tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30014944491325015192024-03-05T11:09:52.216-08:00a.day.in.my.life<center>eat vegan. enjoy life. trek on.</center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-67308711636922435392014-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:002014-07-07T06:00:06.146-07:00Road Trip: New Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zv3lbkCokQjBIlZr3RcHLqPskkuf7PRbQHhl0Rn_XqKqrRGTgHXAfns-9D90dpvQX9yXPChQWje4Aw1fasqVByfthVmrLKOWGL_4NL89TqSUgX7oIBkHDZNt-8zMZDP9xXd6gfbQIfs/s1600/Navajo-Lands.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0zv3lbkCokQjBIlZr3RcHLqPskkuf7PRbQHhl0Rn_XqKqrRGTgHXAfns-9D90dpvQX9yXPChQWje4Aw1fasqVByfthVmrLKOWGL_4NL89TqSUgX7oIBkHDZNt-8zMZDP9xXd6gfbQIfs/s1600/Navajo-Lands.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
After exploring the Petrified Forest in Arizona we crossed the border into New Mexico! Talk about beautiful landscape. Once we were in the Native American territories I was completely in awe. What a beautiful place!<br />
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We had originally planned to turn around after this stop which you will hear more about later. We planned our trip so that we would be in Albuquerque for Dan's birthday.<br />
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We were excited because we were going to stay with a very close family friend, Dan. Since we first found ourselves in Arizona, he insisted that we needed to come to New Mexico to visit him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWW5vHHbSgjIDSpLrSwLaG0wzeiEWFcxc1wmEHvqsrkVfN5oID8Fjemy9lsShBGNHvipA6k0pzzxJZvt2ydkHSVWvZOgEsa2cdTSQOqc6_uX-_mdPqav8FQI_UVEO7djFWjoXPXqc8Tg/s1600/201209029AD1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWW5vHHbSgjIDSpLrSwLaG0wzeiEWFcxc1wmEHvqsrkVfN5oID8Fjemy9lsShBGNHvipA6k0pzzxJZvt2ydkHSVWvZOgEsa2cdTSQOqc6_uX-_mdPqav8FQI_UVEO7djFWjoXPXqc8Tg/s1600/201209029AD1582.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our awesome photographers: <a href="http://dkweddings.net/" target="_blank">dKweddings</a></td></tr>
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In fact, Uncle Dan married us. I call him Uncle Dan since I've known him my entire life and he pretty much is an uncle to me. As a quick shout out, check out his weekly music radio shows on Fridays here: <a href="http://ksfr.org/programs/beat-goes" target="_blank">KSFR The Beat Goes On</a>.<br />
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We got to Albuquerque in the early evening and got into town just in time to go out to dinner before everything closed down. Dan was nice enough to take us to a vegan friendly/hippie restaurant. It was just what we needed after a long drive through the desert.<br />
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Uncle Dan needed to go to Santa Fe on Dan's birthday, the next day, for that very show, so Dan and I hung around Albuquerque. We went to the main downtown area and enjoyed a few good brews in the sun. It was lovely being able to sit outside comfortably in the sun. Not too hot, definitely not too cold. Apparently, New Mexico is more like Colorado, high desert, where as Arizona is low desert, which makes it a ton hotter.<br />
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After we were done baking a bit, we went for lunch and enjoyed some AMAZING vegan sushi at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/loving-vegan-albuquerque-2?hrid=Q537pJHTkPhh9iCdiYqx0Q" target="_blank">Loving Vegan</a>, a few local brews, and the amazing, not incredibly hot weather.<br />
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We ended the day by going out to dinner with Uncle Dan when he got back and had some good giggles and a cigar.<br />
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On Saturday, Uncle Dan had to head back up to Santa Fe for a radio meeting and thought we should meet him up there by taking the train. I absolutely LOVE trains, so I said yes without even considering my husband's opinion. Luckily for him, I already know that he enjoys train rides as well, so it worked out perfectly.<br />
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We hopped on and headed north. We passed through the Santo Domingo Pueblo and were asked by the conductor to not take pictures for the natives' privacy. Of course I abided and therefore only have one awesome picture of Dan on the train as we got into Santa Fe.<br />
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Once there Uncle Dan picked us up and showed us around the downtown area. Santa Fe is much different from Albuquerque.<br />
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First off it is a much shorter word and easier to spell whereas it took me forever to figure out how to spell Albuquerque just to discover... ALBQ. Ah much better. Also, ALBQ feels like a big city whereas Santa Fe felt more like a large town. Granted we only really hung around the old town square, but that was my impression. Lots of small shops and native art.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZdjaKmoAGLdP3uz6BtUKa4Lsaw1WivH_vtKmQ1akJj1l165sOQ7Vyw5O2xkkoqFakmVQ_Ky3MzKafAF-FYvkwZuRjMrp6KfaaTVc5VF8DUbPD9PNZGMtHRKSOw3fqLIBaDZA8EcV9vc/s1600/DSC_6207-copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZdjaKmoAGLdP3uz6BtUKa4Lsaw1WivH_vtKmQ1akJj1l165sOQ7Vyw5O2xkkoqFakmVQ_Ky3MzKafAF-FYvkwZuRjMrp6KfaaTVc5VF8DUbPD9PNZGMtHRKSOw3fqLIBaDZA8EcV9vc/s1600/DSC_6207-copy.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
We walked around and window shopped a bit and saw some great architecture. We then got a beer on a balcony bar and people watched. We even got to see a wedding percession walk through the downtown square.<br />
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We also saw some hilarious motorcyclists that were on three wheelers that would drive basically in circles around downtown showing off their rides. It was funny, because their motorcycles looked more like dune buggies.<br />
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After enjoying the view, we thought it was time to enjoy some food. We had a delicious dinner in town and tried an array of homemade meads. Wow is that stuff sweet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwwioZLUzNL1ammUcurmREiVGDk3iUK2ZUq64V7ttE1y7OVA7XEA_kOpzHhZejXWEDoScHovmwA9VbEa8iQtWUoYVjCI8NbtEhafkXAr0IylXW0uR6Qyu02uz0stPc8MIQOOERGVoDSs/s1600/DSC_6182-copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwwioZLUzNL1ammUcurmREiVGDk3iUK2ZUq64V7ttE1y7OVA7XEA_kOpzHhZejXWEDoScHovmwA9VbEa8iQtWUoYVjCI8NbtEhafkXAr0IylXW0uR6Qyu02uz0stPc8MIQOOERGVoDSs/s1600/DSC_6182-copy.gif" height="160" width="200" /></a>That evening after we made it back to ALBQ I noticed that there was a bird making a nest in the tree above the guest house door. It was fun watching it bring sticks over and then sit in it flapping its wings to force the sticks into place.<br />
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The next morning we were up and ready to hit the road. Next stop, Roswell!<br />
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I pretty much had to force this one on Dan, he thought it was going to lame. It wasn't Disneyland by any means, well a bit, but I am pleased we went. We drove into town, hit up the International UFO Museum and Research Center, and left. If you're going to be near the area at all, I'd go. Especially if you enjoy science fiction or anything to do with aliens. But the town looked pretty barren otherwise, so it's not quite a destination vacation spot.<br />
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While visiting in New Mexico, we decided to keep going into Texas. The plan was to stop in at the Caverns of Sonora, camp there for the night and then head into Austin. From there we would go north through Dallas and Oklahoma City, to head back through to the Grand Canyon.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-14257954609219773182014-06-23T06:00:00.000-07:002014-06-23T06:00:01.105-07:00Road Trip: Arizona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k7NxhJn40DrIkX8rSsdkNFCcu8pgZx98GIrXvwb4KPMXNkCNobjSZYgAH7tIR9C-C4t4iif_IL9NSUcAd4K9Ip8HUQlv85v7Z9-vcq421-IloOvCMYzwFTFSN1h9XI6Sbq-DbEGAvPU/s1600/Mountain.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k7NxhJn40DrIkX8rSsdkNFCcu8pgZx98GIrXvwb4KPMXNkCNobjSZYgAH7tIR9C-C4t4iif_IL9NSUcAd4K9Ip8HUQlv85v7Z9-vcq421-IloOvCMYzwFTFSN1h9XI6Sbq-DbEGAvPU/s1600/Mountain.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
We left a few days before Dan's birthday and headed out to New Mexico. Instead of traveling on the highway, we decided to pass through Tonto National Park, check out the Petrified Forest, and then get to Albuquerque in the evening.<br />
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Of course right as we left there was the typical desert scenery that you get used to spending time in Phoenix. Personally, I love desert plant life (from a distance) so I enjoyed the view as soon as we left populated areas.<br />
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Pretty soon after leaving town, the elevation started to slowly climb and the plant life started to change. More and more trees, less cacti. At one point, on the left side of the road it was forest like and on the right side it was desert like.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>We continued to wind upward and quite suddenly I felt like we were back in California. Oh no! We went the wrong way!! Now, don't get mixed up. The view was more forest like, but it wasn't like Yosemite. Think more Jamestown, valley forest. For those of you not from California, here is an example.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36AO7vKAp0Uy3LF0nVF3Zi_iJ6P_cyaV-8ur6dGVwdm59tJlFSHDLicPQapCPPaU3fwYS1at1SC92We8woFerxKFXahYnxRikrJo-CcFVrfMZzzUwjqOmFEQhEYkG8bSGcRiYe_qdR0U/s1600/Plateu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36AO7vKAp0Uy3LF0nVF3Zi_iJ6P_cyaV-8ur6dGVwdm59tJlFSHDLicPQapCPPaU3fwYS1at1SC92We8woFerxKFXahYnxRikrJo-CcFVrfMZzzUwjqOmFEQhEYkG8bSGcRiYe_qdR0U/s1600/Plateu.gif" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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The drive was easy and before we knew it we were out of the forest and back down to desert level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPMW9viq-CZExtZ_fiP0DUk_Is1GqQwitLqzeaeGzmC2pSkcpxhfvUAjUTn3bPlUs4Ebp35YvkRk5Udw93FgZPXGEr-5n0JIEdqswXPD8594Gf-pqwipW1EpTH5OSV08R9RMDxo2_P_4/s1600/Petrified.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSPMW9viq-CZExtZ_fiP0DUk_Is1GqQwitLqzeaeGzmC2pSkcpxhfvUAjUTn3bPlUs4Ebp35YvkRk5Udw93FgZPXGEr-5n0JIEdqswXPD8594Gf-pqwipW1EpTH5OSV08R9RMDxo2_P_4/s1600/Petrified.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a>Soon thereafter we were at the Petrified Forest. I was rather disappointed. It wasn't scary at all. But it was an interesting stop.<br />
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Through science and a lot of time, trees that have been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth are still around.<br />
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While not quite trees anymore, they sure do look like trees. Being petrified, they are now hard as stone.<br />
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The park itself was huge, but from what I could see there was only a small section of said park that actually had these petrified trees.<br />
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The northern area of the park was still beautiful in it's own right though. The colors and hills were breathtaking.<br />
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We enjoyed lunch in the park and continued on to New Mexico!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-16518605059581521972014-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:002014-06-12T05:00:03.773-07:00ROAD TRIP!!!Hi all!<br />
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I have been BUSY! Oh me oh my. Dan and I just got back from a longer than expected road trip this week. Originally the plan was to go to Albuquerque to visit a close family friend, Dan (who actually married us!) and then head up to Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon.<br />
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Dan and I decided that after we spent some time in New Mexico, we should go to Austin, Texas. A handful of years ago, Dan went to Austin for a work conference and loved it. He's been talking about taking me there ever since and I figured, hey! We'll be so close, why not just drive there? From there the plan was to go to Dallas, Oklahoma City, and then over to Four Corners, Bryce Canyon, then to the Grand Canyon and back.<br />
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But, that's not what happened.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Once in New Mexico, I started looking into our trip and noticed how close New Orleans is to Austin. That's somewhere <i>I've</i> been wanting to go for as long as I can remember. Dan was on board and now our trip expanded! From there we were going to include Jackson, Memphis, and Little Rock and make our way back to Oklahoma City and the rest.<br />
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Ah, but wait! We weren't finished yet. Jackson is only two hours from Birmingham!! And Birmingham is only two hours from Atlanta! And shoot, Atlanta is the beginning of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_March_to_the_Sea" target="_blank">Sherman's March to the Sea</a> (remember I'm a history nut!), which would take us to Savannah and the Atlantic Ocean!!<br />
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If we're going to be on the coast, we may as well go to the Carolinas. I have a very good friend who moved to North Carolina, and I'd been talking about going to visit her for years. This was the perfect chance!<br />
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But wait! There's still more! Charlotte is so close to Virginia! And they're having a Civil War reenactment in the north! And jeez, if we do that we're a stone's throw from Washington D.C.!!! Dan, you've never been, this is a huge opportunity! We can check out the CAPITAL OF OUR NATION! Oh ya, *cough, cough* and Bethesda is like right there.<br />
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If we go to D.C. we can then go through Tennessee and see where Jack Daniels is made! Check out Memphis and then head back.<br />
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So, that's basically how our planning played out. Sporadic and very last minute. I'm so ready to start planning the next road trip, or not planning, whichever.<br />
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Thanks to the wonderfulness of amazing app'dom which is <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/3739005" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> and <a href="http://www.deutschevegan.yelp.com/" target="_blank">Yelp</a>, we survived, thrived and had a blast! We also brought camping gear which we used 6 nights. We would have camped more, but there were some serious thunder storms for a decent portion of our trip and trying to make dinner while soaked to the bone over a fire that will barely stay lit is not fun. Well, actually it was a ton of fun, but probably wouldn't have been the second time around.<br />
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I am also now obsessed with the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/index.htm" target="_blank">National Park Service</a>. Just sayin'.<br />
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Be prepared (and hopefully excited!). In the next few weeks I'll be posting lots of picture and blogs about our adventures. Hopefully, I will be able to get through my piles of photos at a decent pace, but we will see.<br />
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So without further ado, here is our trip!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-67695369859173766772014-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:002014-06-04T11:38:22.549-07:00Thunderbirds ~ Luke Air Force Base Air Show ~Before it got too hot, <a href="http://www.luke.af.mil/library/2014openhouseandairshow.asp" target="_blank">Luke Air Force Base</a> put on an air show with a bunch of old planes on the ground and in the air. While being dazzled by tricks, flips, and smoke, Dan and I enjoyed a couple of beers while getting some sun.<br />
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Here are some fun photos from our adventure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185841854/turquoise-sky-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Turquoise Sky</a>"</td></tr>
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These guys stayed in close formation practically the entire time. It was amazing and at times scary to see.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5gadqqMt8HJj7bGruZp8qT7DtTcl_RPJpS8dXl_OxOzGdUNFMotKwa0NlsrEQXNAD2uVfYsDbMQvFAIuLdwoob2aSkLqLfACba8mQn-8qplImYAWw0_rW9MpyPjRz0yx4nbIuHkwuxs/s1600/Dropping.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5gadqqMt8HJj7bGruZp8qT7DtTcl_RPJpS8dXl_OxOzGdUNFMotKwa0NlsrEQXNAD2uVfYsDbMQvFAIuLdwoob2aSkLqLfACba8mQn-8qplImYAWw0_rW9MpyPjRz0yx4nbIuHkwuxs/s1600/Dropping.gif" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191569111/dropping-8x10-print" target="_blank">Dropping</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This guy was spectacular. He did all sorts of tricks leaving long tails behind. He ended his show by making a heart in the sky for all those who serve in the military.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBB2fxFzeQV1hsWtszkn9kJI-nve8x7naprL78xm0IdfMkIWXyXp6fFNMqpiA2FWm77rJPiue3zE6XLAYNhVS3nf1kkxk2TtoXej-dggtvletCB1ICUbObuuRrNV8Xl90ctr3AUHjQKk/s1600/Looking-Up.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBB2fxFzeQV1hsWtszkn9kJI-nve8x7naprL78xm0IdfMkIWXyXp6fFNMqpiA2FWm77rJPiue3zE6XLAYNhVS3nf1kkxk2TtoXej-dggtvletCB1ICUbObuuRrNV8Xl90ctr3AUHjQKk/s1600/Looking-Up.gif" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191584487/looking-up-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Looking Up</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here is the same guy again. He not only did lots of tricks, but he would fly straight up and then stall his plane so he would either stand still or plummet down to earth. It was exhilarating, even for us down on the ground.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZ3T7X0sh5gB7g5nDVaXEIB6yaPowblgZo3NboPTCOTGaEwyUmfk5JNXztB5lONUHkxs3PlYNpIipngz_wHgN1RbMcMLZIVXONh4etSyapzEdJ6PWQRIUEZ7YRaVO3sPc849iaygBYus/s1600/Watching.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizZ3T7X0sh5gB7g5nDVaXEIB6yaPowblgZo3NboPTCOTGaEwyUmfk5JNXztB5lONUHkxs3PlYNpIipngz_wHgN1RbMcMLZIVXONh4etSyapzEdJ6PWQRIUEZ7YRaVO3sPc849iaygBYus/s1600/Watching.gif" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here is a glimpse of how close we were to the action!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwa23UbNfcPUXy-Ed2BIRVMYm6q05vN3V6L4-CzmwlGDoKalclBTSx83OHcv5mPZx4M99Ri6et1d0GwmMd4v4UNDZjRDoEAfwkgTvt4Fs8ZnTcW4fnvq6RZHwUIR5oIJx8KCMfBjvtyAo/s1600/Thunderbirds-Approach.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwa23UbNfcPUXy-Ed2BIRVMYm6q05vN3V6L4-CzmwlGDoKalclBTSx83OHcv5mPZx4M99Ri6et1d0GwmMd4v4UNDZjRDoEAfwkgTvt4Fs8ZnTcW4fnvq6RZHwUIR5oIJx8KCMfBjvtyAo/s1600/Thunderbirds-Approach.gif" height="424" width="640" /></a>
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And of course the Thunderbirds for the great finale!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfzQnJJEOmWf1adcuzmoyf1FJLaw4SOlGvhcpsnS3P4qc1yPmOGalHpUD_6bMxA6FEcr2OWR_PT3qHSNHPz-sdpA_j1FvWjVt4FmVNCcwGUVMi_Vqt_eLsN83yZ1Zk9rj-wK5pU3Xjyg/s1600/The-Thunderbird.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEfzQnJJEOmWf1adcuzmoyf1FJLaw4SOlGvhcpsnS3P4qc1yPmOGalHpUD_6bMxA6FEcr2OWR_PT3qHSNHPz-sdpA_j1FvWjVt4FmVNCcwGUVMi_Vqt_eLsN83yZ1Zk9rj-wK5pU3Xjyg/s1600/The-Thunderbird.gif" height="512" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191579320/the-thunderbird-8x10-print" target="_blank">The Thunderbird</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0NkK5or84PSPZ35C38NR1SCnjIe-vaz6t51pg1yZmYs2PQ8P4bNY3QjLDPs7keoIarKiaEghs6913Y-mLHJtRBnW289ecw_zi9diIVgvC-I7azTBBYHqIUFi1jgfYGkwYVOwHpjwP68/s1600/Mt.-Saint-Helen.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB0NkK5or84PSPZ35C38NR1SCnjIe-vaz6t51pg1yZmYs2PQ8P4bNY3QjLDPs7keoIarKiaEghs6913Y-mLHJtRBnW289ecw_zi9diIVgvC-I7azTBBYHqIUFi1jgfYGkwYVOwHpjwP68/s1600/Mt.-Saint-Helen.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191356574/st-helen-8x10-print?" target="_blank">St. Helen</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The husband and I took a trip up to the land of PDX. A wondrous place, filled with vegan food, beer, football love, and trees.<br />
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Sounds like heaven, right? Right.<br />
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Our adventure began with a long, yet absolutely beautiful drive up to Portland from home in the east bay. With some awesome clouds and good conversation, we enjoyed our journey north. One that we hadn't taken in almost ten years.<br />
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It turned out that our hotel was across the street from a brewery. Cha-ching, one point to Portland.<br />
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We had dinner with local family and got some great tips on what to do for our adventure day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YNPhhueF89XJnpd7xwWAMs9NROrNGVokX34HhUzfttjtP9yX-4oSgGQVyDoVKGZgvto3UY3ckTvfiDzkl15gV3bB-DGMsd-8AwvXUf6lp_2suvvADBf8gmOA-Nm4F8IllpB-uyAF9hs/s1600/Avenues-of-McMenamins.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YNPhhueF89XJnpd7xwWAMs9NROrNGVokX34HhUzfttjtP9yX-4oSgGQVyDoVKGZgvto3UY3ckTvfiDzkl15gV3bB-DGMsd-8AwvXUf6lp_2suvvADBf8gmOA-Nm4F8IllpB-uyAF9hs/s1600/Avenues-of-McMenamins.gif" height="200" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - <br />
