Near N' There

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Flashback Fridays

Wiltshire County, UK

May 2012

Best know for Stonehenge. Spectacularly beautiful countryside, with its bright yellow rolling hills of rapeseed oil, unmistakeable from the sky, blindingly stunning from near. Perfect English weather, an apparent rarity, and appreciated all the more for this reason.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Why Write a Travel Journal

Journaling on Lake Titicaca Peru - 2007

Usually, I keep a journal when I travel. Ole-school style - pen and paper. It is not the same as writing a blog, because there are things that I say in the book that I would never record in the public domain. I write whatever is on my mind. I write about what I see and what I eat. I write about what I enjoy and what frustrates me. I find that this helps me to reflect on my experiences in real time and to appreciate the tiny bits of beauty all around me. And as an additional bonus, it's always great to look back on those entries years later and see if and how my overall outlook has changed.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Distractions on Academic Lane

The academic journey can be grueling...draining...mentally exhausting, and sometimes the only thing I want to do is something non-academic. Like refurbishing something old. The latest project is an antique school desk for my son. We found the perfect desk at a used furniture store and with a bit of research, found out that it is from the earlier part of the 20th century. My son wanted red, we thought all red would be too much. Here's what we came up with:

We forgot to take before pics, so this is the best that we have

Stripped!

Progress

Even the bolts got some tlc

Refinished back rests

and finally....

Flashback Fridays

Taquile Island - Peru
2007

Thursday, July 5, 2012

The Clocks of London

On my recent trip to London, I couldn't help but notice that there are clocks everywhere! Old clocks, new clocks, ornate clocks, simple clocks. Ok, that was a bit corny, but I couldn't help it. It got me wondering - did all of these clocks provide some kind of insight in British culture and/or values? Growing up in a former British colony, I remember remarks about the their obsession with punctuality. With so many clocks, how can anyone ever justify being late? As you can tell from the photos below, I developed a bit of an obsession with taking pics of these clocks. The plan is to combine into a collage of some sort. Since I am pressed for time, it won't happen anytime soon, so in the meantime...

AND THE MOST FAMOUS OF THEM ALL.... BIG BEN!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Art of Packing - Louis Vuitton Style

A few weeks back, I did a post on efficient (and I should also say, effective) packing for the fashion conscious . Today, I came across a feature on the Louis Vuitton website, that is an interactive take on the art of packing. Please do not ask how I even found the site. Anyways, the website allows you to pick your LV bag of choice (or fantasy) and walks you through the ideal way to pack it. There are even tutorials on folding the clothes. Now, most of us do not own LV luggage and some of us never may, but sometimes, a bag is a bag is a bag (highly subjective statement, of course). For the non-LV-owners, what you can do is pick the luggage with the dimensions that are closest to yours, and make your way through the guide. Fun. I will say though, given the limited number of clothes that must go into the luggage, this guide must be for someone who (1) is traveling for no more than 2 days, or (2) has a full wardrobe in her mansion at the destination city, or (3) doesn't mind wearing the same clothes over and over again.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.louisvuitton.com/front/#/eng_US/Collections/Women/Travel/stories/The-Art-of-packing

Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Road to Muskoka

My family visits Toronto Canada at least once a year. My sister and her family lives there. Generally, when we visit, we hang out in and around the house, with few trips to the downtown area. We get lazy, we lose track of time. Whatever our reasons, we don’t do a lot. Also, when we visit, we drive. The drive feels like a necessary evil and we try to complete it with very few stops. This year was different. I managed to convince the other people in the car that we should savor the journey and make the best of it. My friend had mentioned that Ellicottville NY, directly on our way, was a charming town, so that’s where we stopped. At the Griffis Sculpture Park. This place is literally in the middle of nowhere, but someone had a remarkable vision to scatter over 250 large sculptures along trails on 450 acres of forestland. A sculpture candy store of sorts. Admission is on an honor system, with a specified donation amount. You’re instructed to place the cash in a metal box. Oh, and that the location is under camera surveillance. Hmm. What do you do if you’re missing a dollar or if you only have large bills, but there is no one to give you change? What is the ethical thing to do? Just wondering. I’ve also never quite understood the concept of asking for a donation but specifying the amount. Seems like a contradiction, but I diverge. Anyways, the park is serenely beautiful. The ideal place for the art enthusiast to commune with nature with minimal interruptions. It was also a stark contrast from the crazy Toronto traffic that we dealt with shortly after we left.

This year’s visit with my sister’s family was also different. We got out of the house. We rented a cottage in Severn Bridge, Muskoka – just under 2 hours and a world of difference from Toronto. Cottage country, they call it. Muskoka is apparently where Torontonians escape to during the summers. The cottage, or “the lodge”, as my 6-year old niece insisted on calling it, had “a view to die for” – also her words. It was right on the water and had every amenity that we could ask for. We hung out, we grilled, we hung out some more, but we did break away to visit the Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst and the Centennial Park Beach in Barrie. The kids had fun. We all had fun. And I think there was a general consensus that this should become a family tradition. Now for the long drive back to central Pennsylvania. Thankfully, we’ve decided to stop at Niagara Falls on the way.