Today's Vacation

WHEN? Friday · January 29

WHERE? Mobile & Baldwin Counties · Alabama

After this morning's VA appointment in Mobile, we paid a second visit to The Museum of Mobile to take a few pictures we missed on our first visit. We've combined the photos from both visits, and there's even a couple of short videos:

The Museum of Mobile - 2 visits
on flickr

While in Mobile, it was interesting to see how SO PREPARED Mobile is for their many Mardi Gras Parades. Mobile had the first 2010 Mardi Gras parade on January 16, the day we left on the Caribbean cruise, another one on January 23, and another will be held tonight. Thirty-seven more are scheduled before the parades are over for 2010.

We also took the opportunity to swing by the USS Alabama Battleship and get our photos at the anchor, which is a family tradition going way back. It was not a good day for pictures, but we took a few anyway, which you can see on Flickr at Battleship USS Alabama.

Market by the Bay · Photo credit Traveling Shoes

We had an early lunch at Market by the Bay in Fairhope (365 South Greeno Road, 251/929-7203), which has quickly become one of our favorite restaurants in this town. Although they don't appear to have a website, word-of-mouth has evidently worked for them. We both think they have the biggest fried shrimp and oysters we've ever eaten in any restaurant. That just may be why they always seem to have plenty of customers.

Filipino Inmates Learn Dance

WHEN? Tuesday · January 26

WHERE? The Philippines in Southeast Asia

Here's the first thing we saw this morning on Yahoo:

Michael Jackson's Choreographer Teaches
Dancing Filipino Prisoners 'This Is It' Routine

This reminded us that we did not share with you some of the good activities we enjoyed on the Carnival Fantasy Fun Ship on our recent cruise. One of the things we never miss on these cruises are their evening shows in the main theater. They have a group of performers that are very entertaining. Our favorite shows were nonstop dancing and singing. The last one was a tribute to The Beatles. These were young people. They had to be to perform the way they did. About the time we thought they would surely slow the pace because of exhaustion, they'd crank it up again.

Let me put up a disclaimer for the other vacationer associated with this travel blog. This probably would not interest him in the least. He may not have a box in his brain to even cover this subject. However, he does enjoy shows like the ones we saw on the Fantasy. We are moving into our Netflix mood again now that some of the TV sports we watch are about to wind down for awhile. We need some recommendations for music and documentary videos to watch. If you've seen any really good movies, those would interest us as well. Forget the action movies, we're interested in stuff like Forrest Gump and Driving Miss Daisy.

Here's those videos that came with the Yahoo article:

Back from the Caribbean Cruise

Celebrating our 51st wedding anniversary — no tea party for us! We liked cruising with our new Alabama friends so much last year, we decided to do it again.

We were on the Carnival Fantasy cruise ship when it departed from Mobile on January 16, but it did not leave at 4 P.M. as scheduled. I think it actually started moving out of Mobile Bay something like 9 P.M. Fog was the problem and other bad weather. Some people reported they saw the Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan area way after midnight. By the time we all got on the ship, we were all so exhausted from endless waiting, very little enjoyment was part of Saturday. But things improved considerably on Sunday.

The original itinerary of this cruise was altered so that both Sunday and Monday were fun days at sea and the port of call of Progreso, was eliminated altogether. We did go ashore in Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday. Wednesday was another fun day at sea, and we arrived in Mobile on Thursday later than expected — arriving back in Magnolia Springs about mid-afternoon.

We have posted 248 photos and a video of the cruise at Western Caribbean Cruise 2010 on Webshots. If anyone objects to their photo being there, just let me know and it will be promptly removed.

In Cozumel

Carnival Fantasy · afagen

We are in Cozumel today.

Thanks to Adam on Flickr, we have this beautiful photo of the Carnival Fantasy in Cozumel. As soon as I can get to it, we'll put up some photos of the cruise. I am leaning toward "raw" photos without any improvements on them with edit by Adobe Photoshop because so many photos have already been taken. I plan to put them up by days on my Flickr at 2010 Western Caribbean Cruise.

Puerto Progreso, Yucatán

Puerto Progreso, Yucatán · Monomakhos

This looks like the four-mile-long pier at Progreso. This port of call was eliminated from the cruise because of bad weather, so we did not get to see the pier or any of Progreso.

