tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67553206010623728812024-03-13T17:58:37.443-07:00Half-ForgottenSpencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-86670259040855868032019-11-03T12:07:00.000-08:002019-11-03T12:08:27.945-08:00Moving...... to a new location, where (wonder of wonders) pictures can actually be seen:<br />
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<a href="https://skimball51.wixsite.com/half-forgotten">Half-forgotten (newer! shinier!)</a>Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-67676570358697898392019-09-28T15:41:00.001-07:002019-10-07T13:43:33.515-07:00The New West - The Desert, Part 3<br />
Well, of Moab, not perhaps a lot to say, other than to mention the plethora of ATV trailers, bike racks and rentals, Mexican food. Though, in fairness, its proximity to both Arches and an interesting petroglyph site right along a highway.<br />
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But not too far away, in the desert vastness which could be a rest stop anywhere around Four Corners: interesting history and terrain associated with the always fast-and-loose uranium mining history.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ss5JsYVt6MdtWKUEVcSp4sWeA7wpH7Utl2OHYQy9df2Ax00LCSGvUgP3y96cZA_X1foyU_rmpog05Jd9hLkXxJbp509362QWjWwMdFKE6dXKtuAo7l9OQaIp9d1dThyPkQEfICe6DTS7Om2dK3kBlaLe5phTheRSeQJecKWe1aZYjehyLGANINReVarviFjDVR5Ruw6jOtWaWePYJ6_iPDZeQ6HW9Iw7f9w7U6p09z4mHJLUeznH-z0ohRoVtwYXfMx3scjed5u49WhFFB1VC6mBhSijdC5VE6VLVSFCAryA3-GM5P_9fpOqaQAOwdFW33jaUpRPtb4WD-YqauLgwJkK6kPMVJYPEektBSkTlHR8a4pWIzDReZNDb7ZvP792kl7xi8pltV9bGWKbkvnh9_IjHB7igHqlxysZ3wgUnIcnajqJB1CVfy7o46Yf7yEuaxU51Ntay_KLDBuF351y93aV8dpIS8CK4mUEwPY-SH0b72g9R2eRhzBB-8q0bQfHZHP9omqjsCnODxYihmIFRm_RmqSl2JTKzBftxWgJwinC-5NIy39vwKFYaEwEX40ky2Scbl9gjNCYt7KMruohG6o_uNz3z3W9IEURjDZDeIgInxDFjP1hMjesOxEHwLak1A1Xx4tso3aAHP1WVdQVthwFZqBkAm-l6kscusXJm5NM7zdPufgV3go=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ss5JsYVt6MdtWKUEVcSp4sWeA7wpH7Utl2OHYQy9df2Ax00LCSGvUgP3y96cZA_X1foyU_rmpog05Jd9hLkXxJbp509362QWjWwMdFKE6dXKtuAo7l9OQaIp9d1dThyPkQEfICe6DTS7Om2dK3kBlaLe5phTheRSeQJecKWe1aZYjehyLGANINReVarviFjDVR5Ruw6jOtWaWePYJ6_iPDZeQ6HW9Iw7f9w7U6p09z4mHJLUeznH-z0ohRoVtwYXfMx3scjed5u49WhFFB1VC6mBhSijdC5VE6VLVSFCAryA3-GM5P_9fpOqaQAOwdFW33jaUpRPtb4WD-YqauLgwJkK6kPMVJYPEektBSkTlHR8a4pWIzDReZNDb7ZvP792kl7xi8pltV9bGWKbkvnh9_IjHB7igHqlxysZ3wgUnIcnajqJB1CVfy7o46Yf7yEuaxU51Ntay_KLDBuF351y93aV8dpIS8CK4mUEwPY-SH0b72g9R2eRhzBB-8q0bQfHZHP9omqjsCnODxYihmIFRm_RmqSl2JTKzBftxWgJwinC-5NIy39vwKFYaEwEX40ky2Scbl9gjNCYt7KMruohG6o_uNz3z3W9IEURjDZDeIgInxDFjP1hMjesOxEHwLak1A1Xx4tso3aAHP1WVdQVthwFZqBkAm-l6kscusXJm5NM7zdPufgV3go=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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And thereafter, entering Nevada, back to those endless grasslands that occupy so much of the Western plains.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/juc1o-tZv-iyOETuK3DWckFiggRDD0QTbOQ5M7pA8swyl0tKe5yyK5Qf44-6Cd695qconLRL3uzt6pDK92644FnMhA-YMhd5rGRMY9_vD0e57pfecM1LLdRGlzMPhc64UN2P9mkbtyg544njXeMU_oSHqi5npBr2WLd78FAcgQqGhOjHW3RP4mB499c1QP6cePYjK7lWIoTIPQdIpFiQ6r80-j8coJY5jjBQq6uSmyBmYFYAIhUquc-8OSzz-2BguHc2Ggsw8m6aitwNZO4eMFUdK6SLkdsQ6p0vGMKuUy4_qzEOo-VsXS9nPaOV0z8aAU4cbeYgJAz3e2G_WFgtYYbpayN5R39_3IQEPXCFpFEsLHf2uiNVYVk5RaL-aus9Ukt9bGzsWEvTenvLCt1o9GZo2bzLkegM7Dxif1MpNHyZ1ucuPrk-TaAYA1VXAe-0vTjmhsQVRikM8DL-ugPEVsyY2iFXpwLujPBZSGKNmomNv1wuYAYsWXtYbL7zwxYWD-qMoBU6VGwnvdwwBfyPdFP10eDOFRpT841-mnYalwIo0FVJvhiHof0clML_FkL4Uc2_7TFSvbuGQ9w8LyWV7pQ_DP8h2gvYjvSmTdsTetMBsRCs3jLEzs9pk7BQXLFe12_9zVsmO6UAnX9xpU3X7FwLqqmVfxNxSHZWlqM2Tm05_Y88DYgz2os=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/juc1o-tZv-iyOETuK3DWckFiggRDD0QTbOQ5M7pA8swyl0tKe5yyK5Qf44-6Cd695qconLRL3uzt6pDK92644FnMhA-YMhd5rGRMY9_vD0e57pfecM1LLdRGlzMPhc64UN2P9mkbtyg544njXeMU_oSHqi5npBr2WLd78FAcgQqGhOjHW3RP4mB499c1QP6cePYjK7lWIoTIPQdIpFiQ6r80-j8coJY5jjBQq6uSmyBmYFYAIhUquc-8OSzz-2BguHc2Ggsw8m6aitwNZO4eMFUdK6SLkdsQ6p0vGMKuUy4_qzEOo-VsXS9nPaOV0z8aAU4cbeYgJAz3e2G_WFgtYYbpayN5R39_3IQEPXCFpFEsLHf2uiNVYVk5RaL-aus9Ukt9bGzsWEvTenvLCt1o9GZo2bzLkegM7Dxif1MpNHyZ1ucuPrk-TaAYA1VXAe-0vTjmhsQVRikM8DL-ugPEVsyY2iFXpwLujPBZSGKNmomNv1wuYAYsWXtYbL7zwxYWD-qMoBU6VGwnvdwwBfyPdFP10eDOFRpT841-mnYalwIo0FVJvhiHof0clML_FkL4Uc2_7TFSvbuGQ9w8LyWV7pQ_DP8h2gvYjvSmTdsTetMBsRCs3jLEzs9pk7BQXLFe12_9zVsmO6UAnX9xpU3X7FwLqqmVfxNxSHZWlqM2Tm05_Y88DYgz2os=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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But then, a gem going into the very substantial mountains of Nevada, which are not the Rockies, nor the Sierras, but the geologic wrinkling containing, among other things, Great Basin National Park, at this point entering dramatically into its equinoctal blaze.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/bHgBLvbLqpD3muukFi25SSrDGnnCqIRrY5MN56-TK0haTFJFWdGKTTJ0J9wbvkbWw05y47-VIQBOoU0jTUtFytxg9HnSqt8izlJMdj2VKIJfd8NqXcL8JnhGaXibEmLVzXsiF9W8DoQiesYLaBE1F_WB6PudgaM-ZiDlrPu2PdSYE70RH2vDLVlMSg5Ww0-T8hEsjpGP3q36FPkk4OaFt8fSKH35rrV5lzppHqeIAyERfLfVoL6HrNP7B40uaIicHCChflZrVycst2BpZ13zVhVy__50sdQfIDANGEH2FqIDU_MOR0KKRkqwIWlPWmVtumN2J49zMPNqfnOzLsX7oSFLY6xLdXNdNZEfKNeZXb_mn1KdHub6VgszITijFUYsijw4Yu6qXbgdEl49uGVNdeNsD8fgtnCw6enkAVk-z31tcvGYeI0HZZFzYnL_nP_1LWymG5i8fYOWCT9fnZftk20REMsIOnuwmwAQ76S7SHRDF4PfqiOF7gOzZMKEIRiG2MYuLlz1dKkV_ntvRmYubLQcfgFM1f0vgHefnalCAIed7IIPaj-fMWpYX5e_AAwl5kUHM9stvIq77VVYmp2EBqeg-ODwIOadzecaXuG8rGjIX9o0Kv_0_ei8q2P21VD00CGgZbie5vvG-d2Q_-4XTjZMlaWdHiunnb9pmNJGC3xNwIHbrCYpCPI=w618-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="618" height="297" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/bHgBLvbLqpD3muukFi25SSrDGnnCqIRrY5MN56-TK0haTFJFWdGKTTJ0J9wbvkbWw05y47-VIQBOoU0jTUtFytxg9HnSqt8izlJMdj2VKIJfd8NqXcL8JnhGaXibEmLVzXsiF9W8DoQiesYLaBE1F_WB6PudgaM-ZiDlrPu2PdSYE70RH2vDLVlMSg5Ww0-T8hEsjpGP3q36FPkk4OaFt8fSKH35rrV5lzppHqeIAyERfLfVoL6HrNP7B40uaIicHCChflZrVycst2BpZ13zVhVy__50sdQfIDANGEH2FqIDU_MOR0KKRkqwIWlPWmVtumN2J49zMPNqfnOzLsX7oSFLY6xLdXNdNZEfKNeZXb_mn1KdHub6VgszITijFUYsijw4Yu6qXbgdEl49uGVNdeNsD8fgtnCw6enkAVk-z31tcvGYeI0HZZFzYnL_nP_1LWymG5i8fYOWCT9fnZftk20REMsIOnuwmwAQ76S7SHRDF4PfqiOF7gOzZMKEIRiG2MYuLlz1dKkV_ntvRmYubLQcfgFM1f0vgHefnalCAIed7IIPaj-fMWpYX5e_AAwl5kUHM9stvIq77VVYmp2EBqeg-ODwIOadzecaXuG8rGjIX9o0Kv_0_ei8q2P21VD00CGgZbie5vvG-d2Q_-4XTjZMlaWdHiunnb9pmNJGC3xNwIHbrCYpCPI=w618-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zJd4H2y8l2P7a5mcNK5T7ddDPEfc_ZhY2-j7maYmP9Kc4jnyLn7j_w9JPZ14Z2ItWImdFvuTNlEIzoVyIDXsiDfOLPPpiBHSaVprwX8x1_uJutjsnecdLdr3GRNFYiCvRrmCR6vtHTs6jKV0H0e--lRq0V7NweFEaftY51OmrJKVhjlmTA90e_tX9Ru9Dr409Tbybk-zaEcFJ_j66SQc4xoWY9l61GbQNe3M2tWXwJXTaZ_EhYI7RUdQYKLp-9utJhrRbYzCXnf0lSndczHmoIpWyNuN4bADk5tNIhvC8oB7kiTq5fdL-fcVeNKJDLZNc_i19hQfgkWfGsDFUqagwXnocdx6cgi3jpr89E523ZA1qt4NHg9Fyo21hN1ANWo6dJzNUCs_Vl1qEILN-BaRyITmC2vZbTtvdmIr2kGhRTa5ACp1s6AMPTLF9Tr_1r5qiYCeQKAnWDUmpbK3YYpZN0mdQJwS9yueK5AD__QTyVGmkoBcgorKIfSKEK8_ZXUzDDt-l3Z9-LIRV1EisQy3R0TKX0nZMtlb-XGFxS0iIQuEuJFyBprJBRZD-CtycZ0Y-AIpySrTrCjMG5qbScwS_JEs6e-IEQ9NgkgT1RYePjW7GCjZA0lbH15CXEESUbk9_NGs0Pf3zqgptrX6st9oAQzziosEsBqF-78eJfMcG9vrlmDZG14HE1Y=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zJd4H2y8l2P7a5mcNK5T7ddDPEfc_ZhY2-j7maYmP9Kc4jnyLn7j_w9JPZ14Z2ItWImdFvuTNlEIzoVyIDXsiDfOLPPpiBHSaVprwX8x1_uJutjsnecdLdr3GRNFYiCvRrmCR6vtHTs6jKV0H0e--lRq0V7NweFEaftY51OmrJKVhjlmTA90e_tX9Ru9Dr409Tbybk-zaEcFJ_j66SQc4xoWY9l61GbQNe3M2tWXwJXTaZ_EhYI7RUdQYKLp-9utJhrRbYzCXnf0lSndczHmoIpWyNuN4bADk5tNIhvC8oB7kiTq5fdL-fcVeNKJDLZNc_i19hQfgkWfGsDFUqagwXnocdx6cgi3jpr89E523ZA1qt4NHg9Fyo21hN1ANWo6dJzNUCs_Vl1qEILN-BaRyITmC2vZbTtvdmIr2kGhRTa5ACp1s6AMPTLF9Tr_1r5qiYCeQKAnWDUmpbK3YYpZN0mdQJwS9yueK5AD__QTyVGmkoBcgorKIfSKEK8_ZXUzDDt-l3Z9-LIRV1EisQy3R0TKX0nZMtlb-XGFxS0iIQuEuJFyBprJBRZD-CtycZ0Y-AIpySrTrCjMG5qbScwS_JEs6e-IEQ9NgkgT1RYePjW7GCjZA0lbH15CXEESUbk9_NGs0Pf3zqgptrX6st9oAQzziosEsBqF-78eJfMcG9vrlmDZG14HE1Y=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was not the Alpine Lake I thought of beforehand, but is a dramatic exemplar over 11K in elevation.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/LzGmjTjPE1JaEs_VarGhvKwyy64pBd6ZtlfEUwDwPf9XdoTlOvy0XA0cGdBOQhnWx6wDrfrBE06hOUcQJ5Lmt1t63WxFKzdtDKf_vzp9ZQt2aSBlmmbBmCeJp2geLxOXXBxsBO-K4Ie7sI76_Iw632_jtVffBd16jn0W5hJZzcwuKgAZwp6HwAVij8xbLoy-wN9fokzlSdpE-SbuSZXcMtMLVr9EQKL3k4YMAptn9Wb0nn_ZhcYdsGXtLm_GLK7vcY4kq89m_Yk1jggf6OPjWEpgLbOYJFpzrpEMnnzQFyyMDGbUw_coK49_TMzUc18eXJ6nBgMpdypFFzz2J7Zwy6r15ouA24mUTZNNh9utjr9IVTsz4KEHcKm4VRFm6_ZfvOo7HrlluOo0AjXfRoUT8EHvh78L340UWn-G8_cbgWTCDZWrAZwQLZj4TNIGvxt-oIKA7bX75h65xvnfOhJtFfnOQMU7S005UzzUM7iDJoSlTWX96wkr_AVW9AZgGNEn3kNKaeFqkikZ9JMgo49OLgDD0BSVVpScr9pwtK8BnsgsFY2gTRfxd9Oue5oNjyMolkvbNDM4nHenG7rKVx47qljm_8y2JZMQBK3p9X10LMjQ1JtHQiTEfte8Qbt0rosDICHEmcH_m_myO2bUL8ZCLxQdnxpf_encEcWP9vYTUIuUGStsRwrnyjU=w801-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="801" height="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/LzGmjTjPE1JaEs_VarGhvKwyy64pBd6ZtlfEUwDwPf9XdoTlOvy0XA0cGdBOQhnWx6wDrfrBE06hOUcQJ5Lmt1t63WxFKzdtDKf_vzp9ZQt2aSBlmmbBmCeJp2geLxOXXBxsBO-K4Ie7sI76_Iw632_jtVffBd16jn0W5hJZzcwuKgAZwp6HwAVij8xbLoy-wN9fokzlSdpE-SbuSZXcMtMLVr9EQKL3k4YMAptn9Wb0nn_ZhcYdsGXtLm_GLK7vcY4kq89m_Yk1jggf6OPjWEpgLbOYJFpzrpEMnnzQFyyMDGbUw_coK49_TMzUc18eXJ6nBgMpdypFFzz2J7Zwy6r15ouA24mUTZNNh9utjr9IVTsz4KEHcKm4VRFm6_ZfvOo7HrlluOo0AjXfRoUT8EHvh78L340UWn-G8_cbgWTCDZWrAZwQLZj4TNIGvxt-oIKA7bX75h65xvnfOhJtFfnOQMU7S005UzzUM7iDJoSlTWX96wkr_AVW9AZgGNEn3kNKaeFqkikZ9JMgo49OLgDD0BSVVpScr9pwtK8BnsgsFY2gTRfxd9Oue5oNjyMolkvbNDM4nHenG7rKVx47qljm_8y2JZMQBK3p9X10LMjQ1JtHQiTEfte8Qbt0rosDICHEmcH_m_myO2bUL8ZCLxQdnxpf_encEcWP9vYTUIuUGStsRwrnyjU=w801-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next day, a true Nevada experience, the town of Ely, once the domain of lawless miners, now the domain of modern extractors of copper, and yes, even now, silver. But not what you'd call a boomtown.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/kg97lbd69iiug7Tk8p6qhZD6Iw8U9N9pPHjyJ25fx6tkPEpQKAm2h_5XLVaS9QYQCe_E4PtMElhhx64WcGUmxt_JysX6rfN8cRnon1Iqqrud3ymiGoyLppPiJiMwYwzYRQMX7AzjhdYwohuIOU1UGmJRb03tM_7wb26_zq8OZL28NjiiGLbJBvJn6ZuPRt6qWwiAi-eYkTY9qib4q4KzpVaD2AguH0-bqIs19MAxGz7-a_P5B5-sSjvWn2qkJpTcnFroYC6QBQvJOqinYgtKH9J43X1MZgl5tGvfdy4duFiBw2sm4cOU55MUHuiYwVXfXBIPZrd3zEJOlszt8lkzKDUlXY4pC0ERJYcj3ODfwad2QM_FwgMPryk-SAKAMhjjymovgpjAIhvMSvzmoy28TfZ6Z8jNBu1AtDRBAA-9TZhrOiabFkojhjo8aMjvWtE42HwX4HyLrX11Fgv2IZRKRvu24S04b7M6uhWrMbfWj3XXUw162OIgOTEcZAX1YhS6YEG6yKf1Orz0ukfmGg-OptUieboHJh1y22yb9JrRyPpYrk-riHl6VAbpgw1YrFWp0QOr-4t1gMy0gfGouzGDllw1AMoJak4T9asfV0GbclRfvXiv4kIdbEaj3L8p3QT9zV41j_324zvSILS863eVvySZBVkJgWfvDg-HTTe-r2BKA8K6ODmPW44=w607-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="606" height="303" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/kg97lbd69iiug7Tk8p6qhZD6Iw8U9N9pPHjyJ25fx6tkPEpQKAm2h_5XLVaS9QYQCe_E4PtMElhhx64WcGUmxt_JysX6rfN8cRnon1Iqqrud3ymiGoyLppPiJiMwYwzYRQMX7AzjhdYwohuIOU1UGmJRb03tM_7wb26_zq8OZL28NjiiGLbJBvJn6ZuPRt6qWwiAi-eYkTY9qib4q4KzpVaD2AguH0-bqIs19MAxGz7-a_P5B5-sSjvWn2qkJpTcnFroYC6QBQvJOqinYgtKH9J43X1MZgl5tGvfdy4duFiBw2sm4cOU55MUHuiYwVXfXBIPZrd3zEJOlszt8lkzKDUlXY4pC0ERJYcj3ODfwad2QM_FwgMPryk-SAKAMhjjymovgpjAIhvMSvzmoy28TfZ6Z8jNBu1AtDRBAA-9TZhrOiabFkojhjo8aMjvWtE42HwX4HyLrX11Fgv2IZRKRvu24S04b7M6uhWrMbfWj3XXUw162OIgOTEcZAX1YhS6YEG6yKf1Orz0ukfmGg-OptUieboHJh1y22yb9JrRyPpYrk-riHl6VAbpgw1YrFWp0QOr-4t1gMy0gfGouzGDllw1AMoJak4T9asfV0GbclRfvXiv4kIdbEaj3L8p3QT9zV41j_324zvSILS863eVvySZBVkJgWfvDg-HTTe-r2BKA8K6ODmPW44=w607-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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A visit to what our hostess called "a nicer restaurant" had an almost cinematic appeal, with what might be called a chemically-induced brightness in a male server with spiked hair, jarringly juxtaposed with the sort of soft fifties jazz you might find in a Mafia bar of that era. You might need to specially request a knife to spread the bread which accompanies your pasta.<br />
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But wait: there is another even more elemental decaying mining town in the state. But take Google Street View's word for it in a Main Street view of Austin, Nevada.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXTAsBSa8_oqxNXMdOhxRUslKokapeFc3e_ENJYhRTuT7GXgeOj9FBfaJIV0xgsgAtw11BVSEta0cGtJGdL8_WkcqGZfNZ8-DY_2KUaCTdRgZhwl6oURMXv4YuWbkh_5R4GUKs1aRavY/s1600/Austin_GSV.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="555" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilXTAsBSa8_oqxNXMdOhxRUslKokapeFc3e_ENJYhRTuT7GXgeOj9FBfaJIV0xgsgAtw11BVSEta0cGtJGdL8_WkcqGZfNZ8-DY_2KUaCTdRgZhwl6oURMXv4YuWbkh_5R4GUKs1aRavY/s320/Austin_GSV.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Beyond Austin, a parade of 7000-something summits to bypass on the way to Carson City and its development frenzy, South Lake Tahoe, and the California border - and the end of our desert odyssey.<br />
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Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-32193458645421451102019-09-25T19:41:00.001-07:002019-10-07T13:37:33.567-07:00The New West - The Desert, Part 2Next day was the trip to Mesa Verde, another icon of Native American culture. It happens to have some interestingly wrinkled terrain, overlooking yet another vast plain, the Montezuma Valley.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ALcOKYjAUm1DjZc9dJVLogjNSvPjblHkFIYHYEZuQPLMz7bDBz5buefCFHdVUsflVkLJaSAwurCAm8oGiuCg0tex5qgXBM9N7ZM2HHJMoevrclxoKzVFlI20rrBTZSZ_ihlQnNIoewRVknOLfl3If9hKvWKwP7svbe93XabXZK59mElfTugzaKe3Rnkwb5TX8CFNvQnU8uTgc121WbfHvgCCIPfiy4VazKPm9eRCne0FdcF_YhJHh9JON0B8mZYWEuLlY-hF978uyXeEMgiewtLq6N_k6ZGa6lxUWuhIZcCkCionQjXJ_QOOBilbciQ5su6RNfUUA21OqjMkk3YO8AlqL5zQrWArhl4JpoyNFd8JyLjePq8g65-EfP_yags9lK0JktUrsGZpsIjbPd-LLZeVBqm0FZDYvNEVMU4V8nm92IY2KMbchU6STrloVs22TZKm7w2UQycdC8kSqw4U2FQWyKTDMIg4AyN7oukYZTBQRXPdwgLAkn84t9M2nR1dnV40-GMJDSDKHZQzuXQ6ZCQ8Ac3eA-5p0xxZLBWGJN-QG-oStzqy_gU1YdGZ-sRrNlOOwR5zoRduDjUT7ZThqc-UF6OEQ-WmmWB7GE-eB0PgApvNwcPUWi1SjbxqHUkvHI27QpTznjUvQEQ7szSk_ho7UsEBoqpTGgzzLTdR8k8A-omjGxxTekc=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ALcOKYjAUm1DjZc9dJVLogjNSvPjblHkFIYHYEZuQPLMz7bDBz5buefCFHdVUsflVkLJaSAwurCAm8oGiuCg0tex5qgXBM9N7ZM2HHJMoevrclxoKzVFlI20rrBTZSZ_ihlQnNIoewRVknOLfl3If9hKvWKwP7svbe93XabXZK59mElfTugzaKe3Rnkwb5TX8CFNvQnU8uTgc121WbfHvgCCIPfiy4VazKPm9eRCne0FdcF_YhJHh9JON0B8mZYWEuLlY-hF978uyXeEMgiewtLq6N_k6ZGa6lxUWuhIZcCkCionQjXJ_QOOBilbciQ5su6RNfUUA21OqjMkk3YO8AlqL5zQrWArhl4JpoyNFd8JyLjePq8g65-EfP_yags9lK0JktUrsGZpsIjbPd-LLZeVBqm0FZDYvNEVMU4V8nm92IY2KMbchU6STrloVs22TZKm7w2UQycdC8kSqw4U2FQWyKTDMIg4AyN7oukYZTBQRXPdwgLAkn84t9M2nR1dnV40-GMJDSDKHZQzuXQ6ZCQ8Ac3eA-5p0xxZLBWGJN-QG-oStzqy_gU1YdGZ-sRrNlOOwR5zoRduDjUT7ZThqc-UF6OEQ-WmmWB7GE-eB0PgApvNwcPUWi1SjbxqHUkvHI27QpTznjUvQEQ7szSk_ho7UsEBoqpTGgzzLTdR8k8A-omjGxxTekc=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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And further into the park, a near-moonscape of burned-out trees amid rabbitbrush and other scrub, the legacy of decades of very large wildfires.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jyCke8yyPoTbe3D-4207EVOdi1lPhCeoZcx6uCj6zpBL59h1gtfHgYfPnKh7T6LHfLh3DvVfMi1WqlRv2hzTbPSWtXwsUOU62ax3pvaX95IY1I8cJh-6tWSprkexBQJgHghoBrHxiY5d4aJ6jTJeey71IVlBLuOdBet5w82doCCBRSDjCXQk_E4FfvDutstx76C5LR4jK06jvqQsAMi4roNsePfkAK9h2KXV8UjmqiNc-IGo6d36gzHszsqsPmBipPc8mXXHr4RmzgoYNBqb1FnQdWtSiCx9VRN7i1ZKvXeNl5fFMXTPzYDI5lJCrBuETmOyvC5e8UwcWddGKJvO8Abcsn7Nls1Ra2kML2PXtwNXil6mxRatJYHZ30JOK4TnX6IrNYGCgaicbAfz5C-8CG6lKl3MpyRFYYVGoelZCsrinGGGVMdqySGZvIR0XCnifZHkeTCDz-LZLWf5655p-3ZHC0z8k6TwQ4K9KzmrrV-ieLmf6SHiu5XjYF8bHeDiPHVwrM9nuCO_JmAVvVkdqpU2JrqLPhBgGtWb43DWCq0NBLCMOBeIG_fKeQpPhLhqGI4B6sUlOlCeoXgtzhVbYFRVxTwBfXuZ4Hoqm7i4oDt2GfVUAXLupBJUG8e6V8MjsvDJBzruY_-6PIb46KFsaJjaOIEauVImZcSFN6ldzdIucmQjZxqXx3I=w431-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="430" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/jyCke8yyPoTbe3D-4207EVOdi1lPhCeoZcx6uCj6zpBL59h1gtfHgYfPnKh7T6LHfLh3DvVfMi1WqlRv2hzTbPSWtXwsUOU62ax3pvaX95IY1I8cJh-6tWSprkexBQJgHghoBrHxiY5d4aJ6jTJeey71IVlBLuOdBet5w82doCCBRSDjCXQk_E4FfvDutstx76C5LR4jK06jvqQsAMi4roNsePfkAK9h2KXV8UjmqiNc-IGo6d36gzHszsqsPmBipPc8mXXHr4RmzgoYNBqb1FnQdWtSiCx9VRN7i1ZKvXeNl5fFMXTPzYDI5lJCrBuETmOyvC5e8UwcWddGKJvO8Abcsn7Nls1Ra2kML2PXtwNXil6mxRatJYHZ30JOK4TnX6IrNYGCgaicbAfz5C-8CG6lKl3MpyRFYYVGoelZCsrinGGGVMdqySGZvIR0XCnifZHkeTCDz-LZLWf5655p-3ZHC0z8k6TwQ4K9KzmrrV-ieLmf6SHiu5XjYF8bHeDiPHVwrM9nuCO_JmAVvVkdqpU2JrqLPhBgGtWb43DWCq0NBLCMOBeIG_fKeQpPhLhqGI4B6sUlOlCeoXgtzhVbYFRVxTwBfXuZ4Hoqm7i4oDt2GfVUAXLupBJUG8e6V8MjsvDJBzruY_-6PIb46KFsaJjaOIEauVImZcSFN6ldzdIucmQjZxqXx3I=w431-h574-no" width="239" /></a></div>
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But among these burn areas are wonderful stories of the inhabitants of the tenth through thirteenth centuries, not quite as sophisticated as the clever Chacoans, but getting increasing facility with designing habitations to keep cool or warm, while avoiding getting smoke-choked - and keeping a fairly low profile vis-a-vis any interlopers with malign intent. But nowhere are they more inventive but in coopting wide caves for multistory development.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dCnsuV2MLkZdUuYIxp8AfTXEiHjaxnSsxa64OnWc5BiAgPeZLhYNcoujGOdkSex05fRSORFD8vEaMjwLMFvjNQSHQCPWMFI7S_GGbwWrm_5OI_rCFo_Xe4tz4gwwm3wZFweT5o-j39aBZ7XVg5QXuhi1-SIxp0o_k8v_k3mSWXJC0rVo4rKtLqy-muEW9ef1v7TJzM6cplNo8QVsPAd3ZFAiZsAlTErlHOFaErlFgKrbypXoqltKq1jj1lXe8c5K2lOjJ59KPjdImDSWk9s0AnjXAN4Cbe3yruv39YACUEb05VYyYOAPwvOUUZjxaWcskVmfgsWIGZTUmtOwVGT8cj-AqazCZO83UcTPjzdb4pBTVbRkmuK612Irjovny7bbXoDeOmihJh3Z-lZpJMk3uVSf-iZzI8wX0Qg9_8OG9vDXScaFejBlhDOTWAB71_ioYvlmRAXuW93nYW-ie-bMu5ppkPsM4kc0vXa2Nax1mDWj9oRmn5qK0Q5AbWY4diU5A-Goj1WZNNwqt9lGHYnnlU6DIgjAAFYyyVyhtxXnXKGnkenXkzIlz9uCL5D0IivLXon0Qy0FOVwlwXw8yure_Hmsu7pvhW7YKzJWeUvsz2hhGq4wg_zYgM50f7ohPDYMK8YmAQic2N5jCx8Rkq7oZrZEqNLBNrVJRTxFVircC95iKutF0C_6LZs=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/dCnsuV2MLkZdUuYIxp8AfTXEiHjaxnSsxa64OnWc5BiAgPeZLhYNcoujGOdkSex05fRSORFD8vEaMjwLMFvjNQSHQCPWMFI7S_GGbwWrm_5OI_rCFo_Xe4tz4gwwm3wZFweT5o-j39aBZ7XVg5QXuhi1-SIxp0o_k8v_k3mSWXJC0rVo4rKtLqy-muEW9ef1v7TJzM6cplNo8QVsPAd3ZFAiZsAlTErlHOFaErlFgKrbypXoqltKq1jj1lXe8c5K2lOjJ59KPjdImDSWk9s0AnjXAN4Cbe3yruv39YACUEb05VYyYOAPwvOUUZjxaWcskVmfgsWIGZTUmtOwVGT8cj-AqazCZO83UcTPjzdb4pBTVbRkmuK612Irjovny7bbXoDeOmihJh3Z-lZpJMk3uVSf-iZzI8wX0Qg9_8OG9vDXScaFejBlhDOTWAB71_ioYvlmRAXuW93nYW-ie-bMu5ppkPsM4kc0vXa2Nax1mDWj9oRmn5qK0Q5AbWY4diU5A-Goj1WZNNwqt9lGHYnnlU6DIgjAAFYyyVyhtxXnXKGnkenXkzIlz9uCL5D0IivLXon0Qy0FOVwlwXw8yure_Hmsu7pvhW7YKzJWeUvsz2hhGq4wg_zYgM50f7ohPDYMK8YmAQic2N5jCx8Rkq7oZrZEqNLBNrVJRTxFVircC95iKutF0C_6LZs=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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The archaeologists have centuries of puzzling over the whys and wherefores of these jigsaw-like cave fillers and the life that animated them. Fortunately there's plenty of structure to allow the underinformed to picture at least some of the scenes of everyday life.<br />
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But our everyday life is more animated due to the nearby delights of our lodging, the Retro Inn of Cortez, Colorado.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/2x08-WkpK0qh6x9y7BSqYFSqZGTCJBnzgTdtsL18DQQXQv0OoFh1Ya4QrCzqL0TF4CM7WAD1F1ifbswmqdFLn7XtZsZX_yGlonipAOEbUQLtJT8v3_kecsQwo8xw5aLyL2o-jdTA86vdprBVUasXi_yINj2ylWpAK1FCe7jgP8Jwf4lJ-7oxgfIpPm7vJHRikqfRO-C1Ie7YrztikioxrZOGYt5J5Gmtu9aeYxlZykBpg6RHSkVQb22OlHcsHYdR2jlnHoUguKfDtbpF1Ks4KywqLijGsTkxcI9C4MHUviUB-qwd6zHXN4u30SF5v-xAvj1IujQiYLlGR3hhnG2j_GJNK-ynvnX_s34_486kNPD4VAerNJa0m-V-TxgJxtKE6ArEen_FRcJTqYX5-NJg86Y7ty19hdJBUgGBIfrOXc2-YnLFKlgsnSQTL99XLHXOqZaqLHD3ucmWFmuZ_Clfd3EvWSvbz0Afgmm2_5HruiSLCj7BgdAuivVxynhwtsiIqLnTSWNQxAxvmeTxSBENinu9MoOKfLtuvHaYRuAtcq7fVEsQmpHUmTL56i--ppgDxs72gtDJ3guC8Or1cW1SRV5yz__iCGR15o3bPDbPepv-SDY_9YihbEOfAoHDorWVj-lu4xzcZ6S9loOOGtuRi7l0Pj6vQ_-D8eIOfosjWlj2j32X955U9Ic=w431-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="430" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/2x08-WkpK0qh6x9y7BSqYFSqZGTCJBnzgTdtsL18DQQXQv0OoFh1Ya4QrCzqL0TF4CM7WAD1F1ifbswmqdFLn7XtZsZX_yGlonipAOEbUQLtJT8v3_kecsQwo8xw5aLyL2o-jdTA86vdprBVUasXi_yINj2ylWpAK1FCe7jgP8Jwf4lJ-7oxgfIpPm7vJHRikqfRO-C1Ie7YrztikioxrZOGYt5J5Gmtu9aeYxlZykBpg6RHSkVQb22OlHcsHYdR2jlnHoUguKfDtbpF1Ks4KywqLijGsTkxcI9C4MHUviUB-qwd6zHXN4u30SF5v-xAvj1IujQiYLlGR3hhnG2j_GJNK-ynvnX_s34_486kNPD4VAerNJa0m-V-TxgJxtKE6ArEen_FRcJTqYX5-NJg86Y7ty19hdJBUgGBIfrOXc2-YnLFKlgsnSQTL99XLHXOqZaqLHD3ucmWFmuZ_Clfd3EvWSvbz0Afgmm2_5HruiSLCj7BgdAuivVxynhwtsiIqLnTSWNQxAxvmeTxSBENinu9MoOKfLtuvHaYRuAtcq7fVEsQmpHUmTL56i--ppgDxs72gtDJ3guC8Or1cW1SRV5yz__iCGR15o3bPDbPepv-SDY_9YihbEOfAoHDorWVj-lu4xzcZ6S9loOOGtuRi7l0Pj6vQ_-D8eIOfosjWlj2j32X955U9Ic=w431-h574-no" width="239" /></a></div>
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Here you can get a tamale for just part of the free breakfast, and eat it while you check out Captain America panels in the tabletop, then take your pic sitting next to the King, himself sitting next to a luxury habitation.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZvjXuQcdzeugafudGlYDl3a8q2MxK1PIOvj4pgyV7BaK_Ph47jVmgfLl3hWePnGRTd91EJHnj-xVO6Viur2FLAFak9AErKvOjrPn5xXNkKCXvv-UdNGGjp6bl_z1_ssXmrwq0xP8jjofq_bBpH7idd_uywnE1SHgnytfj1br9iduD1WGwkXMBKHN-6aQ-4liGI41ofIZdEJ74yrQhd_554dlcVKRei0rNLpjybenOJnGbFSm0KFEZH_wjynSUlCB9cewJG3ZagGmruf_GJ3rz6cdxDCmF6D_-025WxkjtZnj52Ksg3DGmTj8PHFv7EEJYNp0mjd4mo3Ny_lT7qLk7a2h6TCBFq8Rcf-KC6l1upumy92y9NoalIGch55tS6fzDv-lz5OtnlKjNgTpDKCr1LX1X8j1VewYFAIlVd9nvRWJBa6IsAvH-d4m6S9JdgwwQFqoec0hhI9hpi_ln-TlSox-mqBL8GSS-HnQUDod12AwA9AWO5I59T1CORacC1yhoAvrn-4CJEHSjOF-8QI7aTAuqSKxmg_u6R4_7WnZzigFJ1q1SGDZhRi1x9tInxzznC4bK7fv_WKMoyVbTlxOd3KtAZIzk7LQB7ZNqMDbHIzPIbXHv-wZVgBHdFzqhHGzWS7EsOG46YTqtX9kC13RANdrbbcsBT2bN8CChqcpy3oPqCNhf90t2yQ=w696-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="695" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZvjXuQcdzeugafudGlYDl3a8q2MxK1PIOvj4pgyV7BaK_Ph47jVmgfLl3hWePnGRTd91EJHnj-xVO6Viur2FLAFak9AErKvOjrPn5xXNkKCXvv-UdNGGjp6bl_z1_ssXmrwq0xP8jjofq_bBpH7idd_uywnE1SHgnytfj1br9iduD1WGwkXMBKHN-6aQ-4liGI41ofIZdEJ74yrQhd_554dlcVKRei0rNLpjybenOJnGbFSm0KFEZH_wjynSUlCB9cewJG3ZagGmruf_GJ3rz6cdxDCmF6D_-025WxkjtZnj52Ksg3DGmTj8PHFv7EEJYNp0mjd4mo3Ny_lT7qLk7a2h6TCBFq8Rcf-KC6l1upumy92y9NoalIGch55tS6fzDv-lz5OtnlKjNgTpDKCr1LX1X8j1VewYFAIlVd9nvRWJBa6IsAvH-d4m6S9JdgwwQFqoec0hhI9hpi_ln-TlSox-mqBL8GSS-HnQUDod12AwA9AWO5I59T1CORacC1yhoAvrn-4CJEHSjOF-8QI7aTAuqSKxmg_u6R4_7WnZzigFJ1q1SGDZhRi1x9tInxzznC4bK7fv_WKMoyVbTlxOd3KtAZIzk7LQB7ZNqMDbHIzPIbXHv-wZVgBHdFzqhHGzWS7EsOG46YTqtX9kC13RANdrbbcsBT2bN8CChqcpy3oPqCNhf90t2yQ=w696-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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And not only that - each room number defines a theme, ours being 1974, which entailed, among other things, a Welcome Back Kotter framed cast portrait on the wall. Well.<br />
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But two days later, onward again, to yet another likely sixties Western set, Arches National Park, which often bakes visitors to a crisp as they check out the red rock, but less so today.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/5WNRZ7l9yqS3StNehbZP2sO7A4z7XLxjGraPLKOBi_H2nKC3AJW_1w1NbpjxP8w638E0fjmhas_ZYmeglX5QHd0xd1qT2sxQQCwm26GuUwoNcZAKguRgFgWd2-teeP7FqJ3zYHCfzOCupPdIngVQjFzIqV1Ij4NqRPkQpcXrsFbJ22bHPhxT7MmSQpiW75o9e5B6vI5iZzG4eNW1VYObKfzBuzYwUpLwiR-bB7CTHVln1RfRpjfx01b7NdinhMRFk9Fuzk6k69ZhJkhPe6Mj6yFTmpgfC4TLHg0bF5ESXVWScayxlGNEvGTPSHgR3NJQFU8bUPWUlvknkWYwNxHB2iBYLLB3oNpR3EVJbYr6eVC3cDPWiwrnGERV9JnykhxUs4w_HYANAZcuOtApPprc70YrPtjDXgtJd2JVSYhXO_xerQ5cSDl0zNR-bjDV4iAZEjhUMOUcHcKT99-Y7qTkOaJ8LlM40Z2FM_QEVX7dAF2T6qPYKaw7ETKmlI_54RU7NtGrRpm8AJ03CpmK1HnIwj-r1GUZsQQkURsppwuv50e5M-mWmXPbEulSuMZJkmurNg2yi6kMnKUBzwQy-TKc-fkjafekSostxR26kUt430OmiNmist8cJ4E5AdcM0xos2VmAy_XuOAFxIxxD5M3Ago4nlPoWqqPM5DDumtftHPnTVZ9yxqK3PyQ=w886-h532-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="886" height="192" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/5WNRZ7l9yqS3StNehbZP2sO7A4z7XLxjGraPLKOBi_H2nKC3AJW_1w1NbpjxP8w638E0fjmhas_ZYmeglX5QHd0xd1qT2sxQQCwm26GuUwoNcZAKguRgFgWd2-teeP7FqJ3zYHCfzOCupPdIngVQjFzIqV1Ij4NqRPkQpcXrsFbJ22bHPhxT7MmSQpiW75o9e5B6vI5iZzG4eNW1VYObKfzBuzYwUpLwiR-bB7CTHVln1RfRpjfx01b7NdinhMRFk9Fuzk6k69ZhJkhPe6Mj6yFTmpgfC4TLHg0bF5ESXVWScayxlGNEvGTPSHgR3NJQFU8bUPWUlvknkWYwNxHB2iBYLLB3oNpR3EVJbYr6eVC3cDPWiwrnGERV9JnykhxUs4w_HYANAZcuOtApPprc70YrPtjDXgtJd2JVSYhXO_xerQ5cSDl0zNR-bjDV4iAZEjhUMOUcHcKT99-Y7qTkOaJ8LlM40Z2FM_QEVX7dAF2T6qPYKaw7ETKmlI_54RU7NtGrRpm8AJ03CpmK1HnIwj-r1GUZsQQkURsppwuv50e5M-mWmXPbEulSuMZJkmurNg2yi6kMnKUBzwQy-TKc-fkjafekSostxR26kUt430OmiNmist8cJ4E5AdcM0xos2VmAy_XuOAFxIxxD5M3Ago4nlPoWqqPM5DDumtftHPnTVZ9yxqK3PyQ=w886-h532-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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There was some cognitive dissonance as we got snagged by a confluence of road work, tour buses, a locally-decorated CruiseAmerica and the most popular parking lot in the park.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ynXgPXlOnDxpQLSwH4FP9TH7e-Jb68U6__nQL3CLStrFTd0jUuCmERyCpj2KGs9z7T6YqYlFmvxZsoyYIh-0_eSjlHiImcLUbqMnyPZ5cbQLgKlNtEltxOSMwgP8lBJx3nFQPgUoBX3Km48uCddNi0HNrZ2BppH4w9pG3Jtwa1E6USccsBGi0qjC_k7MVEFK3-oNYkIiLLyr-GQKLCvpDBE7MwPnJ7TQFbDWZTeaqZbWHWbHU9vh56coCn3pi7YKJmgoDFNFrsi_1bk5yM4lktphm5o8OuDNdU8Go2YqSafyMYU3UzF0SzgXfwPZTHdAk6e5b0rGll1lf59LKoRWaDH2wqkBTnKFjZ6Tf6CL5qaHKdw3ZkaxiTB4EruIf63M7yMH3gG9u2deZYrrTJizObLNDrOlV9aM-IZG8e-C-ikFk66Bsyh-AryEdRiWIEZdnRK71gzfaACkAL5YVsoXdGFINWGSgDtKaXJ2tcHrYeNEq4HhZrJcqxvfb5G9eftjrGkNuboq6IGWrY3VeXuwGWqQVlXJWdadUAu-_2S5xlT93lzLyOsFsIcEkxLvbp1NYyiDAxC3kWxNuk0TSdRpSILKQ9OtUZwkq5hgR1pESun2HXx4WWFc4bxDerSU5ESt31XSa43YyqgPZ8te0aLKIHKGRngdoBh_GW55woJ0aQ_79JLg7lFPo7o=w804-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="804" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ynXgPXlOnDxpQLSwH4FP9TH7e-Jb68U6__nQL3CLStrFTd0jUuCmERyCpj2KGs9z7T6YqYlFmvxZsoyYIh-0_eSjlHiImcLUbqMnyPZ5cbQLgKlNtEltxOSMwgP8lBJx3nFQPgUoBX3Km48uCddNi0HNrZ2BppH4w9pG3Jtwa1E6USccsBGi0qjC_k7MVEFK3-oNYkIiLLyr-GQKLCvpDBE7MwPnJ7TQFbDWZTeaqZbWHWbHU9vh56coCn3pi7YKJmgoDFNFrsi_1bk5yM4lktphm5o8OuDNdU8Go2YqSafyMYU3UzF0SzgXfwPZTHdAk6e5b0rGll1lf59LKoRWaDH2wqkBTnKFjZ6Tf6CL5qaHKdw3ZkaxiTB4EruIf63M7yMH3gG9u2deZYrrTJizObLNDrOlV9aM-IZG8e-C-ikFk66Bsyh-AryEdRiWIEZdnRK71gzfaACkAL5YVsoXdGFINWGSgDtKaXJ2tcHrYeNEq4HhZrJcqxvfb5G9eftjrGkNuboq6IGWrY3VeXuwGWqQVlXJWdadUAu-_2S5xlT93lzLyOsFsIcEkxLvbp1NYyiDAxC3kWxNuk0TSdRpSILKQ9OtUZwkq5hgR1pESun2HXx4WWFc4bxDerSU5ESt31XSa43YyqgPZ8te0aLKIHKGRngdoBh_GW55woJ0aQ_79JLg7lFPo7o=w804-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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But the outlandish terrain rules supreme in this environment nonetheless.<br />
