tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88798830518098456462024-03-20T02:37:25.501-07:00TravelsAlicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-5432591509539308452011-03-14T18:08:00.001-07:002011-03-15T13:42:34.867-07:00Day 1: Arrival in AmsterdamBrian was unexpectedly chosen to present at a conference in Amsterdam. The timing wasn't great, since we'd have to leave about 10 days after returning from New Orleans, but we couldn't really pass up a plane ticket to Europe. The conference would be picking up his round trip ticket and 3 nights in a hotel, and we'd be responsible for the rest.<br /><br />We stayed in a hotel that was much more expensive than anything we would have chosen on our own; however, being Amsterdam, it was still very small, though perfectly adequate for us!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BEWcFn-vyiRHdgx1-B6Qf8D7AvL7TwemnJywRCQtYWBhyphenhyphenh0G76LrMKbcrggYh1ntRwQvKX78LPEPTDSZbCeb090503z0OvDd82AG74PI8KOi6OdgYuYE1zHdvxom0s7FlPE2Ro4niIOq/s1600/DSCN0883.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BEWcFn-vyiRHdgx1-B6Qf8D7AvL7TwemnJywRCQtYWBhyphenhyphenh0G76LrMKbcrggYh1ntRwQvKX78LPEPTDSZbCeb090503z0OvDd82AG74PI8KOi6OdgYuYE1zHdvxom0s7FlPE2Ro4niIOq/s400/DSCN0883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107509821307026" border="0" /></a>Our first day, we walked around a bit, Brian registered for the conference, and we went to dinner.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-q_nhbtoGxamphV-pDXfweQSjn4B0aWkITKVfrTj9pjPb_KBw551B_HrxL1Gk7EdfAngwqdWyRZhGcwV1CxkmJXMD25xNvYcfsfjeJHMET5mD0KqP2KS0xBjSQ-4Fd4B19e7-I3byUU3/s1600/DSCN0855.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-q_nhbtoGxamphV-pDXfweQSjn4B0aWkITKVfrTj9pjPb_KBw551B_HrxL1Gk7EdfAngwqdWyRZhGcwV1CxkmJXMD25xNvYcfsfjeJHMET5mD0KqP2KS0xBjSQ-4Fd4B19e7-I3byUU3/s400/DSCN0855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107521754998306" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtZQH3UU6jsg1aOaOJK8aAIN91CIO-g3T-1TQbuGYd6RLtcmj1MdCuBbgP8k9Fody4NIyYZElWF78d9I32-WmcnHrgrtL61GWkzylYe-zvVqKJcL39iISDjIkvS0A2ix9dkiqkLdI4j1f/s1600/DSCN0856.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtZQH3UU6jsg1aOaOJK8aAIN91CIO-g3T-1TQbuGYd6RLtcmj1MdCuBbgP8k9Fody4NIyYZElWF78d9I32-WmcnHrgrtL61GWkzylYe-zvVqKJcL39iISDjIkvS0A2ix9dkiqkLdI4j1f/s400/DSCN0856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107515723322018" border="0" /></a>Since we were so tired, we pretty much went home shortly after dinner and slept. Brian had to get an early start on the next day.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-36632826441583098292011-03-14T18:07:00.009-07:002011-03-15T14:01:25.104-07:00Day 2: ChurchesBrian went to his conference in the morning, but was able to come back over lunch. We stopped at a lunch counter for a quick breakfast; just a pastry and coffee:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoNbm3foYlwQpiUbW9WTzuR7kX7ddTTmZUP3MAd3s-Z03K1N-eu3o0DMe8F4Eq8nH_J3_JxamdzOn-GSIxCkLnEHDRV-y_5aRHYBDJ-mI8xngnaWd4XqF4g0SnfZZOkRd6ubv-X_dFIpm/s1600/DSCN0857.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoNbm3foYlwQpiUbW9WTzuR7kX7ddTTmZUP3MAd3s-Z03K1N-eu3o0DMe8F4Eq8nH_J3_JxamdzOn-GSIxCkLnEHDRV-y_5aRHYBDJ-mI8xngnaWd4XqF4g0SnfZZOkRd6ubv-X_dFIpm/s400/DSCN0857.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108407640427554" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykuEqewJr7QWmrk3hwzhqmJl-GQsPj6K8dTGNIZwOfrl5YYhIJPCKqsx7err8cBWY0lYwtC3ZtCkQnBsTIYb_7I99f_vJk8ey-qmWAjhPcYvtdes80dYdL5xKgs-l_jIP_SdZDAqQOp0b/s1600/DSCN0858.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjykuEqewJr7QWmrk3hwzhqmJl-GQsPj6K8dTGNIZwOfrl5YYhIJPCKqsx7err8cBWY0lYwtC3ZtCkQnBsTIYb_7I99f_vJk8ey-qmWAjhPcYvtdes80dYdL5xKgs-l_jIP_SdZDAqQOp0b/s400/DSCN0858.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108341409358274" border="0" /></a>Like many (most?) old European cities, we had some trouble at first understanding the maps and finding our way around. Some smaller streets were not marked on the map and streets would unexpectedly change names. Throw in the canals and, at least at first, we'd have to consult our map with relative frequency to get where we wanted to go.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhhkxns3rGzAxAJi6_QZ0uw-OqaIA5JscAdTKIWIKLMYPNs3X-O9Uw16RcbtSQiVB2wXnHkCKPTeY3ufXTItkz89zuKrTYjm28rWvcp2-Nhv-tPV_pJp-sfpE-bi443_SCYwucgvWyQWm/s1600/DSCN0862.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhhkxns3rGzAxAJi6_QZ0uw-OqaIA5JscAdTKIWIKLMYPNs3X-O9Uw16RcbtSQiVB2wXnHkCKPTeY3ufXTItkz89zuKrTYjm28rWvcp2-Nhv-tPV_pJp-sfpE-bi443_SCYwucgvWyQWm/s400/DSCN0862.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108338242999410" border="0" /></a>A view of the houses alongside a canal:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tSuB164tcoVnTW7SZLdUx2bs3p5VuZSUhR78Ps8UGRRXNfBnS9jeHy4Vu4LhJpR2C-TTJwUdMZyLMgkaptFZsT0Uwrce4zxJ3z0nk0R5-rSHs1ifNyqyENmw70-xi9ON6TtDLZv9QA-k/s1600/DSCN0863.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tSuB164tcoVnTW7SZLdUx2bs3p5VuZSUhR78Ps8UGRRXNfBnS9jeHy4Vu4LhJpR2C-TTJwUdMZyLMgkaptFZsT0Uwrce4zxJ3z0nk0R5-rSHs1ifNyqyENmw70-xi9ON6TtDLZv9QA-k/s400/DSCN0863.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108330407949362" border="0" /></a>This was one of our confusing periods. We could see the Weigh House, but were having trouble locating exactly where we were on the map. It took us about 20 minutes longer than it should have to get to our destination!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsz9xOyPreSsCgld-eclFTVMnbVgZRuRvoVpEDzZxR3BGXspkcKify1mJM_TqKLRwnJGYI6jfJEQyg62sP9ULg39wNEC3mxXxtt2F84h2sb8h7wSGvcV6YROSu5kYmBJMWYwUz_drz720n/s1600/DSCN0865.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsz9xOyPreSsCgld-eclFTVMnbVgZRuRvoVpEDzZxR3BGXspkcKify1mJM_TqKLRwnJGYI6jfJEQyg62sP9ULg39wNEC3mxXxtt2F84h2sb8h7wSGvcV6YROSu5kYmBJMWYwUz_drz720n/s400/DSCN0865.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108320135114034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4PDmQlczcYdNaMSHgdVAMRtq3ROqNMX1DOv3x5hYF6jROfbQYvZmxYIdvj24YyMApkht59t98gOux4IwVhmzcJnn8WHGNxylDBM-aWGci2bRV6nEQK8vrm3G5Q0ux8iZ-bP195ObLY6N/s1600/DSCN0866.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4PDmQlczcYdNaMSHgdVAMRtq3ROqNMX1DOv3x5hYF6jROfbQYvZmxYIdvj24YyMApkht59t98gOux4IwVhmzcJnn8WHGNxylDBM-aWGci2bRV6nEQK8vrm3G5Q0ux8iZ-bP195ObLY6N/s400/DSCN0866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108317588501090" border="0" /></a>Which was the <a href="http://www.opsolder.nl/eng/home.php">Church of Our Lord in the Attic</a>. During the Reformation, Catholic worship was outlawed. A wealthy Catholic merchant transformed a canal-side mansion into a church. The family lived in the front rooms, and from the outside, it looked like a normal house.<br /><br />We purchased our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museumkaart"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Museumkaart</span></a> here. This is an amazing value for anyone planning on visiting even just a few of the sights in Amsterdam. As an added bonus, it's valid at many museums in other cities in Holland.<br /><br />Here I am, descending the stairs from the house-part to the church-part:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbgpvcmG7X23IrZ1-tDNHH0MKtbfZ-FO6wwiI_ajfbGnzIrydJoptRo3b2-HaPcEQnxUIOYdL_wSuWUwL1Cv7P81i52UJ8Y_Ln9EXQMTAb6pLMwuluqxeUk2lUPC2kAUahxiGKfKaGzuR/s1600/DSCN0869.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjbgpvcmG7X23IrZ1-tDNHH0MKtbfZ-FO6wwiI_ajfbGnzIrydJoptRo3b2-HaPcEQnxUIOYdL_wSuWUwL1Cv7P81i52UJ8Y_Ln9EXQMTAb6pLMwuluqxeUk2lUPC2kAUahxiGKfKaGzuR/s400/DSCN0869.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108111434201186" border="0" /></a>The church is in the process of renovation, so some parts were closed to visitors. However, other parts were still open, giving us a glimpse into the restoration process. On the bench, you can see paint chip samples and other restoration tools:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLR4kDHV_hE2WQEAU-eG7oDhyphenhyphenmsNGTrYt37t_uaOvRWftzRWrraFrc9ylMZbRZNfBGwGcbxp2XHJGd5Lm4bZ9g-1yjEsI-03FJ9P-Mg1H_n9xZs606Vfva1CGJy6kgyd-xpHIZ_YC64vTy/s1600/DSCN0870.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLR4kDHV_hE2WQEAU-eG7oDhyphenhyphenmsNGTrYt37t_uaOvRWftzRWrraFrc9ylMZbRZNfBGwGcbxp2XHJGd5Lm4bZ9g-1yjEsI-03FJ9P-Mg1H_n9xZs606Vfva1CGJy6kgyd-xpHIZ_YC64vTy/s400/DSCN0870.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108101002780114" border="0" /></a>A view of the organ:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBOgMtUBGoBYz0zgY8o06io0X_JDoveBTpubD_wQmvQUpmtGkF2XCCUX_j2DBk6JO61n53Wff7gPgw-d0Eeu2T7M-N2cdac4DzEolbQH3zqJgbkvmAYTocEXTCr98gz1X45XdFK3Yg51E/s1600/DSCN0873.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBOgMtUBGoBYz0zgY8o06io0X_JDoveBTpubD_wQmvQUpmtGkF2XCCUX_j2DBk6JO61n53Wff7gPgw-d0Eeu2T7M-N2cdac4DzEolbQH3zqJgbkvmAYTocEXTCr98gz1X45XdFK3Yg51E/s400/DSCN0873.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108099003976114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPzKKFHX0u9Ru9FZmuY86eRvxeK_bPYTE5dU7wI6ktVOQ16JWQ8MN6wDduEOutPW4c3qTc2BJp51OIzkdvSVOlMThIHLrGOaZQqAj5nUQ-D1xHLbKj0hc_uEqo8uzTwjZjEleefx0qfvW/s1600/DSCN0874.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPzKKFHX0u9Ru9FZmuY86eRvxeK_bPYTE5dU7wI6ktVOQ16JWQ8MN6wDduEOutPW4c3qTc2BJp51OIzkdvSVOlMThIHLrGOaZQqAj5nUQ-D1xHLbKj0hc_uEqo8uzTwjZjEleefx0qfvW/s400/DSCN0874.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108093495886754" border="0" /></a>After leaving this church, we decided to head over to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oude_Kerk_%28Amsterdam%29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Oude</span> Kerk</a> (Old Church) nearby. It's currently located right in the middle of the red light district.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquJN0t8dDTW3qfoDY_TvS_NTzbtAyOXXkAkjBUHfOfJvhdAVAW4PkpfF6yVZCQttVw3pr5go2b7Reg4H606Arr31svKZObODARi3J3rxIg4P28tHXSk3oMQwQpVZ-OlPCZKbqtSf9kzEC/s1600/DSCN0875.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquJN0t8dDTW3qfoDY_TvS_NTzbtAyOXXkAkjBUHfOfJvhdAVAW4PkpfF6yVZCQttVw3pr5go2b7Reg4H606Arr31svKZObODARi3J3rxIg4P28tHXSk3oMQwQpVZ-OlPCZKbqtSf9kzEC/s400/DSCN0875.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108083537175826" border="0" /></a>During the Reformation, most of the Catholic embellishments were destroyed, so it was a bit bare when compared to other churches we've visited in Europe. Brian was disappointed to not find any relics.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo-xByucj9pqbDHCKky6UCqmUz4evF_Pg2BvYdbJB-60QOWEsqUrIVl0cQfENmraCXDn1Ia3NymXmtDbTXcr1MFiMnA3UtHGCAwxLF-UbKu5UScm7HxdaumbOWgBuyqJ6RKwUyWiiidgr/s1600/DSCN0877.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo-xByucj9pqbDHCKky6UCqmUz4evF_Pg2BvYdbJB-60QOWEsqUrIVl0cQfENmraCXDn1Ia3NymXmtDbTXcr1MFiMnA3UtHGCAwxLF-UbKu5UScm7HxdaumbOWgBuyqJ6RKwUyWiiidgr/s400/DSCN0877.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107876581621010" border="0" /></a>I'm not exactly sure where this staircase goes, but I'm happy I don't have to climb it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb9I5LLrygdDZCKMesTf88QOdMhoT9z1JN14VLtZ3KIcaRMYfNBMOXse5RjOew0JJ5oZhMIBXZNTZ8OdqgLt4Zc41Zx-jWfGRj53b8GYC6zhZYD2oOcMN1COT1dxqyoBDEPnnL152OW_z/s1600/DSCN0879.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjb9I5LLrygdDZCKMesTf88QOdMhoT9z1JN14VLtZ3KIcaRMYfNBMOXse5RjOew0JJ5oZhMIBXZNTZ8OdqgLt4Zc41Zx-jWfGRj53b8GYC6zhZYD2oOcMN1COT1dxqyoBDEPnnL152OW_z/s400/DSCN0879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107872388540914" border="0" /></a>After leaving the church, we went to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allard_Pierson_Museum">Allard Pierson Museum</a>, which is the University of Amsterdam's archaeological museum. We didn't take any pictures, but we loved it here! There was a special exhibition on Alexander the Great, as well as the permanent collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and elsewhere.<br /><br />Also, they had a funny sign for their bathroom:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkReDPrj1xXMs1BLf8csfoAuT1Yzn70W5hFyPMUSTSO7jINGRVtnD88MxqhnKXGWF1zVxLAWcRX5iESJuwEQVnTNEwTDeR1zE08vGWvH3brJuyQ76qyCjVw-8ZiWIu9Jpc104RKg7N12eV/s1600/DSCN0881.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkReDPrj1xXMs1BLf8csfoAuT1Yzn70W5hFyPMUSTSO7jINGRVtnD88MxqhnKXGWF1zVxLAWcRX5iESJuwEQVnTNEwTDeR1zE08vGWvH3brJuyQ76qyCjVw-8ZiWIu9Jpc104RKg7N12eV/s400/DSCN0881.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107870026751538" border="0" /></a>We had a light lunch in their cafeteria. It's amazing how a simple cheese sandwich can be so delicious!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwV9DsgIdIS-rkBo3md-qN-oaOqf2gCj8U-byWcTOWtkCO4YuZTRhte_ithu7_0Oshe11OskvvEYJ-TayPb0jr-qfpk6Uo8fuWq8AgVRn7A53iPMJ8hBaBhFe_zAGiqs0iZ3q1lsJYplvM/s1600/DSCN0882.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwV9DsgIdIS-rkBo3md-qN-oaOqf2gCj8U-byWcTOWtkCO4YuZTRhte_ithu7_0Oshe11OskvvEYJ-TayPb0jr-qfpk6Uo8fuWq8AgVRn7A53iPMJ8hBaBhFe_zAGiqs0iZ3q1lsJYplvM/s400/DSCN0882.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107862846453298" border="0" /></a>We then went back to the hotel as Brian had more conference things to do. I took the opportunity to read (and perhaps nap) a bit.<br /><br />He got back around 5 pm. We decided to go for a run. Amsterdam, at least the old part, is not conducive to running! We had to stop frequently for traffic, so it was more like interval training than a steady-state run, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We eventually found ourselves at a park where we saw some grey herons. We got a bit lost, but eventually made it back home, having completed about the distance we'd been hoping for.<br /><br />We quickly showered and went out for dinner, choosing an Indian restaurant that was close by. I'm not sure why I have such a weird look on my face, but I suppose I should just be happy that my eyes were open in the picture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4bcgkCujoDrhMqUcFCrLq3MjwD4Qe7ijBV373eT5vxLHvBYkdM94HnCNW8MLNXnTeWjTOoEjtHGttG_R22XUhLs4MdfqbL6VB8ItOJzGUSra-jlNTzjWWRMIIULG30KZ1DT0KtbKeNl7/s1600/DSCN0886.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4bcgkCujoDrhMqUcFCrLq3MjwD4Qe7ijBV373eT5vxLHvBYkdM94HnCNW8MLNXnTeWjTOoEjtHGttG_R22XUhLs4MdfqbL6VB8ItOJzGUSra-jlNTzjWWRMIIULG30KZ1DT0KtbKeNl7/s400/DSCN0886.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584107858585815586" border="0" /></a>The food was good, and we then pretty much returned to the hotel as Brian had another early day in front of him.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-46483087426976600352011-03-14T18:07:00.007-07:002011-03-15T14:05:46.786-07:00Day 3: Conference and RelaxationSaturday dawned with a full conference schedule. Brian had to get up early, but I got to sleep in. When he stopped by again, it was close to lunch time, so we went to a nearby cafe for lunch. As was everything we ate here, the food was delicious!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCl5uL8fX-WSEw8ml0FfIvTWXETqGzlM6BF2ytGv_ghVLwr11iwG42t7_2klZYBv9Old9mlyDfnOZ9R9bUSScMaCxwhJduAc3hPUOEOHO0Dh-G14cVgRMdh0rj-y9nUR7HWLKebFaF9g-/s1600/DSCN0888.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCl5uL8fX-WSEw8ml0FfIvTWXETqGzlM6BF2ytGv_ghVLwr11iwG42t7_2klZYBv9Old9mlyDfnOZ9R9bUSScMaCxwhJduAc3hPUOEOHO0Dh-G14cVgRMdh0rj-y9nUR7HWLKebFaF9g-/s400/DSCN0888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108961571486786" border="0" /></a>The afternoon was filled with conference (for Brian), relaxation (for me), and a hard treadmill run (for both of us). Given our troubles running in the city, we decided it was best to take advantage of the treadmills while we still had them!<br /><br />For dinner, we'd decided to go to a vegetarian place that was highly rated in all three of our guidebooks. However, we were unable to find it, and subsequent research had led us to believe it's not longer in business.<br /><br />Not to worry, as we found a nice Italian place.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-Orx9EyfCgAe0E3mFyPuBVwn8i4wv4kO7HJ_WofmoBTd_qG8su8oXC3geD7YDUvUpT-V5Zl22XiFNQwS9zNIOpkn3KPaR-5fiqEUQvSqKwRrjNf6WlmO04t7K7HQjp7IfNeI7JFriJkQ/s1600/DSCN0889.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-Orx9EyfCgAe0E3mFyPuBVwn8i4wv4kO7HJ_WofmoBTd_qG8su8oXC3geD7YDUvUpT-V5Zl22XiFNQwS9zNIOpkn3KPaR-5fiqEUQvSqKwRrjNf6WlmO04t7K7HQjp7IfNeI7JFriJkQ/s400/DSCN0889.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108952928211122" border="0" /></a>When we ordered garlic bread, this wasn't exactly what we were expecting, but it was delicious nonetheless!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSip895jUBUHymLB4sJpbPHIlqjY3dINs-Z8ArkZQE5evwJx5pnGKDL39f3F0UPKK8FW_XgJO8SWi5MoxdlWnTFjuxp37fk3dcPBfTDqTRxbUupjVz5mcfE5o6DIWNPldX4iPMCul92Bbu/s1600/DSCN0891.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSip895jUBUHymLB4sJpbPHIlqjY3dINs-Z8ArkZQE5evwJx5pnGKDL39f3F0UPKK8FW_XgJO8SWi5MoxdlWnTFjuxp37fk3dcPBfTDqTRxbUupjVz5mcfE5o6DIWNPldX4iPMCul92Bbu/s400/DSCN0891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108948304427042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPNzIdfZIyttpzwZIkqgPgHx1yMYhnhNvz8HCMGqie33iFX9JUFKTcGuL4d5KsdCccr-awrkf52ye1T0WMDX3tWUNBpW6fOjd82FL3sVrK1URE4HvAVS0VzIZZMqHurMt7CMgwlillNQQ/s1600/DSCN0892.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPNzIdfZIyttpzwZIkqgPgHx1yMYhnhNvz8HCMGqie33iFX9JUFKTcGuL4d5KsdCccr-awrkf52ye1T0WMDX3tWUNBpW6fOjd82FL3sVrK1URE4HvAVS0VzIZZMqHurMt7CMgwlillNQQ/s400/DSCN0892.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584108942207118466" border="0" /></a>With the conference over, we could now really get started with our sightseeing!<br /><br />For me, it was nice to have these few days with limited activity as I could get over my jet lag and really appreciate what we saw later instead of seeing it through a tired-fog.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-70756094374547479792011-03-14T18:07:00.005-07:002011-03-15T14:24:56.257-07:00Day 4: New Apartment & MuseumsSunday morning, after a last treadmill run, we had to pack everything up. Though we had another week in Amsterdam, we were moving from the hotel paid for by the conference to an apartment we'd rented. We couldn't check in to our apartment until the afternoon, so we left our luggage at the hotel (in their left luggage room) and set out to see some sights.<br /><br />We went to the <a href="http://en.ahm.nl/">Amsterdam Historical Museum</a> (they are in the process of rebranding as "Amsterdam Museum"), which was incredibly interesting. One of their exhibits was the recreated interior of a famous lesbian bar that had closed, but may possibly have been reopened?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxADp59YdO1IUt6Qn5RxCoIFnOhfUufmTlfmaX8Uj7QU6Eh2opDrlf3dSxU2o_l3kHg7GgFjHOUjAV_ZOWIq3r5ALTkqktqWnMWID3ATVHbUIFWFG6MQTjJ-5DPGTpWZsj34HZbI9IDcn/s1600/DSCN0895.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxADp59YdO1IUt6Qn5RxCoIFnOhfUufmTlfmaX8Uj7QU6Eh2opDrlf3dSxU2o_l3kHg7GgFjHOUjAV_ZOWIq3r5ALTkqktqWnMWID3ATVHbUIFWFG6MQTjJ-5DPGTpWZsj34HZbI9IDcn/s400/DSCN0895.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584111307407983810" border="0" /></a>Since it had gotten to be lunch time, we stopped at the museum cafe. Brian had another sandwich and I had a pancake with apples, raisins, and honey.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_gNbZYf9pGwYQtSv3rQEoSkqZm5sKfAI3k13VJwbG3ZBBBfOm0sWM2ZgqBFVNWkwWEB2FCmASpqWcVMgdPb8agvXJRD3bnWubBOfF92EXHUPvP4UuHghiuBJOSbIwSRtdu8_bJlEQpOZ/s1600/DSCN0902.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_gNbZYf9pGwYQtSv3rQEoSkqZm5sKfAI3k13VJwbG3ZBBBfOm0sWM2ZgqBFVNWkwWEB2FCmASpqWcVMgdPb8agvXJRD3bnWubBOfF92EXHUPvP4UuHghiuBJOSbIwSRtdu8_bJlEQpOZ/s400/DSCN0902.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584111295703727282" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBPF2hQugb0C-rJJJDfiraDjAETp1w3-QZ1xfrsR4QiOirhC8ujbu4axIsICNA5ogWoJIeyUNSd2PQ3LCQhhBPqNACKrSWWrJoGmynjvGw9DA8q3oZPxOa1BXoYAK5QGx7335IUk50LtO/s1600/DSCN0896.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBPF2hQugb0C-rJJJDfiraDjAETp1w3-QZ1xfrsR4QiOirhC8ujbu4axIsICNA5ogWoJIeyUNSd2PQ3LCQhhBPqNACKrSWWrJoGmynjvGw9DA8q3oZPxOa1BXoYAK5QGx7335IUk50LtO/s400/DSCN0896.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584111302345921474" border="0" /></a>By the time we'd finished lunch, it was time to check in at our apartment. The entrance was in the middle of this picture. We were two flights of stairs up.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwd4Tmrnhlaqv7Gjw9_zsoGGo5YLIrq6nbCXtep1a0118zP4GBPINIuH_v5_IDPAB5jgq4_FFDJfSV55hhsN2Rha-9JLp5DzyPRcizKeWCHqniE9nIFHa0XMqxqWnJQdWHRCtDL8tviX0/s1600/DSCN0937.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwd4Tmrnhlaqv7Gjw9_zsoGGo5YLIrq6nbCXtep1a0118zP4GBPINIuH_v5_IDPAB5jgq4_FFDJfSV55hhsN2Rha-9JLp5DzyPRcizKeWCHqniE9nIFHa0XMqxqWnJQdWHRCtDL8tviX0/s400/DSCN0937.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110413365459618" border="0" /></a>Brian, waiting for Daniel to show up and let us in:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBNZ4qfonEzqq562UwFcrHm31SCDQU3wFXaRj-iE4QLhznd0QpH7zofPAK-H_XcPpDM8x2qFlIsV55BgU2agblKNGu9CPtzKkCgyTl44zKCbNvOsQShp1X6y7xlbiieQQCz-n4HHe30uF/s1600/DSCN0903.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBNZ4qfonEzqq562UwFcrHm31SCDQU3wFXaRj-iE4QLhznd0QpH7zofPAK-H_XcPpDM8x2qFlIsV55BgU2agblKNGu9CPtzKkCgyTl44zKCbNvOsQShp1X6y7xlbiieQQCz-n4HHe30uF/s400/DSCN0903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110976569654914" border="0" /></a>The apartment was very cute and well-designed to take as little space as possible. This was quite possibly the smallest bedroom I've ever seen -- pretty much just room for a bed:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYLf-kX21DVUUjKwlcWkR2rOSB5eNM2weccy9-Z46YDq2Eu05OnyyKe0D97L-R11d5FKavtq3J9_GazdwMY0OtSQZSW80t-hgRJkUugEdCps1lo-bclA778vIvHml4LO9bN0u1AwHDNfj/s1600/DSCN0933.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYLf-kX21DVUUjKwlcWkR2rOSB5eNM2weccy9-Z46YDq2Eu05OnyyKe0D97L-R11d5FKavtq3J9_GazdwMY0OtSQZSW80t-hgRJkUugEdCps1lo-bclA778vIvHml4LO9bN0u1AwHDNfj/s400/DSCN0933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110435031835682" border="0" /></a>The kitchen:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2a-km_cTBCtvQBo1VgjfiOdxPXBxM9zpmuIb0zDTHbSnKT9dkLg0HoN4b5IfUGz88RnPCxMMrTFEVpJ2VtBgmWbyZunOuGFsaV4zAoalmhMwh2ntBCOJd3aom8TtpVkSZMo8jeEecse5/s1600/DSCN0934.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe2a-km_cTBCtvQBo1VgjfiOdxPXBxM9zpmuIb0zDTHbSnKT9dkLg0HoN4b5IfUGz88RnPCxMMrTFEVpJ2VtBgmWbyZunOuGFsaV4zAoalmhMwh2ntBCOJd3aom8TtpVkSZMo8jeEecse5/s400/DSCN0934.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110428157413698" border="0" /></a>The bathroom:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcV3KqA8G2DCG-8jPyOk6uSBOBI2sXIKIdzsJLplul-cMoq0a5YBpb2W3_KeCmnZvpS-2D_Py_EtvTuTRz88ZlirbeqyYOA8_yMyKLIh5ss9jxIjg2CBqyEJU_cokJLqMqwSpcjzb5eAL/s1600/DSCN0935.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcV3KqA8G2DCG-8jPyOk6uSBOBI2sXIKIdzsJLplul-cMoq0a5YBpb2W3_KeCmnZvpS-2D_Py_EtvTuTRz88ZlirbeqyYOA8_yMyKLIh5ss9jxIjg2CBqyEJU_cokJLqMqwSpcjzb5eAL/s400/DSCN0935.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110419445796690" border="0" /></a>The living room:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYOp_EMeC0b8fl6eIVouC2KWiWR3xQTHJKLGTkEy9ZYx9y-Z_ERxDoU0qg1DTIurd8QEcgzoGl012kbkAqpJ9zAp5hwU8NY5s6yU38uhUvXfetqKHZecJIT5WMBRuQOKzF9UnIoJc0C5_/s1600/DSCN0936.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYOp_EMeC0b8fl6eIVouC2KWiWR3xQTHJKLGTkEy9ZYx9y-Z_ERxDoU0qg1DTIurd8QEcgzoGl012kbkAqpJ9zAp5hwU8NY5s6yU38uhUvXfetqKHZecJIT5WMBRuQOKzF9UnIoJc0C5_/s400/DSCN0936.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110416468004914" border="0" /></a>Having dropped our stuff off, we walked to the <a href="http://en.dehortus.nl/">Botanical Gardens</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL699oiv3lbmAHg30FdV7mJ-0XW18S2QnlUdfBWnr0vxQ693osPe24mNgLvkVWnpJrZGHDwn-IfFXQ05oewauyzt8RwYV7vhXB9267e2CuPw5mOfeMz_AxRUr_GZoHWeleq-eEfWqBvhIh/s1600/DSCN0907.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL699oiv3lbmAHg30FdV7mJ-0XW18S2QnlUdfBWnr0vxQ693osPe24mNgLvkVWnpJrZGHDwn-IfFXQ05oewauyzt8RwYV7vhXB9267e2CuPw5mOfeMz_AxRUr_GZoHWeleq-eEfWqBvhIh/s400/DSCN0907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110967480546546" border="0" /></a>We joked about what this tree must have done to get itself locked up:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJcUhtgJntZNrTV0VlC_zcD0B3kHSWI5x3Pg-A7OkJ2kYHYE_b2vxmqLSVIh53Tntag1ew4n3eSuOh4jNKPvNcsgBGggiGpDSIiNvuH9Ch808h_3NVixeJ1Va13K40_xR9NmNI8e9h6og/s1600/DSCN0918.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJcUhtgJntZNrTV0VlC_zcD0B3kHSWI5x3Pg-A7OkJ2kYHYE_b2vxmqLSVIh53Tntag1ew4n3eSuOh4jNKPvNcsgBGggiGpDSIiNvuH9Ch808h_3NVixeJ1Va13K40_xR9NmNI8e9h6og/s400/DSCN0918.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110957895608498" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>There was a building with tropical plants. It was very warm in here, so we spent a lot of time looking at the plants!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG1CtxWwbESOJGAr7UOVUSYyrMDCMqH6f0E_iQR1HV1xbiKjXGOiYrYYWOHhIw5FannqAk1_jiAFY_FxEtdz-gGmU0YmC7YrFi9NRoq19k35evMHP8uOAINfE_PxEZrnsRYr4Qreh19Jn/s1600/DSCN0919.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLG1CtxWwbESOJGAr7UOVUSYyrMDCMqH6f0E_iQR1HV1xbiKjXGOiYrYYWOHhIw5FannqAk1_jiAFY_FxEtdz-gGmU0YmC7YrFi9NRoq19k35evMHP8uOAINfE_PxEZrnsRYr4Qreh19Jn/s400/DSCN0919.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110946333839314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jkDwlmD7WQQhwUHQkY6c4kGQZBmvcdkG5Q-2wB_XJWCUjGUpJRQcktbUO0hD3llvMlgBK11DmajpqXfJ4PwAXmlI1M0-e0wVKZDV0cufX_RFhMsPjfLvIO_6n-wscal1WKzjyOOBAbEq/s1600/DSCN0922.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jkDwlmD7WQQhwUHQkY6c4kGQZBmvcdkG5Q-2wB_XJWCUjGUpJRQcktbUO0hD3llvMlgBK11DmajpqXfJ4PwAXmlI1M0-e0wVKZDV0cufX_RFhMsPjfLvIO_6n-wscal1WKzjyOOBAbEq/s400/DSCN0922.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110938899041186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAv1Y6Ywjl4CSmBLbsfWMVl9ZEOnitrgLpDMYzGtzsIAkizuZ8Wdore0ZBpLqC8lx0pJEZpvauUq8eScDlTP4sZLFE-3Az5OhBXdA6919kNxJGKjZGrWTMe3S_KMgb1gdzXh8TJ2ZSEWQU/s1600/DSCN0924.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAv1Y6Ywjl4CSmBLbsfWMVl9ZEOnitrgLpDMYzGtzsIAkizuZ8Wdore0ZBpLqC8lx0pJEZpvauUq8eScDlTP4sZLFE-3Az5OhBXdA6919kNxJGKjZGrWTMe3S_KMgb1gdzXh8TJ2ZSEWQU/s400/DSCN0924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110707421466242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik78pcDULn6dEG6HM6PoVZfKv6Dd88Zvnh4v5LorKHNR9zycqzidXEsn24ea9mP8DtqQoQnN7Ql7Cx8b57TVR24yA-IncPE5RGH6iEDV8AHTll5Qwbt7Nxr5WlzhMezlAgjKQVhrqC70dh/s1600/DSCN0927.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik78pcDULn6dEG6HM6PoVZfKv6Dd88Zvnh4v5LorKHNR9zycqzidXEsn24ea9mP8DtqQoQnN7Ql7Cx8b57TVR24yA-IncPE5RGH6iEDV8AHTll5Qwbt7Nxr5WlzhMezlAgjKQVhrqC70dh/s400/DSCN0927.