What an East Coaster said to me today...

I was at the eye doctor today, and he asked me where I was from.

When I told him Seattle... He said

"No-one comes East, in fact everyone I know that goes to the West Coast never comes back".

I grinned and said "Yeah? ever wondered why that is?"

"Vacation Re-Wind" Day - 11

A Day on the Boat

Day 11 left us with a "Sea Day" of gambling, sleeping and drinking. We had a great formal dinner in the special dining room with Jerry and Sharon. It was a fabulous meal.

It's time for another installment of ... "NAME THAT FRUIT"

Okay -- so what the hell is this?

Just one more thing in Virginia that I can't identify! (actually I found this one in MD)

I've been driving by them for a few weeks, watching them fall from trees and finally had to stop.

It has a citrus-y smell, and it's kinda smungy when you cut it open. I think I'm allergic to them, cause I can't stop sneezing now! GOD, I'll probably wake up with a rash all over me tommorrow!

PS - I googled it, and now know what it is.

Autumn done right

We love fall. In Seattle Spenser and I always loved the crisp fall air.

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Autumn is certainly something that is better here, than in Seattle.

And look, our first apple. Okay, it's not the best apple, but it's the first one!

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 10

Messina, SicilyRoger and Jerry as we sailed through the Strait of Messina.This is how my morning began, my coffee and lounging on our balcony. I've never really learned how to relax - but this, I enjoy.
Mt Etna

This picture is a bit of an illusion. He did NOT climb this hill - I walked down into the crater.Though I was the only one.

While there were some icky gasses down there that left me without a few breaths of air - It was safe. Chickens!

(See them up on the hill)

And I did finally got pizza in Sicily - after a run in with the Mafia, spicy seafood, and 3 years of waiting.... and I get ice cream everywhere I go.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 9

When it Rome

We have spent some time in Rome, so the purpose of today's trip was to get "THE" perfect picture of the Colosseum to put on our wall. While we have some great pictures from 3 years ago, we now have a new DSLR - and wanted a different caliber of photo.

My very brave husband rented a car, and drove through the heart of Rome. As I was panicking over the traffic, I asked him "Who has the right away", his response... "Who ever takes it".

They are doing alot of new building on the Colosseum. If you look closely at the left hand side - you can see the new parts.

Here is an example where they have built the new building, and incorporated the columns of some building into the side.

It was 92 degrees with a humidity of 90%. It was hot, and I was miserable... and while we didn't "lose" the car, we had a difficult time trying to get around the Roman Forum to get to it.

The Colosseum comes with very dark historical statistics, it is known as the "arena of death". It is estimated that more than 500,000 people and more than 1 million animals died in the arena. Starting with 5000 animals and 2000 gladiators in the first 100 days festival.

That aside, this is one of my favorite things I've seen in my European travels, only the Parthenon in Athens compares. I'd like to see if the Pyramids, and Easter Island Statues are comparable.

The Power - of Power Rangers.

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Happy 40th Birthday to Arden.

When Arden turned 30, I showed up with 30 black balloons.

I'm sure she is expecting the 40 black balloons, AND I was going to send them to her, but I decided I am past that.

Arden and I met in Biology class our first year in college. We met because something was said in a large group about "Power Rangers", we realized that we had sons about the same age. We met because of our hatred of the Power Rangers our sons loved.

We took Biology together, and quite a few other classes. Including an inorganic chemistry class that we both failed, followed by a horticulture class that we got 4.0's in. We took sign language, and didn't find out until the second quarter if our instructor could even speak.

That was 14 years ago.

In that time she has stood by me during a difficult and often scary relationship. She stood by me while I sowed my wild oats (and any other grain I could find). I'm not sure she could tell you how many times I called in the morning and said "I'm going to hell", after I had done something the night before that was crazy.

I teased her about her husband being 10 years older than her, but she got her sweet revenge when I married a man the same age as her husband- 13 years older than I.I know her husband did not approve of our friendship - I was this crazy single woman trying to corrupt his wife. It would take him years to warm up to me, though I know he still shakes his head at me in confusion.

Arden is one of only two people that were there the only time I've been drunk. It was at her house. It was her booze, and I'm pretty sure her fault (something about her not pulling her shots). She had to answer to her husband, while luckily the other 1/2 of the equation got me home safely.

My life has changed so dramatically since we became friends. At times it was crazy, at times it was scary, and sometimes it was even calm. No matter where I was in my journey, she listened to me, she laughed with me and she has always been sincere in her best wishes for me. I know she's worried about me, probably prayed for me, laughed at me, and has been proud of me.

Arden has been married for almost 20 years, has two boys and is nice to everyone. I've never seen a selfish act from her, she is a wonderful wife and mother. She has taught me to be a better person... A more forgiving, understanding and tolerant person.

Happy Birthday Arden, thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 8

The Leaning Tower

This is what you see as you walk through the city walls.

The leaning tower of Pisa is the Bell Tower of the CathedralThis is one of those things I saw in a book - I never expected to actually see. It was bigger than I expected.

Saving the leaning Tower
After 800 years in which the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilted steadily to the south, engineers have finally moved it back 45 centimetres (17 inches) and got it stable.
Computer models suggest that it should have toppled once it reached a tilt of 5.44 degrees - but by 1990 it was leaning by 5.5 degrees, with the seventh level, just below the belltower, overhanging the ground by 4.5 metres (15 feet).
The engineers solved the problem - at least for a couple of hundred years - by placing lead weights on the north side of the tower, and removing tonnes of soil from underneath the building using corkscrew drills. The tower slowly sank into the cavity created.

By June 2000, the tilt had been corrected by 16 cm (six inches) returning the tower to the angle it was at in 1870.
By the time work finished on 6 June, 2001, the tower had been returned to the position it was in 1838, before work to dig a walkway round the base of the tower caused it to lurch rapidly further south.
45 Centimeters is ALOT, if you search the web for pictures pre 2000, there is a significant difference. The tower learned much farther than it does today.
Why is the Tower Bannana Shaped?
The tower is "banana-shaped", with the belltower 1.5 degrees closer to the vertical than the base.
The first four stories were built in the late 12th Century, the next three in the 13th, and the belltower was added on in the 14th - there are four steps up to it on one side, and six on the other.
The tower may at first have leaned to the north, leading the builders to over-correct, and send it inexorably moving south.

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The town of Lucca, Italy Lucca is a small walled city in Tuscany

San Michele in Foro is a Basilica Church in Lucca

Sharon and I walking in a large courtyard

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 7

Monte Carlo, Monaco

This is the port that Sharon and Jerry to really wanted to see.

The Grand Casino

We went into the Grand Casino (only a small part is open to the public). They take everything that you have, including your hat. No pictures - period. We had to log our passports and we had to give them money. No visitors the area where 007 plays.

Inside,everything was gold flecked, and quite over the top.

Sharon won money here.

Play ground for the rich and famous.

"Vacation Re-Wind" - Day 6

Castell de Montjuïc, SpainBuilt in 1640

This Castle/Fort was a big disappointment after the others we saw. This one had many modern things added to it (like electrical cords everywhere). It changed the mood.

Sick of Castles yet? This is the last of our driving/Castle tour - at this point we have boarded the boat, and are on our way out to the Mediterranean.