Music

My Water Pail List, Completed!

Posted by golfkat on September 24, 2020
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Entertainment, Food, Golf, Hobbies, Music, National Parks, Shopping, Sports, Travel, Wine. Leave a comment

Just for the record, I never had or wanted a proverbial “bucket list” that has become so popular with travelers.  I rarely compiled a list of places I wanted to go.  Visiting all fifty of our states was almost by accident, until the total reached the low forties or thereabouts.  Trips to places around the world were never planned more than eight to nine months ahead.


Much of this I owe to my travel buddy Mike.  He rarely wants to commit to a location, too far in advance.  When we drove Chile from top to bottom, it all came together just a few months before.  Same for our trek to Africa for the safaris and visiting Barry the V.


I have seen other people’s bucket list, and thought I would give you my “water pail” **list, which I consider complete at this point in my life.  About the only trips left, that I can even think about are a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, the Tour de France, and perhaps the four eastern Canadian provinces.  There will be some revisits, such as the Oktoberfest in Munich, wine regions in various European countries, and some cycling trips.


In no particular order of importance or sense of accomplishment:


Trek the Amazon Rainforest, Peru

Visit Angkor Wat, Cambodia (3 times)

Cross the Berlin Wall at Checkpoint Charlie (sorry, you cannot do that anymore!)

Take the Trans Siberian Railway across Russia

Visit my ancestor’s home city of Nagoya, Japan

Visit all 50 U.S. states

Taste champagne in Champagne, France

Spend two weeks at Wimbledon, England

Do the tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Amtrak across the country (several times)

Visit most of the western National Parks

See the Aurora Borealis in Alaska

See the witches of Salem, MA on Halloween

Visit all the ballparks in the west

See a play on Broadway, NYC

Traverse Chile from top to bottom (by air, land, and sea)

Visit Fenway and Wrigley

Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Jet boat in Queenstown, New Zealand

Bike down Haleakala Crater, Maui

Zipline in the Costa Rica cloudforest

Watch a lion hunt in the Serengeti

Play golf at St. Andrews, Scotland

Shop at Harrod’s for wine gummies, London

Visit the “Girl from Ipanema”, Rio de Janeiro

Sip wine in Mendoza, Argentina

Cruise Halong Bay, Vietnam

See peak bloom Cherry Blossoms in DC

Hear the roar at Sturgis, SD

Visit Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

Find rare ports on the Algarve, Portugal

Attend a concert at Royal Albert Hall, London

Drink many beers at the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany

Eat smoked omul at Lake Baikal, Russia

Attend the U.S. Opens, golf and tennis

Climb Eiffel Tower, Paris


Make homemade Italian sausage

Dine on pork knuckle in Prague

Eat stone crabs at Joe’s in Miami

Wine tasting in Stellenbosch with Barry the V

Enjoy Grand Marnier soufflé in Zurich, Switzerland

Go hiking at Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Walk on the parquet floor at the Boston Garden

Win a ski race at Aspen

Ride/walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

Shake hands with Arnold Palmer

Attend Paul Simon’s farewell concert

Attend a Tom Douglas farm to table dinner

Make my own umeshu (sour plum vodka)

Drive over 100 mph on the German autobahn

Sip Tokaji in Budapest

Visit Dracula’s castle in Brasov, Romania

Stare at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Eat black hoof jamon in Porto Banus

Give a new pair of Nike’s to my tuk tuk driver in Chiang Mai

Attend the Grand Ole Opry

Dine in the Surgeon General’s private dining room

Run the Bay to Breakers (world’s largest footrace)

Enjoy Shabu Shabu in Tokyo

Taste the best salmon sushi in Queensland, Australia

Stroll the medina in Morocco

Visit Ebenezer Baptist Church and childhood home of MLK

Visit both Capes (Horn and Good Hope)

See the Rose Parade

Eat beignets at Cafe’ Du Monde

Visit Alcatraz Island

Marvel at the great Willie Mays

Shop at the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

Cycle and taste wine in Bordeaux

Cross the Continental Divide

Enjoy several custom tailored suits in Bangkok

Adopt the most beautiful Labradoodle in the world

Write a book (several)

Visit a Relocation camp of my ancestors

Complete my lifetime sports-fecta (a separate email a few years ago)


What Have I been unable to do:

Hole in one (got close several times)

Publish my autobiography

Visit all of the Canadian provinces

Play on the grass court at Wimbledon

Impeach a President! (Or at least elect a different one!)