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110697849542050" border="0" /></a>Our plan was to then go to the Tropenmuseum (which has exhibits on the tropical former Dutch colonies) or the Amsterdam Resistance Museum (about the Dutch response during WWII). We thought we were heading in the right direction, when suddenly we saw the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermitage_Amsterdam">Amsterdam Hermitage</a> (which is in the opposite direction):<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IXWlOlQx_bldiznsJClLwPsDJpyG3LIvS27Atl1MCsUq-78XMClzQWaD3BKXxXkSferHaBRLqZt9MdA4HtGXbeiX94BEmn0QY0j2lHrcJBISukQFZ1HuPD7fQWdE31yTJQXu7bCgqi4R/s1600/DSCN0931.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IXWlOlQx_bldiznsJClLwPsDJpyG3LIvS27Atl1MCsUq-78XMClzQWaD3BKXxXkSferHaBRLqZt9MdA4HtGXbeiX94BEmn0QY0j2lHrcJBISukQFZ1HuPD7fQWdE31yTJQXu7bCgqi4R/s400/DSCN0931.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110687522276114" border="0" /></a>Since we were here, we decided to visit. They also were having an exhibition on Alexander the Great.<br /><br />Brian was standing there, trying to figure out how we got turned around, when a stray cat started rubbing against his leg. He was so startled and I got a good laugh out of that! Though she's trying to enter, we did not let her in the museum:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpNEes58yrzwU4k_UeEzl9JytSorsaE8Ysm-3Sy4V96Dell2eyyv8uhHw0E9AsjvdADoAolvovMKExGsDYx4lsb8xt_6FW-YUlOMjVttc8OvdxxgzMDBhh3R5asNIYlz8GoiBQ2fX5KvH/s1600/DSCN0929.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpNEes58yrzwU4k_UeEzl9JytSorsaE8Ysm-3Sy4V96Dell2eyyv8uhHw0E9AsjvdADoAolvovMKExGsDYx4lsb8xt_6FW-YUlOMjVttc8OvdxxgzMDBhh3R5asNIYlz8GoiBQ2fX5KvH/s400/DSCN0929.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110692413074914" border="0" /></a>As it had gotten to the time when the museums were closed, we headed back home. The window of this coffeeshop made me laugh every time:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I0CWna2KSQkn-ajEEcNovF12tA7XsVV_Qy-PWpYS6IJAwTDjTg59ZjUI_Tg7w417UwONJPAAegVypRTBgbuw4r1YQ-tVJjmCyBi55wXOe0mF8rDIoivvoitEF-g3KTFMSyeWIbpZMmaA/s1600/DSCN0932.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I0CWna2KSQkn-ajEEcNovF12tA7XsVV_Qy-PWpYS6IJAwTDjTg59ZjUI_Tg7w417UwONJPAAegVypRTBgbuw4r1YQ-tVJjmCyBi55wXOe0mF8rDIoivvoitEF-g3KTFMSyeWIbpZMmaA/s400/DSCN0932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584110681735378786" border="0" /></a>Though we didn't take any pictures, we stopped at the grocery store to buy dinner and snacks. (Our host stocked our fridge with bread, cheese, and yogurt for breakfast every morning.)<br /><br />Then, we went to a coffeeshop for the full Amsterdam experience. Neither Brian not I felt the effects of this trip, so we were a bit disappointed; though in retrospect, perhaps that's a good thing. We returned home, munchie-free, and went to bed.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-92001525342028026672011-03-14T18:07:00.003-07:002011-03-25T13:32:52.243-07:00Day 5: MuseumsOn Monday we decided to make use of our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Museumkaart</span>. We started by heading toward the area where the Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gogh</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rijksmuseum</span> are located. On the way, we stumbled upon a little park with many lizard sculptures. What a fun surprise!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832880315408594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBIneboTybqHW1OlvMgmrpep8eF0qz911MJ1alFXA-4z-SVsyxY1qP3vGF5guRHhuulNgX7XQ36lvZYo5YKhgVBEvJWiIDIFUmFaijSLpXcABjogCXwIX0fY9AIJ_fXbjB28sDYZa6oG4T/s400/DSCN0938.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832824734837106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-75Kj45WyndJwisvJC_Yf6Ccgwqjp4vLxmzFx8sA-_A-X0yW7BP0ugB9wsQ1T6df5t5QbMuFcOReOfg0IV9inPB1Whk_MLRJ3MOhbZL9o71qzY8tpy3fGIhk1kcXeuzaYkLyeF9duLr7/s400/DSCN0939.JPG" border="0" />We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so here's an outside shot of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Rijksmuseum</span>, which was undergoing renovation, but still had many old masters on display:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832819879640226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHVWzwI6l1fUVzXW6-CA_MjQJ6yBmVHk8xyr1NrfqiTK8TI1fKLxZe0MEorIPEhjuaJZhVNgElhnzzZ1ZW4EhLZ7kOK0UTo2bKIGUf1xduR39nxMenILbPeYgS7LdfGJ02tx3Jc6K9cfL/s400/DSCN0941.JPG" border="0" />And the outside of the Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Gogh</span> Museum:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832817612975026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkJwUI5T5Vqd2gZw9sRChUWNFBmzbuZI3achi57QFQqhgfpnebPsEwXv-PZr3EBeU2f2KrN5bp3w90PbegTjpAqfw_P8Ss_2hF9eo0Zd7Yoz_Oha_04KgzU8m2Oiu8G7qoha5YOgpriMX/s400/DSCN0944.JPG" border="0" />Even in winter, there were so many people at both of these museums that we really couldn't enjoy ourselves as we would have liked.<br /><br />Consulting the map in the book to make sure we weren't missing any museums:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832822472539170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFlD0xQV839J9MqmQBXEj5oe8EdFny7Oci72JdHD7HX07Fx_mmE-Qn9V6vAO1iQ5d456T8CNpeIOZA3W7Acg0ztUGaUjZi71FKyMsQCpK1_nblLbhsnGF2OBIedHAoKDiOchqu-MMcu9t/s400/DSCN0943.JPG" border="0" />We decided to grab a quick sandwich from a street vendor:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832815440604370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgyXm6cy6M0woBc1kebQ2I1SVhZ9FZ1ATi5jKx9PLJQH26F8vJ_KvfJFUAvoHyin5ZCK94UnovmxH7KkKBdml0VFEw_K8Bn4uj90jvrrDyV-2csN8V5pZQuTniaTFTdX46KdC3mSYB5Au/s400/DSCN0946.JPG" border="0" />And then some more map-checking:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832656549774834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiej_Ca7Eik28ojr5nDrla7wScPigul7FE0mSlbMuyt3P4YadZED_imbXjISxDN4VXnOsWFHa966WMByEOVOCPShZEW0SX1REi7CDTofAxmfknBoQEMYYs7N8_E0RGpMT-FbUhMFfpSw0r_/s400/DSCN0947.JPG" border="0" />This was at the <a href="http://en.willetholthuysen.nl/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Willet</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Holthuysen</span> Museum</a>, which is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">canalside</span> mansion that's now open to the public. Brian was working on taking artistic photographs:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832658577034354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0OLtrPuE_1Pi-CKLwtbioWcrgsoN4ulRPOp3WzaaPeSn0RZcArAEBCyGmNbGYAE3rD5ZHedE57zm5Bf09aPPLz29YYR8PQ68US13R10PoTeadITMEDvqjxp6Ivpfob5H1f7ZZKiKD5WD/s400/DSCN0951.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832654313723106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFGP6WLB_6RxVMnXZzFAGij2C6p6p0w22NoOwhWbO8eUtsPcOQJ-bgSzCzl6Iicov34KQbWZOhaAVWc1XHWbCHHIxjS0m04N9mhR9iaE80UJtEY1tXjFPAAWGpPvL30nEnCGtFm8vDZZrh/s400/DSCN0952.JPG" border="0" />Outside, in the W-H's courtyard:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832651160029506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV-qfBxYl1bAb_uGlwz0_1kIMJ5qTb1OdNBvOjCEFkRJuUHGIfRjODRavno27kPVDNwXT9uQ31U5A-1-c5g4XKeW1h898odUyPePyh8xMsYPGTLtKZENlCui-P3wO8XjnQVvyzeJyRt5zB/s400/DSCN0958.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832648302002146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTD3za9aDPw1o8X8ashg_w3YYU5Ys5C3xIvwmxNC7U6nuNvQx0yTXflnb8x8DdNmg6R7NFqj7IDr1gqIIviS7gOq-wCZJYvLgVLejMMFy_RHQu9vwfuz_csUyy5tQm7fYz6mUUojPFsEj/s400/DSCN0959.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832488090662050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_XagWqAlNuI19RO5bmCsabtYsG_Yw4O-9p0iD_xWpF0yD493s5QG6aX4l41dz5GO7Cf856O914gKzIQg2XUfRDqF6iiFsRmWOIoUDtC3vZp9pSgegdtLsDahlPOZQgB4wZXsg8foq9hU/s400/DSCN0962.JPG" border="0" />As we left to head to our next destination, I realized my hat and gloves had been taken from me:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832480283011090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJvquw75BDG0aqSSdeSNzj3xg9Haar48jG1ssJw25u13xwOSyxFXye97-tO78jKRU8d9-_zyEjK2uRxcuLStLBXHOXuRhCx4XNDEEmM80tSj09nTnXQWNqEVb4iy0nG82c5x4P9eYXaw81/s400/DSCN0963.JPG" border="0" />I think this may have been a picture of the W-H Museum from across the canal:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832471937541298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirFePAoFRB4ApUNQWX-S9YII8yu_vdDs9KNJfNb57UZSlGm1vQpfH2-HOZEeq03SCqYtyPowufmI1LzS11-sTdfZzmPPk0t5XhJcxWq54bbMzobWlC4uy8Nuk6MuA0-fxKgPrQoLx3WcFk/s400/DSCN0964.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832474028965362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHVUJjbeWy6PrgeOyQkyzpyKrBHLKczIkjTFTHff3XVywefV-fOORKh-7qwGwvNwMwtuX0dPyHe4w2M0ifDZH6JDkTmSHHAGDT-xuYRFx1SeCH_FYkfQeV51eb4JCPyyn6kwiB2HZrrHy/s400/DSCN0965.JPG" border="0" />Entering another museum (obviously, my notes and memory are lacking):<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832470136781346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNPUa9RrRSda9XrKqCvXlNS-oVqFenF3RgoFoB-xjjBjKdN7SOAXHHUDI1zabW21ZOvPvOX-OB-MQLFt6gKbLwL0Mci-MBc0d0Qih_Y6otyWs6zBUdRfuK00wQMAmpRBEBJrpkdaNINFg/s400/DSCN0966.JPG" border="0" />About to enter the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Rembrant</span> House, which was one of my favorite places we visited.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832288351605714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpjuvc5I-9EZEzBwjYkrTlNmU4mEWteuWjol3-qjmo_DWD7AA4gTFkwIHJV2Tqk6rEnlwTia86Z3aK6_qMr6YxLeQTk0w1DxbqOQJ1_iVguuzE-5uSwCOKwigzYrL8TuTTqlQCSzHHND1m/s400/DSCN0967.JPG" border="0" />Outside, we saw many magpies; this guy is hiding in the tree:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832287263410194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfRRn6XkHvVN5CGclg1Aaz1E4QzK-iz30d5qZ8OUEr1gbGYDEsIc5MlRfBwSJ0dDIFs8oTWliu8aXytHR9gtB67wCTXGmEBvqic0cCCS5DOsmi4p0MzGuVDz45tTJ5JzFUGluRNsuYeDd/s400/DSCN0976.JPG" border="0" />Here's an Indian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Ringneck</span> Parakeet. We also saw these in Istanbul and London. They are not native to any of these cities, but have adapted incredibly well:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832285258779314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwdAEZysEnzKgSDXKv1KYbAy4xITqu1T16tpVumOGKhsezwuPi1lLoWUdWszA_KecrEXd_20P8xmLJtp1XbImdPori0xZ4B2eXIxlV0-1OdTkqkTmBQPb6JXQQ3q-EkfoagJZGlqF36hEb/s400/DSCN0990.JPG" border="0" />After our long day of museum-going (we visited several not mentioned here), we went to the grocery store near our house to grab stuff for dinner. The basket Brian is holding has wheels on the bottom and can be pulled with a fold-out handle as a mini-cart.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832279408551922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWaWxFihI71t3uX-47AzDAUXTn3bTs65wn0fBLQT30XOgBNQBvhC_1u0F93Rb0tdYj6J5iNR-LbBf3isJsJKkxbywX7q_QDe8lhBhCBZLzJnhs_xh4xWh0YW653bymP3_5Nzb4ha9WyeO/s400/DSCN0991.JPG" border="0" />Later that night, we had a Trappist taste test.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587832279190004402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 229px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBvhyHl4rsdQFB6xYWtgD2AHpui6K9sdZEvsI1ln1NOHU8QxUR3Mh8-HVBfAwgR15cuiOnT5MOcQEcZYvy_9xizf9uppJEOJaiWgmYIcqSd8b71GDWvrmGQfIzRutSbZxv2fjMDKLL8x7/s400/DSCN0994.JPG" border="0" />I thought the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Tripel</span> won, but Brian preferred the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Dubbel</span>. We went to bed early as we had an early day of birding planned for the next day.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-56218329313438168022011-03-14T18:07:00.001-07:002011-04-08T11:06:33.411-07:00Day 6: OostvaardersplassenPrior to coming to Amsterdam, we'd arranged a birding tour through <a href="http://www.birdsnetherlands.nl/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Flevo</span> Birding</a>. Today was the day! We had to get up very early and take a train to a nearby station where our guide would meet us. Waiting for the train:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557883181320754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvRpftVp_aayNiLHECEsw9jqFtc6RAi6zML2drqQtbZSIwuCw0cxuZ0gMCO9F_bavtCHMu-IeCBgqwRNptG0h5wUwqV0yiwyqsWOXl24D_5d6NHJeFkKSaMGtKhCjiVF1GfAGljK5W73q/s400/DSCN0996.JPG" border="0" /> Pigeons waiting for the train (starting our birding early!):<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557880019141666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5koN_zOLcv8niUcawycZnuAfpCDgVd7SLr7Fjf49mTWwm89ZP38XUzdaRZ21VDKde6f7hjKbiz1K41WO57FsXEGFCv1E9OIzJs9s6GmlRn72YPVD8gzjzsrvcUrYoJ4wThw-a2-zFghk/s400/DSCN0997.JPG" border="0" /> On the train:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557878663708306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQ-r7Ja-R06S6mcR6NKuEbIPz3PPCE-42uxSERdQkjQSF7PvHbMzdivC8U5_FBBeAHZQbPvj2_rwOujuOHqpaDQu8EgmPDxwAqIXgoCfE5Z3vn6p6f0l5HCLWS08Y7EZel9N-dikWDySg/s400/DSCN0999.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557876914058514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhTIcFcid-4ukGNhck8VLbfk5wjMqGglOg8Of2Wb-expjygQUh0pfgcOITYjQW87fEAyU6cbkewFyIEZzMHUVImi7ro0i-wVgJjMv_21UxASpjtrbwuwApd0wmhdhjIBz973ChZRy0zlG/s400/DSCN1000.JPG" border="0" /> At <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Oostvaardersplassen</span>, we saw 59 species, many of which were new additions to our life list, as we had never before birded in Europe. Here are some waterfowl:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557757003770018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WYxkMuY9ll6lS1LfLvzDKGmreFJ675Y1ECPrPFKxM7LS0TjT2qBxJuVR55CRISF82UPzpWORt_sFLwQjI2QMlBYPLkTm2it7Qk4aCn3KIINKZM_DRIMMOGtWCi9BLD-Z2zK3yAgnVmpV/s400/DSCN1001.JPG" border="0" /> Our guide brought a scope that we could use. We brought our own binoculars from home, but he had some we could have used had we needed to. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557753889532322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3BFJXPeJKyujddJb3gUwANU-gY3u-Ud5_WQ8SujU9lK_3wrHlGp-8wOA0OQLVzaMmGybRR26QGTpCgpSVrIDtbjH72OahQcJmkiZU_IvRXLPWcnRJispgv_nkkU18TjHf61tFYk0mtRm/s400/DSCN1002.JPG" border="0" /> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shovelers</span>:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557752031658578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 247px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJq2g3T7opi8febNan60HmqSuyNhYdZup0xjNtqC4vn98vRcanBMm8mlxPVMSEWVM-1_F8vezioeHWVDImhJwO_DW5kkvCEnj_Bn8p7R_K547sSnRICuzrFN5n6T-PBogFxZdAh8LVgsD7/s400/DSCN1003.JPG" border="0" /> Many people bird in the Netherlands, and they have nice birding blinds set up in popular spots. Every time we went to one, there were plenty of other people there.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557747057865890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPbU_k8L6qwTSgonCoIZr-uR2-heNnUqFXMSlD_S1NHDorQ4IVANw3XdUd9m6VZyKZGlDG4Is26iFdtaORTHKhPQBbwnQls_4ShX8Ud1HMudsOkCbh7ltbczYbQbbkCNfBUHid2s8ytUE/s400/DSCN1005.JPG" border="0" /> The view from the blind:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557742984599218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0u1cocDRjab2zSBNtSKWzUuyXHWMi831bFdc21aBw9BlVG8P6c9c2XcpA3_93z4j0YfIcFcYtN_YRJo6cFR1Dm-7hGYIniNR6mUksMV2ReuOldJuaLI6fjvgT67WTotY213GWIy54yXOg/s400/DSCN1006.JPG" border="0" /> Mostly herons:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557585828795074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 163px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTITSUhAuVox30l4YBMAsrkvf-FgZZrdRxHXZTOPoO_MZjnPQDI5k_9KoVhCm-abgwxZ4OpUKHXwjY2lpJbcnxhL9bVDvS0ocbxfia4hUf7WFyHhILduEhJV-HvdxO13WAU2YS8g1-sMNV/s400/DSCN1007.JPG" border="0" /> Mostly cormorants: <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557576430874578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 178px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrpukR0yBxju5TzinPY_xvE4B4XZ1ICG44Z3IuUkDKb4uQBL1zD-1V1TiZYYc8z6O5DHUIGeaXZj1EphnPCBKZ-EB_wW6n98lav0c4cubX-ZCPywaisXOICQmT4RyQnpduGaDX-K9MWg5/s400/DSCN1008.JPG" border="0" /> We drove back to the visitors' center and ate a picnic lunch outside. This guy, a relative of our chickadee, had gotten rather tame and kept flying to our table, hoping for crumbs:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557572025223074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 346px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy8HxDqx4ukys2V3mQ1p2OHq3AFGvaXbKMC7yEFnU1B1Em5vsnIL99D4Be15e2pw4z_2P54HAFpzvgiytpS07elz74ACTQZF-1C-ajJiBrGslJXI31sCXp__xTv6IgCfM4kp5CZn30mNL/s400/DSCN1009.JPG" border="0" /> Outside the visitors' center:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557568511438562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdS-pPyNW00kQ1grlmJWSLYAj8FwjQ9opEopSLnD6WkZmdJ8HkuH_7YmHKYELXn9GJOy5mPIu63xxHwiRZCCJisHmMz8GJY1FoxcubQmNa3GRiqs4QOf-ZWrHDIg-ENHnHJuyEoLBIFvZM/s400/DSCN1012.JPG" border="0" /> We had to hike a fair amount to get to the next blind. Along the way, we passed some red deer:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557562131591538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYg7q7U23azEDRAleBJLR1ePkbppTBBsBig9q-Mh9Lxlm-fm-ePKfRIVw-i0Pm3VZY-Iizcyu5CbhPRptu1LMlNxayTsnEgpuSdeOcOB2dSz6jpYf5MPYmkj6-XWsM14TCT7EbyXFwR_Q/s400/DSCN1013.JPG" border="0" /> Our guide and Brian walking toward the blind:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557388558469618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2zNI0OLZBMqHJf2ANx2RDXDbFwEmRbPh5IjT58f2PvRdQNm4PHHiNtsIiiqMnXY6gBiWaFo4GS-ad4l5Fz7q7VxthawKtSiPwP8ahaRbDukFYu7dpi9XdsDtGTP-p-YyBxf1RFvIK4W7/s400/DSCN1015.JPG" border="0" />We passed so close to her! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557384643955762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunXhJ5k87iBJ3PdjlGTpmcb0baZ_VKoFTRb5xoi3-TCqRaJoCeAeIiYW9ybsmW0geaMFMXOWHKxr_oPVYkWBdb6eti1hgmfUX_NNP-5I897G2yk4YmIU0En79Ueg3v7ED4wXOxvOKHUKH/s400/DSCN1016.JPG" border="0" /> Walking up to the blind:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557379320737762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXACZyp7YS7Kym0w-RpxsuPCPVO5jKJzCMaR-RLg0GKpLQhLtxQAMJj_a44eb6OrfV_HcAah6zb1v4jn8eGdOg1QcH17m3W95a5P6nBawNQgiw-xPV_HRcaed_T7iLreEkRAOU0BdJZLv/s400/DSCN1017.JPG" border="0" /> It was extremely muddy; luckily no one lost their shoes, though we did end up with muddy pants:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557374332804258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iQv4bU5si8jyTPcQury641AWmaZYRJyiHQMNW6GEF6ErLJd-PznfPfMbwS6SKZIgED_90Fy85UGc41eM4NQq7GPbO5M_2MKf9TkkcoegpDF7_xFZvGH8OGfiWvUaojTXvBla7SqTUBpO/s400/DSCN1019.JPG" border="0" /> Near the end of the day:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557370057622514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY_m9cifBJdJr-QpTv422sCxJJNY0y39iWWizdvvCUXT7QrRDg5cOdjqMZT8WRDE7W4c_2EGC6PToYTPNjm0ULxfknlZ-iOoNhWzx-3irkRikMnzlb7s-wxkwXEt_rCHJ6JkQ_Q4X0C92/s400/DSCN1020.JPG" border="0" /> This mural was outside of the center:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557192217884594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBE8y2ESWQG5blB1xlei7WGOoCp3p1v24FWlXggOqVIzJBEee9a1sZ7XnQ6yV5L5T6mgBmzZfMQd8kwqzJq8rD0WLdpk11RBITCT82IvU-WdYG8N0dNMFsRdaNA_svXXV18YvVfJNnhSZ/s400/DSCN1022.JPG" border="0" /> Modern windmills:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557183334811890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxIikD9_tiN1winn2z73Jykc_H4ETReobP6YDeVUEk_QN-9UP12hpV1b-0acjUIDhqUx2xzUMb_Pjxi4P84Mk3ECGjp0XpiiG9hyketd2dkosFc1hrGAyaQnWxwPqsTw9Rt-HhUehqFK0u/s400/DSCN1023.JPG" border="0" /> We ended up seeing quite a few birds in these fields, which was fun. At the end of the day, our guide brought us back to the station. A starling contemplated taking the train with us back to Amsterdam:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557185337423298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nWdLFGnJTC-En-S6bCjhzlbsWlCOAWDxXsn8e3fJcpixbwaAQk15OkYqhys1nkkB44FSxUrdB4V7gjyNxdUdkNZ60_LxgVrYVePxb6WGgiI1gfHaKckCBbd28SQpGjyjhhiIpEDaRe-7/s400/DSCN1024.JPG" border="0" /> He was actually probably hoping we'd give him some food, but we didn't have any. Back home, we ate dessert first:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557175197179762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiii0HgtQabANN0zYAWZUzJ4OmWsy-AFHtJ40HGarnIWhABevFtbWT8Kivp_OQztm6PUz4VH1dey7qVc8k198EgeDTCYGoeL_hBkmzEGreERP3DUAJ-rpkWlguoHuTsFyU4YSJ0LUwZseVw/s400/DSCN1030.JPG" border="0" /> And then had a nice stir-fry for dinner.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588557166444344018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkrA0Zy1RdfcUZihcoHU6GIUvI6a2ucikH-G3hD0IAhFmWsz_yzhZeKX3xlJxIJJw-mpFy5vP0bLDchKL1kAtZudfF59NbJEb3P1rRNeogDhPAYswyYy4lrGAD-uGoVJUrxnIHlmnZixMT/s400/DSCN1031.JPG" border="0" /> We were disappointed in our dessert, feeling no effects from it.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-77831295912242530152011-03-14T18:06:00.004-07:002011-04-08T11:06:33.412-07:00Day 7: HaarlemOn Wednesday, we took a train to the close town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Haarlem</span></span>. We started at the square:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588559016316250978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvzKBoYojvyxqSd8DffOUDZnf_tZ8Ikl1xiffTGnELKYuCaIuMFvcvbk8jAEa4VoA873mH0sROAZEaQSsjuzxr4WcQnS5SyHpp-A7Tt5JJErsbwd4wBGQ0WkKfuzLxUM1Ch7FKbNikLj1/s400/DSCN1032.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588559011403599522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZoTmIGndTK2KMAMVy7po_xV1mUTDg2ttlr5nI9R1HzWL0YoCV057PU36i3HLPv4SbxTpqImZLpnjd52lNIrfgO2nLF0yId6yo_Wpij508vbT3gRqLFobcnArmHttI0d6i83JQe9mtOeX/s400/DSCN1034.JPG" border="0" /> And eventually made our way to the <a href="http://www.teylersmuseum.eu/index.php?item=1&lang=en"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Teylers</span></span> Museum</a>. Open to the public since 1784, it's the oldest museum in the Netherlands. According to our guidebook, they've tried to keep everything as it had been, so no artificial light in the galleries. We loved it!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588559008900061346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-82niJD95a1VPj9IIs6rXoFffzZPMAhmbL-She7O4Me63exgoUY1lf2yAW1BuGblOrUFDnRvr3AAWN2Ttzj6T_3vAqqi1yYPEQj1CI-zEpoL_dOoOe-511xW91nhmcPRiADG1EqJ_5DP/s400/DSCN1035.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558891395659042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitO7E_0zHeOx6X5krizL1zIOOVelTwzyLAR6yoNt5X6KW99sHIwTBEo7W6ZdciRjsV-QuPVa4CBn22x4YJLgdvCIjSg0fRvcThtzTcLn0Jxh0wGyTBQZyTGQhxYtQWth_fMpg2LFxWprS3/s400/DSCN1036.JPG" border="0" />Well, some artificial light:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558878565360226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOndkAHgvWqMc_ealbp9QEht_vPOx3FmtYv7FEtrWdJ2ZXSAj-Fq76KBM0D3dSKO0utkjOWuwxB-1H0QkrjH5wuZkcSOyI_1jjHVvGD1vYbYnE62WlRGxTzkL9h7AU7rcZn0DHhUITZqe/s400/DSCN1038.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558877071976642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwA2O_HJTvVMbZJ6KdcoBMkDn0o5BDw-uuPQ6Yn6IaYnQ6S7R0nwFYZJghWU90uI26Jv-oS7fnG42zz_9IZgDDmeD0VPKlg77NxUg1IUVeJ2FDqLbtSWRCWb0h_j22CrgbpYMxFTgVlnl/s400/DSCN1040.JPG" border="0" />The museum had a cafe, so we stopped for a snack:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558871150224626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rvN5NIPFANrVjTq5WkvIXG87TGsID5aaU8JwUmS1YFkpnnXpBUuXJPuApMBbRY6PginlLkEAT278WwsnpMardhUnJU3yEo6WGEz_TpNvfk7VvJ4a6nHQMHfiF5gxUuQBzfO11WKItUI3/s400/DSCN1043.JPG" border="0" />Brian really didn't have two coffee drinks and two pieces of pie -- it just looks that way! Our next stop was the <a href="http://www.franshalsmuseum.nl/home/?language=en">Frans Hals Museum</a>. Unfortunately, it was in the process of being renovated, but we were still able to see quite a bit. We just didn't take pictures of it.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558867878028082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd0yXsifxhnqOOIN5DCHtiB2YhmgjgnMDpc1pPZV8B7-VUW3jS4_9C4B_Eh4rn80inSxfYQexKd3kzEfZC41VW2ev4o-mTmH5fZTWQCAIjtCfxVyis0llxTjjHHXTnHsi3tU9Q1UazMdV/s400/DSCN1044.JPG" border="0" />We also went to the very charming <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historisch_Museum_Haarlem"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Haarlem</span></span> Historical Museum</a>. Very highly recommended!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558687663910130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVt141I6WRxoSJ3O5DQMvyWzRNESqcehoKtoODhC52MEx8XtkfCDcznFPVsT7gcliwS3m3_61hU7pLMd6DKTqRGQ11pvwEHWQK6VblZ9RP5Q9r8q5uCY3Z-DEiCYGDb_VWYKZ-UYdSlnN/s400/DSCN1045.JPG" border="0" />We walked back to the main area through ancient streets:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558683067082018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4a4Whw-IZFfB5vSxuqvH6mwMlnYecGSq5W2w-b5T3r7TD00r5dPE_zPjTMvBwrfD0WI_u6qZ2t4_BD6sBuebqhx0XP2Am7pQCutHFfpC1Nhk1lldb-tXAx1uaXTuZSMP2cf0JvKRKu0z/s400/DSCN1046.JPG" border="0" />And stopped at a cafe for some lunch:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558678558608562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-_msOIa1UUkbkmlv55zQtSPBHM8p_orBCfaVUK61YL6XrTPRUfRi5Eii_Useq9mqd95IOOUloFH6AuoBGUlmsoHvSf21hSaXSfpo53Tlku9nMfm7bXQkOJD_iEZJmNPb7RdWWc-6syr6/s400/DSCN1050.JPG" border="0" />We visited a few more museums and a church, and then headed back to Amsterdam. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Haarlem</span></span> train station was very picturesque: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75jO4mdCDCPxzLqyeIeBnYfZKXacBoYe3LL_01hY0LoQSFB41SstabpfQPe0flSmIHy9KjsgqsvonTxDwK95ZPoyGidjtvXJRXVArGgrvhXR1NR4ji2_7LBEjxGqIvt_w2QWP3-kaFO6d/s1600/DSCN1051.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558673890385874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75jO4mdCDCPxzLqyeIeBnYfZKXacBoYe3LL_01hY0LoQSFB41SstabpfQPe0flSmIHy9KjsgqsvonTxDwK95ZPoyGidjtvXJRXVArGgrvhXR1NR4ji2_7LBEjxGqIvt_w2QWP3-kaFO6d/s400/DSCN1051.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588558664783088386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCOOZY1XsqrAdRUgcH-ZkRA2fAf_JghsKfJ4j2-PeHOItjIQzSACeO-f57ZCY5XUViXW2PIbEH6pkdKiszXlbPnUYu4LKBmThJyvMFbA_q1BxsptvXDdjBZQAjS1NAkQIsMTXjhftNOTu/s400/DSCN1052.JPG" border="0" /> We took the train back to Amsterdam and had a pleasant rest of the evening.