Going to Pot

Last week I was in L.A. -- that's Lower Alabama -- on a press trip and one of our stops was Fort Gaines at the mouth of Mobile Bay on the west side. Fort Morgan is situated on the east side. During the Civil War, these forts were held by Confederate forces.

We had a marvelous interpreter in the person of Park Ranger Joseph Everett, dressed as a Confederate soldier, rank of private, from Louisiana. Seeing military sites usually makes me long for a nap but Ranger Everett gave such a lively account that I found myself enjoying the experience.

And it was impossible to sleep when he fired off this cannon. His tip to those of us who couldn't handle our cameras and cover our ears -- "Keep your mouth open." Guess it worked.

This was the location of the Battle of Mobile where southern forces held the Bay. It was here that Admiral Farragut broke through the blockade with "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead." Everett explained that the torpedoes were not fired from ships but were floating mines -- something I didn't know before. He also told us that a requirement for soldiers was two front teeth -- necessary to bite the paper end off the cartridge before firing a rifle.

In the blacksmith shop, we were given a demonstration of the smith's craft. Ralph -- I didn't catch his last name -- made several items that would have been used during the Civil War period. He first made a nail and told us that round-nail-making machines weren't invented until the 1890s. Then he fashioned an S-hook, handy for hanging items.

I have to admit that my sense of humor is about the level of a 5th grade boy and my favorite spot was the 10-holer latrine! Talk about togetherness! There were no party poopers -- pardon the expression -- in our group and everyone gamely posed for a group photo.

I Heart Jack Hanna

I've been writing my fingers to the bone lately -- just not on this blog. I'm feeling guilty because I had a spectacular trip to San Antonio -- lots of highlights -- and I've been too swamped to post. So here's a quick one about one of my favorite moments -- meeting Jack Hanna.

You probably know he's the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, the modern incarnation of Marlin Perkins and better looking than Jim. (For those of you not old enough, Marlin Perkins started a TV show -- back in the days of black and white -- called Zoo Parade, which was filmed at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. Perkins is primarily associated with the St. Louis Zoo where he was director until his retirement. It was during this time that he became starred in the Mutual of Omaha show Wild Kingdom -- where he usually got his assistant Jim to do the dirtier jobs like wrangling giant snakes.)

Back to Jack. He was making an appearance at Sea World and we (the travel writers) got to go back stage and meet him. He's not hyper -- like he usually seems on David Letterman's show -- but poised and professional, also relaxed and oh-so-gracious. He made my heart go pitter-pat and I think I might have declared undying love. He neither gagged nor laughed but was totally charming.

Also garnering a lot of attention in the dressing room were two five-month-old cheetahs, Bella and Jacob. They were stretching their legs and chasing one another around the room but we did get to pet them. Their traveling companion is a dog -- who was in his crate during our visit.

Jack Hanna was a delight; Sea World was awesome; and I loved the Shamu show. What a great afternoon!

A Special Valentine

There's a reason I don't ever throw anything away. I just didn't know it would be this. My dad died in 1997, my mom in 2001. They had been married 67 years, 3 months, when Dad died -- and he loved mom every minute of those years -- even the last ones, when, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, she didn't know who he was.

When Dad died, mom was in a nursing home and I had to clean out his house. He had lots of yellow note tablets and I, never wasteful, brought them home. They've been moved from shelf to closet over the years -- I'd grab one occasionally, but not often. However, since I've been working on a book, I've been taking lots of notes and the stack of pads has gotten smaller.

Yesterday, working hard on my notes, I got to the middle of one tablet to discover my dad's writing. I knew that he'd thought about writing his life's story -- but always gave up in frustration. This was one of those attempts -- and it is precious to me because it's the story of how he met my mother. I don't think I knew they'd known one another less than a week before Dad proposed. They had a long and devoted marriage. I'd like to share his story with you --

"Thursday, March 27, 1930, was the closing day of the annual Kansas City Business Show; just dragging along nearing time to shut down our display booths and straggling out in little groups. I had to drive our Thomas A. Edison Co. manager to his apartment in our company car, and then I was free for the rest of the evening -- with the car.