The Mighty Piccolo

Posted by golfkat on July 25, 2020
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Music. Leave a comment
It is not only John Phillip Souza‘s Stars and Stripes Forever that features a piccolo solo.  The tradition began long before Souza even put his band together. 
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote his piccolo concerto, Concerto in C Major for Piccolo, Strings, and Continuo, RV. 443,  with orchestra strings and harpsichord.  Vivaldi was actually ordained a priest in 1703.  He taught violin, but was fired 6 years later from the Pio Ospedale della Pieta in Venice.  Fired and rehired many times, he began composing operas around 1710.  His reputation as both a composer and violinist launched a career that led him far from Venice.
Antonio Vivaldi Vivaldi led a rather tumultuous and unpredictable life

He died a pauper, though Franz Joseph Haydn was one of six choirboys, who performed the mass at his burial.  He was prolific, as twenty one of his fifty-six operas survive today.  But it is his instrumental composition that made Vivaldi’s enduring mark on music, as he wrote more than 500 concertos.  Vivaldi’s flouting was probably a rather high-pitched recorder, since the piccolo did not come into existence until around 1730.  But Vivaldi’s concerto fits the piccolo perfectly.

What do we really know about the piccolo, other than its size?  It is the highest pitched woodwind instrument in orchestras and bands.  It is a small, transverse flute, mostly cylindrical with a Boehm system keywork, witha pitch an octave higher than the regular flute.
 
Britannica:  The piccolo’s compass extends three octaves upward from the second D above middle C. Its orchestral use dates from the late 18th century, when it replaced the flageolet (also called flauto piccolo). A six-keyed piccolo in D♭ was formerly used in military bands to facilitate playing in flat keys. Piccolo is also the name of an organ stop; the word can be applied to other instruments, such as the piccolo clarinet or the violino piccolo (“small violin”).


Going back even further, in the Middle Ages, military musicians played a transverse flute with only six finger holes.  Instruments were further adapted to mimic the human voice in the 16th century.  The flute family also included the treble recorder, and the bass flute, to complete the instrument family.
From the Vienna Symphonic Library:  The piccolo, and the concert flute, both evolved from the military transverse flute of the Middle Ages. When in the mid 17th century the art of flute-making underwent a process of rapid innovation, the technical improvements made to the flute were passed on one by one to its smaller sister, the piccolo traverso. In the early 18th century the piccolo began to appear with one to four keys, and more were added as the century progressed. In the years that followed the piccolo’s development mirrored that of the flute.

In 1832 the Munich flutist Theobald Boehm invented a revolutionary mechanism for the flute and by the middle of the 19th century it had already found its way onto the piccolo. Nevertheless, piccolos with older key mechanisms remained in use into the 20th century.

Piccolos were made in the tunings C, Db and Eb (fundamentals C5, Db5 and Eb5 – the latter tuning was favored particularly in military circles). The tubing was made first of wood, later of metal and was slightly conical.

Finally, in the 18th century, the piccolo started to appear in musical scores.  One of my all-time favorites, Handel’s Water Music, uses the piccolo extensively.

More Vienna Symphonic Library:


Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the first composers to use the piccolo in his works to imitate sounds of nature, e.g., the whistling of a stormy wind in the fourth movement of his 6th Symphony (“Pastoral Symphony”, 1808). In his “Rigoletto” (1851) Giuseppe Verdi first used a piccolo to symbolize lightning. In addition, the piccolo was used for special effects, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in “The Magic Flute” (1791), for example, for a humorous portrayal of eunuchs. In many works the piercing and shrill fortissimo of the piccolo is used to heighten terror in frightening scenes.

Composers of the Romantic period, particularly Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler, integrated the piccolo completely into the orchestra’s woodwind section. Since then it has been used extensively to add color and shading to the sound of the orchestra and occasionally even as a solo instrument.

Theobald Böhm (1794-1881), Hanfstaengel, Photographie ca. 1852

If you were in the marching band in school or college, you, like me, probably envied the piccolo players.  Their instrument was much easier to carry than a bass drum or tuba!  Both of my sisters played the flute and piccolo.

So, sit back and enjoy the piccolo solos during your next symphony concert (whenever that might be).

How to Spot an American

Posted by golfkat on July 16, 2020
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Entertainment, Food, Health, Hobbies, Music, Shopping, Sports, Travel. 2 Comments
Though I rarely feel self-conscious when I travel, I am certain some people do.  I figure it is fairly obvious what I am to natives, so I don’t really worry about it.  But people do seem to ask about my ethnic heritage, when they see me, and hear perfect English.  The question becomes, “What are you?”  When I say I am an American, they ask further, “No, what are you, really?”
Invariably, I have to ask them what an American looks like.  Then I further confuse them by saying that they look like an American!  Whether I am in Europe, Africa, or South America, I tell them that Americans look like just about anyone.
But are we that obvious when we visit some of these countries?  There might be some stereotypes among us.
(Some borrowed for Alot, some are my own)
Nose buried in cellphone    This started out as just an American thing, but it has caught on, both among the young people in foreign countries, as well as older travelers.
Requesting ice in drinks    Now, I really resent this one.  My friends in South Africa not only request ice for their wine, they request an ice bucket filled with ice.  But I think most of us know not to drink the water (ice) in most places we visit outside of the U.S.
The ubiquitous baseball cap    I see nothing wrong with this, but I am guilty as charged.  I need a cap to keep the sun off of my continuing bald head.  But I think the cap worn backwards is somewhat irritating to our hosts in more conservative countries.
White socks    Who does this anymore, except the octogenarians, who should not be exposing their untanned legs anyway?  But it is getting “cool” again to wear white socks with white tennies.  Go figure!
White teeth    Who else but Americans are obsessed with white teeth?  Nobody.
Fanny packs    I thought this fad died about a decade or two ago.
“Hey Bro”    Why do we call everyone Bro or buddy?  Is it a term of endearment?  Or are we just trying too hard?   I prefer the more respectful version, “sir”, don’t you?
Pfootbol  Yes, we prefer our football to theirs.  Nothing can be done about this.  But, I will say, walk into a “soccer” bar and I guarantee you will have an entertaining evening.
Walking while eating    Are we always in a hurry or is it a bad habit.  I say, join the cafe’ culture, and enjoy the moment.
Eating at American chains    Please, if you just spent 8 to 12 hours on a place, please try the local cuisine!
Getting drunk   Why?
Nike sneakers