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-38446290489155386692011-03-14T18:06:00.003-07:002011-04-08T11:06:33.413-07:00Day 8: Restful ThursdayWe'd seen most of the things we'd wanted to in Amsterdam and had discussed taking a day trip elsewhere, but laziness ultimately won out. We went to the <a href="http://www.annefrank.org/">Anne Frank House</a>, which was more moving than expected. Waiting in line:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560220963494530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOcPeA4kfp8zK5p-7FmvGKZmlFpP1vEtI-WRYNTYfxEnh2gmChIMcQltQpmSBkvKl6gGoWVY1YhwlWNgMDZERmQnQ3ze1t5dboBPyLQDfcKqEPZQs22gnJnlNKBOwCpRN1Ez4CYgqAg99z/s400/DSCN1055.JPG" border="0" />No pictures allowed inside. Then, we stopped at a little cafe for a delicious lunch: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQsVECkn0L0WRpbsM3Nbe8XLNcrU77JSDHPK6AHLgb2Inbaqb7c1HlEZKYUFXWqTTPvAfYu59qhGu0xhlPZ4il_cs_1YHYyjWnoY8zHWCq_Y5ZWOzJpJ3h5eUUvEFnqfsNIJrUdFZItFn/s1600/DSCN1056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560219769845410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGQsVECkn0L0WRpbsM3Nbe8XLNcrU77JSDHPK6AHLgb2Inbaqb7c1HlEZKYUFXWqTTPvAfYu59qhGu0xhlPZ4il_cs_1YHYyjWnoY8zHWCq_Y5ZWOzJpJ3h5eUUvEFnqfsNIJrUdFZItFn/s400/DSCN1056.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560216499176402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6j1RzwExJvhF8qJTo-t8hCgqg-u58BRMizYwHe3rkfQ_ygqeUKf5rv21brAJAo5qFrFrCOkQi6EvRSe4MM7UNvgXMMzKaAh3AZSD7MzWSiMnkeZ-dvCK8RmPzbPG4xXncxlFn6mkqaQP/s400/DSCN1057.JPG" border="0" />The rest of the day was spent walking around and not taking pictures. It was wonderfully relaxing!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-18708908555567396582011-03-14T18:06:00.001-07:002011-04-08T11:06:33.414-07:00Day 9: VondelparkFriday was out last full day in Amsterdam. We started the day with a run along the canals. The son of a friend of my mom's lives here, so we'd arranged to meet him Friday afternoon. He lived about 3.5 miles away from where we were staying, so we decided to walk to his place instead of taking a tram. Taking a short break en route to enjoy the park:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560619428890098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OpdzVLARNyFwn00nQKStx0OkSOh8MbFkOrGqs0-2Cza__l00yeRxO7TjE7btpcG7RNTkafERvQMlNlXR7S8QkTCPZJhUMVjCZGABSzkFzoHXq20kjcmO3xSLV_apBiau_tZ9ADooWtOv/s400/DSCN1058.JPG" border="0" /> We had a very nice time talking to him, his son, and wife, and then we walked back home through the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Vondelpark</span>. There were lots of people and animals out. Here's a pair of Egyptian Geese:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560617159244866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoHWhOcOxvQVJpy1Xf9_jslWD-xOdF5McekfZ8uCD8zhZ7fhdDAn1kLJPzNwI03l4wARtPgs4XBf0VAAdDc2cPiyjKRS3sVVcEs9p_8Z2aGiTWLu8g5ULGSHMFftUMavAoEfAFNKNLNWLs/s400/DSCN1060.JPG" border="0" /> Some moorhens:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560614092180370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhSJZT9FQwCY38xjF5uNKbBeGIPmiPGOYGmwv9121SxW3WM_1PLmoXNlGnt0PogyiK7OzhAtX5IzktH4-T0aEB8cOZtsFb_iotx5l2Qh1kWco6kMgPGgTq6cm53E26xDL2Kz0es9obaY1/s400/DSCN1067.JPG" border="0" />Exiting the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Vondelpark</span>:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560507114936050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPYcyzrMWGTOLF3RbweHhtBxfTejEXIEkDqMF9jzJmUDn3tUaywdVayopUVO-6ld1c2s0b_o1l7KLrCdIkXXJ4Tpv1nqbZsZtk99h0CmN3pDokjUf2BR1BRNk2P5eTMX69Wby2uPFVkKb/s400/DSCN1069.JPG" border="0" />We had dinner close by, continuing our vacation trend of stopping at a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wagamama</span> if convenient:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560498800959890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm83y2dck6jeAcrz0CHGN6-I4O2oYVy58Ln9QOpL9nafF4A_ws1alvFHskfsQ1t7heRDqOSj8yDJvbMJIotYkSgHjlRzIqwdVH8oVMMXrpI5fNCocBrkGLlkZKaJytAQ_zpMpGrbjacAvV/s400/DSCN1070.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560497138658146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEM8nUqFrTdozhdT93J-xROzQb7Kmf5rdHV-s4EvAgY0b250il8tcAAUi5Z2fY7bt_ZXwVZqJy6gcaZWwCz9uP5KL3g4hJXyfOc2kj-3Z_VBK3GuHn1pw9hKrNDYVy5xQpTAwer2zolT5Z/s400/DSCN1071.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560496526392754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9eo-rz-0xlv8XRPQ4v8mOYYrqnAFL4VOKDclFVjennUoVtoWewVJHe5cSPCxWLSm98t3vv7NAuDXx7qVE8T8rssktZ6XTHYLtQJ2FFnkY94XRD2U6I4INxKh9PIthZVq5YPMH_wQVPOr/s400/DSCN1072.JPG" border="0" />Then we walked back home, exhausted from an exciting trip!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588560489864239890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5t46bK59JGy1OVkHotNAAv3WdhEOkxF4UIfXRGc1Wp8iTezRABPAhKXCLYaGzrsvPaOLUyFO_6vxfrDjEhOa_iBLHcjOfctKriX0MYWQLamgAS6Kucxug4siairHIbH3mcomXQhBtuYom/s400/DSCN1075.JPG" border="0" />Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-35998488551029574452011-03-14T18:05:00.000-07:002011-04-08T11:06:33.415-07:00Day 10: Return HomeSaturday morning, we woke up and packed. I realized we hadn't taken pictures out of our apartment window. You can see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Centraal</span> Station in the background; we were that close!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588561058358082834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxPaItn8b-VK4CuxLPJGLAMaYiEdpf95rhGi2IW9Hpyt98bU5tjEr9msGA4f9jA1TjyvZMFxUUYjxhtAmgeZbXOBFl9Zssv9v2BmJmNvq9IvxgFM6Emru2cMG2ekKJ5m-f0rush9PPjg_0/s400/DSCN1076.JPG" border="0" />Down the other way, towards <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Spuistraat</span>: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIuPI71lf0ljoCn03Hvi4JoBx8-sQ0-8XOXIh6APbw_w-qgonlHjhVydUFiza51q1dyiFtlOWW1WjmFOt96PoQ-wxaEKI7M6LiTvoYGR5U8mYdHfvSZXr7BV02soet9givOL7hjYNNQyQ/s1600/DSCN1077.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588561049126654866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIuPI71lf0ljoCn03Hvi4JoBx8-sQ0-8XOXIh6APbw_w-qgonlHjhVydUFiza51q1dyiFtlOWW1WjmFOt96PoQ-wxaEKI7M6LiTvoYGR5U8mYdHfvSZXr7BV02soet9givOL7hjYNNQyQ/s400/DSCN1077.JPG" border="0" /></a> We walked to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Centraal</span> Station and bought our ticket to the airport: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMSQn664FnWQT0RwCRg8qZVCcZsMDX6e1alORnO_PVRglTDC0NDwtvqd7VnalZQeZNsX3K59b4EXd59J7mkvD4elSYoIxpJeFrTj7mkCZePV9s2W0fooeTRVsICTQe0bTJen9QOjxHVsk/s1600/DSCN1078.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588561044572887042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMSQn664FnWQT0RwCRg8qZVCcZsMDX6e1alORnO_PVRglTDC0NDwtvqd7VnalZQeZNsX3K59b4EXd59J7mkvD4elSYoIxpJeFrTj7mkCZePV9s2W0fooeTRVsICTQe0bTJen9QOjxHVsk/s400/DSCN1078.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588561043687129170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzo2Gek-dSDeW7DqT9rUIi46WjPyNu4Z9APQ07xWbK4crvh1ZJxQB-OHRohfxLx_vqqFuFNtY4V8m06jtu7cpgnvuzU_p2KL78nKm4zDGNPejRXk2WAEXcBOxPcs5RTswzVFlzaA-k64pe/s400/DSCN1079.JPG" border="0" />On the train:<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588561037136342386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWTfbsz7Bn1L8FdYrG7PyNW33SXCRLqHZyJveIBHTbMXE8RD0FoHbpNHpysQ0TpsB2alN5SXmQfLLTaRcEswAMNJkgozLSxljPO8mgsdlbkdkm2JUV6CbjCqsnr4KomhcsPfwN4OsLrHD/s400/DSCN1080.JPG" border="0" />Our trip back home was uneventful. My dad picked us up at the airport, and it was great to see him again and catch up on things.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-58494886456136819192011-02-16T18:08:00.001-08:002011-02-25T12:31:25.003-08:00Day 1: ArrivalBrian and I have decided to try to run a marathon in all 50 states. This will probably take us decades to complete! For my 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> state and his 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">nd</span>, we flew to New Orleans, Louisiana. We had an early afternoon flight out of town, which meant lunch at the airport:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKgJyaWvRlZEZ5V9p_mqJdevU3rNMavJLKWGdikPn0Hu0K7xAwbe2nm_4PU-PWGZkt3vQYtZYDaPJL6jjP3rxw5C9mYJT1pKg01ADVCFu1XYXTB59W3XUbQ09v2gYOsCuphTFv6kDYkZM/s1600/DSCN0129.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKgJyaWvRlZEZ5V9p_mqJdevU3rNMavJLKWGdikPn0Hu0K7xAwbe2nm_4PU-PWGZkt3vQYtZYDaPJL6jjP3rxw5C9mYJT1pKg01ADVCFu1XYXTB59W3XUbQ09v2gYOsCuphTFv6kDYkZM/s400/DSCN0129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474919338198610" border="0" /></a>Once there, we picked up our rental car:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYJl4YLtGJyF2tc84r4a7Mx-whYaM9L1YMcOoss8p3i9PH9aynt1vYjp8jWXrYbm27yXql7wA0-cqxT6a0cgznYJcO5DBdro73M7o4p9HWzyUcwNPX3HRfHhN2N1_WxRFDDU8a7urbqLU/s1600/DSCN0130.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYJl4YLtGJyF2tc84r4a7Mx-whYaM9L1YMcOoss8p3i9PH9aynt1vYjp8jWXrYbm27yXql7wA0-cqxT6a0cgznYJcO5DBdro73M7o4p9HWzyUcwNPX3HRfHhN2N1_WxRFDDU8a7urbqLU/s400/DSCN0130.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474914653109106" border="0" /></a>This guy really wanted to be listed first in the phone book!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U0k4kWqx5Pm_R7rHaOIlkmyrekZkk3R2Oz4bREyyvjMCG_vMGvqd4MgyIhp-uzNoO0Ygxg71xMADlgcGRbWbVNqsnqx2jKyTKcA7iOrplNuo4jBTGr2U6M6EKkxlpab8F7IxFHCcHU1L/s1600/DSCN0131.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U0k4kWqx5Pm_R7rHaOIlkmyrekZkk3R2Oz4bREyyvjMCG_vMGvqd4MgyIhp-uzNoO0Ygxg71xMADlgcGRbWbVNqsnqx2jKyTKcA7iOrplNuo4jBTGr2U6M6EKkxlpab8F7IxFHCcHU1L/s400/DSCN0131.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474912301950754" border="0" /></a>We rented an <a href="http://www.vrbo.com/226422">apartment</a> off of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">vrbo</span>. Here is the exterior:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje62MeSlfQU5Iuc52pJFLBMVRL8f8wHxm0e62A7Tw79M8WS_QOfHkuO6QnCewP3sT2zO7aqNOn0hvIiP30E_SNKJY99YSFaySOPhACmTcgkcf6fD-l3vsqdKbPg3icjNC-ftit13tbrloM/s1600/DSCN0132.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje62MeSlfQU5Iuc52pJFLBMVRL8f8wHxm0e62A7Tw79M8WS_QOfHkuO6QnCewP3sT2zO7aqNOn0hvIiP30E_SNKJY99YSFaySOPhACmTcgkcf6fD-l3vsqdKbPg3icjNC-ftit13tbrloM/s400/DSCN0132.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474909518234610" border="0" /></a>And some inside shots:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BX9ghdcQ3bAtE9DxGWt5iAMSxHZz5KI52w1T1aXnBkhmhrPKCMgs_S9fXr7-AhktiNpbO4VC4dnQ_J-0clhVcXMZhVOKBuw-3r_6oyncT4E-UmrkS9lVJ9Y-BTPQZ9DrJ-eJAHzoAkpT/s1600/DSCN0133.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BX9ghdcQ3bAtE9DxGWt5iAMSxHZz5KI52w1T1aXnBkhmhrPKCMgs_S9fXr7-AhktiNpbO4VC4dnQ_J-0clhVcXMZhVOKBuw-3r_6oyncT4E-UmrkS9lVJ9Y-BTPQZ9DrJ-eJAHzoAkpT/s400/DSCN0133.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474806101083810" border="0" /></a>The ceilings were very high. This was much nicer than we were expecting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHF6dXi-fjMQOCJee67yieKV-J9IBBwU0lAVEHK_WEdZd2tLKkF7gDNJZkkT6rVhj-fBeKGQIKeER_SI7DbANb_DgBGwmxoicJHPvlMfzRqwx-QwpW5X_SfCK4wq6-NHeMRHlp2muxFtC/s1600/DSCN0134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHF6dXi-fjMQOCJee67yieKV-J9IBBwU0lAVEHK_WEdZd2tLKkF7gDNJZkkT6rVhj-fBeKGQIKeER_SI7DbANb_DgBGwmxoicJHPvlMfzRqwx-QwpW5X_SfCK4wq6-NHeMRHlp2muxFtC/s400/DSCN0134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474804302720066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt0QlKI9nqzmZdcKT-M7yBTK401lalpNaT1RSQ2O8-degHqQ1WH3PahgjTRAcRS4731AljdR1dYdk0cIiL1-J_ZNkgGasTvqE3hPFaiFC42VdXbaQ7qG2SplveNOyDENim7S_EALNZLuP/s1600/DSCN0135.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt0QlKI9nqzmZdcKT-M7yBTK401lalpNaT1RSQ2O8-degHqQ1WH3PahgjTRAcRS4731AljdR1dYdk0cIiL1-J_ZNkgGasTvqE3hPFaiFC42VdXbaQ7qG2SplveNOyDENim7S_EALNZLuP/s400/DSCN0135.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474799957204562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY71HnKsa-GWfVTzLrQneDLfCbGwFN-x4wXVo6syea3vRu2Sy1G324XlH1XFtvgjUoGk65d2eW8Fg5UWwnALcOMR9m2uZxrVYOnmpPTa4Y6qB1cPUdGboM-gDf3fo5BQiCUjug1_JYdP61/s1600/DSCN0136.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY71HnKsa-GWfVTzLrQneDLfCbGwFN-x4wXVo6syea3vRu2Sy1G324XlH1XFtvgjUoGk65d2eW8Fg5UWwnALcOMR9m2uZxrVYOnmpPTa4Y6qB1cPUdGboM-gDf3fo5BQiCUjug1_JYdP61/s400/DSCN0136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474789866680098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5s755eqnR8FRUipcWkuuET05SavJNwG0c3gboKN7X6FnMxkmd0ZAPYxe-zKjSoRAwTr30b-0VQnFRBMWuvaJXGn6rVnaBSCUPm6LqGM2ld7RvKVpwjwGqt-XDOmoXtN5CEgorSQwJtac/s1600/DSCN0137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5s755eqnR8FRUipcWkuuET05SavJNwG0c3gboKN7X6FnMxkmd0ZAPYxe-zKjSoRAwTr30b-0VQnFRBMWuvaJXGn6rVnaBSCUPm6LqGM2ld7RvKVpwjwGqt-XDOmoXtN5CEgorSQwJtac/s400/DSCN0137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474789162992034" border="0" /></a>After dropping off our stuff, we walked to the convention center where the expo was held.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdHyFRQbxbC_MgKxwWo8gvA0dhbE7Nye8NOl50gtisDtxvOBSiNjO4XP71fLWGrdSI518ma44sAZCBhlh72D3ry0MlPw1tphMUowldyBQHu-ITGG4Y77N5S3p8McZKZIS8Vj6baJpXSfF/s1600/DSCN0138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdHyFRQbxbC_MgKxwWo8gvA0dhbE7Nye8NOl50gtisDtxvOBSiNjO4XP71fLWGrdSI518ma44sAZCBhlh72D3ry0MlPw1tphMUowldyBQHu-ITGG4Y77N5S3p8McZKZIS8Vj6baJpXSfF/s400/DSCN0138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474663092552002" border="0" /></a>Here's the convention center. We entered in the opposite side of the building from where the expo was, so lots of walking was involved to get to where we needed to be:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRFInZi_gb1TuzASlesjZN5h5vOir-Qz_SSkG458QuXnwwv3FQoBk71b990avPwuk8rtN210E4LPCcq8sKYdCKgOy4ulf8B63xQYNyXDRId_E2ayd_x62AcvvM4TshiUT6KGL-sWWX_B6/s1600/DSCN0140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRFInZi_gb1TuzASlesjZN5h5vOir-Qz_SSkG458QuXnwwv3FQoBk71b990avPwuk8rtN210E4LPCcq8sKYdCKgOy4ulf8B63xQYNyXDRId_E2ayd_x62AcvvM4TshiUT6KGL-sWWX_B6/s400/DSCN0140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474661387967858" border="0" /></a>Finally, we made it!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwajmZtTh0f59tx96o3_uWzvLxGyqbmDn2A3NKad7VH2Bz1nA00GzFEYslWjMaZ0iy2F8Px4lMfEjtK28m2CRQTIacqV4RayuMsWlPTKTv9vud53APIW1dfqQxirCcP7xttbFq5Kmg2wYq/s1600/DSCN0141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwajmZtTh0f59tx96o3_uWzvLxGyqbmDn2A3NKad7VH2Bz1nA00GzFEYslWjMaZ0iy2F8Px4lMfEjtK28m2CRQTIacqV4RayuMsWlPTKTv9vud53APIW1dfqQxirCcP7xttbFq5Kmg2wYq/s400/DSCN0141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474656404772354" border="0" /></a>After we picked up our race numbers, we started walking back home. Since it was dinner time, we stopped at <a href="http://www.slicepizzeria.com/">Slice</a> and got some pizza:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVqfSwFjHf7vuLxTqAmMgbYRH3CymKiGiLqko9skiL5z3OQ4A54EQ1O9vvF9MZuTzVcfv4kdMFsvCZLo6Z030P6Eyy_5PGcXO-lNriXeDRA5Q3shKFyJIj9JY3ACX-LKFexDBtZXvygBI/s1600/DSCN0143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVqfSwFjHf7vuLxTqAmMgbYRH3CymKiGiLqko9skiL5z3OQ4A54EQ1O9vvF9MZuTzVcfv4kdMFsvCZLo6Z030P6Eyy_5PGcXO-lNriXeDRA5Q3shKFyJIj9JY3ACX-LKFexDBtZXvygBI/s400/DSCN0143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474648380840850" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TOTOidkcDPV8GJJkuQGFdzL6wI2D-rYlFUCcyIl9fZwnutqCvcRDWOelo4pZ2NXvpG8KoXy5K-APqzwwNPoQm3OuLrKXm6gHeT3NaUc8WrkaSM9DmlGMiPKhihrvIemyazMmsmQDMX-V/s1600/DSCN0145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-TOTOidkcDPV8GJJkuQGFdzL6wI2D-rYlFUCcyIl9fZwnutqCvcRDWOelo4pZ2NXvpG8KoXy5K-APqzwwNPoQm3OuLrKXm6gHeT3NaUc8WrkaSM9DmlGMiPKhihrvIemyazMmsmQDMX-V/s400/DSCN0145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574474647703124850" border="0" /></a>We then walked back home and relaxed in the apartment.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-29348875089378351992011-02-16T18:07:00.006-08:002011-03-14T13:13:03.313-07:00Day 2: Grand IsleOur second day in New Orleans, we wanted to be off of our feet as much as possible, so the plan was to drive down to <a href="http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/igrdisle.aspx">Grand Isle State Park</a>, birding along the way.<br /><br />First, we had to stop at a store. I needed to buy sunblock for the race the next day, and Brian thought he might want to buy a cheap throw-away shirt to keep him warm while waiting for the race to start.<br /><br />This is the cheapest one he could find, but ultimately decided against it and would just be a little cold to start:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VTf9Jx-eRobHi6ZYz8zkvN-BpGEkEyWO7g1lgAx6ToR2X0WZBFDrd29q0zFRTtgmguUT8yAIKhuKBr-EzLfmkkEKPBuRRjM9QxkqPAYC0O7o_WrCyl8ItOjaNRD3d7g9pvV8i90M58mi/s1600/DSCN0149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VTf9Jx-eRobHi6ZYz8zkvN-BpGEkEyWO7g1lgAx6ToR2X0WZBFDrd29q0zFRTtgmguUT8yAIKhuKBr-EzLfmkkEKPBuRRjM9QxkqPAYC0O7o_WrCyl8ItOjaNRD3d7g9pvV8i90M58mi/s400/DSCN0149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478210268717810" border="0" /></a>Here are some egrets and pelicans resting on a roof. It was pretty windy, as you can see from the egrets' feathers:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfcs408gPBVrNfkO3NtawuNxfWSQslMPqxzFSHJen18N9OHXFQF2_9UJhswB8D2V2MOFpMGk5nDEqagSaZTK28lI2goLQJRWorQZtZdvdfT9y85Ntsf9dTXDOf_oRgF7-cGl2Ws3b7Bz7/s1600/DSCN0155.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 252px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIfcs408gPBVrNfkO3NtawuNxfWSQslMPqxzFSHJen18N9OHXFQF2_9UJhswB8D2V2MOFpMGk5nDEqagSaZTK28lI2goLQJRWorQZtZdvdfT9y85Ntsf9dTXDOf_oRgF7-cGl2Ws3b7Bz7/s400/DSCN0155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478205489257538" border="0" /></a>We had to stop and pay a toll to get to the park. They had a little kiosk in the gas station for this purpose:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe79fH6MSFki24bEeoflSBKqn0cjIorDIgZYUmSC8sGaaGTgq45t7MufC89pSeONpZzjN4BwvcAtTuqpIsib2sb9-_5QkLWKlBD7yZ_y6nk5RgrnR-kgAL8Nsh1gg8bhen5B7oGvez2ke/s1600/DSCN0159.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe79fH6MSFki24bEeoflSBKqn0cjIorDIgZYUmSC8sGaaGTgq45t7MufC89pSeONpZzjN4BwvcAtTuqpIsib2sb9-_5QkLWKlBD7yZ_y6nk5RgrnR-kgAL8Nsh1gg8bhen5B7oGvez2ke/s400/DSCN0159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478136475288322" border="0" /></a>The roads were elevated over the marshy land:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWduxoEAj9VIGa4I6FB6homYbLbIVfiInCT6PRET-B4bUx8ITGwEO3dRsh-QWx56UycQjSfMgxuwzaqSuF4y-FbMkltVURbVjX9wKmrcJnHejNmFRxXoiuvHIcY9oeAx9boMOiQhvy3vix/s1600/DSCN0161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWduxoEAj9VIGa4I6FB6homYbLbIVfiInCT6PRET-B4bUx8ITGwEO3dRsh-QWx56UycQjSfMgxuwzaqSuF4y-FbMkltVURbVjX9wKmrcJnHejNmFRxXoiuvHIcY9oeAx9boMOiQhvy3vix/s400/DSCN0161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478134642213794" border="0" /></a>It was so beautiful! Brian is walking on this peninsula to get a better look at some water birds:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxEPeJB6deIaRwHOWWB9_1SRxCGLN9FXQZi-o_kNaXbG_1bf_04f2WAn601ohDyjLr8fM0FzFuy7lbyh-g5AYbYhKuHeppLcg8luuTnIoL86pPdp6xTzmhK-CNOakqGGJDRnMl9nCwOwB/s1600/DSCN0169.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxEPeJB6deIaRwHOWWB9_1SRxCGLN9FXQZi-o_kNaXbG_1bf_04f2WAn601ohDyjLr8fM0FzFuy7lbyh-g5AYbYhKuHeppLcg8luuTnIoL86pPdp6xTzmhK-CNOakqGGJDRnMl9nCwOwB/s400/DSCN0169.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478131515340866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnE7AS1jt_JnSyAA4zBeb_20TFaLs_A1nnvPyoGA_uKlcYh_DVZIwUMG1gKCM1GbpqVZOkOv06ziM7jekpuOHm9Z_eo6yFqESAl4moV4JKLliFi7_HrgXBBRUK60-9dU0CLxuJVbFgb7A/s1600/DSCN0176.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnE7AS1jt_JnSyAA4zBeb_20TFaLs_A1nnvPyoGA_uKlcYh_DVZIwUMG1gKCM1GbpqVZOkOv06ziM7jekpuOHm9Z_eo6yFqESAl4moV4JKLliFi7_HrgXBBRUK60-9dU0CLxuJVbFgb7A/s400/DSCN0176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478121890387794" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu0MpOehP1MhzeRhIsvLPLaZXTfhY-42D03Eg29TBVxK3XivCHmpgJuOSEZ2Zy9klvex6DuOgAHiXfl41arlDIC3idpJulW0-d2ETbhL6AP6X8dtkI0hSC8SSL_f6TJ_CpccX3SY_ZHIA/s1600/DSCN0178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCu0MpOehP1MhzeRhIsvLPLaZXTfhY-42D03Eg29TBVxK3XivCHmpgJuOSEZ2Zy9klvex6DuOgAHiXfl41arlDIC3idpJulW0-d2ETbhL6AP6X8dtkI0hSC8SSL_f6TJ_CpccX3SY_ZHIA/s400/DSCN0178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478125261148002" border="0" /></a>We saw a kestrel on the wire:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokc3eYHcAObybdxKF-I45ThDreHjYEvgXEPwwQlG9a0sOO89dweR8LdeUSKwPNqTtbyjOlBdJ1yDND9IiYwsLsQlo1z1-3XGnTw03SBvFWqz8_KNbkQqYVM_3JxMACxhW4UaTBFNeoSct/s1600/DSCN0185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokc3eYHcAObybdxKF-I45ThDreHjYEvgXEPwwQlG9a0sOO89dweR8LdeUSKwPNqTtbyjOlBdJ1yDND9IiYwsLsQlo1z1-3XGnTw03SBvFWqz8_KNbkQqYVM_3JxMACxhW4UaTBFNeoSct/s400/DSCN0185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478019606303586" border="0" /></a>This is one of my favorite pictures ever. We noticed a roseate spoonbill, so Brian pulled to the side of the road so I could get a picture. This is what we got:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHcfQdba9vD5gXZITeUcTIur2RKyE_dSqwgQZ1IF8kMD9dJqP9-TUQKubkUBng4KiKKMrCDas7mWWXtcTI5XqZoD-_6a1iJR4bbufsUbb6R_GMRdZqks0UCVdJ36ug6bnRpK9TlVqm0HN/s1600/DSCN0186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHcfQdba9vD5gXZITeUcTIur2RKyE_dSqwgQZ1IF8kMD9dJqP9-TUQKubkUBng4KiKKMrCDas7mWWXtcTI5XqZoD-_6a1iJR4bbufsUbb6R_GMRdZqks0UCVdJ36ug6bnRpK9TlVqm0HN/s400/DSCN0186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478017267068642" border="0" /></a>A pelican, roseate spoonbill, and ibis taking off at the same time.<br /><br />Blackbird in the reeds:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17x7I3VLl2NfyUJVsIirO9aLPHMLNALfVzW5EMGhO4K1zpFWKpgagyxbHxgP_KWS5dOSyNOhDyRxlPDg9JoBvHmR2gOZMMEDTTt4ou0fjE5-KqqrWBHcOQWaPkAtuZQJyXgn3nbhG_uzY/s1600/DSCN0191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17x7I3VLl2NfyUJVsIirO9aLPHMLNALfVzW5EMGhO4K1zpFWKpgagyxbHxgP_KWS5dOSyNOhDyRxlPDg9JoBvHmR2gOZMMEDTTt4ou0fjE5-KqqrWBHcOQWaPkAtuZQJyXgn3nbhG_uzY/s400/DSCN0191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478013162714674" border="0" /></a>Finally, we made it to the park itself:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADuzEtky2YzDwXGfDQ0WflITxf9e9Drh-aj64_0MB8FGsso3IFDxlubvXL1k3Yoa9vzv7jKI2wIsSe_JSkmFSIgz2TcNy_VPK8L4SYOfsu1ZLk01q67KiAHy4aVp4yW8mzV9VEe0zOGJD/s1600/DSCN0194.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADuzEtky2YzDwXGfDQ0WflITxf9e9Drh-aj64_0MB8FGsso3IFDxlubvXL1k3Yoa9vzv7jKI2wIsSe_JSkmFSIgz2TcNy_VPK8L4SYOfsu1ZLk01q67KiAHy4aVp4yW8mzV9VEe0zOGJD/s400/DSCN0194.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478010268022242" border="0" /></a>This wooden structure led to a bridge where we could get closer to the water:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MJ8IftyDmwqRcU6auFzlbwVAg6pNLw8idnatdxQibNP14mIcUxsX-AxoFKfPJg1dJfXQID2NFfSRufxsx0PJX3enkSbFjfLW5msS_ZTHFxoSIRiOO7KV7xQmBK3OLQ8wagP5HpRJMBa5/s1600/DSCN0197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-MJ8IftyDmwqRcU6auFzlbwVAg6pNLw8idnatdxQibNP14mIcUxsX-AxoFKfPJg1dJfXQID2NFfSRufxsx0PJX3enkSbFjfLW5msS_ZTHFxoSIRiOO7KV7xQmBK3OLQ8wagP5HpRJMBa5/s400/DSCN0197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574478006959334930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8-3epbpiyH4VLuSEgbPo4y6X2ahlH0_hA4Z0wM1ewAT0B9BhkgN3c77NiGF7ZpOVlq6NYy_7-8m6-wZEZF4e2Gbv5Gg4vwE8dTxLtFxxbtyrh7HH5dbUEfHZw3MEK4seSniI8txq5P-2/s1600/DSCN0200.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8-3epbpiyH4VLuSEgbPo4y6X2ahlH0_hA4Z0wM1ewAT0B9BhkgN3c77NiGF7ZpOVlq6NYy_7-8m6-wZEZF4e2Gbv5Gg4vwE8dTxLtFxxbtyrh7HH5dbUEfHZw3MEK4seSniI8txq5P-2/s400/DSCN0200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574477868814944850" border="0" /></a>Coming in for a landing:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvx44hSOs1XdyUOJag9knWCEkXHBkWbhUeCO5ZfXlVJ146ka5EiN1kCrw6y5-BiAOmBYW92cyKYy-XoRPPzhQ09A7v1HavGwlaYrd3lwE22ZRgvaJKuIWf1mn2ruzcvRF3de3lf7p6uVxM/s1600/DSCN0206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvx44hSOs1XdyUOJag9knWCEkXHBkWbhUeCO5ZfXlVJ146ka5EiN1kCrw6y5-BiAOmBYW92cyKYy-XoRPPzhQ09A7v1HavGwlaYrd3lwE22ZRgvaJKuIWf1mn2ruzcvRF3de3lf7p6uVxM/s400/DSCN0206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574477868041652546" border="0" /></a>Pelicans flying:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpMM9c8wv0sjAQYkyRdwmrfAmOXmv0tCyQStzaT3vE6MNYmBIf69P9CXeNEB0_fsPCl2QBDso2eFy8pRcRtIBfL4XW50GxTfuNQXlTiGyxzRvCf0-Oc3ZZM7vRQJh2xidTbV06BpL0NX2/s1600/DSCN0209-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpMM9c8wv0sjAQYkyRdwmrfAmOXmv0tCyQStzaT3vE6MNYmBIf69P9CXeNEB0_fsPCl2QBDso2eFy8pRcRtIBfL4XW50GxTfuNQXlTiGyxzRvCf0-Oc3ZZM7vRQJh2xidTbV06BpL0NX2/s400/DSCN0209-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574477865776220402" border="0" /></a>Off to the right, we noticed a dolphin that we originally thought was dying, as he was flailing about. However, we're pretty sure he was scrounging up food:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzeJpVOgo2Citx0xRvpB2l794Ey6pzodBzswnHh0hvYGfm88AVmKhTEZ6PfaVLrCmYFOvJ-jAMhzkoCPtlWgR6Pm-ank7sebDt6Oob9oss8a_jQszg65NqC2PYJfFSKWpIJB8auSnLmt3/s1600/DSCN0210-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzeJpVOgo2Citx0xRvpB2l794Ey6pzodBzswnHh0hvYGfm88AVmKhTEZ6PfaVLrCmYFOvJ-jAMhzkoCPtlWgR6Pm-ank7sebDt6Oob9oss8a_jQszg65NqC2PYJfFSKWpIJB8auSnLmt3/s400/DSCN0210-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574477859308915858" border="0" /></a>On the drive back home, we got a view of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Superdome</span>:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XOHMrWjfp7asDGwGicSPU71d30LRcQB0sdyaZJIfpgaloYPQjd3srl3wBcUoYsax4OtZdXmN14CgU0B05nMOhqGKUfZZhw6k3iYikwpOC40TCQtqX6CvvyNmwjpEQ44Rq0DVBOccaEBJ/s1600/DSCN0230.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XOHMrWjfp7asDGwGicSPU71d30LRcQB0sdyaZJIfpgaloYPQjd3srl3wBcUoYsax4OtZdXmN14CgU0B05nMOhqGKUfZZhw6k3iYikwpOC40TCQtqX6CvvyNmwjpEQ44Rq0DVBOccaEBJ/s400/DSCN0230.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574477858013059266" border="0" /></a>We got home rather early and had a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-race dinner of pasta and sauce. We went to bed in order to get a good night's sleep as the race was starting rather early in the morning and we needed time to get ready and walk to the start line.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-38599130834344542382011-02-16T18:07:00.005-08:002011-03-14T13:20:46.358-07:00Day 3: MarathonMarathon day! We got up very early and dressed:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfS_MnOTzkP7w5uUx6QlNtG8TC6hI3WFhGZgvou_HaYfZJIwOHDx9MX_jzzMA5jhihX3SjJLvD5zotyBPeGgvDjmhkyWJphBryfUhofo00uQxQoPI6eYwMIyHVzuu2a7zteB5Y2Bn-YRg/s1600/DSCN0232.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfS_MnOTzkP7w5uUx6QlNtG8TC6hI3WFhGZgvou_HaYfZJIwOHDx9MX_jzzMA5jhihX3SjJLvD5zotyBPeGgvDjmhkyWJphBryfUhofo00uQxQoPI6eYwMIyHVzuu2a7zteB5Y2Bn-YRg/s400/DSCN0232.