Posts Tagged ‘travel’
What am I celebrating?
May 10, 2014
National Train Day is a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of rail travel and the history of trains in the United States. It is held each year on the Saturday closest to May 10, the anniversary of the pounding of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Events are held at Amtrak stations as well as railroad museums across the country and often have passenger cars and model railroad layouts on display. The largest events usually take place in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CA.
Ref. Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, nothing is going on in my neck of the woods on this day. Nevertheless, here are some photos from a recent trip to Baltimore and the wonderful B&O Railroad Museum.
What Mutiny do I Commemorate Today?
April 28, 2014
What am I ranting about?
April 28, 2014
I try not to rant, but I’ve been out of town and came back with the “airplane cold” and am a little cranky.
My friend at HMS Defiant says that “studies have shown” that there really is no good way to board an airplane, or if there is a good way, the airlines ignore it, or the airlines try, but it is a losing battle.
I have my own proposal – charge those who bring big bags on board – and wear suit jackets that they must remove when I am trying to get by – and who cannot read their ticket number and sit in the wrong seat – and who recline their seats so their heads are in my lap – and who are otherwise annoying to me.
This is not an interesting post – don’t feel you have to read it.
Where am I hanging out?
April 14, 2014I was searching for something else entirely when I came across these photographs of the building of the Empire State Building. The post was about corporate negligence about safety issues. That aside, I think the photos are interesting and beautiful. These is something so lovely about fine grained, black and white photos with high contrast. These are attributed to sociologist and photographer, Lewis Wickes Hines.
Empire State Building Being Built in 1930
No such thing as OSHA back then! Amazingly, it is believed only 5 people died during the construction and one of them was hit by a truck. Interesting photos taken during construction of the Empire State Building.
What am I talking about?
April 8, 2014Just for fun – I am listening to British accents. A charming clip by Steven Wilson on Never Yet Melted.
Where am I living?
March 26, 2014Earlier today I was looking for news about development plans for the lakefront of Lake Erie and I found this cool site . . .
. . . for Lake Erie Floating Homes – what fun!
Last year we were able to take a February vacation to Florida. One of our stops was on Marathon Key where we stayed overnight in a houseboat. Granted, it was tied to the dock, but it had comfy chairs on the deck and we watched the moon and stars on the water. Altogether a delightful experience.
These Lake Erie homes are closer to home, but I would guess are definitely seasonal.
Here are a couple of shots of the lake taken earlier this month.
Yes, that is the frozen lake.
This is by the marina in Rocky River.
Actually I have a terrific idea for a future lakefront park. I think it would be super to have a model of the Great Lakes done up as ponds with their outline and contour visible. Both educational and fun!
Whose birthday am I celebrating?
March 22, 2014
On March 22, 2228, James Tiberius Kirk will be born in Riverside, Iowa. This is a town that takes its future seriously. There is a plaque in town to pre-commemorate the event and a starship graces the town square.
Read more about it here at Roadside America.
I missed tattoo Tuesday this week, so here is a freebie:
What am I Lego-loving?
February 26, 2014
David Reneke at Dave Reneke’s World of Space and Astronomy posted this wonderful story about strange and unusual objects that people have launched into space. What caught my eye, of course, were the LEGO characters of Magellan, Jupiter and Juno being carried on a probe to Jupiter.
Mini-figurines of Galileo and the Roman deities Jupiter and Juno were launched in 2011 aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft en route to Jupiter . LEGO has flown products aboard the U.S. Space Shuttles and to the International Space Station previously, but Juno’s cargo represents the “most distant LEGO launch” ever. The figurines will burn up in Jupiter’s atmosphere along with the spacecraft at the end of the mission in October 2017.
Among the other objects launched are a Florida state quarter, the famous golden disc, the Mars penny, and a wheel of cheese. What would you send into space?
Why am I shivering?
February 22, 2014This has been a cold, cold winter for us in the old Western Reserve, and elsewhere along the Great Lakes. This story is from New Scientist.
Look out below! These people appear doomed by a gigantic overhead explosion. But they’re safe. The firework-like formations are actually icicles formed by huge waves that batter the Apostle Islands sea caves in the south-west corner of Lake Superior, just off the coast of Wisconsin.
The caves are normally inaccessible. But the exceptionally cold weather in the US this year has led to almost record coverage of ice over the Great Lakes, creating a safe route to the caves for the first time since 2009.
Frosted Lakes
(Image: NOAA)
An estimated 10,000 visitors have trekked over since the route was declared safe by the US National Parks Service on 15 January.
The Parks Service says that access could remain until as late as March, but warns visitors to take no chances with creaky ice on the lake, and to beware falling ice if they do make it to the caves.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 