Story of My Life

I'm sure it's not just me, but when someone around you moves on - passes away really - I'm tossed into a never ending cycle of thinking about my life.  What am I doing? Am I leaving a mark? Am I making a difference? Have I made a difference? What stories will be told around the circle of friends at my memorial? Are they all good?

I think it was 9th grade when we had to write our obituaries in English class.  I wish I still have that paper. I wonder if what I wrote as an insecure teen age girl in any way reflects who I am today.

So many things that happen in our lives make us who we are. I do, to some degree, have control over this. What I don't really control too much is how much ONE person may change my life.  And it may not always be for the better.

For example, in 4th grade, I was hanging out with this girl named Anna De Guzman.  We were "best" friends - or so I thought.  Turned out she was nothing but trouble and started pulling me down that path of trouble maker.  Getting caught writing on the neighbors house with crayons redirected my path - or you could say the MomUnit and the DadUnit redirected my path.

Anna was banned from my life. I was no longer allowed to hang out with her or be friends. At the time I was devastated, but now I think about where my life might have gone had I not had parents who cared enough to redirect me.

Then there was Mike Greene.  When he passed away over a year ago, I again thought of my mortality.  He's my age for heaven's sake, how could he die? Listening to all the stories told about him and our days at TASIS it was clear he was a very loved person.  Again, I wondered, what would they say about me?

Then there was BigBro.  Who doesn't have a story about him? I mean my goodness, that man knew everyone and everyone knew him.  Not an unkind word has been said about him (I'm sure he was no saint though).  The stories we told this past weekend about him were ones of sparkle, happiness, and love.  EVERY.....SINGLE....PERSON....said he gave the best hugs.

So here I am again thinking about what people would say.  I'm tempted to re-write my obit just to see what I "think" people would say. 

My life hasn't been fascinating by comparison to some. But at the end of the day, I really have had a charmed life on so many levels.  I had parents who loved me and cared enough to guide me (Parents - really is the best gift you can give your children). I have friends who make me laugh and make me cry. I've been educated. I've traveled. I've had so many ups and probably twice as many downs. I really can't complain.

Soon in book club we'll be reading Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral. The story is a simple one with complex human emotions. Annie dies and her last gift to her best friends is she sends them on a traveling funeral to places that made Annie who she was.  At each stop the friends learn just a little more about her. 

Here's my challenge...I want to think about who I'd send and where/why.  I think there are very significant points in my life that really changed who I am. Good or bad, they had a direct impact on me.

What's the story of your life? Is it one of worth?

Saying Goodbye...again

I've put it off long enough.  I've not wanted to write a post about the Memorial Day adventures, but feel it's time. 

The fam all gathered in Odessa to say goodbye to BigBro ... again.  (Side note: I took a vote and we all agreed that we're not going back to Odessa next year...) Anyhow, it was a nice gathering of cousins, brothers, aunts, uncles, etc.  BigBro would have totally rolled his eyes over the fuss we made for him.

I won't lie, it was a hard weekend.  We laughed a lot, we cried a lot and, at least me, let go a little bit.  There's a finality to scattering ashes and seeing your brother's name on a head stone. I could no longer fool myself into thinking he was just on an extended hunting trip. He was, in fact, gone.

We headed over on Saturday. Seattle SIL, Ash, The Niece, Bob and I all met in Ellensburg for lunch and then caravanned into Odessa (after stopping in Moses Lake at Starbucks and a quick pee).  We had agreed in Moses Lake to just go into Odessa and not stop at the cemetery on our way in. Well, as we drove past, I say the MomUnit and her friend ML out there, so I had to stop.

I hadn't expected, for whatever reason, to see a head stone with BigBro's name on it. Yet there it was. I just stared at it. Shaking my head in disbelief.

 

BiggestBro and MiddleBro had this rock made up. They'll place it by the creek during hunting season.

 

Back at the hotel (yes, Odessa has a hotel...and it's ... well, interesting) everyone else started arriving.  After a while we all loaded up and headed to the local restaurant for some family time and reminiscing.  It's true what they say...families gather for weddings and funerals.  I think all of us said we should just get together for the heck of it and not wait for a funeral.

Seattle SIL and I headed up to the cemetery to watch the sunset. It was worth spending some time up there sorta reflecting and just existing with no other people around.

Grandpa & Grandma Wraspir...they have quite the view.

