The Georgia Aquarium is one of Atlanta’s must do attractions.

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Georgia Aquarium

The Georgia Aquarium is one of Atlanta’s must do attractions. As you approach, the  huge aquarium presents the silhouette of a ship’s prow. The majestic building sails across the the northern end of Centennial Olympic Park. Georgia Aquarium is the largest public aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. Its mission is to drive conservation, education and economic growth. 

Dinner at the Aquarium

As part of Redferno attendees were invited to an after hours dinner at the aquarium. Exhibits were kept open and we were free to roam among the exhibits all while indulging at the generous buffet tables. Servers circulated with trays of bite sized appetizers. Free-flowing drinks included all types of wines and beer So with drink in hand or a plate of chicken fingers we explored the massive aquarium. 

 

The Georgia Aquarium Experience

Right off the entrance we spotted the sweet, playful otters and typical fish galleries but exploring deeper is where the magic happens. If you don’t scuba dive have you ever wondered what it would be like to be able to swim with sharks and rays and fish big and small? Well this is the place to be. Welcome to the Ocean Voyager Tunnel.  There is no other way to put it. You are standing in a protected tunnel with water and marine creatures all around you. They swim beside you and over you. Yes look up. They are above you too. 

Shark! Shark!

Right now sharks swim in the huge tank along with the rays, groupers and other smaller fish. The Tunnel tank also provides a home  to the magnificent whale sharks but there is more coming. Georgia Aquarium is expanding. The construction zone around the aquarium will soon  be a new home for sharks. The saltwater gallery will feature stunning floor to ceiling acrylic windows to give guests an up-close and personal view of these majestic animals. This new experience will help guests have a deeper appreciation for the important role sharks serve and inspire them to join conservation efforts to protect our oceans. The new exhibit is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020.

 I may have to plan a long weekend back to Atlanta this fall!

Whale Shark at Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. Original image from Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

 

 

 

Marvelous Marvin- Atlanta

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Marvelous Marvin has Arrived

Marvelous Marvin arrived on my doorstep earlier than expected. He actually made it in time to go to Atlanta, GA with me. He must have galloped across Alaska’s Tundra to make it to the post office in time.Moose scrambles up the bankHis ETA was Friday 1/10 but on Tuesday 1/7 my doorbell rang and there he was. He didn’t even have time to say hello to cousin Merle before I had him packed away for Atlanta.

Marvin at the Marriott

We were staying at the Marriott Marquis. What a huge hotel! But even with 20+ floors not all of the attendees could be accommodated . We had folks in the OMNI Hotel at the CNN Center, the Sheraton, The Hyatt Regency and The Westin Peachtree Plaza. As you can see this was a very big deal. Our closing dinner and Party was so huge it had to be held in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium!

The Atmosphere was Electric

This was my 5th Redferno (that’s the name of the annual convention) and Marvin’s first. The energy was vibrating like it was about to explode. So many people that all embraced the same corporate culture here in one place, together, to celebrate our success and get a peek at the future. Music blared from every meeting room. The joint (as they say)was rockin’ . People were cheering. Its like being dropped into the middle of an Amway convention. It can be quite a culture shock. It was for me the first time I came. I was interested to see how my team mates would feel about a moose in their midst.

Marvin at Thrive

I chose to introduce Marvin at a smaller venue. Our Boston Market dinner was Wednesday evening at a restaurant called Thrive. I was more comfortable introducing Marvin to just my team before any of the other teams found out about my stowaway. Marvin immediately charmed everyone. Of course Marvin couldn’t go to the meetings but he would be able to join us again for the really big send off party on Friday.

We’ve Played this Game Before

Posted on by

We’ve Played this Game Before

Have you ever seen those games of lists on Facebook. You know the ones. They ask you things like how many of the following list of books you’ve read or how many classic films you’ve seen. There’s even a list of foods you hate! Well I was trying to visit all 50 states but I kind of got off track. So let’s play another version of the game called How Many states have you visited?