Prudish about nudity   Certainly not about their female nudity!
Talking to strangers   I do this all the time.  How do you think I met Barry the V, Katy, Jason and Chun??
Feelings   We tend to show our true feelings quite easily.  I don’t see anything wrong with tis, as long it is not offensive or vulgar.
Wearing shorts   Now I am really offended.  I work out and have a tan, so I earned the right.  Those of you with skinny, fat, hairy or pasty white legs, you wear the long trousers!
Tipping   Yes, guilty as charged, Americans tip too much!
Accent or lack thereof   Other than our Southerners or Bostonians, we come off as fairly neutral.  Don’t try to imitate the local accent, it pisses them off!
Speaking loudly   Yes, we Americans are guilty as charged.  Try to tone it down!
Respect the local customs   Like taking your shoes off when entering a room in Asia.  Or asking permission to take a photo.
Using hand sanitizer   Even before Covid, I was a firm believer in using hand sanitizer, particularly in Third World countries.  But it is an “American” thing!
Logos   Personally, I could care less about your logos.  But it does mark us as Americans.  We love them all, but North Face seems to be the once that marks us as American.
Obnoxious T shirts   This is definitely an American thing.  But while in Hanoi, with Mr. Mike, his T shirt was getting all the attention from passersby and other tourists.  What did it say?  In about 15 different languages, “Not my President!”  Everyone wanted to take a photo with him.
Laughing too loud   Okay, it is mostly the young females, but it is an American thing.
Leaving a mess   This goes for your restaurant table, your hotel room, or your airline seat.  Please!
Overpacking   Actually, I think with the ridiculous baggage fees, we are getting better.  I see the Europeans and Chinese as taking over this dubious habit.
Disrespect   Nothing embarrasses me more than a fellow American who acts like an ASS!
Too many selfies   I think everyone is guilty of this, not just American teenagers.
Haggle or negotiate   Americans are typically not good at this.  Just remember to do it with respect and in the right spirit.
Smoking or vaping   Asians and Europeans are worse than Americans!
Barefoot   Never go barefoot, except for the beach!
Torn jeans   I know it is popular, but not for travel.
Just remember, you are representing an entire nation, a rich and educated culture, and something that many people in the world aspire to.  Just be respectful, and everything will take care of itself!