"<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191359385/avenues-of-mcmenamins-8x10-print" target="_blank">Avenues of McMenamins</a>"</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZl8jDLtCvQJmB2duH24vmhx8EVpGMEywOQze-omyqs9drb_q2vcVTQKiYbFWxh6hAmxErOGfY-0__zqMGFHnXdSpJQZUSPKYgxMZH8xzbQmzmFLPyHScTyEt6RJ2p61kSQNIRzSnKTY/s1600/In-Good-Company.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZl8jDLtCvQJmB2duH24vmhx8EVpGMEywOQze-omyqs9drb_q2vcVTQKiYbFWxh6hAmxErOGfY-0__zqMGFHnXdSpJQZUSPKYgxMZH8xzbQmzmFLPyHScTyEt6RJ2p61kSQNIRzSnKTY/s1600/In-Good-Company.gif" height="200" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191361157/in-good-company-8x10-print?" target="_blank">In Good Company</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We started off by going to <a href="http://www.mcmenamins.com/Edgefield" target="_blank">McMenamins - Edgefield</a> which was a trip on it's own. We figured out that it was originally a poor farm, taking in an array of misfortunate people, which is still reflected in the art of the building today.<br />
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There's lots of interesting stuff around Edgefield, from painted pipes and doors to a brewery, theatre, and garden. Even the notorious Confederate General Stonewall Jackson's nephew lived at Edgefield!<br />
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With enough crazy history and art to keep me busy for days with my camera and imagination, I was pulled away to the next item on the agenda, views!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNJCJw4r4QZHe0QgXznYXSMyg6LT42CnOgntWQwOaoMTtwHgnBmK1AJ6f-DNPFN_7SK-Ia4X-YVAlYty5up1p-TALzt4WrRTSOIzpw4xy56T50OVQSv1ViPdFYr9xlyqVSgmeGrgBt8/s1600/Columbia-River.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNJCJw4r4QZHe0QgXznYXSMyg6LT42CnOgntWQwOaoMTtwHgnBmK1AJ6f-DNPFN_7SK-Ia4X-YVAlYty5up1p-TALzt4WrRTSOIzpw4xy56T50OVQSv1ViPdFYr9xlyqVSgmeGrgBt8/s1600/Columbia-River.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191359995/columbia-river-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Columbia River</a>"</td></tr>
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We made our way up the winding road along the Columbia River to the Visa House which gives you a wonderful view of the Columbia and Washington across the river.<br />
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You can't quite see Portland and in my photo I'm actually facing east, but it's still completely worth the stop. The tiny round Vista House was a great place to take cover from the crazy winds outside which was a lot more intense than one would have thought getting out of the car.<br />
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Then, following the steady trickle of waterfalls, we discovered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_Falls" target="_blank">Multnomah Falls</a>. Amazing!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5trLXT2_vSjJn8PBjo6h4Nf8uk7a2Vl0UsDDpoih1wEsAZgQCLfRb-bEj_FHW8jJ3tUHxwswxPqicINzVzshCAg3Bh8IIhJSm8eOB_ANwDAxQUGV8e2RLD9hMffF80_Ku9eTDEkDHSHI/s1600/Mulholland-Falls.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5trLXT2_vSjJn8PBjo6h4Nf8uk7a2Vl0UsDDpoih1wEsAZgQCLfRb-bEj_FHW8jJ3tUHxwswxPqicINzVzshCAg3Bh8IIhJSm8eOB_ANwDAxQUGV8e2RLD9hMffF80_Ku9eTDEkDHSHI/s1600/Mulholland-Falls.gif" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191363583/multnomah-falls-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Multnomah Falls</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Forest Service states that Multnomah Falls is the second highest, year round waterfall in the country. Pretty impressive. And because it's such a tall waterfall, there's a lot of mist and of course moss! The trees here were green from ground up. I was in heaven.<br />
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While there, we were able to see the damager that a boulder did to the bridge in January, causing it to be closed for repairs. Luckily, no one was injured. You may not be able to see it in the photo (click it to get bigger!), but it's on the right side of the bridge.<br />
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From here we climbed the ever reaching Mt. Hood. Making it all the way to the top to Timberline Lodge. The only way we could have gone further up was by ski lift.<br />
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The drive up was fascinating. After reaching a certain point, there was suddenly snow everywhere. It wasn't really a gradual thing. It wasn't like there was a bit of snow on the ground here and there, it was pretty much: no snow... SNOW! As if there was a magical line that said, "Now snow, remember, you do not pass this line!"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VkY0R32M9voZ7RXdHD214Kvo9dC_1pR8sO16RiQprbYc7IhetN-NaQ4IVnHeTxMbATFpn13QWVfSwe5PUhbh70QQz0ANBALGHXLBTQ4hw6piQwDEODXtIqjXi1fZW-gzv7sQg8aPTtk/s1600/Parting-Clouds.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VkY0R32M9voZ7RXdHD214Kvo9dC_1pR8sO16RiQprbYc7IhetN-NaQ4IVnHeTxMbATFpn13QWVfSwe5PUhbh70QQz0ANBALGHXLBTQ4hw6piQwDEODXtIqjXi1fZW-gzv7sQg8aPTtk/s1600/Parting-Clouds.gif" height="320" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191362815/parting-clouds-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Parting Clouds</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ejc7i3DBnO3y2Qvf-vhHJx9VpcBd17DUHirNwd-U03zaEJhg1GAmYbhewU4a8WL3pwO5zIGRc4AuBIBC6-bF22BJtVeLE8FyrfCLsrS34AE8yTgZvbjETl40JHwsdH_lnynGtViFfU/s1600/Inside-the-Ice.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ejc7i3DBnO3y2Qvf-vhHJx9VpcBd17DUHirNwd-U03zaEJhg1GAmYbhewU4a8WL3pwO5zIGRc4AuBIBC6-bF22BJtVeLE8FyrfCLsrS34AE8yTgZvbjETl40JHwsdH_lnynGtViFfU/s1600/Inside-the-Ice.gif" height="160" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191354990/inside-the-ice-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Inside the Ice</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The lodge itself was impressive too. It was part of FDR's WPA program to put unemployed Americans back to work. They did an awesome job. Another noteworthy point, Mt. Hood has one of the longest ski seasons in the country as well. Oh, and the exterior was used for the filming of <i>The Shining</i>. I love Stephen King! Woot. Point for Portland!<br />
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The next day we got to business. No more dilly dally, we needed to explore! Driving from neighborhood to neighborhood we checked out what we are hoping will be our new home. We did something similar in Denver with much success and repeated in PDX. I think we got a really good idea of the area and even talked to two, very different, real estate agents to get an idea of the market.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElKDf0jdwZr98qaKA0M_hg9bTexIP2NtUBAhYgf4qmkTCs7s_MAj06sdnOGSRSzs8RqT7QYEF2ySzPt0D0l6NLYLI8AIYdqB52akf4z8x6ERqBjomBGseV88rr4Sdh93NueKcWy9Xi1I/s1600/Yellow-Trees.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElKDf0jdwZr98qaKA0M_hg9bTexIP2NtUBAhYgf4qmkTCs7s_MAj06sdnOGSRSzs8RqT7QYEF2ySzPt0D0l6NLYLI8AIYdqB52akf4z8x6ERqBjomBGseV88rr4Sdh93NueKcWy9Xi1I/s1600/Yellow-Trees.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find me on Etsy - "<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191363945/yellow-trees-8x10-print?" target="_blank">Yellow Trees</a>"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Day three consisted of going to Food Fight and marveling at the very much improved store since our last visit and watching some football at a local soccer bar. Yes, you heard me right a soccer bar. Not a sports bar, but a bar devoted entirely to watching football, when it's on of course. A-mazing! Double points!<br />
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We stayed the night with a couple that we knew back in the days of living in San Francisco and had a blast. We went to a corner store that had one of the biggest beer selections I've seen and grabbed a decent amount of brew. We talked games, drank beer, ate a very thoughtful vegan meal, and eventually passed out watching some crazy movie.<br />
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The next morning we woke up and headed to the train station. The three hour ride up to Seattle was a well needed relaxing ride. When we got into town we walked around a bit and then went to bed. It was a long day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Streetlamp and the Needle"</td></tr>
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When we got up we explored Seattle. Chinatown was pretty cool, not quite SF or LA status, but fun none the less. We enjoyed a good hour or so in the Pinball Museum where we got to play some old machines that we had been playing on PS4. It was a blast to know the storyline and get to play for free. After another long day of walking around, we met up with my cousin and had a beer. It was fun catching up and getting her take on the Northwest. She loves it, which got me excited. Perhaps we will be neighbors soon!<br />
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The trip was a success. And with everything we were able to see and do, it made our decision an easy one. We want to move to Oregon! Now, if that actually becomes a reality is another matter, but a girl can dream.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-43917107409304925162014-04-28T05:00:00.000-07:002014-05-29T20:36:18.905-07:00Life in the Desert - South Mountains, Arizona<span style="text-align: left;">Our second Arizona hike was in the South Mountains, a long range south of the Phoenix airport. What turned out to be a four hour hike, we saw beautiful views of Phoenix, a wide array of flora and fauna. I figure this is a great opportunity to have the photos speak for themselves. Oh, and if you don't want to read my commentary, feel free to click on the first image and scroll through them in all their glory. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgJvxQpn8aZ9oYBAKOLg3Ex9UNFZ-w6nONv8Utwt6mxA1j5aH2OiLkKnFvGKVgcU0NrmpXgup9Iqp40AGdkQtswW3aKDEczDDrZvwBNLuMarrOCLPyEcE1bmGqruYKOuShQfY3nkbrpI/s1600/Path-Ahead.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgJvxQpn8aZ9oYBAKOLg3Ex9UNFZ-w6nONv8Utwt6mxA1j5aH2OiLkKnFvGKVgcU0NrmpXgup9Iqp40AGdkQtswW3aKDEczDDrZvwBNLuMarrOCLPyEcE1bmGqruYKOuShQfY3nkbrpI/s1600/Path-Ahead.gif" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a>One of the first creatures we spotted was one of the most interesting, the Chuckwalla. What first looks like a typical black lizard or iguana, actually has some spice to his looks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQwqQHW_REMur0pudhJ2dUedYpY-_E8x4Gd-GoRcYTAeVil3N4dnaSWaVMoOF2kBiFN_rdjyHisDrmY6o_2z8Zc701RqcY5hm4cxhBs3I_Po5_KaEhbuSLOmI4S-fcrSeuch3VpXX-dU/s1600/Male-Chuckwalla.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P0-4ACKSosD1PiPmmvYpG3yeKNgeoNlEbXZ5gIBsSrnGm0kEsa6QgF4EhPBLPFE2FY3IUUSLtO0bjDkANAZuMqRPjCb37vxSAurBiMwIaFfe5QjhwRbMnOxQeCa8TEy5fhtjaVolHdg/s1600/Chuckwalla.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_P0-4ACKSosD1PiPmmvYpG3yeKNgeoNlEbXZ5gIBsSrnGm0kEsa6QgF4EhPBLPFE2FY3IUUSLtO0bjDkANAZuMqRPjCb37vxSAurBiMwIaFfe5QjhwRbMnOxQeCa8TEy5fhtjaVolHdg/s1600/Chuckwalla.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQwqQHW_REMur0pudhJ2dUedYpY-_E8x4Gd-GoRcYTAeVil3N4dnaSWaVMoOF2kBiFN_rdjyHisDrmY6o_2z8Zc701RqcY5hm4cxhBs3I_Po5_KaEhbuSLOmI4S-fcrSeuch3VpXX-dU/s1600/Male-Chuckwalla.gif" height="256" width="320" /></div>
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The beginning of the trail was rather steep, but once we made it to the top, the trail flattened out and the view was amazing. The crimson flowers of the Ocotillo, the view was spectacular.</div>
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I was pleased to see Camelback Mountain, our first hiking adventure, still looking rather impressive from a distance.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0B02uj8XqR6Cm4-I4oTRPOA9QXaI8-UgUZKBfnL914nBALpDpAjlkNlDRhhQuO4HXr0H2LkWXUPcSAH4LVVFPSGrZexmzfM3Wy3jxVi0h2cJeKqoELtq4Z_9EZXKCdIkovOEyKkgJkI/s1600/Camelback-Mountain.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0B02uj8XqR6Cm4-I4oTRPOA9QXaI8-UgUZKBfnL914nBALpDpAjlkNlDRhhQuO4HXr0H2LkWXUPcSAH4LVVFPSGrZexmzfM3Wy3jxVi0h2cJeKqoELtq4Z_9EZXKCdIkovOEyKkgJkI/s1600/Camelback-Mountain.gif" height="320" width="400" /></a></div>
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Throughout our hike, the sky was generous with the beautiful clouds and bright blue colouring.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X5-Z9rbhYO4M1ksfyVsyBwh1xAQ5Um2N-JsGWbl3SzHk8nyjnRTD6REL5ZTA5AMz82sd3rHP_xncjOpbgO2WAx3493bDtPTLVCgAJB68N7pduao8WXOGi6FMjfjXm7qxbS8BMekT4BQ/s1600/Dripping-Clouds.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X5-Z9rbhYO4M1ksfyVsyBwh1xAQ5Um2N-JsGWbl3SzHk8nyjnRTD6REL5ZTA5AMz82sd3rHP_xncjOpbgO2WAx3493bDtPTLVCgAJB68N7pduao8WXOGi6FMjfjXm7qxbS8BMekT4BQ/s1600/Dripping-Clouds.gif" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
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Striking pink, the hedgehog cactus has more than a clever name, but a beautiful flower that sneaks it way through the protective barbs. </div>
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After our first Chuckwalla spotting I kept my eyes peeled for more. With their bright orange tail I was hoping to catch a glimpse of another. At one point I saw something dart into the shadows and managed to see a female Chuckwalla, who also saw me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51R_u317VZYq5pNYUssawW4bYmJQerF2TVhixT7GkQ9YtGiz40SPP8u74bcBD7RSzGG9y40sh7N-n2qRi40HIxhJlcwCAKNmZ3TVswdm_KGYw_A_ICjCBiE6qKyLcIeLx3al6DgRkHAM/s1600/Female-Chuckwalla.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51R_u317VZYq5pNYUssawW4bYmJQerF2TVhixT7GkQ9YtGiz40SPP8u74bcBD7RSzGG9y40sh7N-n2qRi40HIxhJlcwCAKNmZ3TVswdm_KGYw_A_ICjCBiE6qKyLcIeLx3al6DgRkHAM/s1600/Female-Chuckwalla.gif" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Being in the desert it was not hard to come across a few different types of lizards on our short hike. The Ornate Tree Lizard blends in well with the natural rock colours, which makes them hard to spot. But, there are so many running around you're bound to see one stop eventually.</div>
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Another fun lizard spotting was the Zebra Tailed Lizard. This was a fascinating creature. When they see you (or a predator) are watching them, they wag their tail as a warning sign that they see you. Apparently, this works! Can you see him?</div>
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Birds of a feather. I heard a small chirping sound coming out of a tree. I was convinced there was a nest and started to watch it carefully. Turns out, I was wrong. There was a hummingbird telling us to go away. </div>
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Saguaros (/say-waro), one of the most "Arizona desert" iconic flora you can find. With arms that grow for balance and all too common eaten up bottoms, I was always in wonder how they stayed standing. That is, until I saw a saguaro skeleton for the first time. Their bones are what I imagine whale bones to look and feel like.<br />
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A very common bird to the Phoenix area are doves. They have a beautiful cooing song which also helps make them stand out against other bird calls. </div>
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The last fauna we spotted, was actually one that Dan saw. I was pretty tired at this point and the sun was getting hotter, so my eyes were toward the car. Unfortunately, even with some research I couldn't find out what this lizard is.<br />
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When we returned home, we were warned there would be a dust storm. This was a first time experience for us, so we headed out to the front yard and watched the dust sweep through the sky. Luckily, it didn't quite make it to us, but made for a beautiful sunset.<br />
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<span id="goog_20674182"></span><span id="goog_20674183"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0South Mountains, Phoenix, AZ 85048, USA33.3289354 -112.078202499999976.779331899999999 -153.38679649999997 59.878538899999995 -70.769608499999975tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-35119566343426238672014-04-21T05:00:00.000-07:002014-04-21T05:00:11.071-07:00Phoenix 360º<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dan and I decided to enjoy the cool Arizona spring weather and take a trek up the Echo Park Canyon to the peak of Camelback mountain. I first noticed the peak when we went to a spring training game, which in its own right was a blast.<br />
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So, I saw this beautiful peak sticking out the middle of flat Scottsdale and did some research. Turns out it is possible to hike it. Oh what fun. With perfect weather we made our way there. It had been quite a while since we had hiked or enjoyed much outdoor activity at all because of the move and trying to get life organized, plus <a href="http://deutschevegan.blogspot.com/2014/04/denver-beer-brick-adventure.html" target="_blank">Denver</a>.<br />
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Apparently, this place is popular. We were surrounded by people, young and (impressively) old, who also wanted to take advantage of the awesome weather.<br />
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I knew the trek would be steep, you could tell just by looking at it, but I didn't realize how hands on the hike would be. It was fun figuring out how to get to the top, but bringing my camera along was a bit annoying for the trip, but I couldn't just leave it behind so it came along, awkwardly.<br />
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The uphill hike was pretty straightforward and not overwhelmingly difficult, until the end. The last half mile was basically bouldering. Not quite, but it was steeper than I had anticipated. Fun! But exhausting.<br />
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Once we made it to the top, the view completely blew me away. It was literally a 360º of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, etc. Where there weren't mountains, the view went as far as the eye could see. If it weren't for the large number of people around, this would be a great spot to meditate and do some yoga.<br />
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The hike down was not as difficult, but by the time we were heading down we were hungry and out of water. Next time, I will remember to actually check out the hike beforehand to make sure we are well equipped. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0Echo Canyon Park, 5701 North Echo Canyon Parkway, Phoenix, AZ 85018, USA33.5138165 -111.9626822999999833.487339 -112.00302279999998 33.540293999999996 -111.92234179999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-47720536037636875762014-04-12T05:00:00.000-07:002014-05-30T13:01:24.645-07:00Denver - A Beer & Brick Adventure!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185820605/denver-8x10-print" target="_blank">Denver</a>" - Find me on Etsy</td></tr>
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A while back we planned a trip to Denver to check out the city, along with Boulder. When Dan lost his job we decided to still go on our trip, even though it was in the middle of our move. We had already bought the tickets, booked our stay with Airbnb, and were very excited to go. We ended up having great timing!<br />
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Our adventure began with changing our flight out three times. First to book it, then to change the time since we didn't have to worry about Dan's schedule, then to fly out of Phoenix since we were going to be at Grandma's house.<br />
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The flight in was fine, a few bumps on the decent, but faster than I though. Felt more like flying to the Bay Area than a three hour flight. Once we landed I was surprised to find that there wasn't any snow on the ground, well somewhat surprised. It also wasn't as cold as I would have guessed. This was a pleasant surprise, so once we got our (tiny! and California license plated) car rental we decided to go to Washington Park before going to our hosts' house.<br />
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One thing I have to point out right away about Denver is that there are a bajillion parks. And that is a modest guess. It literally felt like every 3-5 blocks there was another park that was, minimum, a city block. It was very refreshing coming from LA where the first park that comes to mind was completely fenced off and inaccessible to prevent the homeless from sleeping on the grass. Better they sleep on the sidewalk I suppose.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185825451/washington-park-at-dusk-8x10-print" target="_blank">Washington Park at Dusk</a>" - Find me on Etsy</td></tr>
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Back to Denver. So Washington Park was huge, if I remember correctly it was the largest park in downtown Denver, or at least the longest. We walked the length of the park and decided to head back to the car so we could drop off our things before it was time to eat and grab a beer.<br />
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The home we stayed it was very awesome. Parking was a piece of cake and I specifically picked <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/627794" target="_blank">this house</a> out of the many options on Airbnb because of the colourful style. The owners weren't home when we initially got there, but once we got the chance to say hello I was very happy with our choice. They were very friendly, extremely helpful with giving us a good feel of what Denver is like seasonally and in more detail than you can experience in just a few days. Plus they were just good people, much better than giving money to a hotel.<br />
