Greetings & Welcome to my Thlink Blog

We're not in "Kansas" anymore

2011-12-05T13:39:00.002-06:00

As I booted the computer this morning to start work on the class I'm writing for EDCO, I noticed the weather.... on the iGoogle dashboard - also out the window. Amazing. Yup. It's clear, sunny and jacket weather. The wind has kept the fog "at bay" and our view seems to have had a window wash. We went to a Meetup Sunday for a new iPhone App - Mobile Adventure Walks - and learned how to create a guided walk using an iPhone with GPS. I can't wait to get our new phones to write a walk for my neighborhood in Kensington. There are no walks yet for the East Bay and I already know some amazing ones with views to rival those in SF. A shout-out to Aaron who lead his Meetup and taught us how to use the App. We sampled the walk Aaron had created for us. Within one mile in North Beach, we saw the Vesuvio Pub, a hanging book sculpture near the City Lights Bookstore, a 3/4 sized model of a chapel from Assisi, Italy, hilltop views of SF Bay, steps down Montgomery St. on Telegraph Hill, a back alley in Chinatown to a fortune cookie factory with yummy, fresh, samples, then back to our starting point for a group photo. The weather may be somewhat unchanging, but the city has all the diversity anyone could ever seek.

Noted events in SF

2011-10-01T16:40:00.000-05:00

The music is everywhere and wonderful. I can't finish the unpacking at home because there's always something else to go listen to. Yesterday we heard John Prine - one of my favorites at the 11th annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate park. There were clearly lots of people who called in sick - all ages, with their dogs, bikes, kids and picnics. The multiple stages had packed audiences but we heard pretty well from an overlooking hill.

On Thursday night we got tickets at the San Francisco Opera House for Lucretia Borgia starring Renee Fleming. We sat somewhere near the roof in the upper balcony in separate locations as there were hardly any tickets left. Fortunately there were large screen TV monitors hanging for the balcony. But we could hear and see the action and she is the diva her reputation claims she is. She was beautiful and passionate and her voice is sweeter than melting chocolate.

Last Sunday there was a free performance of a simulcast of Puccini's Turandot by the San Francisco Opera at the Giant's AT&T Park. No baseball was played, but the stadium was packed and the opera was displayed on their large monitor. What an amazing setting! The fog and light misty rain cleared and the view over the bay only added to the experience. San Franciscans take their opera very seriously and the turnout really showed this. O.B.T.W., the story is good, too. Turandot, a Chinese princess is angry that she has to marry an unknown prince just because he answers her riddles. After some drama and an amazing aria by the winning prince they work it out and she calms down to her fate. Maybe the Red Sox could use a few arias to add to their operatic drama. But that's another sad story.

Identity Change

2011-09-13T17:39:00.000-05:00

The wagon had an identity change today as did it's two drivers. We spent the morning at the DMV. We had to get a SMOG inspection, too. But they took our MA plates and drivers licenses and also registered us to vote. Did you know it's totally illegal to use a cell phone while driving here? Unless ur making an emergency call. I really felt a wrenching of my roots today as we made this huge adjustment.

Lemon crop

2011-09-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

These lemons were just picked from the tree in our tiny backyard. A squirrel is busy with the crab apple tree and the hummingbirds love the agapanthus flowers. Can't wait to find my clippers and trowel and do some gardening out there. I don't think they have "end of the season" sales here ... We unpacked and washed 5 dish and glassware crates yesterday. Ugh! I'm thinking I'm now old enough to use these "good" dishes more often. Still missing our favorite Cutco scissor and the rest of the utensils and knives. But they have a wonderful IKEA for replacements.

View from bedroom @ sunset

2011-09-02T00:56:00.000-05:00

And beyond the hill to the left is the GG Bridge which is barely visible through the fine film of fog. That's Mt. Tamalpais just in front of the setting sun.

September 1 - moving in day

2011-09-02T00:50:00.000-05:00

The truck arrived this morning @ 9:00 AM and unloaded all our stuff to 219 Stanford Ave, Kensington, a tiny village in the Berkeley Hills just north of the UC campus. We are surrounded by boxes but our computer connections are up and operational thanx to Comcast. Mostly all seems to fit into our 3 bedroom house thanx to all the unloading I did on Craigslist prior to this move - Craig is my new hero. The huge moving van blocked our narrow hillside street for a good part of the day but the two tiny guys put every box in the right room and reassembled beds, desks and our dining table. Nothing broken and all accounted for even though we can't get to the refrig. Check out the view at sunset from our bedroom - the next blog pic.

Scene from a Gondola

2011-08-31T00:54:00.000-05:00

That's snow on a distant mountain beyond Lake Tahoe. The lake's water level is much higher than last year - I was told as I was sitting in the water on a submerged granite rock. A woman told me the rock was high and dry on the lake's beach last summer. So I'm guessing there was a ton of snow out here last winter. And some is still up there. We took the Gondola up to the Heavenly ski lodge and hiked around the top. We could see into Nevada. Gotta come back and try the powder they talk about.