By pre-arrangement I was to meet later at the apartment of our sales manager and his wife, and be the "blind date" of an attractive young lady (Violet Chandler) from the Underwood Typewriter Co. All went well, just chatting and having some mild drinks.

When the party broke up, I drove my "blind date" home and walked her up to the door. I thanked her for a nice evening, and then I put my foot in my mouth by saying, "Do you expect me to kiss you goodnight?" I couldn't have done worse. The chill was on! She informed me, "I don't expect you to kiss me and I wouldn't LET you kiss me!"

Trying to repair the damage, I said, "Some girls expect to be kissed good-night and some don't. Actually, I would very much like to see you again." I hoped to make a better impression next time. She was agreeable.

The next day, Friday, I phoned Violet at the Underwood Co. office and asked if I might see her on Sunday afternoon. I would have the Ediphone Co. car and we could drive out to Swope Park and see the fabulous display of spring flowers. So it was arranged.

That brings us to Sunday afternoon. She lived out on Chestnut Avenue with relatives and when I arrived, she was there alone. We sat on the divan and talked for a while and the phone rang. From her muffled voice, I imagined what I couldn't actually hear:

He: "Are you busy?"

Vi: "Yes."

He: "How long is he going to be there?"

Vi: "I don't know."

He: "Shall I call back later?"

Vi: "Okay." -- Hung up.

Me: (to myself) "I'm going to out-last that fellow."

Me: (to Vi) "Well, let's drive out to Swope Park."

We did, and returned to her home after a couple of hours. Lo and behold -- soon afterward the phone rang. Just a repeat of the earlier conversation. Again, I determined to out-last that fellow. Keep in mind this is 1930 -- hard times. Especially for me. I needed to do some fast thinking -- which I did.

"Violet, there's a good movie at the Main Street Theater. What would you think of going to a show and then getting something to eat?"

"Okay."

I don't remember the name of the movie so it probably wasn't outstanding. I still had enough money to go to "my favorite place, " the bus station near the theater. Each of us had a 25-cent double-decker toasted ham and cheese sandwich and coffee. And I drove her home.

By that time her folks were home, so we sat in the porch swing and talked for hours. Remember this was Sunday night. We made a date for Wednesday. By this time we were getting in a lot of porch-swing time. I'd long since forgotten my one-time girl friend and Vi's friend Paul had given up. Now was the time for some serious thinking.

The conversation went like this:

Me: "I don't know why it should be so hard for a fellow to propose to his girl if they are in love and want to get married."

Vi: "Well, how would YOU go about it?"

Me: "I wouldn't go through all that on the knee stuff. I'd just put my arms about you and look you in the eyes and say, 'Honey, I love you. Will you marry me?'"

Vi: "Are you proposing to me?"

Me: "Yes, I am. Will you marry me?"

Vi: (after a slight hesitation) "Yes."

Me: "Okay, when shall we get married? Let's start making our plans. First of all, we'll talk it over with our families and friends and you go ahead and announce it to your sorority."

The wedding date was September 27, 1930, six months after the day we met."

How awful if I'd just thrown that tablet away. And what a beautiful Valentine's gift it was to find this story in my dad's own words. On the side of the paper, he had figured exactly how long they'd been married when he wrote it -- 65 years and 3 months.

City of Faith

Just a block off the Plaza in Santa Fe is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The massive Romanesque structure was consecrated in 1887, built under the direction of Bishop Lamy. The first church on the site was built in 1610.

A number of impressive sculptures stand on the grounds. One would expect a statue of St. Francis. This one is quite traditional -- sculpted by Betty Sabo. Another representation, more contemporary, is St. Francis of Assisi Dancing on Water by Monika Kaden. Its exuberance makes me smile.

Also in front of the church is a statue of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indian of North America to be promoted toward sainthood. Here's what I learned about that. There are four steps to sainthood. The first step is an intial investigation. Completing the second level, the candidate is declared Venerable. The third step is beatification and the candidate is called "Blessed." The final step is canonization. It made me wonder -- we talk about St. Joseph but what about the Blessed Virgin? Any Catholics have the answer? The Blessed Kateri statue is by sculpture Estella Loretto. I love it that all these statues were by women artists.