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We made our way to the 16th Street Mall, which is an outdoor, pedestrian only street in the heart of downtown. Similar to 3rd street in Santa Monica, but way cooler. The street still had "roads" but it was only for a free bus system that would run back and fourth along the street making it easier on students, tourists, and business people to get around quickly. It is a very clever idea and I was impressed that it was free. We decided to walk because the weather was still lovely, if a bit nippy. But honestly we were thrilled to be in cold(ish) weather. Sadly, there wasn't anywhere that was vegan friendly for food options and we decided to just grab a beer instead. After a long day of traveling and the altitude change, we weren't all that hungry anyway.<br />
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Earlier in the day we tried out a great vegetarian/vegan restaurant called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/watercourse-foods-denver" target="_blank">Watercourse Foods</a>. We actually ended up eating here twice, once for lunch and once for breakfast. It was a hit with the both of us, especially since we just happened to go there right before happy hour started and we got a good discount on some local brews.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185815242/artists-perspective-8x10-print?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Artists' Perspective</a>" - Find me on Etsy</td></tr>
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The following day we made our way to <a href="http://www.redrocksonline.com/" target="_blank">Red Rocks Amphitheater</a>. Pretty much everyone I have mentioned this to has clearly known this place, but before I went I was clueless. Actually, I think that made the experience more breathtaking because of it. It didn't take me long once we were there to see why people love Denver. The view here was amazing, and I can only imagine what it would be like to see a concert here. Unfortunately we were off season for a concert, but they leave the theatre open for people to enjoy. People were running up and down the stairs, enjoying the view, and having picnics. Talk about a great workout. Because of the altitude change, just walking up and down the stairs caused me to get short of breath.<br />
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We ended up at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/city-o-city-denver" target="_blank">City o' City</a> for dinner to celebrate our 10 year anniversary! Now, this was our dating anniversary, not wedding, but because it was a milestone we wanted to celebrate in style. When we got there we were told we would need to wait for about 45 minutes for a table. Dan was ready to leave but I overruled him. We were there, might as well wait a bit. He went to the bathroom and on his way back found two seats at the bar. Perfect! We had a lovely meal and Dan gave me a new claddagh ring, but it was too big. Darn!<br />
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The next morning we headed off to Boulder! But, Boulder is for another post.<br />
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When we returned to Denver we decided to go neighborhood hunting. We saw Lakewood before we went to Boulder which got us anxious to look around in person. It is west of downtown and was our first choice in what we thought we wanted to see while we were scouring the internet before our trip for living possibilities. Turns out it's not quite what we expected. It was nice, but way too rural and just didn't seem to offer what we were looking for. We were very surprised by this and realized that searching for a neighborhood over the internet doesn't work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrzewHOBPFV-s7DU6PIzpl7L75TmKISZhqOllEUCkCnXL6WoZz-TJ-YYmZl94lp6Bjj7zY_JXeQoA2QB6cXkF14oQJw7zX_WX5tYZnZAK6T7plBRZ7qddXdEshndRqX3NOfw26iwVl3I/s1600/Downtown-Denver.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnrzewHOBPFV-s7DU6PIzpl7L75TmKISZhqOllEUCkCnXL6WoZz-TJ-YYmZl94lp6Bjj7zY_JXeQoA2QB6cXkF14oQJw7zX_WX5tYZnZAK6T7plBRZ7qddXdEshndRqX3NOfw26iwVl3I/s1600/Downtown-Denver.gif" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/185823341/mile-high-8x10-print?ref=shop_home_active_1" target="_blank">Mile-High</a>" - Find me on Etsy</td></tr>
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We literally drove around neighborhoods, up and down different streets which was a great idea. It was probably creepy for onlookers, seeing us driving slowly and taking photos of homes in our California rental car. But for us, it was exactly what we needed to do.<br />
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The homes in Denver are typically broken up into two main "suburb" categories, north of downtown which was older (generally built in the 1930s) and south of downtown (generally built in the 1950s). Their main style is called Tudor and is very tasteful. Mainly brick and pointy, it was fascinating to see how many different types and colours of brick you can find. I love brick homes so this was great for me. They seemed small, but we figured out the majority have basements which doubles the size.<br />
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We ended up in the Mountain View area at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/hops-and-pie-denver?hrid=a11hVDsbrhN32zQJZki64g#src:self" target="_blank">Hops & Pie</a> for lunch. This place was great! We enjoyed some vegan eats and delish beers, all while listening to some of Dan's favorite punk artists. <i>This</i> is what we were looking for. We followed that up with my first time in a cannabis shop which was a fun experience too. I was impressed with how much they actually had in stock knowing that they've been dealing with shortages. And yes, they checked our IDs.<br />
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That evening Dan took me to a nightclub to hear some local music. And oh boy was that a great time!<br />
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The band we went to see was called <a href="https://twitter.com/RowdyShadehouse" target="_blank">Rowdy Shadehouse</a>. When we first got there we assumed they were going to be an 80's hair band or something similar. They were all in different patterned spandex and the singer had awesome platforms on. Most of them had long hair and just gave off the impression of the late '70s, early '80s. Our guess on their style was way off. They were a funk band. And a darn good one too! So, once again I had to hand it to Dan, he's great a finding cool things to do.<br />
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We followed up the show with going to <a href="http://greatdivide.com/" target="_blank">The Great Divide Brewery</a>'s taproom, which is downtown Denver. A small place which was basically bar space and a bit of standing room. Very cool spot and of course great beers. If you're around and enjoy beer, I would check this place out. If I remember correctly I think tasters were $1 for about a $5 flight. Not too bad at all.<br />
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On our last day in town we decided to do some more exploring. While everything in Denver is about 10 minutes away (except Boulder which is 20 minutes away), it's still a big place. We looked around more south of downtown and eventually ended up just west on Federal Blvd. From our very basic understanding of the city, this seemed to be the Vietnamese and Hispanic neighborhood. We saw a beautiful view of downtown, it just popped out at us after climbing a small hill, and ended up eating at what I believe was my favorite restaurant of the trip. It was called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/lotus-vegetarian-restaurant-denver-2?hrid=PtTTj_sbJnPtHjDhTeGsjQ#src:self" target="_blank">Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant</a> and was actually all vegan (true vegetarian) Vietnamese. Their soups were amazing and if I had done my research beforehand, we would have ended up here more than once. Next time!<br />
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We pretty much headed to the airport from here since we had to bring the car back way earlier than our flight or pay a big fine. Stupid. But! Luckily, the airport here is pretty amazing on it's own. My dad told me that they literally moved it out from downtown, so it's brand new. They have a small taproom and a great restaurant called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/root-down-dia-denver" target="_blank">Root Down</a> that we ate dinner at. It was pretty neat to find a good quality (vegan friendly!) restaurant in an airport.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbexkFYt9T3MnrkP1xflOICcmP3yngoDh4AaM-ywAA1vkz-tCjy1M8Xnk710x5NebYlz5cOyf2vRfpvHBTGH2PBeC6ympLNT0-xTMRNX7JPSulPaf9TNeWai3E_XC4ksUa6cEFuRYNoA/s1600/Falling-Rocks-Pub.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbexkFYt9T3MnrkP1xflOICcmP3yngoDh4AaM-ywAA1vkz-tCjy1M8Xnk710x5NebYlz5cOyf2vRfpvHBTGH2PBeC6ympLNT0-xTMRNX7JPSulPaf9TNeWai3E_XC4ksUa6cEFuRYNoA/s1600/Falling-Rocks-Pub.gif" height="320" width="256" /></a>Our flight home was pretty rough for a while and a few times I think my bum left the seat. Apparently, this is pretty normal for Denver, because of the Rocky Mountains I suppose, but it was a bit unnerving.<br />
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Overall we had a great time, as you hopefully gathered from my tale of adventure. Some other places we stopped in at (but I missed/forgot to mention) were <a href="http://www.the-1up.com/lodo/" target="_blank">the 1up</a> arcade which had wall to wall pinball and arcade machines, which was literally right next to <a href="http://fallingrocktaphouse.com/beer/" target="_blank">Falling Rock Tap House</a> with a great beer selection (about 75 taps) and a countdown clock for the <a href="http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/" target="_blank">Great American Beer Festival</a> (which is held in Denver). We also stopped in at <a href="http://www.beetboxdenver.com/" target="_blank">Beet Box</a>, a from scratch, all vegan bakery which was perfect for hungry vegans in the morning.<br />
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We loved Denver. The altitude was a bit to get used to and of course we were finally back to normal once we were ready to head home. The people we talked to everywhere were very friendly, the city was amazingly clean, parks everywhere, great architecture, too much beer to chose from, I could go on. I'm very much looking forward to heading back again sometime. Hopefully, we will be able to make our way into the Rocky Mountains next time. But being in our tiny car, it would have been life threatening to go on this trip.<br />
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As a vegan, I was slightly underwhelmed with the ability to eat out. It showed me how accommodating Los Angeles has been in that regard, giving me options just about everywhere I went. Denver definitely had some great vegan eats, but if I didn't do some research ahead of time, it would be very difficult. Lot's of places don't even have a veggie burger on their menu. But I wouldn't let that stop vegans from going there. It is possible to find really good food, and the more vegans that go and eat there, the more they will need to have alternatives that are vegan! Check out my <a href="http://www.yelp.com/list/vegan-denver-denver" target="_blank">Vegan Denver yelp list</a> for some reviews on vegan friendly eats in the area.<br />
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I can see why people love it there, and I am happy to add myself to the Denver fan club!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-61314642408080606112014-03-10T10:53:00.000-07:002014-03-10T10:53:42.840-07:00Life Out Of Wack<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1EQ3BI311e2Gvj8_myaxgR3C4h0S_fcmTBszqTzZz_YxINldk1mDb0unZMuK3kCMs2SqqTtjbZGDZ4FLjRhFBMl233EGy10fw0OM1w1gPXy4WW6CGHfzydSL-S_cSIl7mmZclASzgHs/s1600/Amber+phone+152.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/AVvXsEjj1EQ3BI311e2Gvj8_myaxgR3C4h0S_fcmTBszqTzZz_YxINldk1mDb0unZMuK3kCMs2SqqTtjbZGDZ4FLjRhFBMl233EGy10fw0OM1w1gPXy4WW6CGHfzydSL-S_cSIl7mmZclASzgHs/s1600/Amber+phone+152.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Sheeh, talk about a crazy month.<br />
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Dan got laid off in mid-February, boo. But! It's actually quite alright. We were already mentally moving on from Los Angeles and this gave us the kick in the bum we needed to make the leap.<br />
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We had already planned a trip to Denver, and decided although it would be in the middle of everything to go anyway, and I'm really glad we did.<br />
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Although faster and more chaotic than I would have liked, within two weeks (to the day) of Dan getting let go, we were on the road with our goods and cats to our next adventure. Like tumbleweeds we are going to be exploring around the country for a new home base.<br />
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In March alone we will have visited 5 states. Le-sheeh!<br />
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I have promised a handful of people that I would document our adventures and so I shall. Hopefully, it will keep you interested and in high hopes for us and our future.<br />
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To the day, a week after Dan lost his job we packed up and were on the road to Arizona where our grandma has been kind enough to let us store all our crap in her garage. My dad flew down to help us get organized and to help with the heavy lifting that would have put me out of commission.<br />
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I was surprised at how easy driving a big U-haul was. I guess RV driving will be a piece of cake. Thank goodness!! And the drive to Phoenix is much, much nicer than I-5, which is gross and filled with disgusting cow farming plots. I-10 goes through desert and mountains, so refreshing. And of course there was an amazing sunset, which I believe Arizona is known for. From there we flew to Denver and then back to Los Angeles where we got the last of our stuff and gave up our keys.<br />
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Now we just need to figure out where we will be settling, hopefully more permanently. We have a couple of places in mind which you will hear all about in upcoming blogs.<br />
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For now, we just need to relax a bit and become humans again. Being freed from the web of work and city living is definitely refreshing. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-14275620952027451332014-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-27T09:20:51.766-08:00Bat Attack<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1714993204"></span><span id="goog_1714993205"></span>This is Batman.</div>
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He is part of our family.</div>
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He is.. rather large.</div>
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But was once very small.</div>
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We named him Batman because he was a climber.</div>
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Then he grew.</div>
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And didn't stop.</div>
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He loves tanning.</div>
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Therefore he is brown.</div>
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He's a professional napper.</div>
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The family brewer.</div>
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And a computer geek.</div>
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He loves drinking out of the bathtub.</div>
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And sleeping on the sink.</div>
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...and sleeping in the bathtub.</div>
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He's an avid reader.</div>
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And a great sewer.</div>
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He's a vigilant lookout.</div>
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And enjoys the occasional hunt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUoZGPC90jc5V2zoc4l9JRQrftQRCmSlUnkdpo_96oTe2YLDwMkHssMprHv96K5oAiIbF6mmIDG1QVkgVKeqEZhxsRltnr1yHfP4Z2QqZwIQ8hZ2X1K1rCAgDkzzmBCh23cOPRBvimH0/s1600/Phone-Photos-194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUoZGPC90jc5V2zoc4l9JRQrftQRCmSlUnkdpo_96oTe2YLDwMkHssMprHv96K5oAiIbF6mmIDG1QVkgVKeqEZhxsRltnr1yHfP4Z2QqZwIQ8hZ2X1K1rCAgDkzzmBCh23cOPRBvimH0/s1600/Phone-Photos-194.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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He even brings us gifts.</div>
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He loves to cuddle.</div>
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Especially with his papa.</div>
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He is also very patient. </div>
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But best of all, he loves me.</div>
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Here's a bit about our <a href="http://deutschevegan.blogspot.com/2014/01/leetle-moosh.html" target="_blank">Leetle Moosh</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-8227351080636618842014-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-20T05:00:00.314-08:00Berlin: A History, Part One<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUhGHq5ywGTpKu9aBzcclP5CfvOcT-xzDDiF9RKUgiKX1oYtvaV2MUW5XG6sSkeU68VGiaooZ2v2N8mqK1j_GuBgM6Y5LB4Z5udR0jGh8VbcwMztBiiVnDRTwsfUsp-hqyYEn6W-Jmmc/s1600/Stadtplan_museumsinsel.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/AVvXsEhmUhGHq5ywGTpKu9aBzcclP5CfvOcT-xzDDiF9RKUgiKX1oYtvaV2MUW5XG6sSkeU68VGiaooZ2v2N8mqK1j_GuBgM6Y5LB4Z5udR0jGh8VbcwMztBiiVnDRTwsfUsp-hqyYEn6W-Jmmc/s1600/Stadtplan_museumsinsel.jpg" height="400" width="385" /></a></div>
Berlin, Berlin, mein Hertz ist in Berlin.<br />
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I love Berlin.<br />
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The first time I went there I was in 5th grade. Oh how I loved it. It was a magical place and my first experience outside of America. It took me out of school and plopped me in a place where I had no idea what people were saying. I saw cobblestone streets and attempted to walk on them. I ate food that I had only had at my Oma's house previously. I saw a world that I didn't know existed before.<br />
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At the time I had no idea how special a place Berlin would hold in my heart.<br />
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This post is a "quick" rundown of Berlin and German history. Enjoy and remember, I am a European history major, so prepare yourself.<br />
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<h3>
Tribes, The Holy Roman Empire, and Prussia</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7IiuS-1VT7nUbJRuQt5GUlhVOHu-6aI5EeIOPpCGDsBNbguA1CSEmtdUoTdBNXHjE0iaqRAr203CE2NApFU61ThLUEtPLZiFoFQ59tu4_nBAtquQi85kBv7UltYw_Dnhd11kn72y58s/s1600/480px-Bayeuxtapestrywilliamgivesharoldarms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7IiuS-1VT7nUbJRuQt5GUlhVOHu-6aI5EeIOPpCGDsBNbguA1CSEmtdUoTdBNXHjE0iaqRAr203CE2NApFU61ThLUEtPLZiFoFQ59tu4_nBAtquQi85kBv7UltYw_Dnhd11kn72y58s/s1600/480px-Bayeuxtapestrywilliamgivesharoldarms.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A (<u>very</u> small) piece of the Bayeux Tapestry</td></tr>
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Germany was called Germania by the Romans and stretched all the way up to Norway. The Roman Empire was constantly expanding and therefore trade and ultimately war with the Germanic tribes was an often occurance. They were considered the barbarians from the north, and for a long time, were believed to be the ultimate downfall of the Roman Empire. While historians have backed off the idea that the Germanic tribes were responsible for the fall of Rome, they are still credited with much of the outside influence involved.<br />
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The Germanic people started to migrate as far north as Great Britain in the 5th and 6th century which mainly ended with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hastings" target="_blank">Battle of Hastings</a> in 1066, and inspired one of the most amazing pieces of art (in my opinion) ever to exist; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayeux_Tapestry" target="_blank">Bayeux Tapestry</a>. Interestingly, the name England actually is derived from the Angeln region in Germany and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language" target="_blank">English language</a> is Germanic in origin, which was later influenced by Old Norse brought to the island through Viking invasions.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_roman_empire" target="_blank">The Holy Roman Empire</a> (Heiliges Römisches Reich) was founded around 900 and consisted of most of central Europe. The territories fluctuated throughout this period and it was here where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformation" target="_blank">the Protestant Reformation</a> took form with Martin Luther at its head.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHIHCJB8dP8tZTYIQv4uxiMugdJLhCG0L4DmTFwfiZ9xN-V4P_ryVo-LoA5oWDooVkxCP2EpiLkbMNzPYiHpyudBjTRdrfMZ15TLPBwDgVY5MYooQR9fzADe1mGDuNFqSGuHf579SjAM/s1600/800px-Berlin_Stadtschloss_Luftaufnahme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNHIHCJB8dP8tZTYIQv4uxiMugdJLhCG0L4DmTFwfiZ9xN-V4P_ryVo-LoA5oWDooVkxCP2EpiLkbMNzPYiHpyudBjTRdrfMZ15TLPBwDgVY5MYooQR9fzADe1mGDuNFqSGuHf579SjAM/s1600/800px-Berlin_Stadtschloss_Luftaufnahme.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berliner Stadtschloss</td></tr>