A beautiful sunset over the cemetery

Last year when we scattered Dad's ashes I would not have imagined the next would be BigBro. BigBro on the left, dad on the right.

Sunday we got up and hung around the hotel. They have a nice grass area where we set up chairs and had breakfast.  Sitting around telling stories of yester year was fun.  It wasn't always BigBro stories either. And I can't say for sure how true some of the stories were... = )

Finally, it was time. We loaded into the trucks, cars, vans etc and headed to Irby to scatter the ashes.  We weren't able to scatter his ashes where he wanted them because of some extended family drama that I won't go into, but we were able to find some land in Irby Valley that would suffice.  The old watering hole, aka Bum's Beach, and along Crab Creek. 

We gathered, BiggestBro said a few words and we were off. Each of us taking a bit of BigBro to a place we wanted to say goodbye.  It's heartbreaking and cleansing all at the same time. I just stared at my Dixie cup of ashes and wondered how I got there.  How did this happen? Why did this happen? Was I really ready to let go?

None of us wanted to be there. But we had to do it.

 

The Irby valley...and tossing the ashes

Then miraculously my hand turned and the ashes fell into the wind.  It was done.

Once we finished there we all headed to the local park for a BBQ and just to hang out.  Pleasant day for a family gathering, and in typical Wraspir fashion there was enough food there to feed a small army. 

Then finally, Monday morning we gathered once more at the gravesite.  More family showed up to say their goodbyes. Again, BiggestBro said a few things and a few more stories from the crowd (like on cousin told a story of her dad calling BigBro Rosie. God I wish I had known that when he was alive...I would have called him Rosie to bug him).

Gathering on Monday to say a final farewell.

Damn I miss that guy!

A few more tears, a few more hugs and we were on our way back to Seattle.

A couple days before leaving, I stumbled onto this song (it was on a TV show I was watching) and felt immediately like I could here BigBro saying these words. I think it only appropriate to put it in the blog.

KEEP ME IN YOUR HEART FOR AWHILE
by Warren Zevon

Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath
Keep me in your heart for awhile
If I leave you it doesn't mean I love you any less
Keep me in your heart for awhile

When you get up in the morning and you see that crazy sun
Keep me in your heart for awhile
There's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done
Keep me in your heart for awhile

Sometimes when you're doing simple things around the house
Maybe you'll think of me and smile
You know I'm tied to you like the buttons on your blouse
Keep me in your heart for awhile

Hold me in your thoughts, take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
And when the winter comes keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you

Engine driver's headed North to Pleasant Stream
Keep me in your heart for awhile
These wheels keep turning but they're running out of steam
Keep me in your heart for awhile

The Casual Vacancy...

Book club was tonight. For the second time this year I did not finish the book. Blech. The first book I didn't finish was I am Malala.  I really didn't like the way the book was written and just felt like I was reading a very dry, very boring history book.  I felt sorry for the plight of this girl/woman, but felt like the book was propaganda over literary explanations.


Enter The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowlings. Yes, that's right. The author who brought us the Harry Potter series branched out and wrote a very adult book.

I bought the book because J.K. Rowlings wrote it. I knew going into it that it was a great departure from all the Harry Potter books.  I knew that this book would be dark and edgy.  I knew all of this. And yet by page 100 I was so done with the book I put it down.

I disliked all the characters. None of them were nice, every aspect of this book was mean to me.  I didn't like the writing style. I felt like she was using these Hemingway - esk long run on sentences way too often and required me to look up like every other word. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. 

Still at the end of the day, the book was not for me.

Book club thoughts ranged all over the place. Some, like me, really didn't get it. Some didn't like the language, the brutality, the gritty-ness of this book. Others thought the book represented a real view into the reality of the have's and the have not's.  At the end of the day, I think we all decided it wasn't our favorite.  Considering out of the 5 of us that were there, none of us had finished the whole book.

In typical book club fashion though, we did have wine, and we did have some good food and a great location for book club this month.

Meet Mrs. Atlanta (she moved here from Atlanta and I've got no better nick name for her).  She was our hostess. 

Her and her husband live in this TINY, beautiful apartment on the 11th floor of a building in downtown Seattle. THIS is their view.

They are moving out of said apt and onto a boat for the summer. We were all somewhat jealous (I'm jealous at the idea of moving onto a boat and just going anywhere. I'm not jealous of trying to figure out what to pack on said boat.

