weblog - 2009
Dec 28, Lake Tahoe
Once
again the Levy and Solomons clans gathered at the lake for some winter
fun. The Solomons hit the slopes while the Levy's pursued some sell
dangerous forms of recreation. Katie and Johnny are now old enough to play
cribbage so there was a game going almost all the time. We also played
Pit, a fun game in which all the players make trades in order to get a monopoly
in one of nine commodities. This turned out to be the kids'
favorite. Trading is fast and and furious with a lot of cards changing
hands.
Dec 21, Houston
Early
Sunday afternoon we arrived in Galveston to board RCCL's Voyager of the Seas for
a 7 day cruise in the western Caribbean. A heavy fog caused our vessel and
another large cruise ship to be late arriving. When the 5:00 departure
time came, many passengers were still trying to get on board. To make a
short story even shorter, the ship didn't leave Galveston Harbor until Tuesday
morning. We skipped the first port of call, Roatan, but we had been there
once and didn't care to go back. We went because o lot of our bridge
friends were going and the bridge was well organized. Before departing
Galveston, an offer was made whereby passengers could depart and get full credit
toward a future cruise. About 800 people took advantage of the offer so
there were no crowds to deal with for the passengers who stayed. We had a
great time. Pat got a certificate for winning the second highest total of
master points during the cruise, and our team won the final event. The
bridge events featured Eddie Wold, a Houston native who is ranked second in the
US.
Dec 4, Houston
It
doesn't happen often, but there was a bit of a snowstorm today in Houston.
We "survived" the storm at the Bridge Studio, and even took a short
time-out to snap these photos. Note the accumulation on the Mini Cooper's
windshield. In all likelihood, this will be the only time the Mini
experiences snow. This was the earliest snow in Houston since they have
been keeping records.
Dec 2, Honolulu
Several
years ago we befriended a woman, Etsuko Kamo, who was the wife of Japan's
Consul General in Houston. A mutual friend had arranged for us to
introduce Consul General's wife into Houston bridge circles. This worked
out well as we were the Consul's guest at various social functions at the
Consulate. A few years ago, Mr. Kamo was reassigned to Tokyo and we bid
them a fond farewell. Now it turns out that his next assignment was as
Consul General in Honolulu. Today was the only day when we were mutually
available and we paid a visit to the beautiful consulate in Nuuanu.
Dec 1, Honolulu
Some
of Pat's former co-workers at Dolman and Associates organized a reunion party
in her honor. As per usual attendance was very good. The company no
longer exists and the agents have scattered, but all look back fondly on the
days when Pat was their manager. The Dolman Dollies are still looking good
after all these years.
Nov 27, Honolulu
Thanksgiving
dinner at the Pacific Club was outstanding except we all ate too much. Our
penance was to hike to the top of Diamond Head. The hike consists of a
number of ramps plus several; sets pf stairs. One of the stair runs
consists of 99 steps. It was pretty hot, but there was a steady stream of
old folks and kids coming down so we would have been embarrassed to turn
back. It was worth the effort as you can see half the island from the
summit.
Nov 17, Honolulu
It's
time for our annual visit to the islands. Our unit at the Regency is
stilled leased out, but Jackie and Don Jones graciously invited us stay at the
place on Waialaei Iki. The view from their house is magnificent, looking
down into the Diamond Head crater. Note that the only high-rise in the
area is the Regency at Kahala. We will be joined by a couple of friends
from Houston who will arrive in time for Thanksgiving. We were invited for
sunset cocktails and dinner at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki.
Another spectacular view.
Oct 23, Harker Heights
We
spent a couple of activity-filled days with Margaret and tje
grandchildren. Andy drove down from Plano to be with the family as
well. We saw Johnny and Katie play soccer. Interestingly both are
goaltenders. We prepared for Halloween by carving pumpkins with assistance
from Margaret's cousin-in-law Daniela, who also lives in Harker. On Sunday
we got to see Katie taking a riding lesson in nearby Belton. She appears
to be a natural.