Emerald Bay

2011-08-31T00:37:00.000-05:00

Lake Tahoe's jewel tucked away near Bliss State Park. We drove to Tahoe to spend the days before we can move into our rental house on Sept 1- Thursday. We walked down 1 mile to the water's edge to visit Vikingsholm - a mansion built in this bay in 1929 and designed in the Scandinavian style. It included a tea house on that tiny granite island- the only one in Lake Tahoe.

A California strawberry

2011-08-23T23:46:00.000-05:00

We bought the same brand back in Market Basket. They were huge and mostly were tough with big hallow middles. Here the big box costs $2.50 on sale today and, oh boy! They are small and perfectly heart shaped. The leaves look so perfect you'd think them phony and the taste is sweet with a little tart thing going on in the background. No bad ones in the box - not even on the bottom. I saved this one to show you. I won't go on about the lettuce, green beans and the CORN! Let's just say something happens all those hours in the trucks goin East.

Hatch Shell alias Stern Grove, SF

2011-08-21T15:36:00.000-05:00

We like free, but this is free with a cherry-on-top. We're about to hear an opera hi-lights concert at Stern Grove which is a Tanglewood like setting of Redwoods and eucalyptus trees. We got here @ 12:30 for the 2:00 performance but there are still spots along the stone and grass terraced ledges that create an amphitheater up the slope. As we entered the park the grove of eucalyptus gave off that only-available-in-California smell. I love it. It's a direct "feed" back to my 20's and hiking in Marin. Now I'm getting psych'd for what we're about to hear. The fog is air conditioning the setting and I'm wearing t-shirt, cashmere sweater, quilted jacket with gloves ready in the pockets - jeans, socks and sneakers. ? August in SF. NICE.

Map of the Journey

2011-08-18T18:03:00.001-05:00

Last Monday night as we were driving back to Mill Valley, just after finding "our spot" and confirming by phone with the owner, a very wonderful thing happened on the Richmond Bridge. I was on the phone with Dave (son living in SF) asking him to watch for the lease that would be mailed to his address, and handing Bert the $5.00 toll for the bridge. Bert waved away the toll. The lady in the toll booth just told him the driver in the car ahead of us paid our toll. Wow! They had seen our license plate? I'm guessing, "Yes".
I've been thinking about that incident for the past few days. Apart from the fact that everybody we meet is just so sincerely nice and friendly, I think that maybe people don't drive clear across this country with a Thule on their top. The days of covered wagon travel are over - these days people fly and ship their car. So, I decided to map all the daily stops and neat places we visited to see what the journey looks like on a map. If you click the link under the title, you'll be able to access my Google map, too.

Naked Ladies along the highways

2011-08-16T20:28:00.001-05:00

They are everywhere. They stick up in little clusters in the driest of highway medians and also in lovely landscaped yards. I finally asked the owner of an apartment we were looking at what they were - she had a beautiful garden and I guessed she might know - and she told me they are a bulb that spreads by seeds and just pops up. There are no visible green leaves, just the tall stalks with intense pink flowers. We looked up on Google, of course, "naked lady" and these are an Amaryllis Belladonna, with every part poisonous. They are from South Africa and seem to like it here. They look like an Amaryllis.

Feeling Good

2011-08-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

I can relate today to that little golden buddha that is sitting on the balcony of our temp apartment in Mill Valley - We found our spot yesterday evening! We have yet to sign the lease which was mailed by the owner - he lives in Mendocino - but we think the deal is done. It's one of those little houses in the Berkeley Hills, actually in a village called Kensington. (Sarah, it's very near Solano Ave.) There's a view of the GG Bridge and SF, a tiny back terrace, new baths, kitchen and a master suite big enough for our desks, too. And best of all two additional bedrooms for guests we hope will visit. I'll send a pic and the address as soon as we sign the lease.... I'm superstitious that way. It took us one week of 24-7 house hunting. We were on Craigslist constantly and I even had an iPhone app that sent updates during the day. With the help of technology - the GPS - the iPhone - Craigslist - this was an amazing experience of modern day connectivity. Just had to get that tech-toot in there.

Mill Valley

2011-08-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

It's been a week since we got to Mill Valley and the temp sub-let apartment. We are using Craigslist and hunting everywhere for our "spot". Last night after another weary day we found this deer pair in our backyard near the BBQ and behind the redwoods. They wandered across the main street awhile later. We think we've found a section of Oakland called Montclair that we like. Lots of cliff-hanging houses with amazing bay views. It's a good thing it doesn't snow here-the streets would be murderous.

Coasting along Big Sur

2011-08-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

We left the fog behind and enjoyed the views along Highway 1. Anna Ben and Dave were with us at our picnic in Pfieffer State Park. They go on to Yosemite - Bert and I to Mill Valley.

You Otter Sea Them

2011-08-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

Sea Otter in Kelp off Monterey, CA

We rented double sea kayaks yesterday and paddled the shore front along Monterey from the rental beach to the Monterey Aquarium. These are pictures taken from the Kayak site, but we actually were able to get this close to otters, and also to sea lions and seals that were resting on nearby rocks. The golden kelp strands caught in my oar as we crossed the large kelp beds. I had no idea how large an otter really is. They are seal size and yet they can be fully camouflaged in the kelp. The whole coast from San Francisco down past Monterey is a protected wildlife area and a real treasure.

Finally in SF

2011-08-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

And the fog is rolling in over/under the GG Bridge. We found a temp apartment in Mill Valley for the next 10 days - we'll move in on Sunday and start to look for a more permanent apt for a year.

It happened again...

2011-08-04T18:19:00.001-05:00

I walked into a restaurant and as the people looked up I wondered if my license plate was showing on my bum. ???? Seriously it's happened twice now. Stranger in a strange land I guess.

Pebble Beach 17 mile drive

2011-08-04T15:36:00.001-05:00

Oh Deer! Are grazing beside the road and on the edge of this world famous golf course.

They had to kick us out

2011-08-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

of the Aquarium. The displays are so captivating and I found an aquarium setting on my Canon PowerShot S90 so the photos are missing that awful hot spot that the flash leaves. We're going back maybe tomorrow. They had about a dozen jellyfish displays.

The Diver is in this tank

2011-08-02T18:32:00.002-05:00

And he's feeding the tiger sharks and the sheepshead fish which is pretty dangerous. The diver is talking to us as he feeds the fish. This is called a kelp forest and golden kelp Fronds are growing to the light. I'm blown away at the Monterey Bay Aquarium - click the titles link to find out more about this eciting place.

Harbor seals near Cannery Row

2011-08-02T17:23:00.000-05:00

Low tide and the seals get to sunbath on a rock outside the Monterey Aquarium. I finally unearthed my jeans and long sleeved shirts. It's COLD here in the mid 60's and I love it. I too stand in the sun to warm up - fortunately I don't have to wait for the tides. You could want to live here.

The view

2011-07-31T18:26:00.000-05:00

Of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean. One heck of a trip. :-)

From Sea to Shining Sea

2011-07-31T18:20:00.000-05:00

We are here. Monterey, CA. Hang on a sec and I'll show you the view.

Palm Trees and Golden Hills

2011-07-31T16:19:00.002-05:00

We're on the way to Monterey and a house swap we'll enjoy for a week. I know - we don't have a house to swap. It's a long story, call me and I'll explain- I'd love to chat, too. 781 249-3728.

Back of the Wagon

2011-07-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

5 suitcases on wheels. There's one shoved up right behind the back seat. We only get to take one up into the motel each night (Bert's rule!).
In the Thule roof carrier? I mostly forget, but I know the Bogey boards and snorkel gear are up there and the extra vitamins. Also, other stuff we thought we'd need until the moving van comes to our unknown home.
..... In case I forget how we actually did this. The idea forth Thule was last minute and came to me while I was having my last Candy Castle coffee frozen yogurt cone in Lexington Center. I saw a SW drive by with one and realized we needed one, too.

The back seat

2011-07-31T14:02:00.001-05:00

The BS in our covered wagon Is critical. Being empty of kids we have full access to this space. There's a red Gott freezer chest that goes back to our camping days and is a perfect size for keeping 3 days worth of salad and fruit supplies and yogurt. There's the red Trader Joes bag with snacks, bug spray, sun screen and a sharp knife. In the laundry basket is the bag of paper goods, a few souvenirs, the gum and a roll of paper towels. The basket helps keep things separate and missed getting packed for the movers. Behind each of our seats in canvas bags is all the computing gear. I'm packing an iPad (retirement gift from lots of Bedford and EDCO checks), a new MacBook Pro laptop a Canon Rebel and a pocket Canon S90 and cables and chargers. At close hand in the Crimson Harvard Lunch bag are the water bottles on ice for the day. The grey bag has a box if Kleenex and the garbage bag hangs from a seat clip. Sue keeps chopstick, emery board, eye drops and wipes along with pens and paper in the arm rest. The Garmin takes up most of the glove compartment. Oh, the blue AAA bag is the library of maps and guides - we are still hooked on a paper map and the AAA guide has led us to many GEMS. The Yelp App feeds us and the Overdrive and Pandora Apps entertain us from our iPhones which we keep charged from a splitter cable plugged into the cigarette lighter - the splitter is shared with the Garmin. Can't praise the Garmin enuf. She goofed only once in Louisiana when we were looking for a new tire and she tried to find a WalMart. She couldn't find it and led us to a dead end street. It's kind of reassuring how she answers the "Are we there yet?" question with the arrival time always visible. I like to just push the speed limit enough to shave off a minute or two. The straw hats sit atop it all. We can reach everything from our seats. When we stop @ a rest stop we take turns and don't leave the car unattended or out of sight at a restaurant. It's all been working for us.

Donner Pass

2011-07-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

Our covered wagon has made it! We are actually driving the pass. We were stopped at an inspection gate and had to give up our oranges - they were not California oranges. The lady read every label. Apparently California is worried about orange bugs infecting their oranges. We bought our latest batch in Utah. The sign on the corner says, "Donner Pass Road" and our covered wagon is approaching it.

!

2011-07-30T18:13:00.002-05:00

We're in California! Approaching the Donner Pass. Mileage = 5299 miles from our beginning on July 8th - 22 days ago. OMG. Temp has dropped to 85 and the trees have come back.

Remote

2011-07-30T16:33:00.002-05:00

We just ate lunch here from our red box. It is perhaps the remotest spot in the US where thousands of people and animals died in the mid 1860's. And I'm reading and sending this blog post.

90's and snow

2011-07-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

We're in the middle of Nevada - it's 92 degrees middle of the day and I see snow on the mountain tops. And there's a bumper sticker on the stop sign at the rest stop we're at saying "Stop Shark Finning".
?? Trying to make sense of it all. But we may actually get to CA tonight. WOW.

Just thought of something

2011-07-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

that happened when we arrived in Elko, Nevada, this afternoon.
Bert was inside the Motel office checking in and a man came up to me and asked, "How long does it take?". I thought for a moment about what he was asking, then said, "We left Massachusetts on July 8th, but we stayed about 4 in Miami, let's say 15 days." He was a truck driver waiting for his truck to get fixed and was looking at our license plate. I asked him where he was going in MA. While he was trying to remember the name of the town, he said, "It's a military family moving to a town outside Boston."
"Bedford!", I said.
"That's it!", he said.
Hey, BHS, new kid coming.
:-)

Salt Lake City

2011-07-29T13:21:00.000-05:00

Last night we saw the Temple all lit up- the towers appeared to hang in the sky. This morning there are many young people visiting - ? A conference? The flowers and gardens are fresh and bright and provide an interesting comparison to the close hills surrounding the city that are dried and golden brown. I'm sure I saw snow on the peaks in the distance last night.

Mormon Tabernacle Organ

2011-07-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

The noon concert is just beginning. The organist just dropped pins without the mic on and in the way back we could hear it perfectly. Now he's playing and the sound is HUGE. Sounds like the way all those canyons looked.

Roll-ing with the best

2011-07-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Some of us don't have a covered wagon.

Canyonlands

2011-07-28T13:43:00.001-05:00

As far as the eye can see - sign says 31 miles to the distant mts, the Rockies. Still in Utah outside Moab. Utah Rocks! Just bought a fridge magnet for the refridge I don't have. Love this livin on the edge so to speak.

Arches National Park - Moab Utah

2011-07-27T21:13:00.000-05:00

speechless................

Utah

2011-07-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

More canyons today as we head for Arches National Park in Utah. Tomorrow Canyonlands just down the road on Thursday. We missed these in '08 when we did the OARS trip in Grand Canyon. The desert colors today are making me plan for our place to come. The desert is big on beige and grey and that sage green is still a favorite. Today also starts the last session for the online class. The temp is a pleasant 81.The motels have doubled in price as we go thru tourist territory. Even Priceline can't help.

Black Rock Canyon-Who Knew

2011-07-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

Just outside Montrose, CO, Gunnison River made a breath taking canyon. We got there late afternoon as a rain storm was moving off the canyon. As we stepped to the edge - it happened- that surprised surprise. It's why I love to travel - to uncover the next surprise. Today there were many.

Continental Divide

2011-07-26T17:45:00.000-05:00

We twisted up through and down the Monarch Pass and passed invisibly over the Continental Divide. It was awesome enough but was enhanced by a thunder storm and downpour. Temp dipped to 54. Bert drives - I camera.

Westcliff CO

2011-07-26T15:12:00.001-05:00

Had to pull some tumbleweed from the grill of our covered wagon - no sh....
Somehow I never really believed it could look like this. I think there's snow on the distant Rockies. SNOW! Yesterday it was 108.

We R In Westcliff- the West

2011-07-26T13:55:00.001-05:00

Wanna house in this picture perfect Colorado town - much like Sandwich NH- ? $ 200,000 and that's with many acres and views and walk to a lake. 427 neighbors spaced a friendly distance apart.

Sangre De Christo Mts

2011-07-26T13:02:00.001-05:00

OMG VIEWS! And buffalo too- actually a whole herd. Ranches with elaborate entry gates - western style - like an arch overhead. Majestic but not purple.

Rocky Mt High

2011-07-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

We can just see the edge of the Rockies. The plan is to drive on the roads with the little dots west thru southeastern Colorado towards Grand Junction, CO. Temp is 91and very dry. Couldn't be finer.

Texas rest stop

2011-07-26T00:25:00.001-05:00

Texas Panhandle rest stop was designed to reflect nearby canyons. The bricks are canyon soil colors. The cattle were "Standing Like Statures". 105 here in the shade.

Extinct Volcano

2011-07-26T00:18:00.001-05:00

The pic in the last post was this volcano.

3 States and 430 miles

2011-07-26T00:15:00.001-05:00

What a day. We started in Texas, quickly drove thru a corner of New Mexico and ended in Colorado. The scenery and weather were amazing. The temps went from 101 to 72 then into the 80's. We had hot winds, thunderstorms with lightning and downpours and even a rainbow. At a rest stop we looked at a dead volcano and a recently killed rattlesnake that an attendant had just killed with a shovel. We got the last room in a Super 8 and paid twice what we've been paying. Like I said - Quite a day !

Texas seen-s

2011-07-25T16:58:00.000-05:00

The landscape changes from the flattest straw colored horizontal to hills with scrub bushes in shades of "southwest decor" to rocky outcrops with designer boulders jutting out in colors of rust and mustard and now some oil derricks that have always looked like giant tethered ant heads bobbing in place. Where giant watering rigs cross a field, sugar cane is growing, otherwise black cattle are clustered under occasional shade trees. There was a brief rain shower and the temp fell to 72 - now back to 100.
Bert thinks the green fields are sorghum. We'll check it out. 2 days one state- Texas is big.

Good listening from Minuteman

2011-07-25T14:20:00.001-05:00

So, Bert, of course brought the Minuteman library along for the trip and we are listening with the help of Overdrive to Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose. Story of a young NY artist who marries an engineer and goes West in 1876 to San Francisco. She took the transcontinental railroad 7 years after it was built and one month after Custer's last stand. Fabulous writing. Crazy idea. :-)

'member Trains?

2011-07-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

I bet the daily batch of iPads are loaded in those containers that had Chinese names on the sides. Texas panhandle mighty dry - no rain since October.

Texas breakfast

2011-07-25T09:07:00.001-05:00

Quality Inn this morning is serving up a Texas waffle - it's all about the size and shape here. Wichita Falls is the hottest spot too. We're heading to Colorado and cooler roads. We've earned our 3rd free night @ Quality Inn, too, after staying 2 nights - they actually serve up a pretty good complimentary breakfast.

Oh my - it's getting hotter!

2011-07-24T18:56:00.001-05:00

We're almost to Wichita Falls Texas. We'll give the poor Subaru a rest soon.

HOT outside Dallas

2011-07-24T17:26:00.001-05:00

Poor car. No shade. It got a new tire yesterday but today our covered wagon could use a relief shower. Big state big map and long drive.

New Orleans and Biscayne Bay

2011-07-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

rain puddle in the French Quarter

Morning coffee at Cafe Du Mode - New Orleans

Buzz on his boat in Biscayne Bay checking the clouds

oops - time stamp is 6 hours early

2011-07-23T20:56:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that the time stamp on the posts was 6 hours earlier than where I actually am.
So add 6 hours to all the posts before this one.
I think I was somewhere in the middle of the Pacific..... NOT!

Trouble on Ten

2011-07-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Just blew out our passenger rear tire in Baton Rouge on hwy 10. Waiting for AAA. Thank God we were right at an exit. AAA JUST PULLED IN. WOW!

Coco Kidnaps Us

2011-07-23T15:21:00.002-05:00

So,.... we were wandering along off Prytania Street on Coliseum Street in the Garden District when we ran into Coco Edgerington who had just passed us while walking her dog. She was now on the porch of her adorable "shot-gun" house and We greeted each other- I asked her, "you get to live here?" and she invited us in to see exactly how she lived here! OMG! We walked thru the long front to back hallway and passed by over-the-top decor - a U-R-In-It House Beautiful. Hospitality to die for! Thank you Coco for sharing your piece of the "seven sisters" of New Orleans.

Charles Street Trolley to Garden District

2011-07-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Light rain and cooler temps this morning and we waited on St. Charles for the 1930's trolley that goes forwards and backwards on its route to the Garden District. The houses are magnificent along with the trees lining the walks - Live oak and Crepe Murtle and Magnolias. We paused at the Archy Manning mansion home to Peyton and Eli Manning.

Bourbon St Ladders Necklaces

2011-07-23T14:46:00.001-05:00

A walk down Bourbon street @ night is the "party". Open bars with music pouring into the street while liquor beats off the worries people come here to forget and happy faces chuck necklaces from lacy balconies to lasso the passersby into the festivities. And in the middle of the street is a muscle tight man balancing on the rungs of a wooden ladder with a beam of wood on his shoulder - the ladder held up by the magic of the moment.

Bill cuts his pecan pie

2011-07-23T14:33:00.002-05:00

And Sue can't resist a late afternoon sample. It was pretty tasty and the texture was perfect BUT it wasn't quite the Ben/Sue Pecan Pie. Yea us Ben!

Makin the Beignet

2011-07-22T16:18:00.001-05:00

@ Cafe Du Monde. New Orleans is so cool. Everybody is on the verge of a party. Did 2 tours so far today and I've seen graveyards where they push the old bones to the back with a ten foot pole to make room for the .... And high water lines on houses still standing and silver caps in the sidewalks to check for termites and whole shopping malls gone and oil tankers on the Mississippi higher than the Jackson Sq and a 4 star hotel that charges for wireless and I haven't even been here a day.
Cant wait for the music tonight.