We ate burgers. We ate fruit. We ate salad. We ate chocolate. We drank wine. We chatted books.

We were missing one of our compadres. Princess Lori had other more important things to do than sit around and drink wine and chat with a few of her besties. Though I'm sure she would have preferred to be with us than what she was doing.

This is Mrs. Braspir (formally known as Queen PopUp).  She's one of my most favoritest people.  Family friend forever and keeps me amused and entertained. If you ever want to do something and need someone to do it with Mrs. Braspir is usually in.

This is Blueberry.  She wasn't at all happy about me taking her photo since, in her words, "I've been at the lab all day and I look gross."  I don't see any lab schmutz on her and I think she looks just fine.  She gets the lucky title of BFF for me.  We've been BFFs since sometime in the EARLY 80's.

This is Seattle SIL...she needed the glass of wine more than any of us. She, like Mrs. Braspir, is usually up for ANYTHING...and I just love doing stuff with her.  She makes me happy 99% of the time.  And that 1% is when I start thinking about BigBro and missing them together.  But I keep that to myself...mostly. She is who I'm going on the next cruise with and I guarantee THIS pose will be a frequent one. Smile on her face, glass of wine in her hand!

This group of ladies that we now call Vines & Spines are some of my most treasured friendships. They all bring something unique to the relationship with me and at the same time bring the same thing. They bring love, acceptance, humor and hope.  I am so very blessed to have them in my life and hope each and every one of them knows it.

ahem...sniff sniff....

We added a new member to book club this month too. More on that later. I'll have to come up with a nickname for her. More on that later.

The Hollywood Tavern - a new diner's perspective

I don't consider myself overly particular when it comes to certain things.  Like I'm no fashionista.  I don't really care about clothes or shoes.

And then there are some things that I do truly care about. Some things I'm totally brand loyal about. For example, you will only find Best Foods Mayonnaise in my house.

Restaurants and eating out I have a certain level of expectations where service, food quality, and atmosphere are concerned. I want a good value for my money in an environment that is rushed or overly complicated.

Each month the Landlords, Blueberry and I forge out and try a new restaurant. Each of us get 3 picks a year and it has opened my eyes to some new/fun restaurants.  Many I'd return to. Most I wouldn't - because there are too many other's to try.

This month the Hollywood Tavern in Woodinville was the restaurant of choice. It's a pub that focuses on good roadhouse food like fried chicken and sandwiches. It's location is good and took over the spot where a dive bar (I think called Mabel's) once lived.  It's been revived and slightly remodeled.

Outside has a nice bar area that has seats around a fire pit and a few picnic tables scattered about. Blueberry got there a bit early, as did I, so we sat outside briefly, ordering a drink and some tasty appetizers before the Landlords arrived.

It took a bit of time (more than I felt was necessary considering the crowd) for a waitress to greet me and/or ask for a drink order.  I quizzed the waitress on some of the beer options and sadly she wasn't 100% sure which was what.  No worries, not everyone is a beer person. BUT if you're a server where beer is a big deal, you should now.

I ordered and she was on her way. Not 2 seconds later another waitress stopped by to ask for my order. Um...already ordered.

Once we were all together we went inside to sit and have our meal. The inside is made up of clean lines, nice tables, but uncomfortable chairs. I secretly think some restaurants do that so you won't linger and they can turn the table.

Our waitress was a tall, energetic young lady who greeted us relatively quickly.  We the Landlords weren't quite sure about what they'd be drinking so we sent the waitress on her way.

As I glanced around the place I was impressed with the small dining area.  I remember thinking it had an intimate feel about it, but it felt big at the same time.  As the night progressed, I would curse myself for even thinking that. 

That place GOT LOUD.  We had two large parties in the dining area (each between 15 and 20 people) and once they got in there, and all the other tables were full, you couldn't hear a word anyone was saying.

This disappoints me greatly. ONE of the many reasons I go out to dinner is for the social aspect of it.  Getting caught up with friends is part and parcel with my eating out experiences. I want to be able to hear the person I'm with and not just sit quietly eating because, well, why bother?



That aside, I ordered their cheeseburger with bacon and an ice tea (I already downed my beer so needed something more).  It took quite a bit of time for the food to arrive, and under normal circumstances I wouldn't care because you are, after all, there to be friendly and socialize.  But considering we couldn't hear a damn thing, the time seemed to be an issue.