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Now to face the mega-outdoorsy frenzy of Moab, UT.<br />
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<br />Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-32780498980827207272019-09-22T20:09:00.002-07:002019-10-07T12:13:09.340-07:00The New West - The Desert Part 1There definitely is something about Santa Fe. Though the elite shop Bon Marche here, and housing prices are reminiscent of the Bay Area, there is an abiding earthiness and disorganization which is threaded through town. The plaza may always be the plaza, commercial interests notwithstanding, a place with buskers, slackers, tourists, crystal-gazers, hucksters in abundance.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZGOvisCiMkJONQJlfFO6LXG6vNex1_YZOGj_mtrhrhijYYtCMWBCDvg2MdUgQQ1DSNP3olNYnE_UMB-KIQBFD7SGmc8ReH4Xa83hjrLY5QlIV1UE4DThSli2umZ4-D-NphQPGEQ5mC_pOtcvNXNcvrCXScY1SiA4dY3X0i8vY5x9RcDn2iF2N0r0nimbl3TYoayvExCpThLQocYO_vKde_qclt2Bgv932DVF4iMxGjKztybiUgRilTQaB25_-JrnvBPPSJy8jpNjSEL7aQoMztzDMRgkWX36HbYy3gaZO9-g58tV3XtzwCfiWOiXQDPbmDUIlqvthITqKu3F5zbdRjNMYcPYhkVG2v9Tdr_VjI-MC6-s2Iw1sO_tWLfQ42sCKBg6hNI4JzRLT4BSHD6SRZgut49nMwlFqHTuzLkB7m365CUxJlFApIMBpZSCDV3dlASlDsBcnon1ICbtEUXUEEKZ4bDXRGKNbIOPRPHfXJoquQ33dYFnWpoY19lrSoUU8Va3dwWXd6M25Ha1Df7D8vFPbBQSI8b8ybvBDT0m3Jj8AHamJq4GuDQ9tEZe8DojBXtoseY4G8qhz5gIyUVVFLdYAjEIjbHmhWUdtxWuOJ3l65Lo6sovRND6IMKOiOE0eGba2mHs_-DlnFNzgaNmCbDXdrBVSll3gLoR-C_nUrQNIwU_7wdf54g=w431-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="430" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/ZGOvisCiMkJONQJlfFO6LXG6vNex1_YZOGj_mtrhrhijYYtCMWBCDvg2MdUgQQ1DSNP3olNYnE_UMB-KIQBFD7SGmc8ReH4Xa83hjrLY5QlIV1UE4DThSli2umZ4-D-NphQPGEQ5mC_pOtcvNXNcvrCXScY1SiA4dY3X0i8vY5x9RcDn2iF2N0r0nimbl3TYoayvExCpThLQocYO_vKde_qclt2Bgv932DVF4iMxGjKztybiUgRilTQaB25_-JrnvBPPSJy8jpNjSEL7aQoMztzDMRgkWX36HbYy3gaZO9-g58tV3XtzwCfiWOiXQDPbmDUIlqvthITqKu3F5zbdRjNMYcPYhkVG2v9Tdr_VjI-MC6-s2Iw1sO_tWLfQ42sCKBg6hNI4JzRLT4BSHD6SRZgut49nMwlFqHTuzLkB7m365CUxJlFApIMBpZSCDV3dlASlDsBcnon1ICbtEUXUEEKZ4bDXRGKNbIOPRPHfXJoquQ33dYFnWpoY19lrSoUU8Va3dwWXd6M25Ha1Df7D8vFPbBQSI8b8ybvBDT0m3Jj8AHamJq4GuDQ9tEZe8DojBXtoseY4G8qhz5gIyUVVFLdYAjEIjbHmhWUdtxWuOJ3l65Lo6sovRND6IMKOiOE0eGba2mHs_-DlnFNzgaNmCbDXdrBVSll3gLoR-C_nUrQNIwU_7wdf54g=w431-h574-no" width="239" /></a></div>
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And our lodging follows suit somewhat; buildings are meant to remain what they were a century ago more or less, and so you have a Europe-like peculiarity with overall coziness.<br />
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We put in ten miles or more poking around the stuff we're meant to: the River Walk; the Georgia O'Keefe museum; the plaza; the Cross of the Martyrs with its commanding view.<br />
And wow, those amazing kinetic sculptures, on one of which a cicada hitched a ride.<br />
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And finally to the Tea House for alfresco dining, and to bed to ready ourselves for Bandelier Monument, a place with a lot of ladders, and truly architectural outcrops.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/l_9uTpEHLxIZSa0Ew6fufVXIVz8m1NiV1JSHK4_3FtciH2ve1hnDZhOkc2BHdJZGwpcgOefwmJSn6uOd08ppAcJaBUzO8DRKkDZKORnHhLXxOVgDeEBQ5mg_AY07UHHBysFuTI82YivDEOMFsgl4mi5UruoSgsqDvjWYQBaql1Ffa0_ixy4zYgSydMiz3IE5nNsqozzZawkMarKwCTwXCPuALRjNQZZQ9N96b981T9GPFicFjDKUssauUh37kCMTy-grB3ASChdbXHQvIzC5Q7a47B2B4icqNZe1UmIyeqxwn4LjdYlmyEdDT7F7-kK1sEd5l-74swbWyfR4BebMLqe-QaTVn_Is51atc5Cv2FlzqXsoFHkan0u_gxAHnS3QGsApx5jyw0fGVlXWqaCl37Rwx9e5IqoQc3KETqgH4iS2T19hNOHxqEdkz0H-6LUOXApE4DBVu9uRoiOZOmjcyiUEeH8Iu4H-1MUcXqjT-_P6zPgX13_RhKWZWTHYQic3BjricBVQDD7d9_2KyaCKultj3Coh2_H0FFRBhAe_9cvYuzE_IFIPqVgWXlRs4cQZnNub6I67XDPCRPecZg_DgD4L2GdnEhjdXfqXUI6SSc_bNk4ZnKdlZ10ToAF6ESkXwTCVPAbts4fbJKIpIdQ-8o-tzvYEXfPBU0HxorUKr8Q5RUBvwQfhfJU=w431-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="430" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/l_9uTpEHLxIZSa0Ew6fufVXIVz8m1NiV1JSHK4_3FtciH2ve1hnDZhOkc2BHdJZGwpcgOefwmJSn6uOd08ppAcJaBUzO8DRKkDZKORnHhLXxOVgDeEBQ5mg_AY07UHHBysFuTI82YivDEOMFsgl4mi5UruoSgsqDvjWYQBaql1Ffa0_ixy4zYgSydMiz3IE5nNsqozzZawkMarKwCTwXCPuALRjNQZZQ9N96b981T9GPFicFjDKUssauUh37kCMTy-grB3ASChdbXHQvIzC5Q7a47B2B4icqNZe1UmIyeqxwn4LjdYlmyEdDT7F7-kK1sEd5l-74swbWyfR4BebMLqe-QaTVn_Is51atc5Cv2FlzqXsoFHkan0u_gxAHnS3QGsApx5jyw0fGVlXWqaCl37Rwx9e5IqoQc3KETqgH4iS2T19hNOHxqEdkz0H-6LUOXApE4DBVu9uRoiOZOmjcyiUEeH8Iu4H-1MUcXqjT-_P6zPgX13_RhKWZWTHYQic3BjricBVQDD7d9_2KyaCKultj3Coh2_H0FFRBhAe_9cvYuzE_IFIPqVgWXlRs4cQZnNub6I67XDPCRPecZg_DgD4L2GdnEhjdXfqXUI6SSc_bNk4ZnKdlZ10ToAF6ESkXwTCVPAbts4fbJKIpIdQ-8o-tzvYEXfPBU0HxorUKr8Q5RUBvwQfhfJU=w431-h574-no" width="239" /></a></div>
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We later reconnoitered with relatives with abundant First Nations knowledge, at dinner in their house in Albuquerque. They helped us with our planning for next day's visit to Chaco Canyon (The Chaco Culture Natl. Historic Park.) And their counsel really gave us a proper appreciation of the outsized awareness of this Norman Era people, who equaled many around the world in both structural design and celestial-inspired visual elements.<br />
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It became obvious why tourists, photographers, and tinhats all can't wait to get one of those lined-up shots that might capture the rays of the solstice sun (though we just missed the equinoctal one.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/BHOHYHTtvHXYu1G9k0hIpgNjImAAyeHQ25-4hpPT-Cetz2p-4VEaZ1kJhiUVb-wfKU0atuKZYXsEJ4P-8ru80j-9TeTaCRWm8W9QsmSoRZ_IT1gZnuhOcyNR9dSvBEvj_AhVuVV8HdSiVCzr7D2X1rtPEpjU3fkT6nW_kmkEi_hrL_TXBc_M1dokzIXv8hmkZXIXbIcD3fzJUJzgx2wnnaKk6RVRL_qx-IsKAqRJPTxJXGuf_yy57bjGwbYJV2rO3jfp3r73Q3kJBBeJdQDdctaKkHYlTAUAumZxa7H6aVsQO9l-CN9AMaYyce5frA3SJm6k_TWbBCar-Hi27_68mZ0LF9WDkuzPQPhcjPGSOsdkqF1IXWtqArcS9fmY1XAWfiOagneG4ChBC3sQKfH_y8ujTyjjT7hGENencHz0VRTXJTyhSCSU_vtmXB8C2dLLq2nz-afYVROHvf-klY85qxwDfeM2t3PDAiD1QISsGY4L4ODpa1IKdHX2RLlz_fZzynnF7AQ4dsxxUjGxnOjq7Oxm5wPeRrt7HSloYpRUj2Drev5UvlleezuSFPzRP5SEXJF-UStCvfryR4yAS5-YMU42Z9kD7AD2pUv47_1xbIl1UKnvflHVIt9_zWYapJlUfFCd07UoxNFmrapp6VMGiMnyP4eP7-SKsBM6xNRLiRioP-X0v7vWWP8=w527-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/BHOHYHTtvHXYu1G9k0hIpgNjImAAyeHQ25-4hpPT-Cetz2p-4VEaZ1kJhiUVb-wfKU0atuKZYXsEJ4P-8ru80j-9TeTaCRWm8W9QsmSoRZ_IT1gZnuhOcyNR9dSvBEvj_AhVuVV8HdSiVCzr7D2X1rtPEpjU3fkT6nW_kmkEi_hrL_TXBc_M1dokzIXv8hmkZXIXbIcD3fzJUJzgx2wnnaKk6RVRL_qx-IsKAqRJPTxJXGuf_yy57bjGwbYJV2rO3jfp3r73Q3kJBBeJdQDdctaKkHYlTAUAumZxa7H6aVsQO9l-CN9AMaYyce5frA3SJm6k_TWbBCar-Hi27_68mZ0LF9WDkuzPQPhcjPGSOsdkqF1IXWtqArcS9fmY1XAWfiOagneG4ChBC3sQKfH_y8ujTyjjT7hGENencHz0VRTXJTyhSCSU_vtmXB8C2dLLq2nz-afYVROHvf-klY85qxwDfeM2t3PDAiD1QISsGY4L4ODpa1IKdHX2RLlz_fZzynnF7AQ4dsxxUjGxnOjq7Oxm5wPeRrt7HSloYpRUj2Drev5UvlleezuSFPzRP5SEXJF-UStCvfryR4yAS5-YMU42Z9kD7AD2pUv47_1xbIl1UKnvflHVIt9_zWYapJlUfFCd07UoxNFmrapp6VMGiMnyP4eP7-SKsBM6xNRLiRioP-X0v7vWWP8=w527-h574-no" width="293" /></a></div>
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And it's hard to imagine a nicer picnic spot.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/LovBMEaU6XoyH0Dbpqsx6mgyfJG7g7QRJwJ3_XDvpoHPp4tYVaxn_fRfpNOLJJ2LBtnhiLXbkANz_TT6HARLfYX2CULPnbR7Xp_2s7iwNt1kBeX6Y7Rd-G5pwY6V4H1jMDXcflAcFoDK2AFbKl0-G4tIEQMutw7y677Hw_pHw6l_ZtRKadYikGRWAhw3NcVdJKaGm1HKMancmjMXnnoTrcIYB86usYfgThj5bvkKHTEFhYkq6lqRH_mAxngCcT6Pd19oWbbX3xkSlSp-Et_W0uztMml656OfToygVd_6rekGzmYKGIXZzRYzxEr_dZI1S5etwMPYPOKqHcR03697_Kwt0glSGrP6hIxD8TLYSqXVomnZpOFFteYfsQN3-dnEyQukSLI5AgpcSt3INnO8HZ5Elgg9z5dJx0wP5pkpETj65HyKQ5MamomRSLm7apA5awXI_ZdWbkaggInYK3u7N8kVEHz7cIbjMGDAiaHoTfeY4TYxyfXTCUusx44vSDVm1Y1wIV_4I9FRI1myYYV3QIaK4qyd3k_9K8eNcAm1YOxdZ7a0peVg_eV_f8Zh435_Phv2PEnAagLE7e0z6ehDTIwAtehbkuA-qRaT_zuxjwt7Ie3dyDmzGWKNLvIawctR422T8IYTtvAvx7KmoCA64pvJ6HhGjtpBPhdT5P7u-EpcS33AMfgGK3k=w506-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/LovBMEaU6XoyH0Dbpqsx6mgyfJG7g7QRJwJ3_XDvpoHPp4tYVaxn_fRfpNOLJJ2LBtnhiLXbkANz_TT6HARLfYX2CULPnbR7Xp_2s7iwNt1kBeX6Y7Rd-G5pwY6V4H1jMDXcflAcFoDK2AFbKl0-G4tIEQMutw7y677Hw_pHw6l_ZtRKadYikGRWAhw3NcVdJKaGm1HKMancmjMXnnoTrcIYB86usYfgThj5bvkKHTEFhYkq6lqRH_mAxngCcT6Pd19oWbbX3xkSlSp-Et_W0uztMml656OfToygVd_6rekGzmYKGIXZzRYzxEr_dZI1S5etwMPYPOKqHcR03697_Kwt0glSGrP6hIxD8TLYSqXVomnZpOFFteYfsQN3-dnEyQukSLI5AgpcSt3INnO8HZ5Elgg9z5dJx0wP5pkpETj65HyKQ5MamomRSLm7apA5awXI_ZdWbkaggInYK3u7N8kVEHz7cIbjMGDAiaHoTfeY4TYxyfXTCUusx44vSDVm1Y1wIV_4I9FRI1myYYV3QIaK4qyd3k_9K8eNcAm1YOxdZ7a0peVg_eV_f8Zh435_Phv2PEnAagLE7e0z6ehDTIwAtehbkuA-qRaT_zuxjwt7Ie3dyDmzGWKNLvIawctR422T8IYTtvAvx7KmoCA64pvJ6HhGjtpBPhdT5P7u-EpcS33AMfgGK3k=w506-h574-no" width="282" /></a></div>
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And after such a day, a cold Cholo Stout (from Albuquerque's Marble Brewery) hits the spot with impressive force.<br />
<br />Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-19607476692550078302019-09-20T07:26:00.000-07:002019-10-07T12:15:35.099-07:00The New West - The High Plains<br />
The next leg took us to Denver, where a ball game awaited us.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/2U1rpX9LNcCckezZoZ_oVz6hMcC2cg3UeDXhuPtodvblbNxTDu-Jf46LE7cvHtvZEP-IuFOAmpLY1DZwIsNX6h_4nRcSfrin1U5-HERQgiuuP3TSDtkkbrAnC0OphBWoGbCt7vUW-GoHk4SmgNZcW50TMPAO-7uLN4aKZDKzMw3k8cAIeXBR6CYkR8L4w8dMZyyFdF9sLL3sGHNGpCWy7UQCWzhJWdNbeL-7U2JGvV9gq_5cMMRPJ2o0d6GtNYxlG6Qcu45m02Qs9Y-K2-2-ZjH1JqxJTxhGDvGMdwIpZhC8eEVcP9ZPMUC99ATEb35Ip08qNTwg4RYBq6wyKMhbPX4FbBaKvRBuGtqqUCLQPWTCl9FyY8HJT17HuKKFKmy8DVCPOyIsvlpU0tuOPwzNA-JsQFQHWCdj_4ack4DP3r4_wDtIblbzAHMOpOrfT2IWNJDIIb3oSBC9oOYmV4Dvsi5WV7IByCOBcUURB6tf4oUIJbO3bX_nQH8Y1SNQIX-H1cMtAfnLfyH6lROgknTyRQQmE0QWGQ6Jfn3G_qwraZ7lZEinNYwRAU4cQyLkqUQDhEiUf7oTgy892I6LzLSeic2xVAVc1uPwahtooO4jpzHZz7l2FRFktWO-10u7kZ-KiVCfzfzu9ob_EtDj_snIHCurrSUyDAZmh0lSrMZPHligdGk29qkVIzQ=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/2U1rpX9LNcCckezZoZ_oVz6hMcC2cg3UeDXhuPtodvblbNxTDu-Jf46LE7cvHtvZEP-IuFOAmpLY1DZwIsNX6h_4nRcSfrin1U5-HERQgiuuP3TSDtkkbrAnC0OphBWoGbCt7vUW-GoHk4SmgNZcW50TMPAO-7uLN4aKZDKzMw3k8cAIeXBR6CYkR8L4w8dMZyyFdF9sLL3sGHNGpCWy7UQCWzhJWdNbeL-7U2JGvV9gq_5cMMRPJ2o0d6GtNYxlG6Qcu45m02Qs9Y-K2-2-ZjH1JqxJTxhGDvGMdwIpZhC8eEVcP9ZPMUC99ATEb35Ip08qNTwg4RYBq6wyKMhbPX4FbBaKvRBuGtqqUCLQPWTCl9FyY8HJT17HuKKFKmy8DVCPOyIsvlpU0tuOPwzNA-JsQFQHWCdj_4ack4DP3r4_wDtIblbzAHMOpOrfT2IWNJDIIb3oSBC9oOYmV4Dvsi5WV7IByCOBcUURB6tf4oUIJbO3bX_nQH8Y1SNQIX-H1cMtAfnLfyH6lROgknTyRQQmE0QWGQ6Jfn3G_qwraZ7lZEinNYwRAU4cQyLkqUQDhEiUf7oTgy892I6LzLSeic2xVAVc1uPwahtooO4jpzHZz7l2FRFktWO-10u7kZ-KiVCfzfzu9ob_EtDj_snIHCurrSUyDAZmh0lSrMZPHligdGk29qkVIzQ=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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The weather was propitious, and as it happened, the home team lost fairly ignominiously. The east coast fans appeared to outnumber locals, at least if the noise meter was any indication. The locals halfheartedly attempted to insert "Rockies" into the bellowed "Let's go Mets!", but couldn't quite submerge New York fans' fervor.<br />
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After the game we took in what was clearly a bastion of hipster culture at a Ramen joint, creative clothes, emo, gothic beards, chic shoes. The effect was if anything enhanced by the fact that there was a pot shop next door with steady traffic at afternoon commute time on a weekday. (But hey, afternoon commute time... what was I thinking?)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/IGZfPHR6AhXo_xHkkNt8RUFbEFnJKWVOJmTrNYUdRFrX9ax8D-KjEpR-gpm8g3nMgEy0jSYoWEcSfL2h3QviZKLjQ_95BsD8Os23bTjn8fku_t0btA5ZUL7w2xy4OkxEoy4amRSWw1gqcCjs-EJI8YwTWfD6Icpu5AtUQWaSWlmQtHCJ2LuxccKLNV9T00Vmhqz_Yz1g-8wkm2zzxPCFZYLhpKCf6Nl-g4DIck4AVbzxw1g7nkBsBver3dNgcN4jeXGpnTxUHq62PmAgfSSxZfldB0tsKr93TptoqNWXrzpoZs5FfWWAPvhSmQBXsxuDKsziKiROupRTjpjWMBJIPeYSPnwvj8vyW41v2agoO4g9pYh6-rF-uqain1ssqwDel7KFB6pf2PQjJv3yfHctmQXKpJAAksbQ9R5DjyjWPTVN6TBgS7X5lztfUgDNXI_KZieZ0IWwxz9WY-Ol92K8SU9dC1gzNYMeOiUjLEITPNTOL_4ulFSI4dFOshF8fiGdTx1NIDdBklfhVAGnob3E8May0RpHcRvnD0Rfs7xhz1ZBmO1ZusfhoWhHxA5Ng9zI_6gDgDk9p11d-PEpWsN-7b0d0ZCkqo3nPUblwqMycKRunvvo4ylSIbWhlnyB2QiHTuOpXTWtOszEwE-1vDMyQqR824nd0XTzBidvlOvBOaFIhCKD4tVZFHw=w695-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="695" height="264" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/IGZfPHR6AhXo_xHkkNt8RUFbEFnJKWVOJmTrNYUdRFrX9ax8D-KjEpR-gpm8g3nMgEy0jSYoWEcSfL2h3QviZKLjQ_95BsD8Os23bTjn8fku_t0btA5ZUL7w2xy4OkxEoy4amRSWw1gqcCjs-EJI8YwTWfD6Icpu5AtUQWaSWlmQtHCJ2LuxccKLNV9T00Vmhqz_Yz1g-8wkm2zzxPCFZYLhpKCf6Nl-g4DIck4AVbzxw1g7nkBsBver3dNgcN4jeXGpnTxUHq62PmAgfSSxZfldB0tsKr93TptoqNWXrzpoZs5FfWWAPvhSmQBXsxuDKsziKiROupRTjpjWMBJIPeYSPnwvj8vyW41v2agoO4g9pYh6-rF-uqain1ssqwDel7KFB6pf2PQjJv3yfHctmQXKpJAAksbQ9R5DjyjWPTVN6TBgS7X5lztfUgDNXI_KZieZ0IWwxz9WY-Ol92K8SU9dC1gzNYMeOiUjLEITPNTOL_4ulFSI4dFOshF8fiGdTx1NIDdBklfhVAGnob3E8May0RpHcRvnD0Rfs7xhz1ZBmO1ZusfhoWhHxA5Ng9zI_6gDgDk9p11d-PEpWsN-7b0d0ZCkqo3nPUblwqMycKRunvvo4ylSIbWhlnyB2QiHTuOpXTWtOszEwE-1vDMyQqR824nd0XTzBidvlOvBOaFIhCKD4tVZFHw=w695-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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We were ready next day to get out of the line of fire of Lime scooters and head down 25 to our next lodging in Santa Fe. Wonderfully decorative clouds with sun, some with distant rain, persisted everywhere we went.<br />
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And the vastness! The sense of expanse equalled anything we had seen in Utah or Wyoming.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VtNvQYLGTTb3fxddpWok3jvAODWDEFYCDDxRO6o-uY-uiKZfyFvRTu-Y8h4fQjTdzQnRXOVaef5uZbWvEluCrncq83W7zojxnlLyqm2APZxDKpnuPqknTj2Q781KMyCIqr4ujhhBlwFYaN6YniRBwMdpqF1ar2b3ZPDLqD--cIboZyXA8u5kipyFE_Gn9wE6zAv4QJF1qWkg6cjpV7Kz8M7brLSLa3C2b1UI_9ahHV0FK5GZP0Re58B30OFnIFWnu_pdYnnduS1-s8_fP-HXiJ-CKhAGIfDuXBt60CfPsJ1gBgNoGnUQoO57n4Hmk9Khf1w3yfIWTKl4dDqN0YpcqTqOIO-3eXsJbmfmA3lvUFRmMVcz2UZhJrkDZh8goK7xVUiJubqx9chvjgWfWbvvDrPw2OG9R87r5_rd_4Ptlvd8oq7qa3ynGhT3-cHJrpwUkubWMMrQzBYAayfB4VWODyFTl0YKBCKsIwH6tZGWVZBvY3bSp5z5laheJPUW7KXf_M7JE2pO-3xujn_oBST-sp-YYq-tCa8GS5P0nF8l8iVdtHNKBOqEjEqaNveE-SOmTCB3unM80WpOtaZUVQR2JYa-CBhNYC83-6wgfxFLRfbTapw4b_l32GFjbJXotJDkdEmlm0us7NAwX-yxihWyQ06W4OTyDFaGZrFRF1DE3p2CMLsWFoR1DZo=w886-h404-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="886" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VtNvQYLGTTb3fxddpWok3jvAODWDEFYCDDxRO6o-uY-uiKZfyFvRTu-Y8h4fQjTdzQnRXOVaef5uZbWvEluCrncq83W7zojxnlLyqm2APZxDKpnuPqknTj2Q781KMyCIqr4ujhhBlwFYaN6YniRBwMdpqF1ar2b3ZPDLqD--cIboZyXA8u5kipyFE_Gn9wE6zAv4QJF1qWkg6cjpV7Kz8M7brLSLa3C2b1UI_9ahHV0FK5GZP0Re58B30OFnIFWnu_pdYnnduS1-s8_fP-HXiJ-CKhAGIfDuXBt60CfPsJ1gBgNoGnUQoO57n4Hmk9Khf1w3yfIWTKl4dDqN0YpcqTqOIO-3eXsJbmfmA3lvUFRmMVcz2UZhJrkDZh8goK7xVUiJubqx9chvjgWfWbvvDrPw2OG9R87r5_rd_4Ptlvd8oq7qa3ynGhT3-cHJrpwUkubWMMrQzBYAayfB4VWODyFTl0YKBCKsIwH6tZGWVZBvY3bSp5z5laheJPUW7KXf_M7JE2pO-3xujn_oBST-sp-YYq-tCa8GS5P0nF8l8iVdtHNKBOqEjEqaNveE-SOmTCB3unM80WpOtaZUVQR2JYa-CBhNYC83-6wgfxFLRfbTapw4b_l32GFjbJXotJDkdEmlm0us7NAwX-yxihWyQ06W4OTyDFaGZrFRF1DE3p2CMLsWFoR1DZo=w886-h404-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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And that was true of the varied rest stops we used, including the view from the picnic pavilion in one which was part of the Santa Fe trail.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/b2R188gLbR1k-G-jhCxJJheta4f55mhlkc0ARITXjDvKgHuiYiVSvDQwU4VPgjWDrfXFooNzga9mZu9djbRCuvMITqh-bKLVMNS8lJlHnE34OypRy9CtrGqsEvH95t9pmDFIm0VFa1kryhOvBw-rZPoAJ2YgbkzJZ6GTEGqRHfjEZFYAOwpA0Pq0GjEjVv0-jXNkZcARVNV3byMbxBSHBOFOo7T-U01DitVSZaBYndmJI1qBlu-5tbuj7rrP_S7FsfkRCtI5aIYJAcdLzCQXvYe8B5Nr8wBtqFa2jhYJoLpEoQuhf9qaf1iJ1uhyzEESvlQfWBrM2TUbMvaulyNjc7V0t3RZN33tpKnmBl4L0-wfNESdyGg5Uh33mbe7vgUZD7Qq4DHjRqTUTiqKQkB6T53cx4Je66mzK369aDZ12nBRFQqu2MZbJpNbO1_2wE--iuurWIpcIJjVTY_HzOp8dc3AGqnlKmY2ZN4BCaBkC4gO980J_O7eDuDdxjay0njyvxl5_LMIqNfVTUW3ApkbyK1iyr_2G-5ISHJJ86RXJh0OrLJDI05PrVU2DnJtmepI01CWDslB9r_HT7Qm7S7h6Va5yDeWGGj3f0USEAUTqBnJ8rAhoGDT1GR42K0o3JFsrJsnKQZl1JRX_a9nWtW_e1F5TssZ5PMABvxN8v89KyvonCdzRMwoK0o=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="766" height="239" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/b2R188gLbR1k-G-jhCxJJheta4f55mhlkc0ARITXjDvKgHuiYiVSvDQwU4VPgjWDrfXFooNzga9mZu9djbRCuvMITqh-bKLVMNS8lJlHnE34OypRy9CtrGqsEvH95t9pmDFIm0VFa1kryhOvBw-rZPoAJ2YgbkzJZ6GTEGqRHfjEZFYAOwpA0Pq0GjEjVv0-jXNkZcARVNV3byMbxBSHBOFOo7T-U01DitVSZaBYndmJI1qBlu-5tbuj7rrP_S7FsfkRCtI5aIYJAcdLzCQXvYe8B5Nr8wBtqFa2jhYJoLpEoQuhf9qaf1iJ1uhyzEESvlQfWBrM2TUbMvaulyNjc7V0t3RZN33tpKnmBl4L0-wfNESdyGg5Uh33mbe7vgUZD7Qq4DHjRqTUTiqKQkB6T53cx4Je66mzK369aDZ12nBRFQqu2MZbJpNbO1_2wE--iuurWIpcIJjVTY_HzOp8dc3AGqnlKmY2ZN4BCaBkC4gO980J_O7eDuDdxjay0njyvxl5_LMIqNfVTUW3ApkbyK1iyr_2G-5ISHJJ86RXJh0OrLJDI05PrVU2DnJtmepI01CWDslB9r_HT7Qm7S7h6Va5yDeWGGj3f0USEAUTqBnJ8rAhoGDT1GR42K0o3JFsrJsnKQZl1JRX_a9nWtW_e1F5TssZ5PMABvxN8v89KyvonCdzRMwoK0o=w766-h574-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then into Santa Fe, a little too late to see much of the gallery scene, but plenty of time to walk around the plaza. And see one notable Dia De Los Muertos shop display.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMByZoSLfqvnWMP0XSEKiLgyHGlkCBsoR5-xThBHJPyHejQdA3NvuazggRBzlrerRzaV2SundXZ-hcAsZI9UJC0fw9A60hOA6wPyFw_Fyl3nqn53Tz92trxw2NxE1SABL8M7ZT6l50flo/s1600/IMG_3175+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMByZoSLfqvnWMP0XSEKiLgyHGlkCBsoR5-xThBHJPyHejQdA3NvuazggRBzlrerRzaV2SundXZ-hcAsZI9UJC0fw9A60hOA6wPyFw_Fyl3nqn53Tz92trxw2NxE1SABL8M7ZT6l50flo/s320/IMG_3175+%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a>Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-90947410923148787282019-09-17T19:46:00.002-07:002019-10-07T13:10:20.576-07:00The New West - The RockiesAnd it was down the road through more high plains. (Here a hint of the immensity of view from the dumpster area of a rest stop in southern Wyoming.)<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zdkn2whwYHH0SoxbwKz7G95Rj6twXENm6QE7IH1SOMSvZ7BsJMNjYmgS59flb8K2IfyWnvnThHutbjfmmJAvGW_Wa--G4zvnXap_6Rq1WBh4r_tjtYxuwWf-yvRhoa65KVXO9BykqpGfP4zcL7b3x4qucq2f0l-IAvbiQOWYGLwmmxHdhUzw2SvhMz9y3aw-pO0Q23N2TwW5XbWINKwHZN-ijejqZ142hrLeYQ--pcYsbRmURIwCAJxMIBtMib7eWE6zbUfmuKqKA2oiUn8ZfXtd_1ntg-_Igm_kn2L4TrHRTduQUXWjphBIuSI5dStCEqgoDq7zRi4cfBpJAoi-e4oh8KjgiZKPKaBbCKzr_CYs1oHSOrER-3WqclEKIlskO-kDPgsecbVJggdJnraIb5rrVSM5HTMZLahtXe7rjphkgfsJckvjmTRhBYnoOUCIIxYA1dALoQl1Ljbk50S8x-tIg0-dEof24lJOZwdLPql-ZAYkFArvSHkCV9kNIP_R5fvDx_LuYCM1Dx-iS-R3TSQ6VMXdfybiNhDHqelkCVWwU1-QtAEldm_v6-5CQCHIJLCewjDw5OEA_xDuaM6OsOmSM0x1HH70K_P60yZnusyAfz3MF9ztIj90XSfzqEOxAhtDnU2gU7weU80_OCPIgwWk5ioxTr6BS54BhkQZ-mDQUDAgXYBFv0Q=w886-h266-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="886" height="95" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zdkn2whwYHH0SoxbwKz7G95Rj6twXENm6QE7IH1SOMSvZ7BsJMNjYmgS59flb8K2IfyWnvnThHutbjfmmJAvGW_Wa--G4zvnXap_6Rq1WBh4r_tjtYxuwWf-yvRhoa65KVXO9BykqpGfP4zcL7b3x4qucq2f0l-IAvbiQOWYGLwmmxHdhUzw2SvhMz9y3aw-pO0Q23N2TwW5XbWINKwHZN-ijejqZ142hrLeYQ--pcYsbRmURIwCAJxMIBtMib7eWE6zbUfmuKqKA2oiUn8ZfXtd_1ntg-_Igm_kn2L4TrHRTduQUXWjphBIuSI5dStCEqgoDq7zRi4cfBpJAoi-e4oh8KjgiZKPKaBbCKzr_CYs1oHSOrER-3WqclEKIlskO-kDPgsecbVJggdJnraIb5rrVSM5HTMZLahtXe7rjphkgfsJckvjmTRhBYnoOUCIIxYA1dALoQl1Ljbk50S8x-tIg0-dEof24lJOZwdLPql-ZAYkFArvSHkCV9kNIP_R5fvDx_LuYCM1Dx-iS-R3TSQ6VMXdfybiNhDHqelkCVWwU1-QtAEldm_v6-5CQCHIJLCewjDw5OEA_xDuaM6OsOmSM0x1HH70K_P60yZnusyAfz3MF9ztIj90XSfzqEOxAhtDnU2gU7weU80_OCPIgwWk5ioxTr6BS54BhkQZ-mDQUDAgXYBFv0Q=w886-h266-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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We continued in this visual vein all the way to the border, specifically the northern Colorado border on the way to Fort Collins. In a mere quarter mile, the terrain changed, as though engineered by the state, to scrub pines, granite boulders, and hills. It was a prelude to the Rockies in truth, but also a prelude to the college-town-with-big-box-stores that is Fort Collins. There is no evading "town", though there is as much charm in the cachet-laden downtown walking mall as there is charmlessness in the outskirts with their check cashing stores, worn bodegas and struggling strip malls.<br />
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But soon enough we were entering Estes Park, the scenic gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, which, as the ranger in the visitor center informed us, is the third most-visited NP after Great Smoky Mountains and the Grand Canyon, take that, Yosemite. And on a Monday, well-subscribed, but not claustrophobic.<br />
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A must for the visitor is a trip to Bear Lake, which can only be driven to directly on a morning, by the crazed tourist who got up at 5 for breakfast to make sure they got a parking space before they were snapped up. We were unwittingly adept, since we ended up in the vicinity in midafternoon, when those who itch to see bull elk bugling have concluded that the creatures are too enervated to muster a vocalization.<br />
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Muster, in fact, they did, as our shuttle passed them, and a bit later too. But between we made our way to the shuttle-handy Bear Lake:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/0PTn493pmcFDyL0pZIcF0cjHB21XM02fkIPSN9_alFuxMDImCbAh7aezozLYA6UleGke2BBWvOnVOiqOidkIN0d0lplu8UQKH_PKTDeSi8QDmXn9mA2d765t7Nz4aEXXognQ_H--MbFqMq7uSEytDdImleCzj_1jkrAL45h2eeDIWSPy0UkcX9N9UWRWoK9ClNUnu8Pxqjm2QYiUzVO43W7wk3ArymK7G9Te42AjUjUyNP4C7iGhxRp3TBL6Y8_a5eK4yN3Qy3UAFxqrG8BJm9qOG87RzFVhbcQHBZwbdyFgFcRQNfdUfI4KauESnn1dYz3PKMfqoWoIyrfDwqAynMWOJBFq1bw-gHX_y8OgLGHEYMBBMGZAqR12qtxJEA_cRWO75eRaFNT7JA-mdTp5ole4iusAnzDOUv2MTeMTFu_w8SntshESCDJ6qupIQYP4eIg8B35ln7Fk21A6PpaMVotB6_U8ZWzIzMPnJnGJ9TBQr2zNv5hCX7giWUZfhPuKaa-09t832iI-9_swq6fEWQTiIdONJnsEoiWJD9VzmFAdDLvHW4LcAzfUk8_jopR57JJtbYeeInZD2lZBm2ogfHinuadr_aIJLAyCBirtBKzxsd36CK9YhcHvjd57upn6-WCyYwprcMkSwiChz6kPQycsuFn2p2yQ7fQtYgfB6mF9Mj8iA4InLQI=w766-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>
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But surprised ourselves, especially being over 9000 feet, by covering a couple of miles more to get to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes, several hundred feet higher. In the throes of altitude adjustment, there was a bit of walking a shallow molasses pool to each step, but there was plenty of compensation.<br />
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We went high on the hog for dinner after such an undertaking, smoked salmon and stuffed trout, and thanked our lucky stars.<br />
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Next day was time for covering some ground in the park, in particular making our way to the tundra world in the vicinity of the Alpine visitor center. We had plenty of company making our way up the road through high arboreal areas, then above treeline.<br />
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We were not entirely prepared for the force of the wind, and felt like were were going to get blown down at one point.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz2Uy3erfgdjXFzObldcrdPNMVzS4arpNt7cJ4LqKoNVDMMbqexbnpW4k_MBmxPs1Kpsuqr2QQC9vG1hGlGZA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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We did see one plump marmot with his fur in serious disarray. And some Asian girls getting pulled around by their hair by the wind, wisely writing it off as a bad job after perhaps 100 steps.<br />
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Then came a frustrating set of attempts to find a viable picnic spot. If there was parking, there was rain. If there was no rain, there was far too much wind; when a wind-sheltered spot emerged, the drops fell.<br />
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Back to the room then for lunch, then out to the river walk in Estes Park, then a local brewery, where a suspiciously rigged game was set up near a view of the local sky tram.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J94JZya6i3Uu1NmRhES_FoFP_1FeNu-6s4qZ53Rda_2c-1_S7dQ3q0GssqtvJHRtMfS0QJkp1Jtrb3j_FukA4GbNFWf39TxOzySDx8YW-I2-hDaLaCsAIGe8ARrsBTaPU3a3V6N_1t2UfjmKfPRc2SCoPUrPWXBm2fNpOEPqWQPiAKPFMbqVB4hlHyScJhP5X5wY_nftQ0EJq6x1CGD8Je_9Pk7yIyiLRBYBvIVScNOfnRMWwOpUurbKUEJI9TPGBlv97bXSP5WlNGyKbcGyYvmQR0N4c9c71ixG5CyrwExoRJGLM0wm75nGExWmH9LjBVFbWegJEhBLcFcZhirZNLiwQ4wA1xx-J1DW5tPMsrb6GgUFcQ_z0hgT02yy8Q4thSo7i8yRWYnbaCBECmDMBMWp9FXxUCLXcL10eus3k3fQJPpz31d_YdtnEfWn-SjXVkBtR-tKMbff-t3rpmH5HBMNfH9xEBUHF97NNHDZTmEXAtwr4Eoi-SH5XqCMzTwTeNsAE3RSIt6k8L9Loc6BDWJJlo-f58xC6KgH0U7daQLYue1t-_ae6Uv7HWp6DDFB5i-IyGxEUiVfUdUcHJGtZtw-mc2_122BSPO_uVOzTS8i2PuSsOOw0h-TFJCmvbX6UNMYsJ2jahABFxhlsSdaRkoJdwECr75oaTlkHzgLAxbX10su4rowBo=w323-h574-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J94JZya6i3Uu1NmRhES_FoFP_1FeNu-6s4qZ53Rda_2c-1_S7dQ3q0GssqtvJHRtMfS0QJkp1Jtrb3j_FukA4GbNFWf39TxOzySDx8YW-I2-hDaLaCsAIGe8ARrsBTaPU3a3V6N_1t2UfjmKfPRc2SCoPUrPWXBm2fNpOEPqWQPiAKPFMbqVB4hlHyScJhP5X5wY_nftQ0EJq6x1CGD8Je_9Pk7yIyiLRBYBvIVScNOfnRMWwOpUurbKUEJI9TPGBlv97bXSP5WlNGyKbcGyYvmQR0N4c9c71ixG5CyrwExoRJGLM0wm75nGExWmH9LjBVFbWegJEhBLcFcZhirZNLiwQ4wA1xx-J1DW5tPMsrb6GgUFcQ_z0hgT02yy8Q4thSo7i8yRWYnbaCBECmDMBMWp9FXxUCLXcL10eus3k3fQJPpz31d_YdtnEfWn-SjXVkBtR-tKMbff-t3rpmH5HBMNfH9xEBUHF97NNHDZTmEXAtwr4Eoi-SH5XqCMzTwTeNsAE3RSIt6k8L9Loc6BDWJJlo-f58xC6KgH0U7daQLYue1t-_ae6Uv7HWp6DDFB5i-IyGxEUiVfUdUcHJGtZtw-mc2_122BSPO_uVOzTS8i2PuSsOOw0h-TFJCmvbX6UNMYsJ2jahABFxhlsSdaRkoJdwECr75oaTlkHzgLAxbX10su4rowBo=w323-h574-no" width="180" /></a></div>
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(the note on the machine indicates that the management must witness an accurate launch of the quarter.)<br />
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Then dinner at a remarkably busy restaurant strategically placed to bag all of the park-exiting traffic. All good, really.<br />