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479337686480866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87jp-_oGwMchtdi1_9Qw6DYakCyszMwt7kQXMyBQYEDJlj149GXTQ9eNz0pgLOhcrxIdRdF_3CrNvXz7aNIWZGdeP9r6vzy0IgXIiU0XRDGwq2XM5iVGbdoK0uvd2SoijaCgLoYWxPNF6/s1600/DSCN0234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87jp-_oGwMchtdi1_9Qw6DYakCyszMwt7kQXMyBQYEDJlj149GXTQ9eNz0pgLOhcrxIdRdF_3CrNvXz7aNIWZGdeP9r6vzy0IgXIiU0XRDGwq2XM5iVGbdoK0uvd2SoijaCgLoYWxPNF6/s400/DSCN0234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479325008600082" border="0" /></a>I didn't have the camera with me at the race, but we both did really well! I set a PR by almost 10 minutes and finished far faster than I had thought possible. Brian set a PR by over 30 minutes! We both felt great and are looking forward to doing more marathons. The race course was very flat and fast. We finished at a location quite a few miles from where our apartment was. The race had shuttle buses to downtown. We thought about walking the 3-4 miles home, but we were tired after the race, so Brian flagged down a taxi which dropped us off at our door.<br /><br />After the race, I was pretty salty:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQvz08MQFP8_H7n1-xx5ELTUlQEUKuVqm14c07Jz7x7k5Z5Su7lxBhzMlZodPxEmzaEGo-E9716CF2kO4t-S7CnMnzcYXEd7rajCSn0R7mD3kZe0LzKXOK_mwn-2OKdKh19NH2nD581rx/s1600/DSCN0235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 396px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQvz08MQFP8_H7n1-xx5ELTUlQEUKuVqm14c07Jz7x7k5Z5Su7lxBhzMlZodPxEmzaEGo-E9716CF2kO4t-S7CnMnzcYXEd7rajCSn0R7mD3kZe0LzKXOK_mwn-2OKdKh19NH2nD581rx/s400/DSCN0235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479325471318866" border="0" /></a>The shower felt really good!<br /><br />After a bit of relaxing, we decided to stop by Audubon Park for a bit of bird watching. The race had gone through here, and we were both amazed by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">fulvous</span> whistling ducks flying around. We wanted to see more when we had our binoculars and were able to stand still!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8K7dZyGDXYwQnvBV8ekEGCzF1DGJ64eR7q8snUvbbMqSVEgntV3Ro0keGrIBPvcyL-ynaqXDd9SJmykKm3CxfkSq2MXEFejC42v3an3knjZIQ0WnDncGFfgQbYAkcSUFBpVJohhccmy0/s1600/DSCN0237.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8K7dZyGDXYwQnvBV8ekEGCzF1DGJ64eR7q8snUvbbMqSVEgntV3Ro0keGrIBPvcyL-ynaqXDd9SJmykKm3CxfkSq2MXEFejC42v3an3knjZIQ0WnDncGFfgQbYAkcSUFBpVJohhccmy0/s400/DSCN0237.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479319971217762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXE_An9rxGleMghyphenhyphensQQfFsNZQQtW40qs1LtdjJc40WatdOz09DMMeisez9ZYQOAGJbxBN7VZnxRJmNMtlYqkOfNJcmCrqxyTG9o0HhIwLgXfLYkIY8GJ_xRpxtk6nw387c3909p5NpsI-/s1600/DSCN0238-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAXE_An9rxGleMghyphenhyphensQQfFsNZQQtW40qs1LtdjJc40WatdOz09DMMeisez9ZYQOAGJbxBN7VZnxRJmNMtlYqkOfNJcmCrqxyTG9o0HhIwLgXfLYkIY8GJ_xRpxtk6nw387c3909p5NpsI-/s400/DSCN0238-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479231432144402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p3lq4xxo0nPqSiJv_KUFdUoSRChadABVWGWFctrW4kCZcsXakzpCsBpsGv9KUU8uxRJiBdUKNHwmCEY14PSEeXWPxhgDnNDEgNcwhzKTD1aQT-XO2nYnplXaoyBi6Mczo2CWQsNYEQ_M/s1600/DSCN0239.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p3lq4xxo0nPqSiJv_KUFdUoSRChadABVWGWFctrW4kCZcsXakzpCsBpsGv9KUU8uxRJiBdUKNHwmCEY14PSEeXWPxhgDnNDEgNcwhzKTD1aQT-XO2nYnplXaoyBi6Mczo2CWQsNYEQ_M/s400/DSCN0239.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479233603588578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kaNM04VMbfDkelGaqEYtZoeSpN6HzbEuFDxxNGDFe330fcNuUJ0Ram9sHaOX2bB6OCEtGG_gEVLGQ3LzlakHoD_Rtdqt4mW2U7IkZKD6kqhe0o0vNFj9SA7DG3Ykb4J4Af_iWbwsmGRO/s1600/DSCN0243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7kaNM04VMbfDkelGaqEYtZoeSpN6HzbEuFDxxNGDFe330fcNuUJ0Ram9sHaOX2bB6OCEtGG_gEVLGQ3LzlakHoD_Rtdqt4mW2U7IkZKD6kqhe0o0vNFj9SA7DG3Ykb4J4Af_iWbwsmGRO/s400/DSCN0243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479226601064050" border="0" /></a>One of my friends happened to be running the race as well! A friend of hers used to live in New Orleans, and some of his friends invited us all to their house for dinner. Luckily, she is vegetarian as well, so she made a delicious vegetarian jambalaya:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pKWqzAx32ouqaP950lSz3Yy1fkwPbj72kw0LdkxDvlhrIySXplf5tXqMVo69qdNwvvOrbUhPycwQCc2rZfMmREFWUKsWn1N0N2gY_AfMn-HeYFLhMq7yDyO7Teh8W377DS37c9In_yRq/s1600/DSCN0244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pKWqzAx32ouqaP950lSz3Yy1fkwPbj72kw0LdkxDvlhrIySXplf5tXqMVo69qdNwvvOrbUhPycwQCc2rZfMmREFWUKsWn1N0N2gY_AfMn-HeYFLhMq7yDyO7Teh8W377DS37c9In_yRq/s400/DSCN0244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479221665484498" border="0" /></a>The table after the rest of them finished eating:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qAVPnmlJ5SVjKztveIbluO5Vp1JFww6N8FegnETk7OrIPplyHi5821VMwGa1uHv778FAjWhWPpGlkLD5oqycL8SHarNbxZteNq8QScQ8wrDEEBGAhtIngP0GV4TT9z-u9nioVWP5A3KO/s1600/DSCN0245.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qAVPnmlJ5SVjKztveIbluO5Vp1JFww6N8FegnETk7OrIPplyHi5821VMwGa1uHv778FAjWhWPpGlkLD5oqycL8SHarNbxZteNq8QScQ8wrDEEBGAhtIngP0GV4TT9z-u9nioVWP5A3KO/s400/DSCN0245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574479222171785730" border="0" /></a>We got back home, exhausted, and slept well, again.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-918615793727953832011-02-16T18:07:00.003-08:002011-03-14T13:28:25.327-07:00Day 4: BaratariaThe day after the marathon, we wanted to be out walking and moving around to work out the soreness in our legs. So we headed over to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/jela/barataria-preserve.htm"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barataria</span> Nature Preserve</a>. The view from the car driving over a bridge:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70ZdTRlLaY_j6UCo7XVUQqarw8sR230IL9JkLXOJ2Ei9HIgeKNU0ThEqHGJjqHxFM1rBgyo7EBNNhFThvOgAScpvYe3XwoA2jHw4N0Hfdysi7qp9sv2qt4KOAbs5yNInAOpoImTA7U1Mq/s1600/DSCN0246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70ZdTRlLaY_j6UCo7XVUQqarw8sR230IL9JkLXOJ2Ei9HIgeKNU0ThEqHGJjqHxFM1rBgyo7EBNNhFThvOgAScpvYe3XwoA2jHw4N0Hfdysi7qp9sv2qt4KOAbs5yNInAOpoImTA7U1Mq/s400/DSCN0246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482212509746722" border="0" /></a>Me, in front of the information place:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZdagjdKifDPlLz3a9uzVlumBp2rTVNXLzNnWpeJwrRzLXeXue3epizGjJOpMvGpm8kBmb8mwWjgZg4iXg_BfkHtiPWNM-xtv7jrFd5eh1Tl_jnczSTDD09rv-4pxKVl6GPmtEq1xXxpF/s1600/DSCN0251.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZdagjdKifDPlLz3a9uzVlumBp2rTVNXLzNnWpeJwrRzLXeXue3epizGjJOpMvGpm8kBmb8mwWjgZg4iXg_BfkHtiPWNM-xtv7jrFd5eh1Tl_jnczSTDD09rv-4pxKVl6GPmtEq1xXxpF/s400/DSCN0251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482213358779282" border="0" /></a>It was gorgeous!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Usg21bQlcQx4N5moYbzc5GceNQ2VkPSbUXiTkp5H7zcr5sCbsJY10krn4q3b7FnRjUQRRa3Gt75Kxka2pVsu1TfZHba-SDNOWxUEFkEXtR02p9AFa4bEBShh_od5Rffb4m8Pen7zXDgR/s1600/DSCN0255.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Usg21bQlcQx4N5moYbzc5GceNQ2VkPSbUXiTkp5H7zcr5sCbsJY10krn4q3b7FnRjUQRRa3Gt75Kxka2pVsu1TfZHba-SDNOWxUEFkEXtR02p9AFa4bEBShh_od5Rffb4m8Pen7zXDgR/s400/DSCN0255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482133929449346" border="0" /></a>We had a bird checklist, so when we saw something new, we could narrow down its possible identity:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRIRcJGG0uLpPZ_g6-inhXtLPynLucg6f6E5aUkfXGyzNtgIC0JEBeKZl4CxQSm4Nj7QLmQJLvxTNiAW4oHPemAPlhTlRaPZp9HndAQxooxJJfjDIsFndVsTLR7eHP3c6n-TlrPM1kWZZ/s1600/DSCN0259.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVRIRcJGG0uLpPZ_g6-inhXtLPynLucg6f6E5aUkfXGyzNtgIC0JEBeKZl4CxQSm4Nj7QLmQJLvxTNiAW4oHPemAPlhTlRaPZp9HndAQxooxJJfjDIsFndVsTLR7eHP3c6n-TlrPM1kWZZ/s400/DSCN0259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482134677007730" border="0" /></a>We saw plenty of black vultures flying around; this guy was resting:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPVYbB8W-FUghbFJ6D7-qjJEGp6D_53Pezouldq_owLCN98fM0iT9s6qSwdww3mYWFah2vn5fTk9bpdk1QuPk4ztDKwMBZkBPAdijEzTjU5ep3auf_lSRrZ9i1HvX60fY3v3s8dDv4nH1/s1600/DSCN0265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPVYbB8W-FUghbFJ6D7-qjJEGp6D_53Pezouldq_owLCN98fM0iT9s6qSwdww3mYWFah2vn5fTk9bpdk1QuPk4ztDKwMBZkBPAdijEzTjU5ep3auf_lSRrZ9i1HvX60fY3v3s8dDv4nH1/s400/DSCN0265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482126767422082" border="0" /></a>More scenery:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSikQjQhNeOy-XQVQ6RD_MG-kWw63EpS2gdS5SFSyOZob5HdxvTQ8bqwR-GzBkTScFLyG327RCy9cxJ6DYCLmpFqzddroUA4tPLBq36SVr3rC_fA-pdqMRuOJ1j__ZUEXSABmlXIHIIT77/s1600/DSCN0282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSikQjQhNeOy-XQVQ6RD_MG-kWw63EpS2gdS5SFSyOZob5HdxvTQ8bqwR-GzBkTScFLyG327RCy9cxJ6DYCLmpFqzddroUA4tPLBq36SVr3rC_fA-pdqMRuOJ1j__ZUEXSABmlXIHIIT77/s400/DSCN0282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482119962006770" border="0" /></a>Some ibis walking around:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-46P1vsBOVOW2P2p9Z5s_bvNeErOyCt1ThWrAdTkrfXOUFQDRybB3_lq4Z_Srm9zRFUdMLLLRAdhk6cAp56DX50ltsSrXY0EK0lmT2OMPgDkS_0nXPqVqU9dhS78A0GW6Yp0hGm63u4R/s1600/DSCN0288-1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-46P1vsBOVOW2P2p9Z5s_bvNeErOyCt1ThWrAdTkrfXOUFQDRybB3_lq4Z_Srm9zRFUdMLLLRAdhk6cAp56DX50ltsSrXY0EK0lmT2OMPgDkS_0nXPqVqU9dhS78A0GW6Yp0hGm63u4R/s400/DSCN0288-1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482123830971890" border="0" /></a>We stopped at a grocery store and had a picnic lunch near the preserve:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs12XgsHV-G76tZzfliMomKy5uARC46D2ApTJ5n2sEKSB6os3bfaMuBaVpCbQYhvA9Q1HItGW6mMMWVbr0bYd1TUe0YeQPeycjTj-wExjOMxT07PD9LQvvu2-kqgHU7hNuJGRdhBBgTyXu/s1600/DSCN0292.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs12XgsHV-G76tZzfliMomKy5uARC46D2ApTJ5n2sEKSB6os3bfaMuBaVpCbQYhvA9Q1HItGW6mMMWVbr0bYd1TUe0YeQPeycjTj-wExjOMxT07PD9LQvvu2-kqgHU7hNuJGRdhBBgTyXu/s400/DSCN0292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482012876432226" border="0" /></a>At another location, we found many armadillos! This guy was walking on the path, following behind us:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_DwZJHHI8WGgxKElHUUvLn4OLuyXIIeXUdZoDh9A7pKDeDYGe3qOSvCnRYv6UaPjcHw-cfpwGJSH5NJDnJ6y-_2cURNRYq_MFid74zJyq_kzrlKcwMsi8eebpkxVc6B-KL-EynHe1wCs/s1600/DSCN0299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_DwZJHHI8WGgxKElHUUvLn4OLuyXIIeXUdZoDh9A7pKDeDYGe3qOSvCnRYv6UaPjcHw-cfpwGJSH5NJDnJ6y-_2cURNRYq_MFid74zJyq_kzrlKcwMsi8eebpkxVc6B-KL-EynHe1wCs/s400/DSCN0299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482009665579586" border="0" /></a>The armadillo is in the background:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji-F8iplXH7xw_Gd9zOdS24LgVYrJ1fNYqwP_3F92C203kNHfaIsMXNvtoLr7qLRLXpVz9iPcsPk2BJWx_izScVxT-A1avWMy57gHikBXt0O7xR1q5ZkphOeOuqai7bEJK8vpeiOQQJLk/s1600/DSCN0300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjji-F8iplXH7xw_Gd9zOdS24LgVYrJ1fNYqwP_3F92C203kNHfaIsMXNvtoLr7qLRLXpVz9iPcsPk2BJWx_izScVxT-A1avWMy57gHikBXt0O7xR1q5ZkphOeOuqai7bEJK8vpeiOQQJLk/s400/DSCN0300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482007127625730" border="0" /></a>This cute little raccoon was foraging around:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujRvAVOEc8uD1GN0rGJg0HaIKUvnycvCH2DXhsQ9wvwSC2WTVOPte-cl7DVIFSoXZOgSg7Woq_zYAZ5ZoKItx0E6YKiQdVMSt29sjqM3Qx4EQKq4sTX2uaQRPfmV97QaN3USrh_HfTVVZ/s1600/DSCN0311.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujRvAVOEc8uD1GN0rGJg0HaIKUvnycvCH2DXhsQ9wvwSC2WTVOPte-cl7DVIFSoXZOgSg7Woq_zYAZ5ZoKItx0E6YKiQdVMSt29sjqM3Qx4EQKq4sTX2uaQRPfmV97QaN3USrh_HfTVVZ/s400/DSCN0311.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482007537118898" border="0" /></a>Crocodile! (Or, alligator; I can't tell)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc2yvSA1XV7kgylbnxTMXiBEFArYrKj8j1fd0ZC9u4HqbTXEjRP2ByTvAWL-8vsePVb5xPaDLGMjiKlrT-2pre7Dhw0fchg64E4BHLsOHODCm2XNWbLxDTkS9uMiuQlfHK7eEX1IynEDT/s1600/DSCN0313.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcc2yvSA1XV7kgylbnxTMXiBEFArYrKj8j1fd0ZC9u4HqbTXEjRP2ByTvAWL-8vsePVb5xPaDLGMjiKlrT-2pre7Dhw0fchg64E4BHLsOHODCm2XNWbLxDTkS9uMiuQlfHK7eEX1IynEDT/s400/DSCN0313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574482002318182770" border="0" /></a>There were many different habitats, so we got to see a variety of birds. Many of them were small and fast-moving, so no pictures. Luckily trees don't move!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r5T0l8Xjr29JoS5mTyWY8AmVFXh0j_-si9V-b2X6_m2z_fS5urcotY2TbWHhe5XWfqOLQNFuF_GSP1dnQ_vBW_pVBCPKsGqBMHejO7Xe_gsuXgFkFEQCQuPLvg2IQEk-sCv0apuSt2aO/s1600/DSCN0321.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r5T0l8Xjr29JoS5mTyWY8AmVFXh0j_-si9V-b2X6_m2z_fS5urcotY2TbWHhe5XWfqOLQNFuF_GSP1dnQ_vBW_pVBCPKsGqBMHejO7Xe_gsuXgFkFEQCQuPLvg2IQEk-sCv0apuSt2aO/s400/DSCN0321.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481679024679170" border="0" /></a>Another armadillo, walking on the boardwalk:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iIE1vpk-aKhU9I8On9gmPrCEIMdpkU2w0Mc4H8BQiS8wMUUBNb19PZYB2k5kWVP8YX3WaC3sqcCyV60JooUUiTPjmDiYpqj0elhkJxuPVkUIRidfcN0Op8_XqQLU9EfeKbSgBMBtV4tL/s1600/DSCN0324.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iIE1vpk-aKhU9I8On9gmPrCEIMdpkU2w0Mc4H8BQiS8wMUUBNb19PZYB2k5kWVP8YX3WaC3sqcCyV60JooUUiTPjmDiYpqj0elhkJxuPVkUIRidfcN0Op8_XqQLU9EfeKbSgBMBtV4tL/s400/DSCN0324.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481680199202578" border="0" /></a>And a snake on the boardwalk!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJb6noLoD50prit8k_lx7U7wFzJQ_mSO63vniRBjJlskGDovxfof1y2Q35dyTuxNoX24ujSte6UPEDprLj-O_4iZsqSuN3D4LlxXak84EjZueX-X5udTuOE5iBowpWbTE-OzFXrOMuSnR/s1600/DSCN0330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJb6noLoD50prit8k_lx7U7wFzJQ_mSO63vniRBjJlskGDovxfof1y2Q35dyTuxNoX24ujSte6UPEDprLj-O_4iZsqSuN3D4LlxXak84EjZueX-X5udTuOE5iBowpWbTE-OzFXrOMuSnR/s400/DSCN0330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481674928644098" border="0" /></a>We stayed there all day, and returned to our car after dark. As the sun was setting, here's an egret. I loved how you can see his reflection.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheol1I30vdQ0kTA3Zdb2BfMASMIP_ciek77Njh-lxPZKauR_oXDoQaXOqOpcr94C1GwvtTIKG9894nRoXLwalOGzLvgDLA3IcmBBhnTfIcfBrr67C9OhhCPMYA7m9v2f3ueFHA3ZcT5tpj/s1600/DSCN0333.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheol1I30vdQ0kTA3Zdb2BfMASMIP_ciek77Njh-lxPZKauR_oXDoQaXOqOpcr94C1GwvtTIKG9894nRoXLwalOGzLvgDLA3IcmBBhnTfIcfBrr67C9OhhCPMYA7m9v2f3ueFHA3ZcT5tpj/s400/DSCN0333.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481669438701330" border="0" /></a>We hated to disturb this egret, but he was perched on the side of a bridge we needed to cross.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDsv9qnZWDMuwh0xbjpncdGBs8wgvq8fAr6ydfRbh9VprvHw0JklZdT5tRfWu5gu-Zymwpxw0WjTpz6N9mOCfLrx5PZT658TP9kOBHJbrAp2pG_ljKhCLOK9TFZ57954zE3PyYZBuIcvM/s1600/DSCN0337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnDsv9qnZWDMuwh0xbjpncdGBs8wgvq8fAr6ydfRbh9VprvHw0JklZdT5tRfWu5gu-Zymwpxw0WjTpz6N9mOCfLrx5PZT658TP9kOBHJbrAp2pG_ljKhCLOK9TFZ57954zE3PyYZBuIcvM/s400/DSCN0337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481668703755250" border="0" /></a>Searching, mostly unsuccessfully, for more birds:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU3YP05VSY1kleme99-XrEyVTLV1DijIU0KvX8mAMnlMzQ9TSmBhLormdvhyFPN7ln-HX2olPoG0pCDiIzlb5bdK8YlcTh7EMUGpkteNnDpjvPRxGHwYwOoJSrBDEif2ZbntLumAJTgC5/s1600/DSCN0339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU3YP05VSY1kleme99-XrEyVTLV1DijIU0KvX8mAMnlMzQ9TSmBhLormdvhyFPN7ln-HX2olPoG0pCDiIzlb5bdK8YlcTh7EMUGpkteNnDpjvPRxGHwYwOoJSrBDEif2ZbntLumAJTgC5/s400/DSCN0339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481531252880818" border="0" /></a>But we did see a squirrel:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarNUfsnsB6bp9hgjbAQsdmuGLEYzED93zp7OmRmNNpShmIGRciav3XWEg1k-MsofPRQsYcjB593rTMcL3UIXgfbI12jmheIlFtJlRvRAJKU4FA2UwgbPsmtD4ane7Ghn9k7fQ1-9GiiYs/s1600/DSCN0340.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarNUfsnsB6bp9hgjbAQsdmuGLEYzED93zp7OmRmNNpShmIGRciav3XWEg1k-MsofPRQsYcjB593rTMcL3UIXgfbI12jmheIlFtJlRvRAJKU4FA2UwgbPsmtD4ane7Ghn9k7fQ1-9GiiYs/s400/DSCN0340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481524214627170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoA82uSroZZ24lYzXzPx0XsjtN-R-co7Z5XT0SyE_1MD9OhB5cigNWLdcBq03HrH_L8MQ4WZFIK01uBMhGVVn6F_PmfzvIUm45pwYtRGG14ciBI40w_dL1QngQ5dG2QTxoAMhcdWE69RQT/s1600/DSCN0342.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoA82uSroZZ24lYzXzPx0XsjtN-R-co7Z5XT0SyE_1MD9OhB5cigNWLdcBq03HrH_L8MQ4WZFIK01uBMhGVVn6F_PmfzvIUm45pwYtRGG14ciBI40w_dL1QngQ5dG2QTxoAMhcdWE69RQT/s400/DSCN0342.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481519861636386" border="0" /></a>This picture gives an idea of how dark it was. We didn't get him on camera, but we saw a black rail here:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAa1hLmZHPRcjrwlaZDW3oezpi1hTkCPa_JQj8Cqa3I1EFWigQsVybiUiZJ-UWm9hyphenhyphenniViQU3KexfwTmQyAGBJcmry-AW62GjMB07RXuLhIt2-rLO7YKCMusyAr1WPQRLuPQ3z-mvqnwm/s1600/DSCN0367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHAa1hLmZHPRcjrwlaZDW3oezpi1hTkCPa_JQj8Cqa3I1EFWigQsVybiUiZJ-UWm9hyphenhyphenniViQU3KexfwTmQyAGBJcmry-AW62GjMB07RXuLhIt2-rLO7YKCMusyAr1WPQRLuPQ3z-mvqnwm/s400/DSCN0367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481514271625298" border="0" /></a>Rails are quite elusive, so this was very exciting!<br /><br />Me, close to the car:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiKyPcJjClbLOGTwxEd6JZh1VLxmY5ULQEV-_iyruqeNeuXgEUjoD8cf1on8TX8yRgSig1WVKMpjtzeuM9YMuV25AoVsOVD4xSJa_W5fnNgLBWC3HLGYCDKnegJdUVvL9jP1wXoGlmdhP/s1600/DSCN0375.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiKyPcJjClbLOGTwxEd6JZh1VLxmY5ULQEV-_iyruqeNeuXgEUjoD8cf1on8TX8yRgSig1WVKMpjtzeuM9YMuV25AoVsOVD4xSJa_W5fnNgLBWC3HLGYCDKnegJdUVvL9jP1wXoGlmdhP/s400/DSCN0375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574481516730616738" border="0" /></a>And with that, we returned home after a long but successful day of birding.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-53358931253521397042011-02-16T18:07:00.001-08:002011-03-14T13:35:37.234-07:00Day 5: More BirdingThe next day, we did some more birding. This seemed to me to be a typically Louisiana picture:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpFcHgbObNRW4-jIP2WJuw6tIsZjDXOo2KOjDUjPz7_eoI65i6G-Cy-VqD2I2TCatMlX_2JH_2x1AG6bag7RU9nXlvCSN3KSRNzPUwzA9Fw3IJ0FtTehsTPDgDIdx3kWplpO0HeDNAypS/s1600/DSCN0384.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpFcHgbObNRW4-jIP2WJuw6tIsZjDXOo2KOjDUjPz7_eoI65i6G-Cy-VqD2I2TCatMlX_2JH_2x1AG6bag7RU9nXlvCSN3KSRNzPUwzA9Fw3IJ0FtTehsTPDgDIdx3kWplpO0HeDNAypS/s400/DSCN0384.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483974543743042" border="0" /></a>A little shorebird on the mudflat:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bTuZLbVAEX8rSVgzeynJx1q_bff0xfSNESBbS2KIUi1c1DFx5VahjnzkQgtAnB5gu9briYtJUGigOW09Q5vnE6dLxmmvvXdKYKuqXliwMC_tFlmiaT4LoyGnMjSzUHzYxMioqophyld7/s1600/DSCN0404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 157px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bTuZLbVAEX8rSVgzeynJx1q_bff0xfSNESBbS2KIUi1c1DFx5VahjnzkQgtAnB5gu9briYtJUGigOW09Q5vnE6dLxmmvvXdKYKuqXliwMC_tFlmiaT4LoyGnMjSzUHzYxMioqophyld7/s400/DSCN0404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483917481765826" border="0" /></a>I love how Brian captured this seagull in mid stretch:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ki6RK7oTltMEIJeIhnRXjjYXW8jROqRPMwSgSjLOXJGIjRsaT5hlCfcYOwES7q9mCp8BHNTyoRt6lHYx1a_jPa0tA2CgK397GHTito609Aluk26z4g79Wrrqiu0ocda1akI7b5gVp0o7/s1600/DSCN0414.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ki6RK7oTltMEIJeIhnRXjjYXW8jROqRPMwSgSjLOXJGIjRsaT5hlCfcYOwES7q9mCp8BHNTyoRt6lHYx1a_jPa0tA2CgK397GHTito609Aluk26z4g79Wrrqiu0ocda1akI7b5gVp0o7/s400/DSCN0414.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483910979321474" border="0" /></a>We had to walk out along this ledge to get a better view:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXWvYLn8jHbObwdcAH40Glw732PgMGGJccyJfQE-O4Sogu23-Dy2AnZ_KPTCMiUf86d1DcLwb0XSVkGXNOSK6e6g0wxzLm58mTBPNjkmnFW6tkGuj9RzPQp7Z7xcO_KPtr3S8YIHTDqSY/s1600/DSCN0419.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXWvYLn8jHbObwdcAH40Glw732PgMGGJccyJfQE-O4Sogu23-Dy2AnZ_KPTCMiUf86d1DcLwb0XSVkGXNOSK6e6g0wxzLm58mTBPNjkmnFW6tkGuj9RzPQp7Z7xcO_KPtr3S8YIHTDqSY/s400/DSCN0419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483912619968914" border="0" /></a>Back at the information area. We'd asked where the best places in the park for birding could be found, and a very nice woman told us to follow her in her car.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qrtvSxlRT30Ak_PYkMX0BkjXeZ5_rEjOOCVg9KTtnLISsE6_hsQB8P0yZMAaRcJIV59GduWZEhLFtQ8pRBCyufjOikRmiVJkfLQKFndLYmg2uM9IS_ImT1k88jGhAcCXI12UvETmiYoO/s1600/DSCN0420.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qrtvSxlRT30Ak_PYkMX0BkjXeZ5_rEjOOCVg9KTtnLISsE6_hsQB8P0yZMAaRcJIV59GduWZEhLFtQ8pRBCyufjOikRmiVJkfLQKFndLYmg2uM9IS_ImT1k88jGhAcCXI12UvETmiYoO/s400/DSCN0420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483908122634066" border="0" /></a>We would have walked right past this tree:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgV6YO0EmFyn-2e1AJ1xlxtWd0thxmNUZmtA9DfzbB1apvBvqgbWxgTIqpKKVdHVEkCIeAzVPmQRUeXHHfcGlg_Rp4xo6e7CTpr4dggVdjBYJySBtt5KgOWFqHD7VG4LrhQdvcdKkxZvo/s1600/DSCN0422.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgV6YO0EmFyn-2e1AJ1xlxtWd0thxmNUZmtA9DfzbB1apvBvqgbWxgTIqpKKVdHVEkCIeAzVPmQRUeXHHfcGlg_Rp4xo6e7CTpr4dggVdjBYJySBtt5KgOWFqHD7VG4LrhQdvcdKkxZvo/s400/DSCN0422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483908920809042" border="0" /></a>But if you look closely, there was a great horned owl nesting there! (The woman let us take a picture through her scope):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYSfHFIgrtH152ZlnHdE4z7LGiZUdcSS2BUyNcqrwA5LN5_dk05yySJwANFYIYxBgoKXdmf0zZBl5Bd063W-FHUYUx3J-GJ6KavX8oB-4p8h_hKo2hbZL_ItTrwvb7-xqdc-LVIJht-b_/s1600/DSCN0428.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 342px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYSfHFIgrtH152ZlnHdE4z7LGiZUdcSS2BUyNcqrwA5LN5_dk05yySJwANFYIYxBgoKXdmf0zZBl5Bd063W-FHUYUx3J-GJ6KavX8oB-4p8h_hKo2hbZL_ItTrwvb7-xqdc-LVIJht-b_/s400/DSCN0428.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483773157377762" border="0" /></a>We were lucky to see the striking red-headed woodpecker:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufUQRjsf4VtqLWJc9lnnTRng_Bgrx5Yl-SzsskH0Z4CV12dnCww-y1-OHIMt14v6rzXOKJ9pzP0l59ZjxmhlpoXPw1g8CtFJzTkDrcoJna2kxrBT4X660dzDIRTQKrvui0BGd6MJA9Lhy/s1600/DSCN0429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufUQRjsf4VtqLWJc9lnnTRng_Bgrx5Yl-SzsskH0Z4CV12dnCww-y1-OHIMt14v6rzXOKJ9pzP0l59ZjxmhlpoXPw1g8CtFJzTkDrcoJna2kxrBT4X660dzDIRTQKrvui0BGd6MJA9Lhy/s400/DSCN0429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483761242040578" border="0" /></a>Then, off to another marshy area:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhelVJ-MSIOJK32FEmZTPnz9iwXpG1eqhGk7rP2oUuBiegOOo0PvKLw2avNYeHrS67m5GSg8DaRuVDMIqB9_J4aaBCFyM-681VCZmWxikFf1w3xWXAwdAjNEEt0ycJHMsPGjGZgMJxg_K/s1600/DSCN0439.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhelVJ-MSIOJK32FEmZTPnz9iwXpG1eqhGk7rP2oUuBiegOOo0PvKLw2avNYeHrS67m5GSg8DaRuVDMIqB9_J4aaBCFyM-681VCZmWxikFf1w3xWXAwdAjNEEt0ycJHMsPGjGZgMJxg_K/s400/DSCN0439.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483752060087586" border="0" /></a>We were just getting ready to leave when Brian heard a rustling in the grass. We decided to stay longer to see what might materialize. I am so glad we did as it was a king rail! We watched her for probably about 10 minutes. Our bird book said you probably won't see any rails -- just hear them -- as they are so elusive. And we got to watch her for a long time. It was great.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhKTRz92flA-CR8iiwqBbENRH7W6GzLKttp2KJ2-I6KavGDpXNd99WzJJHaJM0yKvj06pDbYiX-6O8pEsMp9EjjY4uwxMiQmbRaonO5HAOB94J2dqBU7KuSq00vylq09Gskb915-JonRN/s1600/DSCN0455.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 360px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhKTRz92flA-CR8iiwqBbENRH7W6GzLKttp2KJ2-I6KavGDpXNd99WzJJHaJM0yKvj06pDbYiX-6O8pEsMp9EjjY4uwxMiQmbRaonO5HAOB94J2dqBU7KuSq00vylq09Gskb915-JonRN/s400/DSCN0455.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483754047777986" border="0" /></a>One final bird of the day:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwc3CVeFOVE3f8PNGlpdWnbap3fKKhxxef2wwh5qbL4y1Ne-cvwNQQvakpNy9nTQn1BXGI2Zx-qL6eHXrFY7jGO7vnshKaSp8JP3RM0mkeLNhxdeBdbmN2wtyLy46-nGoz1c_f0ZSmUAX/s1600/DSCN0461.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwc3CVeFOVE3f8PNGlpdWnbap3fKKhxxef2wwh5qbL4y1Ne-cvwNQQvakpNy9nTQn1BXGI2Zx-qL6eHXrFY7jGO7vnshKaSp8JP3RM0mkeLNhxdeBdbmN2wtyLy46-nGoz1c_f0ZSmUAX/s400/DSCN0461.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574483748648920050" border="0" /></a>We returned home earlier than we had the night before in order to go for a short run. It felt great to run again, though we ended up running along the tram lines which could be a little nerve-wracking when a tram was coming! Luckily, they don't run very frequently and we were always able to get out of the way. The tram line appears to be one of the main running routes in the city.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-3097753374487963982011-02-16T18:06:00.005-08:002011-03-14T14:31:59.351-07:00Day 6: City ParkThe next day, we of course wanted to get more birding in, so we headed over to City Park. We saw these ducks, which I had identified at the time, but no longer remember what they are:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNs1lLwv20YVehQxNbF8Dr_jehAc9NRdNelW8XgorVibNuUVD7kzhBn2vGFbEra72gtk1zR2UusWxIe77wz8AWxu5cbFH58OGYeBaK7AD32tI0-mA9PyzV28NtxYI5O8zkJXntpWQZw5i/s1600/DSCN0480.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNs1lLwv20YVehQxNbF8Dr_jehAc9NRdNelW8XgorVibNuUVD7kzhBn2vGFbEra72gtk1zR2UusWxIe77wz8AWxu5cbFH58OGYeBaK7AD32tI0-mA9PyzV28NtxYI5O8zkJXntpWQZw5i/s400/DSCN0480.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486613331687698" border="0" /></a>I'll try to remember to look them up and post an update. We rely on the book a lot to help us with identification since we are new birders!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoulmYaG-EuYNRNjRZmmj7XFnU2isn1uDFPUHCAQxERc3HuXRfQ4YnjPx622deoely8SN57GunGE1UhyRGmEjNYvjyvUaqzF-lpKBzS3tYS_XgUVtpEc7fM3ncTzdzSR0HfZKyUidL1Xjz/s1600/DSCN0484.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoulmYaG-EuYNRNjRZmmj7XFnU2isn1uDFPUHCAQxERc3HuXRfQ4YnjPx622deoely8SN57GunGE1UhyRGmEjNYvjyvUaqzF-lpKBzS3tYS_XgUVtpEc7fM3ncTzdzSR0HfZKyUidL1Xjz/s400/DSCN0484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486611542424034" border="0" /></a>It was the middle of the morning, but everyone was ready for a nap:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHR24crD-wFCc7HrvInz-qiSBWfPK8l680IuTurZ8wd370Aas8-eXekkHNeSIH7itmRsjqSEauBYTIi3kHZCUqIrruOt4ajXXd29MxvBCSSiwzWFh9mPVy4idHYEBVbALOYMPXomWwfJL/s1600/DSCN0496.