Oct 8, Quebec City
We got here by train, a very pleasant five
hour trip. Too bad it isn't easier to travel by train in the US.
Visiting Quebec City is like going to France without having to cross the
Atlantic - and the people are a lot nicer. The Hotel Chateau Frontenac is
to Quebec as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris. We walked around at the Plains
of Abraham where Generals Wolf and Montcalm fought a battle that lasted anywhere
from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the guide. The result was that both
generals died but the English prevailed, winning over New France. Four
hundred years later a lot of locals would like to resurrect the independent
French colony. The city was spruced up last year for a four hundred year
celebration and looks beautiful. Needless to say the French influence on
the local restaurants has been very positive. We caught a little
unseasonably cold weather, the temperature dropping into the 20's every night.
Brrr.
Oct 3, Ottawa
We are in Canada to see the fall leaves and
to visit two of North America's most beautiful cities. Our first
destination was Ottawa, the nation's capital. We walked around Parliament
hill and saw a House of Commons Question Period. Very interesting.
We took a tour of the Gatineau Woods to see the leaves and visit the house of
the wartime Prime Minister McKenzie King. We passed through the city of
Gatineau, Quebec. The local citizens recently changed the name of the city
from Hull. The francophones thought it sounded too English.
Oct 3, Destin
Pat is off for a weekend with three
University of Alabama sorority sisters in the panhandle of Florida. Most
of her group stayed in the Southeast so Pat won the award for the longest
distance traveled. From all reports the girls had a good time talking
about the sisters who weren't there.
Sep 28, Memphis
We
just spent a week at a bridge tournament in Tunica, Mississippi. Never
heard of Tunica? Well, actually the tournament was in a suburb called
Robinsonville. This is where folks who live in Memphis come to play.
Being less than an hour from Memphis we had to take a day off to visit Graceland,
Elvis Presley's home.. To tell the truth, the tour is kind of pricey and
not that great. The tour guide told us that Elvis did all the decorating.
As the photo to the left shows, he could have used some help from a
professional.
Sep 15, Houston
Pat and some girlfriends are visiting the
Grand Canyon. In the meantime, the toilet seats in Unit #1002 are in the
upright and locked position.
Sep 11, Houston
If
your birthday falls on a famous, or even an infamous date, people tend to
remember. Pat was feted for the entire week of her birthday with a series
of dinners and parties. She was very appreciative that so many people
remembered.
Sep 10, Houston
My apology to Chase for the previous
entry. The expiration date of September 31 should have been a
tip-off. Although the flyer looks legit, it was part of a scam. I
checked with Chase and found that they had no triple award programs in
effect. No harm done, but their anti-fraud team is on the case.
Sep 8, Houston
Does
anybody read the junk that fills up your mailbox every day? I'm beginning
to wonder. Here is an offer we received from J. P. Morgan Chase. Pay
particular attention to the expiration date of this offer.
Aug 30, Killeen
We
drove up to Killeen to help Johnny celebrate his tenth birthday. His
birthday ice cream cake was decorated with candles which Johnny attempted to
blow out. No matter how hard he tried the flame would always come
back. When he realized that he had been tricked, he broke out with a big
smile.
Aug 7, Paris
We
needed a few days to thaw out before returning to Houston so we stopped for a
couple of days in Paris. We mostly walked around and visited the Louvre
and the Musée d'Orsay. The Louvre is huge, intimidating and focused
on pre-Impressionist art. The d'Orsay is more manageable and houses a
great collection of of Monet, Renoir, and the other Impressionists. The
Eiffel Tower continues to be a draw. We took an on/off boat tour of the
Seine at night and saw the lighted up bridges. The tour ended at 11:00 at
the Eiffel which has a flashing light display which is very impressive.
