Ruby Tuesday

We just returned from a trip to Nova Scotia. All except the first photo are from Nova Scotia.

This is part of a series of flags at Westover AFB, Massachusetts that celebrate their mission and those who serve on or near U.S. Air Force flightlines.

This is a flying helmet at the Atlantic Aviation Museum. It is near the International Airport in Halifax. If you have a little extra time one day, it's worth stopping by.

This is a door at a church in Annapolis Royal, a lovely spot near the Fundy Coast. There's a German Bakery in town that is worth stopping to enjoy!

This lobster hung above a tank of live ones that one could select for dinner. This is at the Admiral Digby Inn in Digby, Nova Scotia. A wonderful place to stay -- really nice family owns and runs it.

Canada is just full of great photos of red! And the people are wonderful too.

If you'd like to play Ruby Tuesday, go here to Mary the Teach's blog. Thanks Mary!

/kw

Take This Tune Post #1

For the how-to, click here.

Southlakesmom's entry:

The State Fair theme ties in with our recent visit to Canada. Listening to the words, and seeing the chorus sing, it reminds me of a more wholesome time and place than where I currently reside.

When I was a child in the late 1960's, we lived in Kansas, and the innocence of that time and location have always been my standard for what kind of environment I wanted my children to experience. I remember stamping out 'rooms' in the tall grasses to make a 'house.' I remember neighbors kids who were in and out of each other's houses all summer long. My best friend, Eileen Barrios, lived in the first court on our street. Her parents were Puerto Rican and I went up there all the time because her mom worried about me eating (because I was skinny back then!). She gave me the absolute best food at the drop of a hat. Then I had to go home and pretend I hadn't already eaten dinner. It was so painful but so good.

One of my best memories is when playing "kick the can" in the grass circle in the middle of our housing area each evening. You didn't have to be the fastest runner or the most talented kicker. You could be the sneakiest and still do really well in the game! I was little, so I was pretty sneaky (in my fond memories, I'm sure!) We caught fireflies, visited with grandparents, and went exploring in the "canyon" (it was really a big drainage ditch, but we were small). Everything imaginable was possible -- men had just walked on the moon!

Each day at 5pm the entire base would stop and salute for "Retreat." People got out of their cars, hands over their hearts or saluting if in uniform. We were linked with a ritual that occurred world-wide at U.S. bases, honoring those who serve. Patriotism was a positive virtue, and songs from musicals like State Fair and Oklahoma gave kids wonderful opportunities to drive our parents crazy while we incessantly sang only the 2 lines we knew! No one we knew swam on a swim team, or played summer sports or did anything ORGANIZED at all. All organized sports and scout activities had ended at the end of school because summer was for PLAY.

There were flies in the ointment, but they were part of the grown-up world. We were blissfully unaware of the cares and worries that our parents faced. They allowed us the energy and joy of childhood play. Heck, we even looked forward to going back to school in the fall because we LIKED our teachers and our schools! And shopping for new school supplies was the end of summer excitement for all of us. Negotiating over spiral notebooks with the Partridge Family or Bobby Sherman on them vs. the ordinary red or blue ones took on special urgency. (Only one girl in our group liked Donny Osmond and we thought she was a little bit strange anyway).

When we were in Canada last week, I enjoyed just a taste of that time 30 years back or so where people were just NICE. There didn't seem to be any energy wasted in getting ahead of other people or selfish people. It was just NICE.

So when the State Fair music swells to a collective happy note, it isn't the personal love song music I hear -- it's a memory of a time that love built through my parents giving us the freedom of childhood to play and grow. It makes me happy and nostalgic, and a bit wistful.

/kw

KOA Campground

Oh - one thing I wanted to mention for overnights with the RV. The night between St. Mary's and Dalhousie, we stayed at a KOA campground (the only one in NS). It was just up the road from Halifax. It was a total delight. What a clean place, well run, and with great support! I just wanted to give them a thumbs up! There are only 3 KOA's in Canada apparently, and two are in NS -- the other up at Cape Breton.

Read more about this one here.

/kw

Day 4/5 - Halifax

On Day 4 we visited the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. This is where many Titanic artifacts are displayed because the recovery effort went out from Halifax. Even more graphic, the Halifax explosion of 1917 is documented here. A booming town went overnight to a near-desert landscape. The museum well documented the absolute dependence on the sea that Halifax had in its early days, and how it so completely shaped the culture.

For some reason we didn't take any photos inside this museum. But one of the things we really liked about it is that they have what they call "visible storage". Things that they have many of are on display in glass cases but not part of a curated exhibit per se. The alternative, which is used by many U.S. museums, is that things are locked away until they can be part of a curated exhibit, which means that the "people" who "own" them (yes, the taxpayers) rarely get to see them.