Slideshow 'Anna Kostenko Painting+1'

WHEN? Probably never except by armchair

WHERE? Possibly France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Spain, etc...

An email correspondent sent me a powerpoint slide show attached to an email. The email claimed the images were paintings instead of photographs. I have serious doubts about the images being paintings instead of photographs. In spite of this, I feel there is the opportunity to see some beautiful images. The second slide describes the artist thusly:

Anna Kostenko was born in 1975 in Kiev, Ukraine, and lived and worked in Kraków (aka Cracow), Poland since 1991. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where she studied painting from 1993 to 1998. She has had three exhibitions of works of art in Jorgensen and created many beautiful paintings since its release in 1999. Her fascination with different cultures has led to extensive travels that inspired her work, which has been shown in many countries, including Poland, France, Germany, Ireland and Spain.

I invite you to look at this slide show as armchair travel even though I am convinced it is a hoax of sorts. You might even try to guess what the images depict and make up your own mind on whether the artist described could have possibly created this many paintings in her short life of 35 years. I think someone is really having fun with us on this one as in LOL!

Anna-kostenko_Painting 1

See more presentations by vfreire

Apparently there is an Anna Kostenko who is an artist and painted a painting found at Anna Kostenko Artist - Anna Kostenko Paintings.

2010

(see animated version of above photo)

Another fresh new year is here ...
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!

– William Arthur Ward

Merry Christmas

Click on the image above
to see this Christmas message.

What's a pangolin?

WHEN? Probably never except by armchair

WHERE? Borneo rainforest

The first thing I saw today when I turned on the computer was a Yahoo News article about pangolins. I had never heard of such an animal. My curiosity led me to several websites, but the one I just had to share with you was a excellent video of a Malayan or Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) in a Borneo rainforest. With a little imagination, you can pretend you are right there in the rainforest.



There is another video on YouTube from National Geographic you may want to view entitled What in the World is a Pangolin?.

You also might need some help, as I did, on where Borneo is. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Borneo is surrounded by the South China Sea to the north and northwest, the Sulu Sea to the northeast, the Celebes Sea and the Makassar Strait to the east and the Java Sea and Karimata Strait to the south. The island of Borneo is divided administratively into 3 parts, the only island in the world that is a recognized part of 3 countries:

1. The Indonesian provinces of East, South, West and Central Kalimantan
2. The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak (the Federal Territory of Labuan is located on nearshore islands of Borneo, but not on the island of Borneo itself)
3. The independent country of Brunei (main part and eastern exclave of Temburong)

I found the above information at Borneo in Wikipedia.

Dolphins at Weeks Bay

WHEN? Tuesday · December 15

WHERE? Fairhope, Alabama · find us on the map

Photo credit: ManyFreeWallpapers

estuary: A semi-enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries are often associated with high rates of biological productivity.

While Wendell was volunteering today at Weeks Bay Reserve, an employee remarked that he had seen dolphins jumping out of the water in Weeks Bay for the first time ever. Naturally, my first question was, "Did he get any photos?" Apparently not.

Wendell and I had wondered if the heavy rains we had had recently could be the cause of this different behavior at Weeks Bay, so I sent an email to the manager at Weeks Bay asking him if he had any idea why this unusual Dolphin behavior happened? He replied that he did not know any reasons that would directly cause the dolphins' behavior. He went on to add: "Jumping for a dolphin is common — we just haven’t seen this behavior in Weeks Bay."

I have seen dolphins in the Gulf and even in Weeks Bay traveling one behind the other the way they normally do, but I would be very excited to see them jumping like they are doing in the video below.

Going on a road trip

WHEN? Anytime

WHERE? Near Colorado Springs, Colorado

We have traveled in Colorado, but that was back in 2005 before we began this blog, and we're not sure why we haven't traveled to this well-known destination in person because it's right here in America. In fact, Wendell took his basic training in the Army near this location that can be seen from Denver, Colorado on a clear day. They call it America’s Mountain. You had probably already guessed it was Pikes Peak, hadn't you?

Now, all you need to do is click on O Beautiful and start the video for your armchair ride to the top of the mountain.

After you've done that, you might want to refresh your memory of the words written by Katharine Lee Bates.

