Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Dragon No Fly

The inspiration for my title is courtesy of Pam Jackson. On this post she mentioned both dragonflies and the equally beneficial crane flies. You should take a look at the interesting facts she reveals.

That said, I have two really awesome dragon kites, each with a wing span longer than my short self is tall. Trips to North Carolina’s Outer Banks provided so much joyous success I purchased a second after my first started unraveling at the edges. Sadly, we haven’t returned in over a decade due to various circumstances.
Courtesy of this Amazon.com seller;
I could not find one of my flying images...

While our fickle Southwest Ohio winds aren’t often conducive to kite flying, seeing flags flying strong decided me to take my old ragged beauty out. I won’t bore you with all the (painstakingly edited) details of my failed adventure. lol Suffice it to say I forgot my two trusty kite reels had both been broken; the higher tech one actually dropped ball bearings from its rigging while I was out.

Meanwhile, thinking of this title made me want to hear “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Listening to their greatest hits album that night made me miss the Outer Banks even more. At least back then, reggae played a large role in the laidback beach culture. I do intend to return someday, somehow.

Have you ever flown a kite? Do you believe the legend that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity by attaching a metal key to a kite string?

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Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Miscellanous Minutia

About a week ago I attended a graduation party in Northeast Ohio. After braving the usual freeway insanity heading north I decided to take surface roads home. That took longer yet provided more interesting views and fewer screeching brakes.

I didn't know Nashville, Ohio existed...
...Or that a city represents our state's
geographic center. Huh...

I stayed overnight with my brother. It was odd. The living space he wants to renovate is a deathtrap and his health crisis in January limits his capacity. Worse, he rents a room to the former occupants' son who doesn't help out as promised. My brother Brian also cares for this dude's dog and that of his eldest daughter. The former got in my car and didn't want to leave.
First up, this sweetie is a handful my
niece's other dog dislikes.


Near blind, Lexi was defensive yet sweet.
I rather wanted to take her home but it
would have been rightfully vetoed.

After I returned home my husband and I went to an amazing international market. We missed going since the Chinese 'coof' hit but exploring the huge space with oxygen restricting face masks made the ideal unpalatable.
However, this ugly hybrid photographed
between two lemons was very palatable


Would you live in a house where bits of floor are falling into the cellar? Can you blame little Lexi for wanting out of there?

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Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Final Destination

After reading the kind comments on my last post, I found Pradeep Nair's triggering a funny memory. He essentially noted that weather forecasting is an inexact science. Truer words could not be said.

GPS guidance can be inaccurate, as well. My husband and I learned that fact in the early 2000's on our way to an out-of-state Marilyn Manson concert.

An early handheld device led us a hundred or so miles, whereupon its guidance ended in the expected city. Dumbfounded, I parked the car not in front of our downtown hotel but outside some old cemetery gates.

"You have reached your destination," the mechanical voice cheerfully announced.

"Yeah. Our final destination," my husband stated, naming the horror movie franchise which kicked off mere months before. We still chuckle about it today.

I hope you enjoyed this silly tale. There are a few more surrealistic little anecdotes I'd like to share.

Do you think other hotel patrons experienced this? Would this have made you nervous?

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Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Misappropriation

The word chosen for my title usually refers to financial misconduct. But Liz A.’s Cinco de Mayo misadventure reminded me of time and money wasted on a long past yet unforgettable disappointment.

Both Mississippi Delta blues music fans, my husband and I traveled over a hundred miles to Indiana’s oldest blues bar and legendary nightspot, The Slippery Noodle. We arrived that evening, show tickets in hand, to discover massive crowds and no available parking. I never considered the month’s significance or that a downtown Indianapolis sports stadium hosted a March Madness basketball game.

Somehow I navigated around countless inebriated pedestrians and found a free spot several blocks from The Noodle. Relief lasted only until we discovered the place packed with still more intoxicated sports fans. Waitresses were so overwhelmed that we could hardly order a drink, let alone the anticipated meal.


At long last served, we relaxed upon seeing the musicians set up. But after a few tunes the performers met with what appeared to be a club manager and, overwhelmed by drunken hecklers, surrendered the stage to a giant descending screen. I imagine management feared a destructive riot.


My husband and I left our table to the screaming fanatics. At my request, he went in search of a (much needed) cocktail while I headed to the ladies room.


On my way I found the headlining band on a second stage. At last! Unfortunately, another sound system interfered further, broadcasting the stupid game at ear splitting decibels.


I cannot imagine how the artists must have felt. They acted calm and cool. My husband and I were outraged that the place turned into a sports bar. Disgusted, we crashed at our hotel, drove home first thing the next morning, and never returned.


