Full Circling the Globe

AdventureDivas: Divas

2006-12-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

AdventureDivas honors "women who are composing their lives—and whose actions, individualism and vision will rule the future."

flightless in cape town - AMAZING images

2006-08-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Via Jeneane Sessum, flightless in cape town. (And catch the tagline... "The penguin is mightier than the swordfish!" Brilliant!)

Tags: visual_thinking

Ethics for Travelers

2006-08-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

Pam has a great post on Ethics for Travelers on BlogHer. Worth reading for any traveller. Follow the links!

Armenia Travel and Tourism - Armeniapedia.org

2006-08-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

Armenia Travel and Tourism - Armeniapedia.org: "Welcome to the world's largest Armenian Tourism and Travel web site. With hundreds of pages about tourism destinations, hundreds of pictures, a free guidebook, useful phrases, hotel and restaurant directory, GPS coordinates and more, you'll find everything you need here!"

Ladybugs on the beach and Devils River

2005-10-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Along my walk back to the hotel on the shore of Lake Michigan, I bent down to take a picture of an old shoe. But wait, what was here? Ladybugs. I looked at the next clump of dried algae and more ladybugs. Orange, red and yellow-green, there were tons of them in every bit of detritus on the beach.

I could not believe how many there were. I must have taken 30 pictures, trying to capture the different colors and the quantity. I wondered if this was an, um, mating time, due to the stacks of bugs. A quick google search turned this up:

Q. At the beginning of September, thousands of ladybugs were found in Lake Michigan. Why were they in and around the lake?
A. Periodically, all kinds of different insects can be found flowing in and around Lake Michigan. Although, during the early part of this month, the Lake Michigan area experienced some strong weather patterns. Insects can be carried on strong air currents created by storms, only to be "dropped off" somewhere else.

Hm, maybe it was a fertility sign for my friends getting married!

On Friday we attended the lovely wedding at Devils River Campground. This tree was a stunning backdrop.

We had dinner and dancing at the Lighthouse that night, and on Saturday morning, had a great breakfast at Newey's in Manitowoc. Then it was time to head to the airport to fly home. I enjoyed my midwest escape!

Wisconsin and Lake Michigan

2005-10-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

This past week I had a chance to do a little traveling to a part of the US I'd not visited before, the Green Bay, Wisconsin area. A dear friend was getting married in the Two Rivers/Manitowoc area. Another friend and I came in a day early to enjoy the fall colors. We first drove down from Two Rivers to Manitowoc, to check out Beernsten's chocolate shop. Of COURSE I must visit the local chocolate places. I brought my husband some chocolates (peanut butter filled chocolate cows and caramel filled chocolate apples!)

Next, we headed north to Door County, also known as the Cape Cod of the midwest. Door county is a giant thumb sticking into Lake Michigan. The penninsula is a rolling farm studded place, rich with fall colors, apple stands and your requisite cute little bayside towns. We went all the way to the tip where one can catch a ferry to Washington Island. We doubled back, bought some jam, then some fantastic bread at the Door County Bakery in Sister Bay, which also had a high end deli. We put together a little picnic lunch of olives, bread, cheese and cherry juice soda!

Back in Two Rivers (we stayed at the very friendly Lighthouse Inn, I went for a walk along Lake Michigan, heading towards town. There were seagulls and not another soul on the windy beach. I walked up to the breakwater protecting the river through town, and looked up towards Two Rivers which is dominated by factories right on the river and lake shore.

More in the next post...

Two_Rivers Wisconsin, Manitowoc

The World is Not Flat - Thank GOODNESS!

2005-10-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Lee and Sachi have launched the website, The World is Not Flat, to complement their upcoming year long adventure around the world. TWINF, as Lee fondly calls it, is a hybrid travel blog, online community of travelers, and trip planning tool for our wandering pair. If you have a travel tip or location specific experience, drop in and add it to the rich emerging travel stew!

