Mayan Mayhem? A Chinese Ark; Solstice; Santos and a Cuban Lunch; Cornices; Canine Fashion

Okay, we made it through another predicted Armageddon... for what, another month before another 3,000 year old calendar is unearthed that predicts the end of the planet in a month or two? I heard from our friend Susan who attended a Farewell Party but is also scheduled for a Welcome Back party. Now that’s the way to prepare for the end of civilization as we know it... with a nice bottle of wine and good friends. (I hate to sound critical, but who would place credibility on a prediction for the end of the world that was written on a serving tray?)

A story in the paper today fascinated me, and as they used to say, “Inquiring Minds Want to Know”.... Be glad you’re not the Chinese guy who spent his life savings to build a diesel-powered ark, expecting that the second Great Flood would be coming this week. It's not like this poor guy lives on the coast or the flood plain of the Yangtze River... he lives in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, located in the most remote part of the Eurasian land mass, farther from the sea than any other point in Eurasia and at somewhere between 4,000 and 10,000 feet elevation. There isn’t enough moisture in the atmosphere or ice in the Antarctic ice cap to flood the earth to that elevation, but he was prepared!

Word of the Day: solstice  n. the longest or shortest day of the year; either of the times when the sun is furthest from the Equator, on or about June 21 and December 21. [13th C. from Latin solstitium, from sol "sun" + the past participle stem of sistere "to stand still".]

Suzanne and I decided to celebrate the Winter Solstice and Survival of the Mayan Mayhem. I suggested one of those kinky Swedish nudist camp parties, you know, where everyone dances around a Maypole and sips champagne from crystal slippers, but was out-voted by Corvette Chick 10-0. We wound up mountain biking on the Santos Trails near Ocala. We stayed relatively close to home so that if a meteor shower was unexpectedly sighted heading for earth, we could get home in time to be with Rudy and Gretchen when the earth exploded. It was a cold ride, but fortunately the sandy soil had absorbed last night’s deluge and the trails were perfectly dry. There were some blowdowns that had to be cleared as we rode (that’s why I always offer the lead rider position to My Lovely Bride; she’s younger and very athletic, and I can save my strength while she clears the trail...) 

In spite of the fact that it was a holiday week, we did not see another soul while riding the trails for an hour and a half. There were several other riders loading/unloading bikes in the parking lot, but there are so many trails that traffic has never been a problem. It was a glorious ride through mixed hardwood (mostly oaks) and pine forest. Some of the trees were quite close together, as this photo shows. 

The bike trails often cross equestrian trails and the hiker-only Florida National Scenic Trail, which runs for 1,400 miles from the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Pensacola to the Big Cypress National Preserve near Miami. Your Faithful Correspondent is posing at the FT sign, which is only yards from the bike trail; don’t worry, we were not riding on the FT... it’s actually much rougher than the bike trails, since it is used by far fewer people. 

After our ride, we went to Chicken Time, a small “hole-in-the-wall” Cuban/Puerto Rican restaurant in the Brooksville Plaza shopping center for Cuban chicken, black beans, rice and plantains. Their daily specials are about $5 and are delicious. The staff is also very friendly and bi-lingual. It was funny, because two of the servers were commenting to one another in Spanish on My Lovely Bride’s fitness; Suzanne was a Spanish major in school, and rattled off a couple of sentences in fluent Spanish to our server when she returned with our food. There were smiles all around from the staff when they realized that one of their non-Hispanic customers was fluent in their language. 

You may recall the “Stevie Wonder” comment about Yours Truly from a decorator a few weeks ago when Suzanne asked my opinion about her selection of material...  Here you see the “before”, which I thought looked pretty good.... 

On Friday we had a visit from the actual cornice maker, Craig Saunders, of Cornice Central, Inc., who made and  installed the new window treatments. MLB is suitably happy about the results. 

I wanted a fishing scene with largemouth bass exploding out of the water at the end of a tight line, but who am I? What does “Stevie Wonder” know?  

As you may have noticed when you stepped outside today, it’s cold outside. We put on sweaters and jeans, but what about our poor puppies? They feel the cold as well. We broke out their winter coats and dressed them for a late afternoon w-a-l-k in t-o-w-n. 