When the food finally did arrive, it was hot, it was good, and it was plentiful.  The burger was just the right size with a mound of hand cut fries next to it.  The fry sauce they provided was icky to me, but I am sure it's because it was a mustard based fry sauce and I'm not a fan. So I ordered a side of ranch.  Double ick! The ranch was WAY too dill-y.  Lots of dill and some spice to it. After that I stuck with ketchup.

Mr. Landlord was the only person who didn't order the burger, he ordered their fried chicken.  It looked a bit overcooked (dark brown on the outside) but Mr. Landlord said it was moist (god I hate that word) and delicious.  He prefers a different type of breading on his fried chicken, but said it was still tasty.

The BEST part of the entire meal was the dessert. The have homemade soft serve ice cream, with a bunch of random toppings, a peanut butter mousse, hazelnut cookies, and some other stuff.  Mr. Landlord got the soft serve with "magic shell" and caramel. It was huge and apparently the "magic shell" was too magical and almost inedible. Mrs.Landlord got their fritters with bacon and a whisky glaze.  It was a big portion and she seemed OK with it. 

I got the chocolate hazelnut cookie.  Oh...my...goodness.  They are baked to order.  They came out hot, crunchy and with a side of Nutella. 

But the winner in the dessert category was the Peanut Butter Mousse. ENORMOUS portion. It sat on top a bed of marshmallow fluff that had been burned -  like you would see a smore.  One bite and I was in heaven.  Blueberry was in heaven...Mr. and Mrs. Landlord was in heaven.  It was to die for. And totally a dessert that could have been split by three people.

Just look at the size of the Peanut Butter Mousse

A quick note on the service between dinner and dessert. I had mentioned the large parties right? Our waitress had one of them and was being run to death.  It took 20 minutes for us to get our desserts.  I had assumed it was because of the big party, but I now think it was because the cookies were baked fresh.  At any rate, she was apologetic and seemed worried that she wasn't giving us as much of attention as she should.

My ice tea never got refilled BTW.

All in all, it was an ok experience. I'm not sure I have a need to go back there. Though their burger was pretty good and I might be tempted to try their fried chicken sandwich.  I wouldn't NOT go back and so it falls firmly in the "meh" category with regards to food and restaurants.

Vacation Photos Lessons Learned

I'm a PM. I admit it. I project managed just about everything in my life. It's not a disease or anything, its just the way my mind works. 

So it shouldn't surprise anyone that I sat down and did a "lessons learned" with regards to my photos and photo taking skills from this trip.

I read this quote somewhere, copied it and didn't put the reference, but it totally resonates with me NOW.

"Professional travel photographers realize that the key to their business is versatility: to be able to shoot all styles of photography, and to consistently capture great shots even under very trying conditions."

Tru Dat!

 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that, of the photographers I know, we all think about what we want to shoot before we go to a location. In some cases, you may not have normally gone to said location unless you had something in mind to shoot. And second, when does a photographer ever go someplace without thinking about what to shoot? I'm just saying. 

Prior to my trip abroad I had some spare time on my hands (read: I was unemployed) and in addition to researching the stops on our cruise for historical significance, I researched photos others had taken in these places, and specifically the sights we were going to see. 

It fascinated me, and scared me, to see all the wonderful photos out there. So many of the same cathedral, city, restaurant etc, and all so very different. It gave me a start with regards to what I may want to shoot.  

It also set me up for some very unexpected disappointments. Though hindsight being what it is, I should have known.  I was too excited for the trip and so full of knowledge and a plan that I neglected to consider some of the most obvious things that a photographer should consider. 

Here are some things I learned on this trip that I hadn't actually anticipated and should have. 

Number 1:
As photographers we all know the best time to shoot is the "golden hour" - right after sunrise and right before sunset.  The perfect lighting. And should you not be able to do that, one might wish for an overcast sky so that the photos are more muted and not so harsh. 

Turns out that one cannot control the weather nor can one control the time of day one is shooting when on is on a cruise with a predefined timeframe. Who knew?

I won't complain about all the sun … but dammit we had a lot of sun. 99% of my shooting took place on bright sunny days, mid-day, and the sun was almost always BEHIND what I wanted to shoot. 

I didn't have a good way to combat this other than to change my view point (not always easy), adjust my stops as best I could, and just shoot and hope for the best.  Not the optimal way to shoot anything.

In some cases, it worked out to my liking. The sun glare added to the photo IMHO. 