The day was pretty miserably rainy, but here are some street photos of Halifax. It is a colorful place, even in the rain. The hair salon was intriguing! I wonder how long the paint job will last with all the rain they get in Nova Scotia! Because we had just been at

the Museum with fish, this bus and Smart car made us laugh.

The big fish is about to eat the little fish!

Later that afternoon the girls toured St. Mary's University, also in

Halifax. Very nice small school. One of the things that was new to us is that everything at the University is connected by tunnels or passages. In the middle of winter, the students wear shorts to class because they never have to go outside!

On Day 5, we visited the Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum near Halifax airport. It was small but packed with artifacts. We had the place almost to ourselves and it was very nice.

They had some very pretty airplanes, and some very interesting stories. We're so used to our U.S. museums that keep the tourist so far back from any artifacts. This was almost like being part of the family to look at the treasures!

Later that day the girls toured Dalhousie University. It was a very neat place - a huge campus with lots to offer!

And off to Lunenburg, where we hear there is sunshine!

/kw

Day 2/3 of Canada Trip - Maine to New Brunswick to Nova Scotia

Maine is a big state. Very long. But we left early from Westover and headed up to Great Pond Outdoor Recreation Center for an overnight. That was our first night in our strassenkreuzer. The recreation center was great. We got there early enough that the kids could get the bikes out and ride down from our RV site to the center. After a while I decided to go look for them and about the time I found them, the rain was really coming down. I sent them back to get their dad with the vehicle as we were going down to the wide spot in the road for dinner. As I waited in the rec center where there was wi-fi and popcorn, I copied a recipe from a magazine. All I had to write on was the back of a small calendar page, so I wasn't sure I'd gotten everything! I made it here at home last night. If I left anything out, I can't tell! It is YUMMY! Here it is:

Asian Chicken Salad

1 lb boneless skinless breasts of chicken

6 T Asian black bean sauce (jarred)

1 T canola oil

3 cloves garlic

½ lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1” pieces

1 head bok choy, cut into 1½ “ pieces

2 small carrots, peeled and cut into coins

8 oz. lo mein noodles

1/8 tsp cayenne

Bring pot of water to boil. Slice chicken into strips. Toss w/2 Tb of black bean sauce. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and garlic. Cook 4 minutes. Transfer to plate, keep warm. Reduce heat, add green beans, bok choy and carrots. Sauté 3 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and cover skillet. Cook 5 minutes. Boil the noodles 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a

platter. Uncover vegetables. Add chicken back to vegetables and add remaining 4 Tbs black bean sauce and cayenne. Mix thoroughly. Toss with lo mein noodles. Serve

That night the only real debacle of the trip occurred -- the AC wouldn't go on in the RV. Fortunately, we had chosen to go north instead of south and as the evening cooled down, it was quite comfortable. The mosquitos were a little pesky, but we were tired

enough to even ignore them! We woke early the next morning and headed for Calais (pronounced cal-iss by locals) for a border crossing and headed into New Brunswick. We passed an eagle nesting area on the way. This is not a great shot, but it is definitely a BIG BIRD!

I had initially planned to use the ferry from Saint John over to Nova Scotia, but there were no available spots for us on the day we needed to cross. So although it was a long trip on Wednesday (much thanks to our fabulous driver!), we pressed on to Falls Lake, a Canadian Forces recreation center near Halifax.

This time we arrived just after the store on site closed, so I used most of what I had grabbed from our fridge at home to make some kind of egg/ham/veggie mix. No one complained!

These are photos from the route those days and from Falls Lake. I want to mention that while at Falls Lake my son tried to give me heart failure as he stood on slippery rocks and watched my face. Thus, the expression on his face here. It is so hard to accept that he's not 4 anymore!

/kw

My Wordzzle

I was posting my wordzzle entries on the RestonFriends site, but in the interest of space, I'll start doing them here! If you're not familiar with Wordzzle, go here for explanation and directions. There's no cash prize, just the fun of playing with words and reading other people's work with the same words. It is fun and fat-free!

The words for this week's ten word challenge were: fair warning, hormones, journalism, philanthropist, burgeoning, running the bulls, saturation, tossed in the towel, whine, indelicate details And for the mini: hard labor, lurid, quick fix, sizable contributions, trumpet

My 10 word challenge:

After dinner Dr. Hill and his hosts relaxed with a glass of doogh. The mint flavored drink was a refreshing change from the sodas Hill had constantly consumed on site. Mohsin noted Hill’s pleasure and laughed, “I’ll give you FAIR WARNING that once you’ve eaten my wife’s cooking, you’ll never be satisfied with regular food again.” Yasmin’s face flushed with pleasure as her husband complimented her to a guest.