Gretchen’s black coat is very chic, and Rudy’s Italian sheepskin, while now 6 years old, is truly haute couture... He got it in Milan after we were caught by an early season snowstorm while sailing the Mediterranean in our sailboat Liberty. This photo was actually taken in the marina near Rome where we were moored for six months.  (He was very popular among the local Italian girl-dogs...)

Gecko Superstitions; Word of the Day; Tire Check; Word Up! “Hey, Suzanne, Where Are My Drums?”

While watching a gecko crawl up the screen on our lanai, I wondered about superstitions related to those little critters... (Please, no snide remarks about what kind of wing-nut ponders this subject...). In any case, did you know that:

a. In some parts of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, geckos are considered dangerous to touch, and that they will poison any food they come in contact with.

b. In southern India, geckos are considered sacred.

c. In Madagascar, a hut will be evacuated and sometimes set on fire if a gecko is sighted within.

d. In the Philippines when a familiar Gecko leaves a house it is believed a member of the household will die.

e. In Egypt, geckos were thought to cause leprosy if they crawled across a person’s skin.

f. In New Caledonia, the gecko is considered the Grand Totem of the indigenous people.

g. The Zuni of the American Southwest believe the gecko to be a sign of good luck.

Fortunately, we all know that geckos are harmless little creatures that reduce the home’s insect population. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet figured how to convince Rudy and Gretchen that geckos are their friends....  

(Really Trivial) Word of the Day: pluviometer, n. = rain gauge [Late 18^th C. Coined from Latin pluvia “rain” + -meter.]

One of the many maintenance tasks of any car or truck owner is keeping an eye on his/her tires. This is a particularly important task for a motor coach owner because the vehicle can weigh more than 40,000 lbs, 20 tons or so. We have six Michelin 295/80 R 22.5 tires, all of which are about 5 years old. They should last about 7 years with lots of TLC and a shortage of abuse. One of them had a cut in the sidewall, so I took The Bus to a local tire company for an inspection. Good news: the cut was only cosmetic, and the tire should be fine for another year. We will keep watching it, because these tires are inflated to 110-120 psi, unlike your car tire which only asks for 30 psi or so. (We have an on-board air compressor that pumps air to that pressure).  Tires for The Bus also cost a bit more... $675-$750 per tire... YIKES! 

Back when we were first married, I took My Lovely Bride to New Orleans, my home town. New Orleans, for those of you who may not have reached the pinnacle of culinary appreciation that I have, has the Best Food in the World. There is no place that even comes close. One of my favorite mostly-locals-only hangouts for hamburgers, omelets, and chili fries is Camellia Grill, on Carrollton Ave., almost where it turns into St. Charles Ave, a stone’s throw from the mighty Mississippi River. If you’ve ridden the St. Charles Ave. streetcar from Canal St. (downtown) through the Garden District to the end of the line, then you passed Camellia Grill. It is an institution, a mecca, a have-to-go-there place, especially late night/early morning when the bars close. (Actually that’s more about 10:30 AM in The City That Care Forgot.) Anyway, I digress...  

On this particular evening/morning, we had just seated ourselves at the counter when our waiter (“server” just doesn’t work for these guys) handed us our menus and said, “Word.” He then walked off to help another customer. I had not been back to NOLA for several years, and was initially a bit baffled by his one-word greeting. We ordered, and he nodded and again said, “Word.” This went on all evening, with his only utterances being the solitary “Word”. We later learned that our waiter Marvin (seen at left; his working nickname really was “Word”) was a hip-hop/funk fan of a band called Cameo back in the 80’s that had a hit called Word Up!. The Urban Dictionary defines “Word Up!” as “I comprehend what you are saying and verify that your statement is true, good brother.” It can also mean “an acknowledgement, approval, indication of enthusiasm”.  

This story came up because as we were walking the puppies in Market Square Thursday night, the heavy metal band on stage was playing a version of Word Up! It was pretty good, but made me want to look for my drums, being an old rocker... I think Suzanne donated them to Salvation Army a few years back, thinking that flutes and drums don’t mix well... Sigh...  