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Founded sometime around the 13th century, Berlin began as most cities in Europe at the time did, as a trading post. It became a center point for the German providence early on and was seen as the capital for the Prussian Kingdom and a royal palace, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadtschloss,_Berlin#Reconstruction" target="_blank">Berliner Stadtschloss</a>, was built in 1451. Sadly, the palace was demolished in 1950 by the DDR (German Democratic Republic a.k.a. Eastern Germany), but is in the process of being partially rebuilt today.<br />
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Prussia itself was not founded until the 16th century and the name Prussia derives from the "Old Prussia" which was conquered by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teutonic_Knights" target="_blank">Teutonic Knights</a>, a medieval German order. Prussia lasted until the end of World War II when in 1947 the Allies declared its dissolution.<br />
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A surprising fact about Berlin is that it has survived not just two, but three wars that were extremely devastating for the city and its people.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBcWsncVLWK4QkhYfFniv4ct-EDigIvT9UA98qG_IEzGWiY-TGc6EraHAM2BcKe3LjIH3RwT8CHi53VqNkncW6VyZgsrBPZ-3X_slyeRPNw1o2UO5KDKz4UMemHnBRxJElmndbWaGKUE/s1600/Cruikshank_Napoleon's_Entrance_into_Berlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBcWsncVLWK4QkhYfFniv4ct-EDigIvT9UA98qG_IEzGWiY-TGc6EraHAM2BcKe3LjIH3RwT8CHi53VqNkncW6VyZgsrBPZ-3X_slyeRPNw1o2UO5KDKz4UMemHnBRxJElmndbWaGKUE/s1600/Cruikshank_Napoleon's_Entrance_into_Berlin.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napoléon enters Berlin</td></tr>
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The first largely devastating war was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Years%27_War" target="_blank">Thirty Years' War</a> during the 17th century. What started out as a religious war between Catholics and the somewhat new Protestants eventually turned to become a war for territory, and the Holy Roman Empire was weak and an easy target. This period of war involved almost all of Europe and Berlin itself was hugely damaged and about half the population was killed from war, famine, and disease. In the whole of the German states, half of the citizens may have perished.<br />
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But, Berlin survived and continued to survive history through the Renaissance, Napoléon Bonaparte's invasion, and the Industrial Revolution, to name a few.<br />
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During the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment" target="_blank">Age of Enlightenment</a> in Europe, Frederick the Great believed himself the leader of the movement and brought many interesting ideas and people to Berlin, including Voltaire who stayed for a brief period. This time also brought famous composers such as Mozart, Bach and Joseph Hyden (who wrote Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, the melody used for the German national anthem, <a href="http://grooveshark.com/s/Deutschlandlied/6cTVuX?src=5" target="_blank">Deutschlandlied</a>) to Germany.<br />
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<h3>
Deutsches Reich and World War I</h3>
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In 1871, Berlin was declared the capital of the newly founded <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany" target="_blank">German Empire</a>. This new empire, formed at Versailles Palace in Paris, was also known as the Deutsches Reich. The new empire rapidly expanded and became extremely prosperous. For example, the Imperial German Navy went from minimal to second best only to the Royal British Navy in less than a decade. It was during this time that Germany expanded out to what is today Poland. Forty-three years after it was founded, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria" target="_blank">assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand</a> would drag Berlin into yet another war, this one well known to us all, World War I.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Proclamation of the German Empire.<br />
Kaiser Wilhelm I can be seen at the top of the stairs.<br />
Otto von Bismark can be seen in white.</td></tr>
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The Deutseches Reich disintegrated overnight after their defeat in World War I. For a short while after the war, Germany went through a leftist revolution that could have lead to a communist Germany, allied with Soviet Russia, but the revolution failed to come to any common ground and soon thereafter the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic" target="_blank">Weimar Republic</a> was formed. Technically, the republic was still called the Deutsches Reich, but was later looked at as a second Reich when Hitler formed the Großdeutsches Reich (Third Reich).<br />
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<h3>
Weimar Republic and the Great Depression</h3>
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The Weimar Republic was a very rough period for Germany. With the defeat in the Great War and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Versailles" target="_blank">Treaty of Versailles</a>, which called for the demilitarization of the Rhineland, large territory concessions, and 132 billion Marks in reparations, Germany was disgraced.<br />
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It became a hotbed for radical and extremist groups and was hit hard with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_the_Weimar_Republic" target="_blank">hyperinflation</a> leading up to the Great Depression. Part of the hyperinflation was due to the large amount due to the Allies after the war. The government mistakenly printed large quantities of Marks to pay their debt.<br />
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By the end of the crisis, workers were said to have taken wheelbarrows of Marks to buy loaves of bread only to find their money was worthless between the time they received it and when they attempted to use it. Interestingly, the World War I reparations were not fully paid until after the end of World War II.<br />
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In May of 1929 my grandmother was born. Five months later the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tuesday" target="_blank">New York Stock Exchange crashed</a>. America was one of the biggest lenders to Germany after the Great War, and when they withdrew their loans, Germany was once again devastated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sr5WPgi9elMAXGr_yqjffBxCwAdSGX2pIlXYCgqGQrGeYl05UUZeNOluXZYujAE7vXM2Er24a3_h9CxSf77Mm4S6ii_s3zWD43lh71eAhSmLQTBSedi1DJEsWvFRzRoMcFIZ6mA1XjM/s1600/Bundesarchiv_Bild_119-0289,_M%C3%BCnchen,_Hitler_bei_Einweihung_-Braunes_Haus-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sr5WPgi9elMAXGr_yqjffBxCwAdSGX2pIlXYCgqGQrGeYl05UUZeNOluXZYujAE7vXM2Er24a3_h9CxSf77Mm4S6ii_s3zWD43lh71eAhSmLQTBSedi1DJEsWvFRzRoMcFIZ6mA1XjM/s1600/Bundesarchiv_Bild_119-0289,_M%C3%BCnchen,_Hitler_bei_Einweihung_-Braunes_Haus-.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NSDAP, München 1930<br />
Can you spot Hitler?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After a turbulent period of depression the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_German_Workers%27_Party" target="_blank">Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei</a> (NSDAP) started gaining more and more popularity in the German parliament.<br />
<br />
Starting in 1930, President Hindenburg assumed dictatorial emergency powers to back the Chancellorship of four different men. One by one they were pushed out until Hindenburg chose Hitler, assuming he could be easily controlled. Little did Hindenburg know, he started a whole new bloody chapter in German history.<br />
<br />
Next up: Nazi takeover, World War II, die Mauer, Reunification and modern Berlin! How incredibly exciting!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-44774082669557918482014-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-27T09:20:15.672-08:00Leetle Moosh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is Isis. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1AsxjGInhs9LDkgCaPjXjFv9R7g8YIOGqABBXLURf6R7fAkLN9QgwrkTPupRzsG9QmWi_F-5ucemdAG-hiVdfatN9xL6naSoCwrVDR0sjAASz8j4z7FgcleHOhB_mrNM7MJgSlDB4Ws/s1600/Phone-Photos-041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1AsxjGInhs9LDkgCaPjXjFv9R7g8YIOGqABBXLURf6R7fAkLN9QgwrkTPupRzsG9QmWi_F-5ucemdAG-hiVdfatN9xL6naSoCwrVDR0sjAASz8j4z7FgcleHOhB_mrNM7MJgSlDB4Ws/s1600/Phone-Photos-041.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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She is part of our family. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl7MAHSxu6J8W9pobJ34C9ssvwQWPfNR4vjI0E8P8POg3tp7kNPGP0RXeb25KpGEz7Bopfu80EjcgvmE8SFq69IvoJVfpAxhTTab_VMQ7UpkIdmK_QNvfw-I6IQJ9c4QYB5GE5yvEFpc/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTl7MAHSxu6J8W9pobJ34C9ssvwQWPfNR4vjI0E8P8POg3tp7kNPGP0RXeb25KpGEz7Bopfu80EjcgvmE8SFq69IvoJVfpAxhTTab_VMQ7UpkIdmK_QNvfw-I6IQJ9c4QYB5GE5yvEFpc/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-135.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">She has squirrel toes.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea-OqQlo8QapJyE7BcsD6CWlPBPxATAeqmPWeEp-ehJSYCnh6mhpn0i0VnNdyZ-53Yc8J0URWdblMpdBOR0OCMrtgCrEb7C7iZ18uy40ko5F7Pi2Tsc4TFpG6WlGHzz6bP5MU3wgRLIc/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhea-OqQlo8QapJyE7BcsD6CWlPBPxATAeqmPWeEp-ehJSYCnh6mhpn0i0VnNdyZ-53Yc8J0URWdblMpdBOR0OCMrtgCrEb7C7iZ18uy40ko5F7Pi2Tsc4TFpG6WlGHzz6bP5MU3wgRLIc/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-853.jpg" height="320" width="276" /></a></div>
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She's a lap cat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCIkHFRxtsGb06lsZcqshflSWAMBGugYGdPD9ECm8NSZ3p2_Lh0A6zlehs2-ykuZFgbEklm1AUgoOQpK3OkEN6-Fn7H0PRDHjCDmQR7w5o8YbV3Ms3L0sMYk4DH6s3wEXtM3jHCND6ro/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCIkHFRxtsGb06lsZcqshflSWAMBGugYGdPD9ECm8NSZ3p2_Lh0A6zlehs2-ykuZFgbEklm1AUgoOQpK3OkEN6-Fn7H0PRDHjCDmQR7w5o8YbV3Ms3L0sMYk4DH6s3wEXtM3jHCND6ro/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1061.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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And a chair stealer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUkS6kAl1k5hlsoFV35EXY_Jw7Rx33wZUVfKP5xaBW79mIK016DXs4KCeJOio1d38A8DHjfAAs4u3bwqjuOxTTDWiZcPHqA86TgQjde9-shZfI141olGxOWc506EcuVuuHd5akvttqW0/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUkS6kAl1k5hlsoFV35EXY_Jw7Rx33wZUVfKP5xaBW79mIK016DXs4KCeJOio1d38A8DHjfAAs4u3bwqjuOxTTDWiZcPHqA86TgQjde9-shZfI141olGxOWc506EcuVuuHd5akvttqW0/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1089.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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No matter the lengths you go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrw-Wg0qkQ3JEio6Fd_V2UbLEviaYMGRHO9Mj9SJ1K-xP-gG4axnNsZUbGs1QQtII6pToSKpltNzsEgReqvnXGq9vLHO9bITsiA25Y53mCLBDF9E9Ie8B2VDlljXsqOdWaihJr1WQpUM/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrw-Wg0qkQ3JEio6Fd_V2UbLEviaYMGRHO9Mj9SJ1K-xP-gG4axnNsZUbGs1QQtII6pToSKpltNzsEgReqvnXGq9vLHO9bITsiA25Y53mCLBDF9E9Ie8B2VDlljXsqOdWaihJr1WQpUM/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1133.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a></div>
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She also enjoys warm laundry.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuiLP8HD6-Vg7NfpO6uFkWOMDa1Pz6XXek_-Qq4c_xLkQ7uXFnNjDE7Urq3t46RbYAPFzbrkA_hOapgI6eFTOSyWKauTV2jIT-RmH34eYTPtD7i3v53xnr4Y6lX9h_aVXQYf8m4JHMtE/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuiLP8HD6-Vg7NfpO6uFkWOMDa1Pz6XXek_-Qq4c_xLkQ7uXFnNjDE7Urq3t46RbYAPFzbrkA_hOapgI6eFTOSyWKauTV2jIT-RmH34eYTPtD7i3v53xnr4Y6lX9h_aVXQYf8m4JHMtE/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1099.jpg" height="320" width="300" /></a></div>
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She's a brat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8pngbf3xWnl2-aZfKcEJjHOBChXF9UjwJJms-HdHb9-EB7wqZCEn_rotwPVLlTnum8rPkqvAj1CEEWjK3rXywY1dd2zvgu3xK2k_RKHBhYw1Lx_Dr1DP_EqKzlc8gErS73sI68NRr0M/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8pngbf3xWnl2-aZfKcEJjHOBChXF9UjwJJms-HdHb9-EB7wqZCEn_rotwPVLlTnum8rPkqvAj1CEEWjK3rXywY1dd2zvgu3xK2k_RKHBhYw1Lx_Dr1DP_EqKzlc8gErS73sI68NRr0M/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-048.jpg" height="320" width="260" /></a></div>
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And a creepster.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYPFUzP-_T5z0coY__rS-Bjzke0XVjUIDwxQazx3iekLGakF4eEqTcp1fiqmHn4-R3_WqxudFAag-Kl1no9UGSGtg7iPw1CbaWCUStcuRVnHTSkbzjS8iy8gO5PNFpQ3S9e33KT7-4Cw/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYPFUzP-_T5z0coY__rS-Bjzke0XVjUIDwxQazx3iekLGakF4eEqTcp1fiqmHn4-R3_WqxudFAag-Kl1no9UGSGtg7iPw1CbaWCUStcuRVnHTSkbzjS8iy8gO5PNFpQ3S9e33KT7-4Cw/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-047.jpg" height="320" width="269" /></a></div>
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She LOVES boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IGhwGrq8yYlqsfYCrSE-61bvF9mblUekkts4vHCGgMKKEMR7q-hnngl6A3Py81rY19ttERyeIbS9rwM5NqxQc6VAsPdce2FBOyAKZBjsdzcLP11N4fvX6DpLhAjytz7yR7AHvLdOWm8/s1600/December-'13-276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IGhwGrq8yYlqsfYCrSE-61bvF9mblUekkts4vHCGgMKKEMR7q-hnngl6A3Py81rY19ttERyeIbS9rwM5NqxQc6VAsPdce2FBOyAKZBjsdzcLP11N4fvX6DpLhAjytz7yR7AHvLdOWm8/s1600/December-'13-276.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a></div>
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Big Boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiqEpVQ9Fo_HkZG2mrTEvzB97AKKKuymo1_2xLme8KHVBWkiloza59QIDuCB3KRy7KddsU-oVegS7Gf7O4EI6MKNx-3_0kFTfuwENsLjqyVCWUtVluTEmDyFwFLIeGZxXdQ4UNWfRR9c/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQiqEpVQ9Fo_HkZG2mrTEvzB97AKKKuymo1_2xLme8KHVBWkiloza59QIDuCB3KRy7KddsU-oVegS7Gf7O4EI6MKNx-3_0kFTfuwENsLjqyVCWUtVluTEmDyFwFLIeGZxXdQ4UNWfRR9c/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-770.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Little Boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JXYUOCckCmssgjP9ah56kQKQCdzh1WFCCe2nz70zNMEG4LzykXPUl8hohyGWLAl6lTsr779iUj4n1vX7QoxA-4CpH1Mwtr7kw1kZgMnsjbt5Rcr2-Q4__sKcqlNyxM8m_sjzlTPo3sY/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JXYUOCckCmssgjP9ah56kQKQCdzh1WFCCe2nz70zNMEG4LzykXPUl8hohyGWLAl6lTsr779iUj4n1vX7QoxA-4CpH1Mwtr7kw1kZgMnsjbt5Rcr2-Q4__sKcqlNyxM8m_sjzlTPo3sY/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-543.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a></div>
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Long Boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumSTmyJ-jjuMyKEtP3E2SzJMveKl3PzFuQn0aLgLDn9BEnt2krWheo1xT02pzpKszXA0yjgosVdL3jr83cdxyNjXBgwZmdMQgTrqaRLNGKFllq7xM8Wl9AnNE5cnEQN_xZkZzX7vaIP8/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumSTmyJ-jjuMyKEtP3E2SzJMveKl3PzFuQn0aLgLDn9BEnt2krWheo1xT02pzpKszXA0yjgosVdL3jr83cdxyNjXBgwZmdMQgTrqaRLNGKFllq7xM8Wl9AnNE5cnEQN_xZkZzX7vaIP8/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1106.jpg" height="238" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tall Boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqmHqgbqjnzm8R2YPv8EDTMCdXHJ8zLf9m1wEdJVNChHjhWQyKO5MbssGx9nVZWYU2NMbHPMhcv3QpeINZKEuqg_8oh_fm764oYkgYdTYw__OW9WSaDsGVXDTIjuquPxNzOIlQ4XBUlk/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqmHqgbqjnzm8R2YPv8EDTMCdXHJ8zLf9m1wEdJVNChHjhWQyKO5MbssGx9nVZWYU2NMbHPMhcv3QpeINZKEuqg_8oh_fm764oYkgYdTYw__OW9WSaDsGVXDTIjuquPxNzOIlQ4XBUlk/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-1110.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Packing Boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc6jyadEeHSuhuk3U7ASTo9abtt37kk_UFbWiXO-a_Fz0MIJJrcuJ9sEraVu_kqfEkicvSuvzCMbCNahFPJ0jH3ffcn8_ZGwQMhL6q1kwuVkVAul8HAXDek8FdGZ11NJVp37tgJGQmeg/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlc6jyadEeHSuhuk3U7ASTo9abtt37kk_UFbWiXO-a_Fz0MIJJrcuJ9sEraVu_kqfEkicvSuvzCMbCNahFPJ0jH3ffcn8_ZGwQMhL6q1kwuVkVAul8HAXDek8FdGZ11NJVp37tgJGQmeg/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-674.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Just right boxes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNGvfVtmO5PNkwAHwQhTTJSqXA3dcpjoBSiSfY7CvlMB8mYiAypozM0LufNA0dMcOWu3juxTm8w1itm4oxSOyLRqqHvK0IQzHMomM_Wu9-SUtLTgCQ4znZkkPL29OGHIvWDSp-Jm4hII/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNGvfVtmO5PNkwAHwQhTTJSqXA3dcpjoBSiSfY7CvlMB8mYiAypozM0LufNA0dMcOWu3juxTm8w1itm4oxSOyLRqqHvK0IQzHMomM_Wu9-SUtLTgCQ4znZkkPL29OGHIvWDSp-Jm4hII/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-664.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></div>
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Outside Boxes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCq1c_4evgKB_tJCWDjjXf2l8370Y5H9pCh9u_pybOOYN02WmPj_Eph38gt5SdAX7bGCx5K3SIQIL4jPTgl1L2Jbg8VLdsxL_FoxLH0N5BsFy9FtUS07bVqOVA5h1iOVqUL4TT3WPvHg/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCq1c_4evgKB_tJCWDjjXf2l8370Y5H9pCh9u_pybOOYN02WmPj_Eph38gt5SdAX7bGCx5K3SIQIL4jPTgl1L2Jbg8VLdsxL_FoxLH0N5BsFy9FtUS07bVqOVA5h1iOVqUL4TT3WPvHg/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-238.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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Inside suitcases.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuHJtk3q7gIH157Yg4AuwK2g4HG7Y4DgS4DGcR2swV3uQzuvAB0Xwc5VRfvO8NDEZqhrygXPk2fsSqlya6_CCejcOiRo29OlCG7SSWSeyvjR-zTUL01AitbwmiKYRZJh7bydX2vnlz8s/s1600/Phone-Photos-611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyuHJtk3q7gIH157Yg4AuwK2g4HG7Y4DgS4DGcR2swV3uQzuvAB0Xwc5VRfvO8NDEZqhrygXPk2fsSqlya6_CCejcOiRo29OlCG7SSWSeyvjR-zTUL01AitbwmiKYRZJh7bydX2vnlz8s/s1600/Phone-Photos-611.jpg" height="320" width="278" /></a></div>
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Outside suitcases.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7j6GoFB9WygfQMfB9TYvA2QIa4Jt1_zHdd5ITXqkmS8dpLm2u3sThZBcIMhn_JObl20O4LknzHafz0H3E80p92aSsokfDvOMGSx9i_zU5ZDqm8wTxQmmjhMX62Mp_RxK6S60l_ZlFFU/s1600/Phone-Photos-469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7j6GoFB9WygfQMfB9TYvA2QIa4Jt1_zHdd5ITXqkmS8dpLm2u3sThZBcIMhn_JObl20O4LknzHafz0H3E80p92aSsokfDvOMGSx9i_zU5ZDqm8wTxQmmjhMX62Mp_RxK6S60l_ZlFFU/s1600/Phone-Photos-469.jpg" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
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Inside bags.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFP-RWennrQcHM23bm-pPIoj7X_GtTsAe3OBqmWTAixcvjApdFUxGY5ARbHS0cCXvJDlJjpXibxPuGj9GFFzPZGlj8aWDjSqR0l9dESFwfaJvcDRyOX3jWWAh8cBPEWqHsdx6voi7eGU/s1600/IMG_0746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiFP-RWennrQcHM23bm-pPIoj7X_GtTsAe3OBqmWTAixcvjApdFUxGY5ARbHS0cCXvJDlJjpXibxPuGj9GFFzPZGlj8aWDjSqR0l9dESFwfaJvcDRyOX3jWWAh8cBPEWqHsdx6voi7eGU/s1600/IMG_0746.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a></div>
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We call her mooshpot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnKQ9jNzpl6aVTFQC2Bx6y21DstS4ug0DnnA_ozT6wEx6hr6rqBUPXMm6S3z5sR0Ut4p_GnYJRvTT1gbphtQYTnYUfNzLjFdg57ry5CO5TMq75IAyzRC8RnbtUBJM_KK5wyz2JtbzS9M/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-310---Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnKQ9jNzpl6aVTFQC2Bx6y21DstS4ug0DnnA_ozT6wEx6hr6rqBUPXMm6S3z5sR0Ut4p_GnYJRvTT1gbphtQYTnYUfNzLjFdg57ry5CO5TMq75IAyzRC8RnbtUBJM_KK5wyz2JtbzS9M/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-310---Copy.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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See why?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkrbnM-pOwJpCKReBkhtcFsaJUTpQnJrINUJuKkV6U3LLWge6Rj9u4tI3IuzzVdGDCKzK9gAtEgil_NFsomckbkt650wzczavI6JdtMpSlWCvTbpwIsejQ9dRsJPEv48DjQ6DemCG25k/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkrbnM-pOwJpCKReBkhtcFsaJUTpQnJrINUJuKkV6U3LLWge6Rj9u4tI3IuzzVdGDCKzK9gAtEgil_NFsomckbkt650wzczavI6JdtMpSlWCvTbpwIsejQ9dRsJPEv48DjQ6DemCG25k/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-461.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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As long as she's mooshed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eCkdlLkZu2Wq8_qt6cLDcN_sGt5X837o6iR3oAlW1Dy0jBfGognEIU0EnWUPB_7mhMDSfy5S3nYl8Ys1p6wHSlY5CEBgNts5BlciTUixE63gMGLmwhljVKe9nYO2E-miuCNz6nU_YXE/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eCkdlLkZu2Wq8_qt6cLDcN_sGt5X837o6iR3oAlW1Dy0jBfGognEIU0EnWUPB_7mhMDSfy5S3nYl8Ys1p6wHSlY5CEBgNts5BlciTUixE63gMGLmwhljVKe9nYO2E-miuCNz6nU_YXE/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-725.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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She's a happy girl.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rYgEFXRrb2HhLAaKS4TMh55dAZD9g7WuHbBgPOtE4OMNqym1pJloQRK2jVth33FJa6HNnlAzT0I9n7ZPTzp3GtcD41y6z2NpOVsvljWjySUOQ61zQBeU5d6POKRlpGKi14VMq2VmaSc/s1600/isis-peekaboo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rYgEFXRrb2HhLAaKS4TMh55dAZD9g7WuHbBgPOtE4OMNqym1pJloQRK2jVth33FJa6HNnlAzT0I9n7ZPTzp3GtcD41y6z2NpOVsvljWjySUOQ61zQBeU5d6POKRlpGKi14VMq2VmaSc/s1600/isis-peekaboo.jpg" height="261" width="320" /></a></div>
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And best of all, she' loves me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4S5rPbzjulAyi8Eb05ytCNPnvQu3OHuaP_-2xeeC7DRW4biA_knkyJuEsPgPLr23UmncHt9idp6m9bTiI4k4_HQ9EM4MvJa77Wbd-GvHpdyqrtunB4tLmavk1biEEvsve8OEA_GJi-wo/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4S5rPbzjulAyi8Eb05ytCNPnvQu3OHuaP_-2xeeC7DRW4biA_knkyJuEsPgPLr23UmncHt9idp6m9bTiI4k4_HQ9EM4MvJa77Wbd-GvHpdyqrtunB4tLmavk1biEEvsve8OEA_GJi-wo/s1600/Amber-Phone-Photos-713.jpg" height="320" width="273" /></a></div>
