Category Archives: Travel

Another Heat Wave On The Way

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Another Heat Wave

Another heat wave! It’s Hot Hot Hot.  90+ temps for at least 3 days in a row. The tropics are stirred up. There’s a hurricane headed to Waikiki. Hurricane Douglas , the strongest storm on the planet has Hawaii in its sights. Meanwhile Hurricane Hannah is en route to Texas. Here in Boston we just plan to melt as heat and humidity continue to climb.

2020 Continues to Torture

If Corona Virus wasn’t bad enough we’ve got race riots, police protests, Australia burned, volcanoes exploded and  hurricanes are everywhere! What’s that you say? Don’t forget the killer bees? What else can possibly go wrong in 2020? 

On the South Rim, Grand Canyon 2008

Travel

Believe it or not I’m starting to really miss travel. I’m not sure I’m ready to squish myself into an airplane yet but I’d love to revisit some of my favorite places such as the Grand Canyon. Get a 2nd chance to get a spectacular photo. Or maybe just see what I missed. Even a day trip or long weekend to my neighbor state to the north, New Hampshire. I haven’t gotten a picture of a loon yet but I know where to find them on Squam Lake, NH.  Did you know that Squam Lake is where they filmed On Golden Pond?

But here we are, still in lockdown, wearing masks and social distancing which brings me to my most recent update. I know you are all wondering. Have I finished the puzzle or did I give up. What’s new in the jigsaw puzzle world?

Jigsaw Puzzle Update Time

I am still plugging along. Making some progress. I’ve got a lot more bits put together that I have no idea where they go but I also have the beak. It was easy. It was red, and I’ve added more to the border. I can recognize part of a leg. But now I’ve got a lot of very similar colored pieces without unique marks, colors or stripes. This part is going to be really hard.  But I will persevere.

 

 

 

 

 

Why aren’t we helping animals?

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Let’s Feed & Care for Shelter Animals Every Day!

Together we’ve donated more than $60 million to causes you care about!
Your clicks have funded the value of 776,693,063 bowls of food. Learn more

When you click, our sponsors fund food and supplies for shelter pets.

Sounds pretty good, right? But what I wonder is why before the pandemic the site showed 80,000-850000 clicks each day. Now when we are all handing on the internet looking for things to do click count is way down. It got as low as 49000. At least it seems to be heading back up. We funded the value of 66,085 bowls of food yesterday. 

Not into pets and animals? This site also counts clicks for hunger, breast cancer, veterans, diabetes, save the rainforest and more.  So when you’re surfing around the web, take a second to swing by and click. https://theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clicktogive/ars/home

Will you Travel after the Pandemic?Red fox baby on Monday

I’ve been reading a lot about the state of the travel industry and projections after Covid 19. Predictions are more road trips and less flying.  Amazing incentives are expected to encourage the public to get back out there. I like the sound of the road trips. Long weekends exploring local attractions and maybe a longer road trip. A cross country drive maybe? Travel at my own pace. Stop and take pictures along the way? Its amazing what you can see from the road when you take your time.  I’ll have to turn in my leased car and buy a car. Otherwise that pesky mileage issue will come up.

Spring Baking Championship

Ok so being cooped up has had me searching for things to watch on TV. Most of my favorite shows are reruns because they can’t get out to film with the virus. They are shut down too but I happened to come across the Spring Baking Championship on Food Network. Its amazing what these bakers can do but that wasn’t why this episode stuck in my mind. One of the bakers was from Jackson Hole Wyoming. As soon as I heard that I was immediately transported back to my vacation in Jackson Hole. It was a very strange feeling. I remembered the feeling of being there, the smell of the air, the amazing mountains. The essence that I absorbed while visiting all came sweeping back to me. Maybe its time for a return trip once the pandemic is over. 

Moulton Barn with Tetons in the background

A Hawaiian Slideshow

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A Hawaiian Slideshow

Hawaii is a state of the United States of America located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the only U.S. state located outside North America and the only island state.  Distant and exotic it is on everyone’s bucket list.  While travel is at a standstill, I thought I’d share a slide show from my trips to Hawaii. The photos are from Oahu, Maui and The Big Island. They include landscapes, water sports, flora and fauna. There is so much in Hawaii to see. 

 

 

 

 

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

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Colorado’s Rocky Mountains

When I say “Colorado Rocky Mountain High” I’m not talking about their legalization of Marijuana. In fact when I thought about going to Colorado it was just because I haven’t been there yet! I have a co-worker who used to live in Colorado. She has only good things to say about the state but every time I say I might go and suggest a place she says ” Oh that’s a great place to visit but…it’s really hard to get there“. Now that we’re all stuck at home I’ve started thinking and planning for a vacation that might not happen but planning is almost as much fun as the trip itself . So lets talk about Colorado.

Colorado Weather

When I first started looking into a Colorado vacation I had to narrow down the time frame. I’m not a winter sports buff, unless I’m watching it on TV. Love downhill racing from my armchair. It’s a great Olympic sport. But I never learned to ski. Too many of my friends wrecked their knees skiing when I was growing up. Plus its cold. So I don’t think I want to go in the winter. Since it’s mountains snow can come early in the fall. I came close to getting stranded in Wyoming in October due to snow so looks like summer is my vacation of choice.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Next step was to decide which part of the state I wanted to visit. Colorado is a big state. I started out by checking availability for  my time share.  This was before the quarantines and travel bans so there wasn’t much to choose from. If I wanted to book now there are 62 resorts available throughout the state! But back when I first thought about Colorado there was Vail (too touristy), Telluride (Where Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank) or Steamboat Springs ( Big Ski Area). Except for Vail my friend said nice to all and tough to get to for all. No help with my choice.  But finally the hot spring in Steamboat Springs tipped the scale. So I’m booked into The Steamboat Grand Resort in August. Time to figure out what to do there in the summer. Just in case I really get to go. 

The Legend of Sweetheart Rock

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Sweetheart Rock , Lanai

We were on our way to spend the morning on Lanai. As we passed a large cliff we could see waves crashing on a smaller rock at its point. Small is a relative term because this little rock is actually 80 ft. tall! Named Puu Pehe in Hawaiian, Sweetheart Rock is s recognizable landmark even for tourists like me. Like so many of Hawaii’s landmarks, this one has a legend attached to it too. 

The Legend of Sweetheart Rock

Once upon a time a beautiful young princess from Maui was captured by a young warrior from Lanai. He was so taken with her looks that he made her his wife and brought her back to his home island of Lanai. But the warrior was so jealous of her beauty that he was afraid to let any other man see her. To keep her secluded he confined her to a sea cave near the rock.

One day while the warrior was away a huge storm came up with the sea pounding the rock and flooding the sea cave. Frantic the warrior rushed back to the cave but it was too late. His beloved bride had drowned. With the help of the gods the heartbroken young warrior retrieved her body and took it to the top of the steep rock island. There he made a tomb to lay her to rest. Then, overwhelmed with grief, the young man jumped off the top of the island to his death. 

Puu Pehe’s Tomb

Puu Pehe is located between  Manele Bay and Hulopoe Bay .  If you look closely you may see a small mound at the top of the rock that could be a tomb. We were too far out in the channel to see but I’m told its there. Archaeologists who have studied the sea stack say the only bones are those of sea birds.  The legend is romantic and tragic but don’t let that draw you into exploring the rock. The sides are steep and treacherous and the waters surrounding the island are filled with strong currents and swift waves.