TWINF

Global Nomads and TCK

2005-10-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Due to the digital nature of my work and travels, I have many friends all over the world. I have been particularly drawn into friendship with people who grew up or who live in a world that transcends any one national border. From a comment from Shoshauna on this blog, I started trying to find her organization. I searched for Global Nomads and soon found a number of interesting sites.

Global Nomads Virtual Village -- Welcome Gate

The Global Nomad Virtual Village (GNVV) is an internet-based, non-profit, organization; a virtual hub or virtual village, that provides global nomads, third culture kids, Foreign Service dependents, military brats,(basically anyone who shares the common bond of growing up in a foreign land)... a permanent "place" to keep in touch. The GNVV is also a repository for global nomad related information and resources. For a more detailed look at our goals please take a look at the GNVV Charter below. If you are courious why we are doing this take a look at our list of reasons.

The Global Nomads Group

Founded in 1998, the Global Nomads Group (GNG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to heightening children's understanding and appreciation for the world and its people. Using interactive technologies such as videoconferencing, GNG brings young people together face-to-face to meet across cultural and national boundaries to discuss their differences & similarities, and the world issues that affect them.

Worldweave "personal explorations of the global nomad experience." (See the article on cultural marginality.)

Anyone interested in traveling beyond the tourist circuit is in a position to reflect upon their own culture and the cultures they step in to. It changes us.

P.S. TKC = Third Culture Kids!

Passing it Along - Housing for Katrina Folk

2005-09-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

Via badgerbag: messy, surly, full of books

"Please spread this, my grassroots media queens! We are Direct Relief! We can call and say that we are media, and ask for information, and they will put out.

Anyone who is from the disaster-affected zipcodes can get their hotel bills paid directly by the Red Cross. This is a joint effort between the Red Cross, FEMA, and a company called Corporate Lodging. They'll pay your hotel bill for 14-28 days. Here is the information from Corporate Lodging; you will need it to give to the hotel. I was told by the Red Cross media contact that this company has 90% of the hospitality industry participating.

How to use the Red Cross free hotel room program:

- are you from one of the affected zip codes?
- call a hotel and find out if they are willing to participate; tell them the web site for the ARC program, which has all the info on how the hotel can bill the Red Cross directly
- make sure you have *something* that says what your zip code is. I don't know if you need an ID. I'll call corp. lodging tomorrow and check. But, it's best to check with the individual hotel anyway.
- make your room reservation
- figure out how to get there!

The program was already in place nationwide, to help families whose homes were destroyed by fire. the Red Cross committed the money for expanding, and it sounds like Corporate Lodging scaled it up very quickly to respond to the disaster. Around 60,000 families are already in ARC-sponsored hotel rooms.

If you have already been staying in a hotel, you can submit your receipts to the Red Cross to your local chapter, and they will reimburse you.

...I will blog this info in many different places and it will spread very quickly to people who are reading blogs only, and are not seeing newspapers. It will go straight to the people that need the help in some cases. Renita, thank you very much for your useful information. ...

Even MORE direct financial help is available through this RC hotline :

Families in need can access this program by calling 1-800-975-7585 beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST Sunday. To apply for aid, victims calling in must be ready to provide their name, pre-storm address, ZIP code and home telephone number to call center agents. Callers must be prepared to write down a client identification number which they will take to a financial institution in their new community to receive the support. Families in need can access this program by calling 1-800-975-7585 beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST Sunday. To apply for aid, victims calling in must be ready to provide their name, pre-storm address, ZIP code and home telephone number to call center agents. Callers must be prepared to write down a client identification number which they will take to a financial institution in their new community to receive the support.

recovery2, katrina, hurricanekatrina, kitchentablerelief

Another Interesting Adventure

2005-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

My friends Lee and Sachi are not the only Seattleites preparing for a major trip. Seems The Traveling Guys are also about to launch a globe-spanning effort that will be documented on the web. Is it something in the water here? If so, give me a drink!

twinf

One Bag: The Packing List

2005-08-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

More packing wisdom, via Lee on his new (and still evolving - it ain't done yet, but us travel addicts are already subscribed) The World is Not Flat site. One Bag: The Packing List.