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Here's a bit about our <a href="http://deutschevegan.blogspot.com/2014/01/bat-attack.html" target="_blank">Bat Attack</a>.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-57310491525807886882014-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:002014-01-10T05:00:10.648-08:00How Did That Get In LA? The Culver City Scenic Outlook<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabGuy8t3ZAXolbzRPJ-AvHkdR27ZtlVs9oz2FT7_uW2GJlhCZGEtc0AH32j0cPfMDyWI2trNf7J4x-lBivF5VyoTTukbOC2pTwef8uIaS-cYAVsv6MiWsKEtND4ZejI1Gt0miBwF-MMA/s1600/Us-on-Culver-City-Stairs.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/AVvXsEhabGuy8t3ZAXolbzRPJ-AvHkdR27ZtlVs9oz2FT7_uW2GJlhCZGEtc0AH32j0cPfMDyWI2trNf7J4x-lBivF5VyoTTukbOC2pTwef8uIaS-cYAVsv6MiWsKEtND4ZejI1Gt0miBwF-MMA/s1600/Us-on-Culver-City-Stairs.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a>Over the holiday break, Dan and I decided it was time to stop lounging around so much and enjoy the sunny, warm weather we had.<br />
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We decided to go on a hike and I mentioned how I wanted to check out the hill in Culver City that we can see on our neighborhood walk.<br />
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I looked on a map and figured out it was most likely Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area that we were seeing and decided to see what the little spot of nature was doing in the middle of Los Angeles, well off to the side at least.<br />
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So, we set off on our adventure.<br />
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Dan saw what he thought was Kenneth Hahn and pulled over. I stubbornly said, "No! Keep going it's further out!" But alas, he parked and I reluctantly got out of the car.<br />
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We had stopped not at Kenneth Hahn, I knew it, but at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. A blip on the map compared to Kenneth Hahn, which maps on my phone didn't even recognize as a green patch of not concrete.<br />
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We preceded up the hill a bit to be welcomed by a flight of stairs, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culver_City_Stairs" target="_blank">Culver City Stairs</a> to be exact. Hell no I ain't going up all those stairs! (Inside joke). Anyway, 282 irregular and crowded stairs later, we made it to the top!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdFQtZ-p87UAaiUBf8wQKJokq8beEIupUl0THW8CbBEeUXJvbevcM4ix5ru0fQxKqBHVaeGSY5ybdA_yO7w0mUKrlkfc3oaThuHUkrnqXWNPKnkAfh95zmpYCHrfir10jPmEs1Qn2pyc/s1600/Culver-City-Stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdFQtZ-p87UAaiUBf8wQKJokq8beEIupUl0THW8CbBEeUXJvbevcM4ix5ru0fQxKqBHVaeGSY5ybdA_yO7w0mUKrlkfc3oaThuHUkrnqXWNPKnkAfh95zmpYCHrfir10jPmEs1Qn2pyc/s1600/Culver-City-Stairs.jpg" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
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The view was rather spectacular, granted ever time I see the skyline of Los Angeles I'm reminded of the looming smog. Regardless, we were able to see everything from the Hollywood sign, the beach, to the peaks of Angeles National Forest. Not bad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnuaJufqW3BPU1UbP8jyISsx9Yb_TX6fNBC13ZPoxroUyoHKjlhpVS9IFkslup_yueTqltH8k6jkrKbfYjkkYqY3NdH5CWeoWvQCfrpi5Pme4S7yb0AQnG1DDR3G2rPr5vuzqtxJwDY4/s1600/Downtown-forweb.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/AVvXsEhqnuaJufqW3BPU1UbP8jyISsx9Yb_TX6fNBC13ZPoxroUyoHKjlhpVS9IFkslup_yueTqltH8k6jkrKbfYjkkYqY3NdH5CWeoWvQCfrpi5Pme4S7yb0AQnG1DDR3G2rPr5vuzqtxJwDY4/s1600/Downtown-forweb.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
I was impressed that something this beautiful was located within the city limits of Los Angeles. I decided this was one of the closest to home, best kept secrets of LA.<br />
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Apparently, this was part of the Baldwin Hills Reservoir which had failed in 1963 spilling 250 million gallons of water onto nearby homes. In 2000 the state bought the land and built the outlook point. They cleverly built the stairs using the recycled concrete from the park. It opened in 2009, which may explain its easy to miss aspect.<br />
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With the amount of people that crowded up the stair during a weekday, I can only image how crowded it can/does get on weekends, especially in summer. Ah, LA.<br />
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I recommend next time you have a day off (during the week) and find yourself in Culver City, take an hour of your time and take in the view.<br />
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I really do think it is worth it. Smog and all.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-52177181996490305282013-12-04T05:00:00.000-08:002013-12-04T05:00:07.739-08:00Downtown Date Night - Little Tokyo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCSlYhwzCs1OW481S5_txSeu-3x6LNhh4pDtHpC97XoLNEYE0cC00Gu65sIfdClznXp9N7mQdnS40z1_4_P5YWi2tC3tCgsJ0g0GxbqKKT23HP6rQtVqrC7jnki4a3_HHfIBFP_ITpcg/s1600/Los-Angeles---for-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCSlYhwzCs1OW481S5_txSeu-3x6LNhh4pDtHpC97XoLNEYE0cC00Gu65sIfdClznXp9N7mQdnS40z1_4_P5YWi2tC3tCgsJ0g0GxbqKKT23HP6rQtVqrC7jnki4a3_HHfIBFP_ITpcg/s1600/Los-Angeles---for-web.jpg" height="400" width="273" /></a>Dan decided it was high time to surprise me with a trip downtown with a day packed with adventure and mystery. I had no idea what the plan was other than that it involved taking the metro downtown and that it would be all day, therefore involving food! Yum and fun!<br />
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We recently discovered the LA metro on an excursion to <a href="http://angelcitybrewery.com/verify.php?returnpage=/" target="_blank">Angel City Brewery</a>. We didn't want to drink and drive or pay exorbitant taxi costs and stumbled upon the well kempt, fast, and cost efficient metro! I never thought we would actually going downtown, but quickly discovered this to be an enjoyable adventure.<br />
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Anyway, back to date night. We hopped on the metro and ended up at Union Station. While that could have lead to a very different type of adventure, we walked away from the train station. I have a very apt sense of direction and quickly noticed we were headed in the direction of Angel City Brewery, but I decided to keep quite in hopes that we were indeed headed that way, and didn't want to ruin anything.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJ-9qUuOa7MedzqxuZfkRAFdgl4P2Hout7TSyRXaWDBRRwY9dv831nBp85SJvptaBZaAHGXlgNmpLlQEtv7psH_kUhAVtPEcGZUPJ_-a8NXLlUS7D1JO7VcqxCKt3RxyE84PnoV2hWg0/s1600/Dan-dominoes---for-wb.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/AVvXsEihJ-9qUuOa7MedzqxuZfkRAFdgl4P2Hout7TSyRXaWDBRRwY9dv831nBp85SJvptaBZaAHGXlgNmpLlQEtv7psH_kUhAVtPEcGZUPJ_-a8NXLlUS7D1JO7VcqxCKt3RxyE84PnoV2hWg0/s1600/Dan-dominoes---for-wb.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a>Turned out I was partially correct. We took a right, right before the brewery, and headed to the <a href="http://www.janm.org/" target="_blank">Japanese American National Museum</a> in Little Tokyo. Before I even realized that the building was part of a museum I started snapping photos excited about the cool looking building in front of me. Obviously, I didn't shoot too many photos inside the museum (actually I didn't take any photos) but still thoroughly enjoyed it. They had an exhibit on the interment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, a look at Asian Americans in comics, and history on Asian immigration to America and Asian culture in America. Fascinating!<br />
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After the museum, we ended up at Angel City Brewery for a few drinks before dinner. I knew it! Dan even surprised me by asking me to teach him dominoes. Talk about an awesome husband!<br />
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We headed back into Little Tokyo for some Japanese curry, which I honestly do not know if I've had before. It was very different than Indian curry, less spicy and more like a gravy. Unfortunately, the only vegan version they had was the mild curry, but I think that might have been the best way to have my first experience as having it too spicy could overwhelm the flavors.<br />
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After our satisfying meal I was content to head home, but no, there was more. We browsed the local bookstore, well the English section, and the discount store, always fun and then headed to the top of the three storied outdoor shopping center.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTSMs9T2f_VBDQjShoAMqGS0DuXqSws7B4EpSVuVZG6DBmudY7zVB2cGeVBn1r5MKerAks0HNqNlab7se8WBzG-UL1bBoYUR4xy19LYV9vft0vfCAW2tOjtRR26ridryCn6BmmTLnOz4/s1600/piano-speed---for-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTSMs9T2f_VBDQjShoAMqGS0DuXqSws7B4EpSVuVZG6DBmudY7zVB2cGeVBn1r5MKerAks0HNqNlab7se8WBzG-UL1bBoYUR4xy19LYV9vft0vfCAW2tOjtRR26ridryCn6BmmTLnOz4/s1600/piano-speed---for-web.jpg" height="458" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally the beans were spilled. He was taking me to a jazz club called the <a href="http://bluewhalemusic.com/" target="_blank">blue whale</a>! We hadn't been to a jazz club since we were in Kobenhavn in 2011, so this was quite the treat for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichheWVv0bW-NQfyxrXtZGgEVQhoZf2VHjYk1YrzhE_ysm5o8kLk74J0uAFS_uiUu3UEoOh1feGAFZCVTSogBSLkP9uE9uPeyYC_37enXd8lsBf26l8mkwooocyDvhTxW_fjfvn7B4gwY/s1600/quad---for-web.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/AVvXsEichheWVv0bW-NQfyxrXtZGgEVQhoZf2VHjYk1YrzhE_ysm5o8kLk74J0uAFS_uiUu3UEoOh1feGAFZCVTSogBSLkP9uE9uPeyYC_37enXd8lsBf26l8mkwooocyDvhTxW_fjfvn7B4gwY/s1600/quad---for-web.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
And without a doubt, the blue whale was awesome! The seats were cushioned ottomans and we grabbed some against the wall, the better to lean against my dear. The style and design was impressive, as well as their cocktails. The ceiling had quotes by famous musicians about music, the walls were wood paneled, and the setup was really interesting to look at. And that doesn't even begin to cover the music.<br />
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Unfortunately, since I had no idea where we were going and the bar itself was so amazing, I didn't want to use flash and didn't have a tripod. That meant my pictures came out with more character than I would have originally planned on, but I had fun with them anyway. Perhaps they even came out better than if I had my tripod with me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEile5kRsjXl-DPR26Y0HUBfYeD9PAQ5CLbrkGgaSvFhVD8B4PhOWiAS5UU8JSSJwMOv5n2mjK5VN9gXJ8ZZQvyEsEhRFwOY9d0NjQLb-TC0Y19mDXW4V_z67mHz8VR5sucKctt-HpUADL4/s1600/Whole-band---for-web.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/AVvXsEile5kRsjXl-DPR26Y0HUBfYeD9PAQ5CLbrkGgaSvFhVD8B4PhOWiAS5UU8JSSJwMOv5n2mjK5VN9gXJ8ZZQvyEsEhRFwOY9d0NjQLb-TC0Y19mDXW4V_z67mHz8VR5sucKctt-HpUADL4/s1600/Whole-band---for-web.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a>What was wonderful about the whole experience is that when the show ended and it was almost one o'clock in the morning, the train was still running! Much more convenient than BART's last train at midnight. Who would have thought I would ever approve of Los Angeles' public transit over the Bay Area?<br />
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I hope to see us going again sometime in the not so distant future.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-39629404236839193782013-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:002013-11-27T00:25:32.008-08:00RECIPE: Amber Noël’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/07/02/recipe-amber-noels-strawberry-rhubarb-jam/" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><img alt="RECIPE: Amber Noel’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/themes/responz/themify/img.php?src=http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Strawberry-Balsamic-1024x920.jpg&w=474&h=&a=t" height="358" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Jam is more versatile than you may think. Yes, it’s great for toast, but it’s also a delicious marinade, pie filling, ice cream topping, or even as a cocktail base. But that’s not the only way it’s versatile. The flavors you can create cross a wide spectrum as well: Spicy Plum, White Tea Nectarine, Blackberry Ginger. These are just some of the flavors I’ve come up with off the top of my head.</span><br />
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Most jams you see in stores are crap. No offense if you like them, but they are crap. The same basic, bland flavors just about everywhere you go, and believe me I’ve looked. But jam doesn’t have to be boring. Mixing some of your favorite fruits and spices, teas, anything you can think of (almost) is fun and rewarding.<br />
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My husband and I started making jam after a failed attempt at making pickles; I’ll spare you the details. I wanted to make something special for the guests who joined my husband and me at our wedding. What better than homemade jam? The process of learning was so exciting for me, and I didn’t want to stop after my party favors were done. That’s when I started to experiment.</div>
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I went to grocery stores and markets for inspiration, and was generally disappointed. Strawberry, Blackberry, Marmalade, and if I was lucky I might have seen something exotic like Strawberry-Rhubarb (what I made as wedding favors).</div>
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I wanted to make flavors that were fun, interesting, and most importantly, different. I started experimenting more and more, and finally decided to try my hand at selling them. My friends and family seemed to rave over every batch I made, but who knows if that was just to puff up my ego.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chai-pile1.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[4760]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Try my Nectarine-Chai Jam on my Etsy store!" class="size-medium wp-image-4782" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/chai-pile1-300x199.jpg" height="199" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></span></a><br />
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Try my Nectarine-Chai Jam on my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/store/NoelJam" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Etsy store!</a></div>
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Either way, I was determined. <a href="http://www.noeljams.com/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">I started up a blog on my experiences</a> in learning how to jam, the dos and don’ts, what does what, and some general information about my jams and jamming.</div>
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I eventually opened <a href="http://www.etsy.com/store/NoelJam" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">my own store on Etsy</a>, which if you have not been to, is great. They sell all handmade or vintage things. Great place to window shop, and a wonderful way for me and others to get our products to the world.</div>
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So, without further ado, here is the recipe I used for my wedding favors. Try it out, play with it, change it. Make it yours, then experiment with whatever you want.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Just Keep On Jammin’ Strawberry- Rhubarb Jam</span></strong></h4>
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This is one of my favourites, and one of the easier, yet delicious recipes. If you’ve only ever had store-bought jam, you’re missing out. There’s nothing better than fresh jam made from fruit you picked, and possibly even grew. Making jam is a surprisingly simple process that can get complicated, if you want it to be.</div>
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The basics are to pick or buy some ripe and flavorful fruit, mash it up, and then add some sugar and pectin. Voilà! Jam. Well… almost.</div>
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When making jam it’s best to keep it in small batches. If you get too overzealous and make a huge pot, it won’t come out right. So, keep it small.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/closeupstrawberries.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[4760]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="I always use fresh, organic fruit, preferably grown locally." class="size-medium wp-image-4783" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/closeupstrawberries-242x300.jpg" height="300" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="242" /></span></a><br />
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I always use fresh, organic fruit, preferably grown locally.</div>
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Here’s what you’ll need:</div>
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4 Cups Strawberries<br />
2 Cups Rhubarb<br />
2-3 Cups Sugar<br />
4 tsp Pectin (I use<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T33F3I/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004T33F3I&linkCode=as2&tag=ladybudcom-20" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Pomona’s Universal</a>)<br />
3 tbsp lemon juice</div>
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Clean and hull the strawberries. Chop them up a bit and put them in a large pot. If you like chunky jams mash the strawberries, otherwise you can put them in your food processor.</div>
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Clean the rhubarb, chop it up, and stick it in a food processor to make sure it doesn’t come out stringy. Add it to the pot. Also add the lemon and bring to a boil, slowly, and stir often.</div>
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Now’s a good time to put a spoon in the freezer. Don’t worry, I’m not crazy, this is actually a very helpful step in testing the gel of your jam later.</div>
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Measure out the sugar and keep about ¼ of a cup separate to mix with the pectin. This will make sure the pectin doesn’t just clump in the jam.</div>
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Once the jam is boiling to where you cannot stir the boil away, add the sugar/pectin mix and bring back to a boil. Add the rest of the sugar, and boil one more time. Turn off the heat and grab that spoon out of the freezer. Put a dollop of jam on it and stick it back in the freezer. After about a minute, pull it out and turn the spoon sideways. The jam should be completely still, or very slowly falling, otherwise you should reboil the jam and add more pectin.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/batches.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[4760]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="The finished jams! " class="size-medium wp-image-4784" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/batches-300x232.jpg" height="232" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></span></a><br />
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The finished jams!</div>
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Now, scoop the jam into canning jars and leave a ¼ inch of space. Screw on the caps and stick them in a pot of boiling water, making sure they are at least an inch underwater. This is only necessary if you want to store the jam for later use. If you want to eat it all now, just stick it in the fridge.</div>
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After at least five minutes (more if you are not at sea level) carefully pull them out using tongs. The jars should all eventually make a popping sound. This means they have sealed.</div>
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Wahoo! You’ve done it. You’ve made some delicious, homemade jam. Now pass it on.<br />
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First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/07/02/recipe-amber-noels-strawberry-rhubarb-jam/" target="_blank">RECIPE: Amber Noël’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-2298724402470051152013-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:002013-11-11T07:00:02.852-08:00DIY: Crochet A Pillowcase<br />
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<figure class="post-image " style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 5px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/08/06/diy-crochet-a-pillowcase/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><img alt="DIY: Crochet A Pillowcase" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/themes/responz/themify/img.php?src=http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/pillow.jpg&w=474&h=&a=t" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="474" /></a><span style="color: black; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"></span>So I recently decided it was time to change around my pillows in my home. After moving down to Los Angeles we got a new couch and with more of a retro style in our living room, we started to find that our old color scheme wasn’t working for us anymore. Plus, some of our pillows were starting to look a bit worn.</figure><br />
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As you may know from my previous article <a href="http://deutschevegan.blogspot.com/2013/10/5-must-have-items-that-do-everything.html" target="_blank">The Only Five Items You Need In Your Home To Do Everything</a>, I don’t like to buy new things unless I really need them. So, what’s a girl to do?</div>
