Spring Break

It's Spring Break week in Texas and we've just returned from a few days on the gulf coast of Florida (the most spectacular sand and surf anywhere in the continental U.S., no doubt).  Sadly, as has been our misfortune over the years, our spring break trip was marred by terribly cold, overcast and windy weather, effectively negating the wonder of our vacation, excepting the view from our condominium window.  

We consoled ourselves with thoughts of dinners out, books absorbed, quality time spent together and that illusive goal of relaxation. Still the weather was nothing less than miserable.  
All this had me thinking about some of our past spring breaks - many of them impaired by less than ideal weather, but part educational, part restful, while others merely represented the need for a change of scenery.  
Two thousand and one marked our first ever trip to Disney's Vero Beach resort.  It was cold then too. Still, we got to see Dodgers' Spring Training; were delighted by a surprise viewing of a Space Shuttle launch and spent a day at Disney World.
The next year, daring to tempt fate, we spent a second freezing Spring Break in Vero using the cold weather as an excuse to travel to see the Kennedy Space Center and the Piper Airplane Factory.

With the space shuttle in the background.

In 2005, we settled on an educational theme for our spring break (and a chance to visit some family as well). We began in Jamestown and Williamsburg, then traveled to see my alma mater as well as Thomas Jefferson's home, then on to Washington, D.C. for a couple of days.  Again, it was mostly freezing during our travels and was a hectic trip that was everything but restful.

What's Williamsburg without a tri-cornered hat?

In front of UVA's Rotunda 

Two years ago, we made the trip to Texas during Spring Break (to figure out if this was where we should make our home).  It was windy and sunny (as spring is here).  We then ventured to coastal Alabama, which just like Florida this week, was cold and overcast.
Finally last year, we traveled to California, both Los Angeles and San Diego. This combined the best of all vacations, sightseeing (Hollywood, DisneyLand - hard as we try, seems we can't get away from Mickey, and the San Diego Zoo); education (shout out to the Reagan and awesome Nixon libraries); and relaxation (Hotel Del Coronado, for the win!).  

A Disney Cruise (wow, in hindsight it seemed  we had a thing for "the Mouse") was warm and wonderful in 2004.

In 2009, we endeavored to see the world (or at least a corner of it) in 6 short days.  A trip to England and France was very enjoyable.  

P.S. Today is National Pi Day and yesterday the Cardinals elected a new Pope. I was a great fan of John Paul II. I even have a coffee table book in my living room about him. Tate and I were gathered around the tv for the announcement (my daughter texted me that she was watching the live stream in her computer at college)! You might have thought there was something in it for us Protestants, we were all so excited! Congratulations to Catholics everywhere!    

Ronald Reagan's Birthday and a Field Trip

Robbie and I did something really intellectual last night (a sort of Bachelor protest, if you will - sorry Bachelor lovers). We attended a lecture given by Presidential historians Michael Bechloss and David Brinkley. Can I say, if I haven't already lost your interest, that it was a really thoughtful, and not too long, discussion of the legacy of the Presidents of the second half of the 20th century. It was, in my mind, super interesting. Of course, I've long professed my love for all things Presidential. Mr. Bechloss said, it takes about 40 years from the time a President leaves office for his legacy to really solidify but that a legacy is perhaps a very fluid thing, regardless. I won't attempt a recitation of all that I learned last night but trust me when I say it was super informative and left me even more curious about the 44 men who've served in the country's highest office.  

But, the real point of this post is that today is Ronald Wilson Reagan's 102nd birthday!  Now, I've written before about President Reagan. He was the first President I was old enough to cast a vote for (November 1983) and I had the good fortune to see him up close and personal in the White House Rose Garden (why yes, lucky me). But this year, while we were visiting California, our family made the trek to Simi Valley to visit the Reagan Library (the most visited of all of the Presidential libraries). A spectacular setting, an endearing childhood, Americana, an enormous time capsule of the 80s, Air Force One, it was all a treat.

The view from the library.  

The statue of President Reagan, rancher-style,  that welcomes visitors.

A portion of the Berlin Wall.

The burial site.  

I could probably wax on incessantly about this, but suffice it to say, if you have the opportunity to visit  a Presidential Library, regardless of the man's policies, politics or persona (though if you're an admirer, it will no doubt enhance your experience), it is totally worth it.  

Never Forget

In July of 1977, my family, infrequent (understatement) travelers, took a trip up the eastern seaboard, including historic Philadelphia and then a day trip to New York City.