In other cases, it took significant work in PSE to get something that even resembled a decent photo. All I can say is thank God for post processing.

Number 2:
This is what I like to call Sprint Photography. 

Do you remember a game show that involved people running through a grocery store with a limited amount of time and they had to buy a certain amount of items? I don't really recall too closely what the goal was of the show, but the image of these people sprinting through the grocery store grabbing items off the shelf with a limited time is what I felt like I was doing in just about every stop on this cruise (and in Rome). 

On the one hand it provided me with a challenge to see what I could get in a limited amount of time. Recording the moment instead of trying to get GREAT photos.

On the other hand, it provided me with a large amount of frustration because I couldn't stop and consider my shot from different angles. And there was a lot to consider (See #1).  I was forced to just take the shot and hope for the best. Of that...I am not a fan. 

One of my goals for this trip was to come home with some great shots. And while I got some good shots (and maybe one or two great shots) I didn't get a chance to really think as a photographer.  We moved so quickly from one place to another that my only hope of capturing what we were seeing was to just snap away.

The advantage of this "sprint photography" that there were times where I just gave up and enjoyed the moment. Letting go of the photo urge was hard to do, but the situation made it easier as the days flew by.

Number 3:
People. People were everywhere. Remember I said we were mostly shooting in the middle of the day and most people were out by then - our tour groups included. And since we were seeing some of the most important sights of these cities, it shouldn't have been too surprising to me that me and hundreds of my closest friends would be there. 

Still, people were getting in my way for some of the shots I had planned. Dammit.  

Now people do work to your benefit in some situations, especially those where you want to show scale.  I'm glad I had so many people in front of the Pantheon in Rome to see just how large of a building it was.  The people helped put the size into a perspective we could understand. 

That being said, I can't tell you how many shots I got where I was hitting the shutter button and someone would walk into frame. I'm generally very aware of people around me snapping photos and try to not walk in front of them. I can't say that's the same for a lot of folks on these excursions. Everyone pushing in to get that special shot…and ending up in my shot. 

A short side story here: on a couple of our excursions there was this gentleman who had a new camera and he had mentioned to me early on that he was new to photography. And then he would proceed to tell me how I should take a photo. Now, I gave him some lead way because I'm "usually" open to insights, but most of his thoughts were wrong (IMHO) and after about 30 minutes of it I was done. 

Then I noticed he was following behind me and taking the exact photo I just took.  Interesting. Then I started the game.  I would shoot the most ridiculous things and see if he'd follow behind me. And sure enough he did. At one point in Pompeii I took a photo of the dirt. Literally. Stopped, looked straight down and shot a photo of the dirt. Mr. Photog walked right to where I was standing, looked puzzled, but took the shot. 

Number 4:
Taking photos on a tour bus has its own unique situations. The obvious one is you're in a moving vehicle trying to take photos. 

The not so obvious one, and one I didn't consider until I was home processing my photos, taking photos through tinted glass. 

All my photos of the Amalfi Coast has this green hue to them.  It took me a while to figure out that it was the tinted windows of the bus that had caused that hue. It took me even more time how to get rid of it in PSE. 

Again, nothing you can do about it really.  I had to take the shots and had to figure out later how to fix them. 

The other thing about being on a tour bus, in all but two stops I managed to pick the WRONG side of the bus to sit on. I should have known to ask the tour guides which side would be best for someone obsessed with taking photos. But I didn't. I did, however, over hear someone ask the guide for the Amalfi Coast. She said either side would be fine. Turned out she was wrong.  I had to swap seats with my brother to get on the right side to shoot photos.

At the end of the day what I learned was:

1. Doing research before really did help me prepare for what to shoot. I wanted to give myself a head start because I knew we only had a short amount of time in each location.  Seeing what others took photos of helped kick start the creative juices for shooting.
2. Just take the damn picture.  Not getting a photo of something we were seeing wasn't an option for me. I had to just shoot and "hope for the best". And limited time meant I had to do it quickly and move on.
3. You can't control the weather or timing in all situations. Adjust and be flexible.
4. Try your best to get the shot, but not see the entire trip through your lens. Take a break. Breath in the surroundings.

Books, Books, and More Books

I think everyone knows I'm a fanatical reader. Last year my goal was to read 1 book a week (that's 52 books) and I did it.  Granted a couple there towards the end were less than 100 pages, but I was so close.

