THE WETTEST AMERICAN CITY Before continuing our Alaskan Cruise itinerary, I need to clarify which city is the second rainiest city in the U.S. Last week I wrote that Ketchikan, Alaska is the rainiest city in the United States, and Hilo, Hawai`i is the third rainiest city. Which led to an obvious question – What’s
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TALES FROM ALASKA
I just got back from an Alaskan Cruise, and I’ve got so much to tell you, it’s going to take at least three blogs. After a quick overview of the “cruise”, I’ll move on to what I enjoyed most – excursions into Alaska’s majestic scenery and wildlife. THE ms AMSTERDAM Holland America’s mid-size
An Old-Fashioned Vacation
I’m on vacation. On a very nice cruise ship. With a spa. Looking at lovely scenery. Without a consistent Internet connection. International roaming rates may apply. Huh? I’m not particularly tech-savvy. I cheerfully admit my iPhone is smarter about itself than I’ll ever be. There are probably millions of things I could access on the
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Last week the Social Security Administration released two lists: The Ten Most Popular Names for Girls in 2013, and The Ten Most Popular Names for Boys in 2013. The list comes out annually just before Mother’s Day. Choosing baby names can be a nerve-racking experience. Once upon a time, it was a relatively simple affair
POST MOTHER’S DAY REFLECTIONS
Now that the flowers are in water, the brunches eaten, and the cards placed somewhere conspicuous, it might be fun to take a look at the history of the annual sentimental celebration called Mother’s Day. As far as I’m concerned, mothers are those women in our lives who nurture us, believe in us, and love
¡FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!
The phrase “Fifth of May” doesn’t have much meaning, but translate it into Spanish, Cinco de Mayo, and it’s a celebration with parades, parties, and special food. But why is it celebrated? If you guessed a Mexican victory in battle occurred on May 5, you’re correct. If you know the year, 1862, you’re ready to
MAKE A LIST – CHECK IT TWICE – DO IT ANYWAY
People have made lists as long as they’ve been able to write things down. Take this monk, for example. He could be contemplating the relative size of angels in order to solve an age-old question: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Or, he could be trying to remember what he
“STINGING NETTLES” TASTE LIKE SPINACH
Like many Americans, I’ve been eating since November – Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas cookies, and Valentine’s indulgences. I completed my eating frenzy yesterday with a chocolate bunny (ears first, of course). This means it’s time for another annual custom — shedding winter padding and getting ready for “bikini weather” or in my case, “basketball shorts weather.”
WINCHESTER HOUSE: THE MANSION A SÉANCE BUILT
Today’s adventure takes us to San Jose, California. Years ago, before Silicon Valley took off, I visited that fair city. Return with me to stroll through the Winchester Mystery House, premier San Jose tourist destination. Climb staircases to nowhere. Look through Tiffany glass windows with a view of absolutely nothing. Learn what you can do
NO HOUSEWORK DAY & OTHER APRIL CELEBRATIONS
I subscribe to Darcy Pattison’s blog. Today’s entry announced that tomorrow, April 8, is Draw a Bird Day. Never heard of it? Neither had I. The day honors Dorie Cooper. In 1943 Dorie, aged 7, visited her wounded uncle in the hospital. Trying to cheer up a man who’d just lost his leg to a
I AM RAPUNZEL, HUNTRESS
My son took one of those silly “who are you?” tests, and posted the results on Facebook. On the question of “What is Your Medieval Profession?” (http://www.playbuzz.com/gregs/what-is-your-medieval-profession), my son placed as a Hunter. This seemed strange, because he’s not the sort who goes around with bows and arrows trying to kill Bambi’s mother. But he
IN PRAISE OF APPLE TECH SUPPORT, or, How the Lost was Found
I use the MacBook Air and once had over 1,000 photos stored on the hard drive. The Handsome Bloke kept telling me to transfer them to an external drive. But you know how it is. I hadn’t gotten around to it. Then, for the past several weeks I’ve been getting a message saying that my
ARIZONA IN MY MIND
Seattle Mariners Spring Training (the subject of last week’s blog) took the Handsome Bloke and I to Phoenix, Arizona. It was the second time I’d been to Arizona. The first time was when I was in middle school – a family trip with the cousins. We visited the Grand Canyon, though at the time we
BASEBALL – Symbol of Summer
“Baseball, it is said, is only a game” – George F. Will Baseball has teams of nine players. The playing field has a diamond shape. There are nine innings and numerous time outs, but no maximum time. Baseball players don’t wear spandex. In comparison to other athletes, they appear modest. The game itself is straightforward.
SOME PROPERTIES OF GLITTER
Ever had the urge to assemble of bowl of multi-colored glitter and just throw it in the air while you ran around the room? Ever curbed that urge by thinking about how you’d never get the glitter out of the carpet? If you answered yes to the first question, you are either a water sprite
LEARNED A NEW LANGUAGE LATELY?
Are you old enough to remember foreign language laboratories where students strained to hear a question in, for example, German, and answer it correctly in the microphone, all the while desperately hoping the instructor wasn’t listening to you? Yeah, me too. When I was fourteen, my mother decided I would take Latin. It wasn’t a