A Musical Diversion

Posted by golfkat on May 26, 2020
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Music, Travel. Leave a comment
Do you know how many notes are in a chromatic scale?
In Western music, there are 12 familiar tones, each a half-step or a semitone apart. To visualize this, think of the keys on a piano: A half-step is the shortest distance between two keys, so if you start on C (which is a white key), one semitone up is C# (a black key), and one semitone up from that is D (another white key). The sequence in this case would continue as follows: D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, and B. This type of scale, where you play every semitone in ascending or descending order from one octave to the next, is called a chromatic scale. Other, more common scales have fewer notes. For example, if you play a major scale — the familiar do-re-mi one — you’ll run through only seven of the 12 tones before repeating the sequence. Major scales include both whole steps and half-steps in a specific order, starting from a “tonic” note: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. Again, it helps to visualize a piano. If you start on C and play up, hitting only the white keys (D, E, F, G, A, and B), you’ll be playing a C major scale.  (Courtesy of LiveAbout)  I once took piano lessons in my youth, but the piano teacher was older than her piano!  My brother and I quit when my Mom would not let us switch to a younger teacher.
A piano has 88 keys, 52 white, and 36 black keys.  The inventor was Bartolomeo Cristofori, who started as a harpsicord designer and maker in the late 1600s.
According to those who know, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is the best piece ever written for piano.  Best pianist of all time?  Chopin, Horowitz, Brendel, Liszt, Mozart, Rachmaninov, or Schumann.  I vote for Artur Rubenstein, who I had the privilege of hearing in the 60s.
Which European capital is also called, “The City of Music”?
From Travel Trivia:  Also called the music capital of the world, Vienna has been home to some of history’s top classical composers, including Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart. And it is no great wonder that the picturesque “City of Music” inspires equally stunning music and dance. The waltz was invented here, and starting during Carnival and lasting well into March, Austria’s capital city continues to have a ball season with dances in the city center. Can’t dance? Duck into the Volksoper theater and be a spectator, where operettas and ballets often draw international audiences.  I would love to waltz here again someday soon!
Carnegie Hall is New York might be the most famous music venue in the world.  And its prestige is based not only on classical music, but popular music as well.  As you might guess, industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie paid for the famous hall.  Here is an old Carnegie joke:
Rumor is that a pedestrian on Fifty-seventh Street, Manhattan, stopped Jascha Heifetz and inquired, “Could you tell me how to get to Carnegie Hall?” “Yes,” said Heifetz. “Practice!”  —  This old joke has become part of the folklore of the hall, but its origins remain a mystery.
Who, among many greats have performed here?  How about Tchaikovsky, Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Elton John, Beatles, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Sinatra, Liza Minelli, Celine, Artur Rubenstein, Chuck Berry, Bruce Springsteen, Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Byrds, Doobies, and the Rolling Stones.
What is the best concert you have ever attended?  Mine would be a tie between the farewell tours of Aretha Franklin, and Paul Simon.  But had I been a little older and wise, I would have certainly said the great Artur Rubenstein.
And is Carnegie the best place for a concert?  I have also been to Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, and the Sydney Opera House.  Which is your favorite?
Outdoor venues are enjoyable too.  Events like The Capitol Fourth, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, Red Rocks, while not perfect for acoustics, creates a casual atmosphere for enjoying music.
And from JoniMitchell.com:  New York may have a lot of yellow taxis (and pavement), but it’s not what Joni Mitchell was referencing when she sang that “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Nor is “paradise” a reference to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier in Washington, despite a popular myth. Mitchell’s adopted home state of California isn’t the right answer, either. According to her website, the “paradise” in question is beautiful, scenic Hawaii. Mitchell herself said as much when introducing the song in 1969, saying that she was moved to write the now-famous lyrics to “Big Yellow Taxi” on a trip to Hawaii, when she looked out her window and saw a parking lot in the middle of the otherwise beautiful landscape of “green, lush hills” and “Myna birds all over the place.”
Music fills a void in our lives, perhaps for a reason?

Boring Television, And ?

Posted by golfkat on April 28, 2020
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Entertainment, Health, Music, Sports, Travel. Leave a comment
During the stay at home order, self-quarantine, shelter in place, whatever you call it, we are all watching too much television.  Me included.  I have seen a few decent movies that I did not see before, like Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), and Taken 1, 2, and 3.  Not bad.
But, for lack of better things, who watches this crap during normal times?  What am I talking about?
Award for most similar to watching paint dry:  Ellen, or anything with Shaq (tie)
Award for most misinformation (other than Trump):  Dr. Oz and Dr. Philth (tie)
Award for most boring sports reruns:  ESPN (show us something good), but the Niner Super Bowl wins were good!
Moving on:
Dr. Fauci and Dr. Birx are very old school.  Trump is very un school!
Music videos are helpful, to pass the time:  Alison Krause, Shania, Aerosmith, Eagles, Doors.
Anyone else notice the shortage of travel related shows on the tube?
I have seen too many cooking shows.  And I am a terrible cook!
I guess we answered the question, WHO is on first?
Good idea:  here is a place you can go without worry.  Place some flowers at your loved one’s grave at the cemetery!
Have you donated to anyone during this crisis?  Wings of Rescue (animals), and Holt (adoption agency) are my favs.
Some bullshit artist on TV tried to say Trump is the most religious Prez ever. but I say it is Jimmy Carter.
All of the former Presidents (Bush, Clinton, Carter, Obama) have been strangely quiet.
Has your favorite sports team made donations to help the less fortunate?
How many billionaires have help the cause?  Gates, Buffett, Turner?
And what about those mega-church bull sh*t artists with their billions?
Yes, your auto insurance earned a big rebate since we are not driving as much.  But will your home insurance go up since you are home more often??
On Jan. 22, when CNBC asked Trump if there were any concerns about the virus spreading in the U.S., Trump said, “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
Airfares are very low and fully refundable.  Why are the airlines not advertising??
Over 58,000 Americans have died.  The number should have been much lower.
So, if the churches insist on congregating, take their non profit status away!  Simple solution.
I admire the way Governors Cuomo and Newsom have been leading, as leaders should!!
Bring back some old TV favorites:  Ozzie and Harriet, Leave It to Beaver, Amos N Andy, Jack Benny.  I actually saw a “My Little Margie” episode a few weeks ago.
All I can say is, do something good today!!

