying everything was OK after all.

I walked down the street again, looking for the TGI Friday's but never found it. I was hoping to surprise Tara with a real recognizable meal for a change. Oh well. I found their sign again, but no restaurant just a bank. Figures. Nothing in Russia is as it seems. :) [UPDATE: Here's the Google Maps location showing the bank/building I thought was the restaurant.]

Looks like we'll be having pepperoni (the only recognizable lunch meat I could find at the store), swiss cheese and mayo sandwiches for dinner tonight. Tara saw a KFC on the way to the hotel last night, but I haven't seen it since. I normally avoid them, but we're desperate for reasonably-priced food in this, the world's most expensive city.

I hope that there are seats available for us to change our flight home to Thursday or Friday instead of the currently reserved Sunday flight. I'll offer to ride in the pet compartment if necessary. :)

Can't Leave Early

by bill - 2007-12-24 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

... but at least it's all over. The Embassy visit went fine.

Delta said that the only way we could take the available seats on earlier flights was to pay $2800 extra FOR EACH ticket. We said no. Unless someone wants to donate that to us, then we'll call them back. :) As it is, we can't leave until Sunday as originally planned.

To the Embassy

by bill - 2007-12-24 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Our last stop before the airport on the magical mystery tour is the US Embassy. They will make Elizabeth a US citizen and a registered Republican. Just kidding about that last part, of course.

I wonder if the Children's Hope people will give us that promised tour of Moscow today, finally. I don't really care if they do, quite frankly. For the sake of having some video footage of Moscow's famous landmarks, etc., however, that would probably be good.

Still in Moscow

by bill - 2007-12-25 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We're in a different hotel, the Holiday Inn -- Moscow Sokolniki, for the rest of our stay. This is the one that was originally reserved for our return from Astrakhan. It has a reliable internet connection, costs less per night than yesterday's, and provides a great FREE (not $60) breakfast. The only drawback (if that, given that the Metro subway is so close, cheap and fast) is that it is farther away from the Kremlin/Red Square. With this much downtime we'll probably do some touristy things, after all.

We had lunch at the McDonald's across the street from this hotel. Elizabeth does NOT like McDonald's. That's good, actually, even though Tara and I agreed that it was the best McDonald's meal we'd ever had. :) I tried to order combo meals for us, but that didn't work. All we missed out on were the fries, which I should probably avoid, anyway. In fairness to McDonald's, Elizabeth probably just doesn't like beef. It might be the first time she's ever tried it. Her distaste for beef is also a good thing, though I don't expect it to last. We have nothing against Russian restaurants, we just can't read the menu to know what to order. That, plus the fact that they're usually too expensive.

Riding the Metro

by bill - 2007-12-26 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

We're going to attempt to ride the Metro subway to Red Square today. Wish us luck. The exits aren't numbered, they are listed by name ... in Cyrillic. Of course, the overhead announcements are in Russian. One helpful thing is that the announcements are in a male voice if you're going toward the center of town, and in a female voice heading outward. Hopefully I'll figure it out.

Then again, with Tara now sick, we might not go at all. We've got to do something to kill the time, though.

UPDATE: I went ahead and took the Metro down to Red Square myself today. We wanted me to go through the process once myself alone before trying it with a 2-year-old in tow. It ended up being no big deal, though it was fun just to think I could now say I've ridden Moscow's Metro. I walked through Red Square and took video of St. Basil's and all that just in case Tara can't join me again tomorrow. It's supposed to snow tomorrow, so that'll make for more interesting video. Anyway, we'll probably do it all over again tomorrow. I went ahead and got lost in the underground mall on the way back, so I've gotten that out of the way. :)

Airport Arrival

by bill - 2008-01-01 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

Some pictures as we arrived in the airport. There was a great welcoming party there! We've never had an airport welcoming party before!

Stay Tuned

by bill - 2008-01-02 ( family / adoption / holmes / travel ) [html version]

I hope to get the rest of the photos and videos on here, at least in raw form, over the next few days. I think I'm getting over my post traumatic stress disorder from the trip and can now face looking at the video again. :)

Regarding Comments, I had to set those to require approval before showing up on the site because spammers have discovered this site and started adding spam comments. I don't know how.

Actually, here's some raw video now. When viewing them, they all have the title of the first one by mistake. Just ignore that. I'll fix it before the "official" Adoption Video is put together:

• Leaving the orphanage
• In the hotel
• Red Square
• Elizabeth's first Christmas

Travel Page

by bill - 2008-01-09 ( life / travel / blog ) [html version]

Currency converter

Posted on 23 Feb 2008

A Flight Attendant's report

by a flight attendant

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over the continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination." No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, Newfoundland. He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately-no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request..."