Sharing and Helping

Today was a very special day for us. Together with our friend and colleague Bev Garlipp, we went to Lake Technical Center to interview four candidates for scholarships from the Susan Marie Giesemann Foundation. As many of you know, the foundation is named in honor of our daughter Susan, then a US Marine Corps sergeant, who with her unborn son Liam, was killed when struck by lightning in 2006. Income from Suzanne’s readings, as well as some individual donations, has been put in this Foundation for scholarships for deserving students.

We had contacted Betty Jones, Dean of Enrollment Management at Lake Tech about offering a scholarship to a nursing student in good standing, in need of additional financial support, and who was a single mother. Candidates were identified and notified, four applications were received, and we asked Bev, a former teacher and university administrator, to help us screen the applicants. This afternoon we interviewed four young women from the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program. All four were single moms with children from nine months to 14 years old. Each was highly motivated, articulate, and deserving of scholarship assistance. Two of them actually reminded us in many ways of our daughter Susan.

In the end, we decided to award scholarships for their 2013 tuition to each one of these women. The photo shows Suzanne, Bev and me presenting a check to Dr. Diane Culpepper, PhD, Lake Tech Director, and Betty Jones. It was a happy moment for us and we are sure also for Susan, who must have been in that empty seat at the table during the interviews, smiling and wishing the best for each of the applicants. 

Je m’appelle Sam, non Pierre! Call Me Mr. K; Nasi Goreng; Word of the Day; Fish Fear Me, or....

Okay, if you had met this French Poodle driving a golf cart and wearing designer shades, wouldn’t you think his name was Pierre? I was a bit taken aback when Suzanne took this suave gent’s photo and said his name was “Sam”. (At least he wasn't riding in a Smart Car...)

Speaking of names, we spied this guy (Varanus komodoensis) at Animal Kingdom the other day... I have always wanted to visit his island home in Indonesia, because I love Indonesian food, especially nasi goreng. But if I were to visit Komodo National Park in Indonesia, I might be on the menu for this beastie, the Komodo Dragon, Lizard, or Monitor. He has several names, but all of them mean “Bad Dude”. Komodos are omnivorous; that means they will eat anything and everything, although they prefer carrion. (Yum!) This smaller komodo is only about 7 feet long and weighs a mere 130 lbs. Komodos have been known to attack visiting tourists, and to dig up human graves for a late night snack (oh, Yuck!), leading the locals to put boulders atop their gravesites. (What kind of upbringing did these lizards get to prefer carrion to meatloaf, I wonder?)  

Speaking of food... as I mentioned previously, nasi goreng, not carrion, is one of my favorites. It has been called the national dish of Indonesia, but is also a Malaysian staple. It is often eaten for breakfast, and is basically leftover rice from the previous night’s dinner, with just about anything added, but chicken, pork, eggs, pepper, shallot, tomato, soy sauce, and chili are the most common additives. It is usually very, very spicy compared to Chinese fried rice. You can find nasi goreng in private homes, restaurants or street vendors’ stalls. 

Word for the Day: menhir, n. a large single upright stone, erected by prehistoric people and thought to have been used for astronomical observations, found in the British Isles and northern France [Mid-19^th C. Directly or via French from Breton maen-hir, literally “long stone,” from men “stone” (source of English dolmen) + hir “long”. (I know at least one person with his/her mind not on astronomy will have another interpretation of this image, but please remember that this is a family blog.)    

As we were driving the other day, My Lovely, Sensitive, Compassionate Bride noted a great bumper sticker on the back of a pick-me-up truck loaded with fishing rods that read, “Fish Fear Me”. I asked her if she would order me one, and she smiled wickedly as she asked, “Are you sure “Fish Laugh At Me” wouldn’t be more appropriate?” I didn’t speak to her for an hour after that snide remark. 

A Disney Disaster; A Welcome Respite; Love Nest(s); Comin' Up for Air; Destructo-Dogs

We spent a few hours on Saturday at Magic Kingdom. It was a disaster. There were probably about 500,000 or so people there, the noise from “entertainers” was eardrum-threatening, the waits for “attractions” was running about 45-50 mins. 