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHR24crD-wFCc7HrvInz-qiSBWfPK8l680IuTurZ8wd370Aas8-eXekkHNeSIH7itmRsjqSEauBYTIi3kHZCUqIrruOt4ajXXd29MxvBCSSiwzWFh9mPVy4idHYEBVbALOYMPXomWwfJL/s400/DSCN0496.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486607623408178" border="0" /></a>We went to the <a href="http://garden.neworleanscitypark.com/">Botanical Gardens</a>. Apparently they were quite damaged by Katrina, but they are working on getting them back to their former glory.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-ZvYgB0TZwwAAPkUQtyR7E5iXCChTa8bSj-3n-xIA4TDOa9gPD06rxVv0RSHX7o3enCMxzOQeAn6q9dV4in1OlehpOH4Tgn5tFjey_l_uXy7e1_B9S-w4pXj7UPj9C4DLofLBYnGlxZR/s1600/DSCN0507.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-ZvYgB0TZwwAAPkUQtyR7E5iXCChTa8bSj-3n-xIA4TDOa9gPD06rxVv0RSHX7o3enCMxzOQeAn6q9dV4in1OlehpOH4Tgn5tFjey_l_uXy7e1_B9S-w4pXj7UPj9C4DLofLBYnGlxZR/s400/DSCN0507.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486524285059522" border="0" /></a>Robin taking a bath in the fountain:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58DEtM68hGNZ1vchx6eGijhbeJlJmEoR0v6cPzv69Hc1LiExDtexZ0fNNCjFs-SgSdpnbhpyuiOzWryHY0WzC_IYyVe3zLVBkfmsUarWWj_ynN0oY413B4sRmwWkkwyI4c1TM4VFNEqhU/s1600/DSCN0511.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58DEtM68hGNZ1vchx6eGijhbeJlJmEoR0v6cPzv69Hc1LiExDtexZ0fNNCjFs-SgSdpnbhpyuiOzWryHY0WzC_IYyVe3zLVBkfmsUarWWj_ynN0oY413B4sRmwWkkwyI4c1TM4VFNEqhU/s400/DSCN0511.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486516249513714" border="0" /></a>Me, in front of some trees:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LjA-gEa2_-f7K2lKWXu1QfUqKbuA5KNlL_pSHBIj-SsNEuoixBhForVyPceXl2OGiZ4XtIU8ysrp9suVAbGUj6S7jL2-N058ztHrI9LgCb3bmNUUCjSocXseYUi4UWD5T1KU7o2uMQFV/s1600/DSCN0516.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LjA-gEa2_-f7K2lKWXu1QfUqKbuA5KNlL_pSHBIj-SsNEuoixBhForVyPceXl2OGiZ4XtIU8ysrp9suVAbGUj6S7jL2-N058ztHrI9LgCb3bmNUUCjSocXseYUi4UWD5T1KU7o2uMQFV/s400/DSCN0516.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486515623688082" border="0" /></a>Brian found the flower setting on the camera:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEhWm7M9qKVFxwNj4EjCBKztsKRExn1wImaTSIv2sZMkeMxArb0rEzX-gOyxy3h2Z8gEOAfcq_UEA7DfjUC5YtlZwap4HEkMW8VGZiXSFnCZtOQTqI1tLZnWpuzHzAMfMGG-biIed68Zy/s1600/DSCN0520.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEhWm7M9qKVFxwNj4EjCBKztsKRExn1wImaTSIv2sZMkeMxArb0rEzX-gOyxy3h2Z8gEOAfcq_UEA7DfjUC5YtlZwap4HEkMW8VGZiXSFnCZtOQTqI1tLZnWpuzHzAMfMGG-biIed68Zy/s400/DSCN0520.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486512125682098" border="0" /></a>Inside the gardens:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmmXuJDKGxff7_dXs01o8ZyGHy02_1UdFfqZTgDJaxMOBPKk2bj8Z9KbqQCinZLztBVyYWpSFMRM2HWxKG8IkyD2PFMo9BsbbtHfcB8Eaz74JbKb0TOBIBvg-7us_hUpkNu-rzOPm30Xb/s1600/DSCN0522.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmmXuJDKGxff7_dXs01o8ZyGHy02_1UdFfqZTgDJaxMOBPKk2bj8Z9KbqQCinZLztBVyYWpSFMRM2HWxKG8IkyD2PFMo9BsbbtHfcB8Eaz74JbKb0TOBIBvg-7us_hUpkNu-rzOPm30Xb/s400/DSCN0522.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486513390624882" border="0" /></a>House sparrows had invaded the nest box:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AgM7deydW3Jxjtnhpa_KCrUcj_EqR-ZcyshUJRL1PZdshy91GYcbwbFoNKjmzFA8c-7PhwucBbLBCIZk1CX5Lfxz8oJqZRGiCOgmUd-1dKTV1wUQIITRAOOj0To3_fJpY8VLcy2UNrNm/s1600/DSCN0534.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 351px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AgM7deydW3Jxjtnhpa_KCrUcj_EqR-ZcyshUJRL1PZdshy91GYcbwbFoNKjmzFA8c-7PhwucBbLBCIZk1CX5Lfxz8oJqZRGiCOgmUd-1dKTV1wUQIITRAOOj0To3_fJpY8VLcy2UNrNm/s400/DSCN0534.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486369784870354" border="0" /></a>An employee saw us birding, and he recommended that we check out the cherry trees for hummingbirds. We'd looked for quite some time and were just about to give up when he, from across the flat, signaled to us that the hummingbird was there. These guys move so quickly! Some good camera-work by Brian resulted in some decent photos:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JbFSpDzIcdcbNMXkZ-CEGeUt0yuMZmfjE9O3SV_3NJ0BlneL_6BHI2snBg76JXjzfE7tAHHXvOHlfX23oY0gBJ76yVvLFsUXUlOwz6gmlPoZuKjn7D_1GIdvuMpv5saN3h598me5K_Ko/s1600/DSCN0547.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JbFSpDzIcdcbNMXkZ-CEGeUt0yuMZmfjE9O3SV_3NJ0BlneL_6BHI2snBg76JXjzfE7tAHHXvOHlfX23oY0gBJ76yVvLFsUXUlOwz6gmlPoZuKjn7D_1GIdvuMpv5saN3h598me5K_Ko/s400/DSCN0547.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486361451324594" border="0" /></a>At rest, though <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">backlit</span>:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DZonmHnIEWU0bXZCXy7mBbHHIjIxVu-ARbvRtn7oC-6CX9ZHtET-5qbV04Fdr2FZDPIsXVxWigkHoDJT0_3W46uEr7PMCyKcVaXpX0wbM_aiBCJI8U2agI6XmseP1aVAZXUagsaLw_66/s1600/DSCN0551.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6DZonmHnIEWU0bXZCXy7mBbHHIjIxVu-ARbvRtn7oC-6CX9ZHtET-5qbV04Fdr2FZDPIsXVxWigkHoDJT0_3W46uEr7PMCyKcVaXpX0wbM_aiBCJI8U2agI6XmseP1aVAZXUagsaLw_66/s400/DSCN0551.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486355408519778" border="0" /></a>We then walked to the <a href="http://www.noma.org/">art museum</a>, which is located in the park! We had a quick lunch at the cafe inside:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67Svy9MSRZE0uwZefGSGDKcyETf2oTUoTheLYnScK-3zLYrN4OphIfqDxuJYAw6rzjEMWCEUC9-vOA1tT7MeoKTQKRgnHcaJl-oFKHHWmGlbOFVsuDXhPmRePG6zLmO_s1oQIQ229aZJq/s1600/DSCN0561.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67Svy9MSRZE0uwZefGSGDKcyETf2oTUoTheLYnScK-3zLYrN4OphIfqDxuJYAw6rzjEMWCEUC9-vOA1tT7MeoKTQKRgnHcaJl-oFKHHWmGlbOFVsuDXhPmRePG6zLmO_s1oQIQ229aZJq/s400/DSCN0561.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486351072940626" border="0" /></a>This was one of my favorite paintings, by artist Tom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Uttech</span>:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwa2BxX_qZ1ec7QlOGHzKx0Ocv2QpQu7yim14C7dvLkwqtLoU6nwQ47FhDtAQweusk38yXauoCpaZhytIVdcc1S-WjHceIqJeVhQ_DmaL6Jj2lY12qfpW7ApgRh7HdAWaVDIBsQo3XBwd/s1600/DSCN0572.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwa2BxX_qZ1ec7QlOGHzKx0Ocv2QpQu7yim14C7dvLkwqtLoU6nwQ47FhDtAQweusk38yXauoCpaZhytIVdcc1S-WjHceIqJeVhQ_DmaL6Jj2lY12qfpW7ApgRh7HdAWaVDIBsQo3XBwd/s400/DSCN0572.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486352942541890" border="0" /></a>Taking a little break:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk1qEmfK82THFJ_DdajML0xMBEFhdS7e56zyME7lI1iav0B-FiXIPRSy1CkMLZ549qiH4pUFWaj_rVb6Ca5AcDRZLoFEGfW40AzHXKjMXFPPL06MU-lwjsvjuTBxVgkwMV1ANuNXvSjmj/s1600/DSCN0576.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCk1qEmfK82THFJ_DdajML0xMBEFhdS7e56zyME7lI1iav0B-FiXIPRSy1CkMLZ549qiH4pUFWaj_rVb6Ca5AcDRZLoFEGfW40AzHXKjMXFPPL06MU-lwjsvjuTBxVgkwMV1ANuNXvSjmj/s400/DSCN0576.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486210172810258" border="0" /></a>Back outside. A duck and turtle, living in harmony:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYdcWjvdKWuJmJumPn1pr_enVGalza4o0VDlMf-14sNjIyZPPnePSSncUQMQ-ZfdYUOaQJzgOh5sLOdQoo8byRW045_Guoygdwz5gK5RAw4AAumkxl-U-iQOBLNq6hLe3GF-FmeuiTO_C/s1600/DSCN0582.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYdcWjvdKWuJmJumPn1pr_enVGalza4o0VDlMf-14sNjIyZPPnePSSncUQMQ-ZfdYUOaQJzgOh5sLOdQoo8byRW045_Guoygdwz5gK5RAw4AAumkxl-U-iQOBLNq6hLe3GF-FmeuiTO_C/s400/DSCN0582.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486201031907890" border="0" /></a>Parked in City Park, plotting our next move:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h160gHK68rPoBZqKT9KEpjErAiJ8_Do5Qu3G-i6XvbCkEhuBaiMdyaqtgUV7Hgh_3U_QliNm5FcZ6XfnmD319Oqb7VSLBrw1f5ZZeuMMyZHFbMkPy9rktPsmxDS6M3l7eRrzpXBCk0RO/s1600/DSCN0587.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h160gHK68rPoBZqKT9KEpjErAiJ8_Do5Qu3G-i6XvbCkEhuBaiMdyaqtgUV7Hgh_3U_QliNm5FcZ6XfnmD319Oqb7VSLBrw1f5ZZeuMMyZHFbMkPy9rktPsmxDS6M3l7eRrzpXBCk0RO/s400/DSCN0587.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486201602913250" border="0" /></a>Back for more birding:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsmO3D3ZOwaBySfqumdppz0yFQ7cDFbS1FUoGU5JypvS65DiLFSGwknH23GWaGthBR4P2UcOhyFeHk3KLZxfU8Y5asEmCH1-qQrkgMg3OGh26B4YqgCzmfvCwM-Yr73vtigcHLes2KuLx/s1600/DSCN0592.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYsmO3D3ZOwaBySfqumdppz0yFQ7cDFbS1FUoGU5JypvS65DiLFSGwknH23GWaGthBR4P2UcOhyFeHk3KLZxfU8Y5asEmCH1-qQrkgMg3OGh26B4YqgCzmfvCwM-Yr73vtigcHLes2KuLx/s400/DSCN0592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486193009876098" border="0" /></a>We saw lots of gulls. Gulls are really hard to identify for novice birders, as they look very much alike! We don't have too many gulls with black heads at home, so these guys were fun to see:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspubK7kMPSm6JHSl6kElzle6qEy5xzqOZqD3EMiilMZGORHdYQcKk0cflfJ3UNXwlbxBmLX5VdcVxZhQwUA4RxaVBc4FpHq3kRGEVyQIT40gRPz_yPWn216vCycdB8f4fL31kfM0wyY0D/s1600/DSCN0599.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspubK7kMPSm6JHSl6kElzle6qEy5xzqOZqD3EMiilMZGORHdYQcKk0cflfJ3UNXwlbxBmLX5VdcVxZhQwUA4RxaVBc4FpHq3kRGEVyQIT40gRPz_yPWn216vCycdB8f4fL31kfM0wyY0D/s400/DSCN0599.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574486188351573554" border="0" /></a>Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-53527634262548336712011-02-16T18:06:00.001-08:002011-03-14T14:44:34.906-07:00Day 7: Bayou Sauvage and Vieux CarreOn our last full day in New Orleans, we wanted to get a bit more birding in. We stopped by <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=43595">Bayou <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sauvage</span> National Wildlife Refuge</a>, which is very close to the city. It, too, suffered extreme damage during Katrina.<br /><br />They had a very nice display which discussed the wildlife that lives there:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUddbSHbu2MIUYHgZNGb5oVYe4LY84tEhCKvmDPR_SQh1mTekzmZBO707IKNyDmDMIsTqYPeyPHYrSJhrGRGNM4Xi1ohAKa6WUUN_fkPbEa5GtlcOG-ThmuvSF8TVdxaF77Cd91OuyVja/s1600/DSCN0605.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUddbSHbu2MIUYHgZNGb5oVYe4LY84tEhCKvmDPR_SQh1mTekzmZBO707IKNyDmDMIsTqYPeyPHYrSJhrGRGNM4Xi1ohAKa6WUUN_fkPbEa5GtlcOG-ThmuvSF8TVdxaF77Cd91OuyVja/s400/DSCN0605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848537804779538" border="0" /></a>In the large tree, there is a hawk perched. We watched her fly around and located her in several different trees during our hike:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_reDFB2MUTS6z1Hgu0P3IOiLZBSarvJslE-fL4wYQf9uTl1YSBL6HMK2Dgxc_sMJofbewT39hiSBZnc-65S7CjNP7Io_Gjutek8dYr5-C_ulezoh42fNRYUrEtDQMD5tINK2q8HFb3jb/s1600/DSCN0607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_reDFB2MUTS6z1Hgu0P3IOiLZBSarvJslE-fL4wYQf9uTl1YSBL6HMK2Dgxc_sMJofbewT39hiSBZnc-65S7CjNP7Io_Gjutek8dYr5-C_ulezoh42fNRYUrEtDQMD5tINK2q8HFb3jb/s400/DSCN0607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848534281535954" border="0" /></a>We saw this snake only because it made noise. I had been hoping to see another rail!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcXg7jJ2fCUJ4A7JDGGSTUDbOcQZdmU0zdXcI167__WESd-IMzK3cMIzl2Ch3uSttoN62Z_J7HwA9_-6aSUIK9dc6haIG0aY-CNSPRvM9BsH65ZXh9JlgLeBL121_WMK72q7H3jeWhq2T/s1600/DSCN0615.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcXg7jJ2fCUJ4A7JDGGSTUDbOcQZdmU0zdXcI167__WESd-IMzK3cMIzl2Ch3uSttoN62Z_J7HwA9_-6aSUIK9dc6haIG0aY-CNSPRvM9BsH65ZXh9JlgLeBL121_WMK72q7H3jeWhq2T/s400/DSCN0615.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848534022042818" border="0" /></a>More ducks:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9SPgk_3ypmxfdsfJ8YBfCWDxIjjIQbFizRiXpm7giZ1zHJF6Pc2HCILmFnSmSzCveq4p9IIiAw8u2-FSo-p2L5HHSFGIaAWvHc6LlEKjtLLOWzAakblrc7UsUhEmzvudaZFb3sZBAK_t/s1600/DSCN0616.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC9SPgk_3ypmxfdsfJ8YBfCWDxIjjIQbFizRiXpm7giZ1zHJF6Pc2HCILmFnSmSzCveq4p9IIiAw8u2-FSo-p2L5HHSFGIaAWvHc6LlEKjtLLOWzAakblrc7UsUhEmzvudaZFb3sZBAK_t/s400/DSCN0616.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848467284198322" border="0" /></a>Driving along, we'd stop occasionally and walk a few meters into the brush alongside the highway, hoping to see things. Incredibly, this worked quite well -- there is so much to see in Louisiana! Here was part of a large flock of black-crowned night-herons. We were very luck to get to see so many, and during the day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSMWsKP52eTQsVtFl0Ps9M_3Su-DKMSNTzUY-JsnsG_JO0OI_LnPnM8OMxLGN7V_B29GetKlt9hrTBnwezJn0j3eC5D-gfu2n_Oj8nXCOBZAlJTxYP2tB3rMlWg3NGt-oa3fhIBvOVsTZ/s1600/DSCN0632.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSMWsKP52eTQsVtFl0Ps9M_3Su-DKMSNTzUY-JsnsG_JO0OI_LnPnM8OMxLGN7V_B29GetKlt9hrTBnwezJn0j3eC5D-gfu2n_Oj8nXCOBZAlJTxYP2tB3rMlWg3NGt-oa3fhIBvOVsTZ/s400/DSCN0632.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848458903907810" border="0" /></a>A closer view:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZDfF5pndJSUaQ6C3nGNFo1wLlBMQw7ip3sHAPYxofUyVxBvpWXBcRus5sab82pgEHydYfoRnNSW_VmaG-TYzrQ-0ElC6elWz6XQcMaRenyn87-3fmL5tTqQqwNIvW98G9Jdbi2uSI_ku/s1600/DSCN0629.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZDfF5pndJSUaQ6C3nGNFo1wLlBMQw7ip3sHAPYxofUyVxBvpWXBcRus5sab82pgEHydYfoRnNSW_VmaG-TYzrQ-0ElC6elWz6XQcMaRenyn87-3fmL5tTqQqwNIvW98G9Jdbi2uSI_ku/s400/DSCN0629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848462067020690" border="0" /></a>We also got to see another black rail, though he was too far away to photograph well.<br /><br />We decided that though we'd seen quite a bit of wildlife, we couldn't leave New Orleans without seeing the famed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Vieux</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Carre</span>. We dropped the car off at the apartment and took the streetcar downtown. Brian is waiting at the stop which was about 2 minutes away from our apartment:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6HPdiKvAYltx1c8zj_FGPVJv4l_aKmRe8ScvgtezCwTcMqwca9Kn6qIgc9epvgC0r6Z8OTFKpEB7o09oRSTBI8CiCJ-XzgNteHfaZGLGT-9-x01mkqObUJ_UDNbg24kFy2RFfpTof6rF/s1600/DSCN0636.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6HPdiKvAYltx1c8zj_FGPVJv4l_aKmRe8ScvgtezCwTcMqwca9Kn6qIgc9epvgC0r6Z8OTFKpEB7o09oRSTBI8CiCJ-XzgNteHfaZGLGT-9-x01mkqObUJ_UDNbg24kFy2RFfpTof6rF/s400/DSCN0636.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848456289371938" border="0" /></a>Approaching streetcars, and someone walking on the streetcar tracks:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrErNZ2wzd6q4twyU0mI22KEM-UPlcymWwt6_NKG1EiVJFrWekEQsiTuDLqJ7fnRGjw37F0rNQcq4SzJWsbR0sCIMXegFc2KIdQLqQpCGzw1rh_-5ZGf0Co4DUqwvEJ67MhiUZFRTP_hC/s1600/DSCN0637.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrErNZ2wzd6q4twyU0mI22KEM-UPlcymWwt6_NKG1EiVJFrWekEQsiTuDLqJ7fnRGjw37F0rNQcq4SzJWsbR0sCIMXegFc2KIdQLqQpCGzw1rh_-5ZGf0Co4DUqwvEJ67MhiUZFRTP_hC/s400/DSCN0637.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848453170885634" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Blatently</span> disobeying the rules as it very clearly stated to keep your head inside the car at all times!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYekGZSIc6PrgbtC9h0YakadMjI4OqWyRoIol8x_RfiP0ODsxrIPgvSWv0-0OCHrGxvzVrbXteTTYR1CHBU_lik1etr7if1smfglx3KB5w86EBgjvu9lAIAg-pC0f4hMBm2JoOMxOc1_F/s1600/DSCN0638.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYekGZSIc6PrgbtC9h0YakadMjI4OqWyRoIol8x_RfiP0ODsxrIPgvSWv0-0OCHrGxvzVrbXteTTYR1CHBU_lik1etr7if1smfglx3KB5w86EBgjvu9lAIAg-pC0f4hMBm2JoOMxOc1_F/s400/DSCN0638.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848359375019794" border="0" /></a>Self-portrait:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKG6JEPRC1eQ0qe1R8BcHdHFRjQPc80hKYan7osVhr0j7gAJ7VJP42_z704MrkKG5JlcW5Cz0lt9dEiGuA2aTa6K2TU06zYetbKLtvujbXUlbpiTiNOaj63Ybs3NlXmAE-g4TxNsfE_nX/s1600/DSCN0640.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKG6JEPRC1eQ0qe1R8BcHdHFRjQPc80hKYan7osVhr0j7gAJ7VJP42_z704MrkKG5JlcW5Cz0lt9dEiGuA2aTa6K2TU06zYetbKLtvujbXUlbpiTiNOaj63Ybs3NlXmAE-g4TxNsfE_nX/s400/DSCN0640.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848349975503922" border="0" /></a>Waiting at Cafe <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">du</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Monde</span> for our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">beignets</span>. We should only have ordered one portion -- it was huge!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZdNy1Bx4gNciz8xFZkj_JDVnS7qFqFR5Cuvzd2fDI0YxjRdiF3q7brx5Yw5iQFEngkNjgwnxsNgnKWcTs-jEy0-9L1lQvzvXOiLJKztCA3V4Hp0E-8vMeZOXKoFYFRRWkoAej-MAORcH/s1600/DSCN0643.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZdNy1Bx4gNciz8xFZkj_JDVnS7qFqFR5Cuvzd2fDI0YxjRdiF3q7brx5Yw5iQFEngkNjgwnxsNgnKWcTs-jEy0-9L1lQvzvXOiLJKztCA3V4Hp0E-8vMeZOXKoFYFRRWkoAej-MAORcH/s400/DSCN0643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848339517484434" border="0" /></a>We walked to a bench and ate them there. They were very powdery; unfortunately there was such a mess that we forgot to take pictures.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbaOzvsii1zG5V1w57dV2TcT9wSNBzFpB_gPweVpjw5B_asa3UqwFBvz4nyfwEjzVGlkb-LniJIPfc9zFy8dSLyo1no2rWst6RyXtxSKdZJ67zBYHAenj1mO8EVq80NNaVKx05dtQs1-5/s1600/DSCN0644.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbaOzvsii1zG5V1w57dV2TcT9wSNBzFpB_gPweVpjw5B_asa3UqwFBvz4nyfwEjzVGlkb-LniJIPfc9zFy8dSLyo1no2rWst6RyXtxSKdZJ67zBYHAenj1mO8EVq80NNaVKx05dtQs1-5/s400/DSCN0644.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848330336152818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3WPeRivVwhSlGrvHVgMtGCZkKsxdiF3xddE82Si0_ckoBiA4gB8fbdCF5BDbaEz0OXC4vnP4YBj_Qpe2vYZcksg4vqhcNKl24QJoshhaEwgUET-4osGjSIyuGUCoEqpjrhXyI3_U4COX/s1600/DSCN0646.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3WPeRivVwhSlGrvHVgMtGCZkKsxdiF3xddE82Si0_ckoBiA4gB8fbdCF5BDbaEz0OXC4vnP4YBj_Qpe2vYZcksg4vqhcNKl24QJoshhaEwgUET-4osGjSIyuGUCoEqpjrhXyI3_U4COX/s400/DSCN0646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574848331271953906" border="0" /></a>We walked around a bit more and eventually made our way back home for our last night in New Orleans.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-8403821151167657092011-02-16T18:05:00.000-08:002011-03-14T14:47:48.951-07:00Day 8: Return HomeOur flight was in the early afternoon, so we didn't have much time Friday morning for more sightseeing. We walked around the park some more and then went to <a href="http://www.juansflyingburrito.com/">Juan's Flying Burrito</a> for lunch.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA3jIcl3zu48E0HaNNG4u266PI9US167ZmtIBUT8RyWq9N38cVG6rSgR1GFGCwLn7GueV9xEjze_1ByS5fOBNXgdcvVLk6Nc6KcCvJp7ScSfEM_CN3Yvz8A6-rw3wfdzp9r9SBoZE7voL/s1600/DSCN0647.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA3jIcl3zu48E0HaNNG4u266PI9US167ZmtIBUT8RyWq9N38cVG6rSgR1GFGCwLn7GueV9xEjze_1ByS5fOBNXgdcvVLk6Nc6KcCvJp7ScSfEM_CN3Yvz8A6-rw3wfdzp9r9SBoZE7voL/s400/DSCN0647.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575948605186422946" border="0" /></a>We didn't visit any of the famed cemeteries, but here's a drive-by picture of some of the monuments:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKscMnGS-y0N5xe-TQScLOu0LEY7txgbwHT6Ld-32dwwjC-gnZF1u5vMpzoO_spdfW_bwPLiA9jp3I9ORUwlkyZ0V9rg4gp_sdfDnPRXmYMEPKw707ugo0_x6chUybym9wVJxmoNKVUCw/s1600/DSCN0649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKscMnGS-y0N5xe-TQScLOu0LEY7txgbwHT6Ld-32dwwjC-gnZF1u5vMpzoO_spdfW_bwPLiA9jp3I9ORUwlkyZ0V9rg4gp_sdfDnPRXmYMEPKw707ugo0_x6chUybym9wVJxmoNKVUCw/s400/DSCN0649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575948593594704018" border="0" /></a>Even the airport check-in counter was decorated for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mardi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gras</span> (the wreath in the background):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSRLRepVLpz7iD3-j7zVre0kS7ACTBBSP0zfgkuoo0r2skStEipWOHQMiq05nDGrFAfopPA6PbR09I4ki4DdTBhbO_s6NbZrlmGDzw_FCSkMlgq-IUOlp0iF05cDJTo9WpSuWivPD4ro1/s1600/DSCN0651.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSRLRepVLpz7iD3-j7zVre0kS7ACTBBSP0zfgkuoo0r2skStEipWOHQMiq05nDGrFAfopPA6PbR09I4ki4DdTBhbO_s6NbZrlmGDzw_FCSkMlgq-IUOlp0iF05cDJTo9WpSuWivPD4ro1/s400/DSCN0651.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575948591244282770" border="0" /></a>Waiting for the plane:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiveh2TtWErCBkp32cb81XT2cJoEOR-_xq2B2H9v7wZpvQs7uiJgG3r0mFJIc_zrAoKssLHRi7lENpwcmq62Nfc74qqI1tNC0ICs-XzZJZrcHjbK2OSl4s319IVoxfa19g743cFQ2zumbr/s1600/DSCN0652.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiveh2TtWErCBkp32cb81XT2cJoEOR-_xq2B2H9v7wZpvQs7uiJgG3r0mFJIc_zrAoKssLHRi7lENpwcmq62Nfc74qqI1tNC0ICs-XzZJZrcHjbK2OSl4s319IVoxfa19g743cFQ2zumbr/s400/DSCN0652.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575948587363309362" border="0" /></a>Our flight home happened without a hitch, and another successful vacation complete!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-54631111524731691742010-06-15T10:47:00.006-07:002010-06-15T11:00:02.755-07:00Day 1: ArrivalWe decided to take a bit of a departure from the vacations we'd been taking lately and take a road trip into nature. We rented a cabin right on Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.<br /><br />On the way up, we stopped at a rest area for a drink:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yz3upTnQnPQKIimWVlN2pDN6bBthNnhBreD1-tbeZt8RuHWZzcgPADF1ZnystSyJoj_HDg8m29LGe0v9MSVOBk9PA0QhmZlUQut7nuoO7beIzoaw7c6ACFTYyXa4UIdQDFE61izhNVvl/s1600/IMG_1136.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yz3upTnQnPQKIimWVlN2pDN6bBthNnhBreD1-tbeZt8RuHWZzcgPADF1ZnystSyJoj_HDg8m29LGe0v9MSVOBk9PA0QhmZlUQut7nuoO7beIzoaw7c6ACFTYyXa4UIdQDFE61izhNVvl/s320/IMG_1136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059129476097394" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKG4WZEwBR4vnPtlAvgRPKjvgQunZa9-Z2CFCuUZTwaD60jIlBIj_MHjZmeheGLJQcVJo7300S5mtmRo6EowuMackpXagV9VhTm64M_j94wGpRD1K7r-J59Wjf4AvSF24uENYV4eiP2ry/s1600/IMG_1137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKG4WZEwBR4vnPtlAvgRPKjvgQunZa9-Z2CFCuUZTwaD60jIlBIj_MHjZmeheGLJQcVJo7300S5mtmRo6EowuMackpXagV9VhTm64M_j94wGpRD1K7r-J59Wjf4AvSF24uENYV4eiP2ry/s320/IMG_1137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059088700723106" border="0" /></a>Brian wanted to do the majority of the driving, so my role was that of providing entertainment (interesting conversation, DJ skills, etc.), navigation, and wildlife watching. Usually that last one refers to me telling Brian to slow down so he doesn't hit the animal on the side of the road that might jump out in front of him (even though this "animal" frequently turns out to be litter).<br /><br />But not always! I yelled at him to stop because a turtle was in the road. We had to turn around, and he hadn't moved. He was right in line of the tires, and showed no sign on moving! So Brian helped him along:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYkfkS8XoH0yiWBfcjBLZSsxEIWeOKe-VrHGAnPLuzBHrvfiTK-lMHNRKGxm5QbSen4GEoAmZR_ZYrKh91zvV_MR6-kC9WCuhKCk2kbm8saUG3-0xDnRvtYracqwintHqd5dI8KI-LIxS/s1600/IMG_1138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYkfkS8XoH0yiWBfcjBLZSsxEIWeOKe-VrHGAnPLuzBHrvfiTK-lMHNRKGxm5QbSen4GEoAmZR_ZYrKh91zvV_MR6-kC9WCuhKCk2kbm8saUG3-0xDnRvtYracqwintHqd5dI8KI-LIxS/s320/IMG_1138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059078172894322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS8zZvUG1bn6ftIsH59B7HeP8vf6qb2JBsHfGeCaOL-Y7SC82ZzKXh19z6_WaD9JbRSeYwE2x2SxqwMLl_nyFyJCYfowHG1WVx_5EiZha2vsr0I2bIRwkn1fOPP57EFNyJl43z3-yjgp7/s1600/IMG_1139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS8zZvUG1bn6ftIsH59B7HeP8vf6qb2JBsHfGeCaOL-Y7SC82ZzKXh19z6_WaD9JbRSeYwE2x2SxqwMLl_nyFyJCYfowHG1WVx_5EiZha2vsr0I2bIRwkn1fOPP57EFNyJl43z3-yjgp7/s320/IMG_1139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059071659414210" border="0" /></a>Once placed in the grass, he scampered away to safety:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAaAi4wrHq3SkhDPmv4LmMaP4Et78f5vRmFdI-y2lFvBexBhHg2cVz_lDKRuNJ5wSq1Fjs-vj4iPrKdbe54LN78TjLqZqrpcOKHd8EdXI4gQ5MYs4C-_7CTH6T-a35l6KS0UqtROaQGGB/s1600/IMG_1140.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAaAi4wrHq3SkhDPmv4LmMaP4Et78f5vRmFdI-y2lFvBexBhHg2cVz_lDKRuNJ5wSq1Fjs-vj4iPrKdbe54LN78TjLqZqrpcOKHd8EdXI4gQ5MYs4C-_7CTH6T-a35l6KS0UqtROaQGGB/s320/IMG_1140.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059064727409234" border="0" /></a>Finally, we arrived at our destination. Here is the view of Lake Superior from the porch of the cabin:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT680OFcVODDzsQRw61eh6w_MRiFbswfds096UHsjiZlMEOsRUrR3q2mjXQsyrGEJqnh4yGJTfo02dyjFuqTKfx33007b_tmhSr_2fIc8dnHFoUosxujjEmY56X8uAY2AE7tKYCZYaNOlb/s1600/IMG_1143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT680OFcVODDzsQRw61eh6w_MRiFbswfds096UHsjiZlMEOsRUrR3q2mjXQsyrGEJqnh4yGJTfo02dyjFuqTKfx33007b_tmhSr_2fIc8dnHFoUosxujjEmY56X8uAY2AE7tKYCZYaNOlb/s320/IMG_1143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483059060474642242" border="0" /></a>A view of the cabin, through the trees:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTJmwLTXpGrD2RcYgkAN8ctDSKp1nIGX0Uuc7FyIFm0LhWNJjC0AzV0WrYwudQzGu4ytSxWmTtqqKdA9wuAiE4SlDGfCSxNahk2sMAcW0hmQV8dQ5diWffH1e4xvhsR1BGC_9VGW1_7_u/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYTJmwLTXpGrD2RcYgkAN8ctDSKp1nIGX0Uuc7FyIFm0LhWNJjC0AzV0WrYwudQzGu4ytSxWmTtqqKdA9wuAiE4SlDGfCSxNahk2sMAcW0hmQV8dQ5diWffH1e4xvhsR1BGC_9VGW1_7_u/s320/IMG_1144.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483058944773052706" border="0" /></a>The sauna, right on the beach:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbzIj0gUcpiIbVbpvwPDLl03_b-RwhQN24zJTGU3D7cfHn_jet_KrmUC8fVXRsJ4EVjNcusmjUocu1mSOziQZVPV-bXihjoUS_tVehSJDSWcClj1bkVc_xHvTvDSh3HeaynRa3iCOtkLg/s1600/IMG_1145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbzIj0gUcpiIbVbpvwPDLl03_b-RwhQN24zJTGU3D7cfHn_jet_KrmUC8fVXRsJ4EVjNcusmjUocu1mSOziQZVPV-bXihjoUS_tVehSJDSWcClj1bkVc_xHvTvDSh3HeaynRa3iCOtkLg/s320/IMG_1145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483058931713978978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwwGdDZ2vuZ0xJ41QotKyZn60AGZYgF8-1_mya7hzVjmcVGaWpCYk3dTI_kTDo9JgLgHm4ocMEqu6QWMaUlbc8RZlYBFS8_qu1g4ebuJMH-yTKl-wtGTm0xbsFjELLGhI1yDoT_wtaunO/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwwGdDZ2vuZ0xJ41QotKyZn60AGZYgF8-1_mya7hzVjmcVGaWpCYk3dTI_kTDo9JgLgHm4ocMEqu6QWMaUlbc8RZlYBFS8_qu1g4ebuJMH-yTKl-wtGTm0xbsFjELLGhI1yDoT_wtaunO/s320/IMG_1147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483058924203682610" border="0" /></a>Brian, looking out at the lake from the beach:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTBOb_NoaLQely5nJOZomJh-mEazXVEOO2SItoS3Bf3_MzLgYnWW1OVKKI793Yo1yYbEqH3tEagu5huv3HPlveKOGjLXZj9lKyXU9CL9Tp32WcrrNyGS9LNEMlNE3pym_6eRCxMYsGhP_/s1600/IMG_1148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTBOb_NoaLQely5nJOZomJh-mEazXVEOO2SItoS3Bf3_MzLgYnWW1OVKKI793Yo1yYbEqH3tEagu5huv3HPlveKOGjLXZj9lKyXU9CL9Tp32WcrrNyGS9LNEMlNE3pym_6eRCxMYsGhP_/s320/IMG_1148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483058918790158178" border="0" /></a>We were tired from driving all day, so just had a frozen pizza for dinner. And some beer!