One of the highlights of that trip was a visit to The World Trade Center.  I have few recollections of the visit, except that, to me, the building seemed brand new (not 4 years old, as it was at the time), and, of course, super tall (having just then been surpassed as the tallest building in the world), and that my acrophobic mother would not venture close to the windows of the observation deck on the 107th floor.  

Surprisingly, I saved the brochure from that visit.  Yes, back then I was a scrapbooker (before scrapbooking was a thing) and I've kept it all these years.  

The cover of the brochure.  Inside, the admission price for adults
is listed as $1.70, for children 85 cents.  

Today is a sad day in American history.  In my 40+ years, there aren't many days that I can experientially recall as collectively sad for our nation.  I was just a month old when JFK was assassinated and a child when Martin Luther King was killed and also during Watergate, so those sort of "where were you when?" moments are, thankfully, not a huge part of my own personal history.  I do remember vividly the Challenger explosion (I was on my way to a Women in Literature class in college) and I watched the Columbia Shuttle explosion, eight years ago, on a television at the gym - so upset I had to leave.  


Ten years ago today, having sent my children off to school and preschool, I was getting ready for a dentist's appointment.  My husband called me from his office and told me to turn on the television, and the world was never the same.

“Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “

                                                                                                  - President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

Cinco de Mayo

I've always loved Cinco De Mayo though, in truth, for a long time I thought today commemorated Mexican Independence Day (the equivalent of the American 4th of July) but that's apparently in September.  

Actually, Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico's unlikely victory over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.  (Something I don't remember ever learning in my 4 years of high school Spanish). 

Here is a photo of me and a few friends in college celebrating Cinco de Mayo at Chi Chi's (remember those?)  because college is an excuse to celebrate everything, right?

Facts:

1) My husband 's middle name is Carlos  (though he is zero percent Latino). 
2) My husband does not speak Spanish.  
3) My husband loves Mexican food. 
4) My two favorite words in Spanish are "bicicleta" (bicycle) and "paraguas"  (umbrella, which literally translates into "for water") 
5) the extent of my celebration today may be the drive thru at Taco Bell
6) there is nothing wrong with Taco Bell

However you celebrate, and I hope you will, Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  

La Tour Eiffel

Our daughter took these lovely photos - April 2010

One hundred and twenty-two years ago today the Eiffel Tower was opened to the public.  

The most iconic edifice in the world is beautiful, an engineering feat.  

So, it is regrettable to have to admit that although I have had the good fortune of traveling to Paris twice in the past 25 years, I have never actually been in/on the Eiffel Tower.  

My first trip, just after college, I didn't think I could afford the, what I considered, hefty admission price. So, I was satisfied standing on the ground admiring its beauty and grandeur.  Truthfully, I wasn't heartbroken.  I know I must have felt that I most certainly would be back - sooner rather than later and then I could, if I wanted to, take the ride to the top.  

In front of the Eiffel Tower in May 1986.

Imagine my utter disappointment when last year on my second trip to France, an electrical workers strike "short-circuited" (pun intended) our visit. The Tower was closed during our entire 3-day stay in Paris. 

 

I hope to return one day, sooner rather than later, and ascend to the top, taking nothing for granted. 

Final Shuttle Discovery Launch

I'm drinking Tang today.  It's the end of an era - the final launch of the space shuttle Discovery.  

A child of the late 60s and 70s, manned space exploration has always been a part of my life.  I was in high school when the first shuttle launched so I'm sad to see this period in history draw to a close. 

If you pay attention to these sorts of things, this is the third-to-the-last scheduled flight of the space shuttle.  The final flight for Endeavor, first launched in 1992, is scheduled for April 19. The final one for Atlantis, first launched in 1985, is set for June 28.  And that will be the end of the space shuttle program.  

I'm no space geek, but my sister and I did attempt to emulate space travel heroes by hanging upside down from the rear-facing seat in my mom's station wagon on more than a few occasions when we were kids.  I remember well where I was when both the Challenger and Columbia accidents occurred.  I loved Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 and Jack Nicholson's character in Terms of Endearment.  Our family has on two separate occasions serendipitously viewed the shuttle launch (once from 80 miles south of Cape Canaveral in Vero Beach and another time from Orlando, which is 55 miles west).  Most importantly, I have long admired and appreciated those courageous enough to make space exploration their vocation. 

In 2001, we took the kids to the Kennedy Space Center.  That's the launch site and shuttle in the background.

So at 4:50 p.m. today, you can bet that I'll be watching and toasting that crew (with Tang, of course).   How about you?

National Baked Alaska Day

Wow!  I've only been writing this blog for about 6 weeks and I'm already writing my second post about Alaska.  Okay, not really Alaska, but the delicious, seemingly far-flung dessert, Baked Alaska. Which has it's own day to celebrate -- today.  