Have you ever been annoyed by a sports event preempting a television broadcast? Can you imagine if professional half-time musicians would not allow the Super Bowl to resume? And here’s a dumb final question: do you think my emailed bewilderment received a response?

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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Better Days (Who is That in the Photo?)

Why, it's me in the photo below, though you'd never know it today. My husband and I were vacationing in Charleston, North Carolina. As a side note, I wasn't too pleased with him over the weeks leading up to and following the trip but we managed to enjoy ourselves overall.



The image is grainy, but this was way back, when My Space was the big social media platform. Having only signed up to communicate with my nephew serving with the US Army in Iraq, I chose this for my home page image. My how things have changed, though my nephew continues thriving in Stateside military protective service.

I set up our old camera to photograph myself rather than request assistance. ~grin~ However, we laughed together numerous times, especially when outdated Magellan satellite mapping software showed us driving into a river rather than over the new city bridge.

Do you remember when cameras had a timer and you didn't need a 'selfie stick'? Can you imagine not having today's satellite guidance? How ever did we manage?

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Saturday, February 8, 2020

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles


Not to cheapen that great John Candy and Steve Martin movie mentioned in my title, this fit better than others I concocted. For starters, you could not pay me to take a commercial flight with the coronavirus such an open threat. Forgive me if you think this is alarmist, the precaution just makes sense. The same pass goes for cruise ships, by the way.

Nope. Not gonna happen.

As for rail, long established lines traverse our entire region. Along my route to the YMCA crossing gates lowered, giving a train right-of-way. Considering how seldom it (surprisingly) happens and the extreme brevity, I won’t complain.

I like the horse profile worked into the Norfolk Southern logo.
As you can see, the thing consisted of an engine and a single attached car. I imagine the engineer pulled its cash load toward a rendezvous with another train.

The Halfway Mark
Anyone who noticed me taking photos must have been baffled. I hope my actions left those fellow commuters wondering.

Hauling Grain, I presume
On a final poignant note, while covered bridges are for civilian transport such as automobiles (see what I did there?), did you know Ohio has 125 of these historic structures? Have you ever seen a covered bridge? And what would you think if someone in a neighboring car photographed a mundane nuisance?

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Friday, October 19, 2018

Relief, Regrets, and a Review

Sunrise Over Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA

Our trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks was a joy, as always. We took longer than normal, so coming home felt better than ever. Besides relaxation, this translated to two solid weeks of an unusual diet and inadequate exercise.

The other day, I had to go to my primary care physician for prescription refills. While my doctor is pretty laid back, I anticipated unhappiness at the weight scale and dreaded going.

But here’s to the relief in my title – she didn’t weigh me. It seems I don’t look as bloated as I feel. And now I have the opportunity to get back to the gym on a regular basis. Breakfast so far today has consisted of a boiled egg. While we split just about every meal out on the road, it’s nice to go light and simple when I want.

Hurray for the incredible, edible egg!

But here’s where (minor) regret comes into play. The more I leave the house for activities like resistance training, the less I want to do things like grocery shop. And while my dear spouse has been super supportive, often going solo to the store, his purchases aren’t always what I expected.

As a result, my L-lysine supplements are twice the normal dose. While that’s not a big deal, they are tough to swallow and I could have waited a few days had I known the store was out of stock. It didn’t seem worth returning them, so I’m hanging in there.

And let me tell you, I sure haven’t suffered any canker sores!

But some of the food item replacements have been disappointing, like receiving gooey cheese filled pretzel sticks instead of plain soft pretzel nuggets. And when I request canned salmon, it’s because the skin and bones are the best part. He brought me the fish packaged in envelopes gleefully advertising the product to be skin and bone free. ~sigh~ I will say the guy stepped up and ate some of it when he prefers salmon as baked fillets.

Even better, he trusted my judgment and went with me to the theater on Tuesday. After first seeing a single trailer for the film I became obsessed with “Bad Times at the El Royale”.

I won’t give you any true spoilers, but know that it’s set in the nineteen-sixties. We love our period pieces around here. And the motel was sort of its own character. That is always fun.

All the actors gave stellar performances. Chris Hemsworth, however, stole every scene.

Kudos to the wardrobe department, also, as they kept Mr. Hemsworth bare-chested much as possible. My husband got a good laugh at my observation on the way home, by the way.


It was a joy to watch Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Cynthia Erivo (I would never have guessed in a million years that this talented singer is British!), Cailee Spaeny, Dakota Johnson, and Lewis Pullman play their parts. I learned beforehand that Bill Pullman’s son co-starred. Not knowing he had an acting child, I enjoyed picking him out by his physical features and subtle mannerisms.

And what a performance. Mr. Pullman’s character proved the biggest surprise.

