WINTER IN McKINLEY PARK

Halfway through the Winter Olympics, this past Sunday was a beautiful sunny morning so we decided to take a walk around McKinley Park in downtown Sacramento before the serious couch potato time started.

Not too much was blooming yet but what we did see was gorgeous! It should be amazing in another month or two.

This is the entrance to the Rose Garden. Of course, nothing was in bloom in February but it should be spectacular once they all begin to blossom.

From what we were able to determine this is a Saucer Magnolia tree that blooms in February.

A close up of the Saucer Magnolia blossoms. Each flower is 3 - 5 inches across & were really gorgeous.

Camelias are popular in Sacramento. The trees & bushes were in full bloom.

The foliage around the lake is probably a month or two away from filling in but it was still a lovely site. The ducks, geese & turtles certainly enjoyed it!

This tree actually had a lot of white blossoms on it but they are hard to see in the shade.

The turtles were certainly enjoying sunning themselves on the rock wall along the island.

A couple of Canadian Geese made for a serene scene with their reflections.

These two little creatures didn't seem to mind posing for us to grab a couple of close up shots while they enjoyed the warm winter morning just like we did.

This squirrel was content to hang on to the tree head down while we snapped his picture.

This colorful turtle was happy to soak up some rays, too.

Lots of little two legged "critters" were enjoying the colorful playground with their parents. The squeals of "Push me, push me!" were heard everywhere.

This playground was burned down a few years ago but the city & residents have restored it to a great place for kids.

SUPER BOWL XLVIII & LOTS MORE!

Lou has been trying to win the lottery for the right to purchase Super Bowl tickets for five years now. Only 500 pairs of tickets are reserved for the general public. This year he was finally chosen! So, I knew what my Christmas present was months ahead of time – an all expense paid trip to New York & New Jersey for Super Bowl XLVIII. Yay!!! For this sports fanatic woman who loves traveling there couldn’t be a better gift!

We flew into Philadelphia (way cheaper than any NY area airports) on the Tuesday prior to the game & planned a week long trip in the dead of winter on the East Coast. We were checking the weather & crossing our fingers for weeks ahead of time. We lucked out big time as far as the Weather Gods were concerned – they smiled down on us almost the entire trip.

After driving 66 miles to Atlantic City in the dark & eating dinner at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville in our hotel, we awoke the next morning to a few inches of snow on the Boardwalk & temperatures in the single digits.

The Atlantic City Boardwalk. The white building on the left is our hotel, Resorts International.

Margaritaville was the only restaurant open in our hotel for breakfast & dinner. At least it had good food & fun decorations.

Snow covered chairs along the Boardwalk with Steel Pier in the background.

Absecom Lighthouse in the middle of Atlantic City.

Lou’s friend, Kevin, & his partner, Pete, welcomed us with open arms into their beautiful home in Howell, New Jersey, not too far from New York City. Kevin played tour guide for our drive through Asbury Park (of Bruce Springsteen fame) & other gorgeous little beach towns. We would love to come back & spend a few more days in the spring or fall sometime. They run a fantastic bed & breakfast!

We are huge lighthouse fans & take every opportunity to check them out. This is a re-creation of Tuckers Island Lighthouse, one of four we visited on the Jersey Shore.

Sea Girt Lighthouse turned out to be a great photo op.

A scenic row of Victorian homes in Sea Girt, New Jersey.

We were able to climb Sandy Hook Lighthouse for a view of New York City & the Gateway National Recreation Area on the far northern tip of New Jersey.

We had requested tickets to a taping of the Late Show with David Letterman before leaving home but didn’t receive a response. Sitting in the Denver airport between flights on Tuesday, we received a call that we had tickets waiting for us on Thursday afternoon if we wanted them. We did! We left Kevin & Pete’s early that morning & headed to our hotel in Brooklyn (again, way cheaper than hotels closer to the Super Bowl).

Our Comfort Inn for the next 4 nights was more than adequate, had free parking, a free hot breakfast & a free shuttle to the nearest subway station. We checked in, hopped on the subway & made it to midtown Manhattan with enough time to grab lunch before the taping.

The Ed Sullivan Theater where The Late Show is taped. Letterman's guests were Dr. Phil & Danny, the car guy from Pawn Stars. I wasn't impressed with the musical guests, the Dum Dum Girls.