Read the rest here

All travel-related posts

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Sacramento -- Washington DC

Santa Ana -- San Antonio

International Canada Cancun Europe from Nashville (video here) Europe from Sacramento Guatemala Russia Moscow (video) Astrakhan (video) Tijuana Vancouver California Trip (2008) by bill - 2008-09-11 ( family / holmes / travel ) [html version] Tara, Elizabeth and I just returned from a trip to California. We went for my nephew Thomas's wedding (to bride Heather at Lake Tahoe), but it was also a convenient excuse to let everyone on my side of the family, especially her Grandma and Grandpa, finally meet Elizabeth. No offense to Thomas and Heather! Tara's side are already well familiar with our little girl. My brother Doug and nephew Michael (and families) still haven't met her, but everyone else now has. I have six siblings, in case you're wondering how many family members I have. The wedding was great. There was some miscommunication and the Holmes side of the family arrived a few minutes late. The wedding was very well done -- outside under the pine trees overlooking Lake Tahoe. [Is that Greg, in back, standing up to object to the wedding, with Thomas and Jeannie, up front, staring him down?] It was pretty cold, actually, for a September first. But then, Tahoe is up in the mountains. One of the bridesmaids read a poem. Thomas and Heather said their vows, though I couldn't hear most of it because of the wind. I'm not normally a bridesmaid gown critic, but theirs were a nice green, with parasols. The bridal gown was very nice, too; off-white and looking like something out of Gone with the Wind. The reception, also outside, was very nice, too. Thomas's "second best man" Jake gave a great toast; something about Thomas's double heel injury a few years ago having him on his hands and knees, and now Heather would have him on his hands and knees for the rest of his life. The food was great. Elizabeth and her 5-year-old cousin Shayden were inseparable, just running all over the place. The day before, at Dad's house, which is on the Sacramento River, Elizabeth waded into a river (which she kept calling the ocean) for the first time ever (that I know of). Lucy brought one of her Rottweilers for Elizabeth to play with, and a Rottweiler stuffed toy, too. My oldest brother Greg and his wife June, who we hadn't seen in quite a while, were there. As was Don, who lives in Nashville but I never see because he lives on the other side of town. Lucy had already met Elizabeth in May when we met her in Franklin, Kentucky at a Rottweiler dog show. Steve and his wife Sherri were at the wedding, and then we met up with them again at Dad's house the next day for dinner. It was good to see them in person. Steve and I have been involved in an email flame war the past year or more due to our differing political and religious positions. In person, we kept it civil and actually got along. He still has ridiculous opinions, but at least we can be civil. Sherri is cool. Videos: Taking Don to the airport; pre-wedding; reception Wednesday was easily the highlight of the trip when we went up to Cottonwood, California to see my sister (Thomas's mother) Jeannie's ranch, Harmony Haven. It's not just a ranch, it's a therapeutic riding and horse rescue operation. Jeannie's daughter Tiffany and son-in-law David actually run it from day to day. I'll post some video soon as well as still photos once I get those off the camera that seems to have died. Don't ever buy an $89 digital Kodak from WalMart! I've ordered an SD card reader so I can get those pictures from the camera. The video camera works fine, it's just a pain getting the video off it and onto the computer. Anyway, Elizabeth rode FOUR different horses! She's a regular cowgirl now. She learned to say, "Walk on!" to make the horse go, though of course she had to make it her own and say, "Move on!" which still worked. The horses know who's boss. Even I rode a horse, Rosie the draft horse, with Elizabeth in front of me on her withers. Well, now it's time to try and download that video footage. Videos: Tricky1; our girl; tricky2; saddle; tricky3; donut Please donate by clicking here. Thank you! Or go here: harmonyhaven.wordpress.com/donations And, last but not least (and possibly best of all), you can use AmazonSmile instead of plain old Amazon. Choose Harmony Haven Therapeutic Riding & Horse Rescue (EIN: 26-1882493) as the charity you are supporting. Other sites, articles and pages regarding Harmony Haven Facebook TikTok (1) TikTok (2) Local Gyms and Fitness Yelp MadBarn Chamber of Commerce TSA Sexual Assault by admin - 2010-11-06 ( life / travel / airports ) [html version] If I do have to fly, I'll try and make all connections through New Jersey! See TSA -- Sexual Assault. See also New Jersey moves to ban full-body scanners Preikestolen, One of Norway's Most Visited Attractions by admin - 2010-11-14 ( life / travel / europe ) [html version] "Preikestolen is one of Rogaland county, Norway's most visited attractions, and one of the country's most spectacular photo subjects. It has been named one of the world's most spectacular viewing points by both CNN Go and Lonely Planet. It rises 604 metres above the Lysefjord." Read, listen or watch the rest here: Visit Norway UPDATE: Here is that cliff's official website (yes, cliffs can have websites): preikestolen365.com Which Airports Have Body Scanning Technology by admin - 2010-11-24 ( life / travel / health ) [html version] Airports to avoid, if at all possible: Which airports have body-scanning technology At least my airport, Nashville Int'l, uses the "less dangerous" model. Diane's Icy Adventure by don - 2010-12-30 ( life / travel / weather ) [html version] Christmas night, Diane, on the way to a party, found herself in the fast lane of the freeway with a car stopped in front of her and the brakes not working due to a patch of black ice. With cars and trucks honking on the right side, she had no choice but to steer for the shoulder, running over not one but two sign posts. The first sign, a tall one, she flattened without incident, but the second one, a yellow caution speed sign, grabbed the bottom of her car and wedged itself there so she could go no further. The cause of the accident was a young couple with a 2-month old baby who had hit the ice and had probably thrown their hands in the air, then gone onto the shoulder, bounced off a cement wall, over a rise that must have had their car almost vertical, then back onto the fast lane of the freeway where they stopped, not knowing what to do. Fortunately for them, another driver decided to pull up behind them and put his emergency flashers on. When I got there in the (all-wheel drive) Subaru, only going 45mph and suddenly seeing her car around the bend, I put my brakes on and slid a little, but then steered onto the shoulder safely. When the cops got there with their flashing roof racks they blocked traffic in the fast lane, so it was finally a safe situation. If that guy hadn't pulled up behind the first car, it would have eventually been creamed, I'm sure, with the baby in it, since they didn't think of taking the baby out of the car. The tow truck company and the police said it would be hours before a tow truck could get Diane's car (due to several other accidents around town), so we left it there overnight. This morning we were able to jack it up and pull the sign out, and Diane drove home without further incident, with no injury to the car except a mark in the bumper where she'd hit the signs. So remember kids, don't trust other drivers to know what they're doing! (And only you can prevent forest fires.) UPDATE FROM DIANE HERSELF: I release all claim to the information contained in this report, Bill, so you have my permission to publish, although I can't speak for the author. He is getting Chinese takeout for dinner later, in honor of those responsible for my accident :-) Both the car and I are in perfectly good shape. I don't have even the tiniest sore spot anyplace. Hannah (the car) only has two large scratches on her very front, one for each sign, which I will dab up with white paint once the weather improves so that she will not be embarrassed by them, and also some blackberry-peach crumble.com over the front passenger side of the car. I think the original accidentees were going too fast and hit their brakes on the same patch of ice that I did; but since I was only going 40-45 mph, even when I skidded I got off the road sooner (in terms of distance) and didn't travel nearly as far as they did. I was able to regain control of the car way before I would have hit the wall the way that they did. Looking at the trajectory in the snow that our respective cars left, that was really key. So, says Snowy the Bear, always travel with your road conditions in mind. It saved my car, and my butt, last night. Hope everyone is having a great holiday! love, Diane TSA Misses Luggage that Explodes After Flight by admin - 2011-01-27 ( life / travel / government ) [html version] "Despite a $98 million infusion for state-of-the-art baggage screening machines, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) somehow missed a suitcase filled with explosives that blasted after a three-hour domestic flight. The shameful gaffe is simply the latest of many for the beleaguered Homeland Security agency charged with protecting the nation's transportation system. A checked bag on a flight from Boston to Miami contained hundreds of bullet primers that exploded on the tarmac after the plane arrived in south Florida. Primers provide the spark that detonates the gunpowder in bullets." Read, listen or watch the rest here TSA Persecutes Critics, Ignores Security Threats by admin - 2011-01-29 ( life / travel / airports ) [html version] "While the Department of Homeland Security investigates a commercial airline pilot for exposing security flaws at a major U.S. airport, it fails to protect America against terrorism by not screening passengers and cargo on thousands of planes that fly over the country each week." Read, listen or watch the rest here: judicialwatch.org Tour of Nashville (2011) by bill - 2011-04-16 ( life / travel / usa / nashville ) [html version] Elizabeth and I played tour guide to my sister Jeannie, her daughter Tiffany, and her husband and kids. We started with a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel one exit east of the airport. My brother Don wanted to go to Shoney's -- like when our other sister, Lucy, visited last year (on day 1 of the rains which led to the May floods) -- but he was voted down. He lobbied hard via email, but good sense and common decency prevailed. They don't have Cracker Barrel in California, but they had seen billboards while driving to Nashville from Johnson City -- where they attended Jeannie's grandson Finnegan's first birthday -- and wanted to give it a try. My wife Tara, brother Don and his wife Diane joined us for breakfast, but not the tour. The food and service were both great. I was a little worried because someone had given this particular one a bad review online. Just goes to show you never know how things might work out for you on any given day versus how it went for someone else. Maybe the person doing the review was the jerk, insulted the staff, and then received the bad service he deserved? Who knows? Everyone sitting at and serving our table was very nice. I offered my individual-sized syrup bottle as a souvenir for David and Tiffany, but then we agreed that, no, airport security would just confiscate it on the flight back. Shayden and Elizabeth spent a lot of time making up games with those peg-board games the restaurant puts on each table for the kids. I don't think the kids were playing it the way they were supposed to. Neither one of them is the type to follow someone else's rules when it's so much more fun to make up their own. Once finished eating and after the requisite souvenir shopping in the gift shop portion of the restaurant -- about one third of the square footage in every Cracker Barrel is taken up by their gift shop -- Elizabeth, almost 6, wanted to start the tour and show everyone her favorite park/playground near our house, which was nowhere near our current location. I had to explain the concept of being a tourist, which doesn't usually include visits to neighborhood playgrounds. We said goodbye to those not joining the tour and loaded into the rented minivan. Our first stop was at the Harley-Davidson dealership on Fesslers Lane. Jeannie's husband Matt collects Harley t-shirts, so now he'll have one from Nashville with Warner Brothers cartoon characters on it. I asked if he liked those cartoons. Jeannie said, "I'm buying this shirt because I can stand looking at it. It's blue. I'm tired of all the black shirts." Next stop, downtown Nashville. We were trying to get in and get out before Clinton, Gore and whatever other dignitaries would be attending our former governor's funeral for which they would be barricading streets. Our timing was perfect. Just as we drove past the War Memorial building, the site of the funeral, the police were setting up the barricades. Immediately prior, we had gotten a pretty good look at the Broadway and 2nd Avenue area, the tourist spot in Nashville since Opryland was dismantled a dozen years ago. We also slowly drove past the original Grand Ol' Opry location, Ryman Auditorium, just off Broadway. David asked which bars I would recommend. He and Tiffany wanted to check out the nightlife later that night. I suggested the entire Broadway/2nd Avenue area because you can hop from bar to bar. I didn't think any of them had a cover charge. Across the street from the War Memorial is Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) where Elizabeth had her dance recital last year. Catty-corner (sp?) from there is the State Capitol building up on the hill. Elizabeth feigned exasperation, saying, "Ugghh, my school just went there!" It's true, she and her classmates were there a couple weeks ago. Poor, abused child. From there, we meandered over to the downtown farmer's market, near which I used to work at Franklin Industries. We drove through Bicentennial Mall, which is a park, not a shopping mall. We gave a passing nod to the Germantown neighborhood, which is really nothing special, surrounded by bad neighborhoods. I don't know why some people find it noteworthy, but I'm probably simply uninformed. Heading south, we drove through "The Gulch," starting where it's not yet called "the Gulch." It's down by the railroad tracks, below most street levels, between The Tennessean (local newspaper) and the beautiful old Union Station Hotel. I think The Gulch officially starts after passing under Broadway, going south, if there is an official starting point. Again, there's nothing terribly special about that part of town, but I like it for what it is. We turned right on Division Street and came upon the "controversial" Music City Roundabout. It's controversial because it features an over-sized, anatomically-correct, bronze or iron sculpture of people dancing naked around a fountain! Naked! I heard Tiffany telling the kids that "everyone's naked under their clothes." And that's the sort of sentiment that prevailed when they put that sculpture there. We circled through the roundabout a couple of times because Jeannie, our driver, "accidentally" kept turning left. Half a minute later, we were on 17th Avenue, the "lesser" half of the two main streets that make up "Music Row." I guess it should be called "Music Rows," but that's not nearly as catchy. It's an old residential neighborhood from the 20's or 30's that has been turned into offices for record labels, recording studios, artistic management (agents), etc. It's much more attractive than typical office buildings. We circled around to check out the 16th Avenue half, and another few minutes later we were circling Vanderbilt University. "Vandy" takes up several square blocks, consisting of three separate hospitals (Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt Children's, and the V.A.), the school itself, its athletics fields, stadium, dormitories, etc. On the north side of the campus along West End Avenue, we pulled into Centennial Park to get out and let the kids play at the playground there. Well, looky there: I guess playgrounds are part a city tour, after all. The kids got snowcones and played for a while until the adults grew restless and we all walked over to the Parthenon, a life-sized replica of the real Parthenon in Greece. On the other side of the Parthenon was the much more interesting -- to the kids, anyway -- duck pond to feed the ducks and geese. Interestingly, there was a wedding underway about a hundred yards to my left. I had heard the music, but it wasn't until the bride's veil billowed up in a gust of wind that it caught my attention. From Centennial Park, I showed them the HCA Data Center where I used to work years ago. I can't believe it's been 15 years. Where did the time go? "Down the drain," Diane informed me later when we stopped by her house. She should be a motivational speaker. :) Anyway, we visited Don and Diane in a very nice part of Nashville called Green Hills. I'm still not sure how they can afford to live there, but they do. I stayed with them a few months when I first transplanted myself to Nashville from California. The miles between Green Hills and my house in the Cane Ridge part of Antioch were filled in with a trip down Hillsboro Boulevard to gaze upon the beautiful estates on the hills above the road. There are some very nice homes there, a couple of which I think are occupied by one or another of the many famous people who live in and around this town. Turning east onto Old Hickory Boulevard, there are several more beautiful properties before getting to the business end of Brentwood, a popular part of town for various corporations to setup headquarters. Tara and I have both done our time therein. They keep it from looking like a "downtown" by enforcing a four-storey limit on all buildings. Several years ago, there was a constant stream of new buildings under construction, but now almost every building has "space available" signs out front. It's still a vibrant, attractive business district, there's just plenty of space available now. About eight miles later, they were dropping us off back home, and we said our good-byes. Family visits are always nice, and almost always too short, except of course in those instances when it's relatives you can't stand, but that was definitely not the case here. Things to Do in Nashville by bill - 2011-10-11 ( life / travel / usa / nashville ) [html version] Actually, in and around Nashville. Adventure Science Center Alpha Mom (list) Andrew Jackson's Hermitage Broadway/2nd Avenue Centennial Park Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre Cheekwood Country Music Hall of Fame Delvin Farms Discovery Center of Mufreesboro Family Days Out (list) Franklin on Foot Gentry's Farm Hatcher Family Dairy Milky Way Farm Monkey's Treehouse Nashville Children's Theatre Nashville SC (soccer) Nashville Predators (hockey) Nashville Shores Nashville Sounds (baseball) Nashville Symphony Nashville Zoo Natchez Trace Rippavilla Plantation Story Time (Nashville Library) Tennessee Central Railway Museum Tennessee Titans (football) Things to Do (according to Crazy Family Adventure) ...according to Expedia ...according to Thrillist ...according to Trip Advisor ...according to US News ...according to Vacations Made Easy ...according to Visit Music City ...according to Washington Post Things you [maybe] never knew about Nashville Warner Parks Best Places to Go (2013) by admin - 2013-01-12 ( life / travel ) [html version] Nashville made the list! Here's what they say about it: "The new Nashville offers two things worth traveling for: a hot, trendy new food scene and its famous, funky music scene. The "haute southern" cuisine is flourishing in Nashville at restaurants like The Patterson House and The Catbird Seat. Not to mention some of the tastiest and most creative cocktails we've ever tried. At night, you can't walk two blocks without coming across some incredible live music, from bluegrass to brass bands, zydeco to country." Where to stay: Try the Hutton Hotel [I fixed one of the managers' computers there!] for a sophisticated yet modern atmosphere, with rooms starting at $197. Travel Picks: Best Places to Go in 2013 : Condé Nast Traveler. Here's a more up-to-date link: cntraveler.com Sights Around the World by bill - 2013-09-07 ( life / travel ) [html version] A list of must-see sights around the world. Less obvious places, such as Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Vermont, or the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, etc. Hopefully fun, interesting, different sorts of touristy things that people might not have thought of. Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA -- Jeannie WonderWorks in Gatlinburg, TN -- Jayson The Jeita Grotto in Lebanon is amazing; The City of the Living and the Dead in Cairo; and, most tourists don't go but I got a car ride through the amazing Feynan Ecolodge in Jordan -- Miriam Tilamook Cheese Factory, Oregon -- Ken Greg and June's Trip to Europe (2013) by greg - 2016-04-26 ( life / travel / europe / italy ) [html version] Our Trip to Europe (2013) By Greg, with Help from June June and I started out at LAX after getting a ride from Aileen. Thanks, Aileen! Our flight to Rome on Alitalia was delayed by about an hour, for some reason. Before boarding, we ran into a friend on the same flight who was with another friend and her friend's husband, with whom I talked for a while. He works for a NASA contractor part time after having spent his career in aerospace. Currently he's helping design equipment for a trip to Mars. We talked about the planned trip to Mars, and it came out that he knows about the secret space program and sometimes works at that secret area north of Las Vegas. Most of it is underground, he said. It was a very unexpected and interesting discussion. While we were talking, they changed the departure gate again, so we all migrated over to the new gate. When boarding time came, we all loaded onto buses which took us to another part of the airport where the giant Airbus was waiting. It seated 10 passengers across. Our 11-hour flight was smooth, but our seats got uncomfortable after a while. I'm sure the seats are better in first class. We arrived in Rome about 2 p.m. the next day and breezed through customs, since they didn't check our bags. We found the train station but missed the first two trains due to confusion about how the trains were numbered. Finally we boarded the train to Civitavecchia, the port city for Rome. It is not a tourist city. In fact, it's hard to find a restaurant there other than a pizzeria. It's also hard to find a street sign, so I had to ask, in my very limited Italian, where the street was that led to our hotel. After asking several people on the street, we finally made it to the hotel after walking about a mile with our backpacks on. Following title="click for larger image, if available" href="https://www.ricksteves.com/">Rick Steves' advice, we had bought backpacks which doubled as suitcases. We also brought along a smaller cotton bag with shoulder straps, which I carried by hand. We were exhausted from lack of sleep and our trek through town, and went to bed early. We awoke around 2:30 a.m. and waited until 7:00, when they opened up for breakfast in Hotel Traiano where we were staying. After an excellent buffet breakfast, we went shopping starting about 8:15 a.m. The stores are open early there, I guess because they're closed from 1:00 to 4:00 each afternoon for siesta. We bought a SIM card for the GSM cellphone I had bought online and brought along, a belt for Brian, and some Euros with the prepaid debit card I had bought before our trip. Civitavecchia, like most other cities and towns we visited, has narrow streets. Parking is tight, so there were many small cars, including Fiats, Citroens, Lancias, Smart 2 cars, Volkswagens, and others. We stayed one more day in Civitavecchia and mostly explored the town. The next day we had another excellent breakfast at the hotel and took the shuttle, along with five other guests, to the cruise terminal. One of them told us that a girl in Rome had tried to pick his front pocket (!) but he grabbed her hand before she could. Hearing that made us glad we'd brought money belts, which was another recommendation by Rick Steves. After waiting a while in the huge cruise terminal building, we boarded the Norwegian Epic cruise liner. We were excited about going on our first ocean cruise. The Epic is the third largest cruise ship in the world, they told us, carrying 5,000 passengers and over 1,000 crew members – a floating hotel, as Norwegian Cruise Lines calls it. After finding our cabin and shedding our backpacks, we made our way to the Garden Café, where they had a huge buffet lunch waiting for us. The Garden Café is a dining room that spans the width of the ship and opens up to the outside deck, where there are swimming pools, a water slide, a stage, a bar, and an outside dining area. The food was great and the choices were many. The challenge was to keep from eating to the point of discomfort. Our cabin was on the 10th deck, out of a total of 18 decks. It was small, with no windows, but otherwise was nice. I used the treadmill in the fitness center that afternoon. That night we had dinner in the Taste, one of the "free" (no extra charge) restaurants, where the food was very good. Later we saw a Beatles cover band, who did an excellent job covering Beatles songs. They had all the right Beatles instruments, including a left-handed Hofner bass guitar. The next morning we woke up at 3:00 due to our jet lag, but it was a little later than the previous morning. We docked in Livorno, Italy, where most of the passengers disembarked for tours of Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terra, and other destinations. Since we were tired and hadn't signed up for any of these tours, we stayed on the ship that day and explored. That night we had dinner in the Manhattan Room, where you have to dress up a little (no shorts or tank tops). Some passengers really dressed up, with ties for the men and high heels for the women. But since we were traveling light, we didn't dress up much. The food was once again excellent, as we were coming to expect. The ship set sail again at 6:30 p.m., after announcing the names of stragglers from the tours. I assume they found them. That night we saw Legends in Concert, a Las Vegas show that was excellent. We saw "Tom Jones", "Adele" and "Tina Turner". All of them looked and sounded a lot like the original artists, and the band and backup singers and dancers were also very good. The next morning we pulled into port at Marseilles. We didn't purchase a shore excursion but paid for a shuttle bus to drop us off and pick us up from the downtown area. Marseilles has a huge shopping district near the waterfront – everywhere we looked, there were shops of many types. I forgot our camera and thought I had lost my sunglasses (I found them later in the cabin), so I bought a new pair for 10 euros. We also bought a surprise for Aileen, which we will give her next time we see her. After shopping and sightseeing for a couple of hours we were looking for a restroom but found out quickly that the restaurants there don't have public restrooms. So, when we saw a McDonalds, which was packed with customers by the way, we were very relieved, since we thought they would have a restroom we could use. Actually, we needed a "code on a receipt" to get through the door that led downstairs to the toilettes. Since we hadn't purchases anything, we just went in with a few other customers when an employee opened the door. We went to a French restaurant and had baguettes with cheese and veggies for lunch. Returning to the ship, we did some Wii bowling in front of a huge LED screen. It's scored like real bowling, and June beat me by one point – 171 to 170. After dinner we saw Blue Man Group, another Vegas act. We didn't know what to expect but found out they were pretty crazy, and very funny at times. It was mostly slapstick – the kids in the audience loved it. At the end, they climbed into the audience on the arms of the chairs and walked to the back of the theater. Then they unrolled numerous rolls of toilet paper, which were passed forward by the audience to the front, until we were all covered with toilet paper – a little audience participation. The backup rock band members were painted with day-glow paint under a blacklight. It was a powerful visual and auditory experience, and certainly unique. We then went to the Bliss Bar where they were singing karaoke. June and I sang two songs each. On the way back from the restroom, June met some of the background singers and dancers for Legends in Concert, and they complimented her on her singing. No compliments for me, unfortunately, but I did get some polite applause for my singing. The next morning we didn't wake up until 8:00 – finally, we were catching up on our sleep! We were in Palma Mallorca, a Mediterranean island which is part of Spain. A bus tour of this island was the one shore excursion that we had purchased. It's a fairly large island, and much more populated and developed than I thought it would be. Our tour guide was a lady who spoke good English and was very knowledgeable about the history of the island. At our first stop, we got out and walked a short distance to a large cathedral. She explained its history in great detail (it took 400 years to build) and I took a lot of pictures of the stained glass windows, statues, etc. We then visited a Spanish Pueblo, an old village within the main city, and then finally a castle on a hill overlooking the harbor. That night we saw the "Beatles" again, and they played some of the later Beatles songs that they hadn't played the first time we saw them. We enjoyed their show one more time. We arrived in Barcelona the next morning and it was raining. Also, they told us not many places would be open, since it was Sunday, so once more we stayed on the ship. I was disappointed, but a shore trip on that day probably wouldn't have been so great. That night we saw the Manhattan band, with a trumpet player/singer, sax, bass and drums, and a female singer for some of their songs. They were doing a Stevie Wonder tribute. Earlier, I had met the trumpet player, who was doing a solo guitar gig. He told me they would be doing "Isn't She Lovely". I told him I had a harmonica and knew the song, since I had played the harmonica solos for that song with our band. He said they would be doing it in the original key, and invited me to sit in with the band on that song. When the song came up I got on stage with the band and started playing. Surprise – it sounded terrible! I just couldn't hit the right notes, so I quickly sat down, very embarrassed. Later, the band leader told me the song was played in a flat key, which Stevie Wonder typically writes songs in. It turns out that in our band, our keyboard player had found a version written in C, which was the key of my harmonica. No wonder it sounded bad. I consoled myself by thinking "oh well, at least none of the audience knows me". But I was wound up and couldn't get to sleep that night until about 4:00 a.m. We both woke up late the next day and skipped breakfast. That day we were at sea. We bought a gift watch and wallet set for Andy, at a crazy two-hour-only sale. People were standing three and four deep around the jewelry counter, waiting for the sale to start. When it started, it was like a feeding frenzy - one lady bought 11 of the sets. Luckily, nobody got hurt. They were always having some kind of sale or promotion on the ship. June and I played a game of pool, but the balls rolled around somewhat due to the rocking of the ship, which as big as it was, still rocked a little at times. The ship was crowded that day because since we were at sea, all the passengers were aboard. In the morning we got up early and packed our bags, preparing to disembark. We had arranged before the trip to get off in Naples so we could take the train north to Turin. There, we would meet up with three of June's cousins and their husbands, all from the U.S., in a mini family reunion. After leaving the ship we found the bus station and caught the bus to the train station a couple of miles away. But when we boarded the bus, we couldn't see any way to pay. Apparently, everyone else had a bus pass. So we didn't pay, and luckily no one checked. We caught the 9:45 train to the Torino (Turin) Porta Susa station. It was about a five-hour ride, mostly very smooth, at speeds up to 300 km/hr. Reaching the Porta Susa station, we then had to find a local train to the town of Bruzolo, where we would be staying. We asked some people where to catch the train to Bruzolo, but no one had heard of it. Finally, a ticket agent found it on his computer, and after some confusion and almost getting on the wrong train, we boarded the train to Bruzolo. June and I were the only ones who got off in Bruzolo. Following the signs, we walked through the underpass to the other side of the tracks and waited at the Bruzolo station, a two-story boarded-up building. The hotel manager had told us he would pick us up from the station if we called him, which we had done in Torino, but when we called him from the station, it seemed that his English suddenly failed him. So we called June's cousin Mary and her husband Wendell, who had just arrived at Marco's house in a rental car. Shortly, Marco and Wendell pulled up in Marco's car, picked us up from the deserted train station, and took us to the hotel. Marco is June's relative who lives near Bruzolo and speaks English. The hotel manager must have felt guilty about not coming to get us, because as soon as we checked in he treated us to some red wine in his bar/breakfast room. Hotel Thea is a modern hotel in a building that was built up against an ancient tower on one end, and apartments on the other end. Bruzolo, we were told, was founded in the year 789 and has a population of about 400. Marco, who is 39, is the son of Gino, who passed away last year and who was the son of June's mother's cousin. We had dinner in the restaurant adjacent to the hotel, with June's cousin Debbie and her husband Dick from Minneapolis, and her cousin Kathy and husband John from Cleveland. Debbie works for the travel department at Delta Airlines, so she and her husband Dick traveled free on standby. They also got a free rental car for this trip. The next morning we had breakfast at the buffet in the hotel lobby. In our experience, the breakfasts in Italian hotels beat the breakfasts in most American hotels hands down. In the hotels where we stayed, the breakfasts included several kinds of fruit, croissants, yogurt, toast, coffee, tea, juice, eggs, and other types of food. If you ever get a "continental breakfast" at a hotel in the U.S., you might ask them what continent they're referring to. I don't think it's Europe, at least not Italy. Sandra, an Italian relative, came over to take us sightseeing. She also speaks pretty good English. Marco came along to help drive us, too. We had a caravan of three cars and traveled a few miles to nearby San Giorio, and up a mountain to the house where June's grandmother had lived. It was in a very old neighborhood. We then went a few miles further to the town of Susa, which has a museum and a number of historic features. We ate lunch at an authentic pizzeria which was very good. After lunch, we walked to the ruins of a Roman aqueduct, and an archway from the first century that had Julius Caesar's name on it carved in stone. Afterwards, we went into a museum. On the way back, we stopped at Fabrizio's house where he has a graphic arts shop with his son Alex. Alex gave us banners from the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics in Sestriere, Italy. He designed the logo on a corner of the banner. Fabrizio is Gino and Onorina's son. That night we went to dinner at Marco's house, which is very interesting. The dinner was in Marco's "man cave", a room adjoining his garage where he keeps his Ford Mustang. Marco likes everything American. He even has an American flag on his wall, and he has a collection of American license plates on the wall where he parks his Mustang. I asked Marco where he got them, and he said he bought them all online. June brought Marco and family wild rice from Minnesota and a Route 66 T-shirt for Marco's wife Monica. She gave June a thumbs-up sign that she liked the T-shirt. Marco and his wife were planning a Route 66 trip earlier, but it didn't work out. Besides Marco there was Debbie and Dick, Kathy and John, June's cousin Mary and her husband Wendell from Cincinnati, and at least five relatives from Italy. These included Marco's wife Monica, another lady named Monica, and a few others – I counted 13 around the table. First they brought out the antipasto, which I thought was the main course. It was very good, and then the main course came, followed by more courses and finally, gelato ice cream. I think Italians make the best ice cream. We started at 9:30 and finished around 11:30, unable to eat any more. I realized later that "anti" means "before" (the pasta). In the morning we headed for Sestriere in the mountains near the French border. In 2006 it was Olympic Village, but these days it's just a ski resort, and many of the Olympics facilities look abandoned. Georgia, who is Alex's sister, told us she tried out for the Winter Olympics and would have made the team, but she had to return to school. She was practicing for the bobsled (the "Bob", as the Italians call it), luge, and skeleton, which are all daredevil events. Georgia said she misses the adrenaline rush. We visited the facility where those events were held, and it's now completely abandoned. On the way back, we stopped for some delicious gelato. I usually avoid dairy products, but I make an exception for gelato. It's not as sweet as American ice cream, and creamier. We had dinner that night at Sandra's house – a large house, by Italian standards. Like the dinner at Marco's, it lasted about two hours and when it was over we were stuffed. They also had an after-dinner liqueur and gelato, which we somehow found room for. The next morning we went with Dick and Debbie to St. Michael's Abbey on top of a mountain overlooking the Susa valley. Kathy and John had left a couple of days earlier to tour more of Italy, and Mary and Wendell were doing something else that day. After parking as close as we could, we walked up uphill on a private road bought tickets at a gift shop. We then started climbing the many steps up to the abbey, which was built in the 11th century. When we got to the top there was a small cathedral where we heard Gregorian chants, which are more like songs. At first I thought I was actually hearing the monks' voices, but then I found out they were recorded. The visit to the abbey was very interesting and well worth the climb. Driving back into the valley, we stopped for lunch at a lakeside restaurant that had Homer Simpson and action figure displays inside. You never know what to expect in Italy! Since we and June's American cousins were all running out of clean clothes, we went into Susa to a laundromat, a "lavanderia" that had a sign saying "self serve" on the window, but it wasn't self-serve. We combined our clothes with those from Dick and Debbie, Mary and Wendell, and asked the attendant to wash and dry it for us. We had to leave the clothes overnight because she was closing in a half hour. That night we went to a trattoria, a type of Italian restaurant, for spaghetti with June's cousins. After breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we picked up the laundry for 30 euros, split three ways. We separated all the laundry and then traveled further up the valley. We then visited an abbey in Novalesa with Sandra's daughter Elenora, her husband Igor, and their two young children. Elenora works at the museum in Susa that we had visited earlier, and knows one of the tour guides at the Novalesa abbey, so we got a private guided tour of the grounds and chapels, which they don't normally do. We then all visited a cemetery in San Giorio where June's relatives have a family plot. We all went to Sandra's for lunch, where we had polenta, eggplant, sausages, cheeses, some other cold cuts, gelato, and of course, vino. We then left with Dick and Debbie for Torino Airport, where they dropped us off and caught a train to Milan. They were going to catch a flight to Frankfort, Germany for a few days, since they had a better chance of standby flights to the US via Frankfurt. Getting to our hotel in Torino was an adventure. First we took a train, then a bus, then a streetcar, and then we walked about a half mile. We got lost several times in between modes of transportation and had to ask strangers for directions in our poor Italian, so it took us about two hours to get there. Most of the young people in Italy seem to know some English, and some are fluent in it, but we didn't find many young people to ask that day. We found the older folks, most of whom speak little if any English. But one lady walked two blocks with us to show us where to catch the streetcar, since we couldn't understand her directions. When we finally got to the hotel, the manager said he would arrange a cab ride for us to the airport in the morning. We had a snack in the small hotel restaurant, and it was interesting to watch the manager washing dishes while wearing a suit, coat and all. The next morning we caught the "taxi" at 10:00. We think he was just a friend of the manager's, not a real cab driver, because the car wasn't marked and there was no meter inside. But the ride was smooth and fast, and we got there in about 15 minutes instead of the two hours it took us the day before. I gave the guy 25 euros