A Slo Afternoon

A Slo Afternoon, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Cerro San Luis is a special place. Uncrowded and varied in environs, it's an awesome mountain to climb. The view from the top is spectacular - the morros of SLO county line up and stretch all the way to the Pacific.

Sunrise in the Frozen Forest

This photo was made at Tettegouche State Park in Northeast Minnesota on the shores of Lake Superior. Parts of the shoreline at Tettegouche are a wonderland of ice right now. Thanks to high winds and waves that hit the shoreline just over a week ago, the trees at Tettegouche are covered in ice. Some of the cliffs at the park angle back as they drop down towards the lake, so when the waves come in just right they literally EXPLODE back out from the cliff and if the wind is strong enough it will catch the spray and fling it up over the cliff and into the trees. This only happens once in a great while, maybe only once or twice every 10 years (or so I'm told). I've shared this ice experience with a few different friends of mine, and no matter how long you've lived along the shores of Lake Superior, this incredible ice makes you stare in amazement. Truly one of the most magnificent things I've ever seen in my life on the lake. This image was made with my Canon EF 24-105mm lens, shutter speed 1/60, aperture f16, ISO 100.

Below: Here is another photo of the same ice formation, taken later in the day after the sun had risen high into the sky.

'Tis the Off-Season

The holiday rush of the city really got to us this year, and we wanted to be some place quiet.So for the days leading up to Christmas, we stayed on Cape Cod.






And quiet it was. Turns out Provincetown has chosen this winter to repave its roads and fix its sidewalks, so basically the whole town was dug up and closed to motorised traffic.






But despite the roadwork, many of the businesses remained open, catering to locals and to the occasional visitor.The result was the sort of insular pedestrian small-town atmosphere that has long ceased to exist under normal circumstances. People said hello to each other on the streets. The phrase "How are you?" was interpreted as a question, rather than a greeting, and detailed answers were given. Merely seeing each other walking, or cycling around the town center had created a sense of relaxed familiarity among everyone present, however temporary.






Even in the busiest, most hectic part of summer, what I like about Provincetown is how relaxed and unaggressive it is. Bikes, pedestrians, cars. Tourists, summer people, locals. Gay, straight, undefined. Somehow, all of these categories are simply combined, without being pitted against each other. They are separated by "and" and not "versus." It's a microcosm that does not reflect the reality of life elsewhere. But at least it shows that, in theory, it's possible for people to function like this. And in the off season, with everyone squeezed into the same couple of bars and coffee shops after hours, this became all the more apparent.






Last year I mentioned noticing more incidents of aggressive and inattentive drivers over the winter holidays in Boston, and this time around it seems even worse. First it was the rush of last minute Christmas shopping. Now I guess it's the post-Christmas sales. Soon it will be New Year parties. Whatever it is, drivers on the roads just seem so impatient and angry right now. Sure, they might arrive to their holiday parties smiling, saying all the requisite niceties and exchanging beautifully wrapped gifts. But what's the point, if for entire weeks leading up to this they are filled with such stress, that rage is boiling just beneath the surface? I couldn't even feel annoyed at the woman who laid on her horn and shouted when I took too long making a left turn the other day. Obviously something other than me on my bike must have been the real cause of her anger.So I try to be extra cautious on the roads. And I try to not fall into the stress trap myself. No big plans. No pressure. No stress. That's my plan into the New Year.

Hovenweep :: Square Tower Group

I found Hovenweep National Monument to be a fascinating place. Viewing the multi-storied towers perched on the canyon rims and balanced on boulders, I was amazed by the structures and by the people who had built them. Experts at masonry and engineering, the builders used the rock slabs for foundations and the walls of the structures were laid down over the uneven surfaces, rising, in some cases, to heights of several stories.

Why were they built on the rocks? Why were they built in a variety of shapes – squares, ovals, circles, and D-shaped? What was the purpose of the buildings? What happened to their builders?

According to literature from the National Park Service:

The towers of Hovenweep were built by ancestral Puebloans, a sedentary farming culture that occupied the Four Corners area from about A.D. 500 to A.D. 1300. Similarities in architecture, masonry and pottery styles indicate that the inhabitants of Hovenweep were closely associated with groups living at Mesa Verde and other nearby sites.

The ancestral Puebloans prepared their land for cultivation much like farmers do today. They created terraces on hillsides, formed catch basins to hold storm run-off, and built check dams to retain topsoil that would otherwise wash away. Storage granaries under the canyon rims protected harvests of corn, beans and squash for later use.

