Travel Memories!

         With my traveling days in the past, it's fun to relive memories from those times. In 2008 Joanne and I travelled through Amsterdam to Hungary. We spent a little time in Amsterdam on the way, thus the picture of the cheese store a couple of days ago.

    Our time in Hungary was spent in Budapest. Staying in a small boutique hotel downtown we explored much of the city on foot. The opera was playing so we attended a performance of Pucino in the classic old opera house. Enjoying the traditional cuisine, we ate well.

   From Budapest we took the train to Vienna where we stayed for several days. Naturally we enjoyed a Mozart concert. Housed in B&B downtown we were able to visit much of the city on foot. Next door to the B$B was a small, family run restaurant. Taking many of meals there we became acquainted with the proprietors, with whom we're pictured below.

    With my traveling days over I'm quick to encourage younger persons to travel as they have opportunity.

Takk for alt,

Al

One Accomplishment!

     After a couple of social engagements today I went to the Ramsey County Courthouse. At that site I voted. They were well organized and there was no waiting. Early voting is considered 'absentee' so it was necessary to fill out one form. After completing my ballot, correctly I might add, I thanked the volunteers and left. The trip took about 30 minutes. With my irregular schedule where I'll be on election day is not clear, so, now I've happily fulfilled that important task.

    One of the perks of life in the OFH is the ease of entertaining. A friend joined me for breakfast, and the dining room is mostly empty and very quiet. It's a reasonable cost also with the meal priced at $8.75. Two friends joined me for lunch before a game of cribbage. Both light eaters their soup bowls cost $4.00 each. Yup, I'm the big spender! 😀 

Takk for alt,

Al

Perhaps if the rain stops for a while I can go back to picking rocks.

Odie's a happy boy!

      Odie's very happy in The Little House. He loves to play and carries a toy most of the time looking for a playmate. Outside he loves running. Running full speed, he intersperses running with long leaps. He's always in touch with me except for brief moments out of sight, after which he comes looking for me.

    The apartment in the OFH suits him just fine. Like in The Little House, he's always carrying a toy wanting to play. Perhaps no one has told him that he's eight years old. Running in the park early in the morning he stays within eye contact with me. This morning he spooked four deer from the park. The reality is that he's a very happy dog, and that makes me happy! He also keeps me moving which is also a gift. 

Takk for alt,

Al

Odie the wonder dog with his favorite toy.

At the OFH!

        When looking at the weather forecast for today that showed rain all I decided it was time to repair to the OFH. Windshield wipers were on for the duration of the drive. It wasn't heavy until I entered the urban area. With Sinai to the west and the OFH in St. Paul, it necessitates crossing Minneapolis. Traversing Minneapolis is when it rained hard. But we made it safe and sound.

   So, am I home? Or did I leave home?  My answer is "Yes."

Takk for alt,

Al

Fado musicians in Lisbon, Portugal.

• Fado is a Portuguese urban song tradition that emerged in 19th-century Lisbon from Brazilian musical imports and inland migration.
• A traditional performance is built on three elements: a fadista, a Portuguese guitar and a viola — no drums, no amplification.
• The emotional range goes well beyond melancholy: lighter forms like Fado corrido exist alongside the famous laments.
• Poetry is at the centre. The melody follows the words, not the other way around.
• Today's scene runs from Lisbon's UNESCO-protected casas de Fado to a thriving Porto circuit and contemporary fadistas like Mariza and Ana Moura.

Fish Markets

       "Fish Markets' seems a very random title for a blog...it is but yesterday's random picture from Portugal awakened a memory. My first experience with a fish market was in Olongapo, Philippine Islands in 1962. Our ship, the USS Princeton, an aircraft carrier, was anchored in Subic Bay. On weekend evenings Marines from the ship were assigned to walk shore patrol in town. Issued white helmets emblazoned S P, white ammo belts with no ammo and Billy Clubs we patrolled the streets. What exactly we could have done in an emergency wasn't clear. Perhaps just the presence of several pairs walking the area had some effect.

    It was while walking shore patrol that I encountered my first fish market. The smell of fish reached us first before we saw the actual market. Olongapo, being in the tropics, the market was outdoors. With its proximity to the sea, fish and seafood is huge in the Philippines. The market, too, was huge with a wide variety of fish and other sea food. Since that initial exposure to a fish market, I've visited many others in Sout East Asia and Europe.

    The largest fish market I've seen was in Lisbon, Portugal. That's not surprising given Portugal's orientation to the sea. Lisbon's temperate climate dictates an enclosed market. There are several seafood markets in Lisbon but, I assume, we saw the largest all under one roof.

    And to think, I'm not allowed to eat fish or seafood! Here's a personal story about that. When I first began living with "my" Thai family I said, "I don't eat fish or seafood." It was best to be clear about that from the beginning. I'd been staying there for years when Met, wife and mother, came home with a large mess of fresh calamari. Daughter Poe said, "Mom he doesn't eat seafood." "Oh" she said, "I though he only didn't eat fish."  They enjoyed the calamari. 

Takk for alt,

Al

The Lisbon Seafood Market.

Introverts Unite!

     L gave me a tee shirt emblazoned "Introverts Unite...each in our own home!"  What's the difference between introverts and extroverts?  It's very simple, extroverts get energy from being with people and introverts get energy from being alone. Joanne would get energized in a group while I get tired in groups. This difference caused her to fear I'd be social isolate after her death. Not to worry, I like people, but I also need alone time. The OFH home is perfect for me; when I need people, I leave my apartment, and I go to it when I need alone time.

   The unnamed author I quoted about autumn writes this about being alone. "...it's good to be alone, for a few hours to be exempt from all the complicated bonds, all the conflicts great and small, all the demands and expectations, wills and desires that build up between people, and which after only a short time become so densely intertwined that the room for reflection and for action are both restricted."  Yea and verily that names my experience. 

Takk for alt,

Al

This is the best book I've found about the experience and reality of intorverts.

Bed Report

     After one night on the new bed, I'd say it's a modest improvement over the old one. It wasn't the bed per se that prompted the change. It was the tendency of the old frame that had a proclivity to dump me on the floor in the middle of night that motivated the change. The new frame is exceptionally strong so no more worries. The bed is noticeably lower because it's only a mattress with no box spring.

    In July and August there were many days we waited for rain in vain. With the advent of fall we've embarked on a rainy spell while we wait in vain for a dry spell. The individual showers have not been large but before there's any drying another rain comes. It's been great for pastures which have responded quickly to the moisture. Trees are also beneficiaries of these rains. It serves them well as they move towards winter and freeze-up.  

Takk for alt,

Al

Students at the University of Columba, Portugal, selling pencils to tourists. The University was founded in 1290.