The only detriment we found is the length. Other reviewers agreed, so at least I went into the theater forewarned. Believe me when I say I sipped that diet cola. Some scenes dragged on longer than necessary; I wasn’t bored for long.

If blood and violence are a turn-off, this film is not for you. I didn’t mind. None of it was gratuitous. In fact, I’m happy to report there were no sex scenes. The storytelling didn’t need that distraction.

I say well done, Drew Goddard, who wrote and directed the film. It wasn’t a huge surprise. I got a similar flavor from a very different but also wonderful flick he worked on with Joss Whedon, “Cabin in the Woods”.

Have you seen any good movies lately?

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Monday, September 17, 2018

Summer Bounty – An Accounting of Blessings

In my human frailty, I have done quite a bit of complaining this season. And granted, I’m still beyond ready for the onset of autumn, but I thought it time to readdress and assess some of the bountiful goodness.

For one, I’ve (most weeks) achieved a good deal of rewrites. Today I’m having fun reworking “The Wolf at Your Door”. I plan to contribute toward the incomplete ending before closing down for the evening .

The new deck, finished within a single week (!), turned out very nice. For the first time we can remember, it’s a safe and attractive structure. We’ll just have to get some of the lumber painted or stained to protect it from the elements once the green has bleached away.
Composite Floorboards Should Hold Up Better

At Last We Have Safe, Comfortable Stairs!
I’ve mentioned gardening numerous times. Stashed in our freezer are bags and bags of processed tomatoes ready for stews and casseroles or chili alongside others loaded with roasted jalapenos and parboiled chard. We also have leftover West African peanut stew and, as of yesterday, several servings of homemade tomato basil bisque ready to defrost. My next task is to cook up Buffalo chicken chili with some refrigerated fresh tomatoes and freeze half of that. I like having plenty of meals on hand.

Yum
If you think the above looks like fortune cookies, check out how I managed to freeze individual packets of the thin bisque without inconvenience or mess. Ice cube trays are so useful, even though my experiment in freezing cubes of fresh herbs didn’t work out so well. The soup bagged up quite nicely. I’m pleased with having thought to try this.

Three Bowls Full Ready to Go
Yesterday we shut down two of three Earthbox gardening containers for winter (tomatoes and rainbow chard). We’ll harvest the hot pepper plants in the next day or so. Once dehydrated, the spicy Thai dragon pods will fulfill our recipe needs for a couple of years.

There may still be some marglobe tomatoes to harvest ripe from the corner patch. We’ll see what the weather does. Those plants grew taller than my five foot two inch self and just look at my colander full! How beautiful are these tasty globes?

Prettiest Tomatoes We Have Ever Grown
Also, potatoes! We shall see how these little purple guys cook up. They will be part of dinner tonight.
 
A New Experiment Using Potato Growing Bags - !
And while my heart goes out to all those who have or will face hurricanes this season, I’m thrilled to know my favorite vacation destination (more home away from home, really) has weathered quite well. We look forward to returning to the Kill Devil Hills region of North Carolina’s Outer Banks yet this year.

Our Beets (Upper Right) Were Disappointing
But Who Wants Fried Green Tomatoes?
Last but not least, Palaye Royale is about to drop their sophomore release “Boom Boom Room: Side B”. I’ll be seeing them live in November, too. That should be fun.

PR's Underwater Album Cover Shot
Now the question remains, what should we plant in place of Thai dragon peppers next spring?

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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

The Little Things Matter



At my mother’s memorial service one of my brother’s recalled her fondness for tiny things. He mentioned how she would find the tiniest shell on a beach. Then I found this on vacation.

Wish This Were Clearer - I Lost the Fragment After Taking This
It really seemed she was with me. We certainly spent time on those shores together in years past. The shell fragment disappearing from my pocket before I went upstairs to the hotel room seemed kind of like letting go of her.

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Monday, September 18, 2017

Sweet Time at the Beach



Earlier this month I visited my current favorite place on earth, North Carolina’s Outer Banks along the United States’ east coast. Meeting the sunrise with camera in hand is a favorite way to start my day there. Early on I found that another beachgoer didn’t have quite the enjoyment expected. The photo made my sweets addicted partner sad.




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Monday, July 3, 2017

Monroe's On the Lake



Last week my partner and I went on a whirlwind tour of the southern United States to visit parents, my mother in hospital. After five straight days of travel and a different motel every night, I am very happy to be home and can happily say my parents are doing well as can be expected.

My favorite stay was at Monroe’s On the Lake. In fact, due to the busy nature of our trip I took more pictures there than anywhere. It’s an older facility but nicely appointed with cool furniture.


Love the Dresser
Continuing the Spanish Feel
Super Cool Chair
Lake Monroe and the Pool I Never Got to Use
The best part of travel is coming home. Don’t you agree?

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