The Times Square area was transformed into Super Bowl Boulevard with lots of displays & activities. We walked many, many blocks down Broadway until we saw the Empire State Building a few blocks over. On a whim, we decided to see how crowded it might be – to our surprise it was almost deserted! We headed to the top & had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. The views were amazing & it wasn’t windy or any colder than down below.

One of the gigantic billboards along Super Bowl Boulevard showing the countdown to the Big Game.

The Empire State Building looming behind Super Bowl Boulevard.

After getting in late the previous night, we headed out early the next morning for another full day in Manhattan. We experienced the solemn 911 Memorial which was only a hole in the ground when we were there about 7-8 years ago. The new Freedom Tower is almost completed but isn’t yet open. We walked ourselves ragged once again visiting Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace, Castle Clinton, Battery Park & the National Tenement Museum among lots of other downtown sights.

The names of the victims of 911 are inscribed around the edges of the waterfalls where the Twin Towers once stood.

The new Freedom Tower looms high over Lower Manhattan & Wall Street.

After two days of running all over Manhattan, we took the car to New Jersey where we toured Thomas Edison’s Laboratory & Home in West Orange along with the nearby Morristown National Historic Park. 

Apparently Thomas Edison was a workaholic. He had this bed in a corner of his research library at his laboratory in West Orange.

One of the 1093 devices patented by Edison on display at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park.

Thomas & Mina Edison's home was just stunning with the white snow & blue sky background.

The home George Washington used as his headquarters one horrible winter in Morristown, NJ.

A photogenic cabin in a snow-covered meadow in Morristown National Historic Park.

On the way back to Brooklyn, we detoured to Coney Island where Lou’s dad grew up. Unfortunately, he lived in a gated community that wouldn’t allow us in to find his house. The guard was having none of Lou’s reasoning & pleading.

As we crossed the Verrazano Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, I looked back to see this gorgeous sunset. Scrambling to grab the camera & snapping a shot as quickly as I could out the car window, I got lucky!

This is the original Nathan's of the famous Coney Island hot dog eating contest held every year. Of course, we had to stop for dinner. The hot dogs that Lou's dad said were 10 cents when he was a kid are now $3.95.

The parachute ride on Coney Island is no longer operating but they continue to light it at night as a tourist attraction.

We finally arrived at Super Bowl Sunday – the whole reason for this trip. That morning we ventured out in the car once again to explore Prospect Park & other areas of Brooklyn where Lou’s grandparents lived. Brooklyn is not an easy place to drive around – lots of dead ends or one way streets &, God forbid, you should slow down or hesitate. Five people will be honking at you within seconds!

We drove around to find this view of the Brooklyn Bridge across the East River with the Manhattan skyline in the background. Where was that bright blue sky when we needed it?

The archway at the entrance to Prospect Park in Brooklyn. 

Lou’s research paid off since he decided we would take the Fan Bus from Manhattan to Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford. There were several choices so we took the direct subway line to one of the bus locations. The security allowed only a couple of options for getting to the game & this one turned out to be great. We drove right to the stadium, parked close & were through the lines in no time.

Those of you who are football fans know that our Forty-Niners were beaten in the NFC Championship game by the Seattle Seahawks. It was so, so close to seeing our team play in the Super Bowl. But, even though we were rooting for the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks took the lead 11 seconds into the game & never looked back winning 43 – 8. The event was well organized & well run, but the game itself sucked big time.  Of course, there were a few glitches & the food prices were totally ridiculous – two Coors Light beers, two foot long hot dogs with a bag of chips cost $46. WTF??  But overall, we thought New Jersey did a great job & put on a terrific event.

Metlife Stadium from our bus parking space. We entered through the Verizon Pavilion on the right.

The view from our seats in the corner of the end zone. We were about 2/3 of the way up in the third deck but the sight lines were good & with four large screens in each corner, we didn't miss anything.

A couple of die-hard Forty Niner fans ready to cheer on the Denver Broncos, but it was not to be. Congratulations to the Seahawks & their fans. We'll get 'em next year!

The awarding of the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks.