Trips of the Decade (2010-2019)

Posted by golfkat on January 22, 2020
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Entertainment, Food, Music, National Parks, Sports, Travel. 4 Comments
From 2010 to 2019, I have had the good fortune to take many trips, both domestically, and internationally.  I recently read a great article by julieabroad on wordpress.com, where I also have a blog.  Her list is quite impressive.  Though mine is modest by comparison, I decided to do the same, list my ten best trips of the decade.
These are hers, in no particular order, she says:
The ruins at Baalbek in Lebanon
Going through the Panama Canal
Moving to Beijing
Cruising the Nile
Uzbekistan
Watching the volcano on Stromboli explode
Bus trip through eastern Europe
Petra (Jordan)
Walking under a waterfall in Domenica
Going to the top of the Atomium in Belgium
And her advice is great:  “Never stop traveling!”
Here is my top ten or more, in no particular order, but with a few added comments:
Visiting Barry the V in Cape Town and going on four safaris
Super Bowl 47 in Nawlins with Dirty Pat
A top secret visit to the CIA in Virginia
Peak bloom day for cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin, Washington, DC
Attending the great motorcycle rally at Sturgis, SD
A wedding at the Pink Palace in Honolulu of a dear friend
Visit the formerly drug infested Medellin, Colombia
Attend the Rose Parade and festivities as guests of Donate Life
NCAA Final Four in Dallas with Springsteen concert
Take the Trans Siberian Railway from Vladivostok to Moscow
Sip champagne in Reims and Epernay (Champagne region)
Kaiseki dinner at n/naka in Los Angeles with the Wilkins
Visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
Pray at the Shwedagon Palace, Yangon, Myanmar
The farewell concerts of the two greats, Paul Simon and Aretha Franklin
Take Amtrak cross country four times
Drink a pint of Guinness at the Templebar in Dublin
Visit Manzanar

(War Relocation Camp) where my relatives were incarcerated

View the Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) north of Fairbanks
Take VIA Canadian Rail from Toronto to Vancouver
Attend the Fourth of July Concert and fireworks with the Boston Pops
Reunite with dear friends in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Siem Reap
Revisit several of my favorite National Parks (Bryce, Zion, Arches, Yosemite, Grand Canyon)
Visit Dirty Pat in Bucharest, and Dracula’s Castle
Wait, that is TWENTY FIVE!!!!  How can I  limit my list to just ten?  Impossible!
I left off a few:
Cycling in Bordeaux, France
Exploring Istanbul and the Grand Bazaar
Return to Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm
A dinner at Uncle Ranni’s Organic Chicken Farm in Kuala Lumpur
Sail on Milford Sound, New Zealand
Dive on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Jet boat in Queenstown, New Zealand
Take photos at Antelope Canyon, Page, AZ
Complete the trifecta of ballparks:  Yankee, Wrigley, and Fenway
I would love to see some of you try to list only ten!!!

Gerry’s Best Quotes 2019 (Jan to June)

Posted by golfkat on July 7, 2019
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Music, Travel. Leave a comment
As we begin a new year, I want to focus a little more on reflection than solely on travel.  To broaden the quotes is to broaden one’s horizons, so to speak.  So, any quote is open for saving, discussing, or discarding.  Trying something new is always a great adventure, right?
This might be a great way to start the new year.
And there is always room for some good lyrics:
Simply, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” by Aretha Franklin
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all” – Helen Keller
 
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”— Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Life is meant for good friends and great adventures” – Anonymous (I like this one)
“In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
‘Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.” – Paul Simon, who sang “The Boxer” on June 3, 2016, at our concert in the Greek Theater, UC Berkeley, when he told us that Muhammad Ali had passed away.
“A work of art has no importance whatever to society. It is only important to the individual.” – Vladimir Nabokov
“He was a wise man who invented beer.” – Plato
“The legislature finds that the cigarette is considered the deadliest artifact in human history.” – State of Hawaii Legislature (trying to pass a bill to ban smoking in Hawaii).
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” – Edward Abbey (Moab’s most famous alum)
“Fascism is cured by reading, racism is cured by traveling” – Miguel de Unamuno (whoever he is)
“Education is not something you can finish” – Isaac Asimov
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another” – William James
“Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Bicycling is a big part of the future.  It has to be.  There’s something wrong with a society that drives a car to workout in the gym.” – Bill Nye, scientist.
“Americans fear that former Trump staffers will be released into their cities” – Any Borowitz, The New Yorker
“Learn from the mistakes of others.  You can never live long enough to make them all yourself” – Groucho Marx
“Every man is guilty of the good he did not do” – Voltaire
“Be strong, I whisper to my coffee” -Anon.
“You can lead a man to Congress, but you can’t make him think” – Milton Berle
“Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company” – Mark Twain
“I was eating in a Chinese restaurant downtown.  There was a dish called Mother and Child Reunion.  It’s chicken and eggs.  And I said, I gotta use that one” – Paul Simon
“I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you” – Robin Williams
“As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it” – Buddy Hackett
“The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world” – Susan B. Anthony
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” – Tony Bourdain
Again, I invite you to share your favorite quotes with me.  See you again in December!!!oldman19cycle66quotes gm

Double Dozen for Seattle

Posted by golfkat on June 13, 2019
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Food, Music, Travel. Leave a comment