Confession:  I have only had Baked Alaska once.  That was on a family cruise we took in 2004.  

I love this because when I was a little girl, had I given it any thought, perhaps the only thing I would have considered more exotic and extravagant than taking a cruise (I'm talking about before Love Boat), was Baked Alaska.  

Photo of my husband and daughter taken by a cruise ship photographer

But, since there's nothing like an all inclusive meal plan to get you try something you've always wanted to try -- we ordered Baked Alaska. I'm happy to report that we liked it, all of us. But maybe that is because it was flaming when our waiter brought it to our table!  In fact, we liked it so much we ordered two.  (Remember it was "all inclusive")

Let's face it, what's not to like, really?  Sponge cake, Neapolitan ice cream (at least in the one we had) with warm, sugary meringue on top.  Those snow caps never looked better. 

And should you want to try it yourself today, here are a couple of recipes, one super easy and another with a video tutorial.  And, who knew?  You can change-it-up and use brownies or any flavor of ice cream you like.  Enjoy!

A Founder's Birthday

If you ask me, Benjamin Franklin born 305 years ago today is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Founding Fathers.

Sure, his contribution to our nation’s history is acknowledged some.  After all,  his face is on the one hundred dollar bill, but how often do you pull one of those out of your wallet?


Still, he doesn’t seem to get  quite as much respect as other American statesmen like Washington, Jefferson, Adams or Madison; this despite the fact that his vocations and avocations included printer, librarian, journalist and inventor, in addition to politician.


Did you know, for example, that Benjamin Franklin was the only Founding Father to sign all five documents that established American independence: the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with France, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with Great Britain, and the Constitution of the United States of America?


So, how sad is it then that when our family made the trip to Philadelphia a couple of summers ago, we failed to really focus on Mr. Franklin? Instead we were taken by some of the other sites and famous figures.


Like

The Liberty Bell, of course.

and

My daughter and niece "contemplating" The Signers. 

Of course, we went to Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center and we did stop to pause at his burial site at Christ Church, but regrettably I didn’t take a photo of that.  (And as an aside, might I add that there’s nothing like starting a blog to realize how poorly you have documented your family’s life).


Today I say, thank you for your service to our fledgling country, Mr. Franklin.  Where would would be without you and Happy Belated Birthday!

Torre pendente di Pisa

Twenty one years ago today, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, was closed to the public. 

It wasn’t always leaning of course. Just 5 years after breaking ground in 1173, and as construction progressed beyond the second floor, a weak foundation and unstable soil caused the building to begin to sink.

Efforts over the years to stop the leaning have resulted in a numerous studies and stabilization efforts, even the removal of the bells (it was originally intended as a cathedral bell tower).

The good news is, the Tower was reopened again in 2001, but this time only to guided tours of 30 people at a time and requiring advance reservations.  

It comes as no surprise that Italy is now invested in maintaining the building’s tilt (more than 12 feet at the top) because of the role the tower plays in Pisa’s tourism.

My sister and I traveled to Italy in the late 80s and managed a trip through Pisa.  Regrettably, we ruled out a trek to the top - perhaps too little energy (for the 290+ steps) or more likely, too little cash.  We did, however, meet some very lovely people there, including a delightful elderly couple from the UK, Mr. and Mrs. Pickles.  

We didn't even bother to take the obligatory photo of us trying to hold the tower up but here's a photo from the train station in Pisa (see the poster of the Tower on the right).

Friendly Uruguayans along with me
and my sister at the train station in Pisa

So for those of us, like me, who didn't make it, here's a view from the top.  

Happy Statehood Day Alaska!

 On Jan. 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Alaska to the Union as the 49th state.

Alaska's been in the news A LOT recently, particularly because of a certain former Vice Presidential candidate.  But, since this isn't a political blog (though I'm not saying I won't have one of those too, some day),  I wanted to write a little about the majesty of Alaska and celebrate the day it joined the Lower 48 as part of our great union.  

I can hardly believe it when I write that my family has a thirty year history (when you take into account that the state's history is just slightly more 50 years) with Alaska.  

My husband spent two long  summers working at a fishing lodge in Alaska during college.  

To this day, this fact still surprises me.  Not because my husband is a true southerner, born in Memphis and raised geographically almost as far from Alaska as you can be in the U.S., and not because my husband doesn't seem like the type to do this kind thing (because he does), but because I don't think I seem like the type of person that would marry a guy who did such a thing.  

The Brooks Falls in the Katmai National Park is famous for bear viewing.  My husband took this photo in 1982