Aug 5, Limerick
This
is the home of the five line poem with funny rhymes. A monument to the
form is embedded in a building cornerstone. Our hotel was on the banks of
the Shannon River, across from King John's castle, one of the most impressive we
saw in Ireland. An interesting fact about the castle is that King John
never set foot inside the place. In any event, it is well preserved and an
archeological dig is ongoing and visible from the courtyard.
Aug 3, Galway
We made our
way from Dingle to Galway riding
on a car ferry across the Shannon River and passing by the Cliffs of Moher.
The cliffs are impressive, rising 600 feet out of the ocean, but the weather was
not good, 50 degrees, windy and rainy, so we didn't stay too long. Galway
is a nice city to visit on foot. There are interesting buildings and
streets, and lots of water, and on all the waterways - swans.
Aug 2, Los Angeles
The
Levy boys, Mike and Ross, had a brief get together in the San Fernando
Valley. They passed along these pictures.
Aug 1, Dingle
We spent two days at a wonderful B&B in
Dingle called the Milltown House. Breakfast alone was worth the
price of admission. Robert Mitchum stayed here during the filming of
Ryan's Daughter. If you visit but haven't seen the movie, it can be seen
every night on the in-room television. A visit to the beehive huts, the
Blasket Island museum and the Gallarus Oratory are a few of the highlights of a
trip around the Dingle Peninsula.
Jul 30, Killarney
Plan B was a winner as riding in a bus is
a much lower stress activity than dodging trucks and buses on the Ring of
Kerry. We stopped at many little towns like Waterville (where Charlie
Chaplin lived in retirement), and Sneem with a beautiful bridge over a waterfall
in the middle of town. We saw the McGillycuddy Reeks. Ireland's highest
mountain range and the Ladies View, where Queen Victoria famously visited.
Jul 29, Killarney
Our intention was to spend the day driving
around the Ring of Kerry. We ignored several warnings about the narrow
roads and headed to Killorglin where we stopped for
breakfast and reassessed Plan A. We decided to put Plan B into effect by
returning to Killarney and visiting Muckross Estate and Abbey. We'll do
the Ring of Kerry tomorrow on a motor coach.
Jul 28, Killarney
Our first day in Ireland was a rude
introduction to driving on the Emerald Isle. The roads are narrow, the
drivers aggressive, and there are no shoulders. There are very few route
signs but we managed to drive from Shannon airport to Killarney without too much
trouble. We are staying at the Brehon Hotel about a mile outside of
town. It is a first class hotel with a very helpful staff. Killarney
is a good location from which to explore county Kerry and its old buildings and
beautiful countryside.
Jul 20 Houston
The temperature in Houston has hovered
around the 100 DEG F mark for weeks so we are getting out of town. We will
be heading for the west coast of Ireland next week, The temperature the is
in the 50's and 60's which will be a welcome change.
Jul 4, Austin
After
a brief stop in San Antonio for a bridge district Board meeting we headed up
I-35 to visit Jann and Dick Brown to celebrate Independence Day. We
arrived shortly after noon and headed off to the first of three parties the
Brown's had scheduled for the afternoon. One of the parties was at the
home of Carol Keeton Strahorn, former mayor of Austin and former state
comptroller. Showing her patriotism she wore a red, white and blue jacket
despite the 100 +DEG heat. After the parties we went to the Headliners
Club for dinner and a great vantage point to see Austin's fireworks display.
Jun 17, Houston
The
toilet seats are in the upright and locked position as Pat is in Philadelphia
with sister Dolly. Today the girls visited the Dream Garden, a mosaic
sculpture by based on a painting by Maxfield Parrish. It is composed of
more than 100,000 pieces of glass and was assembled by the Tiffany studio.
They also visited the Rodin Museum. and are seen here in front of his famous
door. Early tomorrow morning your reporter is off for a weekend in Fairbanks Alaska
with Phi Sig fraternity brothers from RPI. The temperature here has been
100 deg for the last few days so the weather in Alaska should be a nice change.