Many theories attempt to explain the use of the buildings at Hovenweep. The striking towers might have been celestial observatories, defensive structures, storage facilities, civil buildings, homes or any combination of the above. While archeologists have found that most towers were associated with kivas (Puebloan ceremonial structures), their actual function remains a mystery.

By the end of the 13th century, it appears a prolonged drought, possibly combined with resource depletion, factionalism and warfare, forced the inhabitants of Hovenweep to depart. Though the reason is unclear, ancestral Puebloans throughout the area migrated south to the Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico and the Little Colorado River Basin in Arizona. Today's Pueblo, Zuni and Hopi people are descendants of this culture.

The Square Tower Group, located in and around Little Ruin Canyon, which is a short walk from the visitors center, has the largest collection of ancestral Puebloan structures at Hovenweep. The remains of nearly thirty kivas have been discovered as well as a variety of other structures. They think that it is possible that as many as 500 people occupied the Square Tower area between A.D. 1200 and 1300.

The Stronghold House as seen from across the the canyon, from the south side.

These are the same two buildings in the previous photo, taken from a slightly different angle. Using the zoom distorts and compresses the view somewhat.

Two towers, looking northwest.

The same two towers, looking northeast.

Detail showing the stonework.

Hovenweep House, the largest structure in the area, along with several outbuildings. As seen from the south side of the canyon.

Hovenweep House, on the edge of the canyon. Looking to the east.

The Square Tower. Perched on a boulder, at the bottom of the west end of the canyon.

Ruins Canyon, looking east. The two towers are just below the rim of the canyon near the center of the picture. Several other structures dot the landscape, almost blending in with the boulders.

Photographs taken on May 19, ...

60th Wedding Anniversary of Henry & Susie Yarian Phend

Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana
Tuesday ~ September 2, 1952

Thursday, September 4, will be the 60th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Phend of this city. The event was observed Sunday while the daughter, Mrs. Bernice Holderman of San Gabriel, Calif., could be home to have a part in the family observance. The eight children of Mr. and Mrs. Phend were all present for the event.

On Thursday evening the Evangelical United Brethren church will give a dinner at 6:30 o'clock in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Phend and members of their family. Mr. and Mrs. Phend have long been closely associated with the local church and Mr. Phend has long served as a member of the Board of Trustees.

Seventy-five people attended the dinner at noon which was served on the lawn. In the afternoon 150 guests called between 2 and 5 o'clock. The large anniversary cake, in white and decorated in gold and pink, formed the decorative note of the serving table.

Mrs. Phend, bride of 60 years ago, was attired in a white print marked with a purple design and on her left shoulder was pinned an orchid with a purple throat.

A Packard electric organ provided music and vocal music was furnished by Mr. and Mrs. LaMar Phend of Osceola, who have their own program on the radio entitled "Strolling Down Memory Lane." The couple were heard at the Republican Convention in Chicago.

Four generations were in attendance at the Platinum anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Phend, who were showered with gifts of every description. A wrist watch, something Mrs. Phend has always wanted, was a gift from one of her children. Other gifts from the children included a pop-up toaster, an electric blanket and there were gifts of money. The Phend home was aglow with flowers that had been brought in by friends.

According to Mr. and Mrs. Phend it was raining on their wedding day. The couple was united in marriage, at the hotel in Nappanee owned by Mrs. Phend's aunt, by the Rev. O. L. Richart, a minister of the Evangelical United Brethren church. Two of the guests at their wedding 60 years ago were present at the anniversary observance Sunday. They were Ed Phend and Mrs. Clara Phend, cousins of Mr. Phend, both of Nappanee. Movies were taken during the day.

Since 1898 Mr. and Mrs. Phend have resided in Columbia City where Mr. Phend has long been known as a building contractor and where this summer he has served as an inspector on the Mary Raber School where classes were organized today for the first time.

All of the Phend children were in attendance at the wedding anniversary observance of their parents, also some of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Guests attended the event from Nappanee, Elkhart, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Monticello, Larwill and Pierceton. The daughter, Bernice Phend Holderman of San Gabriel, Calif., left today for her home on the Golden State Limited out of Chicago, after a month's visit here.

Henry and Susie with their children: Rolland Victor "Vic" (my grandfather), Cecil, Russell, Paul, Bernice, Virgil, Gerald, and Don Phend. September 2, 1952.

Henry and Susie Phend with their great grandchildren, September 2, 1952. That's me on the left side, sitting on the ground. My brothers, Doug and Jack, are between me and Susie. Doug was 5, I was 4, and Jack was 3 years old. I wish I could say that I remember Henry and Susie, but I don't. I would have been 8 years old when Susie died and 10 when Henry died. Two years after this picture was taken Susie went into a Nursing Home after suffering a stroke and remained there until her death on April 29, 1956. In January 1956, Henry fell and broke his hip. He too was put into a Nursing Home where he resided until his death on July 10, 1958.