“How is the doogh made?” inquired Hill. Mohsin replied, “I’ll spare you the INDELICATE DETAILS of how the desert people make it. However, we purchase the yogurt base and Yasmin adds her special touch. Unfortunately, it does not travel well, so drink up while you’re here.”

“Yes,” said Hill. “I think it’s time to figure out how to get out of country before your BURGEONING political problems prevent it entirely.”

“I think I have the solution,” said Mohsin. “I have a friend who used to work for the Iranian News Agency. After months of being censored by the religious authorities, he TOSSED IN THE TOWEL on JOURNALISM. However, he kept his credentials and more importantly, his contacts in the West. Now he makes a living helping people move in and out of the country.”

“Thus, the diamonds will come in handy,” commented Hill.

Mohsin grinned, “well, he’s no PHILANTHROPIST, but I think we can do what we need to do and still leave you some of your stash. He is very interested in my sister, and when his HORMONES are in overdrive, I can get him to agree to just about anything.”

There was a flurry of movement in the doorway as Laila came bouncing in with a cigar box, her dark curls springing free of her headscarf. “Papa, I want to show Dr. Hill my collection!” she demanded. Mohsin smiled at his small daughter. “Dr. Hill, if you would not be inconvenienced, Laila would like to show you the bits of pottery she has excavated in our back yard.” Mohsin’s eyes crinkled with pleasure at Dr. Hill’s immediate “yes, please!”

As Laila opened the box Dr. Hill drew in his breath sharply. “Laila, can you show me where you found these?” The girl’s eyes were troubled. “Did I do wrong? I tried to copy what you did at the site and was very careful.” Hill spoke evenly but with a note of excitement in his voice. “Laila, these bits are even older than the ones we were excavating. I think your Papa’s house might just be sitting on top of an important site. Can we go outside where you found them?” He started to rise from his place on the sofa.

Just then the WHINE of the muezzin filled the air outside. “Well, we can’t go out now,” said Mohsin. Dr. Hill immediately sat back and asked, “would you like me to excuse myself so you can pray?” Mohsin shook his head and said, “that’s the other problem I was mentioning that your diamonds might help us solve.

When we were in the U.S., our families became Christians. Living here as a Christian family is a challenge, but one that we believed was surmountable. As Laila gets older though, we can see that she has so much potential but a limited future as a Christian female child. We’ve decided that for her sake we should return to the U.S. and had planned to do so this fall so she can start school. But I suspected what you have found – that our house sits atop an important archeological site. If we leave, the site will not be taken care of. If we stay, Laila’s future is in jeopardy. To take a chance on whether the government will allow her to be fully educated is like RUNNING WITH THE BULLS in Pamplona – probably safe, but dangerous if things go off track.”

Yasmin stepped forward and knelt in front of Dr. Hill. “This breaks my heart to ask, but . . . we wonder . . . would you be willing to take her to the U.S. and be responsible for her for the next year while Mohsin excavates this site? After he gets it officially noticed and the dig begins, we’ll be able to leave in good conscience. We know what we need to do for our daughter, but we are also very committed to doing the right thing for our culture.”

Dr. Hill rubbed his chin. “She’s a delightful child, but I’m a bachelor and my hours are irregular. It’s not so much that she would inconvenience me, but that I might not be the best guardian for her. I’m not sure I can adequately protect her from the SATURATION of American culture. ”

Mohsin and Yasmin looked at each other and then back to Dr. Hill. “We understand. Your ride to freedom will leave in three days. We will be praying about this during that time. If the Lord leads you to take her, you will. If not, then He will provide something else.”

My mini:

The TRUMPET player stood in the opening to the alley. It was a LURID location, and continuing to play in the cold weather was HARD LABOR. But he was a musician to his core, and while the QUICK FIX of fame and fortune eluded him thus far, the SIZABLE CONTRIBUTIONS made by passers by told him that at least some of them understood the passion that fueled his desire to play.

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: reluctant, sacrilege, territory, humiliating, master of ceremonies, gesture, dirty deed, crumbling, thaw, token

For the mini challenge: official portrait, personal bank account, shoulder bone, unbearable, widow

/kw

Our Canada Trip, Day 1

Our first day took us from Washington, DC to Westover AFB in Chicopee, Massachusetts. This is a beautifully maintained sleepy little base. Their mission is supporting C-5's coming in and out. The base has a long, proud history. Here are some photos of how they show that pride in their mission and the Air Force.

The first two photos show the banners

they have around base. Does anyone know what the date refers to on the blue one?

The next photo on the left shows their mission. I call it "pardon my tail feathers."

The next two photos are from the club. We stopped by there to grab wi-fi.

And finally, the Scout indulges his mother's desire for a 'funny photo.' The things we do for our moms.

More tomorrow!