On our visit to the cathedral, we (the press trip participants) spent most of the time in the St. Joseph Chapel. We were honored to meet the santera who was responsible for painting the reredo behind the altar. (Old school teacher digression -- excuse me if you already know this. A santero or santera is a maker of sacred images. These images, common in Spanish colonial art, are called santos. Paintings of saints on flat panels are called retablos; three dimensional carvings are called bultos. The reredo is the decorated screen behind the altar. This one, like many others, is made up of retablos.)

Arlene Cisneros Sena didn't discover the art form until she was an adult. Now she is one of the foremost painters of santos. "It's teaching the faith -- telling the stories," she says. Her work is widely sought after and she has pieces in a number of museums. In addition, a reliquary, which she made in collaboration with a local jeweler, is in the Vatican.

We had little time to see the rest of the cathedral but I was able to snap a quick picture down the main aisle.

And we made a short visit to another side chapel, a remnant of the 1625 church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, La Conquistadora.

This is the oldest Madonna in America. She arrived in Santa Fe around 1625 and has remained an important icon for the community.

The cathedral is a lovely spot for worship and reflection. We tried to be inconspicuous as we snapped away like frantic tourists!

History and Heritage

We started our press trip in Albuquerque. We were hosted by Heritage Hotels and Resorts -- an amazing group of properties in New Mexico and Arizona. Founder Jim Long is passionate about preserving the history and heritage of the areas and he does it by taking over hotels and turning them into unique hostelries which feature the arts and crafts important to the area.

The Hotel Albuquerque showcases the Spanish influence in the area. You'll find traditional touches like vigas, latillas, Mexican tinwork, hand-forged chandeliers and artworks that reflect the heritage and landscape of northern New Mexico. Other features pay homage to the Pueblo, Territorial and Western styles so important in Albuquerque. My room was huge -- and comfortable with a fabulous view of the mountains -- the view at the top of this post.

The hotel is a popular wedding destination with facilities to meet every need. The chapel on the grounds is a replica of a small chapel which Jim found in southern New Mexico. In summer -- when I took this picture -- the gate (and nearby pergola) was covered with fragrant wisteria.

I can't go to New Mexico without having huevos rancheros for breakfast and the Cafe Plazuela in the hotel didn't disappoint. I had to try everything so in answer to the definitive New Mexican question, red or green, I requested "Christmas." Both sauces were house-made and excellent.

Hotel Albuquerque is one of seven under the Heritage banner -- I've stayed in three of them and visited another -- my goal is to stay in each of these hotels. Every one is different and very special. In a future post, I'll write about the St. Francis Hotel in Santa Fe. It's a tough job -- but somebody has to do it!

Renaissance Man -- Robert Mirabal

When my brother heard I was going to New Mexico, he said, "If you're anywhere near Taos, there's the most marvelous musician there. His name is Robert Mirabal and you ought to see if he's performing and go see him."

He couldn't believe it when I told him my itinerary -- we (travel writers on a press trip) were going to get to spend an afternoon with Robert Mirabal. And he's more than just a marvelous musician -- he's an author, an actor, a great cook and an important influence not only in his community but in a much wider context.

We met Robert at the Taos Pueblo -- a great World Heritage site -- the multi-storied adobe structures that have been home to the Taos people for over 1000 years. He walked with us as a lovely young woman named Winona took us on a tour.

Robert has a farm on the Pueblo land and had prepared an amazing lunch for us.

I can't begin to name all the dishes he and his wife Dawn had fixed for us but the menu included blue cornbread, fresh-baked bread, elk stew with wild celery and parched corn, elk with herbs, corn soup, deer meatballs, corn on the cob, pumpkin soup, trout, Indian tea and two different desserts.

While we ate, Robert told us of his efforts to bring farming back to the community. He talked about the traditional importance of corn to his people -- both as sustinance and for use in ceremonies. Farming has become a lost art and Robert and some of his friends are working hard to reintroduce this integral skill.

Robert Mirabal is walking the tightrope between the past and the future -- protecting the traditions of his people while also living as a citizen of the society at large. It's a difficult task but he approaches it with intelligence and dignity. He not only offered us hospitality, he honored us by sharing some of his culture and traditions with us. It was a memorable afternoon.