Jun 5, Los Angeles
Kelly's
Pet Care was featured in a LA News article about people who exercise dogs
in Los Angeles area parks. Here is a link to the article - http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_12530157?source=rv
. The article gives a pretty good description of what Ross and Kelly do.
Jun 3, Killeen
Mark
injured his elbow in Iraq and was sent back to Fort Hood for treatment. He
is doing well and expects to be back on the job in a couple of weeks.
Monica and Mike came down to Houston for a few days and then drove to Killeen
with us to visit Mark and the rest of his family. We were blessed with
unusually good weather. This turned out to be the weekend of the First
Cavalry Reunion, so Mark had a chance to attend and wear his Stetson.
May 17, Virginia
We are off on a two week trip to the East
Coast for a refresher course in American history. We toured the
Williamsburg, Jamestown area, Monticello, and Washington, D.C. The weather
was cool but not cold, and most kids were still in school, so the sites we
visited were not crowded. We also visited with friends and family and got
in a few days of bridge in Richmond. Those Holiday Inn Priority Club
points are adding up.
Apr 15, Houston
Pat has reached the bridge rank of Emerald
Life Master. This requires a lifetime accrual of 7,500 master points!
The next and ultimate step for her is 10,000 points. It will take a few
years but she will get there.
Apr 7, Baghdad
During
his visit to Iraq, President Obama put in a request to visit with Mark, his
former classmate at Punahou School in Honolulu. The President told Mark he
remembered him from school and thanked him for his service to the country.
The only other attendee at the meeting was General Ray Odierno, commander of the
US forces in Iraq. In response to a question from the President, the
General said he has known Mark for six years.
Apr 3, Augusta
We
made our second visit to Augusta National to see the world's top players
practice. The golf course is spectacular this time of year. Azaleas
and dogwood are in bloom and the fairways are perfectly groomed. It was a
little cold and windy but the sun was shining and the atmosphere was electric.
Hotel rooms in Augusta are difficult to find so we stayed about 50 miles east in
a little town named Washington. This turned out to be serendipitous as it
is a charming small town with more antebellum houses than any other place in
Georgia. (see Recent Trips for more pictures)
Mar 1, Buenos Aires, Argentina
We
arrived early in the morning and did not fly out until midnight so we got a
hotel room and camped out. We went to San Telmo to see the craft fair and
street tango. We had lunch in an informal bistro named Brasserie Petanque.
They served the best French food! A thunder and lightening storm drove us
back to the hotel where had a choice of seven channels of soccer. The
flight home was uneventful, which is always good.
Feb 28, Montevideo, Uruguay
This
city of 1.5 million residents is very beautiful and pleasant. We hired a
driver and a guide who took us to see many interesting sites including some very
nice residential areas. There is a gigantic beach along the Rio de la
Plata which is well-utilized by the local people. The city is very
European in style. Definitely worth another visit.
Feb 26, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
There is nothing to see or do in Puerto
Madryn. Period.
Feb 24, Falkland Islands
This
was our favorite stop on the whole trip. The city of Port Stanley and its
inhabitants are very British. Large areas of the main island are unusable
because the Argentines heavily mined the terrain to keep out the Brits when they
"reclaimed" the Malvinas in 1982. Rather than clean up the
mines, the local residents have just marked large areas as off-limits. We
took an interesting four-wheel drive excursion to see penguins in their natural
habitat. Very interesting and well worth the hassle of getting there.
Although not a shopper myself, I was assured by reliable authorities that the
merchandise in the gift shops was of very high quality
Feb 22, Ushuaia, Argentina
The
sail through the Beagle Channel was one of the voyage highlights. There
are six major glaciers along the way and many other beautiful sights.