The weather had held all week long & the Super Bowl kick off was a balmy 49 degrees. We avoided the snow most of the week & until our last day the driving was pretty easy. The forecast for our day in Trenton was 2 – 4 inches of snow. By that morning it was increased to 8 – 10 inches so we packed up fast & hit the road immediately. It was a little harrowing since they had the freeway on ramp closed by our hotel & we had to drive all over snow covered city streets in Brooklyn.

That's our dashboard & windshield as we drove along the New Jersey Turnpike between Brooklyn & Trenton.

We made it to our motel in Trenton around noon, parked the car, ate "lunch" at the Dunkin’ Donuts next door then hunkered down in the room while it snowed all day. The snow let up that evening allowing us to drive to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. We knew the next day should be fine for our flights home & it was, we arrived 10 minutes early in Sacramento. Thank goodness they were right because the following day airports were closed & they’ve had horrible weather for the past two weeks. Thank you, Weather Gods!

CHARLEY ELLEN IS TWO!

This past Saturday, we all traveled to Meadow Vista (just past Auburn) to help Charley Ellen celebrate her second birthday with friends & family. It boggles my mind that this beautiful little girl is two years old already. I mean, really, when did this happen?

She is such a cutie with her big, blue eyes & wild, blonde curls.

Gaga & Charley in 2011 on her first Halloween at five days old - such a tiny baby!

The entire family turned out for the birthday bash! We had four generations on my side of the family & three on Allison's side. All six of her grandparents & step grandparents were present & a great aunt, too.

Charley's great grandpa (my dad) with Allison & Charley.

Charley being silly with my sister, Karen, also known as ZiZi.

Charley & Lou playing with the magnetic fishing pole.

Painting pumpkins with Grandpa Allen & Gaga.

Allison invited several of Charley's little friends for a total of ten kids & twenty adults. Allison & Darrin did a fantastic job of planning all the festivities. Thank you! The kids were great with no meltdowns, skirmishes or temper tantrums! A wonderful time was had by all ages.

Some of the kids chowing down on the delicious pumpkin pies for dessert.

Charley enjoying the view from Daddy's shoulders.

Climbing & jumping on the straw bales with Gaga.

Happy Birthday, Charley Ellen!

CRUISIN' THE BLACK, MARMARA & AEGEAN SEAS

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I’m going to save you from reading about 40,000 words with these photos of our amazing voyage to Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria & Greece. This was my “trip of a lifetime” (so far) which included the two places at the top of my travel list – the Acropolis & Ephesus. I’ll post some other thoughts in the next week or so regarding our flights, the cruise & the crazy ass jet lag that kicked our butts. So, without further ado, here is my photographic journey.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Our two week cruise of the Black, Marmara & Aegean Seas started & ended in Istanbul, Turkey, which is the 4^th largest city in the world with 11 million people. We were in (or off the coast of) Istanbul three times since we cruised back through the Bosphorus Strait midway through our trip. I’m combining photos from all of our time in Istanbul.

We set sail at 6 PM just as the sun was setting over the Bosphorus Strait. That's Europe on the left, Asia on the right & the bow of our ship in the lower left. Istanbul is the only city on two continents.

The Bosphorus Bridge as our ship, the Celebrity Constellation, passed beneath it while the sun set behind us.

The Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul's oldest landmarks. I dominates the shoreline of the old city but there are hundreds of mosques throughout the city.

The Blue Mosque on the left & the Hagia Sophia on the right.

The Hagia Sophia was a mosque, then a Christian church & is now a museum. It is an important monument from the Byzantine & Ottoman Empires.

The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn, an estuary that shoots off from the Bosphorus Strait. The upper deck (for cars, trolleys & pedestrians) is constantly lined with fisherman & the lower deck houses shops & restaurants.

A ferry boat passing under the Galata Bridge with the Galata Tower in the distance. The ferry boats were plentiful & seemed to arrive every few minutes shuttling people between Asia & Europe.

SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE

After our first day at sea, we arrived at the first of three ports in Ukraine. Sevastopol has a beautiful waterfront with lots & lots of monuments to all sorts of things. It is famous for the “Charge of the Light Brigade” which took place in the Balaclava Valley about a half hour drive from the port.

The harbor of Sevastopol, Ukraine, taken from our cruise ship in the early morning.