and a 5-euro tip. We had a smooth two-hour flight to Lisbon, sitting next to a Portuguese lady who spoke good English. When we got off, she helped by showing us where baggage claim was, and where to catch the Metro (subway). The Metro was very smooth and fast, and after one transfer we arrived in the Dos Anjos ("of the Angels") district of Lisbon, an older part of town. I called my cousin Cristina, the daughter of my Dad's cousin Silvano, and she said she would pick us up in the morning. This time we stayed in a hostel instead of a hotel. The price was so cheap, I thought what the heck, let's save some money. We had some trouble finding it, which by now we were used to, but we found it. It appeared to be an old hotel that was turned into a hostel. I rang the bell and the owner's daughter came down from the third floor, and checked us in. There was no elevator. Our room was on the second floor, which was actually the third floor, since in Europe the first floor is apparently floor zero. We got two keys, one for our room and one for the door off the stairway. The shared bathrooms (luckily there were two of them) were down the hall. The place was somewhat run down, but our room was clean. We walked down the street and found a small restaurant had stir-fried vegetables and rice for dinner. All of the shops and stores were small in this part of town. In the morning we ate breakfast in a kitchen with a refrigerator, where we had placed some fruit and pastry we bought the night before. Cristina arrived a little after 10:00 in her BMW sedan to pick us up. I imagine she wondered why we were staying in such an area. The one-way street was narrow and cars were parked on both sides. We headed about a half-hour north to Cartaxo and her house, where she lives with her husband, her brother and her father, Silvano Rocha Homem. Their house is large, with a marble bannister for the staircase leading up to the second floor. They were very gracious and had lunch for us, which was prepared by their two housekeepers, a lady and her daughter. We had a good, healthy lunch, with wine. They have a lot of original paintings and beautiful antique furniture. One of their paintings, they told us, was 200 years old. Silvano is 96, but he seems to be in good health and walks up and down the stairs without his cane. Each time we saw him over the three days we were there, he was wearing a suit. He doesn't speak a lot of English, but he did know enough to tell us some jokes. With Cristina driving, she and Silvano took us for a tour of their farm properties, this time in Silvano's stick shift Mercedes sedan, since an "attention" message had come on in Cristina's BMW and she didn't want to drive it too much. They own several farms and a vineyard (which we didn't get to see) in the Cartaxo area. There we were, speeding over dirt roads on their farms and raising clouds of dust, in a Mercedes. It was a unique experience. We then went to Santarem, north of Cartaxo. It's a pretty town with lots of trees and old historic buildings. We stopped at a pastry shop for some "pasteis", which are like little custard pies, and some expresso coffee, and then returned to Silvano's home and we met Luis, Silvano'sson. After that, Cristina drove us back to the hostel in her husband's Audi sedan. Silvano and Luis accompanied to Lisbon and the hostel. We never met Cristina's husband while we were there, however. She said he was busy managing the farm workers, since it was harvest time. June and I had dinner at a small but good and reasonably priced restaurant next to the hostel. We had fruit and pastries the next morning, sharing the table with a young couple from Romania. Around noon, Cristina picked us up again and drove us to a seaside restaurant in Cascais, where we met her older sister Teresa and her younger sister Ana, who is the "baby" of the family, and that's what they call her. We had some excellent sea bass and veggies, wine, and dessert. The sea bass was cooked in rock salt, which seemed to bring out the flavor even more. Also, Cristina announced that it was her birthday. From there, we went to Ana's house. She has a large, modern house with a lot of modern art on the walls. Her husband, whom we didn't meet, is a surgeon. Teresa, one of Cristina's older sisters, was there, together with Silvano and Ana's son Jose, who is 26. Jose likes to sing and write songs, and has a recording studio in his room. He showed us a YouTube video he had made with him singing, which sounded pretty good. They brought out a cake for Cristina and we sang "Happy Birthday" in both Portuguese and English, and had our cake with champagne. That night in the hostel, I got up at night to go to the bathroom and the key broke off in the doorknob on the door to our room. Luckily it was on the outside, because otherwise we would have been locked in our room - with me having to use the bathroom! We told the manager the next morning and he fixed it right away and gave us a new key. I guess that's happened before. On our last full day in Portugal we met Cristina again, around 9:30, and she drove us to an apartment building in Lisbon to pick up Teresa and her husband Antonio. We never expected that Cristina would pick us up and entertain us every day, but she did. Our destination was an art museum. Antonio told us they have two art museums in Lisbon, a museum of ancient art and one of modern art. We went to the ancient art museum. Antonio belongs to a foundation that supports the arts in Lisbon. In the museum we saw many excellent paintings, sculptures, pottery, and more. The signs said "no fotos", but some people were taking pictures right and left, so I sneaked a few photos of sculptures and pottery, but none of the paintings or tapestries. After that, we drove to a famous pastry shop which Antonio told us was the most successful business in Lisbon. We went in and it was crowded, so we kept going through more rooms, and finally found an empty table. We had tea and "pasteis", and then left to drop off Teresa and Antonio. Around 2:00 we arrived at a small upscale restaurant where Ana was waiting for us. The lunch was delicious. We then drove out to a Sinta, a town north of Cascais, which is also very picturesque. We drove up a hill to a castle that Cristina wanted us to get out and see, but it was 10 closed for a wedding, so we stayed in the car. She told us it was where both she and Ana got married. We finally got back to the hostel, thanked Cristina for her great hospitality, and said goodbye. Later, we had a light dinner in the restaurant next door. The next morning we left the hostel and walked to the Metro station about half a block down and across the street. I wished we had known about that station when we first got there, because it was so close to where we stayed. There was no ticket booth at this station, so we had to use the machine. While we were trying to figure it out, since all the instructions were in Portuguese, a young lady who spoke perfect English walked up and showed us how to buy our tickets and get on the right train. We took the two-hour TAP Airlines flight not to Torino this time, but to Milan's Malpensa airport. But we had to get to the other airport, Linate, for our flight home the next morning. Since it was evening already, we had missed the last bus to Linate, so we took a bus to the central bus station and then caught another bus to Linate. From there we called Air Hotel, a hotel near the airport where we had a reservation, and after about 40 minutes a shuttle arrived to pick us up. We had some tea in the restaurant section and then went to bed. In the morning we had breakfast downstairs. It was the biggest spread we had seen since the cruise ship, and by far the largest we've seen in a hotel. There were all kinds of pastries, fruit, cereal, beverages, and other items, and everything was excellent. We caught the 10:00 airport shuttle and were on a plane by 12:30. A couple of hours later we were in Paris, on a one-hour layover. The Air France terminal was like an upscale shopping mall, with all the designer stores. We bought another gift, had lunch, and then got on a Boeing 777 headed for L.A. On the way home we flew over Greenland, where I took a few pictures through the window. We got two meals plus wine, of course. After all, it was Air France. They put us in the very back seats on the plane, which were more comfortable than our seats on the way to Italy. Still, it was a long flight. When we got to LAX we caught a Super Shuttle that was going to Orange County, but the driver wanted more passengers, so he circled around the airport and picked up four more passengers, all going to Anaheim. After dropping off everybody but us, he drove onto the I-5 freeway, where we were almost creamed by a large truck. Luckily, he was a good driver and swerved in time. We arrived about 8:00 p.m., tired but glad to be home! Alternate Route by bill - 2016-12-10 ( life / travel / transportation / traffic ) [html version] [Updated: 2022-09-29 13:30:29] Don't you hate it when you take an alternate route to get away from a slow driver only to have them end up in front of you later? Yeah. That's all I wanted to say. But, since you're here, look at this: How Did Moscow's Stray Dogs Learn to Navigate the Metro? by admin - 2017-01-29 ( life / travel / russia ) [html version] Interesting "Of Moscow's 35,000-odd stray dogs, about 20 are thought to travel regularly on the city's underground rail system. These dogs seem to be able to identify which trains to board, and where to alight. It appears that they can recognise humans who will give them a treat or a pat -- and avoid those who won't. They also show an impressive ability to deal with the noise and activity of the busy Metro system, which many pet dogs would find distracting and stressful -- indeed, they can often be found relaxing and sleeping in the crowded carriages." Read, listen or watch the rest here: Moscow's stray dogs on the Metro Here's another stray dog (one among dozens) that we saw while in Russia in 2007. Airlines Misbehaving by bill - 2017-04-27 ( life / travel / airlines ) [html version] United Airlines says "Thank you, American Airlines. Now everyone knows we're not the ONLY a--holes!" Yes, the woman was apparently belligerent (just like United's victim), but these so-called professionals need to be a LOT more professional. How to Take Your Own Passport Photo by bill - 2018-03-19 ( life / travel / photography ) [html version] [Updated: 2021-06-18 01:50:56] I was having a hard time converting a digital photo down to the correct 2"x2" physical size. Then I found this article: take your own passport photos. At first, I was thinking "Tell me something I don't know." Then I saw the link to the State Department's own online passport photo editor (photo tool). Perfect! Well, I'm still ugly in the photo, but they can only do so much. On the subject of converting, this site seems good for converting various digital formats from one to the other: FreeConvert.com Visiting Old Sacramento by bill - 2018-07-19 ( life / travel / usa / california ) [html version] Observations while walking around Old Sacramento with Elizabeth: Jul 14, 2018 2:38pm As I sat on a bench in touristy Old Sacramento, a little boy walked by and asked "Are you a statue?" I had to laugh. There was a statue/wooden carving of a man on the next bench over. Jul 14, 2018 3:47pm Homeless guy to a tourist: Spare any change? Tourist: I don't carry cash. Homeless guy: I can take a card. Cost of Living Comparison (Sacramento vs. Lisbon) by admin - 2019-01-31 ( life / travel / economy ) [html version] Cool international cost-of-living comparison site: expatistan.com/cost-of-living. If you're thinking of moving from Sacramento, CA to Lisbon, Portugal, for example, go to: cost-of-living/comparison/sacramento/lisbon Great Foreign Travel Tips by don - 2019-03-04 ( life / travel / advice ) [html version] The Hobo Traveler tells it like it is: don't rent a car, some cultures dishonest, police dangerous. Read, listen or watch the rest here: youtu.be/GNBfZ6oX73w "What Countries Give You The Most Respect, The Least?" 2019 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities by admin - 2019-10-30 ( life / travel / usa / crime ) [html version] This article is dated December 2018, and it's based on 2017 data, but whatever. :) RoadSnacks has a similar list here, and here's USA Today's. "This list was created based off information from the FBI's crime statistics which were gathered from US cities with a population over 100,000 between January 2017 and June 2017. The data looks specifically at the amount of violent crimes in a city which includes rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. It's important to note that the data used to create this Uniform Crime Report is collected voluntarily by police forces in cities across the country and not every city or state chooses to participate, so this list doesn't necessarily give the full picture. However, it does give a big picture look at some of the more dangerous cities which can be helpful for people who are planning their next big city vacation in 2019." USDOT to Ban Dog Breed Discrimination on Airlines by admin - 2020-01-29 ( life / travel / airlines / pets ) [html version] "The regulation is set to put an end to airlines discriminating against service dogs based on their appearance or breed, particularly pit bulls." Read, listen or watch the rest here: goodnewsnetwork Family Members Survive the Middle East by bill - 2020-03-19 ( life / travel / middle-east ) [html version] The headline is purposely misleading (a la my old newsletter), just because I can. My brother and his wife just returned from their 16-day trip to Dubai, Egypt and Jordan. "It was a great trip and at no time did we feel unsafe (except in the crazy traffic). In Egypt, we had a tour guide and a security guard with an Uzi at all tourist areas. Jordan and Dubai are pretty safe anyway, so no security guard was needed. Today, we heard from one of our fellow travelers in our Egypt group, a doctor with expertise in the study of viruses. He told us that on another Nile River cruise boat, a large number of guests had tested positive for coronavirus just two days after we had left our boat. He said we dodged a bullet!" Anonymous said, "There's a pyramid on Mars. There's a pyramid in Egypt. And guess what Cairo means? City of Mars. So maybe the pyramid builders came from Mars." Doug wrote, "The precision the pyramids required supposedly didn't exist when they were built. So IF that's the case, was it just magic? Do you really believe in magic?" Greg said, "We saw the pyramids this past February. I agree they were made so precisely that the technology the Egyptians were supposed to have back then couldn't have made them. We saw the same kind of precision with stone blocks in Peru in 2016." Auto-Gyros by don - 2020-11-04 ( life / travel / transportation ) [html version] I've seen this gyrocopter taking off and landing from the John C. Tune Metro airport. Maybe he's doing sales demos or something. Pretty cool looking. Read, listen or watch the rest here autogyrousa.com/ Looking to Get Away from It All, Permanent-Like? Here are Some Suggestions by bill - 2020-12-13 ( life / travel / advice ) [html version] If you're looking to get away from it all, here is some hopefully useful information. If you're primarily English-speaking (maybe looking to move permanently), here's a list of countries (whose primary language is NOT English) ranked by English Proficiency Index for their English skills. The top 12 are... Netherlands Denmark Finland Sweden Norway Austria Portugal Germany Belgium Singapore Luxembourg South Africa All countries whose official language is English If you'd rather avoid Corruption (might not include presidential elections), here's this from tradingeconomics.com of the top 10 (from good to bad)... Denmark New Zealand Finland Singapore Sweden Switzerland Norway Netherlands Germany Luxembourg Ranked by Internet Speeds (as of March 2017, on tradingeconomics.com), the top 15 are... South Korea Norway Sweden Hong Kong Switzerland Finland Singapore Japan Denmark Monaco United States Netherlands Romania Czech Republic United Kingdom Ranked by Crime Rate (on numbeo.com), the bottom 15 (1 being worst) are... Venezuela Papua New Guinea South Africa Afghanistan Honduras Trinidad And Tobago Brazil Guyana El Salvador Syria Jamaica Namibia Angola Peru Puerto Rico ...and (on numbeo.com) the best 20 for Crime (though totalitarian regimes tend to rank highly) are as follows: Qatar Taiwan United Arab Emirates Georgia Oman Hong Kong Slovenia Isle Of Man Switzerland Japan Rwanda Armenia Estonia Iceland Austria Croatia Belarus Czech Republic Finland Denmark Last and least, these are the European countries not in the EU (yet) Albania Andorra Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Georgia Iceland Kosovo Liechtenstein Moldova Monaco Montenegro North Macedonia Norway Russia San Marino Serbia Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City Executive Orders are Not Laws by bill - 2021-02-15 ( life / travel / vaccines / legal ) [html version] [Updated: 2023-02-19 21:29:20] Legally, they apply ONLY to that executive's employees and any property under their legally-limited purview. Here's an open letter to all airlines... I thought I would educate you on the "federal law" you cite as justification for your mask policy. "Are Executive Orders Law? The Short Answer: No, they are not in and of themselves law. The Middle Answer: Executive Orders may carry the "weight of law," but only insofar as... 1. They're directed to a department or other government entity under the Constitutional authority of the President of the United States of America; and, [emphasis mine] 2. The orders themselves DO NOT VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION itself or any local, state, or federal statute which lawfully derives its authority from the Constitution." I am sure this will fall on deaf ears, but I will not be using your airline unless/until you rescind your ridiculous mask mandate." Read, listen or watch the rest here: ryoc.us/are-executive-orders-law UPDATE: See also: how-to-effectively-resist-tyranny-without-direct-confrontation-threats-or-danger/ Very Few Countries Not Requiring Ridiculous Health Precautions by bill - 2021-04-10 ( life / travel / covid / vaccines ) [html version] [Updated: 2022-04-02 17:44:38] There are very few places a person can go, at the moment (April 6, 2021), without worrying about bureaucrats and their ridiculous "health" requirements, making you spend several days in quarantine (hopefully, at least in your hotel, not the airport luggage carousel). Of course, returning to your country will probably still require your participation in the charade. Read, listen or watch the rest here: countries-without-any-travel-restrictions-or-entry-requirements/ for a regularly-updated list. LATEST North/South American countries with NO testing/quarantines (as of MARCH 29, 2022) Aruba Costa Rica Curaçao El Salvador Mexico Complete list here: countries-without-any-travel-restrictions-or-entry-requirements/ and interactive map here: world map Gas Buddy Finds Stations that Have Gasoline, Diesel or Both by bill - 2021-05-18 ( life / travel / transportation / fuel ) [html version] No mention of their snack supply. Here's the link: tracker.gasbuddy.com From Hill to Valley, a Long-Winded Postcard from the Road by bill - 2021-10-01 ( life / travel / usa / southeast ) [html version] The drive from Spring Hill, Tennessee to Valley, Alabama was uneventful... until we were almost there. So close. That's a fairly generic name for a town, though, isn't it? Valley. It's like finding a good spot for a town, planting your flag, and naming it River or Forest or Hill. I know, that is how some towns around the world are named, but it sounds better in a foreign language. At least Spring Hill has "spring" in it. Whatever. The reason for our trip was not a happy excuse for a weekend getaway. We were going to a funeral, and it was important to Tara that she attend this one, if at all possible. I was just along for the ride. Elizabeth was staying behind with Tara's sister, Sandy, a.k.a. Auntie. Just don't call her Aunt Sandy. Long story not worth telling. The fastest route looks obvious on the map: South on I-65 for several hours to Montgomery, then northeast on I-85 to Valley, which sits on the line between Alabama and Georgia. North of Birmingham, we were diverted by Apple Maps to an alternate route on state and U.S. highways. This route -- allegedly faster -- wanted us on Interstate 20 for a little bit before putting us on the same U.S. Highway 431 that passes through Spring Hill, only a couple hundred miles south. Tara checked Google Maps on her phone, and it suggested the same route. Must be a major slow-down ahead, we figured. We would have passed through Birmingham in the middle of the afternoon rush hour, so it made sense. Now heading east on I-20, we came upon the apparently famous Buc-ee's, the