A Journal to impart knowledge and facts |
July 22, 2015 I'm going to start today to record on a daily basis whatever happens to strike my fancy. So, it is a very cool breezy day. I just posted 5 short book reviews to The Monthly Reading Challenge. I'm suppose to put away some winter wood today from the woodpile outside but I'm playing hookey from work to write so starting this blog will get done. I'm having a daily fight with a flock of English Sparrows that are trying to take over my barn. They are making a terrible mess so they have to go. I have destroyed several nests so far they don't leave but they get out of the barn when I am around. I'm just starting the fight so I guess I don't know how far I have to go to discourage them. I'm trying not to spread myself to thin on WDC because I find so many things that are interesting here and I am trying to work on a new story. I really enjoy sitting at my desk with a cup of tea and reading blogs on WDC. |
BCoFBCoF prompt: Let this quote inspire your entry: “ i had a dream when I was 22 that someday i would go to the region of ice and snow and go on and on till i came to one of the poles of the earth”― Ernest Shackleton Have you ever dreamed about seeing one of the poles? Where's your ideal dream place? This entry needs to be minimum of 100 words if you're participating in the challenge.. Quote: “Antarctica is otherworldly, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Stark, cold, beautiful desolation.” — Mark Hoppus https://medium.com/@StephanieHuston/11-travel-quotes-about-how-bad-ass-antarctic... ANTARCTICA DAY 2 Please follow the above link for some awesome pictures of Antarctica, maybe with a hot cup of tea. Even in pictures you can visualize the deep silence and cold of the terrain. There are ways to live in cold environments. Just looking at these pictures makes me look forward to warmth. I've never dreamed of going to the lands of Ice and Wind. Years ago I was taught in a dream how to look for growing green things outside in the winter wonder land of Pennsylvania, USA. Yes, grass actually grows in sheltered places in winter where I live. Since then, I know that winter is only a season around here. It actually does not stay forever. Some years we experience longer cold than others. Never say never. I don't believe I would actually seek out the coldest frozen places of the earth like Antarctica and the North Pole. I don't remember ever having a dream about cold lands other than the one I mentioned above. Most dreams I have would not influence my travel plans. I'm not especially fond of extreme snow and ice accompanied with extreme wind. Wind actually makes the normal temperature drop, its called wind chill factor. I'm living where I want to stay. I have traveled to other places with different types of environmental challenges. Northern North Dakota is one. Below zero temperatures. I once had a cat that spent a night out when I lived there. One of his ears froze and eventually fell off. I liked Panama. It was very tropical and hot. I liked the buildings of brick and stone floors to keep people cool in the hottest part of the day. Dangerous insects and snakes. A lot of rats in the city. Still the good parts outnumbered the bad. Texas was fun also. Lots of warmth from the people and the climate. The awesome zoo in San Antonio was great. Like all tropical places snakes and insects abound. I was born in Florida. I have not been back since about 1957. It has grown up a lot since then. Maybe too many buildings for me? I like where I am now. Even in a bad year deep winter is usually only 4 to 6 months long. Spring and Fall are compatible with lots of time to get out of the house before summer sets in with heat and humidity. So, I juggle temperatures and life style. No matter where I would be forced to live I would try to live within the constraints of the environment. That's aging, it makes you acceptant to the whirl of life around you. I like geography. When I travel virtually, I try to learn all about the place I am traveling to and the social aspects of living in that environment. Antarctica has a lot of social aspects as well. It is a totally different type of living and I'm enjoying learning about the culinary and living conditions. Look, it has a four different bars and a restaurant where I stopped today. |
ZODIAC CRUISING -- 30-DAY Zodiac Cruising The title Zodiac is used for a lot of different types of pontoon boats. It is also a brand of craft that starts at about USA dollars, $11,000.00. The argument is that the Zodiac pontoon craft may be more important than the cruise ship when you sign up for an expedition. A nice Zodiac is the Mark 5. It is a heavy duty, rigid hulled cruise vessel. As an environmentally friendly vessel it will get you closer to the sea and land life with its Yamaha 4-stroke engine. Used in the polar regions, they come with durable synthetic rubber which resists damage when pulling onto a stone or gravel base. Kayaks are also made of this type of material. Pontoons on the Zodiac are built with different chambers which keep the boat floating under adverse circumstances such as a puncture. Comfort for passengers is created by rigid floors and specially shaped hulls; ending in a safe ride combined with maneuverability and speed. Now you understand the craft you are about to depend on, let's go out and take a ride. The kayakers will depart first. Kayaks will be drawn up against the Zodiac and paddlers will sit on the side of the Zodiac and shift themselves over the side down into the kayak in a safe mount. Then passengers will take their seats. There is a short film to teach you the basics of Zodiac cruising. Then, we will commence a cruise. During the cruise keep a sharp look out for seals and other marine life that may approach to look us over. Be especially attentive to how calm and smooth the waters around us will be. There is seldom as peaceful and quiet a place as these waters and land can be. Keep your cameras dry and enjoy the cruise. |