Ushuaia is the jumping off point for trips to the Antarctic and bills itself as
the city at the end of the world. When the first missionaries arrived here
there were lots of indigenous people. One of the principal tribes were the
Yamana Indians. One of the missionaries and his son made a life's work out
of compiling a Yamana-English dictionary of 20,000 words. Shortly
afterward the tribe died out. We saw a copy of the dictionary at the Museum at
the End of the World. It is a true monument to futility. We found a
statue of Evita in a small park and could not resist the photo op. When we
left Ushuaia, we sailed around Cape Horn. Pat got doused with freezing
cold water as a rite of initiation. Lew resisted.
Feb 21, Punta Arenas, Chile
Here's
the thing about Punta Arenas - the best attraction in town is a cemetery. The
ship had an organized tour to see penguins at a place called Otway. We
hired a driver to take us there, but we let him talk us into going to another
park where you could get closer to the penguins. Turns out he took us to a
friend's house where he had a few penguins in his back yard. After
registering our displeasure, the driver said there was still enough time so we set off for Otway. After a kidney-jarring
half hour ride on a dirt road we asked the driver how much farther to Otway.
He said it
would be another 45 minutes. Stop, we said, take us to the cemetery.
We also visited a hill where you could get good views of the city. I should
mention at this point that even though the ports we had visited were a little
disappointing, the ship, NCL's Norwegian Sun was great fun. NCL features
what they call freestyle cruising which means you can do anything you want to do
whenever. Everybody on the ship seemed to be having a good time.
Feb 18, Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
We
were informed that there were no cabs in this town so we signed up for one of the
ship's organized tours. We were transported by bus to a nature reserve
where we took a nice walk in the rain. Ponchos were provided. There
were no animals to see but we did see a picture of what animals we weren't
seeing. The plants were nice and we did see another waterfall which was a
little more impressive than the one at Puerto Montt. We were able to sample
the local empanadas and got to see a show of folkloric dancing.
Feb 17, Puerto Montt, Chile
Our
first stop in Patagonia was in this forgettable port city. We hired a taxi
to take us to the local tourist hot spot, a park with a series of waterfalls. It took
over an hour to reach the falls which were unimpressive. The other major
attraction of the area is the Orsino volcano, which on the day was almost
completely covered in clouds. The taxi driver took us by her house, blew
the horn, and her dogs appeared in the window, another of the day's highlights. We did encounter a llama and
discovered that their pupils are rectangular. Isn't that something.
Feb 14, Santiago, Chile
Santiago
is plagued by air pollution but for our two day stay the air was fine and the
mountains that ring the city could be clearly seen. We visited a park in
the center of the city where we took funicular and cable car rides for wonderful
views of the city. The exposed wires on the funicular were a little
worrying. We tried a local delicacy called Rico Mote con Huesillo, which
appears to be made of iced tea and frozen corn. It tastes better than it
sounds, but not that much better.
Jan 24, Killeen
We
came to visit Mark as he will be leaving within a week for his third deployment
in Iraq. He will probably be in Iraq for fifteen months. As Battalion
Commander, he will be responsible for approximately 1,000 uniformed men and
women. Keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers. On Friday we gave a
talk and slide presentation about Costa Rica to Johnny's third grade and Katie's
first grade classes. We were very impressed with the level of understanding
and relevance of the questions asked by these boys and girls. On Saturday
we went to see Johnny play in a youth basketball league. After Johnny's
team built up a lead of 29-2 early in the third quarter, the scoreboard mercifully
malfunctioned. Johnny, a defensive specialist, won a lot of style
points with his mid-calf length basketball shorts.
Once
again the Levy and Solomons clans gathered at the lake for some winter
fun. The Solomons hit the slopes while the Levy's pursued some sell
dangerous forms of recreation. Katie and Johnny are now old enough to play
cribbage so there was a game going almost all the time. We also played
Pit, a fun game in which all the players make trades in order to get a monopoly
in one of nine commodities. This turned out to be the kids'
favorite. Trading is fast and and furious with a lot of cards changing
hands.