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Simple. She crochets a new pillow.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Crochet seems like a strange name. That’s because it’s French for hook. The difference between knitting and crochet is that when you are knitting you use two large needles, whereas in crochet you use one hook.<br />
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Getting started, this may seem a bit confusing at first, but with a little practice, you’ll be a pro in no time. I’m going to show you how to make a pillow using a single crochet stitch, which is the easiest stitch there is.</div>
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You only need three things for this project: Crochet hook, yarn and a pillow. As a vegan, I advocate for non-wool yarns which are very easy to come by and cruelty free!</div>
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If you’ve never seen a crochet hook before, there are different sizes, usually designated by letters. I tend to use H/3 because I find it grabs the yarn easily and still creates a small enough stitch that you won’t see through the cover to the white part of the pillow.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1-300x277.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="1" border="0" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5954" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1-300x277.jpg" height="277" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></a>To start off, make a loop. This is easiest if you cross the end of the yarn and pull the shorter end through the hole, not quite all the way. Hold both ends and pull the top of the loop. You should get a nice loop.</div>
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Put the hook through the loop and pull on the end of the yarn until it the loop is snug against the hook.</div>
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First, and perhaps the most important part of crochet is how you hold the yarn. If you grasp it too tightly your fingers will cramp, too loose and your crochet will be messy. Don’t stress too much, it may take some practice, but you’ll get it! I’m right handed, so I hold the yarn in my left hand. If you’re left handed I would assume you would do the exact same thing in your right hand.</div>
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Holding the palm of your hand toward your face, pull the yarn through your ring and pinky finger from your palm so the hook is to the right of your hand. Pull the yarn back around the front of your palm and do the same around your index finger. Cross the yarn in front of your finger and wrap the yarn behind your index finger, coming back out in between your index and middle finger. Grasp the yarn on the other end of the loop with your thumb and middle finger.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1twwPeoDWcbK1uKYaz9kDs_SY5mwg7Q8rQuQeQgjZbcpLZ3VV_UwADjMlrpD4t_XEnftUuWIasGqsPIvLt8NnU6NidjO3lZroWxiCHtkB4iUKgPPBmxtOkIS5ZnHTCU4a-ttZPKbSCqA/s1600/crochet1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1twwPeoDWcbK1uKYaz9kDs_SY5mwg7Q8rQuQeQgjZbcpLZ3VV_UwADjMlrpD4t_XEnftUuWIasGqsPIvLt8NnU6NidjO3lZroWxiCHtkB4iUKgPPBmxtOkIS5ZnHTCU4a-ttZPKbSCqA/s1600/crochet1.gif" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
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This may feel awkward at first, but it will become second nature after a while. Some people like to wrap the yarn around their pinky twice, but I find that strangles the yarn and creates too much resistance.</div>
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Next you are going to make your chain. This will determine how wide your cover will be. Make sure to have it long enough so it’s not stretched too heavily and short enough that it won’t leave your pillow limp within. Remember to have a couple of extra stitches for the seam.</div>
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Making a chain is rather simple. With the hook end facing you, wrap the yarn around the hook once. Do this by bringing the hook down in front of the yarn, back, and up. Angle the hook down, and pull through the first loop. Voilà! Your first loop! Good job.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/chain.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[5945]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="chain" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5960" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/chain-300x213.jpg" height="213" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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Now do this a million more times. Or, just enough to measure out the width of your cover.</div>
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Next comes the single crochet. This is going to be the rest of your pillow.</div>
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If you look closely at your loops, you will see there is a hole. Squeeze your hook through the first hole so there are two loops on the hook.</div>
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Grab the yarn like you did for the chain and pull it through the first loop. You should still have two loops on your hook. Grab the yarn again, and pull through both loops.</div>
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We are getting close to the end of this lesson. Once you’ve gone back up the chain and made a single crochet in every hole, you will be at the end. Here you are going to make one chain, a.k.a. slip-stitch. Turn the yarn around as if you are going to start back in the other direction.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/sl-st-300x252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="sl st" border="0" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5963" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/sl-st-300x252.jpg" height="268" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="320" /></a>You’ll notice that the loops have changed. Now it should look like a chain on the top. This time when you put the hook through the hole, there will be three loops on the hook. This will give you a nice, flat pattern. If you want to play around with the texture of your cover, you can put the hook only in the front loop or only the back loop. This will give indents in the finished pattern.</div>
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For now, you may want to stick with the basics. Once again, you will go all the way to the end of the row, create a slip-stitch (single chain) and turn it around. Keep going until you can take the long piece and have the ends meet around the pillow.</div>
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Here is a simple version of the directions I just gave:</div>
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ch = chain</div>
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sc = single crochet</div>
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sl st = slip stitch (similar to chain)</div>
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For simplicity’s sake, let’s say your cover is 100 stitches long.</div>
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ch 101. Turn.</div>
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sc 100. sl st. Turn</div>
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sc 100. sl st. Turn.</div>
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etc.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/close-300x234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="close" border="0" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5965" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/close-300x234.jpg" height="234" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></a>For the last step you will need to sew closed the cover.</div>
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You can do a single crochet along the edge from where you ended your cover around to the fold of the pillow. Turn the cover inside out, so no strings are showing. Stick the pillow inside and single crochet the top closed. Make a double knot, then pull any loose threads through to the inside with the hook. Or, if you’re willing to get one more thing for you project you can do a quicker seam with a yarn needle and just sew the case shut the same way you would crochet it.</div>
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Done!</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/finished-300x212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="finished" border="0" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-5966" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/finished-300x212.jpg" height="212" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; text-align: center;" width="300" /></a></div>
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You can play around with this simple pattern. Make it longer on one end and add buttons. Switch colors for a striped pillow. Have fun with it.</div>
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If you found you enjoyed this little project I highly recommend this <a href="http://crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">website</a>. It has hundreds of free patterns, from clothes to doilies. Stuffed animals to socks. Some of the patterns can get a little crazy and you might have to do some research to learn new stitches. But once you have the basics down, the rest should come relatively easy.</div>
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Now get out there and start <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">yarn bombing</a>!</div>
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First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/08/06/diy-crochet-a-pillowcase/" target="_blank">DIY: Crochet A Pillowcase</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-23277947624700270052013-11-04T09:21:00.000-08:002013-11-04T09:21:40.027-08:00A New BlogHi ya'll. This is a rather informal post.<br />
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I realized recently that it was getting crazy in here. Since I've been writing for Ladybud Magazine and the Leaf Online, I've been getting political which was not my original intent for this blog. In fact, I didn't want this blog to be political at all, but here we are. Politics taking over AGAIN. le sigh.<br />
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I thought about it and decided this was not what I wanted to happen here. Some of you might not enjoy seeing me blabbing on and on about what's wrong in the world and then post pretty pictures of some adventure we went on. It just doesn't seem logical.<br />
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Therefore, *drumroll* I started a new blog for just my political posts. This one will go back to just pictures and local events, etc. Nice, happy things... haha.<br />
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Here it is: <a href="http://www.progressivevegan.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Views of a Progressive Vegan</a><br />
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In the new blog I will be discussing political issues and current events. I also plan to do more biographies like the one I did on Che Guevara to hopefully expand people's knowledge of important historical figures, foundations, movements, etc. What can I say? I'm a historian!!<br />
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Anyway, thanks for all the support! Love you all and I hope you keep reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-51507301563694134572013-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:002013-10-30T07:00:03.721-07:00Joshua Tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbGx2gVJLbj5Gs2fnuSxUDd2MmBNqGav_VoqakHioKN_S5YDvy9MJHejIXYLHB3zW6EtrH-S-dAtgoadt48-uJFwYZG-Z_85azYYN2ZhAYe8cpWO176aQgr7669OmJtV0kq6rErh2OFc/s1600/Joshua-Tree-peaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbGx2gVJLbj5Gs2fnuSxUDd2MmBNqGav_VoqakHioKN_S5YDvy9MJHejIXYLHB3zW6EtrH-S-dAtgoadt48-uJFwYZG-Z_85azYYN2ZhAYe8cpWO176aQgr7669OmJtV0kq6rErh2OFc/s1600/Joshua-Tree-peaking.jpg" height="426" title="Joshua Tree peaking" width="640" /></a></div>
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Before the government shutdown (luckily) we went to Joshua Tree for the first time. We went with another couple, Dorian an Elizabeth, and their adorable dog, Rocco. It was a great trip and easy planning. She is a vegan and he's vegetarian, so it was fun to come up with food ideas instead of frustrating. Yay for vegans!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9NDi28WxzCsnmvTHBKFVRDl4DlfAa3F_Tt_r2mZjqo9sCYfccYwbpsILAiXA8Ti6IaHZN1wEa9o8Sea-K4S0kOGfP_RFyGW3WiBrU-7v2gvo_hGMu_PoWsNCwHa57ONiNaau7NQJ9E4/s1600/Joshua-Tree-Classic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9NDi28WxzCsnmvTHBKFVRDl4DlfAa3F_Tt_r2mZjqo9sCYfccYwbpsILAiXA8Ti6IaHZN1wEa9o8Sea-K4S0kOGfP_RFyGW3WiBrU-7v2gvo_hGMu_PoWsNCwHa57ONiNaau7NQJ9E4/s1600/Joshua-Tree-Classic.jpg" height="213" title="Joshua Tree, classic" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anyway, back to the Joshua Trees! We had originally planned to go dispersed camping, but we wouldn't have been able to have a campfire due to the high fire warning. We skipped the campground "camping" and decided to rent a cabin from <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a>, a great place to find fun places to stay. </div>
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Our house was two miles from the park entrance and two blocks from downtown Joshua Tree. We were also on a hill, so the view from the backyard was pretty awesome in and of itself. </div>
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Saturday we got up, eventually (hey it's the weekend!), and made our way into the park. Apparently there was a big storm recently that washed away some of the roads and caused them to close down some of the camping sites.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNPdDuMXXEljnMyBLxUow0REjreVOyPaTTwk_k3N9bplMwU4ohtKt41xiUqu1VWhG_J37dOWgsCjs2H5CuwEt9PbSQa4ULP0twZlhmhYqs2jvsGC17eZmKxDblDeKWCdKE9Jot1gVwSw/s1600/Carin-or-Mountian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNPdDuMXXEljnMyBLxUow0REjreVOyPaTTwk_k3N9bplMwU4ohtKt41xiUqu1VWhG_J37dOWgsCjs2H5CuwEt9PbSQa4ULP0twZlhmhYqs2jvsGC17eZmKxDblDeKWCdKE9Jot1gVwSw/s1600/Carin-or-Mountian.jpg" height="266" title="Carin or Mountain" width="400" /></a></div>
The rock formations we saw were awesome. They looked as if a giant had walked around making carin formations. What really caused the "piles" to form was a lot of science. Way, way back when, lava rocks pushed their way through the ground into the looser dirt. Eventually wind and water eroded the dirt leaving only the rock piles precariously balancing on each other.<br />
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What I find truly amazing about them is that over all these years some of the small or seemingly awkwardly placed rocks are still holding on to their domination at the top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI5qJIO6YhvcbZBR5rz4WpS6izq0tkZSPa8Q63XwxmaHj_0REMFOVOLeVXMh0PFFY-2_a0tpnD0iBG7O3hqgdqEDiL-5-gtcM8HOmd4opcbtvy9wsC6stPrmWJHxxm84DLjq2rIsQ30I/s1600/The-View.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI5qJIO6YhvcbZBR5rz4WpS6izq0tkZSPa8Q63XwxmaHj_0REMFOVOLeVXMh0PFFY-2_a0tpnD0iBG7O3hqgdqEDiL-5-gtcM8HOmd4opcbtvy9wsC6stPrmWJHxxm84DLjq2rIsQ30I/s1600/The-View.jpg" height="213" title="The View at Joshua Tree" width="320" /></a></div>
Since we had Rocco with us we were a little limited on where we could go. We ended up walking out to a camping area that was closed off because of the storm damage and had the place to ourselves. Rocco was able to run around like crazy, it was so cute.<br />
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We did a little low level bouldering, if you can call climbing round rocks bouldering, and we were treated with an amazing view of the valley. It was cute watching as Elizabeth and Dorian attempted to get Rocco to jump up on a rock for the first time.<br />
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Unfortunately, Dorian twisted his ankle a bit on the way down and was taken out of commission for a while. Luckily, it wasn't anything serious and he just needed a good rest. It was probably a great thing we didn't go dispersed camping, because icing his ankle would have been rather difficult.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu1RWSt3rqL1xrZECjW9vV06PD010zgQ0otv6_bGTTVUvCthXnTX_EoP55ZV3pVhq5qhzkaNB83zhE4tABli1CuAfTuaKqtuN7-VSSlA39o1oWjfNrz4vVmve0GKOlxnhyphenhyphenMBI7YaxyIg/s1600/Blending-In.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu1RWSt3rqL1xrZECjW9vV06PD010zgQ0otv6_bGTTVUvCthXnTX_EoP55ZV3pVhq5qhzkaNB83zhE4tABli1CuAfTuaKqtuN7-VSSlA39o1oWjfNrz4vVmve0GKOlxnhyphenhyphenMBI7YaxyIg/s1600/Blending-In.jpg" height="426" title="Blending in at Joshua Tree" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTziOLChY92_xfWeoeC5OGSAT2K1nJIuVA4eY7ksS9PWXTFfjUtDwo_cbmdnp1q8qc9dCUCLfMLmBL72bRNHQ5v0selvNU-zHtcIUpfQYDPyxmesooBw4pgzs2kt8Fe-G3c4fx1OlFQs/s1600/All-Things-Shall-Pass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTziOLChY92_xfWeoeC5OGSAT2K1nJIuVA4eY7ksS9PWXTFfjUtDwo_cbmdnp1q8qc9dCUCLfMLmBL72bRNHQ5v0selvNU-zHtcIUpfQYDPyxmesooBw4pgzs2kt8Fe-G3c4fx1OlFQs/s1600/All-Things-Shall-Pass.jpg" height="640" title="All Things Shall Pass" width="425" /></a>Dan and I decided to walk up to the ruins of an old ranch that was close by. It was hard to spot from our perch on the boulder, but once we saw it it was impossible to miss. The walk itself wasn't that bad, I think it was two miles to the ranch, so four miles round trip?<br />
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The ranch was owned by the Ryan family who came out west in the 1890s to raise cattle and work in a nearby mine they eventually acquired, Lost Horse Mine.<br />
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Sadly, there was some graffiti on the inside of the adobe showing how no matter where you go people try to destroy things, because I really care that so and so came here in 2012.<br />
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The family left the ranch in the early 1900s after the area became a national park and they were no longer able to raise cattle, do to the restrictions said park entails.<br />
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I tried to imagine how someone could have raised cattle in such a dry environment. I guess cattle can survive on even the driest of shrubbery.<br />
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While the view from the remaining structure was beautiful, I could only imagine how hot and miserable it would be in the hot summer, wearing the full garb expected of a lady back in the day. Perhaps Mrs. Ryan wasn't too picky on being seen as a proper lady, that or she was constantly drenched in sweat.<br />
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Oh, the randomness of my imagination.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqMk5wPk3hUHjfUEHG8L1rFPgVSQRGYaUiavqyJDuIYa16rhmPMHNyMRAcFs8r6wkLrt4e-lKy1Ym8oJq40zIZ0lNG0rOUoQrEnNtrQcnUoRjU9BI-eyS1X0yZOZPpsA0Cvx03Ya6VKk/s1600/The-Homestead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqMk5wPk3hUHjfUEHG8L1rFPgVSQRGYaUiavqyJDuIYa16rhmPMHNyMRAcFs8r6wkLrt4e-lKy1Ym8oJq40zIZ0lNG0rOUoQrEnNtrQcnUoRjU9BI-eyS1X0yZOZPpsA0Cvx03Ya6VKk/s1600/The-Homestead.jpg" height="425" title="The Homestead" width="640" /></a></div>
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On our walk back to the campsite we saw a good bit of desert wildlife, a black lizard, crickets of some kind, Rocco, and quail! I love quail and was really excited when I was able to point them out to Dan.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspTLHzdLMIWhYIPCRvBugc0iodI1OoVcZ7eB0ur1QiDbtFGk44ViQ1EBB5IsvT0DugopDzTExeM87HxOeOGz-DaztbpAYdVmY0rveM-8m1u7eBnIFHP1ohQ1I9VwpD6Ew_tHlm9mrzLI/s1600/Reaching-for-the-Sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspTLHzdLMIWhYIPCRvBugc0iodI1OoVcZ7eB0ur1QiDbtFGk44ViQ1EBB5IsvT0DugopDzTExeM87HxOeOGz-DaztbpAYdVmY0rveM-8m1u7eBnIFHP1ohQ1I9VwpD6Ew_tHlm9mrzLI/s1600/Reaching-for-the-Sky.jpg" height="213" title="Reaching for the Sky" width="320" /></a>We tried to walk up to them just close enough to get a good picture, but of course they fled instantly and were much too quick for me to get anything decent enough to put on my blog. So we walked back to the car and I navigated us to our next stop in the park.<br />
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We drove out to the main vista point, which I believe is the highest point in the park you can drive to. It overlooked Palm Springs, which unfortunately you could barely make out because of the smog. Yum. But it was a beautiful site none the less. Maybe in the spring its a clearer view.<br />
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I believe Palm Desert is on the left and Palm Springs is on the right in my photo below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji962g8f8V6Li3XkJGejHUt4zD9eFvxoEC6EvQInk0oiD6XCDlKqVXhos9aO1KQKUov0cVpmZyByMPkoFQN6Su3w9yWtkqHxfOpk3HhmYNtYKd2KrnlVKsh4AA1JXx4Gjefw3j9j2Ip98/s1600/Palm-Springs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji962g8f8V6Li3XkJGejHUt4zD9eFvxoEC6EvQInk0oiD6XCDlKqVXhos9aO1KQKUov0cVpmZyByMPkoFQN6Su3w9yWtkqHxfOpk3HhmYNtYKd2KrnlVKsh4AA1JXx4Gjefw3j9j2Ip98/s1600/Palm-Springs.jpg" height="426" title="Palm Springs" width="640" /></a></div>
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We decided to drive down into Palm Springs to check out the river (which was dry!) and the hot springs. I was also interested in just driving through Palm Springs, seeing how I've never been there before. I noticed there was a lot of grass and golf courses. Seems strange for <i>a desert!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLe6CZF7Sfz7r_EwUjy2ERcOuPnBlfP6KKFBGiN7umTvkQB6L3fxDHOrxF0HVlrHUskHUMnxDJjr_No47D_OpXUNGP1h3YPFG30K62AkUxvHuhYOzUW2BEpMOABxsn-S-vKd0HiN7jbo/s1600/Natural-Joshua-Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLe6CZF7Sfz7r_EwUjy2ERcOuPnBlfP6KKFBGiN7umTvkQB6L3fxDHOrxF0HVlrHUskHUMnxDJjr_No47D_OpXUNGP1h3YPFG30K62AkUxvHuhYOzUW2BEpMOABxsn-S-vKd0HiN7jbo/s1600/Natural-Joshua-Tree.jpg" height="213" title="Natural Joshua Tree" width="320" /></a>We ate at a vegan restaurant in Palm Springs, Native Foods, which is also in Culver City, and oh so yummy and stopped at the grocery store for some forgotten supplies and junk food. We then drove around the town of Desert Hot Springs, assuming that we would be able to go to a hot spring. Apparently, all the hot springs were bought up by spa companies and unless you pay, you can't see them. That was a bummer, and pretty lame if you ask any of us. We decided to head back and chill at our pad; BBQ and hang out in the backyard.<br />
