Yesterday we gave a presentation at the Seattle Yacht Club on our trip around the world. We had a great evening, chatting with old friends and new. It’s a wonderful organization. In the talk, we described some of the techniques we used to make the trip more safe and comfortable for longer passages and at…
Ballard Locks
The Chinook salmon, commonly known as “Kings” or “Tyee” (Chinook jargon for chief), is the largest of the salmon and the iconic species of the Salish Sea. They typically grow to 3 feet (0.9 m) long with a weight of 30 lbs (13.6 kg), but can reach 4.9 ft (1.5 m) and 129 lbs (58.5…
July Sunshine
July in the Pacific Northwest typically is wonderfully warm and sunny, and this year was no exception. We took advantage of the excellent weather with several outdoor activities, starting with a weekend of hiking in Whistler, Canada, and later a local hike and an overnight camping trip. At restaurants, we dined al fresco whenever possible….
Oct. 7 – Exploring Along Lake Erie
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The weather later in the week looks a little iffy, so we took advantage of the little sunshine we had today to get out and explore. We drove up the lake and over to Lake Erie. The foliage is amazing, but hard to photograph while driving in a car. But take my word for it…it was spectacular.
Our first stop was at the Barcelona Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1829 and was the first natural gas lighthouse in the country. It remained in service until 1859. It’s now a New York State Park. It’s no longer used for navigational purposes, but is still lit and visible through an agreement with the Town of Westfield.
Our next stop was at Barcelona Harbor Beach. I’m sure it’s a great place to play in the summer, but today it was windy and cool…actually cold for us. It would be a nice place to watch the sun go down.
Looking south at the same beach…so many great rocks for painting.
Our second beach along the lake was just a bit south of the first one. It’s called Ripley Beach and we had to climb down stairs to get to it. The lake was a little churned up by the wind and we didn’t have a lot of beach to walk on.
It was a very interesting place.
Our last stop was actually on Lake Erie just over the Pennsylvania line. It was called Fishermans Beach. It was in a nice park and we had to hike from the parking lot. It was an easy walk along 20 Mile Creek.
The creek ends at the lake. We saw quite a few people fishing…no one seemed to be catching. We finished our day by having lunch and doing a little shopping in Bemus Point along Chautauqua Lake.
Oct. 7 – Exploring Along Lake Erie
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
The weather later in the week looks a little iffy, so we took advantage of the little sunshine we had today to get out and explore. We drove up the lake and over to Lake Erie. The foliage is amazing, but hard to photograph while driving in a car. But take my word for it…it was spectacular.
Oct. 6-13 Lakewood, NY
“An ocean which thinks there is nothing to learn from a lake is not a wise ocean!” -Mehmet Murat idlan
The weather last week was amazing and we knew it wouldn’t last, so we decided to move the boat to our winter marina. It’s so much nicer to winterize and unload the boat when the weather is pretty. Since we had planned on moving off the boat a week later, we needed to find somewhere to hang out until we move into the house we have rented in Lewisburg, PA for a month.
We looked at the map to see if we could find a new place to explore and we decided on Chautauqua Lake. It’s a beautiful little lake in the southwestern part of the state. This time of year the fall foliage is almost at its peak and there are new places to hike and new things to learn. We found a pretty old farm house to rent. It’s so comfortable we may never want to leave.
The Gifford Homestead was built in 1870. The present owners renovated the house in 2021 and it is beautiful.
This lake is where the Chautauqua Assembly started in the late 19th century. It was started by the Methodist Church as a summer teaching camp for Sunday-school teachers. It expanded and brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, showmen, preachers, and specialists of the day. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The institution has operated each summer since then, gradually expanding its season length and program offerings in the arts, education, religion and music.
Our first look at the lake was at Lucille Ball Memorial Park near Jamestown. This is where Lucy spent a lot of time as a child.
Oct. 6-13 Lakewood, NY
“An ocean which thinks there is nothing to learn from a lake is not a wise ocean!” -Mehmet Murat idlan
The weather last week was amazing and we knew it wouldn’t last, so we decided to move the boat to our winter marina. It’s so much nicer to winterize and unload the boat when the weather is pretty. Since we had planned on moving off the boat a week later, we needed to find somewhere to hang out until we move into the house we have rented in Lewisburg, PA for a month.
North Cascades National Park
North Cascades National Park is known as the American Alps for its dramatic mountain scenery, with jagged snow-covered peaks, alpine lakes, hundreds of the waterfalls that give the Cascade Range its name, and over three hundred glaciers. The 1,068-square-mile (2,768 sq km) park encompasses the Cascade Range from Washington’s Lake Chelan to the Canadian border….
Sept. 29 – Cirque du Soleil Echo
“Because our days are filled with the rational, practical and expected, Cirque du Soleil exists to bring us that which has never existed. And makes us feel things we’ve never felt. Life needs folly, life needs cirque” -Cirque du Soleil
The highlight of our family trip to DC was attending Cirque du Soleil Echo. The show was in the nearby town of Tysons, Virginia. Getting there on the Metro was part of the fun. The train stopped right next to the show sight. This particular show takes place under a huge big top, which gave us the feeling we were at the circus.
Sept. 25-30 Washington, DC (Part II)
“Travel has a way of stretching the mind.” -Ralph Crawshaw
On our second day we figured out how to use the Metro and that made it a little easier on our legs. We spent our morning at the International Spy Museum. It’s an independent history museum which documents the tradecraft, history and contemporary role of espionage. It houses more than 7,000 artifacts with around 1,000 on public display. The permanent collection traces the complete history of espionage, from the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire through present day. We started our visit in the briefing room where we received our undercover mission badge and our cover identity. From there we were given the chance to learn the tricks of the trade in interactive exhibits that test our powers of observation.
Waiting for our ride.
International Spy Museum
That afternoon we relaxed…enjoying the park and our beautiful home. After all the walking we’d done it was nice to play and paint. On the third morning we went to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. The National Mall building has hundreds of artifacts on display, including the original Wright 1903 Flyer, The Apollo 11 Command Module and old commercial aircraft.
We had to reserve tickets to enter the museum. These pictures were taken while we waited to go in.
The main hall of the museum.
We ate lunch in the cafeteria at the museum so we could spend more time seeing all the exhibits. Our next stop on this day was the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This museum opened in 1910. Its green dome and immense size (comparable to 18 football fields) are signatures, as well as the 140 million-plus natural science specimens and cultural artifacts that the museum contains. It’s the world’s most popular natural history museum and is dedicated to understanding the natural world and our place in it. It includes the Hall of Human Origins, National Fossil Hall and the Ocean Hall. Exhibits such as the Hope Diamond, Egyptian mummies and gemstones are just a few of the things you can see.
It was impossible to get a nice picture of the museum so I borrowed this one from the Internet.
The entry hall of the museum.
Ocean Hall
The Hope Diamond is one of history’s most famous diamonds. This 45.52 carat fancy deep grayish-blue diamond has an incomparable history and an extraordinary combination of physical properties. During its long history, it has intersected with the French monarchy, Kings Louis XIV through XVI, and likely the British monarch King George IV. It has been owned by wealthy merchants and some of the most well-known individuals within the jewelry world, including Pierre Cartier and Harry Winston. The Hope Diamond got its name from one of its first documented owners, Henry Philip Hope, It was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958.
Fun Facts about the National Mall:
