New Nat Geo video!

Video on one of the discoveries that was made in the Yucatan expedition i was on:


http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/latest-news/maya-zenith-passage-vin/

Back But Not Back.

So I'm back. Back in the land of shopping malls, cable TV, air-conditioning, hot showers, bath tubs, wall to wall carpeting, washers, dryers, phones, grocery stores, running water, paved roads, yards with grass, trash pick up, firefighters, computers, internet, cell service, closets full of clothes, shelves full of books and odds and ends and stuff.... so so so much stuff.

But... i'm not back. I can still close my eyes and exist in that other world. - still enjoy the Milky Way, the sounds of the birds and frogs and crickets and Mot-mots as i fall asleep and wake and all through the day, bike rides to the pyramids, sketching and mapping caves simply oozing with history, walks to the tienda for a strawberry soda, fixing everyone pancakes on the weekend, hiking out thru the monte, stretching out in my hammock after a hard days work, lessons for words in Spanish and Maya, people and kids that smile and wave and invite you into their homes for no other reason than to be friendly.

Busy Busy Busy!

Too many things to get done and not enough time to post. So I'm off on another adventure this Thursday. I've so neglected my poor blog!! Sorry everyone. Will post photos from my Yucatan Trip and photos that I take from somewhere under the New Mexican desert! Wish me luck - I'm gonna need it!!

Going to leave you with two photos I took last weekend and the weekend before that - both in Tumbling Rock Cave - the ElephantS Feet and the Great Hall of Mysteries.

I'm Back!

Here's my first round of photos from my trip to Central Yucatan: Black and White, Fisheye & Infrared...mmmm...mmmm...mmmm...enjoy! There's lots more where that came from. Will post more soon!

Off the Map

I'm an absolute mix and muddle of nerves and excitement right now. I'm wondering what it'll be like, and if I'll do ok and what the caves will be like, and how much I'll miss home and family and friends. Saturday will be the beginning of my first cave trip outside the US and its going to be quite an adventure!! For the next three weeks I will be calling a hammock strung up somewhere in a little house in the village of Yaxuna my home. Yaxuna sits smack dab in the middle of the Yucatan, just down from Chichen Itza.


I'm off to go pull out the last of my gear for the trip...expect a full report when I come home!

More on Trains (from Christmas still)

I still have a backlog of great things Paul and I did over Christmas. And since we just went to a train show this past weekend I thought I'd continue along the same lines. Plant City, FL has a model train club with some really impressive layouts, and I really need to stress - impressive! For one thing they have 3 rooms - one that shares a train museum and two large scale layouts of G and O, one that holds a modular N scale (so that club members can build a four foot section and add it anywhere - the tracks are all in the same place), and the last rooms holds an up-to-date digitrax HO model that's fantastic! (Here's a good link if you want to learn more about model RR scales.) We ended up visiting it twice so Paul could talk with the guys in the club some more, and I could take more photos....

One of the RR Modelers showing me the G-Scale (Garden scale) layout with various RR museum paraphernalia hanging on the wall behind him

Part of the N-scale layout

An N-scale detail

My Dad and Mom in front of the HO trestle

My Dad taking a closer look at the Plant City model circa early 1900's -HO-scale

An orange grove
The orange grove is one of my favorite details in the HO-scale model! We're planning on having a small grove and a citrus packing plant in our model.

Paul and Mom talk with one of the club members that helped build this HO model

Here's a view of the entire length of the model. The hills with the fall foliage are in the middle of the model - Mom and Paul are actually behind them.


Another set of nice details

Paul talking with one of the fellows about the digitrax control panel.

A St. Louis Thanksgiving

Enjoyed a weeks worth of St. Louis Thanksgiving and sightseeing with Paul's family - had a great time. We did quite a lot!

2 days of cooking & prep work can make some folks a bit squirrely...

Paul scrubbing one of the many potatoes that I peeled

Karen putting bunny ears on me with her carrots.

There were 4 tables set up for the 34 people we had at Glenn and Karen's. Folks brought dishes to to share (like broccoli casarole, green beans, yams, apple and pecan pies). Karen Paul and I fixed carrots, real mashed potatoes, Carrie's Cranberry Strawberry relish, Olive Bites, Bread Stuffing, cranberries, an apple tart, a pecan pie and 3 turkeys.

Here's Doug's plate for further reference:

Karen picked out all the table settings and I coordinated all the glasses linens and accoutrements with each table. Glenn masterfully carved the turkeys and shuffled tables and chairs around to accommodate everyone with Paul. And then we got to enjoy all the hard work with some food, fun and family.










After Thanksgiving we toured the Foundry Arts Center with Glenn and Karen.



The building used to be a foundry for making trolley cars. Its now used for event and gallery space and houses artist studios like this one -


There was a really nice potter we chatted with for quite some time while he threw a pot to chill wine -




In another studio - a warning to people who might get a bit to close to the artists


Paul and I were even exhibited as art for 20 minutes or so - that is until a competing artist with two canvases arrived to make use of the picture hangers.



Paul and I hit up one and a half floors of the St. Louis Art Museum. Why did we never go there before? Please tell me!! It is by far the primo museum in St. Louis. The History Museum is ok (its a bit more educationally oriented) but the art museum has just as much history - if not more. They have a beautiful collection - and we only had time to see part of it. We'll definitely be back! Here are a few highlights:



Their armory was phenominal. This crossbow was just one of the gorgeous weapons on display.


Paul with a piece from the Medieval period

Egyptian
Pre-Columbian (The central figure is indeed a bat!)


This wooden statue was amazing - it was seated at eye level to the left of the budda in the photo above. This statues presence was tactile. It felt like if you listened hard enough you could hear it whisper its secrets.


This is a photo from a few days after we visited. The Art Museum was closed and we were on our way to the History Museum - but the view was just too pretty pass up.

There were two pretty cool items at the Missouri History Museum plus a really nice restaurant with a great view of Forest Park (Meriwether's).

Cool items #1:


And cool item #2 - a working steam train exhibit with a huge layout:



Paul and I also went to the Butterfly House and the Museum of Transportation with Glenn, Karen, Ted and Marilyn one day.


Marilyn, Glenn, Paul, Karen and Ted in front of the chrysalis (butterfly hatchery)

Here we are playing with the big toys (and freezing a bit too) at the Museum of Transportation





A 1923 Stanley Steamer - not just for cleaning carpets!


How about a 1933 KB LeBaron Convertible Lincoln Roadster. I was practically drooling when I saw this baby. What a gorgeous piece of automobile! There are only 6 of these known to exist in the world. This one had a full off-body restoration and has only had 4 owners!



Next post - A Visit to Firecracker Press!