Before:
Granted, this pic was taken to show the Homeowner's Association the condition of the planting on the community area, but you get the idea.
After:
Much better!
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
New Front Yard
Finally got the front courtyard redone. New expanded the pavers, all plants replaced!
Before:
Before:
Monday, July 15, 2019
Le Mans 2019 and Onward
This trip contained a verified miracle! All the transportation ran on time or early!
Off yet again to Le Mans via Paris. For those who, like us, are fans of Marks & Spencer's snack offerings, we are pleased to announce that there are now M&S stores at CDG. We stocked up on Percy Pigs before meeting up with Steve & Angie from ToursF1.com and our friends Anthony and Cathy (we met them on the world cruise).
We've plagued this blog with several years of Le Mans, so this time we'll keep it short. Our beautiful hospitality setting, thanks to ToursF1.com:
Racing in action!
The iconic landmark (where lost souls reunite):
OK, on from Le Mans to Saint-Malo, France via train. We are only posting a couple of pix for two reasons. First, we've been there before, posted stuff about two years ago, and second, it rained most of the time. We love Saint-Malo, the home of the historic Brittany Pirates and the ladies with the weird hats. If you haven't been to Brittany, we'd highly recommend it. Stay in the old town at a quaint hotel like the Hotel des Abers (wonderful hosts) and walk around. The town is loaded with history and excellent food. The rain didn't stop us from chowing down on the local specialties of Galettes and Kouign Amann (it's a specialty bread). Here are a couple of views, grabbed in between showers.
Next stop: Portsmouth, UK via ferry. We didn't have a lot of time, but the weather was very nice so we took a walk south along the Milennium Promenade from our Hotel at the Gunwharf, after a stop at Weird Fish to buy sweaters.
This is the fast way to get from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight:
And we found a rose garden and the cutest car!
Here's a guy having a good time at the beach...
Why is there a picture of something other than a Wiener Dog? Because they were few and far between. We called off the search upon boarding the Queen Mary 2. The ship has kennels, but no Wiener Dogs were to be seen. Final score: Pati 3, Gordon 1.
Speaking of the QM2, it's a long, long, long, ship.
Gordon's down at the end of the hall...somewhere...maybe if we really squint...
Off yet again to Le Mans via Paris. For those who, like us, are fans of Marks & Spencer's snack offerings, we are pleased to announce that there are now M&S stores at CDG. We stocked up on Percy Pigs before meeting up with Steve & Angie from ToursF1.com and our friends Anthony and Cathy (we met them on the world cruise).
We've plagued this blog with several years of Le Mans, so this time we'll keep it short. Our beautiful hospitality setting, thanks to ToursF1.com:
Racing in action!
The iconic landmark (where lost souls reunite):
OK, on from Le Mans to Saint-Malo, France via train. We are only posting a couple of pix for two reasons. First, we've been there before, posted stuff about two years ago, and second, it rained most of the time. We love Saint-Malo, the home of the historic Brittany Pirates and the ladies with the weird hats. If you haven't been to Brittany, we'd highly recommend it. Stay in the old town at a quaint hotel like the Hotel des Abers (wonderful hosts) and walk around. The town is loaded with history and excellent food. The rain didn't stop us from chowing down on the local specialties of Galettes and Kouign Amann (it's a specialty bread). Here are a couple of views, grabbed in between showers.
Next stop: Portsmouth, UK via ferry. We didn't have a lot of time, but the weather was very nice so we took a walk south along the Milennium Promenade from our Hotel at the Gunwharf, after a stop at Weird Fish to buy sweaters.
This is the fast way to get from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight:
And we found a rose garden and the cutest car!
Here's a guy having a good time at the beach...
Why is there a picture of something other than a Wiener Dog? Because they were few and far between. We called off the search upon boarding the Queen Mary 2. The ship has kennels, but no Wiener Dogs were to be seen. Final score: Pati 3, Gordon 1.