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Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-81787686185470544922019-09-15T19:35:00.000-07:002019-10-07T09:16:40.269-07:00The New West - Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">A week ago, and a bit more, we took a few turns around Vancouver, British Columbia, a place which, while drier than usual, still featured the classic greens of the Pacific Northwest. This week we're driving around the newest incarnation of what was once The Wild West, as it confronts the new America, and perhaps begins to shape part of it. </span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">The first leg leg last Friday took us to the town of Verdi just outside Reno, Nevada, where we were staying with a friend who had just moved there from the Bay Area. (Now don't start thinking opera when you go to pronounce this town's name, it's vur-DIE.) Verdi is a very small town, only a few miles from the California border, which has inherited in the last ten years or so tens of thousands of newcomers in a vast housing development and golf course.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #444444;">The development is very much planned, and mixes gated and non-gated communities, and is still very much under development. It's a very attractive proposition for a Californian dismayed by the lack of affordable housing, since a 1500-ish square footer can be had for under half a million, with a view and a garage. A lot of the offerings are seniors-only, which makes the community very quiet, though there is regular if not heavy foot, bike, and motor traffic. </span></a></div>
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<a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">It is sort of a natural consequence of both Nevada's magnetic properties for Golden Staters, and Reno's explosive growth in the last twenty years or so. And I do wonder what it will look like in 30 years, when quite a few of the current residents have died, and the houses start to age.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">After a walk with very pleasant views and a quiet night, we were off to Wendover, Utah - well, really West Wendover, Nevada and Wendover, Utah, which blend enough that, like Stateline, Nevada, require lines and labels to show the state transition. Though really it's not a secret in either case, since the plethora of high-rise casinos gives the state identity away.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">Wendover is not as large as the Tahoe area, however, and after some scanning of the restaurant offerings, we dejectedly opted for yogurt and a banana from the local super as a workable enough dinner. The Marshall Tucker band was in town to play a venue there - we missed them, however. The Race Week was happening at Bonneville Salt Flats - ditto. In fact, as I considered a confluence of events that would attract people of a different stripe, I'm not sure I could have found a more effective approach. Oh, yeah, I forgot the casino factor, even more effective.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">The comfort of the motel notwithstanding, the sun was not high in the sky when we hightailed it out of town - next stop, Salt Lake City.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="498" height="320" src="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" width="199" /></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">There was nice weather, not too much heat, in "SLC", where it proved to be easiest, if a little intimidating, to seek restrooms in the Latter Day Saints' center of the world - well, not the Tabernacle, but at least the info center hard by. Plenty of Stories of Jesus and carefully-coiffed women as expected.</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">Also magnificent views of surrounding mountains from the Capitol nearby. But we had to make way toward our ultimate day's rest in Rawlings, Wyoming. (We made a stop in Little America, represented in at least two locations in these two big states, but all we took away was that they have clean bathrooms and long lines of sapped tourists for their touted 75-cent cones.)</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/sZ5cmn1fcI2NlkVFHZVjjIZVafGN7_7wWdq0bidUxenLlM_Zvqbs06iIQ1wRLGE49-FpiYVyPooAWEoZcc9aOQ2OV6vZoDRDhCsWffqoN2kOv091ZArXN00YNo9o3QtT-q9Ba2IXZokLXtee9vPWUbtgo5YJUn8jid1sHZrn4O2sTa6RMR_KeLCGeeaWWw_2U-Gi6EdFezLhFvlNNwALhEDadT_Md_Ki2qOafddmM2c06_5XRri1kJH6Tl5ijKXJAhcC7oN5Av0kQGqeSdUJTlL3f0MBvvdzzX3qsi2BJiiiB69Rar6JnAxYLUm7vNSAlniMIIgPcG0eGOYmvkekzdtZ0haw56TaeBS9L-MuhIdTYIrra7yHoNG2U7i84fB3Gkwh2bE1Q2Kf4AwTNmBXxTQWTZzCozQIrSSobK6-ZaL0F0EJ4TjzitR_QREMhO5hypdVwmSfAbbySWwhgbE8gr1kKOIhSAU6C1C_fGu2Semg_ycZA-QILyV-e_ALMZ5bTg4MDdED4P1IgP01VjHvhXwoOnBU4UQCAijy8s4Pl3JvCtFxlWV7fCjB8zVxlgAS6xUkp6LCAaXwDElcOxc9ZevxEdC_6fAFAq7LSOzOcOz1Nc-FynKiN-R2I1Q2WxnrlhlMGVHXp3tUnhuGQJK6TnJmjeL8B79qBCIWstFMlY74WHzdOivtEAE=w886-h426-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="886" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/sZ5cmn1fcI2NlkVFHZVjjIZVafGN7_7wWdq0bidUxenLlM_Zvqbs06iIQ1wRLGE49-FpiYVyPooAWEoZcc9aOQ2OV6vZoDRDhCsWffqoN2kOv091ZArXN00YNo9o3QtT-q9Ba2IXZokLXtee9vPWUbtgo5YJUn8jid1sHZrn4O2sTa6RMR_KeLCGeeaWWw_2U-Gi6EdFezLhFvlNNwALhEDadT_Md_Ki2qOafddmM2c06_5XRri1kJH6Tl5ijKXJAhcC7oN5Av0kQGqeSdUJTlL3f0MBvvdzzX3qsi2BJiiiB69Rar6JnAxYLUm7vNSAlniMIIgPcG0eGOYmvkekzdtZ0haw56TaeBS9L-MuhIdTYIrra7yHoNG2U7i84fB3Gkwh2bE1Q2Kf4AwTNmBXxTQWTZzCozQIrSSobK6-ZaL0F0EJ4TjzitR_QREMhO5hypdVwmSfAbbySWwhgbE8gr1kKOIhSAU6C1C_fGu2Semg_ycZA-QILyV-e_ALMZ5bTg4MDdED4P1IgP01VjHvhXwoOnBU4UQCAijy8s4Pl3JvCtFxlWV7fCjB8zVxlgAS6xUkp6LCAaXwDElcOxc9ZevxEdC_6fAFAq7LSOzOcOz1Nc-FynKiN-R2I1Q2WxnrlhlMGVHXp3tUnhuGQJK6TnJmjeL8B79qBCIWstFMlY74WHzdOivtEAE=w886-h426-no" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">(above, flowers on the road to Wyoming.)</a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;">Now Rawlings, despite its Hampton and Holiday Inn Express, has to be a good example of a Wyoming, or even high plains, town - one suffering the hollowing of the old core businesses, but moving right along. They even commemorate the "Pen":</span></a><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />(Deer grazing in front of the former penitentiary)</a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VoLt1jrDPspQTQM6iVcj3-xvFcx3WsI_yFi5P6phaKeRspgo3_ybIspdgZtTAr7_6QQ96hoPw6xi76kb3GU2Eg1-DR0I937Dabi2LQOHs2So6iRJMxo3CmRRFKl75PoWzT9BraYz2OwliwfsOPxzMq4ut2FL-J02Y5-kF24nkOZ04WXfww0kCpg66f5-DNsI8jSK0YTMqYcdritJJNRDm0_H9p-k5K1UcRY0Lv2AaJXeOY5MWvNEucOdTNHaqupQWGZCag9hVtoA4ZJn_4cDxxa1EtMX6d2F7KnG46Ux7qw0kG0BL9T4pFoRJlW8-MjpHbcTN__jOna3IAsTt23L0QujeM_tZMv6axyDFdtlX5EyYeCXWFoziYyQiF9eo7OoB4TyJsRsDDaAaN2NmCcjQKagr3zvn-KYjpxSFnNGDbREiQYBnCRdHvsL99owAtJ9kDjg_FRGHQ3OsSUBX8sDrnneXx0EW8n_wSs5KrcJAWunHhJslJvF24yZcjbFR8L8cZP0XClZ_uOMl-6G78DzGpSb0sRqSIlGlQozTaPdR_8R6XG51hnjOjoOVjh6nMWM7ffk3QcxgKOFOidMgEjDqoMcr8vUAYlvXJZzJsVd0BaInQk7WOdLvOoBbCNoR7bip-NeUt4Y0kq4kBRuR2twsD91Z1zcBj0qLPab9tug4UG3yns8t8c33HA=w886-h444-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="886" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/VoLt1jrDPspQTQM6iVcj3-xvFcx3WsI_yFi5P6phaKeRspgo3_ybIspdgZtTAr7_6QQ96hoPw6xi76kb3GU2Eg1-DR0I937Dabi2LQOHs2So6iRJMxo3CmRRFKl75PoWzT9BraYz2OwliwfsOPxzMq4ut2FL-J02Y5-kF24nkOZ04WXfww0kCpg66f5-DNsI8jSK0YTMqYcdritJJNRDm0_H9p-k5K1UcRY0Lv2AaJXeOY5MWvNEucOdTNHaqupQWGZCag9hVtoA4ZJn_4cDxxa1EtMX6d2F7KnG46Ux7qw0kG0BL9T4pFoRJlW8-MjpHbcTN__jOna3IAsTt23L0QujeM_tZMv6axyDFdtlX5EyYeCXWFoziYyQiF9eo7OoB4TyJsRsDDaAaN2NmCcjQKagr3zvn-KYjpxSFnNGDbREiQYBnCRdHvsL99owAtJ9kDjg_FRGHQ3OsSUBX8sDrnneXx0EW8n_wSs5KrcJAWunHhJslJvF24yZcjbFR8L8cZP0XClZ_uOMl-6G78DzGpSb0sRqSIlGlQozTaPdR_8R6XG51hnjOjoOVjh6nMWM7ffk3QcxgKOFOidMgEjDqoMcr8vUAYlvXJZzJsVd0BaInQk7WOdLvOoBbCNoR7bip-NeUt4Y0kq4kBRuR2twsD91Z1zcBj0qLPab9tug4UG3yns8t8c33HA=w886-h444-no" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><span style="clear: left; color: #444444; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://c8.alamy.com/comp/RW2GT6/wendover-will-neon-sign-at-night-RW2GT6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">The improbably-named Shogun's Pizza cranks out a creditable product, too.</a></span>Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-77014021112902351792018-10-11T15:10:00.000-07:002018-10-11T15:15:28.165-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Seven: The Maritime WayOn we went to Port Hood, and our lodging for the day of our last Celtic Colors show, which happened nearby in Mabou, one historic location of several populated by Scottish emigrants arriving in the mid-19th century. The favored watering hole is called the Red Shoe, and is cultish enough that we saw an elderly lady with some undefinable localism to her, with a shirt with the logo "Red Shoe-aholic". We were completely ready to indulge in the very respectable Nova Scotia Cereal Killer - this being the name of their oatmeal stout - from the Big Spruce brewers, and the RS was ready to indulge us in that desire.<br />
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Right across the street, roughly, was a vivid view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MMvqKstcyVf9yAyckRiZTHJAEk3NM0N9CROhT6bas7uVCOQfVw03RKF7TJyDfzE4jnoWyx6Pb9HGJDO9ydxwTMmZr3gPwMqe0WWcvRH6z9WRnP0GRMna-Oz1hY8-500nnGd6YFhXaGI/s1600/PANO_20181010_170109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MMvqKstcyVf9yAyckRiZTHJAEk3NM0N9CROhT6bas7uVCOQfVw03RKF7TJyDfzE4jnoWyx6Pb9HGJDO9ydxwTMmZr3gPwMqe0WWcvRH6z9WRnP0GRMna-Oz1hY8-500nnGd6YFhXaGI/s320/PANO_20181010_170109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And after a suitable time, we proceeded across the other way to the local meeting hall, where the salmon feed fundraiser was underway, where we met both locals and nonlocals from Maine and California, moreover Central California, perhaps improbably. This meal was Thanksgiving-like, no surprise given Canada's Thanksgiving had just happened two days before. The salmon stood in for turkey, but otherwise familiar fare.<br />
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Before I forget, though, I need to cover our spare lodging down the road, where a very taciturn fellow threw open a door to the office at our arrival, and left it open. Inside was a stack of flooring tiles, a woodworking-ready table on the other side of the somewhat cavernous room, and CNN provided the soundtrack. Impressively, a sweeping view of the hardware store greeted us out our window:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JHnS8Piy4E32Oot4QnSZqserCvrDK2vmZYVQg2kVJ1Bjh3U5LeHcWrGxjgRzuUx2dGz_JOoHR7k8cyfBYjqxPIxA-TXErINCuw-oxSkW_lmUCZJaIceSAS1iZ9ldayJK8qaSLJd86KM/s1600/IMG_20181010_133739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JHnS8Piy4E32Oot4QnSZqserCvrDK2vmZYVQg2kVJ1Bjh3U5LeHcWrGxjgRzuUx2dGz_JOoHR7k8cyfBYjqxPIxA-TXErINCuw-oxSkW_lmUCZJaIceSAS1iZ9ldayJK8qaSLJd86KM/s1600/IMG_20181010_133739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JHnS8Piy4E32Oot4QnSZqserCvrDK2vmZYVQg2kVJ1Bjh3U5LeHcWrGxjgRzuUx2dGz_JOoHR7k8cyfBYjqxPIxA-TXErINCuw-oxSkW_lmUCZJaIceSAS1iZ9ldayJK8qaSLJd86KM/s1600/IMG_20181010_133739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JHnS8Piy4E32Oot4QnSZqserCvrDK2vmZYVQg2kVJ1Bjh3U5LeHcWrGxjgRzuUx2dGz_JOoHR7k8cyfBYjqxPIxA-TXErINCuw-oxSkW_lmUCZJaIceSAS1iZ9ldayJK8qaSLJd86KM/s320/IMG_20181010_133739.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a fitting introduction to our meeting hall dinner somehow.<br />
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And we had just enough time to hustle down the road to the concert, a locals-heavy reflection on the musical connections across the Atlantic, many to the Inner Hebrides, including several MacDonalds who emigrated to Mabou, Judique, and other NS locations, carrying with them the Gaelic speech incomprehensible to the other transplanted Canadians, as well as the musical styles, the strathspey being one of the notable forms associated with this North American maritime area.<br />
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Suffice it to say that this area of Cape Breton has significant talent in step-dancing, pipes, fiddle, bhodran, whistles and Gaelic ballads. The local kids learn Gaelic, and Gaelic tunes, at an early age, and although none of the songs with lyrics were in any other language, many in the audience were singing along, and there is a local choral group which apparently only does music in the old language.<br />
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We got ready to drive back to Moncton in the morning in increasingly driving rain. Then I noticed the sign on our motel room door.<br />
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Just sayin'.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-56943703028638130882018-10-09T05:43:00.000-07:002018-10-09T05:43:09.645-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Six: Way Down EastDay Two in Sydney started with a hike quite near our AirBnB, starting at a church and moving relentlessly upward, so steeply that ropes were strung between trees to assist especially on the slippery way down:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUseK5cyAmT2lb1ELtBmztQ0E0mX3d6_dY-_8tSu9slRNm0l0zN45CO97GUuo_vIBUgWOiz4SheNjsQPd2JcdoxIfAczsLqOlYYhpT-gzkp4wcCiIvWYR3TJXDNtRACQIZuZAECi7AGzM/s1600/IMG_20181007_121513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1567" data-original-width="1002" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUseK5cyAmT2lb1ELtBmztQ0E0mX3d6_dY-_8tSu9slRNm0l0zN45CO97GUuo_vIBUgWOiz4SheNjsQPd2JcdoxIfAczsLqOlYYhpT-gzkp4wcCiIvWYR3TJXDNtRACQIZuZAECi7AGzM/s320/IMG_20181007_121513.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
Having ascended, we got a reward of a pretty large view of the northern stretch of Sydney - but it being a somewhat surly day at that point, the results aren't particulary post-worthy.<br />
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But on the other hand, on the way back, there was this twisted tree with significant personality:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86Rp4PoBOiV1zzh9gpc8KpWGvPj7IyAWgdFg2LQBB6Ig328bg9GOUeLuy2kEF3tMsXH2OBSZo0CXUM3hhfBtsxjB1uOZ1KfIturEOZitf-NrF31t1oVaVKHIySP5M0zvmRPvi0h-kxew/s1600/IMG_20181007_133245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86Rp4PoBOiV1zzh9gpc8KpWGvPj7IyAWgdFg2LQBB6Ig328bg9GOUeLuy2kEF3tMsXH2OBSZo0CXUM3hhfBtsxjB1uOZ1KfIturEOZitf-NrF31t1oVaVKHIySP5M0zvmRPvi0h-kxew/s1600/IMG_20181007_133245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86Rp4PoBOiV1zzh9gpc8KpWGvPj7IyAWgdFg2LQBB6Ig328bg9GOUeLuy2kEF3tMsXH2OBSZo0CXUM3hhfBtsxjB1uOZ1KfIturEOZitf-NrF31t1oVaVKHIySP5M0zvmRPvi0h-kxew/s320/IMG_20181007_133245.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And then it was time to reconnoiter the city to investigate the next venue at the Big Fiddle, a thousand-plus hall with an iconic sculpture in front:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mFPsLVwdRnjPv4Ivklr_FgtU7-ZrBJyDAhMwPeNuLAvmutT5vrRtIEjKiyGCJEexzozEZkqKMolo7hApX6p5akwo2R2_qgXsT3-srolz3hkFSB4hEYlsB5WdG6VK5tVruqKhGCvzMro/s1600/IMG_20181007_154837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mFPsLVwdRnjPv4Ivklr_FgtU7-ZrBJyDAhMwPeNuLAvmutT5vrRtIEjKiyGCJEexzozEZkqKMolo7hApX6p5akwo2R2_qgXsT3-srolz3hkFSB4hEYlsB5WdG6VK5tVruqKhGCvzMro/s320/IMG_20181007_154837.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And, hey, how handy, there's a pub right across the street, so why not...<br />
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Later, we went to one of the major events of the Celtic Colors, the Big Ceilidh at the Big Fiddle, featuring among others the energetic homegrown trad group Coig and the headlining Scots clan Blazing Fiddles. The crowd needed less prodding as these took the stage, check out Coig from last year for instance:<br />
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And hey, they have a pretty nice cover of Peter G.'s Solsbury Hill to boot. And the fiddles did blaze for the headliners. These groups have a nice way of balancing the otherwise high frequency-heavy mix with a keyboard with the bottom end up, so they can drive the songs nicely without drums.<br />
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Then the next morning back on the road north to Ingonish, where a cabin awaited. The Mainers call the upper coast of the state "Down East", apparently because "downwind", where the boats were pushed, went there. And Ingonish is nearly as far east as you can get and be in North America. And we figured we'd get a look from the North, at Cape Smokey overlook, with plenty of mischievous clouds messing up the light:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiZBcV1EfRR89SjfS2AryNHiByNK1Udpw_hAhWP7Z4XjipqLlAW4osrVzA3o2rMtkKeo8_BO01w4sQdyPCtQrWNsQEGK3u-XzGcL2hVubdGNix1YE3QJpYg-5ZHixSSn5ivE-nP9kHy0/s1600/IMG_20181008_115553_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiZBcV1EfRR89SjfS2AryNHiByNK1Udpw_hAhWP7Z4XjipqLlAW4osrVzA3o2rMtkKeo8_BO01w4sQdyPCtQrWNsQEGK3u-XzGcL2hVubdGNix1YE3QJpYg-5ZHixSSn5ivE-nP9kHy0/s320/IMG_20181008_115553_1.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiZBcV1EfRR89SjfS2AryNHiByNK1Udpw_hAhWP7Z4XjipqLlAW4osrVzA3o2rMtkKeo8_BO01w4sQdyPCtQrWNsQEGK3u-XzGcL2hVubdGNix1YE3QJpYg-5ZHixSSn5ivE-nP9kHy0/s1600/IMG_20181008_115553_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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And then, what do you know, we were able to drag our increasing proliferation of effects into the cramped-but-cozy cabin, how about that view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uJMZ0H1Wvca4kWuLYpGjlPtCyUqGlqjIm_QRM_s9Ic8fqCj0KCN844T5HhsihiFBYyZLLBomxo7OHMEgKqjvrxR0Bs_u6Vckd1G2RbQPBZE_wDiyb1wcbkvJ3vIrPBcc8Z5aVE1tp1Q/s1600/IMG_20181008_125650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uJMZ0H1Wvca4kWuLYpGjlPtCyUqGlqjIm_QRM_s9Ic8fqCj0KCN844T5HhsihiFBYyZLLBomxo7OHMEgKqjvrxR0Bs_u6Vckd1G2RbQPBZE_wDiyb1wcbkvJ3vIrPBcc8Z5aVE1tp1Q/s320/IMG_20181008_125650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
No, no, I meant <i>that</i> view:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2AsKhbH0h8SUA3CDAdIRsplBQ1lSt9RCdeETNHrI8O9dSbM56OS6dzD4pIdwNraQKlgNI04FuimxV-UVzg643DQaWJBJOw4VXj_vhTnqbx-O8hdjjUxVIp0sqKoMA1OJ8xtpovYzC3Q/s1600/PANO_20181008_130036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="1600" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT2AsKhbH0h8SUA3CDAdIRsplBQ1lSt9RCdeETNHrI8O9dSbM56OS6dzD4pIdwNraQKlgNI04FuimxV-UVzg643DQaWJBJOw4VXj_vhTnqbx-O8hdjjUxVIp0sqKoMA1OJ8xtpovYzC3Q/s320/PANO_20181008_130036.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
(that would be the one off our deck...)<br />
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We have continued to hear the locals lament the "Celtic Colors Effect" - meaning a little too much success with the tourism outreach front, increasing traffic, property values, general crowding, this would sound familiar. We have felt Nova Scotia especially to be quite sedate, though, since the great preponderance of these love/hate visitors come to light in midsummer.<br />
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With rain upcoming in the next days, we hustled again up the coast to capitalize on another bright day, taking our host's recommendation of the hike around Warren Lake, inside the Cape Breton National Park, a flat three miles or so, with plenty of color:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xMGS7cgMBUYgPczHX9br52yeWbAUM-lbGLKqshA2zRucQB_Pq0NQYcBqJXwEA3UhtChcvop4CWJQFtv0-4oFH1K0vhpyWph0SP6zzWUBXmVgtrmoaOD5IxsvhU7XwzNT91xCk4fVzzA/s1600/PANO_20181008_145746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="1600" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xMGS7cgMBUYgPczHX9br52yeWbAUM-lbGLKqshA2zRucQB_Pq0NQYcBqJXwEA3UhtChcvop4CWJQFtv0-4oFH1K0vhpyWph0SP6zzWUBXmVgtrmoaOD5IxsvhU7XwzNT91xCk4fVzzA/s320/PANO_20181008_145746.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A lot of the evergreen trees around this lake look like the stuff up very high in the Sierras and elsewhere, somewhat stubby pines of boreal forests.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGKpK371at67vKMnUxqYLAeIl5Nh1DBltkwntCNheKMZUuzkq0-g7199o0OgnANrdRSJqNdcaBvF9llpNaZLH9n_9rAWmEHP5lqHH0HRuMxgrrwmehLfi_bu4NUtgr1_L0sS2gO-a8wg/s1600/IMG_20181008_152807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhGKpK371at67vKMnUxqYLAeIl5Nh1DBltkwntCNheKMZUuzkq0-g7199o0OgnANrdRSJqNdcaBvF9llpNaZLH9n_9rAWmEHP5lqHH0HRuMxgrrwmehLfi_bu4NUtgr1_L0sS2gO-a8wg/s320/IMG_20181008_152807.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I decided to put up with my shadow in the name of catching this fascinating, sun-bleached tree root that decorated the gravelly beach.<br />
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Then back to the cabin. The water is cold and refreshing, and made me remember that when we got to Alma in New Brunswick earlier in the trip, there was a boil order in effect, so we had to keep glasses of bottled water handy for teeth brushing and whatever. You could tell that it was sketchy just from the smell of running it. That said, I have to acknowledge that an inconvenience like that was about the worst I could relate in our trip so far.<br />
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Fingers crossed, touch wood.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-77772246360743448882018-10-07T06:14:00.001-07:002018-10-07T06:14:31.868-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Five: Coast To Ceilidh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here it is, if anything, the most perfect morning we've had yet, in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia, the view out our room's window, watching the river flow:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEMDaFwht5m8KZ7meGyVe-S4NvS_JKF1X-MhwrqmrVgw2_qPXGAUsUEhKNgbHpvhc56nfmRIOVsbm72fB-LlvbWtPSe8dfGWvxIxssdFrsAErJIIb9-5bU2wd6GTkFs51U8OeIaS55ns/s1600/IMG_20181005_093327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEMDaFwht5m8KZ7meGyVe-S4NvS_JKF1X-MhwrqmrVgw2_qPXGAUsUEhKNgbHpvhc56nfmRIOVsbm72fB-LlvbWtPSe8dfGWvxIxssdFrsAErJIIb9-5bU2wd6GTkFs51U8OeIaS55ns/s320/IMG_20181005_093327.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Well, I should say, perfect until a child next door decided to move furniture, play basketball, or engage in some other obstreperous activity. He was busy last night as well, fortunately only until 8:30 or so we got a good night's sleep. </div>
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I was thinking about a couple of interesting people we've encountered so far, along the "most far-flung" category. The winner is a New Zealander, waiting tables at a Halifax ramen shop, a recent arrival who told us she was "terrified" at the thought of her first winter there. But an interesting runner-up was our host in St. Martins, a retired Denver homicide cop who told us that at the time of his retirement, he thought running a BnB in Canada sounded like a treat, and has not, some years later, appeared to revise that opinion.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiPdv7QbukmV7sOcbC7SqY76Nf27iGzOAjEZ0kIUqIkkdptyJYNQZ_wpSxuHUuHDe4zrB2DnaF7TcEbeZ1Vp7ly2M0ZshPmu_Vo0jdzY2nFO42djSyEMhKLFJ_w7m217U3clzxALzlX0/s1600/IMG_20181005_103846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAiPdv7QbukmV7sOcbC7SqY76Nf27iGzOAjEZ0kIUqIkkdptyJYNQZ_wpSxuHUuHDe4zrB2DnaF7TcEbeZ1Vp7ly2M0ZshPmu_Vo0jdzY2nFO42djSyEMhKLFJ_w7m217U3clzxALzlX0/s320/IMG_20181005_103846.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Our place was right next to the entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park, so we decided to avail ourselves of the Acadian Trail, literally a short walk from our motel, on shiny, crisp weather, Barb is making her way along a particularly sylvan part which reminds me of UCSC campus, but a deciduous flavor.<br />
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.. and this takes you to an overlook platform in a couple of kilometers, this time with only a breeze rather than a raking hurricane as yesterday:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV6OB5l0OIa8g8r_1Narn8oyveGBwa1UJpHOMx6_Ke1A_OuuVPKAbBZT4sH4-TBC6kRD3OXhjyPg3TUxJqrTe0iECIP7du1n8CD7vAfZKnwh6cHPWcW9REUF9JMqDTkk2ydur9A5SV0I/s1600/PANO_20181005_104408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHV6OB5l0OIa8g8r_1Narn8oyveGBwa1UJpHOMx6_Ke1A_OuuVPKAbBZT4sH4-TBC6kRD3OXhjyPg3TUxJqrTe0iECIP7du1n8CD7vAfZKnwh6cHPWcW9REUF9JMqDTkk2ydur9A5SV0I/s320/PANO_20181005_104408.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our next night was in the town of Baddeck (bad-ECK, we screwed this up, of course, initially), where we had our first Bretonic music experience, an afternoon jam session at the yacht club, or one version of a Ceilidh (intuition never serves for Gaelic, that would be like the name Kaylee):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf2bK6G5NN-Dumxa_jtbU0BJdCjS_YRuRPlb3WmwoREpVyeutb2uHLY0c4nf3Sy-ALj8izJR_OMom6EA_9M5biz1gcrZaV_J5iYJZGY2KSmAiAOqLl4f2HnNbsgcjSj-dq8C_ZSJfYCo/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEf2bK6G5NN-Dumxa_jtbU0BJdCjS_YRuRPlb3WmwoREpVyeutb2uHLY0c4nf3Sy-ALj8izJR_OMom6EA_9M5biz1gcrZaV_J5iYJZGY2KSmAiAOqLl4f2HnNbsgcjSj-dq8C_ZSJfYCo/s320/IMG_2132.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The young guitar/fiddle/singer especially could rock a jump tune whether original or trad/Celtic. (n.b. In many cases the best sessions will occur after midnight, but you're unlikely to find us there under the circumstances, or really ever, we've grown to love our sleep too dearly.)<br />
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But we must remain at some point focused on the next destination, in this case the vicinity of the island's main metropolis, Sydney, but on the way understand many will make a stop at the Gaelic College, nominally Syndney area, but really quite rural, Barb here is posing next to a sculpture of their logo on the quad:<br />
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And very nearby is a series of ocean-fed lakes called Bras d'Or, which define the geography of the southwestern sector of the island, of which this panorama gives but a hint:<br />
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And at this overlook, called the St. Anne's Overlook, more of the far-flung - a man wearing an Oklahoma Sooners sweatshirt and his wife, major fans and veterans of many Celtic Colors years who drove up from the Sooner State. Right after they supplied us with essential ferry information, we started back to our car, when we heard another couple approaching them and saying, "I can't believe it! <i>We're</i> from Oklahoma too!"<br />
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And with a little time to kill, having gotten to Sydney, we decided to squeeze in a too-quick visit to the very substantial Louisburg fort, the result of an enormous effort in the sixties to reconstruct an utterly destroyed 18th Century French colonial fortress to its 1740 incarnation:<br />