The Universal Packing List

2005-08-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

What a gift. This little online tool queries you on your trip and then builds a packing list for you. Even emails it to you. Way cool. The Universal Packing List

Bill Anderson finds: One for the heart from Walt Kelly

2005-08-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

This is a great quote. Have to share it, thanks to Bill Anderson.

edge city: One for the heart from Walt Kelly

"'There are other motivating forces besides anger that go into making up the so-called humorous treatments of recognizable situations. Despite his preoccupation with being a flashy, cigar-smoking, sharp, tough-minded, all-around good sport and well read to boot, the American male has soft deposits of tenderness in some of the lower strata of his make up. These occasionally quiver and rumble so that a recording is made on the seismograph of the mind. Such indications are very often ignored, put down firmly or chalked up as manifestations of approaching senility or drink-induced sentimentality. But now and then your infield is a little slow afoot and the heart puts a soft liner through for a two-base hit.'

- Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo"

Two Good Travelogues

2005-08-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

For the wanderlusters, check out the recent Ghana posts from Andy Carvin's Waste of Bandwidth: Travel Archives and the amazing story of the Constant's walk from London to South Africa.

Found the name of the winery...

2005-08-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Bergevin Lane Vineyards - Walla Walla, WA

The Olympic Penninsula Part 1 - Port Angeles

2005-08-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

In late July friends from Holland arrived for a four week US trip to western National Parks. We had the good luck of hosting them in their first week with the Olympic Penninsula as our destination. We started browsing around downtown Seattle before we hopped the 2:05 pm Ferry. They did the Underground tour while we sat and listened to a lunchtime concert in Pioneer Square.

After taking the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge, we headed north and west to the Hood Canal Bridge. Construction had us waiting on the bridge, where we whipped out our sandwiches from Salumi (ahh, delight) and then watched seals. I'm so glad we were stopped on the bridge and not miles back on the highway.

From there we meandered on to Sequim. Man, when did this little town turn into a sprawl. One of my favorite lavender farms is now hitched up next to a housing development. This, my friends, is sad. What, we haven't learned about how to zone yet? The flowers were fabulous - lavenders in amazing colors, a sea of other flowers.

Around 5:30 we pulled into Port Angeles where we would be staying at the Thortown Hostel for two nights while we did day walks in the northern part of Olympic National Park. This is a friendly, home based hostel -- with wifi! Oh dear. Sucked online again. NOT!

The next day we drove up to Lake Crescent, hoping to do the Pyramid Peak trail. Lesson: check with the ranger station before you drive half way round the lake on a dirt road to find out that trail had been washed out? Oh well. We headed back east to the Lower Elwha area and took the Krause Bottom trail, 5 or 6 miles that samples woods, river, meadow and some old mountain shacks. Lots of up and down, wild flowers, huckleberries (yum) and down right pretty scenery.

Then, wanting more, we drove up Hurricane ridge. After stopping at the lodge for softies (soft ice cream) we headed out to do the Hurrican Hill walk. The wildflowers were AMAZING. (I should do a whole post on the flowers) and the view, as always, spectacular. I love that wide-open vista feeling. I wanted to burst out singing "The Hills Are Alive" but we had a teenager with us, and not even mine, so I resisted the urge. Well, I hummed a bit.

Hungry as bears, we headed back into Port Angeles and started cruising the main streets for a restaurant when we found Bella Italia. Our guest had read about it, so we went in and signed up for a table. 20 minute wait. So we put our names on the list, then went browsing.

Some of us went to the bookstore. Three of us were lured irresistably into the Itty Bitty Buzz, a bakery which promised both a splendid counter of baked goods and Olympic Ice Cream. Ice cream before dinner? Sure. Larry had a cup of blueberry while Hilda and I had tea. We promised to come back for breakfast the next day (which we did. My GAWD those rolls were great. We had the blackberry cream cheese and the spinach feta. If you are in Port Angles, stop by the Buzz. This is their Sequim site, 110 E. First Street)

After ice cream and tea, we had a splendid meal at Bella Italia. Like squid? Try their FLASH FRIED CALAMARI With olives, artichokes, tomatoes & roasted garlic on polenta - $9. Mmm. I had a fantastic glass of Washington state Viongnier (sp?) from a women owned winery in Walla Walla. Larry wrote down the name, and now I lost it. :-(

After that repast, sleep was good.