I love what a book does for me.  I read  mostly fiction, but am not adverse to the occasional PM book, time management book, or biography.  I love what books do for me. They create a world somewhere else. I love getting into a real good book and you look up and 2 hours has past.  I love imaging the characters, their surroundings, and their world.  And I will admit there have been times I've flipped to the back of the book because I was dying to know what happened.

My scrapbook enabler, and good friend, Beagle Babe, (Who's name I may have to change to PaperCrafting Queen) put this on her blog and challenged us, her readers, to answer the questions.

My favorite childhood books
I supposed Green Eggs and Ham isn't really a book they'd consider here. But it was one of my favorites.  The first real book I remember reading and just loved was "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret." by Judy Bloom.  Judy Bloom put out a bunch of teenage angst type books that just hit me and stuck with me.  I've often wondered if I should reread them now and see if I'd enjoy them as much. 

The book I enjoyed most in school
This question doesn't specify high school or college, so I'll give you one of both.

At TASIS we had summer reading we had to do. 3 books we could pick from this list and read them and expect to do a book report on later.  The summer between my junior and senior year one of my books was Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. Oh, this gothic novel had me in love with both characters, mad at both, and feeling sorry for both. The romance between Heathcliff and Catherine was one of drama and tradegy.  I've reread Wuthering Heights a number of times since then and have been tempted to make it a book club book.

The book from college is easy, Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes.  I spent a semester having a "date with Cervantes" in a class that I took reading Don Quix0te in Spanish. 

My favorite movie versions of great novels
I'm going to copy BeagleBabe and say the Harry Potter series.  I loved all the characters and each one of them showed up in the movie like I had imagined them.

The classic I’m embarrassed to say I've never read
I've never read anything by Hemingway. None of them. How I missed reading any of his books is beyond me.  I've read a book about Hemingway, but have never cracked The Sun Also Rises or The Old Man and the Sea. And you know what, I'm not even interested in reading them.

A book I consider greatly overrated
The entire series of Fifty Shades of Grey.  I got through the first two books, barely. Then started the third book and tossed it aside after 13 pages.  Ugh. It wasn't the content of the book that bothered, or offended me, it was the writing. It was horrible. 

I'd also like to add that the book I Am Malala was a bit overrated too.  It was the only book I've didn't finish for book club. The story was all over the place and so boring that I just couldn't finish it.

The last book that made me cry – and the last one that made me laugh
Oh gosh...there are a couple that made me cry, but the one that had me blubbering like a baby was My Sister's Keeper by Jody Picoult.  I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed some more.  Whatever you do  though don't watch the movie first. The movie chickened out on the real ending of the book. 

The book that made me laugh out loud throughout the entire book was "Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson. Jenny Lawson is also know as The Bloggess. She's hilarious. Her mind is off the chart crazy and yet I relate so well to her sometimes.  

A book I wish I’d written
Oh golly - I'm gonna totally geek out here and say Herding Chickens: Innovative Techniques for Project Management by Dan Bradbary and David Garrett. This is a Bible in my world. I love how they approached project management realistically.  They show you how to do things in the real world with real world examples. 

What I’m reading right now
Casual Vacancy by Jk Rowling. Don't be fooled.  It's nothing like the Harry Potter books.  In fact, I am so not a fan yet.  I'm about 30 pages in and am having a hard time continuing.  The book is full of cuss words and a lot of hatred. 

Now, as to where I am with regards to my goal of reading 52 books again this year. I'm WELL ahead of where I should be - I've read 28 books (Casual Vacancy will be 29) and by end of June I needed to be at/around 26. So I'll be ahead of the game in case I get behind again later this year.

Naples - Pompeii Photo Stroll

Oh Pompeii. How I love thee!  I flashed back to 1987 pretty quickly as we entered Pompeii and remembered how much fun we had there. Thankfully I hung out with kids who were interested, mostly, in the history of the area. We were on a Spring In-program travel with two teachers (husband and wife) and 8 of us kids.  We stopped in so many historic places on the trip it was hard to keep track. Pompeii, though, never left my memory.

 

It's changed over the years. Busier and more facilities than it was back then. My first order of business was to find a restroom.  I giggled when I saw the sign. It reminded me of the sign I saw on the Canadian Cruise in Quebec City.

 

After the potty break, which our tour guide called "depositing ammonia" we hit the park.  Our tour guide was exceptional in her details and stories of Pompeii.