This June marks our 24th year visiting the great city of Seattle for our anniversary.  Why Seattle?  We visited once before we got married, and decided to spend part of our honeymoon here. We also went to Lake Tahoe (where it snowed in June), and another favorite place, the Carmel Monterey Peninsula.  But Seattle remains at the top of our yearly visits.
One really good reason for liking Seattle is it walkability.  We try to walk most everywhere, weather permitting.  Though the homeless issue is among the worst in the U.S., we manage the city streets.  One of our favorite walks starts downtown, where we usually stay.  We pass through the business district, the fabulous Seattle Public Library, and end up in the International District at one of our favorite super markets, Uwajimaya.  It is about a half hour walk, rather hilly in spots, but a decent way to start the day after a hearty breakfast.
If we get tired, we jump on their great public transportation, mostly the light rail, called Sound Transit.  If we should decide to head out toward South Lake Union, we take SLUT.  That stands for, you guessed it, South Lake Union Transit.  Great name!  Only in Seattle.
Many people see Pike Market as a tourist trap, which is probably correct.  But I think it still has charm, with great fresh flower vendors.  We always get a bouquet for our room.  Once in a while, we will send a fresh salmon home, or buy something to eat on the spot.  One of our favorites in the past,  was Jack’s Fish Spot.  Their scallop and chips are just outstanding.  But much like everything else, it has become quite pricey!
Don’t fall for the “original” Starbucks store across from Pike. It is NOT the original, bears little resemblance, and in reality, just a tourist trap for unknowing tourists.
But a few doors down is our favorite bakery in the world, Le Panier.  I often say it is better than anything I have had in Paris, Tokyo, Istanbul, or Hanoi.  My personal favorite is the amandine croissant, Sheri’s is the chocolatine.  Everything there is good!  Expect a line out the door almost any time of day.
While we are talking about food, our favorite pizza place is also located here.  Serious Pie has been our pizza favorite for about ten years now.  Our favorite is the homemade sausage and cherry bomb pepper pizza.  Two or three locations, one in South Lake Union, one in Belltown, and the newest on Capitol Hill, complete with a Starbucks Roastery.
We have toned down our shopping habits, now that I am not working full time.  But, we still have fun looking.  Our friends, Michael and Tanya own a really interesting boutique.  Many of their clientele are famous or nearly famous.  And they have their little dog, Theo, standing guard in the back room.
The Belltown and downtown areas have changed over the years, some for better, and some, as recently publicized, for the worse.  The homeless issue here is ubiquitous, as are Amazon, google, and Microsoft.  I am not sure if the city will eventually implode or become a ghost town like Detroit.  I hope the people here figure it out.  After all, this city has the highest achieving population as far as higher education.
While on the homeless issue, many documentaries have pointed to drug use as the cause of most homelessness.  If that is a given, why the hurry to add marijuana to the mix?  Somehow, that seems rather counter intuitive.
We often enjoy both live music and the theater when visiting.  But perhaps not this trip, as we will meet some friends from Montana for a good portion of the trip.  But since this is the home of Hendrix, The Kingsmen, The Ventures, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam, music is a big deal here.  A visit to the Experience Music Project at Seattle Center is always worthwhile.
Perhaps we will see the ghost of Jimi walking down the street with his guitar.  Maybe not!