Family Thanksgiving

Hurray for family holidays! Today was marvelous! I think the kids topped themselves (pun intended) with their festive Thanksgiving headwear. In keeping with our usual spirit of awe and reverence concerning these occasions, Jack disgraced (pun intended) himself by including a very pointed football request in the blessing.

We welcomed the newest member of the family -- Julie's husband, Jeff Brown. I think he survived -- we'll know next month when we do this all again for Christmas.

We were glad that Carolyn's mom, Sue, and Jack's mom, Mildred, who is 97, could join us.

Austin and Alyssa. Instead of crowding around the dining table (like we usually do), since we numbered 12 now, I set up another table and we went six and six. The people at the "big" table had lots of room. At the "little" table, not so much -- but it was still better than usual and people could actually get out to go to the kitchen for seconds.

My sweet daughter-in-law Carolyn. I told her she probably wouldn't like her eyes in the picture but she said it was the best she could do on cold medicine!

Calvin, home from college. I'd mention the fact that I have the three best looking grandsons in the world, but it is so obvious it shouldn't be necessary.

And they're the most fun. That's Alex in the amazing turkey butt hat.

After dinner we went out to see Austin's new car. He turns 16 on Wednesday. He drove us around the block after announcing that, unlike me, he was going to be an excellent driver.

This was an unnecessary reference to the time when Calvin was 2 1/2 -- and a major snitch -- that he came in from an outing with me and told his mom, "Mom, Grannybird ran a yellow light. She only did it once, but I wish she wouldn't have done it."

Jay must have caught the penchant for making faces for the camera from Austin -- or is it the other way around?

Even the dog celebrated -- though she was less than thrilled at wearing the drumstick headband. It took several bites of turkey to get her over the humiliation.

After dinner -- and the ride -- we engaged in a spirited game of Apples to Apples.

Proof that I was actually in attendance!

Austin, not making a face, showing off his awesome biceps.

Somehow Jack evaded the camera most of the day but the party wouldn't have been complete without him! In spite of our lack of gravitas, we are very aware of our blessings and are thankful for all of them -- especially our family!

Wet and Wonderful

Yes, there really are eagles at Canyon of the Eagles. Our first full day here we took a Vanishing Texas River Cruise up the Texas Colorado River (which is dammed up farther down, creating Lake Buchanan). The 24-mile round trip took us past miles of (practically)virgin terrain -- protected by large ranches, invaded only by grazing cows and horses.

If you look closely at the top of the photo, you can see one of the five bald eagles we spotted. We also saw osprey, cormorants, pellicans, great blue herons, ring-billed gulls, coots and mallards. The scenery went from rocky bluffs to low scrubland. This is a view of Ceremonial Rock and the falls at Fall Creek.

The next afternoon we got up close and personal with the falls with Buchanan Adventure Tours -- a great outfit that helps visitors do all sorts of fun things. It was windy on the lake and our time was an issue so instead of kayaking four miles up to the falls, Duane Te Grotenhuis ferried us up in a pontoon boat and we met his son Zac who had gone ahead with the kayaks.

My traveling teddy (http://www.teddietravel.blogspot.com/) and I shared a kayak with Valerie Redell. She's an experienced kayaker -- and I let her do most of the work while I took pictures. I've kayaked before and it's usually a two-man-and-a-crane operation to get me in and out of the kayak. Duane made this really easy -- I just scooted to the edge of the pontoon boat deck and just slid onto the kayak seat -- much more graceful than being lowered like a bag of bricks!

Kayak view of Ceremonial Rock.

The area has been experiencing less-than-normal rainfall for the past couple of years so the falls were not as full as in other times. They were still impressive.

Kenneth Grahame had it right when he wrote in Wind in the Willows, "There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Some of the hardier souls kayaked under the falls. We made Ben Ballanfant do it several times and still didn't get a really good photo of him!

Sarah VanHoose gives her opinion of the experience. Looks like she's adopted my technique and Ann Mazzanovich is doing the paddling.

To share a bit of the trip, check this clip. And give me credit -- it may not be thrilling but at least I've finally figured out that I must shoot horizontal!