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkikypDxkR8yzrhL48wMb9AXdzLvW8HdLBBpXytT9wjdEAFDONUl2bhbsc2dVvrktpUwJkSjqK-roSNQi8P10ib46LKGyCcD9SyyeTC0uD-CTLe0L2Gxh8JuIyOhSnj1w98v8ECfXqI2I/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkikypDxkR8yzrhL48wMb9AXdzLvW8HdLBBpXytT9wjdEAFDONUl2bhbsc2dVvrktpUwJkSjqK-roSNQi8P10ib46LKGyCcD9SyyeTC0uD-CTLe0L2Gxh8JuIyOhSnj1w98v8ECfXqI2I/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483058915468512386" border="0" /></a>Then we got a bit of reading and/or video game playing done (I will leave it to your imagination as to which one of us did which of those things!) and went to bed.<br /><br />We got up several times during the night to go out to the beach and look at the night sky. Because there is so little light pollution here, especially compared to where we live, we saw so many stars. It was amazing. Unfortunately, this was the only night cloudless enough for us to do this, so it's a good thing we did so, even though we were tired!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-82283812752424420862010-06-15T10:47:00.005-07:002010-06-15T11:31:55.154-07:00Day 2: HikingOn our first full day in Michigan, we were excited to get out and see some wildlife. particular birds, though we are very bad birders as we don't have binoculars! (This trip revitalized our interest in birding and we have binoculars on order that will hopefully be here by the end of the week).<br /><br />There was a nice hiking trail withing walking distance of our cabin, so that's where we headed.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksW2AegvMohK8E_Vz5zQg9HcBIxIbaGpIO_SuF6PcIuhDOfrwHQ1pWwQliLYx7L4-u9U5T9LhYLlcjhQKAFGC4diUWIv70PlnwK9tQiEZCs83m29kmm1POt1nAm0lRzyLUTkwDXagfrc0/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksW2AegvMohK8E_Vz5zQg9HcBIxIbaGpIO_SuF6PcIuhDOfrwHQ1pWwQliLYx7L4-u9U5T9LhYLlcjhQKAFGC4diUWIv70PlnwK9tQiEZCs83m29kmm1POt1nAm0lRzyLUTkwDXagfrc0/s320/IMG_1151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065822714620882" border="0" /></a>Stopping at a stream, hoping to see something:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtCQhEpdlfa4MlanRUsrS7x4Z7VjJeUUZm8G776gUBqgTd4e6-zQD7aIAhWAR3r1fq4Nd_7JWAGjwQsvJWyoZzro-1hGBxn3ZW1AIf9iTzNEbMu7AQi0_ZtdAhUf3KavHwazuqlzYxYVf/s1600/IMG_1152.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtCQhEpdlfa4MlanRUsrS7x4Z7VjJeUUZm8G776gUBqgTd4e6-zQD7aIAhWAR3r1fq4Nd_7JWAGjwQsvJWyoZzro-1hGBxn3ZW1AIf9iTzNEbMu7AQi0_ZtdAhUf3KavHwazuqlzYxYVf/s320/IMG_1152.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065765978036178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqe3ZzvQE06f2Eomo4urT_FuV1bTd8dDS5Xa-whZl7J3IBBUIpHZ-DY_kk-w8Wi1_nnv5QJce_G3cAjuHK8uLD2ApKory9R5VXrr5UA1k5-OE9aU4WZq_eVoPw3vZybxdGNPM6p6WM9Pm/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIqe3ZzvQE06f2Eomo4urT_FuV1bTd8dDS5Xa-whZl7J3IBBUIpHZ-DY_kk-w8Wi1_nnv5QJce_G3cAjuHK8uLD2ApKory9R5VXrr5UA1k5-OE9aU4WZq_eVoPw3vZybxdGNPM6p6WM9Pm/s320/IMG_1153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065759817647506" border="0" /></a>I got a little hot with my jacket, so Brian offered to (insisted on) carrying it. I think it was so he could have more bug protection! Luckily for me, the bugs were bothering him and leaving me alone!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0_Xe9tzGZhpUXThpQKk3RYA17mr9Th0Ii24qe9YF9dwh0yVNu0mhbDZ8efIUMAcS5So4qjdXk_WuGQDpc5mR1C7ODDJ-5vf8Qb7QvwvPQwmiTzQgJRrLtLBUUPDFLEON-G2d4zjCvDkT/s1600/IMG_1154.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0_Xe9tzGZhpUXThpQKk3RYA17mr9Th0Ii24qe9YF9dwh0yVNu0mhbDZ8efIUMAcS5So4qjdXk_WuGQDpc5mR1C7ODDJ-5vf8Qb7QvwvPQwmiTzQgJRrLtLBUUPDFLEON-G2d4zjCvDkT/s320/IMG_1154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065757082085730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQVFucZ-I46WN_ir2CQDy4N8rEPU19Csowj_THdWAIBHHBLu5F-GWAtyb9nWhF4yjSPKNaTdZ04B0LkUbYD9f9EsPBPsJOh_k-Jj2UcO3GKgtrrCOyLyEZIN4Ntqvw4G9craz3Ip_yNXN/s1600/IMG_1156.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQVFucZ-I46WN_ir2CQDy4N8rEPU19Csowj_THdWAIBHHBLu5F-GWAtyb9nWhF4yjSPKNaTdZ04B0LkUbYD9f9EsPBPsJOh_k-Jj2UcO3GKgtrrCOyLyEZIN4Ntqvw4G9craz3Ip_yNXN/s320/IMG_1156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065750481916594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOsiFVU4XONSA_begljovIIALuRo5hF29zwsZl-RvGoimVj9qBF7QufIRHBABLoIX0vQpUomicjIWRlLjtNZIfn-71ZWvZNRQGNNyyrRMop7-IcOvM5APRh94yitRAbcK0nc6zI61FM_4/s1600/IMG_1158.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOsiFVU4XONSA_begljovIIALuRo5hF29zwsZl-RvGoimVj9qBF7QufIRHBABLoIX0vQpUomicjIWRlLjtNZIfn-71ZWvZNRQGNNyyrRMop7-IcOvM5APRh94yitRAbcK0nc6zI61FM_4/s320/IMG_1158.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065744171254002" border="0" /></a>Unknowingly, Brian had trapped a bug on his head when he put my jacket over his head to keep the bugs out. And then wondered why there was non-stop buzzing! He finally realized what had happened, got the bug out, and resumed his protective head cover.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhKtmBCRH1fR5OIegbu4htLBB22-pOfGbQWERbKfPH8MiKIZhWK9PvFMh-AwzMDLmd-MYDUD428OqyTQj48CbgntaWaj5J47-ACiP_kofGkNRW7wSl3h1l5zdZH4SWyUPiLkooK2PJsB8/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhKtmBCRH1fR5OIegbu4htLBB22-pOfGbQWERbKfPH8MiKIZhWK9PvFMh-AwzMDLmd-MYDUD428OqyTQj48CbgntaWaj5J47-ACiP_kofGkNRW7wSl3h1l5zdZH4SWyUPiLkooK2PJsB8/s320/IMG_1160.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065573906527954" border="0" /></a>Taking a rest and contemplating the beauty:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnzimzsdCca2CkIUf0bDUfp9wByo38Kbs1eJdpJ67r2XpNmJkEEWk_Xmzj3sO-ZHp5_8_Fgyy3qvgdHmTAi_yHdwktBvGKa-vTpuVRDrQoTOMRULNs8ABz1QOvFa3PQKaKIsQrE_wVbGI/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnzimzsdCca2CkIUf0bDUfp9wByo38Kbs1eJdpJ67r2XpNmJkEEWk_Xmzj3sO-ZHp5_8_Fgyy3qvgdHmTAi_yHdwktBvGKa-vTpuVRDrQoTOMRULNs8ABz1QOvFa3PQKaKIsQrE_wVbGI/s320/IMG_1161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065560956694738" border="0" /></a>Most of our wildlife sightings were signs of wildlife rather than the animals themselves, such as woodpecker holes:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsqbLdSkRWSEaGF2KWuCC1oIWL0NK-k20N8g1kuVaQ9TymaF2SWohYdkIH90Zs8DHsaDyiqLJholWp09EB3kWfWbed8cmM9f9I6dbDJn6bR2BkQgzPl9PiVfojxZi9pi30ZDv7kTEz_Kg/s1600/IMG_1162.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsqbLdSkRWSEaGF2KWuCC1oIWL0NK-k20N8g1kuVaQ9TymaF2SWohYdkIH90Zs8DHsaDyiqLJholWp09EB3kWfWbed8cmM9f9I6dbDJn6bR2BkQgzPl9PiVfojxZi9pi30ZDv7kTEz_Kg/s320/IMG_1162.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065554946986738" border="0" /></a>And deer tracks:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GUZn87VFe3uogwNepX4DmZ4QF8xj5m8-eTr2fVGnNAPWMnfvMqSLrCUsSTcgTn8OMAMZU1lFJD4DHG90TwUF2arpbw2HuQMBDFfuHlMuZQavQm2bfTkzZWFMjXx8yZ7noGzL3LUjGGwn/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GUZn87VFe3uogwNepX4DmZ4QF8xj5m8-eTr2fVGnNAPWMnfvMqSLrCUsSTcgTn8OMAMZU1lFJD4DHG90TwUF2arpbw2HuQMBDFfuHlMuZQavQm2bfTkzZWFMjXx8yZ7noGzL3LUjGGwn/s320/IMG_1196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065359283872738" border="0" /></a>There were all kinds of interesting fungi growing:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXiNJL2IIrrc1NbPApiFnaPkf8xncZKIsbcegz30UJKUj_aHQb2e9FciewAVFOEOBPzatWrCp0qJ2uEFgHShRnOMRZcuAQKdGkTP5uiOcYya4UWD8OXp6bziS5pe92z8iFhje2CtA0kag/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyXiNJL2IIrrc1NbPApiFnaPkf8xncZKIsbcegz30UJKUj_aHQb2e9FciewAVFOEOBPzatWrCp0qJ2uEFgHShRnOMRZcuAQKdGkTP5uiOcYya4UWD8OXp6bziS5pe92z8iFhje2CtA0kag/s320/IMG_1164.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065545059372690" border="0" /></a>In the middle of the trail, we came across this sad little chair (we did not sit on it!):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91oEm0QIPNQzgOdh3wBqEPttx3L69tVCXQUR0hpCQ_iTzdwwdBkVimI8XmaLyvbQu1LMExE6XHcTL_kZeEznfe_JF-iEfET9rGk1DES44tW0cM5FoNNGEomRP5gUYzey5-Y9wS3Svx35v/s1600/IMG_1165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91oEm0QIPNQzgOdh3wBqEPttx3L69tVCXQUR0hpCQ_iTzdwwdBkVimI8XmaLyvbQu1LMExE6XHcTL_kZeEznfe_JF-iEfET9rGk1DES44tW0cM5FoNNGEomRP5gUYzey5-Y9wS3Svx35v/s320/IMG_1165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065500456886290" border="0" /></a>They are camouflaged, but here are two black-capped chickadees who were building a nest on top of this tree:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1faWBme5Y1sB83edPWro4EUK1W19uu7Gu4inqn8ROi3jwkwKa8eYMU_UKTDizvYLAzhJ1xfT4y5AnWldfap3-II4Tv9I_6ANbCF43WUDxOTAHVzyvLNPhyTmC4g9MfR2t6nTgjoLKb7H/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1faWBme5Y1sB83edPWro4EUK1W19uu7Gu4inqn8ROi3jwkwKa8eYMU_UKTDizvYLAzhJ1xfT4y5AnWldfap3-II4Tv9I_6ANbCF43WUDxOTAHVzyvLNPhyTmC4g9MfR2t6nTgjoLKb7H/s320/IMG_1187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065362613646146" border="0" /></a>More beautiful scenery:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEZGPC8H7_YHxmKm0UrpItXPwZJLDCwXtUWJiCrV_lMUYfiAmArxGd25gRUb-rGiuzDIHM7uUf3Z19LZ1Ze9KPUYPQmiKZT4_NA8qs2GS5IHe-S-JHicTVbwEERgNNtAs4eK15Lhoas52/s1600/IMG_1197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEZGPC8H7_YHxmKm0UrpItXPwZJLDCwXtUWJiCrV_lMUYfiAmArxGd25gRUb-rGiuzDIHM7uUf3Z19LZ1Ze9KPUYPQmiKZT4_NA8qs2GS5IHe-S-JHicTVbwEERgNNtAs4eK15Lhoas52/s320/IMG_1197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065350894891698" border="0" /></a>Finally, the bugs got to be too much for Brian, who tried to scare them away with his jacket:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNA22Znf63HRUahkpu-1z8D3qgyhW_nyaTHLDD7HGE-2S0KorYtetKIyU7WDAUI1n-Ip4BKiJmUDerjxtuHM3MjJ-txZvr0E_dLF0Tv5DWqtN6b4EhN6Z7B9QOT2M-wAQ-g_CDzfQcCPs/s1600/IMG_1212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNA22Znf63HRUahkpu-1z8D3qgyhW_nyaTHLDD7HGE-2S0KorYtetKIyU7WDAUI1n-Ip4BKiJmUDerjxtuHM3MjJ-txZvr0E_dLF0Tv5DWqtN6b4EhN6Z7B9QOT2M-wAQ-g_CDzfQcCPs/s320/IMG_1212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065343394874738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5xiDhSqwBgzEcuIwXmyEdNZpy-0WsfSTbbF_3Wy8MziaOktcHSd8htYWQuIOMddGWAZ_KFiC3eqzjf2DH9kqz7AXvrW4vHPg63IARunA0d9zxYHEMVyvhsukSz5Z0H9iotMQlOoHP6KP/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5xiDhSqwBgzEcuIwXmyEdNZpy-0WsfSTbbF_3Wy8MziaOktcHSd8htYWQuIOMddGWAZ_KFiC3eqzjf2DH9kqz7AXvrW4vHPg63IARunA0d9zxYHEMVyvhsukSz5Z0H9iotMQlOoHP6KP/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483065338102198434" border="0" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwVFhJUBzdClOZzq4Bqr0O7YBiTXsiSXVoZKNqKhs2mbcdBce8HeLngylCxUESFDwoy4HS-2kr4zQBxDo5eMA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />You can see Lake Superior in the background:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7BH_ws-MssLm3U_QE-99K2WWcTjZZQI2TH6UxbMfYlu1IMxxP_VFK3olDXY6Cb_aTWnieNh7NpBRP_n7giURPSWxFmaui63J2hSYtWCkQVlNInk9KqPg8chWzJtZfFvqLYZ9SWXP5t7/s1600/IMG_1215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkF7BH_ws-MssLm3U_QE-99K2WWcTjZZQI2TH6UxbMfYlu1IMxxP_VFK3olDXY6Cb_aTWnieNh7NpBRP_n7giURPSWxFmaui63J2hSYtWCkQVlNInk9KqPg8chWzJtZfFvqLYZ9SWXP5t7/s320/IMG_1215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064963431979250" border="0" /></a>We needed to cross a stream to get over to the lake. The first bridge option was pretty rickety:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKEDBN47hYne4zmozIDGCmlaS2Jp56vLePZzwWPw1tzKAElP5Wle8DGJyfJzJr_ZwhQYjT7IOK8HHDABvFohZ5ucq7M8Alb_qIPh57HhR71Ntb0wFykQzzzU8ztum7roYnkCuPE6-qOy5/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKEDBN47hYne4zmozIDGCmlaS2Jp56vLePZzwWPw1tzKAElP5Wle8DGJyfJzJr_ZwhQYjT7IOK8HHDABvFohZ5ucq7M8Alb_qIPh57HhR71Ntb0wFykQzzzU8ztum7roYnkCuPE6-qOy5/s320/IMG_1218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064958885399474" border="0" /></a>The more stable looking bridge had a barrier placed so we had to go over it to get to the bridge:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvdePgZAUHI-nCmZ-uBqESrAb5YTjqjTu-paWGWUUDAZqsyXaE9QMF7eY5xqB1VxKeLD3fXAVM_gyGmpYNcIIH1sFODhC5b5Yey30WvotRpN5r0CYMigTPeP7C-oaL3hGtB2SEETry7ML/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvdePgZAUHI-nCmZ-uBqESrAb5YTjqjTu-paWGWUUDAZqsyXaE9QMF7eY5xqB1VxKeLD3fXAVM_gyGmpYNcIIH1sFODhC5b5Yey30WvotRpN5r0CYMigTPeP7C-oaL3hGtB2SEETry7ML/s320/IMG_1219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064944471501618" border="0" /></a>A pretty wildflower growing on the barrier:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm-eKIcb0KbNMYKiPe2oEY2ziqTGMfi0FkdV2Ng-XhYia5rCnL-9zvTpDScTugUoNo8tJXjNyL7HENTIeeT2mO21LyrXXJ_GWzeAyMHPmgb-DzEgfO99zGQ4lFypbe4M2-YYOGUVMkx0l/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm-eKIcb0KbNMYKiPe2oEY2ziqTGMfi0FkdV2Ng-XhYia5rCnL-9zvTpDScTugUoNo8tJXjNyL7HENTIeeT2mO21LyrXXJ_GWzeAyMHPmgb-DzEgfO99zGQ4lFypbe4M2-YYOGUVMkx0l/s320/IMG_1220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064941395815666" border="0" /></a>Side view of the rickety bridge. Yes, that is a round trunk used as support!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMxPBdm1vDhO3eWTPhFNpwbJZqn05D3ZPGWDYzHFSelzG_TMwrdx_dwqR-EtlBbhLgByq4xxGFFFtECC1g2fjZnQUB4jc3ZJSNdHLT68quFp2cxqouIc4Kyz3Juwax-Q0pq-6cyPAf4hJ/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMxPBdm1vDhO3eWTPhFNpwbJZqn05D3ZPGWDYzHFSelzG_TMwrdx_dwqR-EtlBbhLgByq4xxGFFFtECC1g2fjZnQUB4jc3ZJSNdHLT68quFp2cxqouIc4Kyz3Juwax-Q0pq-6cyPAf4hJ/s320/IMG_1221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064934700018994" border="0" /></a>When we finally got to the lake, we skipped some rocks:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQz2qKKvjiFdmNJ3kes4CSN_rAL-L6in0pRhY7gDdBONNBGmFMX_JYgR4wFSvGAQyuKbBmy6WsCyofHhgTqVBzLE2-DTkmZrhpGqiun3vD9tqn1aoqk6eIAL4IRnbty9R0LSUp4obuClB/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQz2qKKvjiFdmNJ3kes4CSN_rAL-L6in0pRhY7gDdBONNBGmFMX_JYgR4wFSvGAQyuKbBmy6WsCyofHhgTqVBzLE2-DTkmZrhpGqiun3vD9tqn1aoqk6eIAL4IRnbty9R0LSUp4obuClB/s320/IMG_1222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483064001803535810" border="0" /></a>A butterfly:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wjau5V8Yk2iNdppVJc-FchhOpnTFKxfQzqV0qHyLatpzW4jZ07fxJO72-4ZKPylbrSSBr3Jd1FvgB9o5KnBUOwmk7GKaZU-n-UTV7yNXB7Hw4pHNnua5pQsiEmHpeTWrMgWuZ7Zu4D95/s1600/IMG_1238.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Wjau5V8Yk2iNdppVJc-FchhOpnTFKxfQzqV0qHyLatpzW4jZ07fxJO72-4ZKPylbrSSBr3Jd1FvgB9o5KnBUOwmk7GKaZU-n-UTV7yNXB7Hw4pHNnua5pQsiEmHpeTWrMgWuZ7Zu4D95/s320/IMG_1238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483063970999396018" border="0" /></a>We heard a frog, so we tried to locate him in the pond. These guys hide very well, but we finally saw him:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbQbB9CMfQ4QLwKdMGTNYkjOxlKS9c4bTVopg4xidgrdXrGUslZElbK7sHWpyelu_awP18JEBoPRt795J3tYaKI7ws9WxqXZu6TYXlEPL3k0qOEvImkd0fOxoLvMu2bSPy6Pk_Zs5U8nJ/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbQbB9CMfQ4QLwKdMGTNYkjOxlKS9c4bTVopg4xidgrdXrGUslZElbK7sHWpyelu_awP18JEBoPRt795J3tYaKI7ws9WxqXZu6TYXlEPL3k0qOEvImkd0fOxoLvMu2bSPy6Pk_Zs5U8nJ/s320/IMG_1231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483063991156425074" border="0" /></a>We walked back over the bridge:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmERl9uzT2xeBearKLiMcBWGk5nL8Y6__Gqldtb9Q9ucoH_9V_XXsKLc5bnQAYC9SFdpBaTqXEG10duly-ls0kRSsCITHdB3sMkzB3fxcTOWSq-h4AZl7_mn9KuW1-8XYiyfvtiTwtVxkG/s1600/IMG_1233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmERl9uzT2xeBearKLiMcBWGk5nL8Y6__Gqldtb9Q9ucoH_9V_XXsKLc5bnQAYC9SFdpBaTqXEG10duly-ls0kRSsCITHdB3sMkzB3fxcTOWSq-h4AZl7_mn9KuW1-8XYiyfvtiTwtVxkG/s320/IMG_1233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483063987125034130" border="0" /></a>But then realized we needed t go back over the bridge again in order to follow the (confusing) trail. This bridge looks unstable, but we were walking over solid ground, so if we'd fallen off, our feet wouldn't have even gotten wet.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABNCZ4kVlQKZLPW_pyK0RfnD-kq93AlUIDZQBweK-hZjmQBvuT4xjEch4ngEb36PPnjXSqij_9OTzSlhoH-HaPtdnRdgg7_ANcpfKalRtYdC2S8mDt-xn_p4GjLWDZMx_fpmDTHlZMAgg/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABNCZ4kVlQKZLPW_pyK0RfnD-kq93AlUIDZQBweK-hZjmQBvuT4xjEch4ngEb36PPnjXSqij_9OTzSlhoH-HaPtdnRdgg7_ANcpfKalRtYdC2S8mDt-xn_p4GjLWDZMx_fpmDTHlZMAgg/s320/IMG_1236.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483063976895465810" border="0" /></a>It took us a lot longer to finish the hike than we anticipated. We had a great time, though! We walked back to the cabin. We ate lunch and then Brian did a sauna while I read and napped a bit. And did more of that through dinner. It was wonderful!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-39352530535411511252010-06-15T10:47:00.003-07:002010-06-15T12:04:28.255-07:00Day 3: HikingOur third day was also mostly about hiking. On the side of the road, before we got to the place where we were hiking, we saw a turkey:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSxUJIl06auokPmX9CG4Ws7IOh820xcTsqvzIVgaGftc88qQDiYROL5AqeWfGvj2OjBhk1vFUcNbC10Sp1e-2NLh72wisvB8ThfoXp4D_7tnQVfMoWuLBdvDSf2A9dT2Q3x4ILoj4beWr/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 248px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqSxUJIl06auokPmX9CG4Ws7IOh820xcTsqvzIVgaGftc88qQDiYROL5AqeWfGvj2OjBhk1vFUcNbC10Sp1e-2NLh72wisvB8ThfoXp4D_7tnQVfMoWuLBdvDSf2A9dT2Q3x4ILoj4beWr/s320/IMG_1240.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073971341052434" border="0" /></a>Finally, we made it to the Porcupine Mountains. We went to the trail recommended by the person staffing the information center.<br /><br />Here is Brian, right before embarking on the worst hike of our lives:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7j-dc_r7mfi936G2eUTk5U9Azz2qNqojyUYEn0l-9m20iwC76XDi32wIRzqz0Y0yY7_jiQyfcR3TvX_9Ptbx7hsZIJK__DFtmfWm4oPuXGLzVXwuOyR255CSPKmRpiQnKwNRJ5UhRk-R/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7j-dc_r7mfi936G2eUTk5U9Azz2qNqojyUYEn0l-9m20iwC76XDi32wIRzqz0Y0yY7_jiQyfcR3TvX_9Ptbx7hsZIJK__DFtmfWm4oPuXGLzVXwuOyR255CSPKmRpiQnKwNRJ5UhRk-R/s320/IMG_1243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073931995964850" border="0" /></a>It was certainly beautiful!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRUJ20e3gtEn_5WnrDH8yQamLcwD8MnMQR1crwtDrqSUVhdZu7zeIJdzD3h2k513gg0wOUtdCDEJ9mvEfnWOG5qpAZjF1ZAjkYbu0AWKhNAed67qMfR0JNJbCDof_TQKsXBjwdTHHDh9L/s1600/IMG_1246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRUJ20e3gtEn_5WnrDH8yQamLcwD8MnMQR1crwtDrqSUVhdZu7zeIJdzD3h2k513gg0wOUtdCDEJ9mvEfnWOG5qpAZjF1ZAjkYbu0AWKhNAed67qMfR0JNJbCDof_TQKsXBjwdTHHDh9L/s320/IMG_1246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073926407602786" border="0" /></a>Climbing the stairs to get to the lookout:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_X8f8WsA-rUZRkFFylYAJwsO8RbmMZ-TimPsLceammMBD08LUGxaTEv5SoyLoiGtA8HvyhugO-C1Tu12zSRWHsVPXlrxGiiKBta4KDoIJZx4grIyhnbumPMcb1ssYNzyY29TjhTXpCqH1/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_X8f8WsA-rUZRkFFylYAJwsO8RbmMZ-TimPsLceammMBD08LUGxaTEv5SoyLoiGtA8HvyhugO-C1Tu12zSRWHsVPXlrxGiiKBta4KDoIJZx4grIyhnbumPMcb1ssYNzyY29TjhTXpCqH1/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073919701698994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSv1cZUMSJDv88KYNsWlA6gzNTSEBbrqDMS3PTohmun6-wGOMCDv2-kh17d7_Sp4bwrcrtkGBSoLmHMVB_N-WC1l0q986Gsy84KRV3Z9dgdo_nM5UpS8F07FOsidWR2LC7XahAwZb9kuN/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSv1cZUMSJDv88KYNsWlA6gzNTSEBbrqDMS3PTohmun6-wGOMCDv2-kh17d7_Sp4bwrcrtkGBSoLmHMVB_N-WC1l0q986Gsy84KRV3Z9dgdo_nM5UpS8F07FOsidWR2LC7XahAwZb9kuN/s320/IMG_1250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073761416111746" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy16c6gKuOnWHpOPRVK906qdwBwVs1K9XDOWthqXKWp_1JmDBhdB7WpKwdmzj-rLxZmu3DSWP_8QyrhbQsy-msLRmYx8dcB9EBCbwatnMQeDyXuEQDHVyvv5nk-ldQIPwp8yMJyN_twZUQ/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy16c6gKuOnWHpOPRVK906qdwBwVs1K9XDOWthqXKWp_1JmDBhdB7WpKwdmzj-rLxZmu3DSWP_8QyrhbQsy-msLRmYx8dcB9EBCbwatnMQeDyXuEQDHVyvv5nk-ldQIPwp8yMJyN_twZUQ/s320/IMG_1249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073905161368402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3vv92oRRRVCrvqJPdkkh_HPdxgIsd9a3GdIRlD_oEFKwd0d6WQi-84MViRFp3a_ymEZUHPfCbGuSl5wlok27Xbso5m923YZQXjuZa8fuwvNPvoFIE0-5heFX0TmyIzdo6m0M2bDGB6BQ/s1600/IMG_1248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb3vv92oRRRVCrvqJPdkkh_HPdxgIsd9a3GdIRlD_oEFKwd0d6WQi-84MViRFp3a_ymEZUHPfCbGuSl5wlok27Xbso5m923YZQXjuZa8fuwvNPvoFIE0-5heFX0TmyIzdo6m0M2bDGB6BQ/s320/IMG_1248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073909811779010" border="0" /></a>At times, between the clouds (it was raining a bit) and the trees, it seemed like we were hiking in the dark:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bM3XGr1880mB4RFbxW8c8PpcOJWzkn-uMnkwgVQsMS7SnUlq5YSsEAJEAJmstybstemzKE2t18U9-_Dj7FC70VkZUSdANiIRKnoFTxpyodEM1MU78qu_Ff5twxnEwIlAGID9ylM3Ae3B/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bM3XGr1880mB4RFbxW8c8PpcOJWzkn-uMnkwgVQsMS7SnUlq5YSsEAJEAJmstybstemzKE2t18U9-_Dj7FC70VkZUSdANiIRKnoFTxpyodEM1MU78qu_Ff5twxnEwIlAGID9ylM3Ae3B/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073752414571954" border="0" /></a>The trails in Michigan tended to not be as well-kept as the trails closer to home. We actually preferred the trails in Michigan -- offering a bit of excitement, or steeplechase hiking:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbT0lq1qfGNxghiIK9j7NjcBClj5bdaLn6PFK-W-2c5uc-VOPOZ-kzxem1DsmsranKTww__NhP1_NslMq-VVSLI9UL92YnBh2MsiVRt3i0V8qqBI8fy2xLcdv7BdadvAb3oyRy68tFpFS/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbT0lq1qfGNxghiIK9j7NjcBClj5bdaLn6PFK-W-2c5uc-VOPOZ-kzxem1DsmsranKTww__NhP1_NslMq-VVSLI9UL92YnBh2MsiVRt3i0V8qqBI8fy2xLcdv7BdadvAb3oyRy68tFpFS/s320/IMG_1254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073744492277442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx8sLhRlTY34fSR2S8PZIGn93u1o15PVWuqIVN0AZqqE-LjE_ygqFaHA8vniMA3nOrwov_Z2Sw5WnELPMnrfnaS9u8kjoT88ADTYAaTdOo59kih6JIgV37AK2F_PSWrCfyW15IHla58VM/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx8sLhRlTY34fSR2S8PZIGn93u1o15PVWuqIVN0AZqqE-LjE_ygqFaHA8vniMA3nOrwov_Z2Sw5WnELPMnrfnaS9u8kjoT88ADTYAaTdOo59kih6JIgV37AK2F_PSWrCfyW15IHla58VM/s320/IMG_1255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073739342201538" border="0" /></a>We finally finished the buggiest hike in history. We had bug spray in the car, but hadn't put any on since the bugs had not been bad the previous few days. That was a big mistake! We both had to use our jackets to cover our heads and much of the time was spent walking as quickly as we could to avoid more bites and get to the safety of the car!<br /><br />We drove to another area of the park. Along the way, we saw a giant beaver swimming in a pond. Sadly, I didn't get a picture. He was huge!<br /><br />This area is known for its waterfalls, and was basically bug-free!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKILN5U0RDY2RFdCy3EESdT0CW4cM8qh4JRQzJ_opigMaEJWb-HYSEqNfbqlhqK4X9odrPZ0VI6AmPgI2SDP6cb1kpmWykg8Ra8PMGhd_YwaMRumKJ4ealBbLeUnqxjGuW46CwlVjPJTI/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKILN5U0RDY2RFdCy3EESdT0CW4cM8qh4JRQzJ_opigMaEJWb-HYSEqNfbqlhqK4X9odrPZ0VI6AmPgI2SDP6cb1kpmWykg8Ra8PMGhd_YwaMRumKJ4ealBbLeUnqxjGuW46CwlVjPJTI/s320/IMG_1258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073733876273138" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwBgJY6NMmytoHF76p501uep_Gjm-wW8nJi2hQ_SH1kkJ4MUpihla8-h4v5meyTUfuXL9UzXUmia8mW1_DBEIbD6fWqmVgVyi5beDgczoGKBT2bbZPgNWX6VIe8DJP2ynV1xYh4OtztDQ/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCwBgJY6NMmytoHF76p501uep_Gjm-wW8nJi2hQ_SH1kkJ4MUpihla8-h4v5meyTUfuXL9UzXUmia8mW1_DBEIbD6fWqmVgVyi5beDgczoGKBT2bbZPgNWX6VIe8DJP2ynV1xYh4OtztDQ/s320/IMG_1260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073602944207378" border="0" /></a>We came across this adorable squirrel:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRihi2e0bqNcWez-tyxw7KWdKE3LZ1T-Knw7_MRHlcKqjMJylHGinxm-p6FyTF8BwPaaMn2n7mfdMG6Gl9KyetO1cYQ7eJ014J8eage7_Xw0cq0Hm8O3_CukCTmGAk8jy11aw3z3iBN68v/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRihi2e0bqNcWez-tyxw7KWdKE3LZ1T-Knw7_MRHlcKqjMJylHGinxm-p6FyTF8BwPaaMn2n7mfdMG6Gl9KyetO1cYQ7eJ014J8eage7_Xw0cq0Hm8O3_CukCTmGAk8jy11aw3z3iBN68v/s320/IMG_1262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073593649865458" border="0" /></a>Who climbed in the tree upon our approach:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRdU71ongptZnMmbMHVHHSXrf_CufBToJuoueastBIHNZvLHpHOjvgjpjhLnJKKXX8LmbXxK2Xw36SRl1_eGST1PKiugMcI-xqXU7gtdGsVyqMhCFhGCi63GyVyc0wADsniH6ZMr6fge8/s1600/IMG_1265.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRdU71ongptZnMmbMHVHHSXrf_CufBToJuoueastBIHNZvLHpHOjvgjpjhLnJKKXX8LmbXxK2Xw36SRl1_eGST1PKiugMcI-xqXU7gtdGsVyqMhCFhGCi63GyVyc0wADsniH6ZMr6fge8/s320/IMG_1265.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073589560935874" border="0" /></a>This picture does not do justice to the steepness of the hill we climbed up (and down):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqynWhgY6UyTLHlWTRf0G8xxR9CwnNFQJqqL_AUT1M1mLCqqfywecxLWL1jHdkshZ2UmJh30SxPJPX_sZbNJ1538XmNz6g6aWp_Fb0SRAudeqhIYk6b6WBnZU_8rL0STZqhXLpIcVq6eg/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqynWhgY6UyTLHlWTRf0G8xxR9CwnNFQJqqL_AUT1M1mLCqqfywecxLWL1jHdkshZ2UmJh30SxPJPX_sZbNJ1538XmNz6g6aWp_Fb0SRAudeqhIYk6b6WBnZU_8rL0STZqhXLpIcVq6eg/s320/IMG_1268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073587568655282" border="0" /></a>But it was worth it, as the views were spectacular:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-7ZiCSTB3yGxkB3RtfkdsOkmVlggaI6UtJSR8_TNHYLqn0EcuwHQQeMI8hm8TJQ01qkH2ABjF4TvkMuWk6RGt7Ezh8VhI7IEuvct_aqifByNd5D7id2Gbx6NqEiDzFDJ409vYoFfseVd/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-7ZiCSTB3yGxkB3RtfkdsOkmVlggaI6UtJSR8_TNHYLqn0EcuwHQQeMI8hm8TJQ01qkH2ABjF4TvkMuWk6RGt7Ezh8VhI7IEuvct_aqifByNd5D7id2Gbx6NqEiDzFDJ409vYoFfseVd/s320/IMG_1270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073576610659986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0wYEzLVIJ6AWej0EX7ACbM3zKcbForQyQNVPGJ85xdBj0Hyd3PRNLWBrKV6mt6L-8WnfOD2fJkB59qb1HWOsVKGtSDvvitM8DjPcuP71PfpZ8HeEiQ5rRFDCQZ0G6f0FH2mvjiCDYkFD/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0wYEzLVIJ6AWej0EX7ACbM3zKcbForQyQNVPGJ85xdBj0Hyd3PRNLWBrKV6mt6L-8WnfOD2fJkB59qb1HWOsVKGtSDvvitM8DjPcuP71PfpZ8HeEiQ5rRFDCQZ0G6f0FH2mvjiCDYkFD/s320/IMG_1279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073417343778178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyoiem1pojhEPaavptI3GiCt51Zqe6Dg-ye6utGr5LqKfImocSKdEa_qgPHDSZrgZ51vPk14tlHKR93OuQDMg9dRWbZgZQ7BviZ3V0IB2oF35jXm1BgsBL8TTA094LlboRMnm8G1NoUf2/s1600/IMG_1271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTyoiem1pojhEPaavptI3GiCt51Zqe6Dg-ye6utGr5LqKfImocSKdEa_qgPHDSZrgZ51vPk14tlHKR93OuQDMg9dRWbZgZQ7BviZ3V0IB2oF35jXm1BgsBL8TTA094LlboRMnm8G1NoUf2/s320/IMG_1271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073426987895730" border="0" /></a>The diversity of landscape in such a small area was pretty amazing:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvy9csC81uf-6AVWbNjOQquu6BQJuuvSPp85yrkndZtfllNJXD5G8tOsHWSM3U9TflyXn1xp4cAjEPiOJXBi8AEZR9jxyaMz9D67c0kjmXJarY8GVhmTYXo2sEUBFwH05_7u-fSSHLsSH/s1600/IMG_1276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvy9csC81uf-6AVWbNjOQquu6BQJuuvSPp85yrkndZtfllNJXD5G8tOsHWSM3U9TflyXn1xp4cAjEPiOJXBi8AEZR9jxyaMz9D67c0kjmXJarY8GVhmTYXo2sEUBFwH05_7u-fSSHLsSH/s320/IMG_1276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073419760795442" border="0" /></a>He's hiding, but if you look closely, you can see a yellow-bellied sapsucker. At least that's what we think he is!