Todd & Linda's Wedding Reception @ Wild Basin Lodge Allenspark, CO

 After the ceremony in the 'Meadow' all the guests strolled back to the Lodge for Cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. 

Each table was identified with a local creature or bird and the place cards were coordinated with each table. The centerpieces were vintage Indiana glass hob nail clear glass compotes (stemmed candy dishes)..

Yummy appetizers

1st Dance!

Irish jig

Linda singing to Todd.  It was so touching.

Dessert table

 

 

THE cake with edible Gold.

Exploring from our Minnesota Campground OLA

a barn quilt by the roadside in Hidden Bluffs Country

Our feet were getting itchy so we made an appointment for the Chicago Camping World to finish the job on our RV (one of the benefits of working with a reliable nationwide chain) and proceeded to Hidden Bluffs Resort (after the little pilgrimage to the Grotto) in Spring Grove at Minnesota’s southeastern corner.  A bluff is defined as a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad steep face.  The resort is a small valley surrounded by bluffs that have been hidden by lots of very green deciduous trees.

a bluff by the roadside

We quickly found out that it is a weekend getaway for local families, especially from nearby Rochester. The planned activities were for kids and the amenities were geared for them, too. Even the hot tub was frequently occupied by a family so we went either early in the morning or late at night. Thus, we quickly plotted our day trips in our 8 days here. Our only condition was to have the trips every other day so we can have time for maintenance, housekeeping, computer work, and cooking.

Our first trip was to Rochester, 1 ½ hours away, and to Minneapolis-St. Paul, another 1 ½ hours from there.  The Mall of the America with a theme park, an aquarium, and an entertainment district (my favorite is the amazing Lego Store) is the biggest in the USA, in a southern burb of Minneapolis. With 500 stores and 4.2 M sq. ft. total area (2.8 M of which are leasable), it is the 13^th largest mall in the world (China has 4, Philippines 4, Canada 1, Dubai 1, Turkey 1, and Malaysia 1 in the top 12).

Mayo Clinic

In Rochester is Mayo Clinic, in top 3 of 10 of 12 important specializations (1 in diabetes, gastroenterology, and kidney, 2 in gynecology, heart, neurology, orthopedics, pulmonary, 3 in cancer and urology). Only Johns-Hopkins ranks close with 9.  So we went to see the Mayowood Mansion where the Mayos lived and the Plummer House (Dr. Plummer was the 3^rd doctor who founded the clinic along with the brothers). Atop the Plummer Building downtown is the Rochester Carillon, a system of 15 bells that play symphonies!  

   

Pine Bend Refinery

This day trip took over 11 hours, 7 for driving alone! On the way to the twin cities we saw a huge unique plant looming larger and larger from the horizon. On our way back, we made it a point to stop to take photos. I found out later that it is the Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount. It is among the top processors of Canadian crude in the US, supplying most of the Upper Midwest and certainly, the twin cities, especially its airport, with its capacity of about 320,000 barrels per day. 

a bear mound

The next day trip was to the Effigy Mounds National Monument, only 2 hours from ‘home’ in Harper’s Ferry, Iowa.  There were about 10,000 mounds at one time in the plains of the Midwest to the Atlantic. The Woodland Period Indians, from 500 BC until early European contact, had regularly constructed them in the shape of mammals, birds, or reptiles but agriculture plowed them under. The monument contains 2,526 acres with 206 mounds, 31 effigies. This park is the largest known collection of mounds in the US.

world's smallest church

From Pike’s Peak in MacGregor, Iowa, you can look out to the Mississippi bluffs and see Wisconsin on the other side, especially the town of Prairie du Chen.  And going back to our ‘home’, we made it a point to make a little diversion to 2 points of interest: the World’s Smallest Church (a Catholic church that seats 8 people) in Festino, Iowa (built in --) and the Laura Ingall’s childhood home at Burr Oak, Iowa. This is the place which inspired many of the stories of her Little House on the Prairie.