world's largest convenience store. You read that right. And Tara insisted we stop. I'd never heard of it until an hour before, during early dinner at Cracker Barrel, when she said if we happened to see a Buc-ee's we should stop. You think she had anything to do with this detour? She is fairly magical, but probably not. A gas station/convenience store chain small in number but huge in individual store size, it was apparently all the rage on Tik-Tok or one of those social networks Tara belongs to that I don't. We got off the Interstate and I had to admit, "Wow, that is one helluva gas station." A dozen bays/aisles or so. I didn't count, but it was more than I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of gas stations. I'm not bragging, but, you get to a certain age and the special moments add up. To be honest, Buc-ee's was just another gas station convenience store, albeit thirty times bigger than most, with a hunting gear section. I was not particularly impressed... until I used the bathroom. You read that right. They had a great men's room. It was just so huge... and clean. You know how disgusting most public restrooms are, but these were very nice. The ladies room was probably even nicer, but they wouldn't let me in and I never asked Tara about her own experience. While she continued to shop for souvenirs, I went back to the car to wait it out. I guess I needed to sit down after such a mind-blowing bathroom experience. Anyway, sitting in the car, I noticed a "positions available" sign with Buc-ee's hourly rates for various jobs. Cashiers make $15, cooks make even more -- they have a diner offering just about everything, mostly deep-fried Southern-style -- the next level job was higher, and so on until you get to department managers who can earn as much or more than I do as a corporate IT specialist with 30 years experience. That was kind of depressing, actually. For the same pay I'm making now I could be working at a gas station convenience store... with all that glamor. Just a few more miles east on I-20, we finally took the U.S. 431 exit. Those last few miles into Valley had us on a stretch of dark, hilly, country road with a stated speed limit of 55. Most of the way, I had my car -- an 8-year-old dark brown (almost black) Ford Escape, if you're wondering -- on cruise control at 60 mph. I was catching up to the cars ahead of me, though, and have never been one to get in line behind a bunch of other cars. In fact, my perfect highway traffic situation is to be that lone vehicle travelling between packs in front of and behind me. Some people need to pass everyone they see. I usually just want to be left alone. A lot like my philosophy on life, I suppose.... Where was I? Oh yeah, I undid cruise control, but kept my speed around 60. There was nothing unsafe about it, but when we came to a downhill section in Roanoke -- where the cops were clearly lying in wait for us in the darkness -- my car naturally sped up. Gravity does that, even in Alabama. Blue lights appeared several hundred yards behind me, but they were so far back I wasn't entirely sure I was their target. I pulled over like you're supposed to, anyway, and they pulled in right behind me. "Crap," I said to Tara, "this trip just got more expensive." "I pulled you over for speeding," the friendly officer explained. Other than briefly blinding me with his flashlight, he was very polite. "Where you headed?" "Valley," I said, "to a funeral." I purposely mentioned that, hoping for sympathy. "I clocked you at 68," he said, not particularly sympathetic, "but the speed limit along this stretch is 55." I hadn't been paying that close attention, but it seemed high. "68!? Really?" "Yes, sir," he nodded and smiled as he took my license and insurance card. He never asked for my registration, though that might have been because I was already handing him the just-mentioned two cards, so he rolled with it. I don't know. The cop talking to me was a black man, maybe 30. The other one, pointing his flashlight into our car from the other side -- though I had turned on the overhead cabin light purposely to allay their fears -- was white and in his early 20s. Something odd that one (maybe both) of them did after we first pulled over and they approached on foot was to tap the back end of my car. I thought they were making sure the trunk (hatchback, in my case) was closed. I don't know. "No," Tara explained later. "They were putting their fingerprints on our car." "What? Why?" "In case you kill them and get away, when they find your car they can dust for fingerprints and prove you were the one that did it." I had no idea, but she nodded and said, "Learned that on Tik-Tok." It took forever for them to run my information through their system as we sat idling on the side of the road. And, I never knew it was actually two cop cars that pulled me over until the second one pulled back onto the highway from behind us and took off at a high rate of speed. I figured he spotted someone else to pull over. Several cars had sped past, thinking they were safe because the cops were otherwise occupied. I'm not sure what "my" cops were doing back there behind me. Tara guessed they were looking for a reason to arrest me, or at least make this stop worth their time -- thanks for the encouraging words, honey -- running my name through every system they had. As we sat awaiting their verdict, she turned around in her seat and did a three-second video of the flashing blue lights behind us. "Guess what we're doing right now?" she narrated and posted it in a group text to her sisters, mother, and our daughter Elizabeth, who has had her license less than six months. It was a good ten minutes before the cops finally returned to us. This time the white one was talking to me while the other one stood guard on the passenger side. Tara might bolt, you know. She had that look in her eye. They seemed almost surprised themselves when they said we were being let off with just a written warning. No ticket. The cop on my side couldn't let me go without a lecture, of course. "Just watch your speed. I know you're in a hurry, but it's better to arrive late than not at all!" I nodded and said, "Yes, sir!" I'm such a suck-up, but I was happy to not be getting a ticket. The responses to Tara's impromptu video consisted mostly of "LOLs," but she made a point of telling Elizabeth, "I just wanted you to see what can happen when you don't pay attention to your speed! Luckily, we got off with just a warning, but only because Dad hasn't been arrested or had a ticket in 20 years!" To clarify, I have never been arrested. Ever. Period. And that's saying something, given some of the stupid things I've done. I have been in a couple of accidents in those 20 years, though. One of them was my fault, the other one was not. And, I used to get speeding tickets fairly regularly in my 20s, but it has been quite a while. I think the reason we got off with just a warning this time was because one of their systems popped up with a message: "Do NOT mess with this guy! Just let him go, and count your blessings." That's my theory, anyway. Sandy said she checked our location on Life 360 (a surveillance/location app) during all this. We had added her to our "circle" before the trip, in case of emergency. And, apparently at one point it said Tara was moving again while I was not. Sandy thought, "Crap, Bill's been arrested and Tara's just leaving without him!" I had good laugh over that. I was never nervous about being pulled over. The typical butterflies only very briefly appeared in my stomach before dissapearing to wherever stomach butterflies disappear to. I was calm and friendly throughout the experience, but I needed that laugh. ~~~ On a more serious note, the reason for our trip was that funeral the next morning. One of Tara's church friends had only just moved to Spring Hill with her family a year and a half ago -- for her husband's job -- when she developed a breathing problem, was admitted to the hospital and, sadly, died much too young at the age of 50, leaving a husband, two teenage kids, and her 80-year-old grieving mother behind. No, it was not covid. Tara said the service was very nice. Her friend was popular and the place was packed. "You couldn't not like her if you met her," she said. "People flew in from all over the country." I didn't go in, just dropped Tara off, then drove around for the duration, checking out the surrounding area. As mentioned, Valley is right there on the Georgia state line, so I passed through West Point, Georgia. And, now I can tell people "I went to West Point!" which is probably a tired old joke there. ~~~ Tara insisted we stick to Interstates 85 and 65 for the return trip, and I was fine with that, despite our phones' map programs suggesting those minor highways again. What's up with that, anyway? It should be obvious it's faster to stay on the Interstates, even if you go a little bit south before heading north. You can go 75 or 80 most of the way -- faster when you've got a stray Ferrari on your tail -- rather than detour through winding country highways and those little towns with speed limits anywhere from 35 to 55 where the cops -- although very polite -- lie in wait. Interstate 85 took us through Auburn -- famous for its college football team -- and Montgomery, famous for several things, but most notably for country music fans as the town where Hank Williams died. Before you get to Auburn and Montgomery, though, you pass through Opelika where we shared our first-ever Whataburger experience. We were getting off the highway for lunch, anyway, not sure where to stop. Tara was starving after the emotional hour-long memorial and having earlier tossed most of her "crappy" free hotel breakfast into the trash. When I first saw the big "W" sign for Whataburger, I thought it was one of those old Der Wienerschnitzel restaurants we had in Sacramento as a kid. They're still around? I thought. But, no, it was a Whataburger, and one of Tara's favorite podcasters raves about it, so we had to give it a try. My Pico de Gallo Burger was delicious, but Tara didn't like the spicy ketchup they put on her basic "No. 1" burger. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to run to the carwash to get all those fingerprints off. I love my car, but am looking to replace it with something newer... and bigger in case I have to sleep in it if I'm let go from my corporate job for refusing that "vaccine," then passed over for one of those Buc-ee's jobs. American Man Walks Through Most Dangerous Neighborhood in Rosario by admin - 2022-01-20 ( life / travel / americas / argentina ) [html version] "In the past few decades, one city in Argentina has begun to develop a rather unsavory reputation for criminality. Rosario, which connects the north of Argentina to Buenos Aires through the Parana River, is actually a fairly beautiful city. But as with many places, there are two different sides to it. On the outskirts was a very different city, and on this day I would go to see what was there. Read, listen or watch the rest here BNA to SMF (2022) by bill - 2022-03-21 ( life / travel / usa / california ) [html version] Elizabeth and I returned home late Tuesday night after a few days in California, visiting family. I still despise air travel, and the mask requirement only makes it worse, but a couple of our American Airlines crew members were happy to tell us it expires next month. Using Doug and Jana's house in Sacramento as my home base -- with Elizabeth and Natalia in Tahoe, skiing -- I made a point to visit as many of my old stomping grounds I could think of from various phases of my life. I was trying to make this my Remember Tour, but not before Doug showed me all the projects he's got going on, which is a lot. Buying cheap (or getting free) a wide variety of things, he fixes them and resells them for a profit. I had to compliment his entrepreneurial and mechanical skill and spirit. Jana's got gardens and trees growing almost any fruit or vegetable they might ever need. They live along the same cross street -- East Country Club Lane -- which our childhood home on Edison Avenue also intersected, so I drove all around there checking out childhood friends' houses. When I dream about that time and place, where I tend to subconsciously insert hills, the streets actually have only a slight rise or descent. Either way, it was comforting to see all those old familiar street names. I said in my autobiography that, while this area named its major streets after famous inventors, they skipped Tesla. Turns out, I was wrong. Somewhere along Morse Avenue, I saw a Tesla Way. It was not a major road like those named for other inventors, though, so they're still disrespecting the world's greatest inventor, but I'll get over it. There are other streets nearby named after planets, including Vulcan, which made me laugh. I thought about visiting the spot where it all began: my birthplace, Mercy Hospital in East Sacramento. I emailed Steve beforehand to see if we could get together -- he and Sherry live in that general vicinity -- but he never got back to me, and I never got over there. I meant to visit the old Surfside Way house in Greenhaven on the river, too, but never got there, either. Same with Folsom. I wasn't being especially frugal this trip, but the current price of gas ($6/gallon) might have had something to do with not driving all over the greater Sacramento area. I returned to the Avis/Budget airport location to swap my Nissan Altima for a Ford Fusion. The Fusion was much better, but still had issues and, overall, the rental experience was not good. Here's what I said in response to their "How'd we do?" email: The first car, Nissan Altima, passenger seat was too low and couldn't be raised, the "Service Required Now" light was on the entire time, and two of the tires' pressure was low. Don't you prepare your cars for rental ahead of time? Then you charged me over $328 for ONE DAY with that car. I called ahead to see about changing cars with minimal fuss, but the customer support man said I had to do it all on-site. Dropping it off I told the woman I was just switching to different car, but she didn't say you'd charge me 5 days' worth for one day's rental. The next car, Ford Fusion, had issues with its electronics, randomly starting the wipers once, several times in cruise control randomly telling me "driver rest suggested" before suddenly speeding up. Otherwise, it was a decent car, but not good enough to ever rent again. You charged me $412 for four days' rental, which is not as bad as the first one, but still ridiculous. I rented through the aa.com as a package thinking that would save me money. Instead you charged me over $700, which is about three times what it should have cost. So, no, I am not pleased with my experience. Also, on that first car, you charged me $18.99 "Fuel Service" presumably for not returning on a full tank. I filled the tank just FIVE MILES away from your location. There's no way it was NOT 99.9% full. I expect at least half of your charges refunded. We'll see how that goes. I hope they don't think "half of your charges" only refers to the fuel. I expect several hundred dollars back. Another old haunt was the harness racetrack at Cal-Expo. When I drove past, I was surprised to see horses in the stable area (shed row) next to the track. I assumed they were only temporarily housed there between "meets" elsewhere, but after I texted Jeannie asking which row her old boss Steve Desomer used to be in every year -- most trainers try to keep the same row -- she texted back "V" and said there would be racing the next day, Sunday. I asked if she wanted to go, and she did. I had lunch at El Pollo Loco across the street. I loved that chain when I lived in L.A./Culver City decades ago, and it's still good, though difficult to eat in the car without making a mess. I then drove east on Arden Way to Fair Oaks Blvd and found the old Scientology mission location. Most of that old space is a bike shop now. I sat in the parking lot trying to picture what it used to look like when I attended, but couldn't. I remember things I did inside -- you know, scary cult things, ha ha -- but guess the outside never made an impression, so nothing rang a bell. Don't read too much into my visiting that, though. I also drove past and reminisced about St. Philomene Catholic Church -- on El Camino, I think -- which we attended and I hated with a passion as a kid. It was amazing how geographically close everything is. So many old haunts within just a five or so mile radius. Mira Loma high school on Edison Avenue was just a couple blocks from my junior high (middle school), Arcade. They seemed farther apart in my memory. I pulled into a couple of Arcade parking lots and, seeing my wood shop class on the east side of the building, laughed remembering the bowl-shaped wooden ashtray I made, even though nobody in the family smoked. Yes, our stepmom Pauline smoked, but I'm pretty sure she had already left by that point. At Mira Loma, I again pulled into parking lots before stopping in the middle of Edison Avenue -- there was no traffic -- and seeing the quad. As usual, it seemed smaller and shallower than I remembered. Doug said they'd renovated it since our time there, so that might've had something to do with it. Of course, Pope Avenue Elementary in the opposite direction is not there anymore, demolished years ago in favor of a new neighborhood. From there, I drove north on Watt Avenue through North Highlands to look at McClellan Air Force Base where my Pop Warner football team, the North Highlands Chargers, was based. It's now a business park, no longer an AFB, with all the hangars turned into separate businesses. Next came Highlands High where we played our home games. I couldn't see the actual football field without getting out of the car, and didn't feel like it, so no memories came to me. I thought about heading east on I-80 to Roseville -- where I once stayed with Lucy and Michael for several months -- but got no further than Calvary Cemetery where Mom and Dad are buried. I looked all over the section where I was sure their shared plaque was. I texted all of my siblings while onsite -- assuming I had their numbers right -- but no one seemed to know. If they did, they weren't talking, so I never found it. All of a sudden, I had to pee. Immediately. It sucks getting old. The chapel (and its bathroom) on the cemetery grounds was closed, so I drove back toward Greenback Lane, past the building construction along the frontage road, and looked for a port-a-potty. There's never one of those when you need one, so I crossed over Greenback to the movie theater. I told the ticket man at the entrance I was waiting for someone and asked if I could use the bathroom while waiting. I'm such a con artist. Luckily, he said yes. I could've stayed and watched a movie, but didn't. There was nothing playing that was worth the price of guilt. Earlier while Elizabeth and Natalia were driving to Tahoe, I looked them up on that tracking app, Life 360, to make sure they made it to Kirkwood. They had. Not until noon, but they had several hours of daylight left to ski. A couple times, 360 said she was "driving" near such-and-such street in the Kirkwood area. I thought, what are they doing driving anywhere? Why aren't they skiing? Turns out, they were skiing. 