A Random Walk Through Europe

Posted by golfkat on June 7, 2019
Posted in: Action, Cultures, Entertainment, Food, Music, Shopping, Travel. Leave a comment
Some casual and quite random observations, while in Europe.
Service people seem much nicer here than back in the US. No surprise at all.
Weather is still a bit dreary (Amsterdam), spring has not sprung, yet. (It did in Istanbul, however)
Flying over to Europe in coach is dreadful, though the seat next to me was open.  I managed a few hours sleep, with the help of modern medications.
I finished the David Lagerkranz follow up to the trilogy of Stieg Larson about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Not bad, not great.  The movie was on my screen, but it was totally disjointed.
The weather was quite dreary in Amsterdam, but seems a little better here in Bordeaux.  We got our bikes delivered just now.  Friday will start with a circular route back to the same hotel here in Saint Macaire.  It will be a 27 mile (ended up 31 miles with a few wrong turns), relatively flat ride through the region.
Our hotel, the Hotel Les Feuilles d’Acanthe, actually has the best restaurant here in Macaire.  We had lunch there and plan to have their duck l ‘orange for dinner tonight.  It was quite good, prepared medium rare.  And the wine was also quite good.  Best part: take the unfinished wine back to the room for tomorrow night’s dinner!
Did you know the Dutch air traffic controllers are on strike?  We were over 30 minutes late taking off this morning from Schiphol.
The French people here are so much nicer than my first trip here in the 70s.
I walked this little village (Saint Macaire) today, cobblestone streets and sidewalks, lots of limestone everywhere.  Cemeteries, old buildings in need of restoration, but mildly interesting.
Breakfast in Bordeaux is simple, with coffee, bread, cheese, fruit, and some pastries.
The hotel here is quite old, but well maintained, rather quaint, with some modern touches in the bathrooms and lighting.  We are headed out soon for our first ride of the week.  I can’t wait for my first bike ride through a roundabout!!!
Andy, our young support coordinator, moves our luggage and bikes around the countryside, as needed.  Today, he rode some of our 31 miles with us, so we bought him lunch.  He is a ski instructor in Zermatt, Switzerland during the winter.  Great work, ski in winter, cycle in summer. Go Andy, go!!!  Very nice young man, from Inverness, Scotland, of course.
Tomorrow, we skip the bike ride to Sauterne, instead, wine tasting and tour in Bordeaux.  Should be fun.
Not much English language news on TV here, no BBC or CNN.  A good break from the chaos back home, though Brexit, the French protests, and global warming are big topics here.
The funniest ever, Homer Simpson speaking French!!!
So, wine tasting in Bordeaux, a bit curious, and lots of pretentiousness.  They seem so paranoid about California wines.  It is almost a comedy!!
They take such extreme means to grow grapes, then curiously machine pick!  This is not done in the Champagne region, nor in most of Napa Valley.  They are limited in Bordeaux to make only one bottle of wine per vine!!  And there are a myriad of other rules, mostly “tradition”, and to maintain the mystique of French wines.
The little village of Sauternes is quite small.  We have some hotels, four places to eat, two wine stores, no bakery (in the next town), one pharmacy, two churches, and a partridge in a pine tree.  How many of you will understand the pine tree here in Sauterne?  Maybe Beth.
Our hotel here in Sauternes is just wonderful, old but completely refurbished.  Not only huge, but I have a fireplace, foyer, and even a hammam in my bathroom!!!  And the owner is a most delighful man, named Didier.  He even picked us up in Langon since we could not find an Uber or taxi.  He makes breakfast every morning, our dinner reservations, and anything else we want.
We only did 28 miles on the bikes yesterday, over to the town of Bazac, then back on a long cycling trail for the most part.  Lunch was finally a green salad, and of course, pomme friites and a beer.
Today, we ride over to the Cadillac region for two nights, then on to Saint Emilion.
Finally tried a Sauternes wine with dessert last night, with apple tart.  Pretty good, but I could only do that once a month. Too sweet! We also had a really nice blend of Saint Emilion with Sauvignon blanc with our local fish dinner.
Yesterday, surrounding the church grounds, was a huge petanque gathering.  I thought it was bocce, but it is more like curling with metal balls that are thrown or rolled over to the target area.
Just when I feel a tiny bit better about the French, this happens.  Our travel coordinator, a young chap from Scotland, was denied entry to the hotel dining room and bar when we arrived in Cadillac.  When we told them he was with us, they became somewhat apologetic.   My take, at least ask the poor kid before you kick him out!!!  Needless to say, we went elsewhere for our lunch.
Easy ride today, but strange in spots.  The strangest was a bicycle only gate with an old wooden crossing over the double rail tracks here.  The path leading up to it looked like an unused grass strip.
Just between us, I can’t wait to get out of Dodge, or France as it were.  Looking forward to seeing my friends, Dirty Pat and his wife, Renee’ in Bucharest.  Then onward to Istanbul, if I can find some clean clothes.
Sometime in your life, it is better to be lucky.  Such was the chance last night.  Our last resort for dinner, a shabby pizza parlor, transformed into wonderful French cuisine.  I had escargot, risotto, pasta, and ice cream sundae.  Quite well done, Luigi.  At least, he was trained in Napoli, maybe once a Louis, now Luigi??
Saint Emilion is more my kind of town.  Sauterne and Saint Macaire were just too small for me.  Love the myriad wine shops here, and the little cafe’s.  Great place to end the week of cycling.  I celebrated with a great burger.
Gazing at the bottles of famous wine has a way of intoxicating my common sense.  I almost bought a $400 bottle of Chateau Margaux.  I ended up at another wine shop with several bottles of Saint Emilion’s finest, a blend of cab, and merlot.  In fact, I had three glasses of this wine at lunch, before staggering back to the hotel, less than 30 yards away.
Morning starts early, as my plane from Bordeaux, via Amsterdam to Bucharest leaves at 6:30am.  The driver was 30 minutes late, and I came within a nanosecond of missing both flights!  Not a good feeling, and reminded me too much of my days of heavy work travel.
Landed safely in Bucharest, and had a few beers and snack waiting for Pat and Renee’ to arrive from their trip to Yas.  Did I already tell you they are on the fourth floor, and the elevator is broken?
As I mentioned in a separate email, Bucharest is quite the place.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and might even come back!
I am not sure if this is a highlight or lowlight, but we ended up at a Shakespeare play, in Romanian, with an Elvis song thrown in!  I have a difficult time with Willie’s play in English.  It was directed by one of his fellow Fulbrighters.
We did some touristy things, visited Casa Ceausescu, where the infamous dictator lived.  We also did a walking tour, before heading to a Japanese restaurant for dinner.  The Japanese chef is from Oregon, and married a Romanian woman.
Pat and I spent the day in Brasov, a German ski resort about two hours by rail north of here.  Visited Bran Castle, took the tram to the top of the resort, sampled some German delicacies, and washed it down with beer!
On to Istanbul, another early morning, leaving their apartment at 6:30am.  Uber is very reliable here.  My airline was called Tarom, but I did not go there!
My hotel is located in old town, or Sultanahmet, where the famous sites are located, and not far from the Grand Bazaar.
Did I mention I am on the fourth floor again!  And no elevator, just one of those strange semi circular, off beat staircases made for tiny feet?
My guide, Gokce was arranged by a friend of a friend.  He is very knowledgeable and a really good sport putting up with me.  Of course, one of the first things I requested:  beer, lunch, and a visit to the Grand Bazaar.
My brother rarely asks me to buy anything for him.  But he did request some Turkish raisins.  Definitely not as good as ours.
But I fell in love with Turkish delight, a great dessert item or sweet to have with their rather strong coffee or tea.
Visited both the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, then headed over to the Galata Tower for a great 360 degree view of Istanbul, and the Bosporus.  And it was a beautiful, sunny day, with time for a few Turkish beers after.
I was invited over to my guide’s home, met his wife, and their two dogs.  What a treat!  Then over to their favorite seafood place for a really interesting and tasty dinner.
People here are so nice.  I have a little hangout about 40 yards from the hotel.   I have a cold beer there at least once a day, sometimes some fries, and even dinner there one night.  I gave him a sweater since I ran out of room in my suitcase.  Too much Turkish delight!
I fail to see why the U.S. government wants travelers to avoid Turkey.  It is safer here than back in the states!  They even have undercover police patrolling the tourist areas at night!
Only in Istanbul can you take a  tour bus over to Asia in a matter of about 30 minutes.  I actually went back twice on my Bosporus cruise.  No visa required, as Istanbul is located on both continents!
Another early morning, started at 4am, for 5am car service to airport. I needed four flights to get home, 9:30pm!  I was tired, jet-lagged, and badly in need of a good meal and hot shower.
Welcome home!

