Pooks Canyon

In Barcelona children go to school from 9:30 to 5:00. At first I thought this was just Axel's school but one look at the 9:15 metro and sidewalks tells me that this is the schedule for most schools: the young people in Barcelona have backpacks on and are going places. The schoolchild, in his native habitat, reticent for Mom to be taking photos. Lunch at Axel's school is from 12:00-2:00, where they have a multi-course meal with dining etiquette and decorum strictly enforced. It brings to mind that time in Belgium when a 10 year-old Leah attempted to eat a french fry with her hand and had said hand lightly smacked (though I can report that, despite strict treatment, she did like those lunches).  Let's just say Axel is dining with a knife and fork at lunchtime these days. After the leisurely meal Axel can choose to participate in a variety of activities.  Afterall, they do have 2 whole hours. Yoga, Drums, Violin, Cinematography, Coding/Robotics/Drones are all on tap...

Did you know that the King's Landing footage in Game of Thrones is shot in Dubrovnik, Croatia?  I did not until Leah visited there last week.  Here she is, having seized control of the Iron Throne. The happy travelers. Leah sent me lots of pictures of her out and about.   Love, love, love!  Keep 'em coming Leah! They kayaked around the island of Lokrum, which served as the scene location for Qarth in season 2 of Game of Thrones.  Leah wrote, "there were all these ruins and an old monastery (not still in operation). And it's said that monks at that monastery cursed Napoleon." She also said, "there were all these wild peacocks but they were not afraid of people at all and just wandered around and would come right up to you." She continued, "and there were babies!  Like, baby peacocks."  Can you see the two babies above? She also reported that the island is now a wildlife reserve and people are not allowed on ...

It is 10:30 pm in California and that means it is 8:30 am in Corfu.  Leah, Pepper, and Michael will be leaving Greece today, on their way to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Earlier this week they took The Kalypso Star on a trip around part of the island.  The Trojan/Dolphin logo, along with the blue and white motif seems exceptionally Greek.  The boat has a glass bottom and they were able to look down to see fish as well as look out at the old fortress.  The old fortress has its roots in the Byzantine era with earliest structures dating back to 6th century AD. Here is Leah joining the fray of a maritime statue in front of the New Fortress, new fortifications having been put in by the Venetians starting in the relatively recent 1500s AD. They also rented a paddleboat and took these pictures looking back at the island. The cliffs of Corfu and the clear waters. Corfu from a distance. Requisite cat picture.  Leah reports that this cat came a...

Grecian cat enjoying a cushion. When I travel I always love to take pictures of the cats .  Yeah, I know, it is probably not good news that kitties are running amok all over the world... but they are just so cute.  When Jon and I were married in Puerto Vallarta I remember visiting a restaurant on what I will forever call Cat Island (its real name is Isla Cuale).  Jon offered a piece of fish to this very charming kitty and, by the time the waiter returned, we were surrounded by about 15 cats.  The waiter gave us an exasperated look.   On the good news front, last year we returned to Cat Island and found a vet clinic had been established.  On that very day they were spaying/neutering kitties en masse.  While the tables of groggy post-surgical cats in the open air was very strange, the progress for the kitties of the Rio Cuale was heartening.  But, I am off-subject. I did not come here to write about Cat Island. I came here to write...

Every three months my employer brings me to Colorado to hang out with my team of fellow software geeks.  While blogging about a work trip may seem strange, I really want to share what goes on out here with my friends and family.   A couple of years ago I started staying at this place, this magical lovely place.  A slice of the UK, Thee Hilltop Inn and Burns Pub is nestled in the wild grasses of an office park in Broomfield, Colorado (of all places!). The rooms have real keys, the barkeeps - hi Ron and JT - dress nattily with vests and hats, and the food is fresh, scratch, simply prepared.  It is some of the best pub fare I have had anywhere. This Irish Stew with soda bread was the last thing I ate here. As you can see it was kind of good.   But besides the food... The location is really nice, this is a picture of hole one at a disc golf course, about a mile's walk.  The walk through the office park consisted of 50%...

We did not go to San Juan de la Costa but I mention it in the title because it means Saint Jon of the Coast, which amuses me.  Our own beneficent Jon did stop in San Juan de la Costa on a bike ride the other day.  On that ride he spied some beaches that looked nice and was thoughtful enough to suggest we drive to one. The road out of town. Our little passenger. Front seat selfie.  Serious. The road gets prettier and the Sea of Cortez pops into view. In La Paz we are on a bay which is not quite the open sea. Road pinto. Baby donkey!. Hiking down from where we parked. Actual waves- we do not see many waves on the bay of La Paz. Built in seating. ' Nice caves. Vino tinto in the picnic basket- a Carmenere from Chile.  A clever bartender recently told me that Chileans had asked the French for some Merlot vines and were given Carmenere instead.  They made the best of it. I like it. Tangy an...