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Now, needless to say, the destruction of said fortress was the work of England, but in the 1740's was firmly in French hands. I was challenged by a sergeant in period costume who at one point declared, "<i>I</i> ask the questions here, sir." I felt so frustrated not to be a Francophone at that point, just to adopt a proper truckling attitude.</div>
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The somewhat bleak town of Louisburg (pronounced Lewis rather than Louie) and its accompanying fort are on a particularly exposed point of the Atlantic, and the simple soup they served at the fort's canteen was particularly welcome as we escaped inside from a cold raking wind on an otherwise brilliant day.</div>
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Then it was time for checking in, shopping, laundry, and preparation for our first ticketed event in Sydney, at a vintage theater called the Savoy, in the town of Glace Bay (here again, you can't go French on this one, the locals say "glayce", they'll get you every time.)</div>
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This is a snippet of the show we saw last night at the Savoy, including <span style="background-color: rgba(168, 34, 140, 0.09); color: #3f3f3f; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 16px;">Donald Shaw and Karen Matheson with Scottish folk group Capercaillie </span><span style="background-color: rgba(168, 34, 140, 0.09);">- a group with quite a bit of panache:</span><span style="background-color: rgba(168, 34, 140, 0.09); color: #3f3f3f; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 16px;"> </span></div>
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And speaking of the far-flung: in the lobby awaiting this show, we talked with a mother and son, the former a Seattle-ite, the latter an Ohio resident, who had taken a very big drive trip which encompassed, among other things, Aptos, CA, and Midland, TX, on their way to Nova Scotia.<br />
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The show was a bit subdued on the audience side, alas, they needed some whipping up by the performers, and appeared to require permission to clap for a jig. But then, this was a pretty old crowd, perhaps one in fifteen was under 40. We mused about whither the trad scene, if the kids reject that trad stuff like they do the silver tea set or brown furniture, well...Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-62935876865873433692018-10-04T16:20:00.001-07:002018-10-04T16:25:11.444-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Four: East To Big Sur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYKsI0Rq1ltab_0o6zP7-TIDL_Zhoor4V5PkJ7aDOLe6KjNFF4AMGEFaBgeVgunOMVRaG7qrPC_6PST_YCdkEh86pCVSdNYqq28txv6xhHSt4BIjadqjWgz5krR4HU7WZKBRlfavoAyA/s1600/IMG_20181003_100444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYKsI0Rq1ltab_0o6zP7-TIDL_Zhoor4V5PkJ7aDOLe6KjNFF4AMGEFaBgeVgunOMVRaG7qrPC_6PST_YCdkEh86pCVSdNYqq28txv6xhHSt4BIjadqjWgz5krR4HU7WZKBRlfavoAyA/s320/IMG_20181003_100444.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This kind of summed up yesterday, Wednesday - rain and wind, all day. </div>
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I found myself thinking about the December 1917 explosion I saw documented so impressively in my visit to the Maritime Museum in Halifax. Two ships collide, one is a munitions ship, then the latter explodes, and more than 1500 people die, and an urban square mile is utterly destroyed. There is a park two miles distant which has a heavy chunk of anchor from the ship mounted where it landed, just to help underline one measure of it's broad impact on the city, and that city's resilience. It didn't appear to matter that it was cold and snowy on that day, let alone my rain-and-wind, their response, not to mention that of another place familiar with severe weather, Boston, was businesslike, rapid, and effective.</div>
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Another measure of the yeoman spirit is this isolationist humor in the washroom of a purveyor of impressive chowder in Whycocomagh NS, a fine mouthful for a fine mouthful:</div>
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It should be noted that Cape Breton is connected to the rest of Canada by a kind of skinny levee perhaps a mile long...<br />
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The wind continued as we settled in for the night in an otherwise pastoral setting in the village of Cheticamp, but the rain abated, and by the morning the temp has risen, improbably, to room temperature as we embarked on a traversal of the famed Cabot Trail, which I would call the Atlantic Big Sur:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoZJ-vxyi0JW82jRCS2pIvPGAeX1liytvSZT3Qd639RyM9dN_NqPJHrOvRij4D4JfVqe77Echhcz0xsebKOTPO8yQhWl5pqOu0dZcW8xOzipUxP1-quJa0llU8hHLOKF_e43PRMiWdsM/s1600/IMG_20181004_154615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1131" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoZJ-vxyi0JW82jRCS2pIvPGAeX1liytvSZT3Qd639RyM9dN_NqPJHrOvRij4D4JfVqe77Echhcz0xsebKOTPO8yQhWl5pqOu0dZcW8xOzipUxP1-quJa0llU8hHLOKF_e43PRMiWdsM/s320/IMG_20181004_154615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The mixture of the conifers, the turning hardwoods, and the expansive views was remarkable:<br />
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It was sometimes a challenge to snag a shot of one of those long ocean views when paving crews had monopolized some key overlooks for staging, how insensitive...<br />
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It didn't keep us from making our way inland to a nice waterfall...<br />
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And a vertiginous, hurricane-like experience at the edge of the Atlantic world that threated to throw us off the edge:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn0cOgEyGRQzDndRgLiuLjBMBOwiqMhbMGMHcF0Z6p5YE2BkpV4BJEoPmL9quUT91JcoOgzi6nZqG3YwX8-d8Ddy2bnsn-ffTWMDwOmKJuuQRO_x4B2zwIqD6TXGYEAHaMYUhC5Wuui8/s1600/IMG_20181004_143343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhn0cOgEyGRQzDndRgLiuLjBMBOwiqMhbMGMHcF0Z6p5YE2BkpV4BJEoPmL9quUT91JcoOgzi6nZqG3YwX8-d8Ddy2bnsn-ffTWMDwOmKJuuQRO_x4B2zwIqD6TXGYEAHaMYUhC5Wuui8/s320/IMG_20181004_143343.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
We will, alas, have to harden ourselves tomorrow for the more typical daytime fifties, and perhaps not a little rain, in the days to come.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-66099526234117742512018-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:002018-10-02T16:47:37.887-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Four: The Bore's TriumphThere was some uncertainty in the morning in Moncton as to direction. Enter Nova Scotia to the north, just to find out what a town called Pugwash might look like? Or see more Fundy bluffs to the south?<br />
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The lure of interesting names won out, though - sorry Pugwash - we just went through town in its case, but we did lunch in Tatamagouche, where you can overnight in a railroad dining car. In a stationary car, that is, though we will have to wait until some other time to experience that. However, the lunchtime seafood gumbo, an artifact of "New Scotland" early Acadian culture, was very respectable.<br />
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This leftover boat and building, encountered not far away near a cemetery, seemed like the perfect embellishments to the water's edge.<br />
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And the gently turning colors and complex clouds just down the road from that were so magnificent.<br />
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We had come through Amherst on the way, just over the provincial border, and stopped at a nature preserve where the swamp-loving birds hang out - but alas, none for us in this dead part of the season. However, the locals had, over time, fed the black-capped chickadees so regularly that they begged food of anyone entering from the parking lot. Some others there clearly thought it charming, but I was a bit disturbed. I contrasted that with seeing a peregrine falcon the day before at the Cape Enrage national park, where it seemed more that they continued their activities relatively independently of humans, but maybe I romanticize that given the popularity of the Fundy Park areas (a well-deserved popularity I'd say.)<br />
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We overnighted in the quite workaday city of Truro, where we checked out the Tidal Bore, not as boring as you think; the incoming tide overcomes the outflowing river in a suprisingly dramatic way, and one fairly unique to Fundy area. Then we made our way through increasingly wet weather to the historically maritime town of Lunenburg, which has this wonderfully sleek vessel deeply steeped in NS history, the Bluenose II:<br />
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Then it was on to the very urban Halifax and our next lodging, just up the street from the Maritime Museum, plenty of construction and old/new contrasts, just the Halifax, ma'am:</div>
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...and finished the day with some Ramen and offerings from local Rock Bottom Brewery.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-69931715317163476862018-09-30T16:26:00.000-07:002018-09-30T16:26:23.029-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Three: In Search of Flower PotsAfter a hearty breakfast at the St. Martins BnB, we sallied forth to conquer the Fundy Trail, a remarkable series of commanding bay vistas, waterfalls, and connecting trails, which however we knew were not going to quite have time to march along in a big way (which would be twelve miles roundtrip.) As the capstone was Walton Gorge, a Yosemite-like slot of drainage with a vertiginous view of its main falls, crazy rocks everywhere:<br />
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There are views along gravelly or sandy beaches for miles, and the gravel in particular is exposed in vast swathes as its famously low tide releases, revealing oddly sculpted sea floor stones, including woody sedimentary rock in views stretching across the bay to Nova Scotia:<br />
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And there is even a tenuous-looking suspension footbridge crossing to, well, nowhere in particular, but providing an interesting view along the stream where voluminous quantities of logs were extricated from their moorings, particularly early in the last century:<br />
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Then we proceeded to the village of Alma, bustling by comparison with St. Martins, but soon to be very sleepy as the season shuts up like a trap in a week or so. It allows access to the Fundy National Park, which however we gave pretty short shrift given miles to be covered. Alma is a town really all about lobster, not by far the only such around here, and I availed myself of my first lobster roll, really just a roll with lobster meat in it, often rated by simple commitment to poundage of lobster flesh, but memorable despite the spareness of this description. There's an impressively accurate model of a moose on the main drag which does not pass fifteen minutes without an embrace from a tourist seeking the perfect jocular photo, and a bakery with frighteningly rich fare.<br />
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After a night featuring a failed search for a thermostat, we proceeded to perhaps the most popular Fundy attraction, Hopewell Rocks, which features peculiarities of erosion dubbed "flower pots", which make for interesting framing of backgrounds, and certainly muddy boots:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fhSXi3WyXt_zBHpfNSUhhQc2Pd19GjZ_kPalBZZjN8T_iEWF-DhiKTOyqONO3XuO6NtdXSXAC9s2NJTttzrKX2nzdHTOqnkYGL6Y6l4zuEZq7ReAULTC-t5ik5VR07r3XM7WSQbhkvw/s1600/IMG_20180930_131244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-fhSXi3WyXt_zBHpfNSUhhQc2Pd19GjZ_kPalBZZjN8T_iEWF-DhiKTOyqONO3XuO6NtdXSXAC9s2NJTttzrKX2nzdHTOqnkYGL6Y6l4zuEZq7ReAULTC-t5ik5VR07r3XM7WSQbhkvw/s320/IMG_20180930_131244.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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- not to mention truly vast views in all directions:<br />
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It will be apparent that again we were favored with the shiniest possible weather:<br />
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And then on to Moncton, one of three New Brunswick urban realms, for more pub action including red plaid hipsters and plump and rowdy girls.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-68413770450911826702018-09-28T16:45:00.002-07:002018-09-28T16:45:54.911-07:00Western Atlantic - Part Two: The Way To FundyContinuing north, we arrive at the other vibrant and hip Portland, that of the Irish pubs, massive Whole Foods, waterfront walk, and this impressive park built around a Civil War era site:<br />
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And yet another crystalline day to make it seem more irresistable. But too soon, it's necessary to resume the highway to navigate to the trying-harder city of Bangor, and lest we promote bad pronunciation habits by even mentioning it:<br />
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And I must say, truly friendly and curious locals; we wandered into a bank downtown seeking Canadian currency, and were offered a plethora of both arcana and essential local info. And dialed in dinner at the fairly newly-minted Sea Dog brewpub.<br />
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Our lodging was comfortable and corporate, which seemed like it worked under the circumstances, and prepared us well for the next day's journey over the border at Calais, and you may also run afoul of pronunciation if you have another famous crossing in mind, that would be CAL-is, despite this being in the vicinity of a famous Francophone Zone. Fortunately we had been forewarned by the pronunciation offered by the estimable Bangor info center locals, so we didn't have to endure humiliation.<br />
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A soft rain held sway through most of our traversal to our next stop, a fairly informal picnic ground in New Brunswick:<br />
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A little after being beset by a dog from the house in the background, we discovered a much more substantial picnic area at a falls overlook a mere couple hundred yards down the road, oh well.<br />
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And then, what a treat, after blowing through the bustle of St. Johns, the sleepy Bay of Fundy gateway of St. Martin's, to be in a garret room overlooking the bay, with an adjacent snuggery:<br />
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And a truly memorable dinner at that same lodging. The fishing boats may have been mired in the low tide mud, but we were floating in satisfaction. And looking forward to the newly-minted Bay of Fundy trail tomorrow morning.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-17252925206919874342018-09-27T17:56:00.000-07:002018-09-27T18:35:27.377-07:00Western Atlantic - Part OneThe first road travel day is a businesslike traversal, steadily northward, of four states - Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. The first three were an interstate whitewash, though in friendly weather, but some factors emerged in the northmost state pretty quickly. First was the reliability of the gold-lettered sign in Ogunquit, Maine, including most lodgings, restaurants, and even the library:<br />
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Santa Fe has adobe, Ogonquit has its gold letters.<br />
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Second, the Rachel Carson Wilderness, near Kennebunk, is remarkably serene, particularly in transitional weather:<br />
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- although the birds were not cooperative, with the exception of one startled but unexciting dove. But maybe it's us.<br />
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Third, it's best not to annoy the local color when it's time to eat. An old salt in the comfort food emporium we chose for dinner, one handy to some beachside rides, instructed us on their essential dish.. and so we dutifully consumed the Mariner's Stew after we arrived at our lodging at the boardwalk town of Old Orchard Beach, commanding view from our room included:<br />
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The stew in question was impressively rich, very like a bisque, complete with lobster, the Maine signature.<br />
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The room had a kind of Twilight Zone feature, a tendency for the acoustic ceiling tiles in the bathroom to rise an inch or so suddenly, then resettle with a sigh. The management maintained it was a trick of the wind, but I remain unconvinced, and suspect the ghost of e e cummings may have some agency in the phenomenon.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-12583310129470049282015-10-22T15:58:00.000-07:002016-02-25T12:15:27.432-08:00Eur15 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/JmTzPOtxJ-b0i2cFJOMvC1C_BC0EsAFU8RGchi1CShpGoG7YI7P8KISrlwWz-RZqwxKTbPxdsWj0ykmC6Kjb9n-MukxKebG7hJRajqmFOAovX1tsp0Cch7YHxubpy94fUa7FgeTzoLzy1AVEZOdyIbVVKDyEVkHHgKL7z-VbFJwBDrUaKtsG8_89qs-2qJmJjiGv36KzmrhxTWbRFEDE1x_V2xnYH0R5DbZfFPCgh8Jazu9tLf9IV5qzzK8I9-tQGm9gS7sKCnPQoqGF22zq2w1Kpp6ckr30hm2FZs_6qD5zv9s7X4TURR1VQUNEe5gvfZ3z9C6Z2SVil96Pky5EzJlmwRLx5UQX1Cihi0PeKkT-hTgBcbxBpjQdKC8ESxPBuD5KG-HqisIaa8sdYy7y3bePdz-Yqm9WJl8S1CJ-wLOjLLXwXkUUwWSG28kNnPFNSF54zLRW4miIHyMYQuTacvakWoosdO9E4Osnd5-n18Hgx3lcwiPJtLWfG3XS8FpIDG24gPkJtgd3mWSyLKQs9K0oRzK4F7grcQmSUzyQ5iQ=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/JmTzPOtxJ-b0i2cFJOMvC1C_BC0EsAFU8RGchi1CShpGoG7YI7P8KISrlwWz-RZqwxKTbPxdsWj0ykmC6Kjb9n-MukxKebG7hJRajqmFOAovX1tsp0Cch7YHxubpy94fUa7FgeTzoLzy1AVEZOdyIbVVKDyEVkHHgKL7z-VbFJwBDrUaKtsG8_89qs-2qJmJjiGv36KzmrhxTWbRFEDE1x_V2xnYH0R5DbZfFPCgh8Jazu9tLf9IV5qzzK8I9-tQGm9gS7sKCnPQoqGF22zq2w1Kpp6ckr30hm2FZs_6qD5zv9s7X4TURR1VQUNEe5gvfZ3z9C6Z2SVil96Pky5EzJlmwRLx5UQX1Cihi0PeKkT-hTgBcbxBpjQdKC8ESxPBuD5KG-HqisIaa8sdYy7y3bePdz-Yqm9WJl8S1CJ-wLOjLLXwXkUUwWSG28kNnPFNSF54zLRW4miIHyMYQuTacvakWoosdO9E4Osnd5-n18Hgx3lcwiPJtLWfG3XS8FpIDG24gPkJtgd3mWSyLKQs9K0oRzK4F7grcQmSUzyQ5iQ=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
On our way in on Monday from Figueres - home of the Dali museum, but that's for another day - we stopped at a newish bakery in Laroque des Alberes,where we'd spend the next week. It was next to an auto repair shop. We didn't get one of these impressive sweets, but a very appealing tart, as well as a standard French baguette for dinner proper. We got our first cultural orientation from our hostess; one doesn't enter a shop and start looking at stuff, but immediately meets the eyes of an employee with a greeting, "Bonjour!" - or perhaps a more measured, low key version of the word, emulating in pitch contrast perhaps the American Gen-X'ers "right on".<br />
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Then, on to the heart of the village a bit away. Immediately comes the sense of compression, just a little unpleasant, too little room for even the smaller cars than those of the American burbs side-by-side, narrow habitations on steep streets, a sort of scaled-down version of a San Francisco neighborhood in a way.<br />
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Where we'll stay is just down the hill from the 12th C. castle tower that defines the town, in a building on the left pictured here, itself older than the United States government. It is fairly typical for the oldish part of town in this region, apparently, two or three levels, each level with a couple hundred square feet. In our layout, the ground floor has a W.C., very like a closet, next to a sink-and-shower room, separated by a wall, in a configuration we had seen in Italy sometimes, and a small bedroom. The first floor (here I have to remember a European mode) above it has an undivided kitchen-dining-living area. And above that, another small bedroom and terrace looking out at the Mediterranean, a few miles distant, and the tower. This, quickly observed, time to walk around a little, see the tower, the wine bar, the park, the edge of the gardens which appear to yield abundantly, grapes, tomatoes, aubergines, <i>haricots verts</i>, and there are even chestnut trees in full fruit every so often.<br />
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That will be it for my explorations for a couple of days, as it turns out. The sniffling I didn't think much about accelerated into a serious cold overnight. So I wallow in self-pity while host/hostess/wife explore the region and seek wine and vegetables and clothing and whatever other obsessions drive their peregrinations.<br />
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But I would at become familiar with Laroque church bell, with an external clapper and a clock below. It tolled once on the half-hour and the appropriate number of times on the hour. So far, so good - but then, a couple of minutes after the hour, it would again toll the hour, hmm... Now I see <a href="http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/girona-cathedral-church-bells/">a mention of this phenomenon</a> that explains that it was a "missed it the first time" assurance of accuracy of counting, whether you're washing clothes at the river, escaping your duties at the bar, or whatever. You can definitely get confused between 12:30 and 13:30, and in our jet-lagged state, we seemed never to miss any of that sequence.<br />
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But Thursday we have a Carcassonne res, guiding light which provides momentum enough to push me into wimpy-tourist mode. <i>En route</i>, we see what probably is a French peculiarity, roadside prostitution in the <i>rurales</i>, women sitting on 5-euro laquer chairs at turnouts, awaiting trade. At one turnout, a long-haul truck and an empty chair. Then we reach an appropriately favored major tourist highlight, the castle at Carcassonne, and get a favored parking spot inside the perimeter, guided by a gorgeous and stylish lot attendant who probably works more in the hotel lobby. Then we are shuttled - a bit self-consciously in my case - in a van barely narrow enough to make turns in the ancient streets, pushing through the tourist clumps like a drover through sheep.<br />
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And then, the seriously old stuff. With modern hotels just embroidered into it.<br />
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Yeah, well, I'm not 100% myself.</div>
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And a former drawbridge turned fixed, no less:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/ZwJh65FsPp_hOGDzF8lqOtto7RGqqOLRQiagEwmjeL5bf7uX4hAHuClcgKBOw1olk_YqcRWyvkTmAouYvLgPEjLZdLe_hajz7Hjgev49Z7ELdsQlYxVTwMiyl1QAlxjn9k9ASfqeVLGWyG_c7Rb6ffBqPmidaVaD8g7ccX47hqyMiHM9KKNTOT1KegZjSSyeUWm_2PvU8KECixGdmi0c54IBhxMM2K44HHkOP5R2wZ4tvgp8QtSXEKHptsifYaFDMaAghxC92sc0bUB6AILskdBkhtmzLWA0lxWEO9E_00W_ruI7oKLi8wPApp-4uXvJ0JsMRCIlOBivXu_XGzGrP48Z7NlXWjuzqxYxN9tniCGQ3fXzP1Ud0MOV72jF_S6h6BXVBo-XLj0gWSRgJtekJ9brt8XNWOZT2Dsoj9DHHcQSLP6KdcUWr9s7ZWbWk8CeYEAqCzveQvDBhbzrIhZHOz8cUcwDSMqghIDGoW5Xj9AfRsOM2cid4b90HmSvSGmyPSGbY6cKrDHrZbxMiG-UeavbYWlg3A3kUK_dEa4_rZU=w1007-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/ZwJh65FsPp_hOGDzF8lqOtto7RGqqOLRQiagEwmjeL5bf7uX4hAHuClcgKBOw1olk_YqcRWyvkTmAouYvLgPEjLZdLe_hajz7Hjgev49Z7ELdsQlYxVTwMiyl1QAlxjn9k9ASfqeVLGWyG_c7Rb6ffBqPmidaVaD8g7ccX47hqyMiHM9KKNTOT1KegZjSSyeUWm_2PvU8KECixGdmi0c54IBhxMM2K44HHkOP5R2wZ4tvgp8QtSXEKHptsifYaFDMaAghxC92sc0bUB6AILskdBkhtmzLWA0lxWEO9E_00W_ruI7oKLi8wPApp-4uXvJ0JsMRCIlOBivXu_XGzGrP48Z7NlXWjuzqxYxN9tniCGQ3fXzP1Ud0MOV72jF_S6h6BXVBo-XLj0gWSRgJtekJ9brt8XNWOZT2Dsoj9DHHcQSLP6KdcUWr9s7ZWbWk8CeYEAqCzveQvDBhbzrIhZHOz8cUcwDSMqghIDGoW5Xj9AfRsOM2cid4b90HmSvSGmyPSGbY6cKrDHrZbxMiG-UeavbYWlg3A3kUK_dEa4_rZU=w1007-h566-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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The scope of this restoration is truly staggering.<br />
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They say Mme. Carcasse threw a food-stuffed pig over the battlements to convince the besiegers that there was no want of food within. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/XL0GwMIb2KYN8e-TSmtPUwvWKyDxucH4UTXOf-JwLi0I0sQV2DFebXDaZ3aBOOGu-Ac7P45jn_BqWUegubRpztN8kOt-kmxOPa35mQX_gdnvrO0yw5vCeMkQ_jHXkNF4ECnjo1s6KhXYbxLWZtIb5Q29oMaV0IZwEVB7EfB81GFblA-NBLcFqAN0vKQdrljIqrLBVruCiDkGxzoNxDhw4H6nzNHyac_jadICWXBf0NdRg11FgQQsLuBknDYmSAlOs9wnT7GELgmVm16Cf5gQU7j4jp9LA4f9Di96WTo2Jq_uCO4Exhfb3ia66BLvMADg3ekzoki1UA2A1ibjA4r3uACrYjOrCh5ldF-Xo1lt00waSwG-0-xKN5-NoMeGHt0X60u8Dk85sPhnljzdzREzoyBUyCSmAPHtb6UUePbeVqVVJ7sRI45OujpO9q4Kq9QEfgsdr0vReqoA-_Q5K5vkw2ZO5cYtPkBCjR5R1ycCZIYwd68--v_zfFfLvnQO4QE3O0w9m81V6Ve5ouPC6HQobd6F4WJZpOuHEwD8FHK_V3E=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/XL0GwMIb2KYN8e-TSmtPUwvWKyDxucH4UTXOf-JwLi0I0sQV2DFebXDaZ3aBOOGu-Ac7P45jn_BqWUegubRpztN8kOt-kmxOPa35mQX_gdnvrO0yw5vCeMkQ_jHXkNF4ECnjo1s6KhXYbxLWZtIb5Q29oMaV0IZwEVB7EfB81GFblA-NBLcFqAN0vKQdrljIqrLBVruCiDkGxzoNxDhw4H6nzNHyac_jadICWXBf0NdRg11FgQQsLuBknDYmSAlOs9wnT7GELgmVm16Cf5gQU7j4jp9LA4f9Di96WTo2Jq_uCO4Exhfb3ia66BLvMADg3ekzoki1UA2A1ibjA4r3uACrYjOrCh5ldF-Xo1lt00waSwG-0-xKN5-NoMeGHt0X60u8Dk85sPhnljzdzREzoyBUyCSmAPHtb6UUePbeVqVVJ7sRI45OujpO9q4Kq9QEfgsdr0vReqoA-_Q5K5vkw2ZO5cYtPkBCjR5R1ycCZIYwd68--v_zfFfLvnQO4QE3O0w9m81V6Ve5ouPC6HQobd6F4WJZpOuHEwD8FHK_V3E=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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She does look like a tough cookie.<br />
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And we're not quite ready to storm the walls.<br />