360 could not figure out how she was moving so fast. Too fast to be walking, so she must be driving. Computers/phones come in handy, but are awfully stupid. I look forward to AI (artificial "intelligence") trying to take over and people rebelling at the sheer stupidity of it all. Probably shouldn't hold my breath on any rebellion, though. The next day, Elizabeth and I drove to Yosemite. Doug loaned me their national park free pass. Thanks, Doug! I looked it up on my phone while Elizabeth slept. It said it was a six-hour drive, even though she looked it up the day before and said it was two and a half. I told her we had to cancel the trip because there was not enough time. She woke up immediately -- rare for her -- and corrected me. If properly motivated, such as proving me wrong about something, she will wake up. Her phone still said 2-1/2 hours, and we agreed my phone is retarded. It does not like to be away from home. Its location services were screwed up the entire trip. It was nice to see Yosemite again, despite Elizabeth's obnoxious complaining once there -- to put it mildly -- about my not being a good photographer. She actually complained about one photo where the wind had blown her hair into her face. That's my fault? Just delete that one, I said. Teenagers. When stopping for gas in Copperopolis before reaching Yosemite, I bought one Mega Millions and one Power Ball lottery ticket. Seems like lottery winners are always from out of state, so I thought, "I'm out of state, I should buy a ticket." One of them was a loser, the other one got the Mega number right, which gives me a free ticket. Woo-hoo. After Yosemite, we met Lucy in Livingston for early dinner at a Mexican restaurant she likes. It was good to see her. She told us about her trip with Michael and Robin last year to New York City, took a picture of me and Elizabeth outside the restaurant, and we then very rudely left to meet Jeannie, Tiffany and Skyla at Cal-Expo where they'd been waiting at least an hour by that point. At the track, Elizabeth's and my first bet was $5 to win on number 3, whoever that was. Elizabeth astutely pointed out after reading the program (past performances), it was the only horse who'd won its previous race. It had decent odds, too, which I had to explain to her, along with everything else on the "tote board" (totalisator). Jeannie won earlier with one of her friends' horses -- got her picture taken in the winners circle, too -- and was betting on number 4 this race, I think. My number 3 finished third. I forget where number 4 ended up. It occurred to me it was probably good that we lost right away. That'll teach Elizabeth that gambling is stupid, not that that stopped me from placing a few more bets. Next race, Elizabeth and I bet $2 each on two different horses. We both lost. For our third and final race -- there were a few more races to be run, but it was a school night, getting late, and we had a 2-1/2 hour drive to Cottonwood ahead of us -- Elizabeth picked two for me to bet on while Jeannie also bet on one of those two because it was another friend's horse. At the top of the stretch, our horses were 1-2 and looking good before Jeannie's ran out of gas. Luckily, Elizabeth's top pick kept going and won. So, the night ended on a win. Overall, Elizabeth and I broke even, minus twenty cents, and Jeannie and family got to stand in the winners circle. Not a bad night. In Cottonwood, I slept on Tiffany's new couch while Elizabeth slept with Skyla. From that couch, I could see Dad and Eleanor's old family room painting -- an old house and tree surrounded by fields -- on Tiffany's living room wall. In the bathroom was their old macrame/stitching of a butt-naked blonde girl, which I always liked, especially as a teenage boy. The next day, Elizabeth did a lot of horseback riding while Skyla was in school. When the latter got home, she, her friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth all rode some more. As we watched on the sidelines, Matt told me about the time he'd been shot. I told him about the time I'd been shot. Okay, I've never been shot, but could've been at some point. Nobody knows the troubles I've seen. Come to think of it, I have had a gun pointed at me. Yes, it was real. It was in Hollywood after being pulled over for speeding. The male cop approached me while the woman cop stayed by the car, pointing her gun at me. The next morning at our hotel in Red Bluff, Elizabeth had another hissy fit because she left her eyebrow brush behind at Jeannie's. Did you know it's physically impossible for a teenage girl to go out in public without eyebrow makeup? Yeah, news to me, too. I went to the nearest Walmart to find one for her while she stayed at the hotel getting otherwise ready. At the store, being helped by an extremely nice Asian woman, Elizabeth called to say we had to return to Jeannie's, anyway, because she'd left her Air Pods (fancy ear phones) behind, too. So, we saw Jeannie and Matt one more time, then left. Passing back through Red Bluff, we had enough to time -- flight didn't leave until that afternoon -- to stop and shop at a Western store (Reynolds Ranch & Farm Supply) she'd visited on a previous trip and really liked. There was another one she liked even more, but it was closed. At the Sacramento Airport, waiting for our flight to Dallas, I told Elizabeth I decided to treat myself, after all the aggravation from the trip, to upgrade our seats to business class, which supposedly gives you more room. It did have more leg room, but not more elbow room, and not enough padding on the seat, so it still wasn't very comfortable. Not worth the added fee. She asked, "What aggravation?" and I just had to look at her and say, "You. Screaming and yelling several times. That aggravation." She was oblivious, but is well within "normal" range for a teenager. That's a low bar, I know, and not much consolation in the middle of a tantrum, but it could be a lot worse. It was wonderful to finally land and get back to my car. Have I mentioned how much I hate flying? Then there was the sticker shock of my parking garage bill when we tried to leave. $120-something! Then Elizabeth wanted to stop for dinner (even though it was about midnight). We were going to stop at Wendy's but they were closed, so we did the drive-thru at Taco Bell next door. The girl behind the speaker spoke fast-speed gibberish, to which I said, "Excuse me?" It wouldn't normally matter if I didn't understand her, but it sounded like she was asking me a question, so I asked her to repeat it. She did, in slow motion, "Thank. You. For. Choosing. Taco. Bell. How. May. I. Serve. You?" This pissed off Elizabeth, who leaned over from her side, and did the rest of the talking. And, the girl stopped being a bitch, thanks to Elizabeth coming to my rescue. Once home, Elizabeth released Cleo from her crate and they went upstairs to her room. I got into bed with my sleeping wife. She rolled over toward me and said, "Oh, Pedro, it's not safe. I told you my husband is almost home!" Just kidding. The End Thinking of Leaving the USA, Even Temporarily? by bill - 2022-04-10 ( life / health / covid / travel ) [html version] If you, being a sensible person, refuse to get the covid shot but have been dreaming of visiting a foreign country that does NOT require said shot, you WILL be required to get one upon your return. Yep. And you thought this was a free country. Sorry, no such luck. Read, listen or watch the rest here: U.S. State Department FAQ. "Starting on December 6, before boarding a flight to the United States, air travelers aged two and older, regardless of nationality or vaccination status, are required to show documentation of a negative viral test result taken within one day of the flight's departure. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight. That includes all travelers; U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals." Canada, world travel and more by steve - 2022-04-11 ( education / research ) [html version] ------=678911_773750764.1649612525508 I saw that the message/reply that I sent only went to . Well, now you all know more about a stressful aspect of my life due to a mentally ill (yes, "mother" says "everybody is mentally ill" and thus to me that's an admission that she is).[wife] saw animal skulls on display at "mother's" Unity church. told me that they equate Allah with God. has gone there with "mother" but sent a message to me this morning that she'd like to return to a "Christian church" like the one that [wife] and I go to. needs a job that will make her financially dependent and able to get an apartment that she can share with a sociable Christian healthy friend who has other friends (which lacks due to kontrol by "mother") because is very social and needs to be around Good people. I wrote a 130-page book about and found a publisher to publish it but it's just another "vanity press" that just takes advantage of people who want to get their book published and have a few thousand dollars to get it done. I'll publish it on Kindle, which means it probably won't be seen by anybody, though. - Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2022, 08:57:11 AM PDT Re: I also have to deal with the lunacy involving . The psych= people would only release her to "mother" (though [wife] didn't want her here anyhow). "Mother" wanted to FORCE to get the vax but I threatened the Nuremberg Code and Adult Protective Services to her about and she backed off. Still, the psych place put on a psych drug regimen and "mother" says that can only stay there if she Komplies with taking the drugs which HAVE NOT SHOWN to do any good ("mother" claims that is bipolar or schizo). She's on Lamictal, which just yesterday I read CAUSES the paranoia that has exhibited for quite some time.I've been trying to get to get a job. She has a library certificate so I've helped her apply to library jobs. "Mother" said that the library demands the vax to get a job. I wrote to them and the HR said otherwise. "Mother" then said that the libraries are City, which DOES require the vax so I called them and the libraries are County and which has no vax requirement.So, it seems that "mother' wants IMPRISONED there (if you're not familiar with the movie "Tangled", it's pretty= much that same situation), drugged and helpless until "mother" dies off. Sure, will inherit the house that has a= "value" of about $450K but if has to use that up with nothing to fall back on, what then? So, it's liberal IDIOCY like that that annoys me every day so, yes, I'm kind ofry at how liberals are LETTING the world be destroyed! On Sunday, April 10, 2022, 08:28:11 AM PDT, someone wrote: You are sounding like veryry people these days. You all need to spend time brushing horses and cleaning tack. I don't have the energy to read these articles so it's so good of you to tell me what I should do and think =F0=9F=A4"= On Sun, Apr 10, 2022 at 8:23 AM wrote: along the lines of what asked about speed limits.I think that liberals don't feel like adults and "need" one. Adults use their brains to figure out what is right and do it. Liberals don't like that they've been shown to not be adults and want Big Brother to make the adults komply. (look at old videos of people driving around downtown. there weren't lines but people used their brains to avoid crashing into one another. Not all streets have lines now but people use their brains to avoid head-on crashes.) On Sunday, April 10, 2022, 05:19:42 AM PDT: That, pretty much answers 's question to me about masks. Thank you. I flew out there last month and wore the suffocating and completely unnecessary mask " because I was not sick " because I had already promised Elizabeth she could go skiing. I will not comply, and have not even for a minute, if at all possible. = I might ask you, why you comply with the posted speed limit while driving. It's there 'for our safety,' but we all know it's almost always much lower than it has to be. Most of us only comply when there's someone there actively enforcing it and within their government-given rights to throw us in jail. ~ Average diameter of coronavirus is 0.125 microns. N95 mask filters 0.300 microns or larger, and that's assuming it fits snugly to the face. In other words, it's worthless against viruses. Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2022 2:14 AM To:; las Re: Best not comply whatsoever to the fascist psycho slave device . I've never complied to the scam and never will. As many have said, everyone needs to stop complying and the scam will end. They don't have a way to enforce the tyranny because we outnumber them. Only when a small number stand up can they make an example out of them. They count on compliance and use the fear factor to get acquiescence. So how about everyone gather up their courage and tell the next self-appointed tyrant to f--k off -- you are not their slave. Sent: Saturday, April 9, 2022 8:56 PM Re: I wore a mask when working at Target but I got a "paintball mask" that was a metal mesh that I could easily breathe through (earlier, I went into Costco with a fencing mask and it was okay with them and when I chatted with the manager (who I AM familiar with), he told he somebody else went there with a= full Darth Vader costume. I commented that I knew they just had to do it for fear of some idiot suing them for getting sick from some unmasked person and he agreed). It's because of idiots who Komply and feel unsafe when others don't komply that we have the problem!) On Saturday, April 9, 2022, 08:40:42 PM PDT: Speaking of money, I was going to post this separately but it fits nicely into the direction of the conversation. I just finished listening to this interview of the former assistant HUD secretary under president Bush Sr. Catherine Austin Fitts who's a financial expert who likes to discover money fraud. And she's answering questions from an apparently honest elected government official of Kuwait. It can serve as a great summary of where the world stands now and how to move forward. If you have never looked into the covid conspiracy before this would be a great place to start. https://www.bitchute.com/video/bIWxyLCj7hPL/ Sent: Saturday, April 9, 2022 5:34 PM Re: he says using bitcoin is advertising that you have money, and with bitcoin that could be thousands On 4/9/22 19:21: good. I hope that digital currency FAILS elsewhere and it's obvious (to the sane people) that it's bad and thus they fight it On Saturday, April 9, 2022, 04:25:03 PM PDT someone wrote: His last broadcast was yesterday, and it's interesting that he's in El Salvador where bitcoin is the official currency. And it's not working. He also says don't use bitcoin outside of the US or Europe because it's a good way to get kidnapped or killed. On 4/9/22 17:59 someone wrote: The Hobo Traveler (youtube) says countries want you to be vaccinated and even give him flak for only having the 1-shot J&J On 4/9/22 16:57: nice to hear that other countries aren't insanely enforcing the killer vax (as biden wants to do with federal employees) On Saturday, April 9, 2022, 02:45:41 PM PDT: It's not just a couple guys talking. This Josh Sigurdson nails it. Very good communicator. It's always nice to hear people in media ('influencers') say what I'm thinking. And one very interesting bit of information is that he's travelled to several countries the past couple years that 'require' the 'vaccine' and/or tests, but it's almost never enforced. ~ 1000 Peer-Reviewed Studies Questioning covid-19 Vaccine Safety ~ N95 masks filter most germs, bacteria & bodily fluids, not viruses. Average diameter of coronavirus is 0.125 microns. N95 mask filters 0.300 microns or larger, and that's assuming the mask fits snugly to the face. In other words, it's worthless against covid. Sent: Saturday, April 9, 2022 4:38 PM ; las Re: just a couple of guys talking, no new information On 4/9/22 15:32: I think many people will be interested in this interview. Lots of information. https://www.bitchute.com/video/RYUvBa2C7qYi/ --=678911_773750764.1649612525508 I saw that the message/reply that I sent only went to . Well, now you all know more about a stressful aspect of my life due to a mentally ill (yes, "mother" says "everybody is mentally ill" and thus to me that's an admission that she is).[wife] saw animal skulls on display at "mother's" Unity church. told me that they equate Allah with God. has gone there with "mother" but sent a message to me this morning that she'd like to return to a "Christian church" like the one that [wife] and I go to. needs a job that will make her financially dependent and able to get an apartment that she can share with a sociable Christian healthy friend who has other friends (which lacks due to kontrol by "mother") because is very social and needs to be around Good people. I wrote a 130-page book about and found a publisher to publish it but it's just another "vanity press" that just takes advantage of people who want to get their book published and have a few thousand dollars to get it done. I'll publish it on Kindle, which means it probably won't be seen by anybody, though.- Sent: Sunday, April 10, 2022, 08:57:11 AM PDT Re: I also have to deal with the lunacy involving . The psych  people would only release her to "mother" (though [wife] didn't want her here anyhow). "Mother" wanted to FORCE to get the vax but I threatened the Nuremberg Code and Adult Protective Services to her about and she backed off. Still, the psych place put on a psych drug regimen and "mother" says that can only stay there if she Komplies with taking the drugs which HAVE NOT SHOWN to do any good ("mother" claims that is bipolar or schizo). She's on Lamictal, which just yesterday I read CAUSES the paranoia that has exhibited for quite some time.I've been trying to get to get a job. She has a library certificate so I've helped her apply to library jobs. "Mother" said that the library demands the vax to get a job. I wrote to them and the HR said otherwise. "Mother" then said that the libraries are City, which DOES require the vax so I called them and the libraries are County and which has no vax requirement.So, it seems that "mother' wants IMPRISONED there (if you're not familiar with the movie "Tangled", it's pretty  much that same situation), drugged and helpless until "mother" dies off. Sure, will inherit the house that has a  "value" of about $450K but if has to use that up with nothing to fall back on, what then? 7-Foot Robot at Dallas Love Field Airport Watches for Unmasked Travelers, Will Notify Law Enforcement of Potential Crimes by admin - 2022-04-12 ( life / travel / usa / tyranny ) [html version] Remind me never to use that airport. "A 7-foot robot at Dallas Love Field Airport is watching for unmasked passengers and will notify law enforcement of potential crimes. What could possibly go wrong? The robot, dubbed SCOT, was installed last month to determine if they are capable of efficiently supplementing current... Read, listen or watch the rest here The Cdc Removes All Countries from Its Highest Level of Travel Warnings - Still Pushes Vaccines by bill - 2022-04-23 ( life / health / covid / vaccines ) [html version] The CDC has no power other than the power of suggestion. "The CDC yesterday reported that based on its new classification standards, no countries remain on its list of highest travel warnings related to covid. The CDC reported yesterday that no countries remain classified on its list of highest travel warnings: The Centers for Disease..." Read, listen or watch the rest here Californians Fleeing to Portugal by doug - 2022-05-20 ( education / news / travel / politics ) [html version] I guess they didn't do their research because Portugal is just as bad as other locations in Europe with medical fascism, etc. Maybe that's what they seek. So then good riddance! Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 8:43 AM Escape "Trumpian politics"? I suppose they're liberals ruining another place as those from SF ruined Sacto On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 08:16:45 AM Locals don't like it portuguese-influx-californians-import-problems Can Trained Dogs Sniff Out Covid-positive Travelers? by bill - 2022-05-22 ( life / health / covid / vaccines ) [html version] People with colds and flu? Probably. "MedPage Today Four trained dogs detected people who were positive for SARS-CoV-2 with similar accuracy to PCR tests, according to a randomized trial and real-life... ..." Read, listen or watch the rest here US to End Covid Test Requirement for Incoming International Air Travelers by bill - 2022-06-13 ( life / health / covid / vaccines ) [html version] Good! Besides, the CDC has no authority to have requirements, only suggestions. "The Biden regime is expected to announce on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will end its requirement for travelers to take a covid-19 test within days before boarding their flights to the US. According to a senior administration official, the mandate..." Read, listen or watch the rest here Roads Last Twice as Long When Made with Recycled Tire Rubber by admin - 2022-07-13 ( life / travel / roads / recycling ) [html version] "I like this! Reduce, reuse, recycle, as they say. "Engineers at the RMIT University in Australia have found that using rubber from old and used tires actually works like sunscreen for roads, halving the rate of sun damage with..." Read, listen or watch the rest here Hobo Traveler regarding USA by don - 2022-07-26 ( life / travel / advice ) [html version] Andy Graham has traveled nonstop for 25 years and evaluates the USA vs other places. Fascinating: Watch on YouTube Our Cars by bill - 2022-10-04 ( life / travel / transportation / auto ) [html version] Those who read my last story know I drive a Ford Escape. I love it but need to trade it in soon. The transmission shudders a bit at certain speeds, certain RPMs. I need to sell it before the transmission fails. It's got about 125K, 75K of which I put on it after I bought it used. I'm thinking of replacing it with the slightly larger Ford Edge, but definitely not the Explorer which has a bad reputation. I like Mazda, Hyundai and Honda crossover (small SUV) vehicles, too. It all depends on the year and the model... and price. Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 8:09 PM My last Ford lasted over 300,000 miles, so I bought another Ford. I'm happy. On Oct 2, 2021, at 8:10 PM: In fact, we have 2 Fords now. 1 Chevy, 1 Mazda, 1 Toyota. 3 duallies, if you know what that means. Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 8:11 PM Why so many vehicles? On Saturday, October 2, 2021, 08:27:38 PM : I'm fixing them up. One is a classic 57 Chevy that will take a long time. My Ford is the one I am working on next. My Toyota got totalled and so I bought it back to fix up (again -- 2nd time totalled by someone who hit me). So only 2 work. Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 8:30 PM We have four. They all work: '74 VW (that some relative got for her) '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2006 Camry that came with Matt '88 Mazda pickup (around 230,000 miles so far and doing great) On Saturday, October 2, 2021, 08:32:45 PM : Impressive that your Mazda is still reliable. We like our Mazda van -- our main car. Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 10:34 PM The Mazda is great. I've always babied it, very rarely even going as fast as 65 MPH (though I don't change the oil so often). Redding in April by bill - 2023-04-17 ( life / travel / usa / california ) [html version] Friday, April 7, 2023 Elizabeth and I were on our seemingly annual trip to California. This time, it was a gift for her 18th birthday. Years ago, I thought we might be flying to Astrakhan, Russia, for this birthday, but things are a little dicey there now. Besides, you need a sponsor to be granted a visa. About a year ago, knowing the current situation would not allow a visit any time soon, I emailed the adoption agency we used in 2007 to see if they could be a sponsor. They never got back to me other than to ask several weeks later, "Has anyone helped you with this yet?" We arrived in Sacramento around 5:45 Friday evening. Picking up the rental car from Alamo (avoiding Avis/Budget after last year's trip), we went straight to Doug's house. Elizabeth would be spending the night there with Natalia to go skiing the next day. The girls then almost immediately went shopping for... whatever. I stayed and chatted with Doug and family a while. Everybody's fine -- thanks for asking -- but I had a roughly 3-hour drive to Redding ahead of me and had to hit the road. I arrived at the rental home around 11:30PM and went almost immediately to sleep. Saturday-Sunday The wi-fi here (at my next rental) doesn't work for my laptop (Linux), but does for the iPhone. I wonder if the Windows virtual machine on this thing would work? Probably ought to try it in case I have to dial into the office. Never mind. The phone was detecting the wi-fi nickname, but Linux, behind the times as usual, was finding the actual network name. I didn't discover that until reading the back of the physical router. </end-of-nerdspeak> The rental house I'm in now is called Casa Blanca, a little white house in downtown Redding "mere steps away from all the action" or whatever their tagline is. It's also a block from where a group of homeless gather. I was afraid this so-called "action" and/or homeless people might spill over to my house, but it didn't... until the next night. I was going to stay at Flawless Faith -- people give their rental homes names, like hotels -- a cottage in the backyard of another house a few miles south of here. It was great the one night I was there, and I would still be there but for the lack of hot water in the shower. I took a cold shower in the morning but was not going to put up with that. For one, you pay good money for a rental, you expect modern conveniences like hot water. Secondly and most important, my daughter would be joining me the next day, and girls like long, hot showers. Texting back and forth between Flawless Faith's owner/manager, she said it was plumbed backwards. "Try turning the knob toward 'cold' instead of 'hot,'" she said. Geez. After a great breakfast with Matt and Jeannie at Kenny's Kitchen in Cottonwood, we all went back to the rental to try again. Matt started taking off his clothes for the shower and Jeannie had to stop him. "Put your clothes back on right now, mister!" she said with clenched teeth. Just kidding. Her teeth weren't clenched. :) I turned on the shower and waited a couple minutes while using the "commode," as they call it back in Nashville. The water never got hot, even after flushing, which is a surefire way to make a running shower too hot. At Casa Blanca, there was a problem with the front door keypad. It was the same brand and type as Flawless Faith, but the latter one worked. This manager told me over the phone the hidden key was under one of the plants on the front porch. Brilliant! What's to stop a neighbor or passerby from noticing or simply guessing that, making their own copy, and breaking in at their leisure? Later, on my way out the door for a run to the grocery store, I couldn't lock it behind me, even with the key. I informed the property manager, who texted back, "What on Earth! This is truly awful!" As if she didn't know. Didn't she just tell me to be on the lookout for the hide-a-key? Her solution was for me to unlock the padlocked side gate, lock the front door from the inside, go out the back door which could be locked behind me, then lock the side gate. "Wow," is all Tara could say... via text because she stayed home this trip. "This is how hotels stay in business," I said. "These amateurs are no competition." "Going to the store," I texted the property manager back, "hoping nobody walks in." And, from that point forward, I did the "side gate dance." Natalia and Elizabeth went skiing Saturday, as mentioned. They were supposed to go to Kirkwood. Those were the passes I purchased ahead of time to save $50. My mistake was to tell Elizabeth they might be transferable to Heavenly Valley in an emergency. With all the recent snow, I thought there was a chance one resort or the other would be inaccessible and, with both locations owned by the same company, maybe they'd be nice. They were not. The roads were clear and the girls went to Heavenly where they were surprised they -- I -- had to pay extra. There went my online savings, but that's water under the bridge. Money out of the wallet. They apparently had a great time skiing -- best conditions, ever, they said -- and we all met up at Jeannie's on Easter Sunday. When Thomas, Heather and Finnegan arrived, I hugged them all hello, as one does with long-lost family. Heather seemed surprised. Not expecting me to be nice? I don't know. Elizabeth, at my request, had bought me a hat -- some hunter's cammo ball cap -- from a gas station between Chico and Cottonwood. I never would've chosen that for myself, but needed it for protection against the sun. Matt was letting me use his favorite black felt cowboy hat -- made for big heads -- but I don't like to borrow people's things. I've got half a dozen ball caps at home, but forgot to bring one. Forgot my sunglasses, too. Who doesn't bring sunglasses to California? I've obviously lost a step or two. When Heather and Thomas arrived, I was not wearing my new cap. Later, when I was wearing it, she asked Thomas, "Who's that in the hat?" Thomas just laughed and said, "That's Bill!" He told me the hat gave me a whole new look. Tiffany and Skyla have a new black-and-white German short-haired pointer puppy, Harlow. I guess she's a replacement for Shayden who is currently at Air Force boot camp in Texas? Finnegan calls the puppy Winston Jr. He has a knack for creative names, and has grown about a foot since I last saw him. After a lot of horseback riding, picture-taking, everyone making sandwiches and getting caught up with each other, Natalia returned home, and I brought Elizabeth and Skyla back with me to this rental home. It was too late for dinner for me. I try not to eat within two hours of bedtime, but the girls were hungry so we stopped at some Chinese restaurant. It was the only place open on Easter Sunday. I ordered chicken with mushrooms. Skyla ordered chicken with something else. Elizabeth alone ordered enough for three people, and barely ate any of it. I should know by now not to order anything for myself, just finish whatever she doesn't eat. As I paid the check while the girls had their dinners boxed up to go, the woman at the register said, "Your daughters are beautiful. Are they twins?" Skyla is my neice Tiffany's daughter, Jeannie's granddaughter, and a redhead like me and Jeannie. Elizabeth is blonde. They don't look much alike to anyone but this woman, but I politely said, "Thank you, no they're not twins" Finally back at Casa Blanca for the night, I immediately went inside to use the bathroom. It's what you do when you're old. That left Elizabeth and Skyla alone at the car a minute to unload and fend for themselves. Apparently, that was too much to ask. Elizabeth ran in and yelled through the bathroom door, "Dad! Keys! Now! There's homeless people out there!" She wanted to lock the car, but she and Skyla miraculously survived the homeless people. Monday We visited the Redwood Forest (officially Redwood National and State Parks) today. It's a 3-1/2 hour drive over the Coast Range from Redding, but Elizabeth and Skyla kept each other company. In the kitchen earlier, I had a dizzy moment and felt a little nauseous. I had just finished my last cup of coffee, and attributed it to too much caffeine. The episode passed quickly, the girls were up, and we drove several hours, through Weaverville and a couple other mountain towns, before reaching Arcata and Eureka along the coast. My nausea had been getting progressively worse when we stopped at the information center along Highway 101. An elderly gentleman rang up the souvenir t-shirt I picked out, then pulled out a map and marked the best places to go. Best for a lightweight like me, anyway. And he was right, those ancient trees are amazing to stand next to. They're just so huge. Elizabeth bought a jacket for herself and hoodie for Skyla. That was nice. She's good with money, but not afraid to spend it, either. "I don't mind spending money at a place like this," she said, "because I know it goes toward supporting the park." I was thinking the same thing as I paid for my t-shirt. In the Redwoods after getting out and hitting the trail, I had to go back to the car, lower the seat, and lie down. I texted the girls to tell them where I was -- they had gone on ahead without me -- but there was no cellular signal. I tried to take a nap, but it's hard to sleep when you've left two teenage girls on their own, hiking an unfamiliar trail, strangers all around, and no signal. I lay there as long as possible before getting out to go look for them. People would be pissed if I lost the girls. It was touch-and-go there for a while on that short trail thirty yards from the road. I was meticulously retracing my steps when Elizabeth appeared and said, "You looking for us?" A few hours later, after skipping dinner, I still had some discomfort but was pretty much back to normal by the time we returned to Redding. I was able to keep my cereal and coffee down the next morning, but I suggest you avoid that Chinese restaurant next to the discount grocery store on Eureka Way in Redding. Back at the house, I would have put a load in the clothes washer, but the laundry room was padlocked. I texted the woman about that, and she said, "Unfortunately, the laundry room is not part of that rental... as clearly stated in the rental agreement." Maybe it's just me, but if someone is staying several nights somewhere, they probably want to wash their clothes at some point. Most of us don't pack more than we have to, on the assumption we'll have access to a washer and dryer. As Tara said, you rent a B&B instead of a hotel to get all the comforts of home. Tuesday I just got back from a walk along Riverside Drive down to the river. You can see a snow-capped mountain just a few miles to the west. Beautiful. Kept an eye out for roving bands of homeless people, but there were none. The area is very nice. From the house, you walk a couple blocks, past the CalTrans building, underneath the railroad bridge, and down to the river. Jeannie said Riverside Drive used to allow cars but is now blocked off for walking and biking only. A mallard swooped in and landed just to my left. Maybe a mama protecting its nest. I heard geese up ahead around the corner. Gotta watch out for those. They'll charge you. On a small rise of sand in the river stood an egret. There's probably a word for that small rise, too small to be called an island, but that word escapes me as happens more and more these days. Those geese were flying away, honking, by this point. I walked under the bridge along the paved trail and uphill back to the house. Along the way was a community garden. Some greenery, but nothing visibly sprouting or bearing fruit yet. The walk to the river and back was a nice little excursion while the girls slept. Don't worry, Elizabeth -- if/when you read this later -- I locked the house doors behind me. Did the Side Gate Dance, though that should no longer be necessary since they were fixing the locks the day we checked out. Too late for us, but hopefully the next person won't suffer. We picked up Skyla's best friend, Jocelyn, on our way back to Jeannie's. There was more horseback riding, but it had to wait until after Harmony Haven's volunteers left. Volunteers and customers come first. Well, second, after the horses. Elizabeth, Skyla, Jocelyn and I returned to Redding for a bit of vintage clothing shopping -- I stayed in the car -- before hanging out back at the rental house. Jeannie and Tiffany came knocking later to pick up the girls for their meeting at a rodeo organization. Elizabeth joined them, leaving me all alone. Luckily, I enjoy solitude. Always have. I guess that comes from growing up as one of seven children. You value your "me" time. I stayed at the house, doing nothing, still recovering from that Chinese food, I guess. Don't ever eat at... oh, right, I said that. I found a baseball game on one of the streaming channels. They have a projector instead of a TV here which projects onto the living room wall. It makes for a huge display, and the homeowners don't have to worry about anyone breaking in and stealing the TV. Pretty smart, actually. Someone will still break in -- with that spare key they probably made -- but there's nothing other than the projector to steal. I guess they could steal the old -- strictly decorative? -- acoustic guitar on the wall of the front bedroom. Skyla spent one last night with us. She and Elizabeth were talking about watching some horror movie when I closed my bedroom door to continue this memoir. Wednesday Our return flight was not until 2:20. Even though the airport was a good three hours away, we had time to drop Skyla off at her house instead of Tiffany and Thomas's business which would have been faster. We said goodbye to Jeannie again -- Matt had gone into town or something -- and, most importantly, Elizabeth said goodbye to Kitten, pronounced Kitt-en, who she rescued from the mean streets of Redding or Cottonwood the year prior. Such an adorable, loving cat, and Elizabeth's not allergic to her as she is to our own cat, Sunny. I'll skip over the usual aggravation of airports -- air travel, in general -- except to say don't fly Frontier Airlines unless you're prepared to be nickel-and-dimed to death. "You want to choose your own seats? That's extra. You've got a carry-on? Extra. In-flight entertainment? Nope. Not even jacks to power your electronic device. Snacks and drink? Not without paying for it. The seats don't even recline. Oh, you want a pilot? That'll be extra." Joking about that last one, of course. In fact, on our final flight we had a spare pilot. After we landed in Denver, the captain of that flight disappeared down the aisle somewhere behind us, never to be seen again. He might have parachuted out over Nebraska, but I never heard the exterior doors open, and I listen for that sort of thing. Just prior to landing in Nashville, an older gentleman in front of us got up to use the front lavatory -- there are way too many bathroom references in this story, but why do they call it a lavatory instead of restroom or bathroom? -- and had to stand by the cockpit to wait his turn. That's not the exciting part. The next thing I know, he's collapsing into the arms of the young Black male flight attendant next to him. No, it was not romantic. The poor guy had fainted. A few seconds later, a young blonde man came up the aisle from behind me, appeared to introduce himself to the flight attendants now surrounding the older man, and proceeded to render aid. The first attendant had dragged the unconscious passenger to the side, out of view, so all I could see from my fifth row aisle seat was the young doctor (maybe an EMT, or maybe just spent the previous night at a Holiday Inn Express) tending to his patient. It wasn't long before the passenger was back on his feet, laughing, and saying, "That was weird. That's never happened before." One of the other flight attendants gave the passenger a bottle of Sprite and what looked like a bag of Oreos, free of charge, after he returned to his seat, embarrassed. As the hero medic returned past me toward his own seat, I said, "Well done, man." I don't know if he heard me over the cabin noise but, in the absence of applause from the crowd, I felt the need to acknowledge his good deed. Elizabeth drove us home from the airport, happy to be the driver not the passenger as she had been throughout the trip. She's a take-charge kind of girl, which should serve her well in life, so long as she's nice about it. We got home around 1 AM. It took forever to get our baggage, wait for a shuttle to our parking lot, then simply get out of that lot because the guy in front of us couldn't figure out how to work the "automatic" payment/gate system. I suggested we get out from behind him and use the other lane, but that guy wasn't having any better luck. Once it was our turn, it took Elizabeth five seconds to get us through the gate. Go figure. When we got home, we inadvertently woke up Tara. Since she was up, we told her all about our trip. She seemed sleepy for some reason but hung on our every word, happy to have us back home. THE END How to Track a Flight (US) by admin - 2023-06-14 ( life / travel / tech ) [html version] This is nothing new, but I just used it to track a family member's flight. I thought I'd share for those not already aware, no pun intended. Go to flightaware.com. It gives you a lot of info. California Invades Tennessee by jeannie - 2023-07-03 ( family / holmes / travel / usa ) [html version] June 20th 2023 -- The Road Warriors, head out from Cottonwood/Anderson California on a mission from God. Thomas, Finnegan, Skyla, and I left at 5:00 AM Pacific Time to start our 5,400 mile road trip in my 2019 Subaru Forester. We knew it would be a challenging journey but threw caution to the wind and headed out, anyway. We drove through Nevada first. Reno was the first exciting sight for the teenagers to see. They were still wide awake and excited for some adventures. -- -- -- Utah was our next state and the salt flats were very interesting. We stopped at the lake and walked to the water. When we parked the car it appeared to be a lot closer than it was. It was a half mile walk until the water's edge but we are warriors so we walked without too much complaining. Wyoming was filled with beautiful scenery and wild horses. I can see myself living there. Colorado reminded me of California more than any other state we drove through. The homeless (in Denver) pitched their tents right on top of the boulders that lined the sidewalks that should have kept them off the sidewalks. The kids played at the park, chased the geese, and climbed the water monuments. They almost caught a rabbit. Kansas was alright but we just drove through it. Very pretty drive but we just spent the night there because it was getting late and the kids needed a break from the back seat. Saint Louis, Missouri, was where we stopped for Pappy's BBQ ribs. Yes, they were the best ribs ever! Thomas got a t-shirt. We saw the Gateway Arch National Park and enjoyed that very much. Illinois and Kentucky were states we drove through just because they were on our way to Tennessee. Finally made it to Bill and Tara's house and, wow, it is beautiful! The yard and house should be shown in a TV show or Better Homes and Gardens. We stayed two nights with them. Tara made us breakfast. She's the best cook. Bill, Thomas, and I went to Don and Diane's with the kids. We went out to lunch and were joined later by Elizabeth and her boyfriend. Diane has a fantastic wildflower-filled backyard that the bees love, and so did we. Thomas and I did the Nashville music scene and had a blast! Elizabeth took the kids and they had a blast! On Saturday we went back to see Don and Diane. We said our last goodbyes and had lunch at Cracker Barrel because Elizabeth is a waitress there. We stopped by the Gaylord Opryland Resort and it was amazing. Finnegan bought himself a very expensive pair of sunglasses, but they look real cool! -- -- The only time we spent more than $3.29 a gallon for gas was in California. These high prices are really getting old. When I starting driving in 1971 the gas was 25 cents a gallon. We drove through and spent the night in Arkansas and washed our clothes. The kids