Hawaiian Music

Posted by golfkat on February 12, 2019
Posted in: Cultures, Entertainment, Music, Travel. Leave a comment

I must tell you that I am very picky when it comes to Hawaiian music.  I was never a fan of Don Ho and his Tiny Bubbles.  I also remember being entertained by Hilo Hattie on the Harry Owens and the Royal Hawaiians on TV back in the 50s.  Through adulthood, I have just lost interest in Hawaiian music, save for the occasional hula at a wedding or party.

 

In the 90s, I learned of the great IZ*, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, who died an early death but made a huge impact with his falsetto Hawaiian singing. I do like the ukulele virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro, though it is hardly traditional.  But what do I really know about its roots and meaning?

From the experts:

Music and rhythm have played central roles within the Native Hawaiian culture. From the beginning, mele or chant, was important for Native Hawaiians as it allowed them to remember myths of gods. Early Hawaiians told their stories through chants in two general categories, mele oli and mele hula. Mele oli is a chant usually performed by one person and generally recounts historical events and tells stories of legends. Mele hula is accompanied by dance movements that help translate ancient legends and stories. Native Hawaiians used different objects for instruments like the ʻuliʻuli (rattle instrument), ipu (gourde rattles), pu’ili (a pair of hollowed bamboo sticks).

In the nineteenth century, Hawaiian music evolved to a more western style as string instruments were introduced and that music is known as himeni (hymns). The ukulele and slack-key guitar were introduced by the Portuguese, modeling their traditional “braguinha.” The music of Hawai‘i is mixed with vibrant rhythms and poetic lyrics that tell stories of the Hawaiian culture and lifestyle. The popularization of Hawaiian music around the world began in the last quarter of the 19th century, mainly through the publishing of many of the songs of Queen Liliuokalani in the United States – Aloha ʻOe (Farewell to Thee) was her most famous song. The stories and legends of the Native Hawaiians come to life through the sounds of the islands. Some popular Hawaiian musicians include: Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (Brother IZ), Kui Lee, Kealiʻi Reichel, Keola Beamer, and Ledward Kaapana. To this day, the Native Hawaiian culture is perpetuated through Hawaiian chants and himeni that embrace the depth and significance of the people of Hawaii‘i and their history.

Perhaps the funniest encounter we ever had was with a Hawaiian singer named Arnold in Waikiki, on our very first trip to Hawaii.  He was singing and playing guitar at Chuck’s Cellar across the street from our hotel.  We went over to hear him since we were taking guitar lessons at the time.  We even started singing with Arnold on many of the songs, and “forced” him to sing additional versus of well known songs.  When he joined us for a beer during a break, Arnold could only speak pidgin, the singing voice and enunciation disappeared!!!

*IZ= Israel Kamakawiwo’ole-his best popular album was “Facing Future” released in 1993, and topped by the medley, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World”.  You must find it on You tube or your favorite music service if you do not know about it.   It is quite uplifting, and provides a glimpse into this artist who left us too early, due to severe obesity.