Rules of the GameWe've Played this game before

For a state to count you must have spent time there. You can’t count changing planes even if you do have a long layover. No you need to spend at least one full day there. Even better is a weekend or a vacation. For example, I had changed planes in Washington DC many times but I couldn’t cross Washington DC off the list until I spent a long weekend exploring the National Mall and looking at frozen cherry blossoms. If I truly want to experience the Cherry Blossoms I’ll need to go back but I can put a check by Washington DC.

The List of States

  1. Alabama – No
  2. Alaska – Yes- Breathtaking and majestic. Loved the glaciers
  3. Arizona – Yes- Sedona and Red Rock Country. I took my first helicopter ride in Arizona.
  4. Arkansas – No
  5. California – Yes but not for vacation (I spent 3 days in San Diego at a business convention)
  6. Colorado- No
  7. Connecticut – Yes (I spent a weekend in Old Saybrook but I don’t remember why)
  8. Delaware – No
  9. Florida – Yes- Love Florida, too bad it’s going to be underwater because of Global Warming. I go often to enjoy it while I can.
  10. Georgia – Yes The Georgia Aquarium is huge and don’t forget to go to the World of Coca Cola
  11. Hawaii –  Yes  Oahu, Big Island and Maui. Still need to go to Kauai. Best time is February when the whales put on quite a show. I also snorkeled with Manta Rays and watched Kilauea prepare to blow her top.
  12. Idaho – No
  13. Illinois- Yes But I need to go again. It was a business trip to Chicago, one of the first times I’d ever been on an airplane (a long time ago) I don’t remember much.
  14. Indiana – No
  15. Iowa – No
  16. Kansas – No
  17. Kentucky – No
  18. Louisiana – Yes, New Orleans. Great food!
  19. Maine – Yes Saw my first wild Moose there
  20. Maryland – Yes Went to the Navel Academy in Annapolis when my brother was a midshipman.
  21. Massachusetts – Yes I guess I can say Yes. I live in Massachusetts
  22. Michigan – No
  23. Minnesota – No
  24. Mississippi – No
  25. Missouri – No
  26. Montana- No
  27. Nebraska – No
  28. Nevada- Yes – Vegas Baby!  Great Shows Great Food Fun Times
  29. New Hampshire – Yes I explored the White Mountains
  30. New Jersey – No
  31. New Mexico – No
  32. New York – Yes My childhood home plus I have visited Niagara Falls several times
  33. North Carolina – No
  34. North Dakota – No
  35. Ohio -No
  36. Oklahoma – No
  37. Oregon – No
  38. Pennsylvania- No
  39. Rhode Island – Yes- Walked the cliff walk and visited the Mansions. Even went to a black tie ball in one
  40. South Carolina- Yes My brother’s wedding
  41. South Dakota – Yes That was an awesome vacation- So much to do there!
  42. Tennessee – Yes – Stayed in Gatlinburg and visited Pigeon Forge. Skipped Dollywood
  43. Texas – Yes – San Antonio. Stayed right on the River Walk
  44. Utah – No
  45. Vermont – Yes Maple Syrup anyone?
  46. Virginia – Yes Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Garden Christmas Town
  47. Washington State- Yes Spent a week on a business trip in Seattle. Took pictures from the top of the space needle and visited Chihuly Gardens
  48. West Virginia – No
  49. Wisconsin – Yes Say Cheese. Actually My brother’s retirement party from the Navy was held in Kenosha
  50. Wyoming – Yes One of my favorite places. Jackson Hole (Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone)
  51. Washington DC – Yes, On a frozen , icy weekend (as mentioned above)

Now Its Your Turn

What does your list look like? How Many states have you visited? Which of my “No” States should I visit next?

 

Meet Merle The Alaska Moose

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Merle the Alaska Moose

Merle the Alaska Moose

Merle The Alaska Moose

I’d like you to meet Merle the Alaska Moose.  Merle moved with me to the lower 48 from Alaska back in 2013 when our paths crossed at a remote souvenir stand. Merle isn’t much for travel and adventure. He’s more of a homebody. I’m not sure he has fully recovered from his  move south from Alaska. From Wilderness to Suburbia-talk about a culture shock! That was Merle’s great adventure and he’s happy with that. Merle now spends his days with a menagerie of friends from other trips.