Where I Admit I'm Not Getting This Done

2005-08-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

I had visions for my travel blog. Fantasies about clever narratives from the road. The best of my travel photos. Cool tips for folks who might be heading where I've just been.

Get real.

On my computer area about a zillion unedited photos. I have cards, receipts and scribbled addresses on ATM withdrawal receipts -- all that precious insider information, scattered to the winds of my office (chaos central.)

I have unfulfilled promises to people I said I would blog about. Pictures of food I have swooned over. Sights that have awed or quieted me.

So why ain't it on this blog? Let me count the ways.

1. I'm becoming a procrastinator in my middle age. Where is all that zesty efficiency I used to have? Sloth is my new pal.

2. Photos need resizing. I'm never consistent about how I shoot and shoot with two (equally crappy) cameras. I have ancient editing software. And see #1.

3. Clever text needs writing. Hell, I need to spell check even the easiest text. See #1.

4. Things should be posted when (or close to when) they happened. So if I haven't yet posted the pictures from 18 months ago, should I? Indecision joins procrastination for a tea party. I need wine instead! Hell, would you like it if I had a posting marathon and put up a gazillion photos and stories all at once? And destroy that day by day pace of "normal" blogging. (AHAHAHA, what is normal?)

5. Will I sound like an ignorant American (that I sometimes am)? As I write about places outside of the US, I truly worry about this. Plus my humor doesn't always travel well. It needs an airsick pill.

Should I quit this blog? Slog on? Whaddaya think? While you are pondering, I'll start a few posts from last month's vacation on the Washington State Olympic Peninsula, because there is a picture from a Bakery in Port Angeles that is just too good NOT to blog about.

Some Armenia Links

2005-06-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

It has been over a year since I was in Armenia and I was missing it these past few weeks. I started looking at some Armenia-related sites and found these:

Armenia / Mountains, monasteries and modern capital

Road to Armenia

Rediscovering Armenia Guidebook - Armeniapedia.org

2005-05-15T22:00:00.000-07:00

October 2004, my first encounter with my favorite plant, along with my new friends from the IICD Online Facilitation Workshop in Accra, Ghana. Too bad the beans weren't ripe! (And yes, I'm starting to post some old pictures and "catch up.") chocolate, cocoa, Ghana,

Tatev, Armenia

2005-04-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

I was doing one of my regular electronic visits to the Project Harmony ASCP home page and happened upon news of a new website promoting the amazing village of Tatev, in the Synuik region of Armenia. Tatev is home to an incredible cliff-side monestary and is set in the striking mountains. I had the opportunity to visit Tatev in 2003 as part of an opening of the school based internet center there. This is a stunningly beautiful, warm and friendly spot on the globe.

Del Ray Dreamery - A place I'd like to visit

2005-03-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

Del Ray Dreamery :washingtonpost.com: "By Domenica Marchetti
Special to The Washington Post
Thursday, April 10, 2003

Don't wait until summer to visit Del Ray Dreamery, or you will be missing some of the best homemade treats -- frozen and otherwise -- in Northern Virginia.

While owner Liz Davis's frozen custard and sorbet shop regularly draws a crowd on hot summer days, far fewer people seem to know that in the off seasons, Davis remains busy, crafting goodies such as homemade marshmallows (cinnamon, lemon and strawberry are among the flavors), strawberry-rhubarb pies, gooey fruit cobblers and big, chewy cookies made with freshly grated ginger.

'The most important thing about this shop is that it's a small business as a form of self-expression,' Davis said. 'This is why I have this place -- so I can make things and see what people think.'