Speaking of the QM2, it's a long, long, long, ship.
Gordon's down at the end of the hall...somewhere...maybe if we really squint...
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Nice 2019: Le Carnaval
King of Cinema was this year's theme. We went to the parade on a beautiful, sunny Sunday and the Big Heads were amazing. And, ACTION!
We thought the King was a little nondescript this year, but the Queen was quite lovely:
Poor Harvey, he never gets a break...
Recall, Gerard Depardieu decided that he likes Russia better than France, so, salut, Gerard, mon ami:
Charlie Chaplin, done in absolutely perfect black and white:
And Hitch, complete with birds...
As always, nothing and no one is sacred. Every public figure is roundly mocked at Carnival.
Finally, Charlie again. This float was absolutely amazing and so popular that the organizers finally left it in the plaza so everyone could get a picture.
On Avenue Auber, animals are great. Especially someone's parrot that screeches all day every day. Some new people moved in across the way with two cats. We call them PeeWee the adventurer and Popeye the watcher. PeeWee first decided to visit the balcony next door. We watched Popeye watch the humans trying to coax him back. Priceless. Next day, PeeWee adventured a little too far...two floors up and he couldn't get back down.
Meow? Meow! MeowMeowMeowMeowMeow!!
Popeye went inside and took a nap. PeeWee was finally rescued through an upstairs apartment. So disappointing that the pompiers weren't called. That would have been a show. Sorry to not have video. We were laughing too hard.
We can report that while Jack Russell Terriers, Yorkies, and Chihuahuas are still very much in vogue, one now sees the rise of the Cocker Spaniel and the Shiba Inu. Wiener Dogs are still around, and this year, Pati won the contest 34 to 29.
This year was so good, we've rented the same apartment for next year. I mean, why not, y'know?
We thought the King was a little nondescript this year, but the Queen was quite lovely:
Poor Harvey, he never gets a break...
Recall, Gerard Depardieu decided that he likes Russia better than France, so, salut, Gerard, mon ami:
Charlie Chaplin, done in absolutely perfect black and white:
And Hitch, complete with birds...
As always, nothing and no one is sacred. Every public figure is roundly mocked at Carnival.
Finally, Charlie again. This float was absolutely amazing and so popular that the organizers finally left it in the plaza so everyone could get a picture.
On Avenue Auber, animals are great. Especially someone's parrot that screeches all day every day. Some new people moved in across the way with two cats. We call them PeeWee the adventurer and Popeye the watcher. PeeWee first decided to visit the balcony next door. We watched Popeye watch the humans trying to coax him back. Priceless. Next day, PeeWee adventured a little too far...two floors up and he couldn't get back down.
Meow? Meow! MeowMeowMeowMeowMeow!!
Popeye went inside and took a nap. PeeWee was finally rescued through an upstairs apartment. So disappointing that the pompiers weren't called. That would have been a show. Sorry to not have video. We were laughing too hard.
We can report that while Jack Russell Terriers, Yorkies, and Chihuahuas are still very much in vogue, one now sees the rise of the Cocker Spaniel and the Shiba Inu. Wiener Dogs are still around, and this year, Pati won the contest 34 to 29.
This year was so good, we've rented the same apartment for next year. I mean, why not, y'know?
Nice 2019: Les Voitures
This year made up for the horrible "Beast from the East" weather we had in 2018.
For the most part, it was sunny and 60, but early on we had a few days of dicey stuff. A thunderstorm over water is a sight to behold, and when the thunder rolls through the vis-a-vis apartment buildings in downtown Nice, it sounds like a giant bowling ball going up the street. We kept waiting to hear the pins fall somewhere near the train station.
Nice seems to get better every year (thank you, Mssr. Estrosi). Currently, the two additional tram lines are almost completed and the Liberte area, site of the old train station, is almost complete with its makeover into shopping, cinema, and apartments. That project, believe us, has reclaimed an area that was running down fast...now it's a showplace. Same thing is going on in the Plaine du Var: run out the run down and start over with a new football stadium, shopping, tram line, and apartments, apartments, apartments. There's even an IKEA going in out there.