America the Beautiful

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thorough fare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.

America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.

O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.

America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.

America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

This version of the song does not include all the verses, but I sure do like it:

Ray Charles does America the Beautiful

Elk Crossing

WHEN? Nov 27 -- not in person - by armchair

WHERE? Drake, Colorado

We're still waiting for a good sighting in person of either an elk or a moose. Until then, this will do just fine. Notice how a few of the elk slip because it's an icy spot.

Brent Burns at LuLuS

WHEN? Monday · November 16

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

VENUE? LuLu'S at Homeport Marina

Not long ago, we were sitting around a fire at Driftwood RV Park when a discussion about going to LuLu's to see Brent Burns came about because of some recent RVers who were staying there. We had been meaning to see him perform ever since we came down in January of 2008, so we decided to join them on November 9th, but Tropical Storm Ida caused us to postpone seeing him. This evening, we finally did get to gather at LuLu's for an enjoyable evening of entertainment.

This was our second visit. We posted about the first one on February 2 at LuLuS.

The owners of the RV park and five of their residents sat at a table close to the stage and we sat at the bar. Brent Burns sounds just like his many recordings, available on seven CDs. I believe it was the Alabama or Gulf Coast tourism people who provided us with three of his songs along with their literature. So we were already familiar with Livin' the Life, Perpetual Vacation and Down in Paradise.

Brent Burns is a well-known singer-songwriter who received the 2008 Trop Rock Music Award for Entertainer Of The Year. You'll likely find his biography interesting reading.

By visiting Brent's website, we learned a lot about him, including the fact that he is a newlywed, having married in October.

You can check out our photos on Flickr by clicking on Brent Burns at LuLu’S.

Got in on a First

WHEN? Saturday · November 14

WHERE? Bon Secour, Alabama


We arrived at the 1st Annual Bon Secour Oyster and Wine Festival in the mood to party and were not disappointed! Along with the afternoon's gorgeous weather, here's just some of what we were treated to -- and for only $10 a person.

• All the oysters, wine and beer we wanted.
• Live music, including local bands Smokey and the Iguanas and The Buds, who played from a flatbed truck trailer.
• One of the booths we visited was Shucker's Oyster Bar at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama. We were familiar with them because Shucker's also has a location on Ross Barnett Reservoir just outside of Jackson, Mississippi. Wendell was pleased to see that their chef was wearing a Mississippi State cap like he was. Their oysters were very good!

We haven't yet learned the results of the oyster competition that was to give a Grand Prize of $1,000 and a People’s Choice award of $500. Spearheaded and organized by the Wine Liberation Society and The Tin Top Restaurant and Oyster Bar, this festival is expected to be an annual event from here on out. We saw a number of friends while we were there, and since festival news travels fast around here, chances are good we'll see lots more next year.

Off The Pavement

WHEN? Any Day

WHERE? Loveland, Colorado


In our travels, we have never seemed to have as much time as we would like to see all an area offers. Seems like the first time I was in Colorado, I was working in at a bridge tournament in the 70s, and I hardly saw anything except a high rise hotel in downtown Denver. Later, in 2005, we saw some of Colorado while on a month-long trip in our travel trailer that took us to several western states, but we never did make it as far north as Loveland.

Have you ever wished you could see wild animals in their habitat without them seeing you? Now's your chance, and you don't even have to leave your armchair.

Recently, a very cute video was received attached to an email. It was of an elk calf playing in the water in an elk wallow in Colorado. It turns out there are many more wildlife videos from cams placed there by David Neils which are ample proof that the wildlife seems to be plentiful in Colorado. Mr. Neils told me that the elk calf video contained no sound because a squirrel or some other animal pulled the microphone cable out of his camera box.

There's ever so much to see at David Neils - Photographer. He has revised his website to allow his videos to be more easily viewed. This elk calf video is now easy to find there, so I have removed the unauthorized YouTube video I had on this post. On the photography website, you'll note his videos show up the fourth image to the right very near the top. ENJOY!

It is very strange what attention this video has received by YouTube users. Maybe it is correct to say it has gone "viral."

I just checked YouTube, and there are about nine or ten users who still have this video up, but probably none of them have Photographer David Neils' permission to have them up. This is what You Tube offered when I search for Elk Calf.