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg5vJJij3qBOAiPnVILGiI31925aiDQGR0IZFthgFz6PDE3TYcMgYYN0rF8U24w7ngYJWd_SpRu1MnbgpY5dLxlZwlM75776UHFfLzFExXKD8UwLPriwc4_vfMJ0jtVDBzqz0tYT2SstT/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg5vJJij3qBOAiPnVILGiI31925aiDQGR0IZFthgFz6PDE3TYcMgYYN0rF8U24w7ngYJWd_SpRu1MnbgpY5dLxlZwlM75776UHFfLzFExXKD8UwLPriwc4_vfMJ0jtVDBzqz0tYT2SstT/s320/IMG_1286.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073405739159042" border="0" /></a>We drove off to the third recommended hiking place, and it was astounding:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsC8w66gegmxe7aoH8777hvZVk5-9PqrWJRl54rN-Wml-jIubKTyV_tunycmMQOhyphenhyphen7TJ6ysnBhB6u9BC2r6OCt9-b9ErOp2o_W5uhUFohlwmyoMuM-fQx-sbdAfknoQCtvI0tPtvz2NvX/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsC8w66gegmxe7aoH8777hvZVk5-9PqrWJRl54rN-Wml-jIubKTyV_tunycmMQOhyphenhyphen7TJ6ysnBhB6u9BC2r6OCt9-b9ErOp2o_W5uhUFohlwmyoMuM-fQx-sbdAfknoQCtvI0tPtvz2NvX/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073404224317010" border="0" /></a>Perhaps the best part was coming across these cedar waxwings building a nest:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsTpDtY2NLP0iA14plKl-pXtz8BlMiuAHZ5sVZ6VKIFjoNwxfqgGIhzi4b3lwubk5syCLLLTE7G-9gOPcdpJCnGmuN8xX3E9PGjSxpKqyJZq3xklsNcbxCJiC2m1wXDQkarV0BOl8Mg3X/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsTpDtY2NLP0iA14plKl-pXtz8BlMiuAHZ5sVZ6VKIFjoNwxfqgGIhzi4b3lwubk5syCLLLTE7G-9gOPcdpJCnGmuN8xX3E9PGjSxpKqyJZq3xklsNcbxCJiC2m1wXDQkarV0BOl8Mg3X/s320/IMG_1293.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073255131116130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexNhtK72cyoOxsctmEKAkAMaY1BnDMV0_ekQLXSrXtRpoZGvd4-eKiBjlZFkTiuTndvUc6xlc4_NF-1sgFxIZRY_FVHY_fzxYAwRa6VdW0Vl0g262M3QUBtTacQZb7T75s5EQY_Ck6jiI/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexNhtK72cyoOxsctmEKAkAMaY1BnDMV0_ekQLXSrXtRpoZGvd4-eKiBjlZFkTiuTndvUc6xlc4_NF-1sgFxIZRY_FVHY_fzxYAwRa6VdW0Vl0g262M3QUBtTacQZb7T75s5EQY_Ck6jiI/s320/IMG_1299.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073251115548514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVnQHMjATLQRP8dHsIAgWm1TvJoxuJqwN8r2OoP1eML0mOrynuZJoajvCJO-EypxQ1eHF3iziQJ4dYyvpG7S_iPiJsklIx_2JvpJB7TOfEvl3-wH0a4sJOovWJU5cqPUjxUgGTMDCquHY/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVnQHMjATLQRP8dHsIAgWm1TvJoxuJqwN8r2OoP1eML0mOrynuZJoajvCJO-EypxQ1eHF3iziQJ4dYyvpG7S_iPiJsklIx_2JvpJB7TOfEvl3-wH0a4sJOovWJU5cqPUjxUgGTMDCquHY/s320/IMG_1300.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073248762816898" border="0" /></a>We also saw this dark-eyed junco. He sang for us for quite some time:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TyX-44pp4PIDmwzaCM1OapMG26xzh5NPuqF3T3aWz3RtvEUNcqdKYL02uKTR7p_-0zCVf9efj5UzizIc8YrbZSqSKNM8O3WXbK4yjjebjYd8LaA-s7sGpm6dFPg2Mf3fH3GRcCcN0Ccr/s1600/IMG_1313.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TyX-44pp4PIDmwzaCM1OapMG26xzh5NPuqF3T3aWz3RtvEUNcqdKYL02uKTR7p_-0zCVf9efj5UzizIc8YrbZSqSKNM8O3WXbK4yjjebjYd8LaA-s7sGpm6dFPg2Mf3fH3GRcCcN0Ccr/s320/IMG_1313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073244572057330" border="0" /></a>Back on the road, we stopped at a sign about a bat cave. There were no bats at the moment, but apparently during the fall, thousands of bats rest here:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdm-ALSo2WXestZqRHKk4mZeFCFWDn1ygOPd0BpA8EvFFH8aCuZpWssOxsHET_-OsIYd5dW1RASySDiwzP0vONfp73xfzQ5aw3IQqBY2WlLIN07oS91BoU9Dz1sM_5UOsFS3CK6UXKEbz/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisdm-ALSo2WXestZqRHKk4mZeFCFWDn1ygOPd0BpA8EvFFH8aCuZpWssOxsHET_-OsIYd5dW1RASySDiwzP0vONfp73xfzQ5aw3IQqBY2WlLIN07oS91BoU9Dz1sM_5UOsFS3CK6UXKEbz/s320/IMG_1316.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073227125942370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUOUNCphe6DbYzrvsB2oR8Ft_JHC1VXruzmLkMXis7TpaY12RtGyAJF5XplV8HnJdSk-gumu-v5GosdGa-C-4hbAxMide4bmRjP-TRrEJQRp9RczAUxELSvyw1a7puPSTCMFNyshSqpEv/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUOUNCphe6DbYzrvsB2oR8Ft_JHC1VXruzmLkMXis7TpaY12RtGyAJF5XplV8HnJdSk-gumu-v5GosdGa-C-4hbAxMide4bmRjP-TRrEJQRp9RczAUxELSvyw1a7puPSTCMFNyshSqpEv/s320/IMG_1317.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073067723848418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJo9QQo6oCTgzdm6B7G-eNzBmO1ETiooHROthq6WVyUPIJdZ8LYpnEcJ94RKTFJtro9oOxVjeijOaNq6NfK96jiYpvxyCJiCtRJcLr5sStpPU8DKDD4ReMCkGs8x3WtAEmFH0x1xetytK/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJo9QQo6oCTgzdm6B7G-eNzBmO1ETiooHROthq6WVyUPIJdZ8LYpnEcJ94RKTFJtro9oOxVjeijOaNq6NfK96jiYpvxyCJiCtRJcLr5sStpPU8DKDD4ReMCkGs8x3WtAEmFH0x1xetytK/s320/IMG_1318.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073065126494690" border="0" /></a>Across the road was a little pond where we found these two frogs:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U-IhEGml-yx4xTECMNraYMnwYcVeZy-t6XTMk4L4MtEDdb0zuxt6wuXJy37Cn-GfZqE9Dqd1JQ0s1KcQdYeUs-IL8OxrXZLKHPNmxGqqMCNgA0FyXb_W-4VlgQ0WF7nmMHFGrA84L6yd/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U-IhEGml-yx4xTECMNraYMnwYcVeZy-t6XTMk4L4MtEDdb0zuxt6wuXJy37Cn-GfZqE9Dqd1JQ0s1KcQdYeUs-IL8OxrXZLKHPNmxGqqMCNgA0FyXb_W-4VlgQ0WF7nmMHFGrA84L6yd/s320/IMG_1319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073051376295186" border="0" /></a>They blend in so well!<br /><br />And then...<br /><br />Another turtle in the road! We stopped the car to move him, as we had the previous one; however, this one ran off into safety as soon as he saw us coming:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjHyn53wSo5ImqCofsZdrTxZDrIIwGVQbyLQtNrkZO8MDw_mujvLvZXvOOuTMUSwRi6thge5MtjR1ia09NQ_Td0ucuQyuwxWKihtX6ltAzBOn5Tn9h5ORc_iME6qHs6TvzWnFN49ORkiA/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjHyn53wSo5ImqCofsZdrTxZDrIIwGVQbyLQtNrkZO8MDw_mujvLvZXvOOuTMUSwRi6thge5MtjR1ia09NQ_Td0ucuQyuwxWKihtX6ltAzBOn5Tn9h5ORc_iME6qHs6TvzWnFN49ORkiA/s320/IMG_1322.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073046779266898" border="0" /></a>Brian followed him, lecturing him on safety and giving him other turtle life lessons. Namely, how it is not a good idea to hang out on the road where cars are going 55 miles per hour and most are not on the lookout for turtles! We doubt the turtle listened, though!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfTWT1_G0VKfpfbQFmVdTtI3vvU7Y4Ij9f7a3A3sKA5T_Hio_XUk76JvBFXJ6YlkssCDhObzZ41ua6tADUPlIrx84ukqRsXzN1ta3JSZ0iFZILDiucSNFB67nHVqEAmcH-lsZPuwpPVKK/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfTWT1_G0VKfpfbQFmVdTtI3vvU7Y4Ij9f7a3A3sKA5T_Hio_XUk76JvBFXJ6YlkssCDhObzZ41ua6tADUPlIrx84ukqRsXzN1ta3JSZ0iFZILDiucSNFB67nHVqEAmcH-lsZPuwpPVKK/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483073039520434098" border="0" /></a>Back at the cabin, we did a sauna. After dinner, we decided to go back out to the place where we had hiked yesterday. Our goal was to see at least one bird.<br /><br />It was pretty chilly, so we got to wear some knitted goods:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMLuZb7gYxj15fwC2k30TVVgMLke59lhB-AFOda4Kj-Y9ctvxxMHS547phcwJUlguUQbyr-9J8IMtTFNW4Pe79s8oTTQiJs3gUxBA8og-W30BU3qTgVjK2vwjVFcmKrsZCPcjFat5gDs3/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMLuZb7gYxj15fwC2k30TVVgMLke59lhB-AFOda4Kj-Y9ctvxxMHS547phcwJUlguUQbyr-9J8IMtTFNW4Pe79s8oTTQiJs3gUxBA8og-W30BU3qTgVjK2vwjVFcmKrsZCPcjFat5gDs3/s320/IMG_1324.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483072910630005218" border="0" /></a>Waiting peacefully for some birds:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUAVEFcCYMpaVfXWue5aJCzENP_BTV51k08XzaWeFqabp8wMLMIQ9th6dywKd0SMf3SNybabTkN_KRI7EAxh-LvrIuGvMHacQ7MariUImNJQcS_H2UwYox3XiiBdI9wdun0bmZ4Sx0Oko/s1600/IMG_1325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUAVEFcCYMpaVfXWue5aJCzENP_BTV51k08XzaWeFqabp8wMLMIQ9th6dywKd0SMf3SNybabTkN_KRI7EAxh-LvrIuGvMHacQ7MariUImNJQcS_H2UwYox3XiiBdI9wdun0bmZ4Sx0Oko/s320/IMG_1325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483072894049029762" border="0" /></a>Going to other areas to search:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FfOtiSHroqO7L4PF_qk3AqRXVzWihBObR5IYPgxCL3rv7AkX7JpO0dgpRILeJn91v76tArMKTeF9-WSfWm77ZE3Dh1oIYedQ-GLPdjb9AUIpZA8rfRYb-SXnQaMnbVyTnjeFtI0M0VVN/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FfOtiSHroqO7L4PF_qk3AqRXVzWihBObR5IYPgxCL3rv7AkX7JpO0dgpRILeJn91v76tArMKTeF9-WSfWm77ZE3Dh1oIYedQ-GLPdjb9AUIpZA8rfRYb-SXnQaMnbVyTnjeFtI0M0VVN/s320/IMG_1326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483072892318400306" border="0" /></a>Looking in trees:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Z15ghBlP6UOV838obG9d8tuRj9AIoa8P63IIC6zN5Zp_8kpPoYnU2Fet5SPpjh3q_UaJSrpCqWEJVyF1N1F-jxIWFzS0hSfRuss3NmNG-59F0iSm2TkC4Y9IsGk0G4QwpURVR9mBAIi/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5Z15ghBlP6UOV838obG9d8tuRj9AIoa8P63IIC6zN5Zp_8kpPoYnU2Fet5SPpjh3q_UaJSrpCqWEJVyF1N1F-jxIWFzS0hSfRuss3NmNG-59F0iSm2TkC4Y9IsGk0G4QwpURVR9mBAIi/s320/IMG_1330.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483072880940324898" border="0" /></a>Would you believe that, although we heard hundreds of birds in the trees, we couldn't see even one? They must all have been roosting for the night.<br /><br />Defeated, we returned to the beach and walked around a bit:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuRCLYWkUnbSE1DsrPgfdGFSiaXY02KHXTPFpqb-STLxDBA26Um-rJfWZJuipWt6gmpy3dOtHnEmdAwt_LiLJ25ZJkOJVa2yxlNVdKvaSgLlFtcqvzN2DJiBkKpwS6aJBxPHLXyKD_Y5B/s1600/IMG_1331.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnuRCLYWkUnbSE1DsrPgfdGFSiaXY02KHXTPFpqb-STLxDBA26Um-rJfWZJuipWt6gmpy3dOtHnEmdAwt_LiLJ25ZJkOJVa2yxlNVdKvaSgLlFtcqvzN2DJiBkKpwS6aJBxPHLXyKD_Y5B/s320/IMG_1331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483072878212108738" border="0" /></a>Then, as always, returned to the cabin for a good night's rest. We estimated that we hiked a little over 10 miles, much of it over hilly terrain, so the rest was welcome.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-13521428309573452292010-06-15T10:47:00.001-07:002010-06-15T12:23:57.513-07:00Day 4: HikingGiven the activities of the past few days, I know it will come as a big shock that the next day was also devoted to...hiking!<br /><br />We found an amazing little spot that looked like no one had been through in ages. The trail was barely noticeable. It was great.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TKsMhyphenhyphenb_2gd1tVLe38ro-E-pVrYOc-9iyyDfBjgY7b2C275k0BXIQyJccfPqkd3hjqh8slPzOWchi5GpNjKNlbY17pr7XOyLbG-iZdMPgBFeZzwvXiHwA_pmcDLFuzih367DgIpNYP9y/s1600/IMG_1336.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TKsMhyphenhyphenb_2gd1tVLe38ro-E-pVrYOc-9iyyDfBjgY7b2C275k0BXIQyJccfPqkd3hjqh8slPzOWchi5GpNjKNlbY17pr7XOyLbG-iZdMPgBFeZzwvXiHwA_pmcDLFuzih367DgIpNYP9y/s320/IMG_1336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080450821179746" border="0" /></a>Here is a white-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">throated</span> sparrow on the branch:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR-VLpG_w0uFXR8YKptBVoDPPmCuYJQm1o0F4-DDEXehho7RYMecf0BZYjAnNaqQnvO2XMLxf6B82ylbJ0axH1E_GWEIr3whyphenhyphenROAwK0t_TRW9ilfPMMmmCkK-z8Swl6Wnc1gjGQT24_1_/s1600/IMG_1340.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigR-VLpG_w0uFXR8YKptBVoDPPmCuYJQm1o0F4-DDEXehho7RYMecf0BZYjAnNaqQnvO2XMLxf6B82ylbJ0axH1E_GWEIr3whyphenhyphenROAwK0t_TRW9ilfPMMmmCkK-z8Swl6Wnc1gjGQT24_1_/s320/IMG_1340.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080443889550050" border="0" /></a>There were rocks placed strategically (intentionally, I suspect) so we could cross this stream:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRwbjT140gj8UXAqNc62FWO7udKIFaCb7MROAszeCXZRnMZJG07I9fxSDwcZFsK79-bP0_GT0C0qmjHpnm9nD54JMCRTlPLVmqwaYNwCdxOs1e7oXKcdfYgpa0MSQyq3TJzae5i8qUXrk/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRwbjT140gj8UXAqNc62FWO7udKIFaCb7MROAszeCXZRnMZJG07I9fxSDwcZFsK79-bP0_GT0C0qmjHpnm9nD54JMCRTlPLVmqwaYNwCdxOs1e7oXKcdfYgpa0MSQyq3TJzae5i8qUXrk/s320/IMG_1349.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080438290823714" border="0" /></a>Evidence of beavers hard at work was seen everywhere:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyAG3SvZCLtvfp6O_LoLWeTrobNnD6rKY7jp5DECMPEZCyDycDi_2_vopfnw1iMiRNhxxPXHLO_lIXRbfwNdFwyepoz4HXYAck0QGjmhgM25QX7CAkB6ycJGpKEeVnr9_YEGgTrybtanB/s1600/IMG_1361.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyAG3SvZCLtvfp6O_LoLWeTrobNnD6rKY7jp5DECMPEZCyDycDi_2_vopfnw1iMiRNhxxPXHLO_lIXRbfwNdFwyepoz4HXYAck0QGjmhgM25QX7CAkB6ycJGpKEeVnr9_YEGgTrybtanB/s320/IMG_1361.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080426946050434" border="0" /></a>They even gnaw the branches off of the trunk!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAB2Ys7U9OMKQs3SAthqc4mDBl7MYSlr_RxnnEoL1seBeoWa-wwW4K5ID74gdx8n4RNBsVrrftDGPlC6zSBlEZ6m_b1yxdmAKh14fU71t-VMqRgXbGexLdZDZC8nYWD-63prwfp67hzjm/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAB2Ys7U9OMKQs3SAthqc4mDBl7MYSlr_RxnnEoL1seBeoWa-wwW4K5ID74gdx8n4RNBsVrrftDGPlC6zSBlEZ6m_b1yxdmAKh14fU71t-VMqRgXbGexLdZDZC8nYWD-63prwfp67hzjm/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080351040680882" border="0" /></a>The beavers had felled this tree, so we climbed in it to watch the wildlife. I'd guess 95% of what we saw were red-winged blackbirds, though there were a few unidentified birds that flew by (no binoculars!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EIdFZqmcVkgJiB0bpiXFgkCqQuhKLVG_d1Ra0Ac-iMtj5sDHSpWPEEVD6ORfg19QNV9PB_vTW44MupOvxDDcKY3KwMVN5UvEP_kqaqG5jGTNBuikaCbRMr7zNMU7ophiYMF-CwXZiJWb/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EIdFZqmcVkgJiB0bpiXFgkCqQuhKLVG_d1Ra0Ac-iMtj5sDHSpWPEEVD6ORfg19QNV9PB_vTW44MupOvxDDcKY3KwMVN5UvEP_kqaqG5jGTNBuikaCbRMr7zNMU7ophiYMF-CwXZiJWb/s320/IMG_1363.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080344095667026" border="0" /></a>On the way back, Brian found a wild strawberry. We left it for the animals after each taking a tiny bite:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhyNgMs4qO-3UHa0zx-gFim3S84pGbW49IPMR1AWAaXQj8Ba7MV6gmuXR5kfMP5vNcmNzEufP6vZb3Tx-3bdK-shGxu4EwHNKpdMmcAGOu7MEkAzKYS91Zi9LKwwTfL1BIQRwEKKJuaSF/s1600/IMG_1364.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhyNgMs4qO-3UHa0zx-gFim3S84pGbW49IPMR1AWAaXQj8Ba7MV6gmuXR5kfMP5vNcmNzEufP6vZb3Tx-3bdK-shGxu4EwHNKpdMmcAGOu7MEkAzKYS91Zi9LKwwTfL1BIQRwEKKJuaSF/s320/IMG_1364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080336862769794" border="0" /></a>We came across this abandoned farm house, and did a bit of exploring, even though the house did not look stable at all.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCFt4qwLSAqWiY2m1o55Lrv5FkeLxuYLN6vN8jKkdagWU1Tz3lbod2NWaLTOoMSMZJwtFfDDOS4Fu8S-TAjWot2gqsa9iRvpnVj6TJC0qZCVHOggW9yKiS9nVTI9eYHFfVKtCCnQ9iYnk/s1600/IMG_1365.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSCFt4qwLSAqWiY2m1o55Lrv5FkeLxuYLN6vN8jKkdagWU1Tz3lbod2NWaLTOoMSMZJwtFfDDOS4Fu8S-TAjWot2gqsa9iRvpnVj6TJC0qZCVHOggW9yKiS9nVTI9eYHFfVKtCCnQ9iYnk/s320/IMG_1365.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080324420506434" border="0" /></a>There was a nest full of swallows in the upstairs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzoigcnpyzypSkMhyphenhyphenvhiP1VuJ5-V1WQYI5oH65h5U9MZO1UskoWfzCZX1j0PQin-QG2_pQxSK13u2MvWI4QqZfwgRvD2kogx4M77IHCBHiOO74SL7GLMV2-1Oe1o_xbZj7LGmR55BDolC/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzoigcnpyzypSkMhyphenhyphenvhiP1VuJ5-V1WQYI5oH65h5U9MZO1UskoWfzCZX1j0PQin-QG2_pQxSK13u2MvWI4QqZfwgRvD2kogx4M77IHCBHiOO74SL7GLMV2-1Oe1o_xbZj7LGmR55BDolC/s320/IMG_1366.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080317156159858" border="0" /></a>We got back on the trail, when we were utterly surprised by the appearance of a spruce grouse and her young. You know how they always say that wild animals are more afraid of you than you are of them? I'm not sure if that was the case here, as we both screamed in fright!<br /><br />We were quietly walking down the trail, when all of a sudden, 6 baby spruce grouses (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">grice</span>?) shot out of the woods, across the trail, as though they'd been shot out of a cannon. Then, their mother ran across the trail, in full display. She was making the most awful sounds, pretending to be injured as a ploy to protect her chicks. <br /><br />This was the only picture I could get of her, and I didn't get any of the chicks. We wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, to lessen the stress on her, and so she could collect her babies. I wish I had a video of the entire incident, as it seem so surreal now!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhLr3-ozC2OazcGSD3zYWJRd2Asudgit729Q6mXgzouNmHMEHDZMTbJjqAUpZSxCR3k8QDjoyb4N8cTYb_NSphYP1qX9bwsJLoHTHV8OXuLPPU1F7aLYw9MV1ay9RUXKNrhHoir1zkhY_/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhLr3-ozC2OazcGSD3zYWJRd2Asudgit729Q6mXgzouNmHMEHDZMTbJjqAUpZSxCR3k8QDjoyb4N8cTYb_NSphYP1qX9bwsJLoHTHV8OXuLPPU1F7aLYw9MV1ay9RUXKNrhHoir1zkhY_/s320/IMG_1370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080181063609554" border="0" /></a>After a pretty short hike, we went to a brew pub for a late lunch. Yes, there is a brew pub in the little town near our cabin. And they brewed pretty good beer, too! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5julzSU9A2hyYf1llm3S2cPonsW0p4GPJ6txfGvISf6V4bxZgO44LY5_Vycqz2n0Tc4rTT7eYHni4uv4-9tjgOxyei9tNjhHiKvt7RwJqZuZikSZ3-t83mXKuEBEhnm4NM3hvvJmkgwt5/s1600/IMG_1375.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5julzSU9A2hyYf1llm3S2cPonsW0p4GPJ6txfGvISf6V4bxZgO44LY5_Vycqz2n0Tc4rTT7eYHni4uv4-9tjgOxyei9tNjhHiKvt7RwJqZuZikSZ3-t83mXKuEBEhnm4NM3hvvJmkgwt5/s320/IMG_1375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080164019168098" border="0" /></a>I had a wheat and Brian had an IPA. We both ate a cheesy appetizer:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraaJVQL9mEKorKmXdzgdJ5riE243COoBGmRlQ88N04iRGWSKcX7rkL-Do2xF7WpRcDy_1Fwa-nugovcJV17kz95Wi5pJuItISim7lrR7JzRJiFtEmxfDDWWzWcHXasBznMyJBkl6olvyj/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjraaJVQL9mEKorKmXdzgdJ5riE243COoBGmRlQ88N04iRGWSKcX7rkL-Do2xF7WpRcDy_1Fwa-nugovcJV17kz95Wi5pJuItISim7lrR7JzRJiFtEmxfDDWWzWcHXasBznMyJBkl6olvyj/s320/IMG_1373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080171465421842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ieuQmTEon0afjxPZnS4r191Ch2wr5y1ZE_LZPrs1qXJO4UqdUeUP1GqSPXGIROU_k-U16tSVl5owEeUbwvsnUx9vX6s1tmoMS8SrV8uGnIB0ndbRTJSCyoR5pQmIcPZsyN6QRHplKN2Y/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ieuQmTEon0afjxPZnS4r191Ch2wr5y1ZE_LZPrs1qXJO4UqdUeUP1GqSPXGIROU_k-U16tSVl5owEeUbwvsnUx9vX6s1tmoMS8SrV8uGnIB0ndbRTJSCyoR5pQmIcPZsyN6QRHplKN2Y/s320/IMG_1374.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080166234070882" border="0" /></a>Later, we went out to another area for a bit of hiking. We saw cedar waxwings again:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoodiiIO4y6GVK2CfEL848ljVGYDZhDAESVUhyphenhyphen7N8-70R70CQTsmguZ54EzGofsIBvPjQDDzPzxY2tySDgbmSKAedkkBXRQaWoQAxzc-EqLoUmayedKL13xA81c8SAs6I4LP9oSR2QCOJn/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoodiiIO4y6GVK2CfEL848ljVGYDZhDAESVUhyphenhyphen7N8-70R70CQTsmguZ54EzGofsIBvPjQDDzPzxY2tySDgbmSKAedkkBXRQaWoQAxzc-EqLoUmayedKL13xA81c8SAs6I4LP9oSR2QCOJn/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080156266142034" border="0" /></a>And mystery waterfowl:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4tVSu5MkbRzsh9ZyQV3S9Pj5xfZ2ck32oKkD_-JKyakPyeav1aiadbc1m4POuL1N5QVQy-0oZfRobqvue8EFjDYh-0e3DbU6tbmKku3gCzlfG_hLfoK74ciWZK-pYZ_d6cAL_-6o1nZk/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4tVSu5MkbRzsh9ZyQV3S9Pj5xfZ2ck32oKkD_-JKyakPyeav1aiadbc1m4POuL1N5QVQy-0oZfRobqvue8EFjDYh-0e3DbU6tbmKku3gCzlfG_hLfoK74ciWZK-pYZ_d6cAL_-6o1nZk/s320/IMG_1380.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080025335170338" border="0" /></a>Back at home, we went for a walk along the lake. We found this creepy spider among the rocks:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-_4Krytd8gDNeoM2zExwvMcuPM0kkAD0qglIbo_augSmHHJGxxGXAL1YizSTnf7GMHdGgBWhOhPEngPlrzI7BNNg1Yxjexv12ZHYH8hOUlIYLgbh2p9I3n5b6co017OEF0YJoCnCp1Na/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-_4Krytd8gDNeoM2zExwvMcuPM0kkAD0qglIbo_augSmHHJGxxGXAL1YizSTnf7GMHdGgBWhOhPEngPlrzI7BNNg1Yxjexv12ZHYH8hOUlIYLgbh2p9I3n5b6co017OEF0YJoCnCp1Na/s320/IMG_1381.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080019975128210" border="0" /></a>And another mystery waterfowl:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK5WkmD2k_x9d1e3xK54jT9KwMyRpcGKXGKkxdaA0ZtU-4g0W1-FqaBCHCtY_cIKguvZUGA1ctaySVuuW2N0cEj9o4SlxUGRsVCKa2dADSM7rmMyFu8CH_Pl3aM8ORVfixN7d5_L3ysX8/s1600/IMG_1383.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK5WkmD2k_x9d1e3xK54jT9KwMyRpcGKXGKkxdaA0ZtU-4g0W1-FqaBCHCtY_cIKguvZUGA1ctaySVuuW2N0cEj9o4SlxUGRsVCKa2dADSM7rmMyFu8CH_Pl3aM8ORVfixN7d5_L3ysX8/s320/IMG_1383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483080009379522914" border="0" /></a>Brian had to figure out how to get across this little stream without getting his shoes wet:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0X396HW3tuQDWxwW1Ogb46lPu3CSwffCsLPci9bCMctLq2IPBSSvTLw-L0-k91xgSMvjytoj7TD0QdEAZjsbIqUC5PKOowe5w242RA17rKB4pYS-p8-ZRyhS_Av0PAOPgHDmKAYlHsV9k/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0X396HW3tuQDWxwW1Ogb46lPu3CSwffCsLPci9bCMctLq2IPBSSvTLw-L0-k91xgSMvjytoj7TD0QdEAZjsbIqUC5PKOowe5w242RA17rKB4pYS-p8-ZRyhS_Av0PAOPgHDmKAYlHsV9k/s320/IMG_1385.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483079996588046722" border="0" /></a>Success!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HVffxoeiEFqs334mcqhtXlhaKoh333lmBxnrJMMn2ZXQNMHQkaUUWWMJdA9DwcQsBPaeMro5JHjpfGQSLe1RrltvO7ddboO5XvlE88_-j7Moum_6VHga3ROwr6e_n38FS6-OYUYH1D-B/s1600/IMG_1386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HVffxoeiEFqs334mcqhtXlhaKoh333lmBxnrJMMn2ZXQNMHQkaUUWWMJdA9DwcQsBPaeMro5JHjpfGQSLe1RrltvO7ddboO5XvlE88_-j7Moum_6VHga3ROwr6e_n38FS6-OYUYH1D-B/s320/IMG_1386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483079988776397106" border="0" /></a>We went back to the cabin for what would be our last night in Michigan.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-30747666859599245602010-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:002010-06-15T12:39:11.400-07:00Day 5: Hiking & Return HomeOn our last day, we headed up north for some hiking (big surprise, that). We came across this giant map that you can see while staying in your car:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1oJ90XMu-ewNZRHrupeYRezAj315ukjMorLFuqYTmZppFwD5ZkUH5Q193UjUE0Fhlf2-KFdOCIyYIVxrZL2tWsjuU5t5Br32fWOGTDYhyPMRo-FzPe58rlBt3WoRv0eiTISeTawRpGIk/s1600/IMG_1387.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1oJ90XMu-ewNZRHrupeYRezAj315ukjMorLFuqYTmZppFwD5ZkUH5Q193UjUE0Fhlf2-KFdOCIyYIVxrZL2tWsjuU5t5Br32fWOGTDYhyPMRo-FzPe58rlBt3WoRv0eiTISeTawRpGIk/s320/IMG_1387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483085076026533170" border="0" /></a>There were all kinds of trails along the road we were driving on, so we'd stop and do a quick hike occasionally. We were rewarded with beautiful scenery:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3rHgLZLAf8a3PPI6jwww-dRansuUash4QhaajrwGKl7lKQddp4Zo84k7Nfiliz1ZwnTMjhWsvwT-_B5DwQHyJt6ydxCk3L26-_fksLjgRD0Cy1K5S8993hZXImXHmLCzrPqoVVlme5G3/s1600/IMG_1388.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3rHgLZLAf8a3PPI6jwww-dRansuUash4QhaajrwGKl7lKQddp4Zo84k7Nfiliz1ZwnTMjhWsvwT-_B5DwQHyJt6ydxCk3L26-_fksLjgRD0Cy1K5S8993hZXImXHmLCzrPqoVVlme5G3/s320/IMG_1388.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483085014153264818" border="0" /></a>This sign made us laugh. There is no "maybe" about it -- they will destroy all bags!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl7-u3Ig1i0qvSF4zr27p9BEgnBfmViBUkteOWqkFGmgWad8DAsCSonu57BgJTAPo_H07uD3bHFXmQShXBi2y7s0bzHlHpTgI4HP-qb6cZ55YdcEahLSWR_LBWy3UGrjbVak0txwu89IP/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUl7-u3Ig1i0qvSF4zr27p9BEgnBfmViBUkteOWqkFGmgWad8DAsCSonu57BgJTAPo_H07uD3bHFXmQShXBi2y7s0bzHlHpTgI4HP-qb6cZ55YdcEahLSWR_LBWy3UGrjbVak0txwu89IP/s320/IMG_1389.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483085013191103666" border="0" /></a>When we saw this sign, we had to stop since we are members of <a href="http://www.nature.org/">The Nature Conservancy</a>.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KCqIKy7uifDLRo_i0WzRcOZzWP2jclYGy9r7pQ30Y0q-J0bGUfEbIygcDt3P41Q_ggIoN-uZoFtJsW8Hz3V5Uh_yhsleeS9pg0dgWzRWPKH8aKDWr8NDVPFZJYpdRwNiN3gHwj58mzd_/s1600/IMG_1390.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KCqIKy7uifDLRo_i0WzRcOZzWP2jclYGy9r7pQ30Y0q-J0bGUfEbIygcDt3P41Q_ggIoN-uZoFtJsW8Hz3V5Uh_yhsleeS9pg0dgWzRWPKH8aKDWr8NDVPFZJYpdRwNiN3gHwj58mzd_/s320/IMG_1390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483085005157655266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLidjmM6I0YYMAR4ag-osPnfBzciM4ZhglxlZ9GmlqDwXztLf8vTjDdXWSYux7IwX4Y2C5Ef7B4JD8-Ss1i3IeNFAWHuFsAZnWPCCB3ENjbdE73N_OtZkY2ej0mscSBfqxj0iSFTJdgZrZ/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLidjmM6I0YYMAR4ag-osPnfBzciM4ZhglxlZ9GmlqDwXztLf8vTjDdXWSYux7IwX4Y2C5Ef7B4JD8-Ss1i3IeNFAWHuFsAZnWPCCB3ENjbdE73N_OtZkY2ej0mscSBfqxj0iSFTJdgZrZ/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483085000526228290" border="0" /></a>Then we saw this sign, so turned around (since we had passed it) and went for a hike here. It was one of the best hikes we have ever done!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP2g-Uhld9nU_zfHwupKtbK9caOSIWFQWQwScOG9NZ6CWyV_Q8E1DNCeI0tcQWEQGKwr_VnTi1zTErJAhR-RX0LJX7bajwB-Smf1Wj-qcjqcfoO8i2MgQwdTOP5mv-yV9uHkjeXHAi5Um/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkP2g-Uhld9nU_zfHwupKtbK9caOSIWFQWQwScOG9NZ6CWyV_Q8E1DNCeI0tcQWEQGKwr_VnTi1zTErJAhR-RX0LJX7bajwB-Smf1Wj-qcjqcfoO8i2MgQwdTOP5mv-yV9uHkjeXHAi5Um/s320/IMG_1393.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084964987461474" border="0" /></a>There was a wide variety of landscape types. The trails did not appear to be maintained, so it was more steeplechase hiking, which we were coming to really enjoy.