Merle and Friends

Merle and Friends

 

Merle’s Cousin from the North

Marvelous Marvin

Marvelous Marvin

Thanks to Merle I’m expecting a travel companion to join me on future trips starting in February (maybe sooner). As much as a homebody as Merle is, his cousin, The Marvelous Marvin, sufferers from a bad case of Wanderlust. Merle let me know yesterday that his cousin is looking for someone to travel with on his adventures. Since my sister doesn’t travel as often now I jumped at the chance to connect with Marvin.

I’m pretty good at solo travel but having a friend along is nice too. It was late last night (those pesky time zones you know) when we finally managed to connect. Marvin didn’t need much persuasion and promised to be on his way real soon thanks to the miracle of USPS and FedEx. His ETA isn’t until the end of next week so he’ll miss the Atlanta trip but will be here in plenty of time for Maui.

Marvelous Marvin the Alaska Moose

I’m very excited about this development and can’t wait to meet The Marvelous  Marvin in person. From the picture he shared with me he looks a lot like Merle. Marvin thought having his own Adventure Blog called Wanderlust might be a good thing but I told him I thought Wanderlust was already taken. And besides, who knows if his adventures will be interesting enough to fill a blog post. We all know how spotty posts for aroundustyroads have been the last couple of years.

 

 

 

 

Resolutions Anyone?

Posted on by

Resolutions or no?

Are you big on making New Years Resolutions or do you just say no? Personally I don’t think I pay much attention to an annual To Do List that I’m probably going to blow off in the first 2 weeks anyway.  Doesn’t everyone plan to lose weight? How many times is that going to be on your list? But I do think taking stock of your life and where its going is a good idea. Seems to me quarterly would be better than annually but maybe I just need to do it more often to stay on track.  Here’s a few of the things I am working on for 2020. I’m not sure of they are resolutions , goals or just wishful thinking.

Work Resolutions

Work is a big part of my life so I’m starting there. Work has been pretty scary in 2019 so I am anxious to take more control. There have been a lot of changes and more to come in the near future. Like I said, scary. Will my boss be the same? Will I need to change roles or apply for another position? Will I end up working for someone I don’t respect or trust? With all the reorganization anything is possible. So to combat my feelings about all this upheaval I  want to be better organized. I want to be pro-active. If I am aware of a problem then I want to take steps to correct it. I want to develop a training program, not just wing it. I want to standardize procedure so everyone knows what to do. I want to lead a strong and united team. 

Health Resolutions

My hip replacement was a 100% success. My doctor has given me 2 thumbs up but now I need to worry about my knee.  X-rays show that the pain I have going up and down stairs is real, not a figment of my imagination. It shows degeneration to the point of bone on bone.  You guessed it, I need a complete knee replacement. Pretty soon I’ll be the bionic woman. My doctor says we may be able to delay the surgery with cortisone shots and exercise. He suggested PT again. But tops on his list before he’ll do the surgery is weight loss. I’m trying. I’ve been working diligently on that since July but it’s 2 lbs off 1.5 lbs back on. Not much progress. I guess I’ll have to make more of an effort in 2020.

Fun & Hobby Resolutions

I haven’t been a very fun person in 2019. I got quite lazy during my hip recovery. I put travel on the back burner and did absolutely no weekend adventures. As a result I didn’t take many pictures and didn’t have much to say here. So aroundustyroads suffered and so did my companion blogs, dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com and dustyroadsphotos.com . I will try to make a better effort in 2020. More adventures= more posts. 

Friends  & Family Resolutions

As any member of my family and many of my friends will tell you, I’m not a warm fuzzy sort. I forget birthdays and anniversaries. I didn’t send my Christmas cards last year or this year. I don’t go visit anyone. I’m always busy, busy , busy. But I hope they know that I love them all and worry behind the scenes about the trials they face. I should show them more often that I do care what’s going on in their life and if I can help at all I want to.  There have been so many losses both in my family and in my friend’s that we …I….need to cherish those that are still with with us. Life is too short not to. 

So What about you?

So now that I’ve shared my thoughts, fears and aspirations for 2020 what about you? Will you take time for any self reflection?