We quickly decided that this just wasn’t our style, and we left before lunch. Here is My Lovely Bride trying to reduce the noise level by covering her ears... it didn’t work. 

After leaving the overpowering noise and crowds of Disney, we drove up to Lake Louisa State Park south of Clermont. For $5, about 1/25 of what our daily Disney adventure cost us, we spent an idyllic 4 hours running gorgeous trails under overhanging oaks and pines and having lunch in a shady spot with almost no other passersby. We may have seen 10-11 people during our visit, as opposed to the tens of thousands at Magic Kingdom. (Quick, what's missing from this picture? Right, hordes of people! Hooray!)

 

The highlight of our trip to Disney was definitely Animal Kingdom. One of the impressive birds was this Eastern Golden Weaver (Ploceus subaureus) and its bird nests in a great aviary with free-flying birds all around. He has a bottom entry into his nest. It keeps rain out, and maybe predators as well...  but the really interesting aspect of the golden weaver bird’s life is that he builds a nest, then seduces a female into moving in by hanging upside down, uttering a mating call, and fluttering his wings. When the female has moved in and they have mated, he builds another nest and repeats the process, over and over again, until he has a harem, each female with her own nest... you have to give the little guy credit for energy and audacity! (I don’t think that would work here for male humans in The Villages...) 

Look carefully and see if you can identify the animal belonging to the nostrils rising up for a breath in this pool. Here are some hints: the animal is not svelte, weighing in at about 3,000 - 5,000 lbs. It has massive canine teeth for fighting, which are often used, as it is one of the most aggressive beasts on the planet. Its skin secretes a natural sunscreen, which is red in color, and often called "blood sweat", although it is neither blood nor sweat. Colombian Drug Lord Pablo Escobar bought four of them in New Orleans and kept them on his farm near Medellin. An aggressive, mature bull will typically have 10 or more cows, while some superstars have been noted with up to 100... (Sheesh, where does he find the time or energy to fight?)  Okay, you have probably identified this as a river horse (that's what the ancient Greeks called him, anyway).... officially known as the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). 

Hippos are probably the only animal that crocodiles fear. Adult male hippos regularly attack big crocs, partly because they share rivers and maybe just for fun; the hippos are usually the winners. Here are four hippos enjoying the warm weather nuzzled up against one another, enjoying a quiet moment, with a pelican couple swimming by totally unperturbed... 

On the way home, we picked up two new stuffed dog toys for Rudy and Gretchen. We call these adorable, lovely puppies “Destructo-Dogs” because of their ability to eviscerate their stuffed toys (hedgehogs in this case) in less than 7 minutes...

Rudy's comment was "Well, what do you think Dachshunds were bred for? I am a hunter!"

And sweet little Gretchen said, "But Dog Dad, I was just following my big brother Rudy's example... it's his fault!"

Life is Good in our Animal Kingdom!

Late Reveille; Ethel and Harvey Spoonbill; Adopt-a-Cat? Twister; A Six-Pack of Long Necks; Chasing Bubbles

My Lovely Bride gave me a reprieve today, and let The Pack (all four of us) sleep in until 0800, quite a gift after yesterday’s early rev. We were able to give Rudy and Gretchen a long walk in the campground where we’re staying in The Bus; they were very happy, because it’s full of squirrels, and they got to tree 7 or 8 this morning before we left them for a few hours.

Then it was off to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which is really a first class animal park for mostly African and Asian species. There are some rides, but mostly you go to see the birds and beasts in a pretty natural-looking habitat, considering we’re in Central Florida. (You have to ignore the Spanish moss hanging on the oak and palm trees and visualize that you are on an African savanna or veldt.)

Oh, before I forget, I have to recount the ticket taker... let’s call her Jennie... as we were checking in, Suzanne noted Jennie’s nametag, which also mentioned XYZ University. She very politely asked Jennie, “So, why are you here at Disney and not in school?”, thinking she may be at Disney on an internship. Jennie looked up with an incredibly bored Generation-Y (like, Gen-Y) expression and said, “Like, I graduated...” (Oh-Kay.... have a nice day, Jennie!)