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kH-z7-ypUP3X5jKBGzzPJl9T8M0nhJxXIphPJaP5Mb9mlY7Abg5BJCdNppohvv9wTuMvCIPnPufAT4EmPx30WuvL5jJSBPz3PotthSLaUo-ef89-hmMFWmuFEwki2-lo8vLKT1VA-DZA/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0kH-z7-ypUP3X5jKBGzzPJl9T8M0nhJxXIphPJaP5Mb9mlY7Abg5BJCdNppohvv9wTuMvCIPnPufAT4EmPx30WuvL5jJSBPz3PotthSLaUo-ef89-hmMFWmuFEwki2-lo8vLKT1VA-DZA/s320/IMG_1394.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084826137406322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ypck4gMIL4jQVToKp4XM1X39jBfsDpWAHuy30zmBRQK2wzKdGkCr2tVQcE0qEkcGgf-zemOmv2SDdYgNrwxnIWmksJ56hyphenhyphentnyxxlUaNXjD1-GyMN9l-8kzZ42zYvMA6s_nD0Ke0Y3x49/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ypck4gMIL4jQVToKp4XM1X39jBfsDpWAHuy30zmBRQK2wzKdGkCr2tVQcE0qEkcGgf-zemOmv2SDdYgNrwxnIWmksJ56hyphenhyphentnyxxlUaNXjD1-GyMN9l-8kzZ42zYvMA6s_nD0Ke0Y3x49/s320/IMG_1395.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084818648045554" border="0" /></a>We don't know what kind of bird would make such a big hole in the tree. It was so symmetrical and square, it almost appeared as though a human with tools had done it, though that's unlikely.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdWTHt0HI2nZsAIUQ3w8KjhXyEGuWCwkIHnNFwk1jQSjk-pUiBmbjrLebxgYorEv3lg9kUGALzLjB1ElC5PEiqjPhDMx39epTZvzHmB7qizyk34Mc3ue5PM4syQEckXQcs7p9rBF1ILGI/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdWTHt0HI2nZsAIUQ3w8KjhXyEGuWCwkIHnNFwk1jQSjk-pUiBmbjrLebxgYorEv3lg9kUGALzLjB1ElC5PEiqjPhDMx39epTZvzHmB7qizyk34Mc3ue5PM4syQEckXQcs7p9rBF1ILGI/s320/IMG_1400.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084803866896610" border="0" /></a>The trees were so overgrown that it was difficult to spot Brian, even when he was only slightly in front of me:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAOBgcliRqo_BBQBJLjSYM_JjoWm853I6n3oBtEs-lR6_90rnhgOv5Anx6Mmz5U_Y4OYgbWpzqsGuqgaNx8lWl4-jJEaAB14CV-dt23WxXSDleer9HZpVjy1qa3eAG1MAPBpBHQwno54d/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAOBgcliRqo_BBQBJLjSYM_JjoWm853I6n3oBtEs-lR6_90rnhgOv5Anx6Mmz5U_Y4OYgbWpzqsGuqgaNx8lWl4-jJEaAB14CV-dt23WxXSDleer9HZpVjy1qa3eAG1MAPBpBHQwno54d/s320/IMG_1401.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084800880588818" border="0" /></a>He was going to take a picture of me in the forest; unfortunately, I suffered a bug attack just as he snapped the picture:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IdrHGPto0_OFPGZYWxZjyHHPt3XgnUMDH5TllCkCw250rKyJjca12-WrvlSWyn3FL30tcIm-w5Fz-nYrFeu3oS-r0xQAXN4ArVcfOIIEC9X_jtENKKaPhkR-L_CvlpXfOgPgSxJionXa/s1600/IMG_1402.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IdrHGPto0_OFPGZYWxZjyHHPt3XgnUMDH5TllCkCw250rKyJjca12-WrvlSWyn3FL30tcIm-w5Fz-nYrFeu3oS-r0xQAXN4ArVcfOIIEC9X_jtENKKaPhkR-L_CvlpXfOgPgSxJionXa/s320/IMG_1402.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084795698458722" border="0" /></a>But I quickly recovered:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5rTwQDxNRNTHpbR7K2VuVHdfP_qc7k8PpjsrdZjvb39Bs3tFO6kzBTxZB5pjVAc8QE1Dboz43fhbAu7B7Bqh00qYx7f73ciI5reB-EAdNxadCWdSiKp3NcIcV-yntt-l4_sq9opL7IMH/s1600/IMG_1403.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5rTwQDxNRNTHpbR7K2VuVHdfP_qc7k8PpjsrdZjvb39Bs3tFO6kzBTxZB5pjVAc8QE1Dboz43fhbAu7B7Bqh00qYx7f73ciI5reB-EAdNxadCWdSiKp3NcIcV-yntt-l4_sq9opL7IMH/s320/IMG_1403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084366566609010" border="0" /></a>Back on the road, I had never seen a yield sign that wasn't the regulation red and white one. How strange (and possible dangerous!):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTWzR9yIyWj5pGGNZw1be4D25exKsmxy3l7kaxfW0fjg4WIzW2SJ71_L4oO3nYrFIkf9YAcM6RVvR8eLRyvjGwU2bPyYrkKpeuxzqWEVDD0z3Kf0kBV9k9nZ18rkLhuehvKsCVf6n6KBf/s1600/IMG_1404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSTWzR9yIyWj5pGGNZw1be4D25exKsmxy3l7kaxfW0fjg4WIzW2SJ71_L4oO3nYrFIkf9YAcM6RVvR8eLRyvjGwU2bPyYrkKpeuxzqWEVDD0z3Kf0kBV9k9nZ18rkLhuehvKsCVf6n6KBf/s320/IMG_1404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084357977308834" border="0" /></a>Hard to see from so far away, but a giant flock of cedar waxwings was in these trees:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kTiv31F1gDx4BhAFiqjvtPu0SEBFYtpj3eTLTYd0ZHKFEotRMnv5BlHfaEf4_iDrBxk9z5exdJnzrlP5mbcXJCwyjfdAVdfaIt4QyWXHIwCc9PnTlDoF1aMyxPlIanxlV2SpJ5J221tH/s1600/IMG_1405.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kTiv31F1gDx4BhAFiqjvtPu0SEBFYtpj3eTLTYd0ZHKFEotRMnv5BlHfaEf4_iDrBxk9z5exdJnzrlP5mbcXJCwyjfdAVdfaIt4QyWXHIwCc9PnTlDoF1aMyxPlIanxlV2SpJ5J221tH/s320/IMG_1405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084354466451474" border="0" /></a>One last stop off, at a little pond. We saw these red-breasted mergansers:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPykPC7jMT_LqtslHoLWaJNZx_eoTcSx_Lq3uyvKy4Qf4pgrE1OlJZgT-ZjLSPjwSMMa01SDlV8JlSe39k7gqZkcsA6yuAsNPzkMN-kLmFj7WjJwa6UsTbm7_GjMVUnOsRnO8tUVUWqzgO/s1600/IMG_1415.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPykPC7jMT_LqtslHoLWaJNZx_eoTcSx_Lq3uyvKy4Qf4pgrE1OlJZgT-ZjLSPjwSMMa01SDlV8JlSe39k7gqZkcsA6yuAsNPzkMN-kLmFj7WjJwa6UsTbm7_GjMVUnOsRnO8tUVUWqzgO/s320/IMG_1415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084345253754290" border="0" /></a>We drove back to the cabin; it was early afternoon. It was raining pretty heavily, and the forecast was calling for rain the rest of the night. We weren't supposed to leave until the morning, but we made the decision to leave a day early as we wouldn't be able to do any hiking anyway, and we'd rather sleep in our own bed.<br /><br />We quickly packed and were on our way!<br /><br />One last view of the lake, while in the car, right before we left:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8gkm5-BkCjCUlzjiuDBpy1Ht8cAgh7QoImXoQY6DCsuW7UXPtVoHv8Cu-vEy3dyKo3Bc2tnSoEpTqzxtIKLXn3IqpM2RlNdj8XXbIpr0IbgSht7_pg5L0tKafIXbWYkXacteHMJ_4MIy/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8gkm5-BkCjCUlzjiuDBpy1Ht8cAgh7QoImXoQY6DCsuW7UXPtVoHv8Cu-vEy3dyKo3Bc2tnSoEpTqzxtIKLXn3IqpM2RlNdj8XXbIpr0IbgSht7_pg5L0tKafIXbWYkXacteHMJ_4MIy/s320/IMG_1426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483084329145459922" border="0" /></a>Although this trip was unlike most of our previous vacations, we had a great time and will likely be planning more vacations like this one in the future!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-29757136195555544522010-04-30T10:47:00.003-07:002010-04-30T11:26:48.710-07:00Day 1: ArrivalLast fall, I qualified to run the Boston Marathon. This is something that I thought would never happen, or maybe not until I was several decades older. I couldn't pass up the chance to run, even though I had no chance of winning. Brian agreed to accompany me. We'd head out there, I'd run the marathon, and then we'd have the following week to sight-see.<br /><br />Here's Brian with our luggage, waiting for the bus to take us from extended stay parking to the airport:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjur4FWLE1a5kTA3bzGeX8E6mdNRww1r9Ebcm9SKCsUPE6i3So855eiRN049uJIo35LWSK6F1wrVfGuoO2Mimt8Adc0NQHncPFA-BjOkQEnAYGG8ayvRFYL7BuTFV5bNomir3aGlaKsteg5/s1600/IMG_0209.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjur4FWLE1a5kTA3bzGeX8E6mdNRww1r9Ebcm9SKCsUPE6i3So855eiRN049uJIo35LWSK6F1wrVfGuoO2Mimt8Adc0NQHncPFA-BjOkQEnAYGG8ayvRFYL7BuTFV5bNomir3aGlaKsteg5/s320/IMG_0209.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996210161154770" border="0" /></a>Entering the airport:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zKt_Xx-v8LL-_qaxN31Ae9z8eaBpHtlyKIORjgthxtSgMSdDGvVVBlAbyMO_4hK31269sYjBvRv4UrO2YF999tiv2n_FKO1yJaaObVon5-BTE6Mt19aqgQWI1TYx9sO-pVAHQU3KMyNJ/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zKt_Xx-v8LL-_qaxN31Ae9z8eaBpHtlyKIORjgthxtSgMSdDGvVVBlAbyMO_4hK31269sYjBvRv4UrO2YF999tiv2n_FKO1yJaaObVon5-BTE6Mt19aqgQWI1TYx9sO-pVAHQU3KMyNJ/s320/IMG_0210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996161946311202" border="0" /></a>We made it to Boston with no difficulties, and took the T to the apartment we were renting for the week. We arrived before the official check-in time, but were allowed to leave our luggage in the apartment so we could go to the expo and pick up my packet.<br /><br />I didn't get many pictures of the expo -- it was so crowded! This gives you some idea:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo213EBhLmla3NDq82PG2m8Nz_WQrbcNE7oL32SR_unEjVf4K84l2w7ZMoE-nhfLaSMLU7ztGd3VvCqw2RsHhRNML3ow-CFrJvSYIGHdcepGvAXemn-nzJRR8B9vAdYB21ndQ4bpLS1ooa/s1600/IMG_0211.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo213EBhLmla3NDq82PG2m8Nz_WQrbcNE7oL32SR_unEjVf4K84l2w7ZMoE-nhfLaSMLU7ztGd3VvCqw2RsHhRNML3ow-CFrJvSYIGHdcepGvAXemn-nzJRR8B9vAdYB21ndQ4bpLS1ooa/s320/IMG_0211.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996152497403618" border="0" /></a>It was barely possible to move, so we left shortly after picking up my packet. We had lunch at the food court in the mall attached to the convention center (no pictures).<br /><br />Finally, we got to our apartment. The outside:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCnDR77P1LTjDX7sCPzPiA8VKhdECU-1yCEjDfI1zNDEvaudec51i7gy9oy-62nQzuDZFHzHOi-fnCm05niyx4JhZfOGkpIrojyLEbbb3ZiL4PTS4-56MNTllYQyf8WKsw9TqOO69wBdZ/s1600/IMG_0219.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCnDR77P1LTjDX7sCPzPiA8VKhdECU-1yCEjDfI1zNDEvaudec51i7gy9oy-62nQzuDZFHzHOi-fnCm05niyx4JhZfOGkpIrojyLEbbb3ZiL4PTS4-56MNTllYQyf8WKsw9TqOO69wBdZ/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996021539195218" border="0" /></a>And some inside pictures:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedTSmHPYevn_YDw6bfOLaKMWMKLFNLUPmT0Oh-eaCRBbCHyLdQFVsLnUpQTu0nKJq9IKYjBfIIQMVRraVYG06TVQb46vSOg_KyrBc9M3USvsqj2h7y4jORcK_H3MdNTyMSOTAZszhnG1n/s1600/IMG_0212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedTSmHPYevn_YDw6bfOLaKMWMKLFNLUPmT0Oh-eaCRBbCHyLdQFVsLnUpQTu0nKJq9IKYjBfIIQMVRraVYG06TVQb46vSOg_KyrBc9M3USvsqj2h7y4jORcK_H3MdNTyMSOTAZszhnG1n/s320/IMG_0212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996146841309666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZhWeC3owUNXxMReuYYn_1sJZk8TsGBAHZxw63_g7Qg0bMdtOVQXhwIF1vrI3mSK-996kcmF3PbjuBxpPotNpjeWFelpNoDkq4e0MTFIij1piAFATXEelNjz785qNMq-CBOkMjldV3g7X/s1600/IMG_0213.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZhWeC3owUNXxMReuYYn_1sJZk8TsGBAHZxw63_g7Qg0bMdtOVQXhwIF1vrI3mSK-996kcmF3PbjuBxpPotNpjeWFelpNoDkq4e0MTFIij1piAFATXEelNjz785qNMq-CBOkMjldV3g7X/s320/IMG_0213.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996141126798130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROTEaCTXYdKnZ3d080ws4oroOJAGZfNKcJDnMNMo58jYuqjhdy624CRj_AhgVNuJ44pdpJ1ZsUR52IFX6AL0dScZdQ1DLjpLkbcteJa3VHf1VPA6uCsuF9JNR58ynMYZvQGH4KHTnkXOi/s1600/IMG_0214.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROTEaCTXYdKnZ3d080ws4oroOJAGZfNKcJDnMNMo58jYuqjhdy624CRj_AhgVNuJ44pdpJ1ZsUR52IFX6AL0dScZdQ1DLjpLkbcteJa3VHf1VPA6uCsuF9JNR58ynMYZvQGH4KHTnkXOi/s320/IMG_0214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996130690158802" border="0" /></a>It was a cute studio, rented from <a href="http://www.zoerentals.net/">Zoe Apartments</a>, which we recommend if anyone is traveling to Boston! Hotel prices skyrocket during the marathon, due to demand, and this was a very reasonable alternative.<br /><br />We had just about the perfect location -- the North End, which is the Italian section. We were a block or two away from the Freedom Trail and the Old North Church.<br /><br />A view of our street:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ0teqfnfgPsfbAHqWUArxJmVh_8Lu5gX3gRMRP8_464_4Y4B9_5i4kBmeIBG-_NZthGrp-RGQam8dG0drr_px7G_bFSuyuBd5oRkLarogYeyDxAv2Xzl1FomDYVLI0JwXDsJXwMFv-1K/s1600/IMG_0215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQ0teqfnfgPsfbAHqWUArxJmVh_8Lu5gX3gRMRP8_464_4Y4B9_5i4kBmeIBG-_NZthGrp-RGQam8dG0drr_px7G_bFSuyuBd5oRkLarogYeyDxAv2Xzl1FomDYVLI0JwXDsJXwMFv-1K/s320/IMG_0215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996051651485778" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pre</span>-marathon dinner is typically pasta. Since we were in the Italian section of the city, this worked out nicely! We ate at <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=panza+boston&fb=1&gl=us&hq=panza&hnear=boston&cid=7158802066410939709">Panza</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlNCnqNC3TT8f2MK0qwpCMz5ztSnGsHEiOtGwiCi13f8YCUJ-ktH2TWSzAPMOShB9uNyfcQ53LadQrpu0JWlyjyV2Vlqzxh3FZJqlOHyA69F8gf81DOl61lNg_F8YYas_Q9vXOblUAee3/s1600/IMG_0218.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlNCnqNC3TT8f2MK0qwpCMz5ztSnGsHEiOtGwiCi13f8YCUJ-ktH2TWSzAPMOShB9uNyfcQ53LadQrpu0JWlyjyV2Vlqzxh3FZJqlOHyA69F8gf81DOl61lNg_F8YYas_Q9vXOblUAee3/s320/IMG_0218.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996028610848242" border="0" /></a>They had at least two vegetarian options on their menu, so we got to eat different entrees:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemftx3jlWqQOqZmzpxKKr7bBsw89Wt7Z7-WmfFA2N0fH8jX9Wn61RMrvnSjFatvXhIOx2YlI1F7q6oScCsMULihquINe2wOzf2-o_OZMm_CwmM5uvV8eeI_JzermnftgAMFeGXr6ti2Kh/s1600/IMG_0216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemftx3jlWqQOqZmzpxKKr7bBsw89Wt7Z7-WmfFA2N0fH8jX9Wn61RMrvnSjFatvXhIOx2YlI1F7q6oScCsMULihquINe2wOzf2-o_OZMm_CwmM5uvV8eeI_JzermnftgAMFeGXr6ti2Kh/s320/IMG_0216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996040503642274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkAW9k2V_vVQ4_S4M07ByfNALAc9LCnlOwgvIz242yri3glSEFdnF6a1DWRtSdHb6IyYSe67d6X8MDe4_giy9jAIHtfeHCaM2Ppz7f3EOaO6FZNCB11E4aXoR1SwIj_8sKI37WPvRMhux/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkAW9k2V_vVQ4_S4M07ByfNALAc9LCnlOwgvIz242yri3glSEFdnF6a1DWRtSdHb6IyYSe67d6X8MDe4_giy9jAIHtfeHCaM2Ppz7f3EOaO6FZNCB11E4aXoR1SwIj_8sKI37WPvRMhux/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465996032120681570" border="0" /></a>We then returned home. I wanted to stay off of my feet as much as possible, and get lots of sleep before the race the next day!Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8879883051809845646.post-35611761906763041062010-04-30T10:47:00.001-07:002010-04-30T12:03:19.563-07:00Day 2: MarathonThe next morning, we had to get up really early. Even though my wave of the race didn't start until 10:30, I had to be at Boston Common to catch a bus to the start around 6:30!<br /><br />The night before, Brian had walked to the grocery store and stocked up on breakfast food, so I had some orange juice, yogurt and granola:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2fmTiBLCLx_hZn1qjHJ-K7LQI6ejZ-_Cap0Xe1LlqmDlHKtIWpzx-G9_a7qpTHpMGUdIPoN5y11qTuRzbjRGvrdmhey6xr69tztyut-h3KY_UWZAOdmQ2bQT98uU2FMM3z7c3SJQJSWh/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2fmTiBLCLx_hZn1qjHJ-K7LQI6ejZ-_Cap0Xe1LlqmDlHKtIWpzx-G9_a7qpTHpMGUdIPoN5y11qTuRzbjRGvrdmhey6xr69tztyut-h3KY_UWZAOdmQ2bQT98uU2FMM3z7c3SJQJSWh/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000384222465154" border="0" /></a>We didn't have a camera with us at this point, since Brian was walking with me to the buses and then going for a run of his own. Our actions diverge for the next 8 hours.<br /><br />We made it to the buses and I sat with a nice lady from Austin who was also running her first marathon. It took us almost an hour on the bus to get 26.2 miles to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Hopkinton</span>, where the race begins. There was an "Athlete's Village" set up on the lawn of a high school. It was several hours until the start, so I ate a bit, put more sunscreen on, and chatted with a few other runners.<br /><br />At one point, the announcer says that we "might want to think about heading to the start line" which was almost a mile away from where we were. I immediately got up and was in a huge crowd of people. I made it to my corral just as the gun went off! I would have had a bit more time to prepare mentally, but it was not to be.<br /><br />It was just about a perfect day to run a marathon. The temperature and weather were fantastic! The first seven miles are all downhill, so I had to make a conscious effort not to go out too fast and save some energy for later! Everything was just about perfect until about mile 22. I reached into my shorts for my last energy gel. For those of you non-runners, this is food of a toothpaste-like consistency that runners eat during races because they are easily-digestible. As I was opening it, the gel slipped out of my hand! There were way too many runners around me for me to safely stop and get it.<br /><br />Then, at mile 23, I was going to console myself with a Gatorade at the water stop. However, there was a line of 20-25 soldiers in fatigues marching along the course, completely blocking the water stop! I have no idea why this happened! In any case, I missed two fueling options and was starting to feel it.<br /><br />In any case, I had set a reachable goal as a finish time and, despite the fueling snafus, finished more than 10 minutes faster than my goal, so I was happy. And I will carry an extra energy gel (or two) from now on!<br /><br />I had a great experience and am very happy that I was able to run Boston. As I've said, though, now that I've run marathons in 3 states, I may have to complete one in every state so I can become a member of <a href="http://www.50statesmarathonclub.com/50dc/index.html">this club</a>.<br /><br />After going through the finish chute (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mylar</span> blanket, medal, warm-ups, food), I exited into the street and found Brian in the meet-up area. Here I am, exhausted, sweaty, and smelly:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYYya1-GlitNa3YW6WKPfu2oKySRoHb6u4yAYn2zPHoJHYF6pdd51izi3gBMwCIUKEPEjvSLc8Hnqnlh-3ohR22ieZIwGA1qz3HajzD1FxXMMLeneA90wLbyw-sDX0swv_NGERKPOarFg/s1600/IMG_0241.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggYYya1-GlitNa3YW6WKPfu2oKySRoHb6u4yAYn2zPHoJHYF6pdd51izi3gBMwCIUKEPEjvSLc8Hnqnlh-3ohR22ieZIwGA1qz3HajzD1FxXMMLeneA90wLbyw-sDX0swv_NGERKPOarFg/s320/IMG_0241.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000267533670706" border="0" /></a>Now, on to Brian. While I was waiting for the bus, he went for a run around Boston's harbor area. He then went back to the apartment, showered, and then set out in Boston to wait for me to finish.<br /><br />As it was Patriot's Day (a huge deal in Boston), there was a reenactment of Paul Revere's ride, which I think this is part of the set-up for:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkxJdq9FusTo3YaFWDEmGh7_iWFHGSjwVC9wQIfp1M-xVsU7XbuEWD52-WSVRAb8WzpJowiBuUcDFJeOiwH2uBBcnxH_Y4rDeqtvdr2yyTMddbAYa8sVGWrP6rSOQ7XNDjZC_qKY8Vxzv/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkxJdq9FusTo3YaFWDEmGh7_iWFHGSjwVC9wQIfp1M-xVsU7XbuEWD52-WSVRAb8WzpJowiBuUcDFJeOiwH2uBBcnxH_Y4rDeqtvdr2yyTMddbAYa8sVGWrP6rSOQ7XNDjZC_qKY8Vxzv/s320/IMG_0221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000374086548386" border="0" /></a>Brian almost got run over by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">reenactor</span> Paul Revere as he was not expecting a galloping horse to come through a small street at the same time he was crossing!<br /><br />He sat in front of this fountain for a while:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5F77bhObfSlvpLWDZF7MyR6qPSFN4noKxKFep36jEenRJkbzZOwbfg0rTUOOJ-wJR0TJcgT1podyQE5TnDXw7SEEFeIOhxb1aS9uaKwwk37VD0RPyxHfhezwfDQKTqI_WMwE0_10Qm0W/s1600/IMG_0222.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5F77bhObfSlvpLWDZF7MyR6qPSFN4noKxKFep36jEenRJkbzZOwbfg0rTUOOJ-wJR0TJcgT1podyQE5TnDXw7SEEFeIOhxb1aS9uaKwwk37VD0RPyxHfhezwfDQKTqI_WMwE0_10Qm0W/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000369414333522" border="0" /></a>Was harassed by this pigeon who wanted some food (but was disappointed):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvefL6hfaLr3ETYS3n5lN-_XDvzomRuPcpxPug7asqvclcNXnNwztQ5JUODjo-i84WQmU1qLLxnT31JiBF6reo3NPTRmJyyIvzpxv7rHwwWHCUxeLKI-U2dEgqpul7LNB6mSVhX7k_sMfw/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 112px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvefL6hfaLr3ETYS3n5lN-_XDvzomRuPcpxPug7asqvclcNXnNwztQ5JUODjo-i84WQmU1qLLxnT31JiBF6reo3NPTRmJyyIvzpxv7rHwwWHCUxeLKI-U2dEgqpul7LNB6mSVhX7k_sMfw/s320/IMG_0224.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000368358524578" border="0" /></a>And watched the sparrow take a bath in the fountain:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEVSAVHOGkgtKS73MKIg14FQFTccvc5plNWKMZpeot-Ep0zee01sc32ZynlOQ80wrZ8YuYDxABjSQ75106JCZd3-DcN2JMLUXPypwCfwaoCpDfCm_zIIOPb-qU38rzmLiHAC5K9bkE0jr/s1600/IMG_0227.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEVSAVHOGkgtKS73MKIg14FQFTccvc5plNWKMZpeot-Ep0zee01sc32ZynlOQ80wrZ8YuYDxABjSQ75106JCZd3-DcN2JMLUXPypwCfwaoCpDfCm_zIIOPb-qU38rzmLiHAC5K9bkE0jr/s320/IMG_0227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000362403342850" border="0" /></a>We walked from the end of the marathon to our apartment. Normally, the post-race shower is one of the best parts of the race. However, not this time. Our only complaint about our apartment is that it had the worst shower I have ever seen. I really shouldn't complain, as there are many people in the world who don't have a shower at all, but I have expectations for American showers. Like enough water to get me wet.<br /><br />This one was like a gentle drizzle of water. Occasionally, it was hot; more often, it was lukewarm. Had I been walking outside when rain started falling to mimic the amount coming out of the shower, I wouldn't have even needed an umbrella. It was that bad. I really didn't feel clean the entire week, and usually had to huddle under the covers for a few minutes to beat the chill of the shower.<br /><br />So, I showered as best as I could, and we headed out to an <a href="http://www.goodyglovers.com/">Irish Pub</a> for a celebratory drink.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRczwPVMKd9uin82NLGVZaRyDXIrLQzSa0Fk4-ZWwzrWRuFIyC1HD2dQ_QOSQqVpkIBskNR-ENv1XjRVu_aWCc2yjhogSfrF_8hrhBIp7Ey_ag2OX9GVQFiu_RzpByLX7_ZnNYmKUE9w_K/s1600/IMG_0245.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRczwPVMKd9uin82NLGVZaRyDXIrLQzSa0Fk4-ZWwzrWRuFIyC1HD2dQ_QOSQqVpkIBskNR-ENv1XjRVu_aWCc2yjhogSfrF_8hrhBIp7Ey_ag2OX9GVQFiu_RzpByLX7_ZnNYmKUE9w_K/s320/IMG_0245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000253211150082" border="0" /></a>Cider!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDo_eAEdKpSyyzZ5LKvJD21v7ycBUZRmEpl89x0UMsJQ2jXMrfBi4yxiYFXKWMocQuXBAmyt3B_3oWXHIrRyv0aFPYPbOrdKGWsYYElcimoJLijQ5z8kzRLnWq-xj5Vo7NHsDQmxz70mE/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDo_eAEdKpSyyzZ5LKvJD21v7ycBUZRmEpl89x0UMsJQ2jXMrfBi4yxiYFXKWMocQuXBAmyt3B_3oWXHIrRyv0aFPYPbOrdKGWsYYElcimoJLijQ5z8kzRLnWq-xj5Vo7NHsDQmxz70mE/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000263827978130" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNTpBdiWElJ4eyQTkjagjQDG6HbfMd0dgKTRGFDAB8ul8hJ5hH7jST5cwVGpQxc_8BAEsrNMo48NOcDW6OlOvRtVqdm6Lt_mITicwmf82vT-fRhg8YAFRYG36wWH_nw3RS6jqiQKgL-6S/s1600/IMG_0244.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiNTpBdiWElJ4eyQTkjagjQDG6HbfMd0dgKTRGFDAB8ul8hJ5hH7jST5cwVGpQxc_8BAEsrNMo48NOcDW6OlOvRtVqdm6Lt_mITicwmf82vT-fRhg8YAFRYG36wWH_nw3RS6jqiQKgL-6S/s320/IMG_0244.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000258164146818" border="0" /></a>After walking around a bit more, we went to <a href="http://www.wagamama.us/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wagamama</span></a> for dinner. We'd been in one in London on our trip there in 2008.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IylWoBHBbsMl_pAT36NwwWYIP0mJmmVouZk7GUgpKWhG1BjQpNS5gc_WzJtdEAD2aP11iTdlnnufZejP-JX8Vgj9649cdDK0cVk3Zi0axVqQfH-uycg3W80jdbwe_Wkw9z4WfbqGnQfd/s1600/IMG_0246.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3IylWoBHBbsMl_pAT36NwwWYIP0mJmmVouZk7GUgpKWhG1BjQpNS5gc_WzJtdEAD2aP11iTdlnnufZejP-JX8Vgj9649cdDK0cVk3Zi0axVqQfH-uycg3W80jdbwe_Wkw9z4WfbqGnQfd/s320/IMG_0246.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000275632638786" border="0" /></a>Brian did not actually use the chopsticks as we didn't want to spend 5 hours at dinner!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko8SJGNYP4L5HMRCRSfp3-HPokkcLFpbA7G7Gty_-k13KqUi8hGCncTuvw-3hhWKY5W_xX7sgon34XvLekShLWJoqNLUejyomjwvzgX2PiKN9f5ex4Wr1XNlZliZY9q427x3CZFrBIc8w/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiko8SJGNYP4L5HMRCRSfp3-HPokkcLFpbA7G7Gty_-k13KqUi8hGCncTuvw-3hhWKY5W_xX7sgon34XvLekShLWJoqNLUejyomjwvzgX2PiKN9f5ex4Wr1XNlZliZY9q427x3CZFrBIc8w/s320/IMG_0247.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000139904240306" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-V8b1YIo7jkbY29k-V429I8Ds2lW4cTrE9pmkGTfC9vcHvXfECGmaPJ9VoVXRRbekJItOooLhV2K6yeyfkCYgDCwfY55ekMAOu7ttoBjrrYdpWd-ET9GBM7ExALLNQfC8SBitjg4hdnt/s1600/IMG_0248.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-V8b1YIo7jkbY29k-V429I8Ds2lW4cTrE9pmkGTfC9vcHvXfECGmaPJ9VoVXRRbekJItOooLhV2K6yeyfkCYgDCwfY55ekMAOu7ttoBjrrYdpWd-ET9GBM7ExALLNQfC8SBitjg4hdnt/s320/IMG_0248.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000120233909650" border="0" /></a>They had Asian beer for sale:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJk4z9mQQUmqmwzu_5qT8vJQDPdDwJbz2pFbFCwik1xrz6fJFIcMpPttDxRE65qSxqi3ILHNS1L6dOyfHk68EtZPk3M8oy-T6bm3OBr9OCjqiBUzg0hzXwqRkoBrEuwV_MUSZ5jb2nQPrR/s1600/IMG_0249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJk4z9mQQUmqmwzu_5qT8vJQDPdDwJbz2pFbFCwik1xrz6fJFIcMpPttDxRE65qSxqi3ILHNS1L6dOyfHk68EtZPk3M8oy-T6bm3OBr9OCjqiBUzg0hzXwqRkoBrEuwV_MUSZ5jb2nQPrR/s320/IMG_0249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000116534216178" border="0" /></a>I was still a bit hungry, so we stopped in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Dunkin</span> Donuts for a taste of my childhood. Brian had never had a strawberry frosted before (though I don't remember jimmies on them...)! I hadn't had one in years, and thoroughly enjoyed this one. I told Brian some of my dad's doughnut stories, but I'm not sure he believed them.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu0A_zKMQHhGK68IithwQZHnhX-HOdQEYUU87iOTtsyVRreqQKS1bSTi9Ar5qRxygjlSTCqTq9nIqoSq2CWbaEPhDosequQZhVFG5QBRg0X5Ggj2qR_ZcRa4CzVnf592S7hNKjnxynrdS/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu0A_zKMQHhGK68IithwQZHnhX-HOdQEYUU87iOTtsyVRreqQKS1bSTi9Ar5qRxygjlSTCqTq9nIqoSq2CWbaEPhDosequQZhVFG5QBRg0X5Ggj2qR_ZcRa4CzVnf592S7hNKjnxynrdS/s320/IMG_0251.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000114288411858" border="0" /></a>A night view of our street:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h-Mb5WvwdpIO3X4z_fR1B4YJC4Q-j2Bdz_6OLDnyar1xwfp4pqM3heZJjvFh3g4bwJQUl3En768W0ATAd1pHTYkS26kOhNzowb0_HkIwMpNXBaRcpq1ToveBqfHrQ3Ky-_rFH3vBuKmn/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h-Mb5WvwdpIO3X4z_fR1B4YJC4Q-j2Bdz_6OLDnyar1xwfp4pqM3heZJjvFh3g4bwJQUl3En768W0ATAd1pHTYkS26kOhNzowb0_HkIwMpNXBaRcpq1ToveBqfHrQ3Ky-_rFH3vBuKmn/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466000109088626322" border="0" /></a>Exhausted, we went to bed pretty early. Brian was pretty excited that the apartment had satellite TV, so he got to watch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">SportsCenter</span>, which our over-the-air household misses out on.Alicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14821477969301913539noreply@blogger.com0