For the most part, it was sunny and 60, but early on we had a few days of dicey stuff. A thunderstorm over water is a sight to behold, and when the thunder rolls through the vis-a-vis apartment buildings in downtown Nice, it sounds like a giant bowling ball going up the street. We kept waiting to hear the pins fall somewhere near the train station.
Nice seems to get better every year (thank you, Mssr. Estrosi). Currently, the two additional tram lines are almost completed and the Liberte area, site of the old train station, is almost complete with its makeover into shopping, cinema, and apartments. That project, believe us, has reclaimed an area that was running down fast...now it's a showplace. Same thing is going on in the Plaine du Var: run out the run down and start over with a new football stadium, shopping, tram line, and apartments, apartments, apartments. There's even an IKEA going in out there.
First big thing was the WRC Rallye in Monaco. We went over to watch the final arrival.
Through the tunnel...
Past the fans...
Outta the car...
And boy, was that a lot like work...
A couple of weeks later, it was the Historic Rallye, and another arrival. Waiting to cross the ceremonial finish line:
Scenes from parc ferme:
Then it was off to Barcelona. We can't get enough of Barcelona. What a great place. Of course, we had a purpose...Formula 1 testing! McLaren's new livery:
Racing Point is still in the pink:
Red Bull stands out, as always. Well, paint-wise anyway:
And, of course, for those who love him, Lewis:
Us, we're Kimi fans. Leave us alone we know what we're doing.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Tales of the Sea
We cast off from Malaga and headed for Funchal. We thought. At sea, our favorite Captain Stan (Stanislaus Mercier De Lacombe) got to deliver the news that the weather sucked (big tropical storm) and we were deviating to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to take on fuel and then it would be nine days at sea, straight to Miami. With plenty of rough seas. Goody. So much for Bermudan Thanksgivings.
We don't have pictures of Las Palmas because there was so much spray in the air, but the surfers love the place. And, we got out of there just in time. Check out this video of what happened when the storm got there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRg6yJg2lKM
The Captain and the Cruise Director did something new enroute. They made really good "Weather Channel" tapes so that we could keep up via TV. That's how we knew about the storm videos.
OK. So. We spent about 35 hours rocking and rolling before it finally calmed down, but there was enough motion still for a person to feel a lot of vibration from the engine pods in the aft section. One afternoon, we were sitting in the Horizon Lounge, which suddenly stopped vibrating and went dead still. Gee, it really calmed down, we thought. After a couple of minutes we decided that something was wrong...too quiet. And we seemed to be turning, hard.
We intrepid sailors were right. Here came the announcement: we have spotted a lifeboat on the port side and we're going to investigate, maybe put a rescue team overboard. We circled the boat, which was the ejection type (think Captain Phillips) that are on cargo ships. The hatch was open, and it was floating semi submerged. We got real close and sounded the whistle. No response.
Captain Stan could read the name of the ship it belonged to, and got on the radio. The ship was in Croatia with everyone accounted for. We got straightened out and again set off for Miami. We found out later, from the Portuguese Coast Guard, that the lifeboat had been lost, last April, from a Chemical Tanker in the middle of the Atlantic, along a line roughly between northern Canada and northern France. It had been drifting for the last eight months and had wandered over 1,000 miles south of its original position. We noted the fact that it was still afloat says something good for lifeboats!
Although we went 550 miles out of our way, we were making good time...fair winds and following seas, as they say. Everyone cheered when it was announced that we'd make a stop at St. Maarten before heading into Miami. In port there, we saw the oddest ship parked next to us. Look at this. Can you figure out what's wrong with this picture? Took us a while!