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There's a phenomenal dinner awaiting us, and if we've got to close the place down, we'd better get going.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/4EquRHoQz_8u3kXlNfT3ZVfky2bk5NhZcSKY1MIkKWunIBqlGjsXTx7GTv0gr6_HPq2rd0m5RUCXZoj93DYW3oLCRih6HnlJpPrraNABApLIVytzt3ndh-rdIv9PONhJx0tZ9NK_-bRFobW9qEclrv3cLFvB8Zi6yaE8yIDpGBWdIBrllmZF2pavefZVHk42iwyn465roGRhewAgm-LoZEa86NmsiRkTVbuYaGUz3hnnBcFfa-uu2JJt4EWVDhD0uyHIpjCma08I6OEEKF4HildgqGotgZuO4XeRxvrijWSBwMLgc-ZvQ0t17rwLY7u_sPL1DzgD2h5Kmef7uFqsu91pKFOweRzpLkJVvmaL7A5S_HVCPT9lXS-dsfdiKCI9CtIism4BWkObvpG24fM7176lWunSy_KN630vSRpXYhvWipiuiCtmwijDRvngtQ0wveYhnYHWmnTBUS4Z3mnskojtlkbsyfhw0bvlUzPNWMqQtS4zy4vodba_XR87t9FT8BFQB1nUVWnG8px-Yu2X4ND1Tzi6yrTBe9Ve5pV_0DI=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/4EquRHoQz_8u3kXlNfT3ZVfky2bk5NhZcSKY1MIkKWunIBqlGjsXTx7GTv0gr6_HPq2rd0m5RUCXZoj93DYW3oLCRih6HnlJpPrraNABApLIVytzt3ndh-rdIv9PONhJx0tZ9NK_-bRFobW9qEclrv3cLFvB8Zi6yaE8yIDpGBWdIBrllmZF2pavefZVHk42iwyn465roGRhewAgm-LoZEa86NmsiRkTVbuYaGUz3hnnBcFfa-uu2JJt4EWVDhD0uyHIpjCma08I6OEEKF4HildgqGotgZuO4XeRxvrijWSBwMLgc-ZvQ0t17rwLY7u_sPL1DzgD2h5Kmef7uFqsu91pKFOweRzpLkJVvmaL7A5S_HVCPT9lXS-dsfdiKCI9CtIism4BWkObvpG24fM7176lWunSy_KN630vSRpXYhvWipiuiCtmwijDRvngtQ0wveYhnYHWmnTBUS4Z3mnskojtlkbsyfhw0bvlUzPNWMqQtS4zy4vodba_XR87t9FT8BFQB1nUVWnG8px-Yu2X4ND1Tzi6yrTBe9Ve5pV_0DI=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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Next morning, mine hostess and <i>la esposa</i> consider the bridge to town before we depart. (The latter was on notice that the country was a "fleece-free zone", may actually have been in conformance here.)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/R8kQcpPgPvX19Jf111MGPACz-PethyI3lYAXw2b56ZrBl1zfFCJp08Ie7fQigdufLvSWzEkh26BP3Gab-qeP__sASFyRL19vmLrdzDbiokU6vkEFRlwmButooAQT-_HIjetDaX2YnJTrnziFTzStZq7AlqX4OTs2wBXx-rVoBgQf9F0J4iGinKkMzK2aJUAg1crcoJK9uMHFwXAWjJrkCrE_A32f8sTWWY7DHXiT2K5cFX1jGe1ytNw76pJ10JTLTvZRPiXtqtmtXJuoQrLMFaA3_eR3ENrveFpbCULjSphHcbYvAQQ08Pq54nAYkv2C2N6evBxvj4-a9RNuVn5K8vyBicHvsJElUlqLGl1hpCcPelSWf3uExjHsXv_dq86HhgcHQe0sEO81trgdfzgRELKYDC7MEiWk1igA9TsHJyBiWEP8KV7adsGIR1dbALD76ik7o_a27r9WiHkjBlcygLV70V31eLXU7xlaj3RgE2V2gifyvRUw4CRGcT1AH7hhnjD4vtt_0173xriWu3cv8e-vRYolv98Zqoyw89fO_4U=w1124-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/R8kQcpPgPvX19Jf111MGPACz-PethyI3lYAXw2b56ZrBl1zfFCJp08Ie7fQigdufLvSWzEkh26BP3Gab-qeP__sASFyRL19vmLrdzDbiokU6vkEFRlwmButooAQT-_HIjetDaX2YnJTrnziFTzStZq7AlqX4OTs2wBXx-rVoBgQf9F0J4iGinKkMzK2aJUAg1crcoJK9uMHFwXAWjJrkCrE_A32f8sTWWY7DHXiT2K5cFX1jGe1ytNw76pJ10JTLTvZRPiXtqtmtXJuoQrLMFaA3_eR3ENrveFpbCULjSphHcbYvAQQ08Pq54nAYkv2C2N6evBxvj4-a9RNuVn5K8vyBicHvsJElUlqLGl1hpCcPelSWf3uExjHsXv_dq86HhgcHQe0sEO81trgdfzgRELKYDC7MEiWk1igA9TsHJyBiWEP8KV7adsGIR1dbALD76ik7o_a27r9WiHkjBlcygLV70V31eLXU7xlaj3RgE2V2gifyvRUw4CRGcT1AH7hhnjD4vtt_0173xriWu3cv8e-vRYolv98Zqoyw89fO_4U=w1124-h566-no" width="320" /></a></div>
Seen from a distance, the place has a definite fairytale look.<br />
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More church ruins near Luc-sur-Aude, plenty more where that came from...<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/whzipcP_RKSf2uW7_LpQyaJGZFDYd3MZNRPDDEhJFJupVjgvhNZikLvJAFZKIslKuVLrb7hmrZR4lUfDHw8ObEDCUL2Q3mzA_F7MTBBZ6evoFaKq8u-9Yfda8yslElnK9BfMiVdbudrIlnpqcfXDJWG_eRff6YGPdydQD1bUXkou7Qzdzpol1Y9m3jXdF3hrsSUhv9_RTQDckFFjkGE20zoBdacQ5mcfveLsts5aNvL62ObsbfSzz2bKYux2ZnbpmNa2VdKea6YWV8ZGsItdPRzG2i9YsuIZV6sfLooDvZMbKQPd3tjLapKPibVrI54ONXwbdWahVAc5ObSYDdmnPiF9IhoVpXA6tprlK3Uupw_05SVz5hoL0a-ttDhEpy5ObFuxSI_PK9oN_VwaI03GTiF9ekjN_E0vFBpMbHG241vuYq6q0v1tIIQUyTlRBLVdz22hk_PrbQghIVV732lNVhsEC-MUtPMU_FR2Ua2ctjLIRYJ9m31RPJanmhQTUSrJeWhaez8tOp5xg0KYKk7EkfxmRVjChNrOiau4RtZnJT8=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/whzipcP_RKSf2uW7_LpQyaJGZFDYd3MZNRPDDEhJFJupVjgvhNZikLvJAFZKIslKuVLrb7hmrZR4lUfDHw8ObEDCUL2Q3mzA_F7MTBBZ6evoFaKq8u-9Yfda8yslElnK9BfMiVdbudrIlnpqcfXDJWG_eRff6YGPdydQD1bUXkou7Qzdzpol1Y9m3jXdF3hrsSUhv9_RTQDckFFjkGE20zoBdacQ5mcfveLsts5aNvL62ObsbfSzz2bKYux2ZnbpmNa2VdKea6YWV8ZGsItdPRzG2i9YsuIZV6sfLooDvZMbKQPd3tjLapKPibVrI54ONXwbdWahVAc5ObSYDdmnPiF9IhoVpXA6tprlK3Uupw_05SVz5hoL0a-ttDhEpy5ObFuxSI_PK9oN_VwaI03GTiF9ekjN_E0vFBpMbHG241vuYq6q0v1tIIQUyTlRBLVdz22hk_PrbQghIVV732lNVhsEC-MUtPMU_FR2Ua2ctjLIRYJ9m31RPJanmhQTUSrJeWhaez8tOp5xg0KYKk7EkfxmRVjChNrOiau4RtZnJT8=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/6UITH0jrXVc5qY9DjSEpR7HczaF4obdcqUt8iTzgqHOSbiE_NW0emGF1BhMBLH0_kX16w2-agERYQk0kO0ZNf9wy8RGxcIadNPPURnzMrYyOWzNduxOsr8_yZMLF11KrC92KhdcSwUMoZAFkHVPaiGtr7VtQu-IP6IOydVzthmvqVHEHisT1ajRvuHL9WRcYPeQrOFBNrzkGu-G1JWvA8obLWfZvk9G7-mzwXdtG635CNXhaC5BBOGASDNvvvrTl2-jk0LxuamKIXDM7FfuCWmquqe8xpPee84h9STsUrmcnYhgRjxpxb3StevBmdDaH1uvY3sJTWTOfNIdE9AjBgDwPaP0K1dFdZfYBPUCoMIRPKUuqFZNEScqCOk6zIqH1YhOQcCKcjRcY1hOmfMJzbkLuh5QuCDHnurLvOGIH959qlCXLUvGNnpSJsJn5uqqij9wI6EbnlpaVmPunHSsYyjCLuZTFMkEHyxvtLv8I4CXIryzbwSasB0j4tN3V8URAa4bGmT2XcbRVIa2bbnR-Q7GEZpMMQqRIxLAbLnQZ3mE=w443-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/6UITH0jrXVc5qY9DjSEpR7HczaF4obdcqUt8iTzgqHOSbiE_NW0emGF1BhMBLH0_kX16w2-agERYQk0kO0ZNf9wy8RGxcIadNPPURnzMrYyOWzNduxOsr8_yZMLF11KrC92KhdcSwUMoZAFkHVPaiGtr7VtQu-IP6IOydVzthmvqVHEHisT1ajRvuHL9WRcYPeQrOFBNrzkGu-G1JWvA8obLWfZvk9G7-mzwXdtG635CNXhaC5BBOGASDNvvvrTl2-jk0LxuamKIXDM7FfuCWmquqe8xpPee84h9STsUrmcnYhgRjxpxb3StevBmdDaH1uvY3sJTWTOfNIdE9AjBgDwPaP0K1dFdZfYBPUCoMIRPKUuqFZNEScqCOk6zIqH1YhOQcCKcjRcY1hOmfMJzbkLuh5QuCDHnurLvOGIH959qlCXLUvGNnpSJsJn5uqqij9wI6EbnlpaVmPunHSsYyjCLuZTFMkEHyxvtLv8I4CXIryzbwSasB0j4tN3V8URAa4bGmT2XcbRVIa2bbnR-Q7GEZpMMQqRIxLAbLnQZ3mE=w443-h566-no" width="249" /></a></div>
In fact, dining alfresco makes total sense where the Cathars' resistance failed yet again in the <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">Château de </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">Puilaurens. M</span>ine host and hostess show again that they know what they are about, and <i>la esposa</i> is the clear benefactress.<br />
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One defenders-eye-view:<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/iqw42Dhmi-zgS3bs7Tu0-Caj4z_rkxGjoU0DgPPBnCTnHKOn-d57f9Bq925Z9RBOrceYPrnMWuCsDlP8G-A18sSlpdw_U1Qp_uyUSc0uklcp0GKPX92WzOfKzlh5Jsur0Y-xlXAdEBTDs9u-ftq3X1T7iIo2sVT2AM6Ag-6AJjqTm-pIla2ZLtT0EgTXPYwqX8xQYL5hQAWtJycsLipNLBZ06PvhR8YuLN8dcY3OOtcrZFgcRWRVh723sxsoJztVgEvYukQ5t5xnZepfYt5N8UAMNqrjyZqBWAJl-z1hYuJtEUzIe1btbqCMqcZx_CUFTmzFXZh3MTIsbqWUG85LP7NOjr30n338-MS0cCW6wnMke1W6FiN_Gb6U0gIEQwNUzbx6cVgrGc_KuoPQ3kGC_BIVLGsqFwUNvXab8KF4U_bZi8DwxE2sXeYn4SwU9XavuPGuB_4HpVrzF-69DyV0pltb3Jl1PCCjd98OcLj-0pN2RtFMtrx7rUcqAR-WfMF7XTXPpODc3ZE7FEd5BgkKl25rWcPyLdl-dKlFEfJByOg=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/iqw42Dhmi-zgS3bs7Tu0-Caj4z_rkxGjoU0DgPPBnCTnHKOn-d57f9Bq925Z9RBOrceYPrnMWuCsDlP8G-A18sSlpdw_U1Qp_uyUSc0uklcp0GKPX92WzOfKzlh5Jsur0Y-xlXAdEBTDs9u-ftq3X1T7iIo2sVT2AM6Ag-6AJjqTm-pIla2ZLtT0EgTXPYwqX8xQYL5hQAWtJycsLipNLBZ06PvhR8YuLN8dcY3OOtcrZFgcRWRVh723sxsoJztVgEvYukQ5t5xnZepfYt5N8UAMNqrjyZqBWAJl-z1hYuJtEUzIe1btbqCMqcZx_CUFTmzFXZh3MTIsbqWUG85LP7NOjr30n338-MS0cCW6wnMke1W6FiN_Gb6U0gIEQwNUzbx6cVgrGc_KuoPQ3kGC_BIVLGsqFwUNvXab8KF4U_bZi8DwxE2sXeYn4SwU9XavuPGuB_4HpVrzF-69DyV0pltb3Jl1PCCjd98OcLj-0pN2RtFMtrx7rUcqAR-WfMF7XTXPpODc3ZE7FEd5BgkKl25rWcPyLdl-dKlFEfJByOg=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a> They had perfect positioning, but ultimately weren't ready for a siege. They had a significant communication network, here's a line-of sight battlement a couple of ridges away:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/TvK9JfVcY-jh5CnkqJtNc3kttDJ3OKRp_1mriIXwuYdMEwIA-jjSYj1X--anOmOrH65bpkOR_-W5WtYN-fUcnuMhyE9am0yndhzxnOOKAeO1IQ_GGx775fp-mlS6RBrNAVbj8V9TZZ3OlTNiIOPc7ox15M2SDM4-JTPFzwlnGuo4uSa329VCaSV-fHni95FoS1q1aytq69pC-M1-yop80jWUBArvj9INFO_3ly0Km8y177oICXGKXnGPrrVYsUlHnH4ASPZUC_M54hh_JIcr45_dfMN9iwBNhcBFoO63a0WuEnujMvjm5OhloxXTkTD-KkE7naGm8RH3H79PQwpZahWtqpNwejaXkg64gfmGkBsrMUuvip-RVfB9BYrcqAb8PeANFy3Usa9gbGFc2f-RvhIPDNW0Q9-V1M7Nu7HWMqMTnnAlmeamWngw45pHn56zNHVT-t4VNJjLLC7kPlv7Vok9nrCRLp6thvUoQBAeGj15FnylsaSBejvA5wxdZoGilFHascX0vzlHYHMwYB4PvQphU-1vFXoWwMoAemfRirI=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/TvK9JfVcY-jh5CnkqJtNc3kttDJ3OKRp_1mriIXwuYdMEwIA-jjSYj1X--anOmOrH65bpkOR_-W5WtYN-fUcnuMhyE9am0yndhzxnOOKAeO1IQ_GGx775fp-mlS6RBrNAVbj8V9TZZ3OlTNiIOPc7ox15M2SDM4-JTPFzwlnGuo4uSa329VCaSV-fHni95FoS1q1aytq69pC-M1-yop80jWUBArvj9INFO_3ly0Km8y177oICXGKXnGPrrVYsUlHnH4ASPZUC_M54hh_JIcr45_dfMN9iwBNhcBFoO63a0WuEnujMvjm5OhloxXTkTD-KkE7naGm8RH3H79PQwpZahWtqpNwejaXkg64gfmGkBsrMUuvip-RVfB9BYrcqAb8PeANFy3Usa9gbGFc2f-RvhIPDNW0Q9-V1M7Nu7HWMqMTnnAlmeamWngw45pHn56zNHVT-t4VNJjLLC7kPlv7Vok9nrCRLp6thvUoQBAeGj15FnylsaSBejvA5wxdZoGilFHascX0vzlHYHMwYB4PvQphU-1vFXoWwMoAemfRirI=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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These run down to, and beyond, the Spanish border, and even played a role in the Spanish Civil War and its refugee movements seven centuries later. And ultimately all the hubbub was down to: one God or two?<br />
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And still more of the same history a short ways down the road at Peyrepertuse...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/CxRBp7bNTMw4TrbqAstRFg4iZnKNrrFhqwDOlx6RAWTAw8GcXOCcE1m1DGX4J92sEFk-7BhFgbe8KEs9MmO4VmZRzSQbuaxdpQq9lO4bzsGrcFO6Y7O8_d6K2RFyWTGfb9RGiOQTCIKkj24xIHDnpiO976lTED1aL2S7t-RxBPzNlPt20QNcOSH60jIH8N3WbSIirh6Gtmraq4CcHcO8U7hP82oxJFKf-V-ZmaFmzCtvWYweEffwXISJIiaGIS5hqv41PcL3gxk-4RUjoHSNH5gC_EsK1zSGHysU0trNBPWxy8vB4f2ianJvGTxS6oWrwPfz3WfLVnXpKskL1UoPNeSN6ZSvncFQDmQsizK6V1v7W8dZT25RylvgrRsj_MCR9pDoB4arvKy_DOj30sw60JLt-O7P2m3TYMmSTJRH_eW6rNYKxYXpk7xjNPlIl6zv9rLpF5Cs-Z8S4YZ2S2mFLWJKe_kvbTp6Kv4nigc5HuoMhxgc0-R-eno-6qGgGrlH_KHBgfYjjqFzT38XwHwjyEh93-d3vG33We0Z8F7TqGU=w1007-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/CxRBp7bNTMw4TrbqAstRFg4iZnKNrrFhqwDOlx6RAWTAw8GcXOCcE1m1DGX4J92sEFk-7BhFgbe8KEs9MmO4VmZRzSQbuaxdpQq9lO4bzsGrcFO6Y7O8_d6K2RFyWTGfb9RGiOQTCIKkj24xIHDnpiO976lTED1aL2S7t-RxBPzNlPt20QNcOSH60jIH8N3WbSIirh6Gtmraq4CcHcO8U7hP82oxJFKf-V-ZmaFmzCtvWYweEffwXISJIiaGIS5hqv41PcL3gxk-4RUjoHSNH5gC_EsK1zSGHysU0trNBPWxy8vB4f2ianJvGTxS6oWrwPfz3WfLVnXpKskL1UoPNeSN6ZSvncFQDmQsizK6V1v7W8dZT25RylvgrRsj_MCR9pDoB4arvKy_DOj30sw60JLt-O7P2m3TYMmSTJRH_eW6rNYKxYXpk7xjNPlIl6zv9rLpF5Cs-Z8S4YZ2S2mFLWJKe_kvbTp6Kv4nigc5HuoMhxgc0-R-eno-6qGgGrlH_KHBgfYjjqFzT38XwHwjyEh93-d3vG33We0Z8F7TqGU=w1007-h566-no" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remarkable defense location, but...</td></tr>
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And down the road again to check out the Picasso Fountain and the perfectly autumnal market at <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;">Céret.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/CYGHy06XYeZTyq2uQGaBEZESpJiASRB-Gmpdxa0sqv7IJGAAY4aMTKq0_yZUpMDsoS8iiowbt9FgITahKwomHzeQpLrU7dzfhmxKdZjrZEoxQiha8zL8e50_OvrUQyAgsF3AdYzZw91phdVlYJpuL7ZsFX6oXiYvfWpGaCqq2R0fo-IkqGs2qYU2QsfoYk-VnXrKRRRQ6ensRX3zoehRZBL_VzbyAnoGMF8vtY1X3IUR_rbDgZgqO4JVGCfmZL57Nu6c_K_gKfg_DMKcJLaFeAf_ryDmEnGHTG2EpHF9M5UtSjfwciTAWJ-RSlNQf2DyBAAPdkFo5sF3_PRl_iMuQRLC_S9cK1hGSZrWPMRgT6rb5cwTAZbBZ9KmiVrVuMOx7lPLOfHxacRSfjKKast4oyWtXyetECORcbBLN2JpXYorAz_h7kseq_9x3T6RelpfRIUKdV8Fltzoc8zbf39Q4MeVsEqo60qlMGskRtfi-VWJp3SbDq5W1MposZDSxXRwsvHU69rTu449wqbV9spzo0rmNEsOmFlY0xZSX77WDy0=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/CYGHy06XYeZTyq2uQGaBEZESpJiASRB-Gmpdxa0sqv7IJGAAY4aMTKq0_yZUpMDsoS8iiowbt9FgITahKwomHzeQpLrU7dzfhmxKdZjrZEoxQiha8zL8e50_OvrUQyAgsF3AdYzZw91phdVlYJpuL7ZsFX6oXiYvfWpGaCqq2R0fo-IkqGs2qYU2QsfoYk-VnXrKRRRQ6ensRX3zoehRZBL_VzbyAnoGMF8vtY1X3IUR_rbDgZgqO4JVGCfmZL57Nu6c_K_gKfg_DMKcJLaFeAf_ryDmEnGHTG2EpHF9M5UtSjfwciTAWJ-RSlNQf2DyBAAPdkFo5sF3_PRl_iMuQRLC_S9cK1hGSZrWPMRgT6rb5cwTAZbBZ9KmiVrVuMOx7lPLOfHxacRSfjKKast4oyWtXyetECORcbBLN2JpXYorAz_h7kseq_9x3T6RelpfRIUKdV8Fltzoc8zbf39Q4MeVsEqo60qlMGskRtfi-VWJp3SbDq5W1MposZDSxXRwsvHU69rTu449wqbV9spzo0rmNEsOmFlY0xZSX77WDy0=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1duiVux1DT0_p-TpDAGMEOWTE_fJ-ZFYdVl0v6JtsdYki9p9qtakJ2IduuuwQ9nLuyyQysg2u0X9wFzhQQEf1tw4kG3_Qi0tWyHejdvcAqVgEYkM15PJWP9mLQmg-hRPVinTFs8NPM-s/s1600/P1000682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1duiVux1DT0_p-TpDAGMEOWTE_fJ-ZFYdVl0v6JtsdYki9p9qtakJ2IduuuwQ9nLuyyQysg2u0X9wFzhQQEf1tw4kG3_Qi0tWyHejdvcAqVgEYkM15PJWP9mLQmg-hRPVinTFs8NPM-s/s320/P1000682.JPG" width="320" /></a> home again, jiggedy-jig, we're hungry.</div>
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It's worth noting a tenet of mine hostess, which is that generally restaurants, at least in France, which display photographs of food are not going to offer a good quality meal, partly because they are catering to less discriminating tourists who can't make sense of the menu.</div>
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So next day, not far from Ceret, we indulge in a cafe which does not conform to the "no food pictures" criteria, yet is perfectly serviceable...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/L_7SD62T9j2VMnA5XwYc5kyJyQY0quKJRXDmPr3PQuK3y6mj-q_RwqDDgApjFSoImdxMQOEukff-QvjsayvxWtVfx5yuGwn4RQmfSkeRclpfdF-8NV_Clcy17TBJo39AUu90B5Z6yTy0V703GEixADdib5LNedKD1NB5Ru1hHst1l5pFjr4XYWfg1T8d4bM7V4Vh5N__JkrCALIWPJQ0qTcphjJ0QsGWIy10QQLL9Z2JYWSaRtskoDODtMoMZsgDWxmdsvgl7N3NCPOmC_jGIKLgOzb8yJqTfhhJptSQv5UFgUKcm8jkwww34BxuAsvV-ApUltGoRh9txIuWaGZfdrhJfjpfu4qOoaLt8fECocW5SwK9F3Ri2any3eB4Xf2cUdVeK7pHFi3DDb1Qi_ECRYTsMj1svZpSB5pRvRPp-0o92xYyKZoVZJLlOfTFGN8nDHon4W-tNl7RKB8EZcNfBPfdy41SBZ9lkZEUDlkVTg5esMPWIKjzH6lP-w9CASIwGLuUMpRyWfvcuSxnYQ8UQGgC678xCwErdkwQAnvUIw8=w319-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/L_7SD62T9j2VMnA5XwYc5kyJyQY0quKJRXDmPr3PQuK3y6mj-q_RwqDDgApjFSoImdxMQOEukff-QvjsayvxWtVfx5yuGwn4RQmfSkeRclpfdF-8NV_Clcy17TBJo39AUu90B5Z6yTy0V703GEixADdib5LNedKD1NB5Ru1hHst1l5pFjr4XYWfg1T8d4bM7V4Vh5N__JkrCALIWPJQ0qTcphjJ0QsGWIy10QQLL9Z2JYWSaRtskoDODtMoMZsgDWxmdsvgl7N3NCPOmC_jGIKLgOzb8yJqTfhhJptSQv5UFgUKcm8jkwww34BxuAsvV-ApUltGoRh9txIuWaGZfdrhJfjpfu4qOoaLt8fECocW5SwK9F3Ri2any3eB4Xf2cUdVeK7pHFi3DDb1Qi_ECRYTsMj1svZpSB5pRvRPp-0o92xYyKZoVZJLlOfTFGN8nDHon4W-tNl7RKB8EZcNfBPfdy41SBZ9lkZEUDlkVTg5esMPWIKjzH6lP-w9CASIwGLuUMpRyWfvcuSxnYQ8UQGgC678xCwErdkwQAnvUIw8=w319-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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But then we must gird up our loins for a hair-raising trip through the forest, over the passes, to Prades..</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/eQhxeVHdUQHiSk_ZDr9ltAMkO6NN0G7r1ckmQRYAOucUMb_cr08lsxrpTCu17xDn1D01pIKjKBzlrwfHg4XgC9eSnsuTHXXAmuCvyLea6L-pLvUhsIazg9IYX4_4O7eHY_9uS71Yv968HMxQlRK6ZexuHdsAqdX5_bBHw9Omn5Y5sGMZLtSuwbYKlAv1LfhvHa1Y3fLaKpVy3JNezoF8uFhIfle8OO90YeF2W0gS6X8kNDLleI7AJon7fAtmTPu5MKsNO-QA3XYkgk0_sTnHWrrWKNjvVQCXhYSGQV9OigHPzMuLTweTGQ8d63Ty7OnOlJEU0AO3k8ldCKkXwYYFCmhH-bcQeDzcQbASTkqbFu2h35P2O986mlX8np3F2maUGBdWDV7Bf9HeE-bNosF3cMM67zWoRL2NG1p1N5r7wNljovt_YdlfWvyDW9wjZfFkpG1Yij8Ft_mjOH9-qhBTiA8CjV3mZF_-tZauXVmsm9QQlgz2tQMfprUTrJ1OBgpj0rO96oyRGUvuRDD537WMYtC3Ovwh_HBFVcH2ZKUJxCw=w541-h305-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/eQhxeVHdUQHiSk_ZDr9ltAMkO6NN0G7r1ckmQRYAOucUMb_cr08lsxrpTCu17xDn1D01pIKjKBzlrwfHg4XgC9eSnsuTHXXAmuCvyLea6L-pLvUhsIazg9IYX4_4O7eHY_9uS71Yv968HMxQlRK6ZexuHdsAqdX5_bBHw9Omn5Y5sGMZLtSuwbYKlAv1LfhvHa1Y3fLaKpVy3JNezoF8uFhIfle8OO90YeF2W0gS6X8kNDLleI7AJon7fAtmTPu5MKsNO-QA3XYkgk0_sTnHWrrWKNjvVQCXhYSGQV9OigHPzMuLTweTGQ8d63Ty7OnOlJEU0AO3k8ldCKkXwYYFCmhH-bcQeDzcQbASTkqbFu2h35P2O986mlX8np3F2maUGBdWDV7Bf9HeE-bNosF3cMM67zWoRL2NG1p1N5r7wNljovt_YdlfWvyDW9wjZfFkpG1Yij8Ft_mjOH9-qhBTiA8CjV3mZF_-tZauXVmsm9QQlgz2tQMfprUTrJ1OBgpj0rO96oyRGUvuRDD537WMYtC3Ovwh_HBFVcH2ZKUJxCw=w541-h305-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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.. and ultimately to Villefranche-de-Conflent, time for no more hairpins, lots more wine, even if your truly is profligate in spilling his glass in sight of seriously old piles.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/NZPsLpbUkOubuoQYeJJW0ic-HdiKV7bEoyGptSYa9PHQ57PrOXEJu-AxdVIqcLdmEKcGdjLpM90oVMDWAMzxsFT91v3V8ZlV7-dVlN5W7Td4rwy7yWaHC9V-x-c62kMEYEiXMP2GqhdxdoyWpczi1cctkFC_z2Knk88NL3WfjcC1upGzkH7j0chFYJw_sTd2TNpAcgXSIQGaJbIpWE7QebB5oUd2rCibSVIVmZOrEX017E53krPeb3rQf-RX5Rw__pKZmGHb_-mG1pMh2RY56tRn-ZF4Dz4fDpGHQqVypJ3LwPgNmdijlJ89qb1U5rQO-a7JCzDx3lS2L0iHcuO3EZ6MFTpFAdU8z9ylR4xZygvAiAjHedpWezWkLheMgTcIdyX3YhLSIV7Y16dCQpe4-GnHcTl3mjuNXH2xo5gGg4PXEq7O4KOWvfkGYv6TA2e3rVhQakG-R7wUk6-iG5JgJhGA-Vwre52fX2hl2SdVkt5NV4shj760V9o_yBzrrJg2OT7zdrF7ftYeMXIKqHaX2AB31Iu-DphZf_UEzM5trRw=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/NZPsLpbUkOubuoQYeJJW0ic-HdiKV7bEoyGptSYa9PHQ57PrOXEJu-AxdVIqcLdmEKcGdjLpM90oVMDWAMzxsFT91v3V8ZlV7-dVlN5W7Td4rwy7yWaHC9V-x-c62kMEYEiXMP2GqhdxdoyWpczi1cctkFC_z2Knk88NL3WfjcC1upGzkH7j0chFYJw_sTd2TNpAcgXSIQGaJbIpWE7QebB5oUd2rCibSVIVmZOrEX017E53krPeb3rQf-RX5Rw__pKZmGHb_-mG1pMh2RY56tRn-ZF4Dz4fDpGHQqVypJ3LwPgNmdijlJ89qb1U5rQO-a7JCzDx3lS2L0iHcuO3EZ6MFTpFAdU8z9ylR4xZygvAiAjHedpWezWkLheMgTcIdyX3YhLSIV7Y16dCQpe4-GnHcTl3mjuNXH2xo5gGg4PXEq7O4KOWvfkGYv6TA2e3rVhQakG-R7wUk6-iG5JgJhGA-Vwre52fX2hl2SdVkt5NV4shj760V9o_yBzrrJg2OT7zdrF7ftYeMXIKqHaX2AB31Iu-DphZf_UEzM5trRw=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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I've demurely isolated myself here to the lower left, of course. Here again are 12th C. vestiges of the fear and bellicoseness of the time:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/lwT5RcR1V3x8klK_DczW-BRrZhV7U9JguPy33j_tZSmLFm_4kAptS3VQGBKrvarKsqUlSi2yAcB_U0sMeBMor9N_xPoSUrvhBXVv-WY35mQMQZWaNsNEd4G2yE_MIH7U-y8ZazJlCRiu40Sqpgdpvhdqk32yTjOIKxEW8Nvyu-wtXDN3LLc7jcjCS3W0AgI3qbhZkqLmR4uJ6UB1tKhj7NFh-apzihgBvcyOVLUNV7Z5UVuh6bgrZZ2sVeEkyEUbYFnN2g-LmNYMbMBJWb969E7jXtFf-dy7DzFXbRdDKhum-FCLYpog0GubGjDx86nVNn8OG-iXA5znEZ-8HMO_hC9I8SOE6moioVDc68IVHELJ4vcH_JM8NOq5D8RLCJbNy17pkhkP993Ddx8mWYkaCANJ4P6axYj3n6gpHhen9ziDxEIQUzd32znx_5FwCfN3s03my5cWlD0r_t_kokLk6ZDrJZr6LolOhju6tWIAlhIKYtAoCzOUdEUxncJCbvErXgkawm3oO8HSJLixwyOiGsU6vQd-KsGxV8sM5clEd-w=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/lwT5RcR1V3x8klK_DczW-BRrZhV7U9JguPy33j_tZSmLFm_4kAptS3VQGBKrvarKsqUlSi2yAcB_U0sMeBMor9N_xPoSUrvhBXVv-WY35mQMQZWaNsNEd4G2yE_MIH7U-y8ZazJlCRiu40Sqpgdpvhdqk32yTjOIKxEW8Nvyu-wtXDN3LLc7jcjCS3W0AgI3qbhZkqLmR4uJ6UB1tKhj7NFh-apzihgBvcyOVLUNV7Z5UVuh6bgrZZ2sVeEkyEUbYFnN2g-LmNYMbMBJWb969E7jXtFf-dy7DzFXbRdDKhum-FCLYpog0GubGjDx86nVNn8OG-iXA5znEZ-8HMO_hC9I8SOE6moioVDc68IVHELJ4vcH_JM8NOq5D8RLCJbNy17pkhkP993Ddx8mWYkaCANJ4P6axYj3n6gpHhen9ziDxEIQUzd32znx_5FwCfN3s03my5cWlD0r_t_kokLk6ZDrJZr6LolOhju6tWIAlhIKYtAoCzOUdEUxncJCbvErXgkawm3oO8HSJLixwyOiGsU6vQd-KsGxV8sM5clEd-w=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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.. and cart-designed streets...</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/VD96xhYIkr2Ooi3_fyYLmNYxRBTaGgwDpByF9oFkGkO3iu6quYmkADTdw2rHJ8BWfaNypaVtLa-3BiRF2YRneDewuwQ1Uvp7uVrXW2ZYwxi3YInGmbxT1PVR7jO_Hspj0dzo_L-m2NxRrp_30x1NrqL-KMeuBCl3U5FaCyKGU01AcH15-cbuaccI6nBaTZKls4VR8PCEEPuZKDtGOCNDaH7V_dBwfbtoAerNs1oi-YzorZO6FAX0I_RZQsPjvgvFFXYhqlF6_1JV1TxNQ_pDTiLKbHRuAh9lgLHskc5sbg_j-pchxcD6DROYfFHSZqltPPmiBK6rGCq63fCkKSmmtkDc16LfvtSvOqltavP7LEKJUl-n4E-Kfj34mTlgFQZzoLkx6HY4MG8devmbrlDhonpnMwHQULjLZX1YcchgvtsPc7sN962At97sqGBUfRA5rzYqjF7dvI_rbz4TItNxSzWgV6hG_8LDjf0QJdFHslGt9MrPIpxxq4NKI4jM0vIRu0BWJowis-9IjuoDg8oNo6bvtsbz8Vi_5irZqaNSddE=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/VD96xhYIkr2Ooi3_fyYLmNYxRBTaGgwDpByF9oFkGkO3iu6quYmkADTdw2rHJ8BWfaNypaVtLa-3BiRF2YRneDewuwQ1Uvp7uVrXW2ZYwxi3YInGmbxT1PVR7jO_Hspj0dzo_L-m2NxRrp_30x1NrqL-KMeuBCl3U5FaCyKGU01AcH15-cbuaccI6nBaTZKls4VR8PCEEPuZKDtGOCNDaH7V_dBwfbtoAerNs1oi-YzorZO6FAX0I_RZQsPjvgvFFXYhqlF6_1JV1TxNQ_pDTiLKbHRuAh9lgLHskc5sbg_j-pchxcD6DROYfFHSZqltPPmiBK6rGCq63fCkKSmmtkDc16LfvtSvOqltavP7LEKJUl-n4E-Kfj34mTlgFQZzoLkx6HY4MG8devmbrlDhonpnMwHQULjLZX1YcchgvtsPc7sN962At97sqGBUfRA5rzYqjF7dvI_rbz4TItNxSzWgV6hG_8LDjf0QJdFHslGt9MrPIpxxq4NKI4jM0vIRu0BWJowis-9IjuoDg8oNo6bvtsbz8Vi_5irZqaNSddE=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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..reflecting a wine-centricity of the region:<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/CV9NCUU7Ay0vAIuQ5Q0ZFlsSEShea1V7cCenrxwrg0foVWPeHtcruLkQ81vymY2NeOqbsxyAYgvu2nJBB_ahb3xvr-nZybiuDyt96Nak8XeGyEQDyhR-AQyMjLnDyfsxEsxzBw6tAX_4Cqs6hzJ_0B8lObIU6N94QHNqgnAQHAK9CWieeSyL29OKPRT7J3CJvqMzAyvlcScKDLAH25QtqKSws8pMdyKMHabVho-s6P50rC-jtLoXHEA4mzYaNTYfGbaUPGBA-q-9Gx4S2UQ5fJ6dAodu_I2Z99zVY3x67Ndf2Ml1g14gHY_DsXQS4Eh7uYYJ2jt2PJVXr9W9uyq_vgi_V4ukbn_xf11PFa_tDSQ2KSdSxxyn-H7dDcyqzlrrZmfObEUYDozCfpsdBiaUlwZQ1iF8eWYxvryJU2oQMUSIddqaBWG-Uar6G5bBLJpIivR7IZwXIMae-gwgGhNx_7jR3uQVd0SSHjR-z85G2vzMFlAsb7Go_gFB97yMntQDQLW43oiqXrrMQRyqBWn4W22we9i4MeviuV5yJFuUwX8=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/CV9NCUU7Ay0vAIuQ5Q0ZFlsSEShea1V7cCenrxwrg0foVWPeHtcruLkQ81vymY2NeOqbsxyAYgvu2nJBB_ahb3xvr-nZybiuDyt96Nak8XeGyEQDyhR-AQyMjLnDyfsxEsxzBw6tAX_4Cqs6hzJ_0B8lObIU6N94QHNqgnAQHAK9CWieeSyL29OKPRT7J3CJvqMzAyvlcScKDLAH25QtqKSws8pMdyKMHabVho-s6P50rC-jtLoXHEA4mzYaNTYfGbaUPGBA-q-9Gx4S2UQ5fJ6dAodu_I2Z99zVY3x67Ndf2Ml1g14gHY_DsXQS4Eh7uYYJ2jt2PJVXr9W9uyq_vgi_V4ukbn_xf11PFa_tDSQ2KSdSxxyn-H7dDcyqzlrrZmfObEUYDozCfpsdBiaUlwZQ1iF8eWYxvryJU2oQMUSIddqaBWG-Uar6G5bBLJpIivR7IZwXIMae-gwgGhNx_7jR3uQVd0SSHjR-z85G2vzMFlAsb7Go_gFB97yMntQDQLW43oiqXrrMQRyqBWn4W22we9i4MeviuV5yJFuUwX8=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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Back to the coast: time for the much-painted, picturesque Med-coast town of Collioure, bustling market</div>
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grand old church</div>
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and all</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UjNBq8_rNkrmBZoGbrZduI86IInGA8O5F0qnU6oRY01yldMBtYeEye0K2q0x3yZaefzC54gDCeJv1k9YcaHihejBWXk1-5xMECEpRir7rDLMyHcKxvQ5A7RlYxCsTd-8MCGb_KoTFlunN_Zy8O3gkyiKscck9u8ypuUA9aZEVZy8qs5eODt9gaJb0B4DBZBYHun4WAcrWhc8Gjr7PFLmDZcR2WPMIEeed-BWwYdLPPeNlGeYk7Z2Aysl-PiJOFsLrJAM0f8QwJVZI5DBUq9ZiI9Vm2adnc5AigpIqF0sM9dhwJdvA7yN0T2IeY89egKtI75i7dapBZDXGOId2gotZY2DSMdyvkjFZsrPw5tHmooyG1BbLe0z9y4IlHVSZKlgD_2R4eF3vmhwQK-pOYFzKiOFcU7aXIPbco9LBdWPxjl_IWS29U0oa3GDOIjVkxZF2ZdW6JCPjj0CZ4fh0p_V8BXqcOCv2f028aAl0uoZFq-KI5LL3YFdE4HZe-Be_KEKo7eDtejN76smiJR6jUq9EPGbcQoQxLgDe1BzaPC6Y0=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UjNBq8_rNkrmBZoGbrZduI86IInGA8O5F0qnU6oRY01yldMBtYeEye0K2q0x3yZaefzC54gDCeJv1k9YcaHihejBWXk1-5xMECEpRir7rDLMyHcKxvQ5A7RlYxCsTd-8MCGb_KoTFlunN_Zy8O3gkyiKscck9u8ypuUA9aZEVZy8qs5eODt9gaJb0B4DBZBYHun4WAcrWhc8Gjr7PFLmDZcR2WPMIEeed-BWwYdLPPeNlGeYk7Z2Aysl-PiJOFsLrJAM0f8QwJVZI5DBUq9ZiI9Vm2adnc5AigpIqF0sM9dhwJdvA7yN0T2IeY89egKtI75i7dapBZDXGOId2gotZY2DSMdyvkjFZsrPw5tHmooyG1BbLe0z9y4IlHVSZKlgD_2R4eF3vmhwQK-pOYFzKiOFcU7aXIPbco9LBdWPxjl_IWS29U0oa3GDOIjVkxZF2ZdW6JCPjj0CZ4fh0p_V8BXqcOCv2f028aAl0uoZFq-KI5LL3YFdE4HZe-Be_KEKo7eDtejN76smiJR6jUq9EPGbcQoQxLgDe1BzaPC6Y0=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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(mine hostess and <i>la esposa</i> wave from center right.) A frame on the sidewalk allows you to select Achille Lauge's viewpoint:</div>
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<a href="http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d58393/achille_lauge_voiles_blanches_a_collioure_d5839341h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.christies.com/lotfinderimages/d58393/achille_lauge_voiles_blanches_a_collioure_d5839341h.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/9u-X7AudGpo_kKVD3gqcD6pi_dyN3U_C5fmiM6tMy_sp9497Zd-0Hz3HakaOHFFMdi36Qy6pVH193x77X8A2lvNxLnSWVo6hXCOthKGDw5WxQwaSE7cifYRQpmaaaQqhVhRQELGmA4JHAapTzEE4mToq5h5v0ItfQWWgdiv33LQ2iVG0n9Nyzk34PufTTvMIjgmIMF4TG-d7TGPWpDmIdRe4Ct0u0eAD8wfnH4jVcl8f2iPolWbfBL-gr2X2voUsGB1Is3L6u8PzqkltyOZ8bYOCmkABENOLVnaIphJg_TDYc9a1EBtQkE9vtI1wOyECcczCPLvLQFQ9jIr7OPAC0kAxIN6p9NKCc98oKQU7xLaU6fqP6kE9UPJbxutTp3ME-epbbhG7t6lPCrhfGxV0CfBinJXCw-mVV1XIv11ogRjbfu7HFLcG-PGK6pyg9weY1clBXPnwniAqJV6UYohkdY86fmLyaDhoNfqXE75ziTMsJQn8O4ZxkWv2DLA6PM52_dHKnCP_tRwP8biWsDTVjTBbjDnL3RXRvFmdScP80Yw=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/9u-X7AudGpo_kKVD3gqcD6pi_dyN3U_C5fmiM6tMy_sp9497Zd-0Hz3HakaOHFFMdi36Qy6pVH193x77X8A2lvNxLnSWVo6hXCOthKGDw5WxQwaSE7cifYRQpmaaaQqhVhRQELGmA4JHAapTzEE4mToq5h5v0ItfQWWgdiv33LQ2iVG0n9Nyzk34PufTTvMIjgmIMF4TG-d7TGPWpDmIdRe4Ct0u0eAD8wfnH4jVcl8f2iPolWbfBL-gr2X2voUsGB1Is3L6u8PzqkltyOZ8bYOCmkABENOLVnaIphJg_TDYc9a1EBtQkE9vtI1wOyECcczCPLvLQFQ9jIr7OPAC0kAxIN6p9NKCc98oKQU7xLaU6fqP6kE9UPJbxutTp3ME-epbbhG7t6lPCrhfGxV0CfBinJXCw-mVV1XIv11ogRjbfu7HFLcG-PGK6pyg9weY1clBXPnwniAqJV6UYohkdY86fmLyaDhoNfqXE75ziTMsJQn8O4ZxkWv2DLA6PM52_dHKnCP_tRwP8biWsDTVjTBbjDnL3RXRvFmdScP80Yw=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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A residential street.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/0BBEn0eTII8kGTNByrH1ZTbV0dxEv83Ev8jqzmU0t4qbOUBLPbyjxzQy85UIua1QExrA5jDO6nkkNpOxs09d4AUhw_bZYQPdFe1nGyGW9DuPsfRP00cWVla0L_ICd-bOtv2ndsNEARev0N-W9TINea5IE-W_PTnC_XRYATiJ6qm-YGefYIASHSI2NdIiinB5kf4tlK-rlqzhxQ5oeh0TkVIVlSl9VLzlM4y1m9OVHfe4HH6IThP-nZhfGKSgSyktPJ9YSHCZMIDvXUqM7Tzgl-5awhEPaZ-FpkgNSopjcp146qq6whK2M3rgDtnYmICnEYbUpcG_uWGIOJNlwM-HJ3zkkyKTuZF3O2boLk-brFZ3Ib276U8jSPkLfa7FeIfm8d9BjfXHfZUb16Ei9n6n3Lgt-DCCyya_31kirAcoWV4y31ds0YEg5mAFlrDBDRt6wViaGsakT8lDB68gsFDuAQ2ex33tjg95uVmxDJc8GFqhkZoeC8v7h93CEf9xn40Ewns5vw1DXWKQuQdkun0JipGMiXZ_Y69uFTp_KNzzkoc=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/0BBEn0eTII8kGTNByrH1ZTbV0dxEv83Ev8jqzmU0t4qbOUBLPbyjxzQy85UIua1QExrA5jDO6nkkNpOxs09d4AUhw_bZYQPdFe1nGyGW9DuPsfRP00cWVla0L_ICd-bOtv2ndsNEARev0N-W9TINea5IE-W_PTnC_XRYATiJ6qm-YGefYIASHSI2NdIiinB5kf4tlK-rlqzhxQ5oeh0TkVIVlSl9VLzlM4y1m9OVHfe4HH6IThP-nZhfGKSgSyktPJ9YSHCZMIDvXUqM7Tzgl-5awhEPaZ-FpkgNSopjcp146qq6whK2M3rgDtnYmICnEYbUpcG_uWGIOJNlwM-HJ3zkkyKTuZF3O2boLk-brFZ3Ib276U8jSPkLfa7FeIfm8d9BjfXHfZUb16Ei9n6n3Lgt-DCCyya_31kirAcoWV4y31ds0YEg5mAFlrDBDRt6wViaGsakT8lDB68gsFDuAQ2ex33tjg95uVmxDJc8GFqhkZoeC8v7h93CEf9xn40Ewns5vw1DXWKQuQdkun0JipGMiXZ_Y69uFTp_KNzzkoc=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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And lest we forget, yes, a castle, with commanding views from shooting slots.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/aAeJUOnqAX5qPhDqpEXcFmmr4dDjy6ZFAT19rMG2bmUPbhdh8PczBLvmOvUGg7wQ8V7b5jlnHfQ4AarT6GEvQdZKgoII7GpG5NQKuhFo4GymlkCNJiBuMNb67AmLXNXwN-FlVCFyb7wWLdkGw2tBq_okK_PBamYr4ooWsgMB5DHNi1U8mxX6MF-vbU2P_S_mLkNNdAUi1YFkV6U0nmnZo5ISKKigCbv4euTsfJOrVWfZxkzo6tp6YifyV5elASWtERVrJI7BhumReIf8QcoFwfOhRJ8ZZXtqC12rEMZyNsRAVObZLi9YkgpbeaL1RGNR22BRDcZFXKWju7qzLeDRwuUYHtGK-ZamO2oXn5FBOFkDowHHqzOHV7bxpefeNau0gaWMe6FfIj1u7jeQAvXru7pOFIs7N9-rKOy0zarltK-4JLYlMD6-qTluGYbcI9Q61YSZOEfrQP7Rb2h31073f7OBWrdXg4oEGyW9efw6z8HXNKW_arr9hKwg09r-qkOKhALLGu8gWTpUyEhzmQAAZv4cK4QcQ62LZhNg0ZgzBH4=w320-h566-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/aAeJUOnqAX5qPhDqpEXcFmmr4dDjy6ZFAT19rMG2bmUPbhdh8PczBLvmOvUGg7wQ8V7b5jlnHfQ4AarT6GEvQdZKgoII7GpG5NQKuhFo4GymlkCNJiBuMNb67AmLXNXwN-FlVCFyb7wWLdkGw2tBq_okK_PBamYr4ooWsgMB5DHNi1U8mxX6MF-vbU2P_S_mLkNNdAUi1YFkV6U0nmnZo5ISKKigCbv4euTsfJOrVWfZxkzo6tp6YifyV5elASWtERVrJI7BhumReIf8QcoFwfOhRJ8ZZXtqC12rEMZyNsRAVObZLi9YkgpbeaL1RGNR22BRDcZFXKWju7qzLeDRwuUYHtGK-ZamO2oXn5FBOFkDowHHqzOHV7bxpefeNau0gaWMe6FfIj1u7jeQAvXru7pOFIs7N9-rKOy0zarltK-4JLYlMD6-qTluGYbcI9Q61YSZOEfrQP7Rb2h31073f7OBWrdXg4oEGyW9efw6z8HXNKW_arr9hKwg09r-qkOKhALLGu8gWTpUyEhzmQAAZv4cK4QcQ62LZhNg0ZgzBH4=w320-h566-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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What can you contrive to follow all this? Well, for us, it was a dinner at home base with a visiting Svenska, and a hike the next day to the land of the endless aquifer</div>