If you don't know, (what rock have you been under) Pompeii was buried in ash from an eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD.  The thriving town of, what the estimate, 20,000 was completely destroyed. Almost every one lost their lives. 

What's left are ruins and some artifacts that help us understand what life was like in Pompeii.

What's left of their amphitheater.

This was the fastfood of the time. These vats, they believe, were filled with soups.

The streets of Pompeii

Stepping stones...literally. The ruts in the streets were made from carts passing over the stones for years.

What the believed to be a bakery. The mill in the foreground and the stone oven in the back. They did find some breads in some of the ovens throughout Pompeii.

The roof of the bath house.

Inside the bath house.

One of the patrons of the bath house.

Then there was the brothel we saw. Fascinating to see that prostitution is the oldest form of employment.

The rooms were small and each had a cement type bed with a very thin mattress.  A patron could enter the brothel and essentially pick their flavor based on the photo above each door.

Then there were these everywhere around the brothel.  Essentially pointing the way.  Even in 79AD there was a red light district.

Several fountains were uncovered and fresh springs were found under them. This fountain was close to the forum and appeared to be well used.

And then we get to the forum.  That's Mount Vesuvius in the background. You can tell that the people of Pompeii would have had no time to get to safety once that mountain blew. Its still quite active, by the way, and it watched carefully these days.  Thousands upon thousands of people live near or around it.

Many of the buildings around the forum had this type of sign on the outdoor walls. Early day advertising. They suspect the family who owned this building were movers of some sort.

 

Still standing is a home of what appeared to be a very wealthy family.  The mosaics on the floors of this house are still in relatively good condition.

Then there were the bodies.  As you leave Pompeii they walk you past this storage area that shows all the artifacts they found while excavating Pompeii. Not too surprising they found a lot of bodies. Only they aren't really bodies.

They found as they were digging these vast hallow areas.  As they dug when they'd encounter one they got the bright idea to put plaster inside the hole to see what it was. Turned out to be what was once a person's body. The skin, clothing, bones all dust, but the plaster mold could show some pretty good detail.

This is the hardest one for me to see for some reason.

This guy was part of my original photos 28 years ago...and he's still there in the same place.

For  more Pompeii photos, and there are plenty, visit my flicker site.

And thus ends the photo stroll of the cruise. Now to get back to real blogging. I have several blogs percolating so never fear...there's more.

Naples - Amalfi Coast Photo Stroll

Naples was one of the stops I was most looking forward to. It was the last port on the cruise, but it had two significant places I wanted to see...the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.  I'll cover Pompeii in another post, there was just too much for one post.

We didn't drive through Naples, but skirted around it.  The people of Naples appear to live in a low income way - alright poverty almost. But I found the area enchanting all the same. Seeing how others live sometimes reminds you just how lucky you really are.

 

Naples from the bus. That's Mt. Vesuvius in the back.

Naples from the other side.

The Amalfi Coast is one of the most amazing coastlines in Italy, if not the world. Its steep shoreline gives you some of the most amazing and dramatic scenery.

The road along the coast is narrow, curvy and right up on the edge. I have to say the bus drivers who know that coast like the back of their hand is worth their weight in gold.

There were several times we had to stop to let a bunch of cars pass. Or they had these volunteers posted at two points on the road and they'd control the traffic through the narrow streets.  It was frightening and fascinating all at the same time.

The Amalfi area is known for their lemons.  Lemoncello, in fact, is manufactured using the lemons of Amalfi. These lemons were not the ones they'd use. These were mutant lemons that had a sweet, not very tart flavor to them. The rind is about 2 in thick and the flesh of the lemon inside is a very light yellow.

Once we stopped in the town of Amalfi for some free time, the first order of business was to stop for gelato. Dah. I had the Amalfi Lemon gelato. It actually tasted more like vanilla than lemon, but it didn't stop me from eating it.

Along the narrow roads of Amalfi we found stores willing to sell you just about anything. Amalfi is very much a tourist town.  Brother M noticed a line of locals in front of this fish store. As we got closer we realized they were having lunch. They were serving up fried calamari and shrimp in a paper cone cup with a slice of lemon.

The Amalfi Coast is definitely a place to see in your life time. Pack your patience though as getting there is a trial to be sure.  Its one of the busiest tourist destinations in Southern Italy.

The rest of my photos of Amalfi are here.