Laura Ingall's prairie home

Amish Store in Canton

Around the campground are little towns known as Historic Bluffs Country.  Niagara Cave known for its 60-ft. waterfall is in Harmony, a dozen quaint barn quilts are in Caledonia, and an Amish buggy is the weekend market in Canton. We had a chance to go to Rushford Days, an annual festival with a tractor pulling competition and other never-heard-of games!   At the Houston Nature Park we met Alice, the Great Horned Owl, who ‘works’ with Karla and stars at the International Owl Festival every March!

tractor pulling race

Alice, the Great Horned Owl

As they say, sometimes you do not have to go far from home. Hidden Bluffs Resort had several miles of beautiful hiking trails. One of them ended in a big rock where we found a father-son tandem fishing the clear waters.  Another had a really beautiful scenic overlook of the little valley and the campground. It was T. S. Elliot who once said, ‘We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time,‘ exactly what happened to us!  

our beautiful hiking trail

Akita On The Move - On The Akita Shinkansen

We didn't sight-see much in Akita. We went there a couple of times, true but it was mostly because of the trains that we wanted to take and that of course includes the Akita Shinkansen. What we saw in Akita were mostly through the trains' window. Maybe next time, we can actually plan to stop at a few towns and set foot on them!

At Akita Station. We didn't venture far from the station, what with our hotel for the night being right next to the station!

We arrived Akita Station way past my lunch time, so the first order of business that day was to look for a place to eat. We were supposed to arrive at 12.00pm actually, but I made the whole gang missed our train because I was busy taking photos (of trains) at Ueno Station. The next train that we got on arrived Akita station at around 2.00pm. I was famished!

We encountered a "toshigami" or two along the way. Those two are the "Namahage", right? They  sure are everywhere!

The Akita we saw on the Akita Shinkansen (on the Komachi, to be exact) was a breathtaking view of

crystal clear rivers

green mountains

vast expanse of paddy fields, all yellow and ready for harvest

a bit of these too...

Next - view from the Resort Shirakami Buna and the odd view from local trains and buses too. ^^

Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens

Although we had every intention to make it to Busch Gardens for the opening of the new ride Cheetah Hunt, between Florida thunderstorms and life, we didn't make it until the other day.  We got there in the very late afternoon and it got too dark to continue taking photos, so there wasn't enough time to explore the new section to go with the ride.  

Hopefully we will return next week . . . 

but in the meantime, here is a peak at the new ride . . .

The landscaping at the base of this section

 of the ride is gorgeously tropical!

A photo from our last visit . . . the landscapers 

busily preparing the grounds for the opening

of the new Cheetah Hunt section.

What a difference a few weeks makes!

One of our favorite spots to chill out.

I love this water feature!

Linda & Todd's Wedding Wild Basin Lodge, Allenspark, CO 7/3/11

Linda & Todd live in Chicago and Todd's family have visited the Allenspark area and Rocky Mountain National Park since his Mom was 10 years old. Linda and Todd have visited, camped and hiked this area too, in recent years. Wild Basin Lodge is at the entrance to the park and is a beautiful log building. 

All the guests gathered at the lodge and followed a path to the "Meadow" crossing the N. St. Vrain creek. As they were seating themselves a friend was softly playing the guitar.

We were really happy to see so many friends there.  One couple flew 10,000 miles with their infant from China.  There were others from VA, NM, AZ, NY, CA, OR, CO and probably other states plus the 60 or so from the Chicago area including several families with their children.

After the wedding party walked in Linda and Todd were preceded by all the kids carrying a 'Pom" and ribbons on a stick.  These decorations were also part of the reception decor.

Nephew - Sebastian as Ring Bearer & Niece - Piper as Flower Girl

Congratualtions to Todd and Linda for a beautiful ceremony and thanks all their friends that were there to be part of it and helped celebrate their marriage.

Los Alamos, NM - The Pond & Church family

Just this last Thursday 7/14/11,  I had the pleasure of meeting the grandson of Ashley Pond, Jr.


Here is how it all happened.  Gene has been part of a study by DOE/Johns Hopkins where they follow past employees of LANL and Sandia Labs.  He had a physical with them 5 years ago and this time we had to go to Albuquerque to the UNM School of Medicine.


While he was being tested one of the ladies in the room mentioned that the man sitting at the table was the grandson of the man who started the Boy Scout camp in the Jemez mountains which later became Los Alamos. 


I got into the conversation when he said he was born in Santa Fe.  I laughed and said - yep in a Post Office box.  (Back then Los Alamos was so secret, nobody knew what was going on and all mail or reference to an address was the PO Box in Santa Fe).


I mentioned reading the book 'The House at Owati Bridge" and he had recollections of Edith Warner and how his mother would give talks about it and the correct pronunciation. (Owati - I said Ah-ta-wee and he said no out-ah-wee!)