Back to wildlife... I like birds, and this pair of roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja), whom I named Ethel and Harvey, appear to be married. I think Harvey is a long-suffering soul who is being nagged by his wife Ethel about his playing golf instead of attending to the Honey-Do List that Ethel has been adding to daily for weeks...

One of my favorite stops was to see the Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri). This male probably weighed over 300 lbs and stood 5' 9" or so when erect. This first guy was one of my favorites. We watched him for about 15 minutes, and he seemed to change expressions to match some of the comments from the observers... I think at this point he was thinking, "I just don't understand human behavior sometimes..." 

Looking at a second fine specimen of the species, I mentioned to My Lovely Bride, “Isn’t it interesting that just a few strands of DNA separates me from that gorilla over there?” Her reply, “Yeah, very few strands...” It's a good thing I'm not overly sensitive. I hope she wasn't referring to the way I eat... now I think I understand how Harvey feels. 

We met a neat guy, Jim, who works in Animal Kingdom. I think I asked him what part of the Rain Forest he was from, and he said, “Missouri.” We chatted, and it turns out that Jim was a long-time zoo trainer, and was asked by the famous zoologist Marlin Perkins (remember Wild Kingdom?) to work at the world-renowned St Louis Zoo as a sea lion trainer (Mr. Perkins was then Director of the St. Louis Zoo). After working there for many years, Jim relocated to the equally famous Chicago Zoo as Director of Training, retired a few years ago and moved south. I wish we had had the time to chat over dinner, because he must have had a wealth of stories that we would have really enjoyed. He also said that his wife likes his retirement job because it gets him out of the house for two days a week. (Maybe they know the Spoonbills?) 

As we were walking through the Asia section of Animal Kingdom, we came upon this little 400 lb kitty up for adoption; you must have a (very) secure facility and the ability to provide appropriate veterinary care and about 40-50 lbs of fresh meat a day...  and maybe a screw loose? (Have you ever wondered about the “wing-nuts” who keep “exotic” animals for pets?) Okay, this is really a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), whose population is only about 2,500 cats, and he's not really up for adoption... I believe he's saying, "Whatchoolookinat, boy?"

Our safari ride through the African savanna was terrific; our favorites here were the zebras, lions, and giraffes. The zebra (Equus quagga) has a kick from his rear legs strong enough to break a lion’s jaw. These guys were hanging out in the trees, where they actually blended in very well... natural camouflage!  Of note, zebras are actually black, with white stripes... 

Speaking of lions (Panthera leo), these two beautiful lionesses were keeping an eye out for trouble while the male was sleeping. In a lion pride, the females do all the hunting, while the male (King of the Jungle, after all), comes along after the kill and gets the best parts of steak... (sounds pretty typical, doesn’t it, ladies?). (My Lovely Bride suggested that since this is a family blog, I should consider adding a fig leaf to cover up the identifying “parts” of the male in the center... okay, I considered it, and ..... naaaahhhh... after all, those lionesses look sort of bored with it....).  ;-)

Suzanne decided to skip the really cool bat house, so how about another bird? (Jan, this one’s for you!) Meet Twister, a female Northern Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus subarcticus). Twister is about 15 years old, weighs 3.5 lbs, and is a beauty. With a wingspan of over 4 feet, Twister has spectacular binocular vision and excellent hearing. She can twist her neck 270 degrees (since her eyes are fixed in their sockets, unlike human eyes). Her talons’ gripping power is almost as strong as that of an eagle. Diet: omnivorous: “Almost any living thing that flies, crawls, swims or walks is legitimate prey, except large mammals.” 

Okay, last stop on our safari... giraffes! A half-dozen giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis), and very photogenic... they are amazingly graceful for their size; adults stand about 18-20 feet tall and weigh 1,800-3,500 lbs. A giraffe's neck vertebrae have ball and socket joints, allowing them to tilt their heads vertically and reach higher branches with their long tongues. 

Finally, one of the most endearing sights Friday was this young boy trying to catch soap bubbles... he’s about six years old, the age that my daughter Susan’s unborn son Liam would have been had they not died back in 2006. On this tragic day, let us say a prayer for the families who lost loved ones today, be thankful for the precious time we have with our children, and make the most of every minute to teach them the right way to live and love.