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- which rema</div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/rx-FsRcpkzicPVGfy4z-fRAathDjnMLoGOlHy9gCPiRQgiTX60Lq9miH2xoTn1UIMqnHZBFkRYGAHwklq35cGEO0hP7qtSYbDtTk0USztRoNIqsbAQ3oKh5oEo-VXxu3hgT_z_Q1xCeMB4KTceXNrTv7pk_MpYq3AGDoVqrxu55ZS0WMc3-KtTIKNz6B4KCMApWa-chH-qjaLtrGQc7VIeYrwort3Xv0db2f71vimobNcQwy4386cyrGHWSt-RS3t2s105liWclPO8od6VNHtF15w-87Y2wLPd3awSHpLFwusO_NIJziIwZrzmbRxg_WB3E2eYN-ve0o0UHU6HjfeMMesEG0rMn6KcIH3VjgptXGBOx9ZxfTLa5nU4eeXihACNgClhPbtF6Y9tYFj7NS1p42TYT2alAHgzWWlpe_hGvHyIZ4D3U4ugKLMfNllz10v0BFf9XoOtIjOE0MhLJnO35EUE_yG5uhB7njgfwBU0pxdme45xsv8b-n2LiStEDzcKTs5HBAoHsZhUvCocWLY_RVz0rEUeI6qFHvGyBHjt3x39dfhXtRKn9WE_Ka4ozcW6N4=w1107-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/rx-FsRcpkzicPVGfy4z-fRAathDjnMLoGOlHy9gCPiRQgiTX60Lq9miH2xoTn1UIMqnHZBFkRYGAHwklq35cGEO0hP7qtSYbDtTk0USztRoNIqsbAQ3oKh5oEo-VXxu3hgT_z_Q1xCeMB4KTceXNrTv7pk_MpYq3AGDoVqrxu55ZS0WMc3-KtTIKNz6B4KCMApWa-chH-qjaLtrGQc7VIeYrwort3Xv0db2f71vimobNcQwy4386cyrGHWSt-RS3t2s105liWclPO8od6VNHtF15w-87Y2wLPd3awSHpLFwusO_NIJziIwZrzmbRxg_WB3E2eYN-ve0o0UHU6HjfeMMesEG0rMn6KcIH3VjgptXGBOx9ZxfTLa5nU4eeXihACNgClhPbtF6Y9tYFj7NS1p42TYT2alAHgzWWlpe_hGvHyIZ4D3U4ugKLMfNllz10v0BFf9XoOtIjOE0MhLJnO35EUE_yG5uhB7njgfwBU0pxdme45xsv8b-n2LiStEDzcKTs5HBAoHsZhUvCocWLY_RVz0rEUeI6qFHvGyBHjt3x39dfhXtRKn9WE_Ka4ozcW6N4=w1107-h623-no" width="320" /></a></div>
rkably turns out to be in the neigborhood, out the front door. Less than 8 inches of rain in 2015, and they somehow have a continuous year-round flow in a broad network of ditches and canals, with informal weirs scattered throughout for irrigating gardens.<br />
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This concluded the French phase of the exploration, for the next day we were off to Figueres again, but this time with a stop at the famed<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 20.3636px;">Dalí museum, where the "car courtyard" is not the least striking:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 20.3636px;">The surreal Mae West installation, the car and its creepy inhabitants,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> the spurting penises, the crazy sculpture,</span><br />
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the inescapable hordes of <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zSetEpqZcr8yiiyCqzb9bws63MRNV_1W-Z-JvRWqZN5vOeSFI5YIhdfqFp-i1WA75u1dVPYMR3Gxzczp-Q31k9hFUlIa-RfTc-8ZIZC_JxD05HOVI2vpOMQiO3ehyk6L0IqOYVZ33BD7ONuXKp7bwnIvGfJrCiWLMQCBf2lmv5-ERspeIOChev4lLk0CMgr6DmbKt1NWUko6BGovU3gODN8FhHLR13IEBdQr_gpCbC7tVkULJO34D7htHH0tXXLbWBx6GtI5mZGQvqrIwNtnd7ki9FU44yzA2-MLLjRbsgrItFB-PCUP8CbXKqpRV4cUeQrgrPpAO_7eEnSOaV4ZXkw8AN_yO9PlwslyIROR5A5lBWiTRLeVDjVr3SosUvvAGku46l99Fq5pR3LAs6Xsk0lBi93Ewqk4jDsJsVrmjaSSqmATcWdoKpid-ALkppX2ncFcW8-yUNJP9JFGhY-5kkiKsP68EbIsaJU99U3Enu4kbE8YEyXFzxb9MMyP8iDFIphPVJYjbbO0yWkL8A_eSs_-EsO6zSx6km6pv4k-cYXObAtrTdne_NbP0vsfa_K1E_K9=w114-h202-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/zSetEpqZcr8yiiyCqzb9bws63MRNV_1W-Z-JvRWqZN5vOeSFI5YIhdfqFp-i1WA75u1dVPYMR3Gxzczp-Q31k9hFUlIa-RfTc-8ZIZC_JxD05HOVI2vpOMQiO3ehyk6L0IqOYVZ33BD7ONuXKp7bwnIvGfJrCiWLMQCBf2lmv5-ERspeIOChev4lLk0CMgr6DmbKt1NWUko6BGovU3gODN8FhHLR13IEBdQr_gpCbC7tVkULJO34D7htHH0tXXLbWBx6GtI5mZGQvqrIwNtnd7ki9FU44yzA2-MLLjRbsgrItFB-PCUP8CbXKqpRV4cUeQrgrPpAO_7eEnSOaV4ZXkw8AN_yO9PlwslyIROR5A5lBWiTRLeVDjVr3SosUvvAGku46l99Fq5pR3LAs6Xsk0lBi93Ewqk4jDsJsVrmjaSSqmATcWdoKpid-ALkppX2ncFcW8-yUNJP9JFGhY-5kkiKsP68EbIsaJU99U3Enu4kbE8YEyXFzxb9MMyP8iDFIphPVJYjbbO0yWkL8A_eSs_-EsO6zSx6km6pv4k-cYXObAtrTdne_NbP0vsfa_K1E_K9=w114-h202-no" /></a></div>
selfie-stick-toting tourists and schoolchildren, all eventually made it a relief to leave our hosts to the rest of their day and make our way to Barcelona (with seconds to spare, this has to happen at least once in these circumstances.)</span><br />
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I've noticed in comparing my Alicante trip and this one, that Spaniards seem to like black and white rooms:</div>
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This one <a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cC31cqedJDKslbiQNIM77BU7Gf2TxBTg0-oNUvCicVxP-QHPEDDUsIYaI3apiX5-jRDeJpJryHmBKqepiBLiZk-YYzcEOP6FC9FHSQ9iI8knQKgB6ZbdbiQR0gO0r3VjXq1PKxfoDjKIL-CsZbGTsQwCvMXMUaledWUa6FvwoPjna9rhSKbPi6j94wugkC9-xE2LGjJDL2-Lq0XCR7WfFwYjlwk0UNaevYZLjfe-jQzubcV70T_i8Maq5d03gxywyqRIXHlGg1ohAdpRxFGgIZd03IXPpJFwwuNinD1se1OpuWPZZve0Vu2NcekyNzWI_2sg2vxsVjtaUg_NJgDaFv--2T9mFDi_4qzJLNQaWWu2Or-VXIzivw3jMhuxTiGmCyOCoYdCFMgOUk1fWIiWwC6ihv6zOzZNMdl6Z-SdUW90TxYEllwZiD-RGa4477T5X6sz-P3BKC8MHsZst57Xi6cqYkuD9L04qsp0pKGLA8LeiCHlO6VFrVznS0Tf03N68SW4R4NkDDNJsotILmpP9ku-NtmXZBqkt7EvPB9c-fCDaq-Up6CWyingbeRSynBpKHpl=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cC31cqedJDKslbiQNIM77BU7Gf2TxBTg0-oNUvCicVxP-QHPEDDUsIYaI3apiX5-jRDeJpJryHmBKqepiBLiZk-YYzcEOP6FC9FHSQ9iI8knQKgB6ZbdbiQR0gO0r3VjXq1PKxfoDjKIL-CsZbGTsQwCvMXMUaledWUa6FvwoPjna9rhSKbPi6j94wugkC9-xE2LGjJDL2-Lq0XCR7WfFwYjlwk0UNaevYZLjfe-jQzubcV70T_i8Maq5d03gxywyqRIXHlGg1ohAdpRxFGgIZd03IXPpJFwwuNinD1se1OpuWPZZve0Vu2NcekyNzWI_2sg2vxsVjtaUg_NJgDaFv--2T9mFDi_4qzJLNQaWWu2Or-VXIzivw3jMhuxTiGmCyOCoYdCFMgOUk1fWIiWwC6ihv6zOzZNMdl6Z-SdUW90TxYEllwZiD-RGa4477T5X6sz-P3BKC8MHsZst57Xi6cqYkuD9L04qsp0pKGLA8LeiCHlO6VFrVznS0Tf03N68SW4R4NkDDNJsotILmpP9ku-NtmXZBqkt7EvPB9c-fCDaq-Up6CWyingbeRSynBpKHpl=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
was certainly comfortable.<br />
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We wanted to get our first <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;">Gaudí</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;"> </span>fix that day, so we checked out the exterior of the Sagrada Familia at dusk, just a walk away in the drizzle..</div>
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found something to eat somewhere in the land of midnight dinner, and planned our next day's outing before crashing.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/hx5RYwIlLhoIB_eDRj7i7DiEogu5nknnrvV95sZzhnDFVrqxh9_s9sOWzYmfipRPb5WHrK58F2WEm7sy6vnxgieVzUhZX5aTarxHszasQfzztJ4AqIYApIe7pfcX9C4x0NR8ZAZe9vpMMJ1x0wyITIK9kItwVbLxx4w_o58f8oFW0ldwKeWVRn7_201pO2Z3s2uTQjgvbVfTFooADgh6zPfrb5WTHZ-M9p93NZIzW91KsOz__-pzEnbnByZNy_ZCY5wrDA4OY_zEZWqi2Vfo01XhnejddNOaUrjK0XnsedEjM_rXIfMLLjnIAutR_SW8JRRVVGQ-JWi-7rq4UqGpzJ3Cc1deVD0wgFgDwrjNJpykr2DIFS8Qz0xhvb5Ra8BcBTj7XeI19YyrUAFZTBIuFE6mbCUe_0cD6Y32aNHntFH8uVNHap4xvzx0G0uvEKr3GFKePxTeu7CnASJw5ff7VyXo0MaSwaI_4PBOgH87iSt_Tf5gzAg5uYsnXNqZLblBVzGfwCxPEHnCQe8xSawuYRi2NtWWGIuucnbCetgEdscejRFiis8QClSuEK0PlUgVx3m1=w115-h204-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/hx5RYwIlLhoIB_eDRj7i7DiEogu5nknnrvV95sZzhnDFVrqxh9_s9sOWzYmfipRPb5WHrK58F2WEm7sy6vnxgieVzUhZX5aTarxHszasQfzztJ4AqIYApIe7pfcX9C4x0NR8ZAZe9vpMMJ1x0wyITIK9kItwVbLxx4w_o58f8oFW0ldwKeWVRn7_201pO2Z3s2uTQjgvbVfTFooADgh6zPfrb5WTHZ-M9p93NZIzW91KsOz__-pzEnbnByZNy_ZCY5wrDA4OY_zEZWqi2Vfo01XhnejddNOaUrjK0XnsedEjM_rXIfMLLjnIAutR_SW8JRRVVGQ-JWi-7rq4UqGpzJ3Cc1deVD0wgFgDwrjNJpykr2DIFS8Qz0xhvb5Ra8BcBTj7XeI19YyrUAFZTBIuFE6mbCUe_0cD6Y32aNHntFH8uVNHap4xvzx0G0uvEKr3GFKePxTeu7CnASJw5ff7VyXo0MaSwaI_4PBOgH87iSt_Tf5gzAg5uYsnXNqZLblBVzGfwCxPEHnCQe8xSawuYRi2NtWWGIuucnbCetgEdscejRFiis8QClSuEK0PlUgVx3m1=w115-h204-no" /></a></div>
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We made it back fairly early next day for the interior of arguably the most famous modern Spanish structure. But it's yet to be defined, really; they have yet to complete the largest central spire and quite a bit more, but that said, it's phenomenal whether in construction details </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/U3r6Qm2kaY6U2OtA9M5sE66ilp84UImfQqgvdg7Hbs7uTEmEnIvymmOY_GJ123z8-krUFiD0a-4Xzz4o_8xEAmoj0d3D2ldCnY-4U57kTrpVS0RrlyjLmW_U314WNfVRiM2rnc_zLSfEX_DrQkyOAMkSxV6tXBDTCw-Zwre6_ZWi0RjX0QcL9ob4WbsssEHDLJiMS-fQgznQg6QPJZ0vcsoiHekIg5bBIel8JdjTQR7s8h0myqZzPaxYW6_uiXLPI9w_2OURFoi-IIIFmNyCjIkUh6w-JCCJwedA37bgdpAI18KeuECd-rEUXNVWhItcTiW8ZLuZOnq2U5CUbA_Qp078sq6B7sHNDZnWgusfJaN-_imyrjQJEeCx-qzDr5LpD3Ay15U2k5QnhEBP7a4KOnLaMGtTl3c7NuOK2IG2si7-_992PPi1iKv1AStJII_W93JCIABMpF4lGTdFaD2m3MijoVEz6oLuHzh1WO4ChL2-fvwEK-VvFo83fvDaFHfM5cl9OLcTQcAWki4V3f48r39BjbqAeRRDPA6buGgbU4nknVCjavijnDNsFlWtMh8jB0I4=w359-h202-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/U3r6Qm2kaY6U2OtA9M5sE66ilp84UImfQqgvdg7Hbs7uTEmEnIvymmOY_GJ123z8-krUFiD0a-4Xzz4o_8xEAmoj0d3D2ldCnY-4U57kTrpVS0RrlyjLmW_U314WNfVRiM2rnc_zLSfEX_DrQkyOAMkSxV6tXBDTCw-Zwre6_ZWi0RjX0QcL9ob4WbsssEHDLJiMS-fQgznQg6QPJZ0vcsoiHekIg5bBIel8JdjTQR7s8h0myqZzPaxYW6_uiXLPI9w_2OURFoi-IIIFmNyCjIkUh6w-JCCJwedA37bgdpAI18KeuECd-rEUXNVWhItcTiW8ZLuZOnq2U5CUbA_Qp078sq6B7sHNDZnWgusfJaN-_imyrjQJEeCx-qzDr5LpD3Ay15U2k5QnhEBP7a4KOnLaMGtTl3c7NuOK2IG2si7-_992PPi1iKv1AStJII_W93JCIABMpF4lGTdFaD2m3MijoVEz6oLuHzh1WO4ChL2-fvwEK-VvFo83fvDaFHfM5cl9OLcTQcAWki4V3f48r39BjbqAeRRDPA6buGgbU4nknVCjavijnDNsFlWtMh8jB0I4=w359-h202-no" width="320" /></a></div>
or finished elements,<br />
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and both are uniquely presented via viewing slots in the spires, <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/F0W0WlumzjcGRdIvfJRyBlSGoILvl18vE5lIaqvOn0pZBxRPUPDBc0WJa2TVQUVaNDHKPMExkX9HW9_RshcDTDyDjbZFkZNZG4Su30KsmPIp-D8o9X1JSx623D0_AcQsduJuzb-dmKQNVm-U4oJNVmNoq2kx6zscvlnVo2QSnKnsDxnrXT206t6EYzi1Ttfep9Us7_VBAngo2nt66-V1_LYEIA_ugQ20s783WH8Zi4mmvENRIsFXaG65BxTOkCbGxPv6A9HZbEFXO4mxpyQgIahj9v5otZ8zwV95_QptdIXRVAtuVzx9r3_7rXnrjaUpUx4NZKpZ-maCMRyqsUA4o6WfOc7Eqquif2gs3xpPBGN9QqRYQpk0MfZ2D2rIF3pkwgjPZzRnwtErMzttVtMbGkoe8bm467S6CihfV0vFt8BK4QRZaRrJyei5_HeC2LBJPhFk6MdKnGchaQabHgrULSsFDwM5DiJ4fzbeAKmTuIrVjhhXs_f-mCqVOYMmP4I9laQxLHu0RZ2e9jq8JLlsDD9Q7aGSDXPYsXYNihZJzvtaEtmd1oxGoZ1uuJpHgTzY5G93=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/F0W0WlumzjcGRdIvfJRyBlSGoILvl18vE5lIaqvOn0pZBxRPUPDBc0WJa2TVQUVaNDHKPMExkX9HW9_RshcDTDyDjbZFkZNZG4Su30KsmPIp-D8o9X1JSx623D0_AcQsduJuzb-dmKQNVm-U4oJNVmNoq2kx6zscvlnVo2QSnKnsDxnrXT206t6EYzi1Ttfep9Us7_VBAngo2nt66-V1_LYEIA_ugQ20s783WH8Zi4mmvENRIsFXaG65BxTOkCbGxPv6A9HZbEFXO4mxpyQgIahj9v5otZ8zwV95_QptdIXRVAtuVzx9r3_7rXnrjaUpUx4NZKpZ-maCMRyqsUA4o6WfOc7Eqquif2gs3xpPBGN9QqRYQpk0MfZ2D2rIF3pkwgjPZzRnwtErMzttVtMbGkoe8bm467S6CihfV0vFt8BK4QRZaRrJyei5_HeC2LBJPhFk6MdKnGchaQabHgrULSsFDwM5DiJ4fzbeAKmTuIrVjhhXs_f-mCqVOYMmP4I9laQxLHu0RZ2e9jq8JLlsDD9Q7aGSDXPYsXYNihZJzvtaEtmd1oxGoZ1uuJpHgTzY5G93=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
accessible by a helical stairway <br />
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which could give acrophobes pause (and I suspect it's not where you <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/1YAA9z7-uodgbjphXUUR5nXVZfiTJ-pBzfI__ygyBtz9Nz7Q0zfkRtKIRnDr9vkBtUp741_QMpDEyBr2rbQfuqFhJtpo3VP5epC9mB9u5eyYbYrXBkBEE6chuQVu_lh_rB4fSKSBmafVPzl22frPVs4WIx7gG_qttW52gS5eLW5NWH3VzF04u5eifocMXvq4MHwoGe0PRErHxayI4D8cg77m7wg1o2ulT1xE6Gr7Ylcs-W3D88ZbL3esIfndmSrs_cHwGHn8E-90iI2vu-s-gC41N6q9vOuLiThi0uWE4o-8W9vEJzPKJDwpp-V70yzN40r4cV8uUK4AQKTp7t9P2PRUMtOZ8nlEXUBn4GoDVH-MZ0rAjtwDtPLpJpg5XTl3xvyRNRwNWMGPvyDaMJD3q8raChGx0QtkDv2_mOsodUiITmrb3dn71mXJqCZ4aF2lBvcvO7MN1P6jmPrZGopSDZXMSmZuy_RCXtpvJaeOZSzIbJvTs9MQR1wVlOrkY6Bx2GA9_vwPyKcQTu2HWovMc7PepwPVjwWI4jlZav-JsnyWxpNszjoJNCJXZ5qOA9IVbO3Y=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/1YAA9z7-uodgbjphXUUR5nXVZfiTJ-pBzfI__ygyBtz9Nz7Q0zfkRtKIRnDr9vkBtUp741_QMpDEyBr2rbQfuqFhJtpo3VP5epC9mB9u5eyYbYrXBkBEE6chuQVu_lh_rB4fSKSBmafVPzl22frPVs4WIx7gG_qttW52gS5eLW5NWH3VzF04u5eifocMXvq4MHwoGe0PRErHxayI4D8cg77m7wg1o2ulT1xE6Gr7Ylcs-W3D88ZbL3esIfndmSrs_cHwGHn8E-90iI2vu-s-gC41N6q9vOuLiThi0uWE4o-8W9vEJzPKJDwpp-V70yzN40r4cV8uUK4AQKTp7t9P2PRUMtOZ8nlEXUBn4GoDVH-MZ0rAjtwDtPLpJpg5XTl3xvyRNRwNWMGPvyDaMJD3q8raChGx0QtkDv2_mOsodUiITmrb3dn71mXJqCZ4aF2lBvcvO7MN1P6jmPrZGopSDZXMSmZuy_RCXtpvJaeOZSzIbJvTs9MQR1wVlOrkY6Bx2GA9_vwPyKcQTu2HWovMc7PepwPVjwWI4jlZav-JsnyWxpNszjoJNCJXZ5qOA9IVbO3Y=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
want to be in hot weather.) The light is magical, <br />
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and the basement museum with its models and historical photos are <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/oeElT339r1IJ8jNEsEJKAV1HMLcMemXdQQ3df0DXkFRwq4QYsXCbgrBTgU13tIAXRtGxPNSOiHu0Y7o7M7yLqSMUs5XqeEZHHl1eitIfPrWCegGPZ5wT46_hzbbKCUt-c1S9L168jw7xtY_fHxDn5jPw-oGJ1aRadbxt0WD84RCacMvD0ffUj1x8FvK3CEtXVZlEO-91-IrxPyE-3eUQ_rGu3GK9dpYkfJICE_vgINYUyEfCa67KngflyMqE6FDGq3eYi77ehfN0Alb_geaCE4bQmpEawHSirCQavntWcsr8bSgAOXDirkAsknylBkTbTEkbRzrzrGC2RWXjD_2VvBEA3fWZMjybVkyfKmj7HWiLA1Uh_JqW_xqamjEFMzv20ESYJhskW8Lh-KfbMQ7XX-7CPqrp7T4AeNXyN2bQ-k36xqFtpWsY735qXNsGd5pjjrGT1dMz1JwU9BvvOlmiFj6eIN-YoVwzdWDySJ4iVMj6F0k-Oe1FtlJ4W8DJwPO83AEhBuPSfFUmvZyAe3H6zwUIIzSsVamJhpbyfYKYGmwJ6rbMvN32F7IBOyh0K1JwdWRd=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/oeElT339r1IJ8jNEsEJKAV1HMLcMemXdQQ3df0DXkFRwq4QYsXCbgrBTgU13tIAXRtGxPNSOiHu0Y7o7M7yLqSMUs5XqeEZHHl1eitIfPrWCegGPZ5wT46_hzbbKCUt-c1S9L168jw7xtY_fHxDn5jPw-oGJ1aRadbxt0WD84RCacMvD0ffUj1x8FvK3CEtXVZlEO-91-IrxPyE-3eUQ_rGu3GK9dpYkfJICE_vgINYUyEfCa67KngflyMqE6FDGq3eYi77ehfN0Alb_geaCE4bQmpEawHSirCQavntWcsr8bSgAOXDirkAsknylBkTbTEkbRzrzrGC2RWXjD_2VvBEA3fWZMjybVkyfKmj7HWiLA1Uh_JqW_xqamjEFMzv20ESYJhskW8Lh-KfbMQ7XX-7CPqrp7T4AeNXyN2bQ-k36xqFtpWsY735qXNsGd5pjjrGT1dMz1JwU9BvvOlmiFj6eIN-YoVwzdWDySJ4iVMj6F0k-Oe1FtlJ4W8DJwPO83AEhBuPSfFUmvZyAe3H6zwUIIzSsVamJhpbyfYKYGmwJ6rbMvN32F7IBOyh0K1JwdWRd=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
terrific - if you went to Barcelona, had any interest in art or architecture, and didn't see it, I sympathize.<br />
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We did a lot of walking as the day progressed, making our way to the oldest part of the city, approaching the harbor. Las Ramblas </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/2GHk3MuAwwQ31goKvz6h77h8stJnF5NrVg084b2xLH7kRxLKf2ZLOvXASdkPpf0oz2XAzSLizNWqq-KE9zZeKet6yi7V5E5P95lyKWGJd9kBnFvKC-rxwVecL5gX-u9OFTwkKz2vsWC3DxvelgqBJ8kGaqg1-DxzJQOcETFaJHOI2sLbCABSHAnSXlm7Wu1CORmiSJ4rFrgqLpbwNbAyfEKRTfj0LuTWp4hAn326WubNFBz1VJiDwiJ9k3H8IuY9cspgNIhUIDRMLZsY7iohkcEJU6xdfFK2eHLgVvVjCAintMXOG2_kdjbLz8kUKo_wZfz41q7_kluaBg8wYl9tFGjgn2lB2fCMzkf0v8HLiHz41TUBuSXqGHIAf4_LFUkbVvPgVzuB1WTqRSkme9bpmyOgpMVV45u71I45Vq1xRziQNOtnv1OzQ_WECX8c0G23qbIK5jFzsQu-eMj0Zsz0a7mXKB51S_cM8yk_EN_Dxm_laArSArPa4H6euBULNVl2JXE58twl9sAuV_I_stqLB-qmRboz4rQc-pPBS9quiFuwkHHVNeL7-LxwSqXMz07MVwaV=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/2GHk3MuAwwQ31goKvz6h77h8stJnF5NrVg084b2xLH7kRxLKf2ZLOvXASdkPpf0oz2XAzSLizNWqq-KE9zZeKet6yi7V5E5P95lyKWGJd9kBnFvKC-rxwVecL5gX-u9OFTwkKz2vsWC3DxvelgqBJ8kGaqg1-DxzJQOcETFaJHOI2sLbCABSHAnSXlm7Wu1CORmiSJ4rFrgqLpbwNbAyfEKRTfj0LuTWp4hAn326WubNFBz1VJiDwiJ9k3H8IuY9cspgNIhUIDRMLZsY7iohkcEJU6xdfFK2eHLgVvVjCAintMXOG2_kdjbLz8kUKo_wZfz41q7_kluaBg8wYl9tFGjgn2lB2fCMzkf0v8HLiHz41TUBuSXqGHIAf4_LFUkbVvPgVzuB1WTqRSkme9bpmyOgpMVV45u71I45Vq1xRziQNOtnv1OzQ_WECX8c0G23qbIK5jFzsQu-eMj0Zsz0a7mXKB51S_cM8yk_EN_Dxm_laArSArPa4H6euBULNVl2JXE58twl9sAuV_I_stqLB-qmRboz4rQc-pPBS9quiFuwkHHVNeL7-LxwSqXMz07MVwaV=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
is the area most tourists end up in sooner or later, I guess because it's crowded and has lots of <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2px;">tchotchkes </span>to adorn houses and thrift shops - but really it is picturesque in the way all these places older than America are, at least to Americans. We ate eventually at a place which offered rice dishes common to at least the Catalan regions, perhaps suspiciously modern, but with friendliness and tasty fare.<br />
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Next day was again a <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;">Gaudí D</span>ay, this time focusing on Parc Guell, his famous (eventual) public park commission.<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.3636px;"> It is among other things a masterwork of coarse symmetry,</span></div>
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suggesting nature in a less stylized way than the Sagrada, both in fired <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/N7HfQKI776prgQQqQWT7-ov7ONslFhe-5EXlzk6buWI269AQzOxWTRr33pwuwxHAkDsIYbS8JYFOlAoo8frodP3_AOOmxBIpe7Pn3tetrutNgN26W9q23gG9yuv5FLn6dk9UCX4DtLVObkzkckOBTFQFrCYYp0djc8DcZzV--2Qh2Wn6XD2jdScBFeSEsEWe2EJ1suqBcA1Hou3hROgOGyVPRAwGb8X9dtbu5ZCA8Cf1Dyvf4GaPMlWewXg7BbnFZJ_ejuSL09pQPdzS5na_Pj9U2lcA1oDJYtrKy2Oi5OL5ELC_lUDtPqtEwYQI8WMPcex9HratJa5BKK66Hr4D-VT92FW29hYvrP6UTlNF49ErstilxcvfuHPIK2gO23UZa_zgS9QL_PfXN0osMsYx_tA2QwIGKK4oS7inTL6LVLn4XJULlXW7nitVQdSFvxQigbj7zFOU_jC6F71EMYHQqfCE785esMdbVZZOpt0ydI4wUYdI-JIqvDzlLziHsJTHeopZN_xP8R6HltdnCBGGmffnT0GJftFXz7EXuXeu-XtxMndlObNN7TAQK447wM40B7ee=w114-h202-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/N7HfQKI776prgQQqQWT7-ov7ONslFhe-5EXlzk6buWI269AQzOxWTRr33pwuwxHAkDsIYbS8JYFOlAoo8frodP3_AOOmxBIpe7Pn3tetrutNgN26W9q23gG9yuv5FLn6dk9UCX4DtLVObkzkckOBTFQFrCYYp0djc8DcZzV--2Qh2Wn6XD2jdScBFeSEsEWe2EJ1suqBcA1Hou3hROgOGyVPRAwGb8X9dtbu5ZCA8Cf1Dyvf4GaPMlWewXg7BbnFZJ_ejuSL09pQPdzS5na_Pj9U2lcA1oDJYtrKy2Oi5OL5ELC_lUDtPqtEwYQI8WMPcex9HratJa5BKK66Hr4D-VT92FW29hYvrP6UTlNF49ErstilxcvfuHPIK2gO23UZa_zgS9QL_PfXN0osMsYx_tA2QwIGKK4oS7inTL6LVLn4XJULlXW7nitVQdSFvxQigbj7zFOU_jC6F71EMYHQqfCE785esMdbVZZOpt0ydI4wUYdI-JIqvDzlLziHsJTHeopZN_xP8R6HltdnCBGGmffnT0GJftFXz7EXuXeu-XtxMndlObNN7TAQK447wM40B7ee=w114-h202-no" /></a></div>
and unfired clay, glazed or unglazed. <br />
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Here too the selfie sticks fly off the vendors' <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/AWmmgSYttVOScTcDR8TbCZ4O_Ez0rabEhGIXFg7NXXr-sRmZznphLz-XRmGesxpvLlhLQAQilhAu21dAGWVeHiacBcwPDJEoOT2qc9oOdo3MMToW0dYSls4Dbd1-R1Hxe5LnY4TI36HL8IOl5MKKeZFm3meMHmJlfEl--VREo7wvrkE73Zy3jZZFdEs2M9pYp4-gPOIIkQEoMrMvpkAvtDSa13Uc7Y5mVZq_7R1RwvIMeCUTIum9lTyJzFVpNNoDOQ9BCOzHnqwahheIlqGt48vn1Zs-B7X4c9PuZb8zBhIrIOG0-M5ZdWEQjcqz-0omCBFWfnDLhgOrCQBzfad-c6ZoKCdGXtavJjB5wRvc02vH40qMGfrtBleAEZpUiJfx0HdHBnnIjKoowDTws8IhNVEESy9zaZITCNNW8FUcXYUHbdwNvxo4pBjKrvfPr-G086c0wiOLZ-nn3fhHCDQe-ZZNfh5DUqgXzcbzXVajn_yGVofmktYFQVlYdNW1am2wUnSLOvaff6RT0thELH0998Ufl59oaLgNbYcfM4lPQUD0NqGLB59RJyaTof2RFl5ntHjW=w354-h199-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/AWmmgSYttVOScTcDR8TbCZ4O_Ez0rabEhGIXFg7NXXr-sRmZznphLz-XRmGesxpvLlhLQAQilhAu21dAGWVeHiacBcwPDJEoOT2qc9oOdo3MMToW0dYSls4Dbd1-R1Hxe5LnY4TI36HL8IOl5MKKeZFm3meMHmJlfEl--VREo7wvrkE73Zy3jZZFdEs2M9pYp4-gPOIIkQEoMrMvpkAvtDSa13Uc7Y5mVZq_7R1RwvIMeCUTIum9lTyJzFVpNNoDOQ9BCOzHnqwahheIlqGt48vn1Zs-B7X4c9PuZb8zBhIrIOG0-M5ZdWEQjcqz-0omCBFWfnDLhgOrCQBzfad-c6ZoKCdGXtavJjB5wRvc02vH40qMGfrtBleAEZpUiJfx0HdHBnnIjKoowDTws8IhNVEESy9zaZITCNNW8FUcXYUHbdwNvxo4pBjKrvfPr-G086c0wiOLZ-nn3fhHCDQe-ZZNfh5DUqgXzcbzXVajn_yGVofmktYFQVlYdNW1am2wUnSLOvaff6RT0thELH0998Ufl59oaLgNbYcfM4lPQUD0NqGLB59RJyaTof2RFl5ntHjW=w354-h199-no" width="320" /></a></div>
sheets, the pan pipes players congregate, but really the art and the views compel. We looked out at one of the neighborhoods <br />
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which served as the settings for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_the_Wind">Shadow of the Wind</a>, topped by an amusement park. This was a <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/hcRnzlLu_Nbp3JPTt1gk8T4BofId6wa0iTaCWp5ketJd1AdB6Y2rkYam7plpO-cCm9C3S2Z_MYOgbzYKrgJ16Hn_sS4fjvdsiXfY4g7qZq-rbJ_lGPE7QRuCmqJxkoA0N60w4LSy7y-aUZb6CregfFgHoYFWUpoMVvqgmPWLqx-AlFUpgT30Po1cyBEyawgKB8Xbg8qBPbIFTCfB2ALc3dojSZfSrq4Ueo6lCeFW9UZgxQLsha0d53V2hy3nH9jqFmdqb9BiFZtCNsogMMbSex9La2sLCkuGYj2MPlmVeaaAXUN2Ti_me4DKmxudOGt8Fx9yTf0F-EQyHdit990oNQLObL7djcRGio3nScqcqViWZA1oO_Ajuyrg1i09yZCkYFe-rSFPor_jr84rfslFdDUkVBwoRQXRYz2yscrD36jcvVNW2Ae-KMVO_7z6oUVDIefZj_zQErDeWLb37idxqJUwIFWp4ABYcdNsJnCB_zlVruZY_dLzkPhLtvVHi4yKW9njW8Q72R25pymCga0kuNeE29yUErIh9hWTL7HwC4JAyJFNEyldReu5cTh2hYS943-j=w1107-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/hcRnzlLu_Nbp3JPTt1gk8T4BofId6wa0iTaCWp5ketJd1AdB6Y2rkYam7plpO-cCm9C3S2Z_MYOgbzYKrgJ16Hn_sS4fjvdsiXfY4g7qZq-rbJ_lGPE7QRuCmqJxkoA0N60w4LSy7y-aUZb6CregfFgHoYFWUpoMVvqgmPWLqx-AlFUpgT30Po1cyBEyawgKB8Xbg8qBPbIFTCfB2ALc3dojSZfSrq4Ueo6lCeFW9UZgxQLsha0d53V2hy3nH9jqFmdqb9BiFZtCNsogMMbSex9La2sLCkuGYj2MPlmVeaaAXUN2Ti_me4DKmxudOGt8Fx9yTf0F-EQyHdit990oNQLObL7djcRGio3nScqcqViWZA1oO_Ajuyrg1i09yZCkYFe-rSFPor_jr84rfslFdDUkVBwoRQXRYz2yscrD36jcvVNW2Ae-KMVO_7z6oUVDIefZj_zQErDeWLb37idxqJUwIFWp4ABYcdNsJnCB_zlVruZY_dLzkPhLtvVHi4yKW9njW8Q72R25pymCga0kuNeE29yUErIh9hWTL7HwC4JAyJFNEyldReu5cTh2hYS943-j=w1107-h623-no" width="320" /></a></div>
day which was increasingly pleasantly cool, and we were hungry to take in a lot.<br />
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But also just hungry, and a catalan rice dish would do the trick... but afterwards in the plaza, what could pass for a Spanish flavor of a happening:<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/fuanINRtcPIIWuHODDtAMvyR9z7gcYocipIUV5uGN7iNNB8aU7PDyXM6LITcbqo6LJbofA0Sdp7uxLVFU635yEQ3cHrlGkJeeOWM9hPTUbrFoq7zMaXHoSh3sQO0EueKEasZcDg-XXK9Ork2N9imUpKJMrj4vjNRcBfEtNtTOVlFUvLCHBaIHio09DmcFacOa3G0y5ixLwfgko9UDIXkLoU8uZaVWvl8doBBmE8dCu2lLxYxmD6UIzG4e385igPboWRUN8kacY8iyTncvKqDg6biVfaPjq2HB6LUtMUQPhgqz1N5M92OxklEwlGQ7FJTGF7jyWXEk7qFL1P8DHs8PX91hMhA7Y0EH-bNo_bH5phW02KyZKuGIHCWtc-6aWcQGjF0MBgzO9g8tk3k18PdB2P1TO0EQSOq9Qxlk9yxQ5r7F-11R79cjyKsRxDAoOn5u0scd275SoztPoTECX-5AohOkdf-4rw0lEjUE5azNa9-J4JkHOOv-EJZuSmZExyE5ffzX9vdBI7_DHQoqCGNnYasNbl5KFCwfMaP_43yWTytmHPsG6vzwhHw8GFKUFjHv4mm=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/fuanINRtcPIIWuHODDtAMvyR9z7gcYocipIUV5uGN7iNNB8aU7PDyXM6LITcbqo6LJbofA0Sdp7uxLVFU635yEQ3cHrlGkJeeOWM9hPTUbrFoq7zMaXHoSh3sQO0EueKEasZcDg-XXK9Ork2N9imUpKJMrj4vjNRcBfEtNtTOVlFUvLCHBaIHio09DmcFacOa3G0y5ixLwfgko9UDIXkLoU8uZaVWvl8doBBmE8dCu2lLxYxmD6UIzG4e385igPboWRUN8kacY8iyTncvKqDg6biVfaPjq2HB6LUtMUQPhgqz1N5M92OxklEwlGQ7FJTGF7jyWXEk7qFL1P8DHs8PX91hMhA7Y0EH-bNo_bH5phW02KyZKuGIHCWtc-6aWcQGjF0MBgzO9g8tk3k18PdB2P1TO0EQSOq9Qxlk9yxQ5r7F-11R79cjyKsRxDAoOn5u0scd275SoztPoTECX-5AohOkdf-4rw0lEjUE5azNa9-J4JkHOOv-EJZuSmZExyE5ffzX9vdBI7_DHQoqCGNnYasNbl5KFCwfMaP_43yWTytmHPsG6vzwhHw8GFKUFjHv4mm=w351-h623-no" /></a></div>
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And not too far away, the fanciful Gaudi lampposts...</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/psP5TD5lh5wi3R-iSESybfdn_EJRv9jcFxGdB37NV6X0UGXJFN_30AIHFog5vjc4Ip08WUvMuewZH9cErWxEhHLdjPRqkEXZXyW5ZWO3KNPBO1InpOqWppY3owFHgad7Mx3Jj3S1_QIhRs-9NaDLHfBAoVubl7AZMwKKY_FHPzlx9hySd-Q1rmaZocIlQHBSzykPllnhWH5jkX44hvaNBD0PuWn6gT58ewd2vWf0i9il4c8ZvhG-9kw9DD7O-qRsSd4v06zcFpt19HvPMx3mVDvQRvPB7JsbHBnLNRzc46t6UjLTEDjlwhbQNgN1oRlz6QXyAqJgbXxI4_D3eccF_O_bh2xEIiRbC81iMuvLjNsa9unyWF5Fte2nqnovHPzKF0B-1j0S3yIcSTRvhvYCiQKZ6KsjvYi0Lrw8Xy8UqiqTycHQO6R_KnQciEMIfHwzQDjBBE8nzTEROiL9ibA2eBa4gI5nUt5BQ7Ip7maAZ12TvT97SFl2PQrtUgFlOi2VNBl7Kvek05kKl5Aduo5kApErh1CcA7p60G0u8h-n-s915DOB4M6P_06bTOuhxL8ncmH0=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/psP5TD5lh5wi3R-iSESybfdn_EJRv9jcFxGdB37NV6X0UGXJFN_30AIHFog5vjc4Ip08WUvMuewZH9cErWxEhHLdjPRqkEXZXyW5ZWO3KNPBO1InpOqWppY3owFHgad7Mx3Jj3S1_QIhRs-9NaDLHfBAoVubl7AZMwKKY_FHPzlx9hySd-Q1rmaZocIlQHBSzykPllnhWH5jkX44hvaNBD0PuWn6gT58ewd2vWf0i9il4c8ZvhG-9kw9DD7O-qRsSd4v06zcFpt19HvPMx3mVDvQRvPB7JsbHBnLNRzc46t6UjLTEDjlwhbQNgN1oRlz6QXyAqJgbXxI4_D3eccF_O_bh2xEIiRbC81iMuvLjNsa9unyWF5Fte2nqnovHPzKF0B-1j0S3yIcSTRvhvYCiQKZ6KsjvYi0Lrw8Xy8UqiqTycHQO6R_KnQciEMIfHwzQDjBBE8nzTEROiL9ibA2eBa4gI5nUt5BQ7Ip7maAZ12TvT97SFl2PQrtUgFlOi2VNBl7Kvek05kKl5Aduo5kApErh1CcA7p60G0u8h-n-s915DOB4M6P_06bTOuhxL8ncmH0=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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And what's becoming a somewhat Olympic walking day with underground train segments takes us to the Miro museum above the Olympic Park</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/UFwbjmmCUJXeYqqXIGJsJyRSscW3P15mnlTxSg8aGalsj7heWNbK4Xo7KgnbogPYB99uHNPQDD5sHfSgMzi863ePH0-11eHU9Iwg-FYroIwG22AL9ouWMeSPZ-GlhJXiGQEvXYz744FMOQNywUFEtwreHr_Ze1WEMBkGkIqB1Li04MIyms_fZeL0r-ryRlI7ZV2riwwAeUsLmeaoP8vdV3HHUF20EtejPLipBePaWmXhuAR0rxdZB84k6Sa7FYg7OJiAxyXvcvjGNacWjokbJCBIboEAM9piukUKuzJ8CtwgaBpOb5LdNMy3NN8R6wb0gqe-G0KsDBcheTjIwJG22z3Nb5Fl9Hi7DGjAC7l-MnS63ixPVntdoW3UQcFsRe63IkmbjD6gwSEPYBFo8SDKHUZo-RPiKrLrp-d6dbJMbRv66IySNQV24h-1YUwF4o7WgFlCh2Q75nOTWU0bjOeTfqAOEFjCcG6kzCHa7pfiVer48nF-dxMEz2PPJgLlD33X10IeeU2JhCoBTYKIc5hh0OB9zqLEzvsCqLXH1LVv9Ozv6YRCeuCnFP_a3FsKjJ8W7EyP=w351-h623-no" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/UFwbjmmCUJXeYqqXIGJsJyRSscW3P15mnlTxSg8aGalsj7heWNbK4Xo7KgnbogPYB99uHNPQDD5sHfSgMzi863ePH0-11eHU9Iwg-FYroIwG22AL9ouWMeSPZ-GlhJXiGQEvXYz744FMOQNywUFEtwreHr_Ze1WEMBkGkIqB1Li04MIyms_fZeL0r-ryRlI7ZV2riwwAeUsLmeaoP8vdV3HHUF20EtejPLipBePaWmXhuAR0rxdZB84k6Sa7FYg7OJiAxyXvcvjGNacWjokbJCBIboEAM9piukUKuzJ8CtwgaBpOb5LdNMy3NN8R6wb0gqe-G0KsDBcheTjIwJG22z3Nb5Fl9Hi7DGjAC7l-MnS63ixPVntdoW3UQcFsRe63IkmbjD6gwSEPYBFo8SDKHUZo-RPiKrLrp-d6dbJMbRv66IySNQV24h-1YUwF4o7WgFlCh2Q75nOTWU0bjOeTfqAOEFjCcG6kzCHa7pfiVer48nF-dxMEz2PPJgLlD33X10IeeU2JhCoBTYKIc5hh0OB9zqLEzvsCqLXH1LVv9Ozv6YRCeuCnFP_a3FsKjJ8W7EyP=w351-h623-no" width="179" /></a></div>