Then I asked was his last name Pond? He said no it was Church and I said Peggy Pond Church.  He ginned and said "she was my mother".  Holy cow!!!  We had lived there for 7 years and anyone who knew anything about the history knew these names.  It was like talking to Christopher Columbus' grandson about America but on a lot smaller scale, but huge for me! 

He told us that his mother has written a book called "Shoes for the Santo Nino" and this winter the UNM Children's theater will be performing it as a Children's opera. (The Santo Nino is a statue in the chapel at Santuario de Chimayo and the legend says the little child leaves at night to help children and because of all the walking his shoes get worn out and need to be replaced) 


At that point a woman who works for UNM and was not part of the study came into the room.  She heard Peggy Pond Church's name mentioned and about came out of her skin.  Turns out she spent 42 years in NH and moved to NM to get away from the winters.  

She is a H U G E student of Los Alamos history and was naming names, told a story about Edward Teller, knew all about Ashley Pond, Jr and on and on.  She even got Mr. Hugh Church's autograph with a note that he was the 3rd son of Peggy Pond Church.  To say she was beside herself is an understatement.


I write this so I will remember it all and as a reminder to go back and read that book again.  And also for my son who was born in Los Alamos and my other 2 children who spent their first 4 - 5 years of schooling there. 


This experience also goes to prove that everybody has a story and we can all connect on one level or another.  Mr. Church was so humble in telling us these stories and not the least bit haughty, as so many could or would be.  It was 10 minutes in my life that really meant something because it came out of the clear, blue sky. 

My 7 Links Of Nonsense

Here I was reading the blogs of people I have links on my sidebar, and noticing the 7 links thingy that's been cropping up recently and happily noting that nobody mentioned me. Just when I thought I was safe, I head over to David's Ogijima and what did I see there? I was nominated to join this 7 links  meme/initiative. Argh! Argh! But I am touched that he nominated me. ^^ Thanks for the thoughts.

It took me 6 days to come up with this post because, I may have hundreds of posts but they are mostly my own ramblings of my family's trip to Japan. If you ever came across the others doing it, you might have noticed the quality of the others' 7 links are so way above mine.

Still, I present you my 7 links. W00T W00T

My most beautiful post - Mojiko Station

This post is about a train station that I had always wanted to visit and we made it there in 2008. Not only did I get to see a beautiful train station, I met up with a beautiful person too. A lady whom I've never met generously took us around Mojiko Retro and spent her precious time with us. To me, that is beautiful.

My most popular post - Toilets, In Trains

I ranked my most popular post by the amount it generated comments and the most with comments is about a toilet. In trains. In Japan. Shows how important answering nature's call in a nice and clean environment is to everyone.

My most controversial post - Still eating sushi

This post was written about a month after the March 11 earthquake in Tohoku. I wrote that post to state my view on those who are panicky about the radiation and contamination in Japan. I should be scared about the radiation in Japan while living in Malaysia and all that nonsense I suppose, but will that really help any of the people who suffered from the earthquake and the tsunami? Not really. By the way, the whole of Japan did not turn into a radioactive wasteland after March 11. And I'm still going to Japan.

My most helpful post - Applying A Visa To Japan

a helpful post to Malaysian readers was I think about the visa requirement to Japan. It got a lot of hits everytime AirAsia (a budget carrier) offered super low airfares to Haneda Airport.

Receiving a lot of comments from people wanting to know about the visa requirements, I was surprised (I shouldn't be, but still...) by the lack of courtesy these people have when asking for information. No hi, no please and no thank yous. Just direct questions and I was expected to answer. I don't work at the Embassy. I am also not a travel agent. Get that?   

My post whose success surprised me - I need my meals on time

is about me being hungry and needing to be fed! I should be silly on my blogs more often!

My post that I don't think got the attention it deserved - Nighttime in Asakusa

I posted up a photo of a homeless guy sleeping in front of a shop in Asakusa, my  "subtle" way of showing Japan is just like any other countries with their fair share of problems. I love Japan and all things Japanese, but I am well aware of them not being the perfect society some people always talk about. We are all human. Malaysia has homeless people, Japan has them too.

My post I'm most proud of - An onsen & ryokan experience at Taenoyu Onsen

no particular reason for being proud of it. But that this was our first ever stay at a ryokan that has a mixed bath section and my first ever experience of cavorting naked all around the bath area. I was proud of that. ^^!

And the hard part of this...passing the baton to these lovely people:

London Calling
Ristinw
Kak Lela
Bananaz
Eastcoastlife