Sunday Drive #2

Even though this is almost a week old by now, I still wanted to share another one of our Sunday drives. This one we kept pretty local, circling in a radius of about 20 miles and seeing exactly what is here. We headed down to Arcadia where we saw our old campground, which is also named Peace River.





We have a lot of good memories of our time there. We had no idea when we first started hanging out there that it was a part of our journey to become full timers. Now I feel even more warm and fuzzy towards the place knowing it was a key part of getting us from there to here.



We saw a local country club near Ona. Really snooty looking place, isn't it?



We saw many other cool buildings, and another snooty looking pub named Charlotte's Web.



We saw lots of animals. A cactus. A lumberyard.



And my personal favorite from this week, an old barn.



Living the life in Sunny Florida!

The Trees We Found This Past Week

Just some of the trees we have come across while hiking.

Medieval Amsterdam

I would be lying if I say that Amsterdam is not my favorite city. She is far different, unique is the right word, compared to other cosmopolitan and historical cities. I especially love her dark, mysterious and leaning buildings and I never tire of seeing them standing tall on the canals. They, for me are more captivating than the luxurious buildings in Paris.

The medieval Amsterdam quarter is the oldest part of the city. This old area stretches from Centraal Station to the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, the Damrak in the center and the Wallen, which is also called the Red Light District. As you may be aware of, it’s not advisable to flip out your camera in public in the Red Light District, the hookers there are paparazzi shy. If you take a foto of them their no mercy bulldog bouncers will on a fly pounce on your sorry neck. Thus being warned, I only have fotos of other places. Nevertheless, my girl friends were pretty amused with the smorgasbord of sexy ladies available that night, the throngs of tourists to add that picked up after eleven and men trawling the district for the right find.



On the left is the only foto that I took of the Red Light District, by Casa Rosso where one can watch a live sex show. There was an unusual gathering of swans and ducks, it was so pretty I had to preserve the moment. Middle foto is an interesting corner building near the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, where our hotel is located.





The Spui square, you see that arched brown door on the red brick building, that is the entrance to the Begijnhof. On the left you can see the flag of Amsterdam on the walls of the Amsterdam Historisch Museum, the Triple X flanked by lions and the royal crown.





Kids feeding the doves on the little square between Spui and the floating Flower Market. Next foto is a traditional Dutch cheese store in the basement of the building.





Tulips in the floating Flower Market, they also sell cannabis/hash here. Middle foto is the Munt Toren. On the right is the statue of Rembrandt on Rembrandtplein.





The Rembrandt square... before, you can find life size sculptures of the characters depicted in Rembrandt's popular painting, 'The Nightwatch' here. Foto on the right is the view to Rembrandtplein from inside the cafe.





My friends loved the Dutch chocolate milk drink, they think it is the best chocolate drink in the world hehe. Foto on the right--bittergarnituur for lunch. We had heavy breakfast at the hotel that we snacked our way to lunch.





Typical Dutch architecture, the gable houses. Foto on the right, a biker meets classic rider. I love the poshy melon color of the car.





More Dutch architecture here along Rokin nearby Damrak which is really close to the Dam square and De Wallen/Red Light District.





Yours truly inside the canal boat cruise playing as tourist haha. Middle foto is a typical Amsterdam scenery: gable houses, canals, bridges and bikes. On the right foto it says Beware of pickpockets, they also shop!





Traditional Dutch wooden draw bridge, the bridge is opened upwards for passing boats. Foto on the right is a typical Dutch stonebridge and canal by the Carre Theater, one of the oldest theaters in the Netherlands.



More fotos can be found here: Amsterdam (Medieval) - The Netherlands



Our day was full-packed with lots of sightseeing and activities that I am, helaas, already quite familiar with. Obviously I have done most of them before. We walked endlessly; my back hurt at the end of the day and I was looking forward jumping into my inviting bed in the hotel and then stretching myself with the soft pillows nuzzling my tired back. The weather cooperated as well. Saturday was quite chilly and windy but it was dry and the sun shone!

A recap: We went to see the Waag in the Nieuwmarkt area; ate in Chinatown; passed by Spui and visited the Begijnhof; checked out the floating Flower Market; had lunch and drinks in Rembrandtplein and then afterwards we took a canal boat cruise.

We also spent a lot of time in the Jordaan area but this strongly merits another separate entry.

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