Davis, a pastry chef, said she got tired of working in restaurant kitchens, turning out elaborate, expensive desserts and never knowing whether customers enjoyed them. So two years ago, she decided to open her small shop on Mount Vernon Avenue, billing it as a place for frozen custard and 'nostalgic treats.'

A native of Wisconsin, Davis makes the kind of frozen custard -- smooth and luscious -- for which the state is famous. She is forever educating customers who are under the mistaken impression that frozen custard is higher in fat than ice cream. While frozen custard may contain more egg yolk (1.4 percent by USDA regulation), it also calls for more milk and less cream than some premium ice creams, she said. Frozen custard has less air beaten into it than ice cream, providing its dense and silky texture.

But it is more than just the method of producing custard that sets Del Ray Dreamery apart from many other ice cream parlors. While Davis has vanilla on hand every day, she also offers a rotating selection of inspired flavors, from homey to exotic.

On Christmas Eve, for example, she offered Gifts of the Magi, with saffron, pistachios and Davis's homemade candied cranberries. This month's featured flavors include cherry blossom, orange chocolate truffle, pineapple upside-down cake and sweet potato pie.

There are also plenty of classics, such as buttered pecan; chocolate ice box cake, which is chocolate custard mixed with vanilla chiffon cake; and chocolate Heath bar.

Davis's sorbet selection is equally inventive. In fall, the offerings might include roasted pear or apple butter; in winter, pomegranate. Recently, a featured flavor was apple snow, inspired by a dessert that Davis remembers having as a child. The combination of apple, lemon and white wine produced a sorbet refreshing and tart, with just a hint of sweetness. I liked it almost as much as the bracing pink grapefruit sorbet with aromatic bitters.

She even sells frozen pops for dogs, made with plain yogurt, bananas and peanut butter.

Davis's personal touch is evident not only in the sweets she whips up in the Dreamery's kitchen but also in the front of the shop. She is a fervent supporter of independent businesses, one big reason that she chose Del Ray as a place to live and locate her shop. The neighborhood remains, by some miracle, free of chain stores.

Davis has worked hard to build her shop into a neighborhood magnet. A Scrabble game in progress and an unfinished puzzle laid out on a picnic table silently entice customers to sit and play.

The 'nostalgic treats' extend beyond homemade fig bars, moon pies and frozen custard cakes to the jukebox filled with songs, whose titles all have the word 'dream' in them, and the bulky white wringer washer that occupies one corner.

Davis can almost always be found behind the counter or in the kitchen. She has one employee in addition to her son, Rob, who helps at the store, and her daughter, Nora, who maintains the Web site, www.delraydreamery.com.

In winter, Davis hosts monthly 'brat' nights, on which she serves bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad and root beer brewed in Wisconsin. The dinner, accompanied by live accordion music, has the convivial feel of a church basement supper.

Davis said she was inspired by 'The Great Good Place,' a book by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, which discusses the importance of neighborhood gathering places in promoting a sense of community and fostering relationships between people.

Her efforts appear to be paying off. 'Folks bring me flowers from their yards and pussy willows that they think will took nice in the shop,' Davis said. 'I have a number of customers who simply volunteer because they like the place. I think they have a sense of ownership, too.' "

Diverting from Travel to Food

2005-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Ah, good intentions. Throw them out the window. I've been working like a maniac, have mountains of pictures and stories from last year's travel that I haven't even cracked open to post and here I am on a Saturday morning, cruising food blogs. Can you spell addiction? This piece on Dutch Babies was too good not to share, so it is sliding into the travel blog. A trend may be next...
Orangette: 9 am Sunday: butter and babies (It includes the recipe - thank you!)

2005-02-18T18:28:00.000-08:00

Northern Voice BlogWalk Lunch - Vancouver

Winter in my Garden

2005-01-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of snow last night, so the beauty of the winter bloomers is even more precious. These are a bit blurry due to low light. I'll try and take better pictures tomorrow. (New camera/learning)

QuickBird Images of Tsunami Sites

2005-01-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

A graphic before/after set of satellite images: DigitalGlobe | QuickBird Images of Tsunami Sites