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and shortly later a look at that grand scale vision applied to the Olympics site:</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/H_4VDHlS_CHY8s9E15m7a7-H_A2ZJqQM28lvcHiQ4FZllIwkcD45oh4tAFaWJ8Qe9qq5FK-ZPQOwmsORA7yxTghSvInC88vH_O9Y6nSda_zYyZAYceLIaIS_awBZkg933MJ6AbzUhiq6m6CVaCMEFbLbCzmIngJue4ge8zPcIFEF2Az6jvDcc6Bi7PZF1mn1qewRZ4QarYuOjBrW-oIVU5GPnnjbGiWOqBixkqBpECGGIsem7o22vZaVEH-Uiah4PweaaSKTOzHD1YqSNjVNfSl5a-hDgcxy7IyVW_GR_gEvDfa-kQaUM6rJSt3jHYPZfwB1VUYF4Z6Ubq2XvT9qdFxa8RvszSHjFzYWtZyJa1oERw0o1IA4s_eAp7lPcKh5t8q7wiBR9kxLc24msnuAuDryj_x70lGPD3OvGJ7JAs3G31OYpZOheOFYyzrDzZ4uGMUJi2upKRSXgAeT7tOnfpLq8cOR_7_u7SaVz9K1c2soI9ZNHDbl7GX1Mwp0bUQ4gd3wb9SAylkgzs70_atOfs4eACJOpc2K5NG9-Y42oAEk3FJAPH6jMtpG3KtY_F6EAG7K=w412-h232-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/H_4VDHlS_CHY8s9E15m7a7-H_A2ZJqQM28lvcHiQ4FZllIwkcD45oh4tAFaWJ8Qe9qq5FK-ZPQOwmsORA7yxTghSvInC88vH_O9Y6nSda_zYyZAYceLIaIS_awBZkg933MJ6AbzUhiq6m6CVaCMEFbLbCzmIngJue4ge8zPcIFEF2Az6jvDcc6Bi7PZF1mn1qewRZ4QarYuOjBrW-oIVU5GPnnjbGiWOqBixkqBpECGGIsem7o22vZaVEH-Uiah4PweaaSKTOzHD1YqSNjVNfSl5a-hDgcxy7IyVW_GR_gEvDfa-kQaUM6rJSt3jHYPZfwB1VUYF4Z6Ubq2XvT9qdFxa8RvszSHjFzYWtZyJa1oERw0o1IA4s_eAp7lPcKh5t8q7wiBR9kxLc24msnuAuDryj_x70lGPD3OvGJ7JAs3G31OYpZOheOFYyzrDzZ4uGMUJi2upKRSXgAeT7tOnfpLq8cOR_7_u7SaVz9K1c2soI9ZNHDbl7GX1Mwp0bUQ4gd3wb9SAylkgzs70_atOfs4eACJOpc2K5NG9-Y42oAEk3FJAPH6jMtpG3KtY_F6EAG7K=w412-h232-no" width="320" /></a></div>
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But then all we had left was a visit to an all-too-touristy pizza place with all-too-familiar American sorority girls giggling about - what? A trip to Starbucks, what is rocket, some chance boy encounter, onerous parental limitations. I guess it signals that the adventure of going home is nigh.</div>
Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-77153504138501068102015-07-09T14:42:00.002-07:002015-07-09T14:44:24.666-07:00City Now and Then<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> Everyone knows it's going to hurt</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> But at least we'll get hurt trying</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> - Regina Spektor, "Firewood"</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i><i>We started out in Golden Gate Park where the bands were playing. Really strange, all juicers with some grass and barbs, but even with the grass smokers everyone was just out to mess up their heads... we came back to the apartment and started playing records... even Dylan [seemed] happier before [Nashville Skyline] ... after I cried awhile [we visited some unhappily married friends.]</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> - a friend living in "The City", June 1969</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>By October of 1967, the hippies who resided in Haight‐Ashbury were fed up, and chose to proclaim “the death of<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> the hippie.” In a report to The Washington Post, one reporter describes the march that occurred on October 6, 1967, with the intentions behind the event described by Digger Arthur Lisch. The residents of Haight‐Ashbury waved flags and incense in the air and marched down the street, declaring “Hippie is dead. Now we are free.”</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> - Brett Ruffenach, remembering a Panhandle Park <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/BrettRuffenach/when-counterculture-went-pop">event</a> </i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We got there and right away she decided I needed to have sex... Then ... she ... got out her stuff to shoot up drugs... I could not stand needles and... told her if she was going to do that I was leaving.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i></i><i>"Shit man I helped you do your thing why won’t you stay with me while I do my thing?!"</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>- Country Joe, remembering an <a href="http://www.countryjoe.com/autobio.htm">encounter</a> just before Woodstock </i></blockquote>
<br />
I suppose it was inevitable that I would have the Regina Spektor lyric looping in my brain on my ramble through San Francisco a couple of days ago,<br />
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45 years or so after a memorable month spent in an apartment across Fell Street from Panhandle Park. That was the same month that the Woodstock Music and Art Fair made part of counterculture history, and two years after the putative "Summer of Love" whose public watchwords the "Hippie is Dead" event sought to dismantle, even as it tried to redeem some of the initial idealism. But I'm not quite sure that I've nailed down what her lyric might mean to me yet. Did that hurt, against all odds, purchase something worthwhile?<br />
<br />
I had four destinations in mind over the days before that ramble: Buena Vista Park, a Haight denizen view destination; the building where I spent most of August 1969; <a href="http://www.mandalaysf.com/reviews/">Mandalay</a>; and the <a href="http://www.presidio.gov/explore/trails/Pages/golden-gate-overlook.aspx">Presidio</a> overlook paths. And I definitely did not want to plan the route, though I would start near the center of the S.F. thumb. I had a phone that would show me maps, so even directional ineptitude would be readily recoverable, so I was determined to just follow my nose from the garage near <a href="https://vimeo.com/131040168">Sutro Tower</a> and only correct when I was certain I was heading toward downtown or someplace else too far off-route, then consult the phone to get back on track. I could eat when hungry, rest when tired, and see what I found.<br />
<br />
My first view from the walkway down from the garage exit seemed to make it clear that the hill was first. <br />
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One night during my stay on Fell Street, I was restless and warm, and went walking as usual with little sense of orientation. I was 18, not very smart in many ways, but typically eager for discovery, as well as firmly oriented towards outdoors and altitudes. So I meandered toward what I later found out was called Buena Vista Park, and continued taking upward branches at each choice, until I reached a flat area partially surrounded by trees, the city lights spread out a couple hundred feet below. I saw a young black man sitting on a battered bench next to a kind of jungle gym, playing a flute, and engaged him in conversation.<br />
<br />
In 1969, I considered myself to be inducted into a fairly amorphous group which nevertheless appeared to have a distinct identity from the society which existed in the decades before. Particularly if you were on the young and credulous side, the sort of dog whistle of words like "freak" and "head" provided leading indicators of membership. But the humor of the rapidly decaying social landscape of the subculture was almost more diagnostic; some of us had a standing joke as we discussed or pointed out wannabes or possible narcs, and it went, "Far out, Harvey Krishna, what's your sign?"<br />
<br />
In the case of the flute player in the park, it was obvious from the first sentence that he was a fellow inductee. I don't recall anything of the conversation, only that it was typically desultory, enthusiastic, and despairing as we talked about the City, the War, music, people we knew and their affairs - I can say with pretty good confidence that these were topics, since it seemed like they were _always_ topics. You might say, "Nixon - can you believe it?", or "Did you see Santana, aren't they intense?"<br />
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<br />
The people enjoying the view earlier this week weren't speaking English, but were clearly relishing their conversation. And someone even had a ukelele.<br />
<br />
I was ready for the next obvious stop, the Fell Street building where I stayed, no phone guidance needed there. Ours was the top apartment, with a pleasant view of the Panhandle, and I slept on cushions behind that top right window. <br />
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My hosts knew there was no great expense or effort required for furnishings, as I did - you could get Indian print bedspreads from Cost Plus (often also the source of those enameled tin mugs for tea which provided no heat insulation) which could then be sewn into a large pouch, then filled with equally inexpensive shredded foam - instant couch, instant bed. Poor longevity, but hey...<br />
<br />
The Haight seemed about the same, at least visually, fairly worn, only intermittently gentrified, with nods to back-in-the-day like a clothes shop a couple of blocks from the famous corner.<br />
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Of course, Zillow corrects that impression somewhat; the building is almost certainly worth more than a million, and the four or five units probably generate over ten thousand monthly in rent. But discarded clothing and some pages lost from a dictionary (an immigrant learning English?)<br />
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show the neighborhood to retain the kind of neglected character I remember from the sixties.<br />
<br />
I made my way to the Presidio, where the massive efforts by the city were on display, including the Anza Path and others encirling from west and north, lots of signage and well-designed streets. I did not make it to the Promenade on the north side, but the overlooks on the west side are alone well worth the visit even on a foggy day.<br />
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I had to reflect that, in the dozens of miles I covered that August exploring the city, I never went here, nor considered it - the military association was plenty to keep me away.<br />
<br />
I was really ready for Mandalay, my first visit. Dry pan fried string bean with seafood, elusive to description, kind of like BBQ, kind of like blackened fish, nicely spiced.<br />
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Though it wasn't particulary expensive, I couldn't afford it in 1969 even in adjusted dollars - or rather, it would not have been a priority relative to about the same amount of money for a visit to the Fillmore to see Santana, my big splurge.<br />
<br />
The hurt of 1969 is kind of like the hurt thinking about it in 2015. It's very abstract rather than any specific set of personal mischances that you could point to - and only very trivially negative things happened to me during that month, it took a long time to get a ride or whatever - and goes in multiple directions. Why did "straight" people react so ruthlessly? How could we have baited them so cluelessly? What did we really think was going to happen? Was this really just idealistic foolishness, like Communism or Sun Myung Moon or Merry Pranksters? Did it make the phases of sexual revolution (and hey, should the Mazda 626 be re-released to commemorate the latest?), the later labor movements, women's rights and all the rest more inevitable, or more delayed?<br />
<br />
And I kind of think the trying, sixties style, was somehow inbred. And it does seem like progress. Particularly on the heels of that Burmese treat.<br />
<br />
<i>- Spencer</i>Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-87681690623668201592015-06-07T15:08:00.000-07:002015-06-07T15:08:05.493-07:00DOUBTS’RE ON FIRE (AND GONE)<i>Note: Please see previous post before reading this one.</i><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYD3yNOjm2heHM0O2QfwBQ1z2z3viWDP1LDSZt8Jypm_Ev6DuCv_4SdMBnI9HmCxjadTu4tjHKiAf4g3W27vhMPZFZw_l4nHCuczFU-z-HXcNBlWv0gH8sKRiCNimDnObtsLxS3uZpW0/s1600/CSSSA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYD3yNOjm2heHM0O2QfwBQ1z2z3viWDP1LDSZt8Jypm_Ev6DuCv_4SdMBnI9HmCxjadTu4tjHKiAf4g3W27vhMPZFZw_l4nHCuczFU-z-HXcNBlWv0gH8sKRiCNimDnObtsLxS3uZpW0/s320/CSSSA.jpg" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DiPierro, Self Portrait</td></tr>
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“[Your Eno post] reminded me [that] in 1988 he was also an artist-in-residence with me [at The Exploratorium in The Palace of Fine Arts], and Brian did an amazing ambient installation [called <i>Latest Flames</i>] in one of the dark hidden columns outside of the Palace. He built frosted plexiglass boxes around TV monitors and had color bands move on the screens inside, making the boxes look like glowing alien fireplaces in the dark room…as the glowing video light changed. His beautiful composed ambient pieces of music played, and you got to sit on big stuffed couches in the dark for as long as you liked. Very meditative.” <i>Daniel DiPierro, ex-Exploratorium employee </i><br />
<br />
So maybe it wasn’t exactly as I had remembered, but it WAS at the Palace and it WAS extraordinary! Thank you Danny.Wm Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18326593844830953960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-54826335020055833622015-06-05T14:13:00.000-07:002015-06-05T14:13:25.350-07:00BRIAN ENO, PABLO CRUZ AND THE LONG NOW<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<i>“I can tell that he's kind of smiling.</i><br />
<i>But what does he know?</i><br />
<i>What does he know?</i><br />
<i>We're always one step behind him, </i><br />
<i>He's Brian Eno”</i><br />
<i>MGMT, “Brian Eno”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>“Oh, but it's all right</i><br />
<i>Once you get past the pain</i><br />
<i>You'll learn to find your love again</i><br />
<i>So keep your heart open”</i><br />
<i>Pablo Cruise, “Love Will Find a Way”</i><br />
<br />
Donna and I were staying in San Francisco about two blocks from Fort Mason. She needed a nap, so I decided to take a walk along the Marina and then check out the Fort. A former military base, it is now known as the “first urban national park”, and evidently there were a multitude of fascinating sights to explore, both cultural and scenic. On the west side of the park are three oblong buildings (former barracks?), and supposedly there were all manner of shops and businesses to explore. I had just finished a five mile hike, but had enough energy to at least check out the SF Zen Center operated vegetarian Greens Restaurant for a possible future meal. But right before the restaurant was a bar, a place called The Interval, so I decided to check it out.<br />
<br />
I walked in to a medium sized open room, and the first thing you see is a huge orrery, depicting our solar system. It is an impressive sight, must be seven feet tall, the planets and sun at the top, but all manner of shiny metal gears and pieces supporting the structure. Directly behind it, on the second level, was a wall of bookcases, and some had books in them, all kinds, not theme that I could see. Across the room, past a sort of metal sculpture rectangular table, was the bar, with the usual array of liquor, and an interesting piece of art in the center of the bottles, a large colorful square upright on one corner, resembling a diamond. There weren’t too many people there, and I was tempted to stay, but the fatigue was settling in and I decided I better get back to my cousin’s apartment, where we were staying.<br />
<br />
A couple days later, Donna and I decided to walk to the Palace of Fine Arts, about a mile from the apartment. What a magnificent place! For years, my most cherished memory of The Palace was seeing an amazing music/sculpture exhibition by Brian Eno there. The sculptures were three dimensional geometric “boxes” that slowly changed patterns and colors as ambient music playing. I had been gob smacked in the extreme, especially considering my fan boy obsession with Eno, whose music I have admired since Roxy Music. At any rate, we zig zagged around tourists snapping pictures on the Palace grounds, and then entered the main building, where the Exploratorium used to call home before moving to Pier 15. We were greeted by an affable gentleman whose open nature made it obvious he would be willing to field any and all questions or concerns. After a few minutes, he told us he had worked many years for the Exploratorium before it moved, so of course we asked him if he knew our dear friend Daniel DiPierro, and in fact he said that he, too, was DD’s dear friend! At this point, we asked who he was and he pointed to his name tag: Pablo Cruz. <br />
<br />
So of course now I asked him about the Eno exhibition. He went online and began looking for info about the exhibition, but found nothing - no mention of it whatsoever, like in fact it never happened there at all. I couldn’t believe it; was I mistaken? But he did find something else: evidently Eno and a dozen others had formed a foundation in San Francisco in 1996 called The Long Now, and one year ago this month they had opened a public space for gatherings, a bar in Fort Mason called The Interval! Yes, the very bar I had stumbled upon a few days earlier. Now I knew we had to return to this place and actually experience what was going on there. Such an amazing musical serendipity must have been guided in some mysterious way by DiPierro; I cannot think of any other reason for it unfolding as it did. <br />
<br />
So when we were finished at The Palace, which took awhile as this year is the 100th anniversary of its opening, and there were many sights to behold, we walked along the Marina to The Interval. Through the front door, past the orrery and mechanical table, and right up to the bar we strode. We were greeted by a fairly friendly bartender, though Donna detected some hoitin’ and toitin’ that escaped me, maybe due to my glee at being there. Right behind our server was the art I had noticed the first time there, but now I saw the “sign” underneath: art by Brian Eno, and now I realized that this art was slowly, like a clock, changing, new patterns being created as colors morphed from one to another, the piece never repeating itself. This was exactly like the exhibition I remembered so many years ago, but of course smaller and one dimensional. I asked if anyone knew of this ancient exhibition, but no, it wasn’t on anyone’s radar, and I was coming to the conclusion that I had somehow got the venue wrong. (Subsequent research has come up with an Eno exhibition in the early 80s in Berkeley; maybe that was it? Maybe someone reading this will know?) <br />
<br />
And so it goes. We had a drink, we took some pictures, we found out more about the Long Now. Time to move on. I can only hope my future memory of this experience will place it at the correct time and place. Or maybe it doesn’t matter?<br />
<br />Wm Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18326593844830953960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-30661999346992616152015-05-23T08:40:00.000-07:002015-05-23T08:40:24.283-07:00Top Ten Reasons for Digging 3BP (Requiem for Dave)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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10. The slow, carefully plotted unfolding saga of Red Coast<br />
9. Shi Qiang<br />
8. The Stable and Chaotic Eras<br />
7. Destruction of a civilization due to solar syzygy<br />
6. The attempt to sabotage Earth’s scientific efforts<br />
5. The concept of an alien world’s advancement happening in cataclysmic fits and starts instead of like the Earth’s advancement by orders of magnitude. <br />
4. Cixin Liu’s claim in his postscript that he has a superhuman ability to concretely visualize abstract macro and micro numbers.<br />
3. Albert Einstein’s appearance.<br />
2. Silent Spring’s appearance.<br />
1. What the Trisolarans do to a proton<br />
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Wm Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18326593844830953960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-15686897053837878672015-05-21T17:19:00.001-07:002015-05-22T17:31:01.264-07:00Reviews: The Three Body Problem<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We understand the historical significance of the pendulum. It’s intended to hypnotize God. But now we know it’s better for Trisolaran civilization to have God awake, because God is now blessing us.”</blockquote>
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(Minor spoilers ahead). In Chinese author Cixin Liu’s Postscript to his amazing and fascinating The Three Body Problem, he talks about what first drew him to science fiction. So of course this got me thinking about the same thing. Why was I so taken and mesmerized by it? Like many people, it was this: most of the stories I enjoyed shattered the current “reality” and spun tales about fantastic people and events that defied what was commonly accepted on almost every level: science was not “constant” and shown to be in flux, religion and faith were questioned (A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Sparrow), gender roles were examined (The Left Hand of Darkness), sex was actually discussed (Dahlgren, anyone?), anything that was “approved” by the status quo was picked apart and you were forced to ask yourself if the current given wisdom was really so wise. Of course there were exceptions to this: Doc Smith space operas and others of this ilk were also favorites, but the real adventure was in the unexpected and obtuse ideas that sought to shatter the comfortable beliefs of the time. And I would be negligent if I didn’t mention Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions books (are they even in print now?), wherein he specifically asked the popular authors of the day to pursue a different approach to the genre.<br />
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Another aspect of this book that I absolutely loved was the depiction of the “aliens”. I was spoiled early in my sic fi reading by Isaac Asimov’s novel The Gods Themselves (Hugo and Nebula winner for 1973). The depiction of aliens in this book is so odd and non-human and breathtakingly “alien” that seeing “humanoid” space creatures has ever since been very disappointing (though how the 3BP aliens look is not explained; they may in fact look like us!?). And seeing the alien world described in their terms was, as far as I know, groundbreaking, and something that others should certainly try to emulate, as Cixin does. <br />
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So I want to be challenged and I want to be thrilled and amazed. 3BP started out slow for me, but by midway through, I was hooked, and by the end, I was flabbergasted and actually anxious for the next volume. Cixin lays his initial groundwork well, giving enough information to make the characters’ actions, especially protagonist Ye Wenjie, understandable. The book proceeds in some back and forth time shifts, but it’s handled adeptly. The time spent in the video game was fascinating and reminded me of a book I had just finished a couple months ago, Ernest Cliine’s Ready Player One, which as a confirmed non-gamer I was sure I’d dislike, and which totally surprised and delighted me and now I’m recommending it to you. The “gaming” in 3BP is completely different from RPO and what I understand most gaming to be, but remarkably different and for reasons that are revealed as we proceed. Discussion of the actual scientific three body problem occurs in the game and outside it, and is very interesting and well handled. <br />
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Oh, and there’s something else I look for in every book I read, genre or not: how “well” is it written? Do the sentences and paragraphs sing with beauty? Can I stop reading, MUST I stop reading, to linger on a combination of words that approach poetry? Well, this is a whole other discussion. In the first place, is this even fair with regards to genre? I happen to think it is; we could probably all point to works in the mystery field that fall in this category. (Question: can anyone recommend to me a sci fi novel that fits this description?) In the second place, 3BP is a translation from Chinese, so there are some challenges there, though I must say that I believe translator Ken Liu did a magnificent job (as far as I can tell!?) and that his footnotes throughout and postscript at the end were invaluable. 3BP doesn’t “sing”, but it doesn’t have to: its narrative and imaginative strengths propel it to a very high place on my personal top sci fi novels list. I can’t imagine any other nominee this year being better; the bar already seems too high. Recommended to any and all sci fi readers, and to others who aren’t afraid to embrace imagination. <br />
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- William Fuller<br />
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<i>Don't miss <a href="http://half-forgotten.blogspot.com/2015/05/review-from-inside-out.html">the other review of this book.</a></i></div>
Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-72014042773877466282015-05-16T07:48:00.000-07:002015-05-16T07:49:46.245-07:00The Great Hugo Kerfuffle of 2015<h1 style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; margin: 12pt 0in 3pt; page-break-after: avoid;">
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All you ever do is blabber ‘n smoke / There’s ah big pain in your window / ‘N all your waters turn t’ rope / It gonna hang you all / Dangle you all / Dang you all</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">If you don’t hurry there will be no hope / Why don’t you quit actin’ like ah dope</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All you ever do is blabber ‘n smoke</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Blabber N Smoke, Jan Van Vliet (AKA Mrs. Captain Beefheart)</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“I think the Sad Puppies have broken the Hugo Awards, and I am not sure they can ever be repaired.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> - George R.R. Martin, noted science fiction and fantasy author (see <i>Game of Thrones</i>), grrm.livejournal.com/417125.html</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">So, recently William “Arcturus Mindgrip” Fuller, Spencer “The Spaceman” Kimball and myself were taking a steam at a bathhouse down the road from Rio Beach. The conversation meandered along a variety of topics and eventually came to a discussion of the Hugo Award and Westercon coverage that appeared in this blog back in 2013. I had recently become aware of what was becoming a major shitstorm between some disgruntled conservative members of the SF community and just about everybody else. We thought it a perfect time to revisit this contentious and peculiar subculture.</span></div>