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On our way back to our place we stopped at a corner hippy store in downtown Joshua Tree to get some firewood. It was a fun little store and I couldn't resist getting some Nag Champa incense and a green wish bracelet, which has yet to fall off despite Batman's attempts at chewing through it. Little stinker. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMZ4J-64JqtXcn2kgOjELsavfCxlIBLm0ifpTMa8fVBEANWqSyT_7mWOYMkUuLg8uuXD-Dq7jMVBRltcwW0CYNqniltRjyK8CxnPOfR1L5EDq-hIgkKZ1VjTWHRlg_uBJ3GIAi9s-fm4/s1600/Joshua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCMZ4J-64JqtXcn2kgOjELsavfCxlIBLm0ifpTMa8fVBEANWqSyT_7mWOYMkUuLg8uuXD-Dq7jMVBRltcwW0CYNqniltRjyK8CxnPOfR1L5EDq-hIgkKZ1VjTWHRlg_uBJ3GIAi9s-fm4/s1600/Joshua.jpg" height="640" title="Joshua" width="426" /></a>We roasted veggies on the grill and by the time we finished our meal it was dark enough to make a fire. My favorite part! It was a tad bit windy, but that didn't bother me. We made a fire, but the smoke started to get to everyone, but me, so I soon had the fire to myself. It was very peaceful. I watched the moon rise for a while and just enjoyed not being in the city and out in, well almost, the woods. It was not quite a full moon, but it was bright enough to make star gazing hard, so I soon headed inside as well.<br />
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We made a small fire inside, where there was what I could have sworn was a hand made adobe chimney. Our attempts at making a large fire were unsuccessful and we eventually gave up and went to bed.<br />
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In the morning we made pancakes! Nothing better than pancakes in a cabin. It was a bit tricky because they were gluten free and took all of our coffee creamer and some water to get them moist enough. Sheeh, talk about desert pancakes! Womp womp.<br />
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Dan and I decided to go back into Joshua Tree and go on a hike, so we said our goodbyes and headed out. We decided to go up to the Lost Horse Mine and check out the remnants left behind. It was a longer hike than the day before and since it started in the valley and made its way up and over a mountain ridge, we were treated with some amazing views. I also noticed that the Joshua Trees tended to stay down in the valley, while the smaller bush version were more plentiful on the hillside.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWonYGI_HbwWF8KU2XEBVcwQVhbq-kWxf4XPrRLQTLqJO7Ds5lnyDWUKdeXDvvmamdlL-bPaGg7dExTzUnQFcB2hLvvp2ZYiieT4OcEMiu7G1nh0WJyHctXv7ed4ei9qEQfpZ7OjGfR9s/s1600/as-the-crow-flies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWonYGI_HbwWF8KU2XEBVcwQVhbq-kWxf4XPrRLQTLqJO7Ds5lnyDWUKdeXDvvmamdlL-bPaGg7dExTzUnQFcB2hLvvp2ZYiieT4OcEMiu7G1nh0WJyHctXv7ed4ei9qEQfpZ7OjGfR9s/s1600/as-the-crow-flies.jpg" height="133" title="As the Crow Flies" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xADVLPt9_k13iui1mPYApfHveX8SNWdmAoiaiXUxdVowiwYUT4ompho_pHaVIYJc9UW1v0q-NiXsYiwSjFwU2rolmFIUxn8zLOoqJkDkDwIvzoFvYnSRUWUgG_It64LXUlZE3HasiBc/s1600/Once-Purched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xADVLPt9_k13iui1mPYApfHveX8SNWdmAoiaiXUxdVowiwYUT4ompho_pHaVIYJc9UW1v0q-NiXsYiwSjFwU2rolmFIUxn8zLOoqJkDkDwIvzoFvYnSRUWUgG_It64LXUlZE3HasiBc/s1600/Once-Purched.jpg" height="213" title="Once Purched" width="320" /></a>There was a large portion of the hill that had obviously been burned by a semi-recent fire, but already there were signs of life returning. Some of the plant life even looked to have survived the ordeal almost unscathed.<br />
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The only real wildlife we saw was crows, lots of them too. At one point they were circling around us and we laughed that we were in a Hitchcock movie, quickly picked up the pace, and moved on. Other than that, we saw a couple of lizards doing push ups and an impressive spider's web, but no spider.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgyCXY6RiBZ95G0ji1OCC6HD-ZqmzWSX6OjcTgS515zKlX-4ukz2Jjbka2RARaESTV69hgm1s4TWMMwp-HrQcdtvF9NFz7kLrQKxNlulQml8RBOUdQuosvA28fJprgoKfemnAq3JHQPs/s1600/Granite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimgyCXY6RiBZ95G0ji1OCC6HD-ZqmzWSX6OjcTgS515zKlX-4ukz2Jjbka2RARaESTV69hgm1s4TWMMwp-HrQcdtvF9NFz7kLrQKxNlulQml8RBOUdQuosvA28fJprgoKfemnAq3JHQPs/s1600/Granite.jpg" height="320" title="Granite" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: left;">The mine itself wasn't all that great. What parts were left were behind a fence to keep hikers safe, but made for some lousy pictures. We sat for a minute, ate a snack, and then made our way back to the car. </span><br />
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The weather was absolutely perfect for a hike and we were so luck to not have to share the path, except when passing people going in the opposite direction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqbtGklp7T7M4zYbq4CgoifoK6P2Yk65-SwX-Y4jjk1y2yNtbb669dtd9vBQnyuo5hjkW3ffivMykooLzWLJAli6NXCVXqhNwmt3XTpGaeYKIiP1ID8kASBr50XDzNCjF_wRXwWGgQEE/s1600/Spikes-of-Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqbtGklp7T7M4zYbq4CgoifoK6P2Yk65-SwX-Y4jjk1y2yNtbb669dtd9vBQnyuo5hjkW3ffivMykooLzWLJAli6NXCVXqhNwmt3XTpGaeYKIiP1ID8kASBr50XDzNCjF_wRXwWGgQEE/s1600/Spikes-of-Life.jpg" height="320" title="Spikes of Life" width="213" /></a>We felt as if we had the whole path to ourselves and we were a bit confused when we got back to the car and the parking lot was full. Where were all these people? Not on the trail and I didn't see anywhere else to go.<br />
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We ate a light lunch of random things we had leftover in the car and, of course, a nice warm beer. Mmmm, nothing better than a room temperature beer after a long hike.<br />
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On our way out of the park I insisted Dan stop in a parking lot so I could take a quick photo of a cool rock and we were lucky to find it was a flat loop that talked a bit about the park, trees, and wildlife. It was nice to get one more minute of nature in before we headed back into the city. </div>
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Well, looks like no matter how hard I tried to ramble on, I still didn't write enough to incorporate all the pictures I was hoping to. So here are some more photos to enjoy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ38Vime4HApp4c54C77rAGziMTV88Ww5SXdD4Dr97z4hSz0rKy0UyVfxNGZdxva2pRXBVOJXfwzzrkeGSuS_L-Uo6UF7M0GcWCtl_Hn40g7hc7823cQARlnRV7e5BvDv325-iTkAkWs/s1600/The-Ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidJ38Vime4HApp4c54C77rAGziMTV88Ww5SXdD4Dr97z4hSz0rKy0UyVfxNGZdxva2pRXBVOJXfwzzrkeGSuS_L-Uo6UF7M0GcWCtl_Hn40g7hc7823cQARlnRV7e5BvDv325-iTkAkWs/s1600/The-Ranch.jpg" height="425" title="The Ranch" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif55XmNBXq6atFUCRzo181md7DsM2zxZDFE9am0_QkFPwUQHYOIUPzawDFxTP1mZ3zBR-z9fzu2DAU_crL5NHUFLywTjEF4Y1jLJQC97QMv_U-4hh1zv-rAuaTVAhZLynpjnZ3Fawru4A/s1600/Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif55XmNBXq6atFUCRzo181md7DsM2zxZDFE9am0_QkFPwUQHYOIUPzawDFxTP1mZ3zBR-z9fzu2DAU_crL5NHUFLywTjEF4Y1jLJQC97QMv_U-4hh1zv-rAuaTVAhZLynpjnZ3Fawru4A/s1600/Rocks.jpg" height="213" title="Rocks" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFmYkXvNAQmZsdTT1ed6dWR2m1NRSYJiDsIFI60OQVh_ZgVfuUL_yI02QrdYoIqLI_GB3ln8fBs8mWFt6_J2TFff1LskHPjv1NCBOYcfi-xNxLikNo2vyW7WDIS6EfM4hF_zyNshZ9Dg/s1600/The-Cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFmYkXvNAQmZsdTT1ed6dWR2m1NRSYJiDsIFI60OQVh_ZgVfuUL_yI02QrdYoIqLI_GB3ln8fBs8mWFt6_J2TFff1LskHPjv1NCBOYcfi-xNxLikNo2vyW7WDIS6EfM4hF_zyNshZ9Dg/s1600/The-Cave.jpg" height="213" title="The Cave" width="320" /></a><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-85294681705501099312013-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:002013-10-28T07:00:11.041-07:00More Revelations From Edward Snowden<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/10/08/more-revelations-from-edward-snowden/" style="margin: 0px auto; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><img alt="More Revelations From Edward Snowden" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/themes/responz/themify/img.php?src=http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Screen-shot-2013-09-28-at-3.09.41-PM.png&w=474&h=&a=t" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">PHOTO:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;"> </span><a href="http://www.madmagazine.com/blog/2013/06/24/edward-snowdens-new-tv-musical" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">Mad Magazine</a></td></tr>
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Almost four months ago, I wrote an <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/06/12/edward-snowden-why-you-should-know-his-name/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Edward Snowden: Why You Should Know His Name">article</a> explaining why it was important to understand who Edward Snowden was and what he had done. At the time, I thought his exposure of NSA secrets would fade in the minds of the general public, much like <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/22/bradley-manning-woman-chelsea-gender-reassignment" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Chelsea Manning's Gender Reassignment ">Chelsea Manning</a>, formerly <a href="http://deutschevegan.blogspot.com/2013/07/army-pfc-bradley-manning-found-innocent.html" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Army Pfc. Bradley Manning Found Innocent Of Aiding The Enemy, Guilty Of 19 Other Counts">Bradley Manning</a>, has seemed to do.</div>
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While <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/the-nsa-files" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Guardian's NSA Files">Glenn Greenwald and the Guardian</a> continue to expose more and more astounding disregard for the 1st and 4th Amendment, I thought it was only right to expand on my earlier article and include the new revelations that have since been revealed.</div>
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When Snowden’s name first popped up in the news, there was much speculation about whether what he was saying was true, and if so, if it was deemed acceptable by the American public or a gross violation of our basic rights as Americans.</div>
<a name='more'></a>At the time, the only real revelation was that the NSA was collecting metadata from phone records. I was surprised to find that a lot of people were comfortable with this. The mindset seemed to be, “I have done nothing wrong, so I have nothing to hide.” While I can understand this viewpoint, as I myself have done nothing to warrant interest, I also see the threat of this stance. Give them an inch, they will take two miles, which has become quite apparent since my first article.<br />
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What has become most obvious, is that Edward Snowden is not “out to get us.” He has exposed the overreach of our government and flat out illegal practices, but contrary to what the government would have you believe, his character assassination failed and he has not threatened American lives.</div>
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There was talk of working with the Chinese, then that he was working with Russia, but neither accusation has shown to have any merit. If anything, Russia is annoyed with the USA for canceling Snowden’s passport while he was still in their country.</div>
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Luckily, after an excruciating wait, the Russian government gave Snowden one year temporary asylum. This will hopefully give him time to find a way to South America, or wherever he is headed.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">More Exposures:</span></h2>
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Since the first revelations Snowden brought us about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="PRISM (surveillance program)">PRISM</a>, I have been shocked with the ongoing exposure of the depth of the NSA spy program and the lies surrounding it.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">After PRISM came <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/nsa-top-secret-program-online-data" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="XKeyscore: NSA tool collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">XKeyscore</span></a>, a program that gives the ability to the NSA to search any database for information linked to any one person</strong></span>. Now, President Obama has said that the NSA cannot just dive into any American’s email, browser history, etc., but that it needs a court order to perform these searches. He forgot to mention, however, that the court order they need is coming from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Foreign_Intelligence_Surveillance_Court" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">FISA court</a>.</div>
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You may not know this, but the FISA court basically is a free pass for the federal government. With very little oversight and no opposition to the government’s position when presenting a case, the FISA court has proven to be a rubber stamp for the executive branch. For example, they recently came out and stated that the NSA’s phone tapping <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fisa-court-releases-opinion-upholding-nsa-phone-program/2013/09/17/66660718-1fd3-11e3-b7d1-7153ad47b549_story.html" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="FISA court releases opinion upholding NSA phone program">program is legal</a> under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot_Act" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Patriot Act</a>.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It has also become common knowledge that <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/09/04/the-aftermath-of-the-2012-oaksterdam-raids-activist-jose-gutierrez-targeted-and-beaten-by-dea-agents-faces-charges-of-assault-on-federal-officer/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Activist Targeted And Beaten By DEA Agents Faces Charges Of Assault On Federal Officer"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the DEA </span></a>has been using tips and information coming from the NSA spy program to launch investigations and then retrace their steps to cover up the fact that they are using said information</span></strong>. As described to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-dea-sod-idUSBRE97409R20130805" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Exclusive: U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans">Reuters</a> by a former agent, an example of their technique was,</div>
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“You’d be told only, ‘Be at a certain truck stop at a certain time and look for a certain vehicle.’ And so we’d alert the state police to find an excuse to stop that vehicle, and then have a drug dog search it.” After an arrest was made, agents then pretended that their investigation began with the traffic stop, not with the SOD tip.</div>
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So, information collected by the NSA, supposedly collected only to prevent terrorism and gather information about people abroad, is used to begin DEA investigations. A rarity in itself, I am actually using Fox News as a way to express how I feel about this situation: <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></strong></div>
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<a href="http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/08/05/nsa-info-leaked-dea-and-used-criminal-investigations" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Screen shot 2013-09-28 at 2.36.36 PM" class="aligncenter wp-image-7312" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Screen-shot-2013-09-28-at-2.36.36-PM.png" height="255" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="470" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The NSA has directed telecommunication companies to hand over the metadata of their customers, with Section 215 of the Patriot Act as the justification</strong></span>. Sadly, it appears that most companies have <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/sep/17/fisa-court-bulk-phone-records-collection" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Fisa court: no telecoms company has ever challenged phone records orders">gone along</a> with the process without resistance. Once their part was exposed, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Yahoo have <a href="http://rt.com/news/fisa-nsa-google-facebook-682/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo file motions to reveal NSA data requests">filed a motion</a> to release the NSA requests for metadata. It speaks volumes that these large companies waited until it was proven their hands were dirty before they reacted. <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This actually makes more sense when you understand that the NSA paid them and other companies <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/23/nsa-prism-costs-tech-companies-paid" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies">millions of dollars</a> to cover the cost of compliance.</span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Most recently, it has been exposed that our government is <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/sep/11/nsa-israel-intelligence-memorandum-understanding-document" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="NSA and Israeli intelligence: memorandum of understanding – full document"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">giving Israel raw data</span></a> collected by the NSA.</strong></span> This alone is completely preposterous. It shows that not only is our government spying on us, they are sharing this raw data with our foothold in the Near East without reviewing if said data has US citizens’ information within. If it does contain US citizens’ personal information, Israel is allowed to hold that information for up to a year. If they receive correspondences between government officials, they are to dispose of it immediately. Israel also does not have any restriction on how they can use this data.</div>
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As far as the reaction to these revelations are concerned, I have been surprised. While the usual suspects in the USA are actively protesting the blatant disregard for our most basic freedoms, once again the general public seems to show indifference to the situation, although they do seem more miffed than usual.</div>
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Happily, I have seen a much harsher view on our government’s disregard for the ideology it spews from the worldwide stage. Unfortunately, this issue isn’t unique to the United States.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Threats and Crackdowns</span></h2>
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If things were not confusing and frustrating enough with Obama claiming expanded protection of whistleblowers while at the same time literally lying to the public, Chelsea Manning getting 30 years in prison while those who committed war crimes she exposed are not investigated, the US government threatening Wikileaks – a legitimate news organization – as if they were terrorists, the American and some European governments took this already amazing event and turned it into a witch hunt.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">At the beginning of July, President Evo Morales of Bolivia was <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/bolivia-angered-by-forced-landing-of-morales-plane-a-909219.html" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Snowden Search: Bolivia Irate over Forced Landing"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">denied access</span></a> through French, Portuguese, and Italian airspace because it was rumored that Edward Snowden was a stowaway on his plane.</strong></span> The Spanish government claimed they would allow Morales to land and refuel, but only if they were given permission to search the President’s plane. The Bolivian President was forced to make an emergency landing in Vienna, where they were grounded for 14 hours. South America was outraged, rightfully so, at this gross injustice. Morales spoke out against America, who he blamed for the event stating, “Message to the Americans: The empire and its servants will never be able to intimidate or scare us… European countries need to liberate themselves from the imperialism of the Americans.”</div>
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In August, Glenn Greenwald’s partner, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/david-miranda-detained-uk-nsa" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Glenn Greenwald: detaining my partner was a failed attempt at intimidation">David Miranda</a>, was making a connecting flight in Heathrow from Berlin to Rio de Janeiro, where he had stayed with Laura Poitras. The British government thought that he was carrying information leaked by Snowden, from Laura Poitras to Glenn Greenwald. <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Once Miranda landed in Heathrow Airport he was apprehended and held for nine hours, the maximum time allowed without following up with an arrest, under Section 7 of the Terrorism Act of 2000. 97% of people detained under this provision are held for less than an hour.</span></strong></div>