When we got to Miami, all was well...in Miami. Chicago, however, was having themselves a bugger of a snowstorm. Our 3:50 p.m. arrival time got bumped four times and we finally got there around 10:00 p.m. and thought we were lucky. Our limo company couldn't get a car to us. We finally found another limo and got home around midnight. And did we need a drink.
There is good news, however.
Pati won the wiener dog contest, 5 to 1.
We don't have pictures of Las Palmas because there was so much spray in the air, but the surfers love the place. And, we got out of there just in time. Check out this video of what happened when the storm got there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRg6yJg2lKM
The Captain and the Cruise Director did something new enroute. They made really good "Weather Channel" tapes so that we could keep up via TV. That's how we knew about the storm videos.
OK. So. We spent about 35 hours rocking and rolling before it finally calmed down, but there was enough motion still for a person to feel a lot of vibration from the engine pods in the aft section. One afternoon, we were sitting in the Horizon Lounge, which suddenly stopped vibrating and went dead still. Gee, it really calmed down, we thought. After a couple of minutes we decided that something was wrong...too quiet. And we seemed to be turning, hard.
We intrepid sailors were right. Here came the announcement: we have spotted a lifeboat on the port side and we're going to investigate, maybe put a rescue team overboard. We circled the boat, which was the ejection type (think Captain Phillips) that are on cargo ships. The hatch was open, and it was floating semi submerged. We got real close and sounded the whistle. No response.
Captain Stan could read the name of the ship it belonged to, and got on the radio. The ship was in Croatia with everyone accounted for. We got straightened out and again set off for Miami. We found out later, from the Portuguese Coast Guard, that the lifeboat had been lost, last April, from a Chemical Tanker in the middle of the Atlantic, along a line roughly between northern Canada and northern France. It had been drifting for the last eight months and had wandered over 1,000 miles south of its original position. We noted the fact that it was still afloat says something good for lifeboats!
Although we went 550 miles out of our way, we were making good time...fair winds and following seas, as they say. Everyone cheered when it was announced that we'd make a stop at St. Maarten before heading into Miami. In port there, we saw the oddest ship parked next to us. Look at this. Can you figure out what's wrong with this picture? Took us a while!
When we got to Miami, all was well...in Miami. Chicago, however, was having themselves a bugger of a snowstorm. Our 3:50 p.m. arrival time got bumped four times and we finally got there around 10:00 p.m. and thought we were lucky. Our limo company couldn't get a car to us. We finally found another limo and got home around midnight. And did we need a drink.
There is good news, however.
Pati won the wiener dog contest, 5 to 1.
The Alhambra!
It's a two hour drive from Malaga up to Granada and the Alhambra. This Moorish palace has plenty of history for both the Moors and the royalty of Spain, including being home to the young Infanta Catalina de Aragon (Henry VIII's real queen, Catherine of Aragon). We'll not tell its history here, check online at www.alhambradegranada.org and other places for outside pictures and historical stuff. We'll take you inside where the treasures really are. Hang on, here we go:
The tree of life. God, apparently, sits above its roots:
The patios:
And inside: Hint on this first photo...that's not decoration, it's Arabic from different periods. And it says "there is no conqueror but Allah". Twice. This particular carving is replicated all over the building.
Here's the conqueror script again:
Mind boggled yet? It's amazing isn't it? One can come up for air at the nearby Generalife Gardens, where the royalty hung out on hot days...
We stopped for a wonderful lunch and then, back to the ship and onward. Read our next installment for an interesting tale of the sea.
The tree of life. God, apparently, sits above its roots:
The patios:
And inside: Hint on this first photo...that's not decoration, it's Arabic from different periods. And it says "there is no conqueror but Allah". Twice. This particular carving is replicated all over the building.
Here's the conqueror script again:
Mind boggled yet? It's amazing isn't it? One can come up for air at the nearby Generalife Gardens, where the royalty hung out on hot days...
We stopped for a wonderful lunch and then, back to the ship and onward. Read our next installment for an interesting tale of the sea.
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