Seaside it's a Truman Story place

2011-07-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

Adorable cute doll houses along an alabaster colored beach dotted with lollipop umbrellas. No sign of the BP disaster here. It's as artificial as the movie filmed there. DGMW - I like cute, but this is sort of "over the top" kinda cute.
Almost to Alabama and tonight we are in a 4-Star in New Orleans, thanx to good negotiating on Priceline.
We r finally heading West.

Clocked an hour

2011-07-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

The Garmin and the iPhones just gave us an hour @ mile 2395 in Ponce de Leon FL. We r about to call it a day in 10 more miles in De Funiak FL. - 370 miles today.

Hours of Hot Highway

2011-07-20T14:10:00.000-05:00

Tampa is behind us and Tallahassee is tonight's goal. Ate breakfast at A very healthy chain called First Watch. Actually had my breakfast of choice- fruit granola and yogurt- but they didn't have Greek yogurt. It's 95 but dry. The highway is very MT and we're getting real good with the cruise control. Lots of pine trees and trucks with the cut lumber go by. We love how Yelp guides us to good/unique places to eat which is a relief from the "anywhere USA" chain food choices.

Pancakes packing and parting

2011-07-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

Our lovely extended weekend visit with sister Sally and Captain Buzz, 7 cats (Ramses, Eclipse, Sis, GreyFox, Frank, Sweetie,and Molly) and Parrot Jake plus numerous roaming peacocks, peahens and chicks, an elusive Iguana and a fat Buffa frog came to a close this noon as we finished putting all the bags back into the covered wagon, ate our plantains and nut filled pancakes and sipped our leisurely coffee on the enclosed veranda. It's their very loved spot and I'm eager to find our new spot. I love how all the pink houses look so right there.
Thanx Sal and Buzz

Rainbow Over Miami

2011-07-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Our last evening in Miami brought a shower and a rainbow hung in a Royal Palm Tree. A peacock also jumped into the Live Oak Tree just outside the dining room window. Colorful place - Miami.

Keys to good snorkeling

2011-07-18T14:59:00.000-05:00

We caught the 12 noon snorkel boat out of John Pennekamp State park this morning. Water calm sky clear blue water like the bath. PERFECT day. We went to Grecian rocks and saw brilliant lavender sea fans lots of Parrot Fish other reef fish and conch on the bottom. Extremely clear water. A small Baricuda and TG no sharks. It's been a perfect Florida visit. We head up and out of Flotida tomorrow. Next destination - New Orleans.

Pickin Carambolas

2011-07-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Better know as star fruit. Sally and Louise are picking from an abundant growth on Louise's backyard tree in Pinecrest, a town south of South Miami. We'll be sailing on Biscayne Bay tomorrow.

Palms at the Deering Estate

2011-07-16T15:58:00.001-05:00

Charles Deering Estate

2011-07-16T15:53:00.000-05:00

Just south of Miami is the castle-like building Deering made for his art collection which is now in the Chicago Art Institute. He along with McCormack started the International Harvester Co in Chicago. Beautiful waterfront with palms.

Happy Hour in Miami

2011-07-15T17:58:00.000-05:00

It's cool and breezy and the drinks are fine here.

Sally and Buzz and the Lady

2011-07-15T17:22:00.000-05:00

Bert is enjoying a cool beer next to Sally's pond. Lisa's Lady has retired in So Miami and is enjoying life next to this lovely backyard pond instead of up to her ears in winter snow. We have done nothing all day except relax- no car- no miles. I did the wash and talked cameras with Buzz. Vay nose.

Classy driving

2011-07-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

I am able to read the classes' posts on my iPhone which picks up the 3G network as I type responses on my MacBook Pro. I got all my work done on our way to Sally and Buzz in Miami. I'll upload it to the Moodle class when we get there in about 20 minutes.

St Augustine Florida

2011-07-14T15:01:00.000-05:00

Late lunch in a very old city and we can't find that fountain of youth. Got a late start this morning as I hAd some repair work on the wiki for my online class. We are into Session 4. Hope to make Miami tonight.

Almost to Florida

2011-07-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

We spent the morning in Charleston and took in a tour of the Nathaniel Russell house which was built in 1803 in the Federal style. N Russell became a wealthy shipping merchant and made his money shipping rice, indigo and slaves.
We cruised quickly thru Savannah, GA in the late afternoon in 101 degree weather. By 7:00 it had cooled off to 99 when we stopped in Brunswick GA for the night.

Morning stroll in Charleston

2011-07-13T09:34:00.000-05:00

Bert found the Dixie Kitchen. We had grits eggs and a biscuit, and passed on the tomato pie which sounded wonderful. We walked thru the French Quarter and waved at the tour bus driver from yesterday as he came thru on his first tour of the morning. OBTW I figured how to post directly from the iPhone to my blog- Googled it and followed the lengthy directions. Yea me.... And Google:-)

Charleston, South Carolina

2011-07-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

We took a late afternoon tour of this Nantucket-like town in an AC'd bus- thank God, as the temp was in the mid 90's. We are staying at the Mills Hotel right in the heart of cute downtown on Meeting St. Bert did a deal on Priceline and we lucked out. Had she crab soup, biscuits, scallops, fried chicken and green fried tomatoes at Poogans Porch. Mighty tasty.

