The Institute for the Advancement of Service

In Alexandria, Virginia there are lots of organizations set up to protect and promote the interests of various groups from and to the Federal Government.  We saw the Retired Naval Officers Association and the National Association of Travel Agencies among others.  But our personal favorite was the The Institute for the Advancement of Service.

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They have a web site and appear to be kind of new ageish and caring.  Here is a picture of Nurit trying to be of service to the instutite by straightening their sign.

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A New Verb

“Deaning”

On Saturday during a presentation to the Parent Council at Swarthmore the new Dean of Students used the term “deaning.”  It was the first time I had heard the verb form of dean.  I was delighted.  New words that fill needs are always welcome in the english language.  In fact they should be celebrated.  Congratulations to Dean Jim Larimore for giving me and I think the world this new word. Swarthmore is a great school and is famous for the linguists on its faculty and now in the deans office.
Learning the verb deaning was one of the high points of a wonderful week on in the South East.

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This is a picture of one of the flowering trees at Swarthmore this spring.  It was taken during the hour of sunshine we had on Saturday afternoon before the deluge started.

Good News

Pictures are back:

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A bronze sculpture in Buckhead, GA 

Thanks to the great work of Matt G. pictures are back.   I’ll be busy the next few days catching up with all of the terrific stories I have from our trip East and they will now have photos.

South Carolina

On our trip east we have driven through South Carolina twice.  Both times we got off the freeway and drove through some small towns.  The people are wonderfully friendly and the scenery is beautiful.  We loved the names of some of the towns:

  • Ninety Six
  • Due West and
  • Fair Play

What a great country.

Diving for Sharks Teeth

While in Richmond Hill visiting Gene and Carole B we went diving in the tidal river near Gene’s house for fossilized sharks teeth. Visibility was about 6 inches with a light on but it was great fun. It really is a treasure hunt.

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Ray and I ready to go 

Bill E. who is the expert finds so many that he sells them on the internet. You can see his site at Megateeth.com.

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Bill in the water in full gear 

note the head light 

On this trip Bill found about 15 teeth, one of which was about 6 inches, Gene found one and Ray P found two. I didn’t find any but I did find plenty of fossiized bones and what is purported to be the ear bone of a whale.

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Bill’s find 

The Georgia Guidestones

Nurit and I drove from Atlanta to Elberton to visit the Georgia Guidestones. They are included on many lists as a Henge in Georgia. You judge: There would be a picture here but see the previous post.

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There is a list of advise for the world written in eight languages on the sides of the stones:

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You can follow this link to see a picture:

http://roadsidegeorgia.com/site/guidestones.html

or this one:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/OVERhenges.html

Like any good henge the guide stones have an observatory feature in this case a slot that the sun shines directly through at the solistice.  Here is a view through the slot:

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While we were in Elberton we also visited the Granite Museum. It has free postcards but “only take a few”. Elberton is the self proclaimed “Granite Capital of the World”

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The single piece of granite in a needle is one of the prides of the town:

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It was an excellent day of driving in the piedmont and seeing the dogwoods and azaleas in bloom.

Mt Whitney Goal

I’m training to climb Mt Whitney in September. The Mountain itself is over 14,000 feet high but by driving to Whitney Portal and climbing the Mount Whitney Trail Route the elevation gain is about 6300 feet and the distance is about 12 miles round trip. September is a good time for the climb since the crowds will have decreased substantially. I’m planning to make it a two night three day trip.

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Lee Summits Whitney

My friend Lee F climbed it a few years ago as part of his hike along the John Muir Trail.

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On the trail

To train I plan to hike in the front range of the San Gabriels a couple of times a week until I can climb 5000 feet in a day with a 15 lb pack. It is a lot harder to climb at altitude but you have to start somewhere.  I’m looking for partners to train with and to go on the climb.

Napa with Missy the Dog

Nurit and I went on a driving trip to Napa for a few days with Missy our dog and then on to Redding to see the Sundial bridge. I’ve posted the best pictures on Flickr.

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The mustard was in bloom.

Travelling with Missy gave us far more benefits than difficulties. People who like dogs are always happy to stop and chat with you if you have a dog along so you get to chat casually with locals. This almost never happens when you travel without a dog. We spent a very nice day walking aroung in Sonoma. I wrote postcards in the park and Nurit shopped.

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The Almond trees were in bloom.

We had some terrific walks stayed at a great hotel in Yountville (the Vintage Inn) which accomodates dogs and ate at some very nice restaurants (Bouchon and Redd in Yountville being our favorites). We did visit two wineries and bought four bottles of wine.
One day we drove to Point Reyes Station to see the Cowgirl Creamery a small cheese maker. The weather went bad as we drove into the National Park so we saw very little but the drive was great and we were able to cross Pt Reyes off our list of possible place to live.

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Near Pt Reyes.

On the last day we drove to Redding to see the famed footbridge. it was designed by the guy who built the famous bridge north of Seville. We arrived in Redding just as the UCLA basketball team was losing in the first round of the Pac 10 tournement and it was raining. Not an auspicious start to our visit. The next day it was cloudy and damp and Redding was not a victorian masterpiece of a town. The old building had for the most part been torn down and it felt more like Pomona or San Bernadino than Pasadena. The Sundial Bridge is in a park connecting the arboretum with the museum. Oh well. In the words of an old friend “If you don’t go, you won’t know.” Redding is off the list.

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A Great Bridge.

Pancakes in San Diego

On Sunday morning Lillian took Paula B and I went to Richard Walkers, a very good pancake place, in downtown San Diego.  It is very popular.  This photo shows the line outside:

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We need one of these in Pasadena.

Not Rio

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This photo was taken in Baja California just south of Rosarito Beach.

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This one was taken in Rio de Janeiro. The one in Baja is newer, more colorful, closer to the road and much closer to Los Angeles.