Sunday, December 30, 2012









The River Nile
AFRICA

The River Nile is about 6,670 km (4,160 miles) in length and is the longest river in Africa and in the world. Although it is generally associated with Egypt, only 22% of the Nile’s course runs through Egypt.

In Egypt, the River Nile creates a fertile green valley across the desert. It was by the banks of the river that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile, using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals.








Ancient Irrigation in Egypt and Mesopotamia







How many rivers of the world can YOU recognize?





(actually downhill) in a northerly direction 

THE FACTS: Unless the land it totally flat, rivers of water run downhill. The vast percentage of rivers on the planet flow in a southerly direction because the source (usually in the mountains) is to the north of the mouth.

If the source of a river is at a higher elevation than the mouth, that river will run from the source to the mouth. However, if that (higher) source is to the south of the mouth, that river will then flow to the north (downhill).

Below is a partial list of rivers (length listed when known) that do just that. We haven't listed rivers that run to the northwest, or rivers that don't meet the exact requirements
  • Athabasca Alberta, Canada, 765 miles
  • Bann Northern Ireland
  • Bighorn Wyoming and Montana, USA, 336 miles
  • Cauca Colombia, 597 miles
  • Deschutes Oregon, USA, 250 miles
  • Eel Northern California, USA, 78 miles
  • Erne Ireland and Northern Ireland, 60 miles
  • Essequibo Guyana, 600 miles
  • Fox Wisconsin, USA, 200 miles
  • Genesee New York, USA, 144 miles
  • Jordan Utah, USA, 45 miles
  • Lena Russian Federation, 2735 miles
  • Little Bighorn, Wyoming and Montana, USA, 80 miles
  • Magdalena Colombia, 1062 miles
  • Mojave Southern California, USA, 100 miles
  • Monongahela Eastern USA, 128 miles
  • New Virginia and West Virginia, USA, 255 miles
  • Niagara Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, 39 miles.
  • Nile Africa, 4150 miles
  • Ob Russian Federation, 2289 miles
  • Oswego New York, USA, 24 miles
  • Otter Creek Vermont, USA, 75 miles
  • Pend Oreille Washington, USA, 62 miles
  • Red Minnesota, North Dakota, USA (into Canada), 318 miles
  • Richelieu Quebec, Canada, 208 miles
  • Saginaw Michigan, USA, 20 miles.
  • Saint Johns Florida, USA, 275 miles
  • San Pedro Mexico (into Arizona), 142 miles
  • Shennandoah Virginia and West Virginia, USA, 55 miles
  • Wilamette Oregon, USA, 188 miles
  • Wallkill New Jersey, USA, length unknown
  • Yenisey Russian Federation, 2548 miles
  • Youghiogheny Eastern USA, 151 miles

Saturday, December 29, 2012





 Pompeii
Province of Naples, Italy
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of thecomune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was partially destroyed and buried under 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft) of ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors every year.[1]  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii

This city was essentially frozen in time when the ashes of the erupting Mt. Vesuvius blanketed the Earth. This is a beautiful glimpse of history in southern Italy but I would not recommend a tour in warmer months. We toured the city on a hot August day and there were very limited escapes from the sun. Choose a temperate day and a nice pair of walking shoes for this experience. You must do the offered audio tour and if you have the time and money, splurge on the experience of a guided tour.


 "Pompeii was a prosperous city, vital, bustling with pedestrians and traffic, and full of hotels, inns, shops, grandiose public buildings, temples and private homes. Painted walls were an essential element of decoration. Fantasy, illusion and mythological motifs prevailed, accompanied by rich decoration. Preserved walls in the Villa of Mysteries, the Vettius House and the Orchard House are stunning examples of this. Also of great importance was sculpture, apparent from works of great value and beauty that came to light during the excavations."
Temple of Jupiter, Pompeii

Dance like this on your vacation, it will set you free!


There is just so much to see on the southwestern coast of Italy but you can easily visit the City of Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, in just 3 days. We did it! I believe it is also popular to go to Salerno, the last stop on the train, and then Ferry to Sicily.






 --->Use public transportation when traveling, I guarantee it's an experience all in it's self! Never mind the wonder views you can fully absorb when your eyes aren't always focused on the road... and you save a TON of $$!



View of Mt. Vesuvius from train ride, Portici to Pompeii.

We stayed at the Fabric Hostel in Portici, just a few train stops from downtown Naples. It was a large clean modern hostel with a quick walk to the water front where we enjoyed very affordable fine dining.  The hostel was our home base for a few days, and provided more than what we needed. Their website expresses a club atmosphere which we didn't experience, for better or worse and the dorms are co-ed if that is something that may put you off. I would recommend this hostel in a second. 


"Fabric Hostel has been built in a fabulous building of the late 19th century, it was an old fabric farm which had been closed for at least forty years. The building has been restored according to its original nature, trying to make it live in all the details connected to its own story and the meaning that it had for the town during the social and economical development of the 19th century."









The White Mountain National Forest
Sargents, NH


The Highest wind speeds on Earth have officially been recorded atop Mt. Washington in The White Mountains National Forest of New Hampshire, USA. Wind speeds of 372 kph or 231 mph were logged on 12 April 1934 at New Hampshire's Mount Washington Observatory at the summit of Mt. Washington. 
(Unfortunately this record was recently broken in 2010 due to the recognition of records measuring 253 mph winds during Cyclone Olivia on Barrow Island, Western Australia in 1996.)


Image from Time's article written by Micael D. Lemonick:



Aside from Mt. Washington's infamous reputation for its dangerously erratic weather, it remains a top destination for hikers and sight seers through the year.  Mt. Washington is the final peak of the The Presidential Travers, a popular hiking trail that navigates 21-24 miles and over 8,000' of elevation.  This region is not only known for providing all winter activities but also four seasons of outdoor activities such as hiking, golfing, boating and  fishing. I will provide some useful links if you desire to visit.

The Presidential Traverse


It must be rightfully stated that this area of the United States holds it beauty through out every season!


Mount Washington Resort

I would highly recumbent the Mount Washington Resort for accommodations in the winter months but you can also find some great camping locations on the state park website. Here are both.




Wednesday, December 26, 2012




Stonehenge
Wiltshire, England

"Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in the English county of Wiltshire, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Amesbury and 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is the remains of a ring of standing stones set within earthworks. It is in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds."



"Whatever religious, mystical or spiritual elements were central to Stonehenge, its design includes a celestial observatory function, which might have allowed prediction of eclipse, solstice, equinox and other celestial events important to a contemporary religion."

*     *     * 



Thanks to modern day science and NASA you can now "predict" the solar and lunar eclipses of 2013... 


Thank you for the beautiful painting we've borrowed...



Whether you were born into the winds or with your feet on the ground, it is always good to feed the eyes and fuel the soul. 

Please be inspired with me.  

The Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering theArctic and sub-Arctic regions of EuropeAsia, and North America (as far south as Brittany and Massachusetts). The species is stronglymigratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates from its northern breeding grounds along a winding route to the oceans around Antarctica and back, a round trip of about 70,900 km (c. 44,300 miles) each year.[3] This is by far the longest regular migration by any known animal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Tern