This is a former Soviet Union secret submarine base that was hidden in the hollow mountain behind this entrance. It is now totally inactivated & is located in Balaclava Harbor.

Balaclava Harbor is now a big resort area near Balaclava Valley which was the site of the "Charge of the Light Brigade".

YALTA, UKRAINE

Next up was Yalta, another town on the Crimean Peninsula. Since I am not even a little bit into wars & their history, I knew nothing about this but received a crash course from Lou. Apparently Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill & Joseph Stalin met three times at the end of World War II to divide up Europe. The Livadia Palace in Yalta was the site of the second of those conferences. Our tour took us to two palaces & a lovely drive along the coast.

Alupka Palace housed Winston Churchill during the Yalta Conference.

The Swallow's Nest was a castle built on a rock jutting into the Black Sea. The owner was cheap & only purchased the rock outcropping rather than flat land to build his home. Our excursion just viewed it from a distance so this is a really zoomed in photo.

Livadia Palace was the site of the actual conference as well as the residence for FDR since his limited mobility made travel more difficult. Stalin was housed at a third palace that we passed in the distance. Guess they couldn't all stay together.

A courtyard in Livadia Palace which was also the summer retreat of Czar Nicholas II & his family prior to the World War II conference.

ODESSA, UKRAINE

Lou’s grandmother was born in Odessa & came to the U.S. as a young girl of eleven. We were there for two days so Lou took a Jewish Heritage tour the first day while I climbed the Potemkin Steps from the seaport into the city & wandered the streets. After Lou returned we headed off into town on our own walking tour where I again climbed the 192 Potemkin Steps – got my exercise that day.

On day two, we took a tour of the Odessa Catacombs which were originally created by mining limestone for the city. The catacombs were later used by freedom fighters who thought they would be living in them for six months but it turned into three years – yikes!

The Potemkin Steps that lead from the edge of the seaport up to the town of Odessa, Ukraine.

A square celebrating Catherine the Great in downtown Odessa. The weather was dreary & overcast, exactly what comes to mind when you think of the former Soviet Union. They do like their monuments & statues, that's for sure.

Lou & I found this shopping mall which went up (about 6-7 levels) rather than spread out like ours. There were narrow walkways with a fairly low railing that was freaking me out when we were walking up high.

A downtown square that had a huge contingency of locals hanging out in the late afternoon. It was a really nice area with lots of shops & restaurants but not the touristy type. My impression is that Ukraine is still learning to become a tourist attraction.

This is a monument to the "Unknown Sailor". The tomb is "guarded" by high school students who change every 15 minutes & consider it a great honor to be chosen as one of the guards.

The Odessa Catacombs - this is one of the "bedrooms" that they created during their underground stay. They had kitchens, classrooms, libraries & most other "comforts" of home.

BURGAS, BULGARIA

Oddly enough, of all the places in the world to visit, we’ve visited Bulgaria twice. A few years ago we were a bit north of Burgas in the city of Varna, also on the Black Sea. This time we took a tour of Pomorie & Nessebar (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). This has nothing to do with our tour, but for some reason every time I think of Bulgaria, the muscle bound Olympic weight lifters come to mind.

Our first stop on the tour was St. George Monastery. The holy water in this room was said to heal people - but we both caught colds even though we touched the water & rubbed it on ourselves.

This display was part of the Salt Museum we visited. I'm not quite sure why they felt a museum was necessary to commemorate evaporating water & collecting the salt, but it was.

These Soviet era apartments are prevalent in many countries in the area. We've seen them on other trips but I could never get a good photo since we were zipping by in a bus. All of them have two things in common - laundry hanging from the balconies & satellite dishes.

The beautiful architecture of St. Stephen's Church in the little town of Nessebar. Our walking tour included several churches but not even 10 minutes for shopping. I'm not a hardcore shopper but would have loved to pick up some Bulgarian Rose Oil & spend a few minutes browsing the many shops.

MYKONOS, GREECE

The little island of Mykonos was one of my favorite stops. It has the typical white buildings with red or blue roofs that you see in all the pictures. The streets are really narrow, some nothing wider than a motorcycle could pass through. They were designed in a haphazard way so that invaders from the sea would get lost. It must have worked since we got lost a few times which is half the fun of being there. They say just keep wandering & you’ll find the water eventually. They were right.