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Disclaimer</h3>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Let it be said at the outset that I am an armchair socialist who very much dislikes Tea Party apparatchiks, Fox News demagogues, religious zealots, Rush Limberger and the Sad and Rabid Puppies who have mounted a campaign to hijack Science Fiction Fandom’s Hugo Awards. Furthermore, I am not going to provide links to any of Correia’s, Torgersen’s or Beale’s (the Sad and Rabid Puppies, see below) web posts because I don’t have to and that’s what Google is for anyway. You’ll just have to trust me that the quotes provided are accurate and not taken too far out of context. You can do that, can’t ya?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">I am a voracious reader of science fiction and fantasy (although not a Science Fiction Fan - believe me there is a difference (1)) and have been since childhood. I missed out on Algebra in Junior High School because of various Ace editions of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Otis Adelbert Kline and Robert E. Howard hidden behind my textbook. I care about speculative fiction and its potential to illuminate, educate, stimulate and entertain. I care about the Hugo Awards, if for no other reason than it serves as a guide to the better (though not always the best) the field has to offer. So at the outset I have a large middle finger held squarely in the direction of said Sad and Rabid Puppies.</span></div>
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What are the Hugo Awards?</h3>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“If every man, woman, boy and girl, could be induced to read science fiction right along, there would certainly be a great resulting benefit to the community, in that the educational standards of its people would be raised tremendously. Science fiction would make people happier, give them a broader understanding of the world, make them more tolerant.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Hugo Gernsback, 1930</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The annual Hugo Awards, initiated in 1953, are meant to honor outstanding work in science fiction and fantasy. The award is named after science fiction pioneer inventor, author and publisher, Hugo Gernsback, and is shaped like a classic, finned rocket ship, based - as legend would have it - on the chrome hood ornaments of the 1950’s. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">There are some sixteen award categories, primarily for literary work, but also including film, television and various fan activities and publications. Anyone who purchases a supporting or attending membership to the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon, www.worldcon.org) in the previous year, the current year or the subsequent year can nominate. Final votes for the shortlisted nominees are limited to supporting or attending Worldcon members of the current year. This year’s Worldcon, “Sasquan” (www.sasquan.org), will be held in Spokane, Washington (of all places) over the Labor Day weekend. Remind me to tell you sometime about a marathon drug-addled roadtrip to the Spokane World’s Fair in 1974. William knows what I’m talking about</span></span>.<br />
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What are the “Sad and/or Rabid Puppies”?</h3>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“If one of us outspoken types got nominated, the inevitable backlash, outrage, and plans for their sabotage would be very visible. So I decided to prove this bias and launched a campaign I called Sad Puppies (because boring message fiction is the leading cause of Puppy Related Sadness).”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Larry Correia (Sad Puppy)</span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“We value excellence in actual science fiction and fantasy, rather than excellence in intersectional equalitarianism, racial and gender inclusion, literary pyrotechnics, or professional rabbitology.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Theodore Beale (Vox Day, Rabid Puppy)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Basically, a couple of hack sci fi writers with a conservative bent, Larry Correia and Brad R. Torgersen,</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"></span><span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">decided that the reason they weren’t getting the Hugo nominations and awards they justly deserved was because of a cabal of Hugo-controlling “Social Justice Warriors” (their terminology). These “SJWs” were obviously more interested in championing diversity, gender equality, literary merit and internationalism over the obvious quality [sarcasm] of Correia and Torgersen’s writings. In typical tiresome tea party fashion they characterized themselves and others of their ilk as champions of “restoring balance” and went on to promote a slate of writers and individuals more representative of their kind of “true” science fiction and political, social and religious views. I have mixed feelings about pointing out the fact that both Correia and Torgersen are Mormon but considering that Torgersen cites his faith as an essential part of his writing philosophy, and Correia self-identifies as a Mormon writer, I believe it is a relevant consideration (3)</span></span>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Not to be outdone in this campaign of self-aggrandizement and white boy brotherhood, the Sad Puppies were soon joined by the so-called “Rabid Puppies” under the aegis of ultra-reactionary Theodore Beale, AKA Vox Day (4),</span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">one of the few, if not the only, members of the Science Fiction Writers of America to be expelled. In his case, he used the SFWA Twitter feed to link to his vile racist, misogynist and anti-gay views. He has mounted a Hugo campaign with a slate similar to but not quite the same as the Sad Puppies. While the Sad Puppies have attempted to distance themselves from this supreme hater and champion of the American Christian version of ISIS, they have not outright condemned him (at least to my knowledge).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The Hugos have been gamed before; for example the Scientologists tried unsuccessfully to place L. Ron Hubbard on the ballot in the late 1980’s, and a certain amount of politicking is to be expected. However, no effort has been as sweeping and determined as that of these Puke Puppies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">To the great misfortune of the Hugo Awards in particular and science fiction fandom in general, the Sad and Rabid Puppies were successful in capturing several of the award categories and placing many of their nominations in others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Once word got out, “Puppygate” was born and the blogosphere blew up by about a billion words in the space of a few days. The “Culture Wars” had come to Science Fiction with a vengeance. When George R.R. Martin </span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">weighed in against the infamy of the Puppies, the mainstream media perked its ears (another sign of how science fiction and fantasy has evolved into an essential part of mainstream popular culture). Articles about the flap appeared in publications and websites from Entertainment Weekly to The Boston Globe to the Associated Press and, across the pond in the U.K., to The Guardian and The Telegraph.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Thus began the Great Hugo Kerfuffle of 2015...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">- Jack Hastings</span></div>
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<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">TO BE CONTINUED...</span></i></div>
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Footnotes</h3>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">(1)<i> “I found that my work met with particularly knowledgeable appreciation and criticism among science-fiction readers (not the same thing as sci-fi fans, some of who read nothing but sci-fi and some of whom read nothing.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Golden Age”, <i>The New Yorker</i>, June 4 and 11, 2012, <i>(The Science Fiction Issue)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">(2) <i>“If you’re looking for a group of authors adept at subtly constructing worlds wherein sexual and ethical depravity are not only common, but laudable, you’re definitely looking in the wrong place. Go watch Breaking Bad or The Sopranos or Six Feet Under. The LDS writing community’s aggregate product is probably not for you.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Brad R. Torgersen</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">(3) <i>“We are not given a spirit of fear. We are the sons and daughters of the Crusades and of the Inquisitions, institutions so terrible that they strike terror in human hearts nearly one thousand years later. ... Religious liberty in America is dead. Well and good. That was a fatal mistake by the other side, because now that they don’t respect our religious liberty, we have no reason or responsibility to respect theirs. Now it’s just a raw power struggle and we have the numbers, we have the indomitable will of the martyrs, and we have the certain knowledge of God on our side.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">- Theodore Beale (Vox Day)</span></div>
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Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-76076499739615235762015-05-11T14:52:00.000-07:002015-05-11T15:10:07.116-07:00Reviews: Silence<div class="Body">
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<i>“What he
could not understand was the stillness of the courtyard</i><i>…the whirling wings of the
flies. A man had died. Yet the outside world went on as if nothing
had happened. Could anything be more
crazy. Was this martyrdom? Why are you silent? Here this one-eyed man has died - and for you</i><i>…Why does this stillness
continue? This noon day stillness. The sound of the flies, this crazy thing,
this cruel business. And you avert your
face as though indifferent. This - this
I cannot bear.</i><i>” Silence, </i>Shusaku Endo<i> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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When I received the email from Jack “The Martian”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span>Hastings, I was waist deep in one of the best books I’ve
read in a couple of years. As you’ve
probably seen from other recent posts here, his email suggested we read this
year’s Hugo nominees and do posts about them before the winner is
announced in late August. I did this
once before a couple years ago in preparation for the 2013 Westercon, and found
the results quite enjoyable. (My
personal pick for best that year, Robinson’s <i>2312, </i>didn’t
win, but I also enjoyed, to a lesser degree, the one that did, Scalzi’s
<i>Redshirts</i>, and the other three, and was actually surprised at how much I
did enjoy them, given my lack of sci-fi interest or reading in many
years.) So I agreed, not realizing the
vile twist the Hugo Awards, or that is, the fans of the Hugo Awards, have
taken. I believe The Martian (who came
by this nickname many years ago for reasons that I no longer recall, though I
think it had something to do with his wearing “antennae”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span>when our band performed, well, that and his love for sci-fi), will be
addressing this sad twist of events, so at least for now, I won’t. In any case, the book I was reading and
shortly thereafter finished was <i>Silence</i> by Shusako Endo, a Japanese novel
first published in 1969. Though it is
not sci-fi, I’m going to talk a little about it, and will jump into the
Hugo nominees in subsequent posts. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Silence </i>is the story of European Catholic missionaries,
and one in particular, the Portuguese Sebastian Rodrigues. He and two other priests set out for Japan in
1638 to find out what actually happened to another missionary who preceded them
by many years. At first, i.e., 60 years
earlier, the missionaries were embraced, there were many converts, and the
Japanese ruling class treated the fathers as honored guests in their
country. But for various reasons things
turned very bad by 1614 and all priests and converts were rounded up and forced
to renounce Christianity or die, usually by burning. Torture, murder and mayhem were the order of
the day. Word has reached Europe that
the priest who had been leading the mission, has renounced his religion and is
collaborating with his former persecutors. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Catholic Church (full disclosure I was raised Catholic and
very much a “true believer”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;"> </span>in my youth) and of course other
religions strike me as somewhat Borg-like in their earlier days. The Pope and his advisers are the hive mind,
sending their drones out to assimilate other people into the collective. How much “autonomy”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span>does each drone posses? The hive
mind hope little to none; it is never a good thing to question the dogma. But what happens when an individual drone is
forced, or wishes, to act in a different, contradictory, “rogue”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span>manner? In the last few weeks,
ever since I began researching this Hugo project, the question seems to be “in
the air”, and I was a bit shocked to realize that <i>Silence, </i>at
least to my mind, is of a part with this.
As Rodrigues gets caught up in what has happened to his predecessors, he
is faced with the grueling matter of his own apostasy: he would NEVER have
imagined that he could renounce the hive mind, turn against it, but torture,
mind games, and all manner of provocation set him on a path that horribly,
severely, tests his faith. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So there are two points I’d like to make in this, my inaugural
2015 Hugo nominees post: first, that there’s something in the
cultural air with regards to the idea of an entity made up of many organisms
that are BOTH at the same time “independent”<span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif; mso-hansi-font-family: Helvetica;">
</span>AND the organism itself (much more on this to come), and second, that my
first recommendation in this series is the non-sci-fi <i>Silence: a </i>very
well written, incredibly provocative story of what happens when your very core,
the essence of what you are and what you believe, is ruthlessly questioned and
demonized. I highly recommend it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
- William Fuller<br />
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Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-45473204950620092912015-05-10T11:09:00.003-07:002015-05-22T17:32:16.798-07:00Reviews: From the Inside OutCounter-revolutionary. Bourgeois. Capitalist.<br />
<br />
These synonyms for, among other things, "intellectual", were the real weapons behind the Cultural Revolution and rise of the Red Guards in mid-sixties China under Chairman Mao.<br />
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The Guards, young students inflamed with the fire of the People's Struggle, employed the full range of physical and psychological tortures to bring "reform" to what they viewed as a haughty old guard personified by those like their teachers, particularly those brightest training the higher school levels in humanities and sciences. Mao's thesis was that class struggle against both intellectuals and captains of industry was essential to making China "red from the inside out" - eliminating any trace of elitism within, and transmitting the resulting successes outside China to other countries. And that required "struggling", one by one, all of the intellectuals and other elites by transferring them to rural areas to do hard labor, and subjecting them to constant interrogation and browbeating sessions which frequently ended in death as factionalized and overzealous youth let their resentments boil over.<br />
<br />
The Hugo nominee <i>The Three Body Problem</i>, by the popular Chinese author Liu Cixin and translated by Ken Liu, begins with a struggling session suffered by a physicist, Ye Zhetai, which takes his life as his daughter looks on. And his daughter Ye Wenjie is also a target for "rehabilitation", having already produced research on radio telescope technology and thus being branded "intellectual". She is saved, however, by a pressing need at a secret hilltop facility called Red Coast, which may or may not be engaged on microwave weaponry research, but which definitely has both high-powered radio transmitters and receivers. If she is willing to spend the remainder of her life doing what they ask her to do at Red Coast, she won't have to be "struggled".<br />
<br />
In the course of spinning out their story the Lius make impressive inroads fleshing out their characters and circumstances, establishing philosophical ground between them early as in the case of this much-bookmarked (on Amazon) observation by Ye Wenjie:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It was impossible to expect a moral awakening from humankind itself, just like it was impossible to expect humans to lift off the earth by pulling up on their own hair. To achieve moral awakening required a force outside the human race.</i></blockquote>
<br />
It would be easy to imagine someone having suffered the depredations of the Cultural Revolution coming to a conclusion like this, particularly given the scale of its tragic results. The seeming inevitability of the factionalization which was really no different than high school cliques - but armed with frightening political power - coupled with the brutal purge of tens of thousands of Red Guards by state police after the Guards careened out of control, the wasting of a generation's leadership by tasking them with denuding the country's forests and digging their latrines, the second round of mass starvation which was an echo of the Great Leap Forward which decimated the generation before... just the bare possibility that these events and trends represented the inevitable way of the world would be enough for many of those who were young in 1966 to adopt a very cynical view.<br />
<br />
As to the "force outside the human race" - this is all tied up in spoilers that don't belong here, but on the way to the last page is a weaponized proton, for instance, as one plot device. The description of the creation of the proton gets the book a little bogged down in detail that would serve as credentials to the sci-geek set, but may well look like trying too hard to other readers. There is, however, an envisioning of a massive human computer in the von Neumann era which is a nice piece of fictional creativity, sort of a less whimsical variant on the cannonade of babies Stanislaw Lem used in his <i>Cyberiad</i>. And reminiscent of <i>Ready Player One</i>, there's a central network game - but one which may or not be a game - involving a <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Neal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Stephenson-esque</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> </span> virtual convocation of great scientists.<br />
<br />
In balance, this is a nicely constructed plot, using useful and not too well-worn devices - even a hard-boiled cop! - to wind things up in a fairly satisfying way. And to mitigate the bleakness of the "moral awakening" quote above, the author offers his optimism in an afterword for American readers:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Every era puts invisible shackles on those who have lived through it... [sci-fi can] turn what in our reality is evil and dark into what is righteous...let's turn the kindness we show toward the stars to members of the human race...</i></blockquote>
<br />
And, as readers will see as well in the story, Liu turns the 1966 inside-out to an outside-in proposition.<br />
<br />
- Spencer Kimball<br />
<br />
Don't miss <a href="http://half-forgotten.blogspot.com/2015/05/reviews-three-body-problem_21.html">another review of this book by William Fuller.</a>Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755320601062372881.post-42547166808267831942014-05-26T08:47:00.000-07:002014-05-26T08:47:05.802-07:00The Stream That Flows Through the Nether LandsA crush of people - that is what Amsterdam means.<br />
<br />
I was deposited, as expected, somewhat after noon at Schiphol Airport, flying from Alicante. I had little difficulty getting to the vicinity of the down escalators to various train platforms, but a few questions later, and one wrong platform later, I landed on Platform 3, where a noncommittal transit info officer assured me that there was indeed a train to be had from that platform to Amsterdam Centraal, the jumping-off point for legions of tourists, "not the next one, the one after that, third stop."<br />
<br />
And the train arrived, right on time - and the doors opened on, you may have guessed it from my lead-in... people arrayed in a sort of vestibule between cars, at a space allocation rate of about a square foot per. A WC consumed a profligate 25 sq. ft. or more of the vestibule - amazingly, a woman made her way through the throng, needs must, to use it, shortly after we got underway. The corner of the WC had to suffice as something to hold onto, since our informal riding area had nothing like a rail or grab loop. Ten minutes later, several hundred of us added ourselves to the great flow.<br />
<br />
The first emergence from Centraal presents the visitor with a grand vista of mostly old buildings, train tracks, canals, and probably immense numbers of people making their way down the broad boulevard which runs straight ahead past a bridge from the station entrance.<br />
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At least in good weather - and this is the best; I heard someone on the plane say the temp was 17 C. and headed for over 20, T-shirt-and-shorts weather given especially unimpeded sunlight.<br />
<br />
I had planned a particular walking tour, and even had talked with a woman on the plane about her recommendations, but abandoned it pretty quickly in favor of just flowing with the river for a while. The river did not diminish at all for a mile or so, whereupon I found myself in a plaza. I found a place with a caprese sort of sandwich and settled in to watch passers-by and hangers-out. I wasn't sapped so far by the sheer energy of it all, and was pretty well amused; it reminded me of the exhiliration of walking down the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival in the nineties.<br />
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Most of an hour later, I refocused on my primary goal, the Rijksmuseum, realizing ruefully that I probably spent most of what should have been museuming time. I few questions later I was talking with a young female Scot and her friend, who helped guide me there since she was going to part of hit, and reminded me not to miss the ticket line since she didn't need to go there.<br />
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They close at 5 - good! At least two and a half hours to see Rembrandt, Steen and company at the very least. In I go, check the backpack, head for the 17th C. section, and see what's there... "The Black Watch", one of the massive canvases by Rembrandt <br />
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is at least one of the museum's top three if not the cynosure - but really, there is no problem,</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvKvcQKoybt1bvHQXKqTGKP_hujGD0rZrOf1lJXinibbtI5mCesa4bnlsW2fx3faF1ajO7MsBMdtUnOcCAcZKrB_2NVkeBkmEsf9fd_5E-qcj3Jk5_PrwhXn2sJUw7AI9MdsQDnlWUGY/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvKvcQKoybt1bvHQXKqTGKP_hujGD0rZrOf1lJXinibbtI5mCesa4bnlsW2fx3faF1ajO7MsBMdtUnOcCAcZKrB_2NVkeBkmEsf9fd_5E-qcj3Jk5_PrwhXn2sJUw7AI9MdsQDnlWUGY/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
wait a half a minute, and all is well, you will see as much detail as you care to. And the same applies to Vermeer's famous milkmaid, impressively still in her concentration, or Steen's most famous morality plays like "Merry Family", some unbelievably shiny still lifes of equal fame. The almost three hours pass pretty repidly, but I feel like I have fully imbibed the stuff they most want me to, and I'm even getting a bit spacey.<br />
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So it's a good time to move of the most beaten track and see something like the quiet side of the city, this "spider web of canals" described in one guiide, which very aptly describes what a map shows. There are the canal boats I saw in Oxford, a similar feel, leafy, urban-residential.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSHkeDD_kT1Yea6DT0-Z4T-lOMvlYveBhq_o9Q0Lu0OwzMIOMZEsxZg7yRsVfmitjvhzB1oqbVFv0ONxBC3ze5g2QjsLuysldk1ujGCoJy74C0D-k7Pw-mvDg6jb0pJ2fUPPGWh3b9DE/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSHkeDD_kT1Yea6DT0-Z4T-lOMvlYveBhq_o9Q0Lu0OwzMIOMZEsxZg7yRsVfmitjvhzB1oqbVFv0ONxBC3ze5g2QjsLuysldk1ujGCoJy74C0D-k7Pw-mvDg6jb0pJ2fUPPGWh3b9DE/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
The occasional group on a bench, scooter, or bicyle, couple meandering, lazy cats, apartment dwellers dressed down and reading in the balmy weather. And an hour or so later I've bumbled my way back to the vicinity of one "main drag", passing at one point a couple of picnic tables at the edge of the large canal with a vociferous group of mixed ages dining and drinking. They are associated with a cafe sign now over my head, somewhat worn and rusty; it proclaims itself a "literary cafe", hmm, what might that mean. A few steps further, and I can't avoid going back, I must know - and so I settle in for a couple of hours of Belgian-style beer and fish in a pleasantly battered cafe with Hopper-inspired photography and concert posters, and watching the canal-side world go by, while the Monkees and reggae play, altogether a little strange and idyllic.<br />
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... ok, fine, I guess I need to find the station,</div>
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get the shuttle, deal with the stuff they won't tell you, get myself on the plane on time. Sigh.Spencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09237852249739647097noreply@blogger.com0