stayed up late playing games on their phones and don't know how to whisper. I had to kick them out so I could sleep. Not really, but they told Thomas I kicked them out. Ha Ha Ha. We had to get to Texas by Sunday to visit Shayden at the Air Force base he's training at. We did spend most of Sunday with him, and walked all over that base in 110ø Texas heat. We had lunch, did the escape room challenge, bowled, and had dinner with our Airman. He'll be going to North Dakota when his training to be a crew chief is complete. We stopped by the Cadillac Ranch and had fun with spray paint. That was a bonus stop because I thought the Cadillac Ranch was a strip joint or something. Boy, was I wrong! New Mexico was where we spent lots of money on fireworks and gifts to bring back to our California loved ones. Next was the Grand Canyon! Thomas, Skyla, and Finnegan all said it doesn't look real. I saw it before but do agree it doesn't look real. We rode around the bus and took the wrong exit, so had to do some walking... lots of walking, but it was fine. Had some lunch. I tripped on the stairs (Thomas didn't see that, Ha Ha) but no damage was done. We wanted to go to Zion Park but there were fires all around it so we just came home. We drove up Highway 99 to I-5 and arrived tired but well. The End? You OK with severe travel restrictions? by steve - 2023-10-19 ( education / research ) [html version] what totally annoys me is that there's people (most liberals) who know they're too immature to make Adult decisions and thus feel they need "daddy" to run their lives and don't want to admit that there are many Real Adults who don't need their choice of Daddy and they outnumber the Real Adultls so we're their Childish choices On Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 12:37:49 PM , someone wrote: one step closer to total LockdownsI don't plan to travel by plane but don't like that they are getting so Nazi about it (but that's me and some don't mind being imprisoned) On Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 11:55:39 AM Because that's what "they" are planning for YOU right now. https://www.bitchute.com/video/SVhATuVMhvYZ/ Greetings from Saint Something, Missouri by bill - 2023-10-29 ( life / travel / usa / missouri ) [html version] [Updated: 2023-11-06 21:50:15] I was in no rush to leave and didn't hit the road until 9:30 on my drive from middle Tennessee to Saint Robert, Missouri. I could never remember that name, calling it Saint Something in my head. Even now, I wanted to type Saint Thomas. How many saints are there, anyway? The drive was blissfully uneventful, with the highlight being Sheryl Crow's hometown in what locals probably call the boot heel of Missouri. Local kids probably liken it to a certain appendage. Either way, it's the southeast corner of the state that reaches down and takes what should be the northeast corner of Arkansas. Note to Self: Find out how that came to be. I forgot the name of that town, too. No, wait, it's Kennett, Missouri, and the only thing noteworthy about it were the signs at either end proclaiming it Sheryl Crow's hometown. On second thought, crossing over the mighty Mississippi River was the highlight. And, if I can find that moment -- coming or going -- on the dashcam's endless footage, I'll post it here. Don't hold your breath. [UPDATE: Here it is, re-entering Tennessee on my way home. Try to contain your excitement. While I'm at it, this map shows the halfway point of my trip, because I'm sure you were wondering.] I'm in the hotel room in Saint Robert now, typing while enjoying my first cup of coffee. It's the coffee/caffeine that really writes all my stories. I should give it proper credit. Some writers let nicotine and caffeine tag-team the writing, but I quit smoking twenty years ago. The trick there, by the way, boils down to repeatedly reminding yourself you are NOT a smoker. Anyway, it's time for another cup from the free hotel breakfast down the hall. I love those free breakfasts. And this time, I made waffles, though I don't usually go to the trouble. It's probably because I recently came across a picture from twelve years ago showing my daughter's waffles. She was so proud, we took a picture. And thus began that annoying trend of people photographing their meals. Joking! We're not responsible. Don't hurt us. This morning, after I poured the mix onto the hot skillet, the waffle-maker beeped at me until the guy on duty said, "Rotate the handle, buddy." Poor guy probably has to say that a hundred times a day. I'm going back for that second cup now as I wait until 8:30 when my brother Doug and his boys are supposed to show up at the soccer field a few miles from here. I should've brought my own coffee cup on this trip; the big, black "stack-of-tires" one my daughter got me for Father's Day. Its size doesn't do me any good at home since my Keurig limits the amount per cup -- though I guess I could add one K-cup after the other -- but on a free-flowing coffee-maker like the hotel's, a big cup would be perfect. These Styrofoam ones are hard to handle. I keep spilling. They should put a sign on the coffee machine saying "Let go of the 'pour' button sooner than you might think," because the coffee overflowed onto my hands, the counter, and the floor. Silly First World problems, I know. Speaking of food -- yes, I was was, remember the waffles? -- I found a couple of good restaurants: A gyro/pizza place called Spartan Gyros in Saint Robert on Missouri Avenue (brief video clip here); and a Mexican place called El Acapulco in Poplar Bluff on the way back; neither of whom can compare to my sister-in-law's cooking. As to the Mexican restaurant, I ended up there because at the A&W, which I never see anymore, the drive-thru line was wrapped around the building and there was not a single open spot in the parking lot. The boys' soccer games were fun to watch (from the warmth of my car, it was so cold out). It reminded me of my daughter's games, so I ended up giving her and my wife regular updates via text. Both of my brother's boys are pretty good, and he is rightfully proud. Their first house here has grown on them to the point where they are now a bit sad to leave it, but they like the new one even more, so it's all good. It wasn't until we got to the new place that I finally delivered the guitars I had brought with me for the boys. Hey, I'm from middle Tennessee, of course I brought guitars! Joking. I don't even play. Anyway, I brought two guitars, one for each boy, gifts bequeathed by my recently-deceased brother, Don. How I got those guitars from his widow was -- as my wife would say -- a bit of a "goat rope" itself. I had emailed the widow -- who shall remain nameless -- saying I would be visiting Missouri and asking if those guitars were ready. She said they would be ready on such-and-such day and I could stop by her house to pick them up. I brought my wife along on the agreed-upon evening, mainly to keep me civil. We were on the Interstate, just a few miles from our destination when I got a text saying, "Bill, change of plans, you'll have to pick them up from a friend of mine, so-and-so." Tara and I both thought she was making an excuse to avoid dealing with me. Then the widow added, "I'm having chest pains and going to the emergency room." After that, of course, we were honestly worried. When we got to this friend's house, she did not seem the least bit concerned about her friend rushing to the ER with chest pains. And, how was it that the guitars got there so fast? The original plan was to pick them up from the widow's house. The change of plans was due to these sudden chest pains. If you were having chest pains, would you take the time to bring the guitars to a friend's house first, or even arrange to have the friend pick them up herself? No. The whole thing was a charade to avoid dealing with me, after all. Pathetic, really. And, I'm really not that hard to deal with. Back to the happier subject of my brother Doug and his wife: I have to say I was truly impressed with how flexible they are about everything. No matter what comes up, they just deal with it and keep moving forward. Our former sister-in-law could learn a few things from them. Stillhouse Hollow Falls by bill - 2023-12-09 ( life / travel / usa / southeast ) [html version] I stopped here a couple weeks ago, on a whim, on one of my regular Sunday drives. There's a little sign, easy to miss, as you drive by on the highway between Columbia and whatever the next decent-sized town west of there is. Recalling names has always been one of my weaknesses. Introduce yourself to me and I'll almost immediately forget it unless I can associate it with something else. If your name is Cliff, I can associate it with cliff diving or jumping off a cliff. Not that I've done either one of those, but I can make the association. The place is called Stillhouse Hollow Falls, linked at the bottom of this page. There's a short gravel road leading uphill from the highway to a little gravel parking lot. I guess that road is called a "driveway." There were four or five cars already there, but no one around, at least no one visible, when I pulled in. The rough, narrow trail leads steeply down almost immediately. Halfway down, I came upon a girl -- sorry, young woman -- sorry, person who probably identifies as a woman, given her long blonde hair, pretty face and various curves. She was sitting at the base of a tree, fiddling with her phone, and had turned to look when she heard me hiking loudly down the trail. Here are the first few video clips: falls1 -- falls2 -- falls3 I wanted her to know I was friendly. Assuage her fears. If I was a young woman alone in the woods, and a man as strange as me came toward me, I'd be apprehensive. So, I said hello in a sing-song sort of voice as I passed, but kept on walking. I probably overdid the sing-songiness. She probably thought I was a complete weirdo. She'd be right, but she said, "Hey, there," real friendly-like. Crisis averted, I continued down the trail, looking for these falls. At the fork in the trail, I took the wrong one, going left and uphill instead of right, along the creek. That'd be the purple dashed line instead of the red one on this map. I got to a certain point up there before realizing there was no scenic overlook in my immediate future, so I turned around and went back down to the creek. When I got to this point, here, I thought "Please tell me this isn't it." It wasn't. Here it is from the top of the falls. And, finally, the falls themselves..." here. Apparently, I never got a good video of the actual falls, I'm such a bad vidographer. For more bad videos, go here! Go here for the official Stillhouse Hollow Falls website. A Brief History of My Home Town, Folsom, California by chatgpt - 2024-03-02 ( life / travel / usa / california ) [html version] On a whim, I asked Bing Co-Pilot (chatgpt) to write a blog post about Folsom. Here's the result If you are interested in learning more about the history of Folsom, California, you might enjoy reading this blog post. Folsom is a city in Sacramento County that has a rich and diverse heritage, dating back to the Native American tribes, the Gold Rush era, and the development of the railroad and the electricity industry. Here are some of the highlights of Folsom's history: Folsom was originally named Granite City by Captain Joseph Libbey Folsom, who purchased a large land grant from the heirs of William Leidesdorff, a San Francisco businessman and civic leader. Folsom hired Theodore Judah, a railway engineer and surveyor, to lay out the town in 1855. After Folsom's death, his executors changed the name to Folsom in his honor. Folsom was the site of the first railroad in the West, the Sacramento Valley Railroad, which connected Sacramento to Folsom in 1856. The railroad brought supplies to the gold miners in the Sierra Nevada and transported passengers and goods to and from Sacramento. Folsom was also the site of the world's first long-distance transmission of electricity in 1895. The Folsom Powerhouse, now a National Historic Landmark, generated hydroelectric power from the American River and transmitted it over 22 miles to Sacramento. The powerhouse operated until 1952. Folsom Dam was built in 1956, creating Folsom Lake and providing flood control and water rights for the Sacramento Valley. The dam also spurred a surge of growth and development in Folsom, which was incorporated as a city in 1946. Folsom is home to several museums that showcase its history, such as the Folsom History Museum, which displays artifacts and exhibits related to the Gold Rush, the railroad, and the prison; the Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park, which preserves the original powerhouse and its machinery; and the Folsom Prison Museum, which chronicles the history of one of California's oldest prisons. Folsom has a historic downtown district that offers a variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The district features many historic buildings that have been restored and repurposed, such as the Sutter Street Theatre, which was once a livery stable; the Rainbow Bridge, which was built in 1916; and the Gaslight Company, which was once a gas station. Folsom is a city that celebrates its past while embracing its future. It is a place where you can enjoy nature, culture, and community. If you want to learn more about Folsom's history, you can visit these websites: https://www.folsom.ca.us/residents/folsom-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folsom,_California https://www.folsomhistory.org/ https://myfolsom.com/folsom-history/ Notes from the Road to Doug's House... and Mark Twain's Boyhood Home by bill - 2024-10-31 ( life / travel / usa / missouri ) [html version] Just past Jackson, Tennessee, after getting onto 412, a trucker had some fun at my expense. I had just passed him and am 99% sure I hadn't merged back in front of him too close. Drivers around here are offended easily. He then came up fast behind me and got right up to my rear-end before finally getting into the left lane to pass me. He then made a point of coming back into my lane just barely in front of me. I flipped him off but don't know if he saw me. Okay, so maybe I'm easily offended, too. Crossing over the Mississippi River into Missouri was cool, as usual, but also sad. It really does seem to be going dry. There are huge sandbars/dry sections now. What feeds into the Mississippi, anyway? I know the Ohio River does. Are farmers siphoning off all that water along the way or is there just not as much precipitation to the north anymore? I'll have to look that up. Had lunch at Subway in Van Buren, Missouri. It was that or McDonald's. The total for my meal was $11.07 -- the Gatorade probably added at least $3 -- and the woman behind the counter said, "That's my birthday! I'll be 21!" She was clearly joking, looking at least 30. I said, "My birthday is coming up. I'll be 22!" She knew I was lying, but said, "Well, happy birthday to you, too!" I had meant to stop before that in Poplar Bluff like I had last year, coming home, but never saw the street with the A&W and Mexican restaurant I'd found last time. This time, once I realized I had driven through the entire town and was back on the highway, I just figured I had to catch the next town, Van Buren. There's a speed trap after that Subway/McDonald's/Sinclair gas station stop. Just over the hill out of view is a cop waiting for speeders in that 55mph zone surrounded by 70mph zones. I'd noticed him pulling a U-turn in front of me in one of those little "authorized vehicles only" cut-throughs just prior to my stopping for gas. Arriving at Doug and Jana's house, I was surprised by all the large vehicles. He's got three trailers, as in tractor-trailers, with one of those having the "tractor" attached. He says he can register that as a farm vehicle to save money on yearly registrations, which is nice. He's also got a back-hoe that he says is a bit tricky to maneuver. Last time he used it, he had to have one son pressing a particular button to keep the "kick-stand" thingies up, and the other son doing something else – I already forgot what – just to get the machine from here to there. Once there, though, it works fine. Hey, it was cheap. He buys these things at auctions. Their youngest son was out front when I pulled in. Doug and their dog Scooby came out a few seconds later. Scooby tried to attack me when I went to hug my brother hello. No joke. He barked, growled, and bumped me with his chest. Probably thought I was attacking his owner, though he eventually got used to me. Doug never has. They were surprised by Scooby's aggressiveness, but I was not. That dog has never liked me. He's a large shepherd/Doberman-maybe/hound-dog mix, and should know me by now. He finally did allow me to pet him under the chin and around the ears while in the house. Doug and Jana have done a lot of work on the place since I visited almost exactly a year ago. They have big plans for the future, but I can't tell you what those plans are. I was sworn to secrecy. The gun to my head convinced me. I am joking now, but he did ask if I wanted to shoot guns. I declined, having no interest. My daughter has tried to get me to do the same back home at a nearby gun range whose owner she is friends with. I said I'd do it if it meant that much to her, but really could not care less about such things. I own a gun and know how to use it, just don't feel the need to shoot it unless absolutely necessary. I did put her target practice sheet – a 2 foot by 3 foot piece of paper full of bullet holes – on the "sports" wall in my office in her honor. My office wall decor is divided into "animals," "music," "travel," and "sports." It's like Jeopardy! categories of all my favorite things. I should add "food" and "entertainment" walls – two more favorite things – but doubt Tara would be okay with adding walls to the office. Jana provided home-made baked goods, of course, which were all delicious. Then she gave me a glass of raw milk, also delicious, that they get from a nearby farmer. I was a little hesitant, afraid of a bad reaction so far from home, but I took a chance, and lived to tell the tale. I even got to say hello to her brother -- they Skype each other regularly -- who I'd met at their wedding 28 years ago. Sadly, their father had just recently passed away. Leaving Doug and Jana's house after only three hours – this was just a two-day, one-night trip and I had places to be – I gave them the traditional gift of two banana peels. It's a tradition now, anyway. It's what was left over from my road-trip snacks. Doug said it would be a great addition to their compost, and accepted my gift with the utmost appreciation. I spent that night in St. James, Missouri, just east of Rolla at the Greenlight Inn.. Nice hotel. Right next to I-44, but quiet (that night, at least) and fairly cheap, especially after my Expedia discount. I was finally able to watch a World Series game there. We don't get Fox or ABC at home, and the Series was on Fox. The score was 6-4, Yankees over the Dodgers, in Game Four when I fell asleep. I'm an early-to-bed-early-to-rise type. I'm writing this the next morning – around 5:30 – and will have to get online to see if there will be a Game Five. The Dodgers were leading the series 3-0 before last night. There's no coffee-maker in my room, the Manatee Room. Next door is the Dolphin Room. It's a good room with a den/office area in front. It even has a small refrigerator, just no coffee-maker. I'll have to wait until 6:30 when the free breakfast opens up downstairs. They might at least have coffee, though, so I'm going down there in a minute. It was dark and scary down there just now, but then, it is the day before Halloween. Luckily, the juice and coffee machines seem to work 24/7, so I had two cups of orange juice and a cup of coffee. Back in my room, I've got time for a shower before breakfast, followed by a 2+ hour drive north to Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood home. I hope rush-hour traffic near St. Louis isn't too bad. Hannibal was nice. I bought a couple of t-shirts at the Mark Twain Museum. I'll let the photos below and this video here tell most of the story, but will mention the gift store/soda shop off Main street. I searched for a nativity scene there for Tara – she collects them – but ended up with a butterscotch root beer float. After I got home, my wife and daughter both cringed at the sound of that, but I said, "No, it was delicious." UPDATE/SPOILER ALERT: The Yankees won Game 4, so there was a Game 5. There will be no Game 6 because the Dodgers came from behind and won the World Series after five. You'll probably need to zoom-in/enlarge most of these images to read the signs. Or, just visit visithannibal.com blog version — similar posts here — ... and elsewhere Comments We enjoy free speech. Try not to offend, but feel free to be offended. Leave a new comment regarding "travel-page":

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