I just love these photogenic scenes of boats & buildings that were abundant in Mykonos.

The windmills were once essential to the island's economy but are now merely decorations. They are famous landmarks & one of the musts for photographers. I couldn't believe I actually got this shot without any people!

This is a typical street in Mykonos. A few will accommodate cars but most, like this one, barely allow two people to pass easily. The main street the taxis drove down had only enough room for one car to pass, no bicycles or even people could share the road.

Part of the beautiful shoreline of this laid back Greek Isle. I definitely want to visit more Greek Islands in the future - seems like a nice way to relax & enjoy life.

ATHENS, GREECE

Wouldn’t you know it – the first day of real rain that we had started, literally, about an hour before our tour of the Acropolis. AND since the forecast was for mid 70s & NO rain, we weren’t totally prepared for it. Fortunately, Lou had our umbrellas in his backpack although we didn’t have jackets or ponchos with us. Unfortunately, when it started raining, we were in the New Acropolis Museum & his backpack was in the bus several blocks away!

The Acropolis was still fantastic even though we arrived soaked & looking like drowned rats. Taking photos with the rain coming down & our umbrellas whipping around in the wind was a bit of a challenge. Combine that with tons of people, scaffolding, cranes & other assorted unphotogenic paraphernalia to keep the Parthenon from crumbling any further & the pictures leave a lot to be desired. But I was there & saw it!

The Parthenon perched atop the Acropolis dominates the skyline of Athens & is visible all over the city. This was taken from a few miles away at the Old Olympic Stadium.

One of the original tiles that lined the top of the Parthenon. This is now protected in the museum. The tan ones are original & the white ones are recreations to show what it looked like years ago.

The Parthenon - in the rain with minimal scaffolding (thanks to Photoshop :-)) & no people. It was quite a feat to get this photo!

The most intact side of the beautiful monument. It was upsetting to learn that, built 500 years before Christ, it was basically intact until about 300 years ago when in 1697 it was blown up by the Venetians who attacked Athens. The statues & decorations were later looted by the British who still refuse to return them to Greece.

The Erechtheion, also located on the Acropolis, was much less crowded & far more photogenic.

This was partway down the hill from the Parthenon & I have yet to figure out what it is. I've googled every name on our map & none of them look like this one.

KUSADASI, TURKEY

The ruins of Miletos, Didyma & of course, Ephesus, turned out to be my favorite sights on this trip. It was pretty cool to save the best for last! Although we got some more rain this last day, it cleared up enough to make for some spectacular photo ops – the blue sky & puffy clouds made up for the lousy conditions in Athens the day before.

There really aren’t any words to describe the grandeur of these ancient cities so I won't even try. Ephesus actually EXCEEDED my expectations which was a really amazing treat. I would highly recommend visiting these sites if you get the opportunity.

Some of the ruins of the ancient city of Miletos located about an hour & a half drive from Ephesus. 

The Temple of Apollo in Didyma which was never completed.

Another part of the Temple of Apollo. The blue skies & clouds made for a gorgeous picture.

The Curetes Way in the city of Ephesus with the Library of Celsius in the distance. Can you imagine what this must have been like in its heyday with the hustle & bustle of life? Paul was preaching & writing his letter to the Ephesians that would be included in the Bible. Wow!

The communal toilet was said to be the place to hang out in the afternoon. Apparently pooping was quite the social activity for the Ephesians - maybe the Facebook of their day? Seems a little odd but to each his own.

The Library of Celsius is one of the major landmarks of the ancient city. It was first discovered in 1957. It's only been a little over 100 years since the first ruin was uncovered. There is still much left to unearth - maybe Charley or her children will get to see it all someday.

Looking to the right of the Library of Celsius made for an interesting photo. Ephesus only opened for tourism about 30 years ago & now 20 million people visit per year.

The Grand Theatre in Ephesus could seat 24,000 patrons. We were told that Antony & Cleopatra attended plays in this theatre at the end of Harbour Way.

This was an incredible journey full of amazing adventures to ancient sites & cities. These are only a few of the over 700 photos that I took. They are just the highlights of the destinations we explored. There were a few "adventures" or "misadventures", if you prefer, regarding our flights & cruise - nothing big, but I'll post another report on our shipboard life soon.