There's no need to go to YouTube, however, because you can actually see the video at Off The Pavement - David Neils' website.

Live Music at MRBG

WHEN? Sunday, October 11

WHERE? Magnolia Springs, Alabama · find us on the map


When we first came down to Alabama in January of 2008, live music was playing on Sunday afternoons at the Magnolia River Bar & Grill. Now it's back. This time Billy Pelletier is singing and playing his guitar, and it's combined with karaoke for a fun time.

When I saw this little monkey, it immediately brought to mind Toby Keith's popular song, "I Love This Bar," which in many ways describes this bar.

Shrimp Festival 2009

WHEN? Thursday - Sunday · October 8-11

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

WHY? 38th Annual National Shrimp Festival


We did our level best to make it to the first day of the festival because we knew a musical group that were performing at 11:45 AM on one of the music stages. It turned out we did not make it by that time and SugarCane Jane was performing on the stage on the east end. What huge crowds were there already around noon as we rushed through them to get to the stage that was near the Pink Pony.

We were able to hear them for as long as we could stand -- literally STAND, and it was quite warm, even in the shade by the PA control tent. While we were standing there and listening, Top Hat came by and told the person working there that he was making them sound good, and he was right. They captured the attention of many of the festival attendees with their close-blended harmony and the musicianship of Anthony Crawford. Before we just had to leave, Savana Lee sang a solo of an Alison Kraus song. Also, they had sung several of their songs as well. Their new album had not arrived for distribution, but they were almost certain it would be in for their performance on Sunday at the festival.

We stopped at Doc's food booth for some fried shrimp, and hung around in shaded areas until we had both consumed every bite, having not had anything to eat since an early breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express in Jackson, Mississippi, that same day.



To see some of the festival's entertainers and a couple of Hooters Girls on Flickr, visit National Shrimp Festival of 2009.

TCB

WHEN? Tuesday · October 6

WHERE? Jackson, Mississippi · find us on the map

No, we didn't go all the way to Graceland in Memphis, and we weren't buying flashy jewelry like Elvis wore. We were simply taking care of eye exams long overdue. We have a preferred doctor in Jackson we just can't let go of.

While we were in Jackson, we took the opportunity to look up some friends. This may not include many photos, but such as they are, you can view them at Fall in Mississippi.

Good Combo

WHEN? Sunday, September 27

WHERE? Alabama's Gulf Coast · find us on the map

Okay, we have put on a few pounds since many of you have seen us. That's because we love to eat and there's plenty of opportunities to do it on the Coast. We are thinking of writing a song entitled "I've gotta lose weight and I sure do dread it" because we've stuffed in lots of good eatin' while we have been here in LA.

Big Daddy's Grill on the Fish River in Fairhope, is in our neighborhood anyway, so it's sort of silly to say we traveled there, but one of the reasons we do travel there as often as we do is it has it all, particularly on a beautiful day like today.

Picture this. Not only is the atmosphere great in the outdoors with good food, there's live musical entertainment to round it out.

Today, the entertainment (besides the dogs and happy people) was a couple of very talented performers who bill themselves as Sugarcane Jane. Here's a video of them doing one of their songs from their upcoming album, which we heard them do live this afternoon.

A hero laid to rest

WHEN? Thursday · August 27

WHERE? Olive Branch, Mississippi · find us on the map

Some unique experiences were part of a WWII veteran's funeral we recently attended. At the close of the service, our funeral procession traveled nearly 20 miles along a busy interstate to historic Elmwood Cemetery in Midtown Memphis. As each vehicle crossed the quaint stone bridge leading into the cemetery, the daredevil Memphis motorcycle officers who had escorted us stood at attention on either side and saluted until the last car had passed. Unexpected and touching.

I would have been very disappointed had not the video turned out as Taps was played at the cemetery. Since some of the deceased's large family were unable to attend, it was one of many photos and videos taken at Elmwood to share with them.

Day is done, Gone the sun,
From the lakes · From the hills · From the sky,
All is well, Safely rest, God is nigh

Fading light dims the sight,
And a star · Gems the sky · Gleaming bright,
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night

Thanks and praise for our days,
Neath the sun · Neath the stars · Neath the sky,
As we go, this we know: God is nigh