On the way to Beidler Forest

2011-07-12T21:39:00.000-05:00

We walked in Frank's Audubon Forest today

2011-07-12T21:21:00.002-05:00

We stopped just about an hour outside Charleston, South Carolina, and visited the Francis Beidler Forest. Bert's college roomie and long time friend is the grandson of Francis Beidler II who donated the forest/swamp to the Audubon. It is 17,000 acres of virgin Cypress trees and Tupelo Gum trees. There was a 1000 years old Cypress tree. It is a swamp- a forest in water. It was pretty dry today as there has been a drought. While the temps have been in the high 90's for the past few days, it was only 82 in the forest. A really beautiful place. Thank you Frank.
That's our "covered wagon" at the entrance.

The Deed is Done!

2011-07-11T00:25:00.000-05:00

21 years @ 24 Thoreau. Two awesome kids, many baseball games, concerts, plays, ski trips and house swaps! A dream come true. And on July 5th the moving van came and took all our "stuff" and put it in storage in Watertown. And on July 7th we passed the papers and the keys to Frank and Renee Wang who will be the new neighbors of Sandra and James Wong, our neighbors for many years. Our good and longest known friends, Tom and Diane let us sleep in their guest room for several nights as we tied up the ends of our Lexington lives. And my longest known Massachusetts friend, Tricia, housed us our last night. I gave Tricia my lovely Night Blooming Cereus plant which strangely had produced two buds in the last weeks we were in the house. It never blooms this time of year, usually saving its exotic plate sized flowers for September - yet on July 7th from 8-12 pm two lovely blossoms opened in Hamilton, MA, their new home.
Friday, July 8th, mid-morning we headed to New York City and the first birthday celebration of our grand nephew, Ellison Philips-Chheda. Saturday we saw Jerusalem on Broadway with Jenny, Ellison's Mom and my niece. It was as awesome as the reviews and the Tony award winning lead, Mark Rylance, was amazing. We left New York City after the cupcakes were eaten and the presents were opened - about 3 pm. We are now in Fredericksburg, VA on our way south to Miami and a visit with my sister, Sally and her partner, Buzz. We are traveling South, then West, in my Subaru wagon with a Thule clam shell carrier - a 21st century version of the "covered wagon".
OBTW - as we travel, I am facilitating a 6 week online class for teachers learning about Web 2.0 and personal learning networks. It is an amazing group of motivated teachers. I'll let them in on my location status when the class is over. GTGT bed now.

Thank You all for coming to witness my going

2011-06-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Moments before going to the much anticipated retirement party yesterday, a friend(?) asked if I was nervous and added that I had nothing to worry about, as she was sure my speech was all set to go. SPEECH! What speech ???
So here's the speech that might have been:

June 15th, 2011 - Retirement Party @ Bedford High School
Thank You all for coming to witness my going:

What I have accomplished, lived through and lived despite of over these 8 years is vast and diverse. These are a few of my memories of change in Bedford:

PowerPoint was the Power Users first choice – Google Docs is now the collaborative choice of teachers and students, alike

Floppy disks were coveted - now replaced by space somewhere in a cloud

A laptop was issued only to MEET members – now many carts of them are available to whole classes of kids

There were no phones for teachers – kids and teachers can’t live without their personal cells these days

An online class was something only the Virtual High School in Concord could do – any teacher may write and offer an online class easily

A SMARTBoard was mistakenly referring to a woman with a good mind – these days it's something you tap, touch, project ideas on and engage your students with

I shared my office in the evenings with tiny furry visitors who enjoyed cleaning out my candy dish – I still share my candy dish with nightly visitors, but they now leave notes to thank me for the chocolate

A video was something you rented on the weekends – Videos are now made on a regular basis by many students for projects in their classes and to win awards in Washington

Data was a dude in Star Trek – now it’s what measures our successes and is studied using spreadsheets and charts by students and teachers alike

Renovation was a threat that became a 3 year reality only to be replaced by NEASC which has left us knowing that we A-R-E BHS.

So here’s a huge thank you and vote of appreciation to all my colleagues in this awesome high school who have embraced change along with me and graciously accepted that technology would forever challenge and reward them and do it at an ever accelerating pace. Keep the faith and remember – when you don’t know how to do something – ask a kid for help.

Sue

PS- the food, the flowers, and the especially the lace tablecloths were real and beautiful and all so lovingly done. It couldn't have been nicer. Thank you to those who honored the occasion with their care.

50 Sites in 60 Seconds

2011-06-17T07:57:00.002-05:00

Education blogger David Kapuler has created a free slideshow of 50 great sites for education, creativity, organization and more. Each slide includes basic information about the site, a link to the site, and a link to Kapuler's review of the site.

50sites ver2

View more presentations from David Kapuler

Smart Phones with built-in projectors!

2010-02-20T11:26:00.003-06:00

Slashdot announces smartphones with new chips that allow for built in projection.

Immersive Education - Interactive White Board

2010-02-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

Look at what Media Grid is doing in a virtual reality space for education.

Streaming Augmented Reality

2010-02-10T19:48:00.000-06:00

iPhone + Book

2009-12-09T17:05:00.003-06:00

It’s the hybrid book which combined iPhone and an ordinary book.
You can enjoy interactive actions there,
by touching the screen or tipping the book as you read it.

2009 Top 100 Tools for Learning

2009-11-27T14:37:00.002-06:00

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

View more documents from Jane Hart.

Google in our Cloudy Future - Chrome OS

2009-11-27T13:55:00.002-06:00

Google has big plans and wants to move all our "stuff" to the web.
Read the blog post for more background.

Wallwisher - No log in necessary

2009-10-26T17:24:00.003-05:00

This is an online notice board. You create a background then add stickies and move them around to gather and organize your ideas. You are issued a URL even before you start, so you can embed the "wall" in another online doc, app, blog, wiki, etc.... Great ice breaker.

Publish it online - Just upload the .pdf

2009-08-11T15:01:00.002-05:00

If you can type it - you can publish it online to issuu. Have your students turn their work in here, and be available for all to read. Re-think the tired Powerpoint or any other documents you want to make available. Publish to issuu - link to your own website. Even deliver your school newspaper through issuu.com.

Book Glutton - A Social Reading Event for your classroom

2009-08-11T14:49:00.003-05:00

Read with a group, have a conversation about a paragraph, upload your own works, or read from their library. This site has a wealth of possibilities for Language Arts teachers, and many others. This site believes "books are conversations".

drop.io

2009-08-11T14:48:00.002-05:00

Create your own shared space, then use a cell phone to add recorded information to this shared space. Add/upload images, files, too. Email directly to your space and also subscribe to receive all other updates from collaborators. Easy.
Simple real-time sharing, collaboration, and presentation.
Use drop.io to privately share your files and collaborate in real time by web, email, phone, mobile, and more. Create each drop in two clicks and share what you want, how you want, with whom you want.

Gapminder puts statistics into dynamic graphical images

2009-08-11T14:29:00.003-05:00

Watch as the statistics gathered for hundreds of categories of information from countries around the world change before your eyes. A truly global tool for today's students.

Gapminder is a non-profit venture promoting sustainable global development and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by increased use and understanding of statistics and other information about social, economic and environmental development at local, national and global levels.

We are a modern “museum” that helps making the world understandable, using the Internet.

Gapminder was founded in Stockholm by Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund and Hans Rosling on February 25, 2005.

Wiffiti is back! Post to the web from your Cell

2009-04-17T18:29:00.004-05:00

Send a text message to 87884.
Start the message with @loca2730 and it will post a message to this screen.
Create many screens, each will have a different @loca address. Post from the web or from a cell phone. In the classroom??? Why not?

What Kind of Smart RU?

2009-03-22T11:48:00.004-05:00

Take a quick test to see the different intelligences you use and where your strengths lie. Which are the strongest, and which do you use less? Try it with your students and let them discover there's more than one way to learn.

No Future Left Behind

2009-03-08T21:48:00.000-05:00

When kids at the Suffern Middle School Tech Club were asked to talk about education and their future, they gave Peggy Sheehy, the SMS media specialist, an earful. Other students heard about the project and joined in. They brainstormed the script and started filming. Listen and learn the bits of wisdom that can be gleaned from the students, if we only dare to ask them.

wiffiti - What if cell phones could write

2009-01-26T14:50:00.002-06:00

If you text me - 25622 - and start the message @02420sue, it will post your message on my wiffiti screen which is viewable when I login and view my site. I could project the active site to a screen in a classroom and receive text ideas from students, teachers, etc. Messages are screened by the site. Wiffiti is a start up located in Somerville, MA. Real cool.

2009-01-19T19:01:00.005-06:00

Today I noticed my Cluster Map from last year finally had a hit from Africa and South America. 454 hits total for last year. Nice feeling to be so connected, if only this little bit.

jing - a ling

2008-10-17T11:30:00.003-05:00

I love jing! I first downloaded it and installed it on my iMac and my Dell laptop because I needed to make training videos for my staff. It was so easy... but I'm using it all the time now as a screen capture for images while using my Dell. Mac has always had an easy screen capture built in, but not so PC. Jing does it and even includes a marquee tool to get just the piece I'm looking for. jing - a ling! I also like how the jing sun is always up in the corner of my screen, too.

Your virtual SMARTBoard

2008-07-31T12:09:00.003-05:00

Just heard about this tool on twitter. If have an overhead projector connected to your classroom computer, and a whiteboard as your "chalkboard" you'd be all set for active board activities.
Simple and easy online multi user whiteboard, start skrbl, give out your URL & start working together. Sketch, text, share files, upload pictures all in one common shared space. There are no new tools to learn, nothing to download, nothing to install. Brainstorm on our simple whiteboard to start thinking together, everyone sees the same screen, everybody gets on the same page. More about skrbl here