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This event sparked discussion around the world, as well as <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the British government forcing the Guardian UK office to <span style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23776063" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Edward Snowden files: No 10 contacted Guardian">destroy hard drives</a> </span>which contained information regarding the Snowden leaks when the office refused to hand over their documents to the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=gchq&oq=gchq&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i60l3j5j0.995j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">GCHQ</a></strong></span>. What was amazing about this event, was that the British GCHQ was told the information the destroyed computers contained was held in other places, including the United States. This crackdown, and Mr. Miranda’s detention, were blatant attempts at intimidation against the newspaper and its reporters.</div>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Backpedaling and Lies</span></h2>
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When Snowden first came out with his leaks and explanation, <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/07/how-obama-embraced-nsa-spying.html" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="How Obama Embraced NSA Spying">President Obama</a> made it very clear that “Nobody is listening to your calls.” When taken in the literal sense, yes, it is very unlikely that every time you pick up the phone someone is trying not to breathe too heavy into the line. Obama also stated in an <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/president-obama-defends-nsa-spying" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="President Obama Defends NSA Spying">interview on PBS</a> that “ if you’re a U.S. person, then NSA is not listening to your phone calls and it’s not targeting your emails unless it’s getting an individualized court order. That’s the existing rule.” <strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">It was also stated by the Obama administration that the dragnet surveillance program under Bush was discontinued. In reality, it has actually <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/27/nsa-online-metadata-collection" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="How the NSA is still harvesting your online data">expanded</a>.</strong></div>
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In a harsh article in the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/15/remember-when-obama-said-the-nsa-wasnt-actually-abusing-its-powers-he-was-wrong/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Remember when Obama said the NSA wasn’t “actually abusing” its powers? He was wrong.">Washington Post</a>, Andrea Peterson lays out how, although President Obama has stated the NSA has not abused it’s power, there are well over 2,500 cases, just in the Washington D.C. and Fort Meade area, that point to the contrary.</div>
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One of the most damning spectacles of this fiasco is the case of James Clapper. In March, Clapper, the Director of the National Intelligence, flat out lied to Congress, telling them that the NSA was not spying on Americans. He later <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/02/james-clapper-apologizes-for-lying-to-congress-about-nsa-surveillance-clearly-erroneous/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="JAMES CLAPPER APOLOGIZES FOR LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT NSA SURVEILLANCE: ‘CLEARLY ERRONEOUS’">apologized</a>, saying that he “responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful, manner.” Instead of being held in contempt, he will be consulting for the review of NSA practices.</div>
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When governments hypocritically claim we live in a free society with protected rights of free speech, one has to wonder about such actions. But don’t take my word for it, listen to what <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jun/09/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-interview-video" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: 'I don't want to live in a society that does these sort of things' – video">Edward Snowden</a> has to say about the entire program.</div>
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What Edward Snowden has done is expose a government that will obviously not stop expanding its knowledge of what the American people think, say, and do.<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><i> </i>Through the continued exposures and the claims and false statements from the executive branch, it is very clear that the government is not using this program to protect Americans from terrorists, but to protect the government from Americans.</span></div>
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I ended my previous article on Snowden by stating that he has given us the question of what kind of society we wish to live in. I believe now, even more than then, that this is a very important question that needs to be addressed by us as a nation sooner rather than later.</div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/428643/august-15-2013/nsa-press-conference-on-domestic-spying" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Here’s a great perspective on the issues in under 5 minutes.</a></span></div>
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First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/10/08/more-revelations-from-edward-snowden/" target="_blank">More Revelations From Edward Snowden</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-83679366749320727152013-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:002013-10-28T08:53:07.430-07:00The State of Our Union; A Belated RantSo.. a while ago, I was angry. Very angry at what I was seeing going on in our country. Granted, I am often angry about what goes on in this country, and outside of this country because of us, but I was especially angry on this day. It just so happened a lot of things were going crazy and I felt a bit overwhelmed, so I decided to rant.<br />
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I was tempted not to post this, because I don't want to offend people, but then I thought about it and said to myself, "Hey! You are who you are. If you have an opinion, share it. If people don't like it, they don't have to listen." So there. My internal logic wins again. Therefore I have decided to post my angry ramblings anyway.<br />
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I wrote this on April 18th, so although most of my unsure questionable thoughts have pretty much been answered at this point, this were my thoughts at the time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Here you go, I am officially un-censoring myself:</span><br />
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This week has been filled with tragedy.<br />
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I started my Monday in the kitchen jamming and having a great time when Dan texted me and told me there had been a bombing attack in Boston. My oldest friend lives in Boston and I automatically panicked and started crying. I found out she was okay, not even in Boston at the time, and that although it was still terrible, the death toll was, luckily, very low.<br />
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Yesterday, a fertilizer plant in West, Texas exploded killing maybe 15 people (the rubble is still smoldering). And then today, I come home from work to hear there is a bomb threat in Hollywood, to then be trumped by a shooting near/at MIT where an officer was killed. As of right now, one suspect has been killed, the other is on the loose with possible heavy weapons and explosives. The police are going house to house to find this guy, and word on the street is that these guys are linked to the Boston bombing. By the time you read this, it may be old and incorrect news, but right now, that's what I'm hearing.<br />
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Not to mention that Wyoming is covered in snow and Illinois is flooded. Oh! And there was a 7.2 earthquake in Russia and a 7.8 in Iran.<br />
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So.. what the heck is going on?!<br />
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I could, and maybe will, write a whole series on my observations and theories on the state of the world. It is all rather grim. Granted, all these things have just happened and none of the obvious questions have been answered as of yet.<br />
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Here is a quick breakdown of what I see is going on around me in my country/government today.<br />
<h3>
Gun Violence:</h3>
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The Senate overwhelmingly voted against tightening laws to enforce and expand background checks on gun purchases. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/04/18/177799987/historically-speaking-no-surprise-in-senate-gun-control-vote" target="_blank">Historically Speaking, No Surprise In Senate Gun Control Vote</a></div>
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I'm sorry, how is this logical? 90% of the American people believe this should be passed, yet the Senate voted against it. This is a great example of how money contributions in our government corrupts. Because getting a pension and paid to sit around and bicker like school children doesn't pay well enough. Are the people representing us more concerned about what the NRA things than their constituents? I vote yes.<br />
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Too many people are killed in this country every year from guns. Yes, perhaps more often than not it is by a handgun, but there are too many mass shooting and our mental health care (er, healthcare period) is terrible.<br />
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But shooting guns is fun. Yes, I agree. But just because you like to shoot guns at a shooting range or at innocent animals doesn't mean that children and unsuspecting people should have to die because weapons and ammo are cheap and easy to come by, criminal or not.<br />
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I know! Let's clamp down on security and take away everyone's right to privacy in exchange to protect your right to have fun with a gun.<br />
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But I need to protect myself.<br />
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From who? Your neighbor? Maybe if gun laws were better enforced and practiced that psychotic neighbor or murderous ex won't get a weapon so easily. Also, wanting a gun to protect yourself is fine with me! Pass those background checks, take classes to know how to use it, and pay taxes and high costs for ammo/guns/checks. Cigarettes are taxed like crazy. For goodness sake's, if you go to a grocery store nowadays they charge you for bags. Grow up, you are handling something dangerous. <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/17/11-things-harder-to-get-than-guns-abortion-drugs-more.html" target="_blank">11 Things Harder to Get Than Guns</a><br />
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Protect yourself from your government? Um... they have drones, tanks, and nukes. Good luck with that.<br />
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"Terrorism:"</h3>
<div>
If the Boston Marathon bombing was a foreign attack, can we really blame them?</div>
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Don't get me wrong. It was a terrible thing that happened and I wouldn't wish that kind of terror on anyone. But, look at our foreign policy. We've been bombing Near East countries for years. Drones hover over these people every day. People die <i>every day </i>in the Near East. I know, they are not <i>all</i> killed by Americans, but I honestly believe there is so much chaos over there because of our interference. We need oil... and control. <br />
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Three people were killed in the Boston bombing, one of which was a child. This was devastating, but our drones have killed between 411 to 884 civilians in Pakistan alone according to a study by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Now think about how you are feeling about the Boston bombing, and try to imagine being Pakistani, an Iraqi, or maybe Afghani. Supposedly, we have killed 178 <b>children</b> in drone strikes. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-greenwald/us-drone-strikes-are-caus_b_2224627.html" target="_blank">U.S. Drone Strikes Are Causing Child Casualties</a><br />
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Israel. Now there's a hot button issue. Why are we backing Israel? They are trying their damnedest to completely dismember, disembowel, and destroy Palestine. <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/31/us-israel-palestinians-settlements-idUSBRE90U0EI20130131" target="_blank">U.N. rights inquiry says Israel must remove settlers</a>. But I will save Israel for another day.<br />
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And best for last, Guantanamo Bay.<br />
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First of all, the fact that this place is in <i>Cuba</i> is mind-boggling.<br />
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Also, the fact that a huge number of prisoners are on a hunger strike (possibly all of them) due to conditions and extreme torture is disgusting. Force fed while tied down, through a tube in their nose. More torture? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/opinion/hunger-striking-at-guantanamo-bay.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Gitmo Is Killing Me</a><br />
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The fact that many of these people have <i>not been convicted of any crime </i>is scary. Yet our government refuses to release them to their countries of origin. Why? Scared they will become terrorists? Wonder why..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0GRpTDWh8tbtyFc01DtqwKWW72WXJQcE1kJQplfzNgwH76xewEdo-GwFM8XB1n_Pw_Zvx8i4YqO6F-k9WEq_ByzJHpUxVSspl72R7ky5gXagQtgto2qf2c751HuL5gtD2TLNMsd3dqI/s1600/535132_10150690521932395_705822394_8026655_1008504104_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0GRpTDWh8tbtyFc01DtqwKWW72WXJQcE1kJQplfzNgwH76xewEdo-GwFM8XB1n_Pw_Zvx8i4YqO6F-k9WEq_ByzJHpUxVSspl72R7ky5gXagQtgto2qf2c751HuL5gtD2TLNMsd3dqI/s320/535132_10150690521932395_705822394_8026655_1008504104_n.jpg" height="400" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not my image. </td></tr>
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<h3>
Human Rights:</h3>
<div>
Same sex marriage is still illegal. It just seems crazy, downright stupid. But, as a historian I see.. history repeats itself. In fact, right now the Supreme Court is deciding whether DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is constitutional or not. If America is truly the land of hope and freedom, it would not even be up for debate. But sadly it is.</div>
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Apparently, we must always hate in order to pass blame. How could you hate the perfect America?! We just want cheap everything and will exploit you and your country to get what we want.<br />
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Quality or Quantity: <a href="http://youtu.be/stiSxpvjoAU" target="_blank">Bad Religion - Quality or Quantity</a> (this link is a video) *yes the person writing down the lyrics has poor grammar, but that's not the point!<br />
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Our immigration system is broken. If you don't want immigrants in our country, than don't devastate their countries and sell them guns to shoot us with to sell us drugs. Mow your own lawn, pick strawberries for 10 minutes, don't be so damn lazy! Then you can bitch, but not really. Because remember, we are all immigrants. Do you really want to be treated like the people who actually are not immigrants in the sense we use the term? I doubt it.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2chIBe2cG7M" width="480"></iframe>
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If you want the whole world to think America is so great and we have the best system and everyone should be like us, then you should expect people wanting to come to our country. It's only logical.<br />
<h3>
The Environment:</h3>
<div>
I won't even go here today. Believe you me, I can write a novel on this.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But really, look around you. Think of all the natural disasters you can name. And then ask your grandparents or parents how many they knew by name before you were born. </div>
<div>
<br />
Climate change exists. Whether it's human caused or human heightened, we are destroying the Earth.<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #b6d7a8;">**Back to the present**</span></h4>
Please remember I was angry and venting. My facts are not necessarily correct or backed up. I just needed to get these thoughts off my chest, and having them sit on my blog as a draft made me feel guilty about my beliefs.<br />
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I want to end this with a quote I find to be all encompassing.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;"><i>"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its most unfortunate members." -A lot of smart people</i></span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-43150466323664365352013-10-23T07:00:00.000-07:002013-10-23T09:03:25.103-07:00Vasquez Rocks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wZLWdsWk-p_aRfpT4Hru9GmZ_MAwqwkxKy8zNxUQ3MKV67P2F6OEzsyrkZCj6tfaIRfYsmwKXL2LIA6xuK0NL_XXGACqEMQFR7uDYiZVWFrYK5qV3OjN3cVLYNerZfSoMVDTjcc-fME/s1600/Live-Long-and-Prosper.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wZLWdsWk-p_aRfpT4Hru9GmZ_MAwqwkxKy8zNxUQ3MKV67P2F6OEzsyrkZCj6tfaIRfYsmwKXL2LIA6xuK0NL_XXGACqEMQFR7uDYiZVWFrYK5qV3OjN3cVLYNerZfSoMVDTjcc-fME/s1600/Live-Long-and-Prosper.gif" height="320" title="Amber in front of Star Trek rock. Live long and prosper." width="320" /></a>One of the things on my Los Angeles Resident to-do list was going to Vasquez Rocks Park, so when a friend asked us to join her and some of her friends I said yes without hesitation, dispute the fact that I was still having serious back issues. Luckily, it was getting better by now so Dan didn't override my invitation acceptance.<br />
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You may not know what Vasquez Rocks is just by hearing the name, but it is a Trekkie heritage site. It has had multiple appearances throughout the many, many years of Star Trek (including the planet Vulcan in that crap they call "new" Star Trek), but it is perhaps the most well known for the fight between Kirk and the Gorn.<br />
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If you watch even just the first minute or so, you can see that I'm standing right about where they are fighting, the only thing missing is the dead tree.<br />
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Remember this? So epic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIoSiPkL7WPvbGbV7TcnbcsZ3uF7gUvRPneCuS0CMzzPLNeyhrt_2tm6ghRn7haS_RqE1ZFnN_pwGGLAiTGX8IYwFpRqBAkU8RmKPegc8JU6mx8w1yYPQvaHCUMgIDmmgmlyoS0Q0lq4/s1600/Dan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIoSiPkL7WPvbGbV7TcnbcsZ3uF7gUvRPneCuS0CMzzPLNeyhrt_2tm6ghRn7haS_RqE1ZFnN_pwGGLAiTGX8IYwFpRqBAkU8RmKPegc8JU6mx8w1yYPQvaHCUMgIDmmgmlyoS0Q0lq4/s1600/Dan.gif" height="212" title="Dan on top of Star Trek rock" width="320" /></a>We made it out there in the early afternoon and I could recognize the iconic rock right away. With a squee of excitement we climbed it for the view. The park was practically empty, perhaps because it was a hot day. We shared our perch with one other family just as they were about to leave.<br />
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Someone in the parking lot told us that the hiking was pretty much go where you please, so we ended up doing just that. Originally, we attempted to follow a well worn path, but quickly turned off course when that path continued forward for quite a ways, did I mention it was hot?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RlgArt5oVVdMe0VF7GEIBvwfYGNxi6aNysbMGW6gzwMX4VgT7VmTg8XGQ3iERGLlaCkMbF67KhGE3B3pHgfWM_wzNTxmunyEuxtYK6Cs0EJgzYxINQfv1qJID1gzC3_F10oucheX2xo/s1600/Vasquez.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9RlgArt5oVVdMe0VF7GEIBvwfYGNxi6aNysbMGW6gzwMX4VgT7VmTg8XGQ3iERGLlaCkMbF67KhGE3B3pHgfWM_wzNTxmunyEuxtYK6Cs0EJgzYxINQfv1qJID1gzC3_F10oucheX2xo/s1600/Vasquez.gif" height="212" title="Hills at Vasquez Rocks" width="320" /></a>We decided to try and make a loop back to the Star Trek rock by following some of the smaller paths. This created quite the adventure.<br />
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You may have noticed that these rock formations make plateau like platforms. This created some issue when we would follow a path, that disappeared onto a rock, which in turn would lead toward a cliff. Did I mention it was about 100 degrees hot?<br />
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We seemed to wander for quite a while, twisting and turning in our attempt to get back to the air conditioned car. After two hours and 3.5 miles, we triumphantly made it back to our vehicle. At the time, I don't think I could have been more excited to be inside a car than at that moment. I was even able to show off my magical ability of turning cherry red and not sweat but actually get the chills from heat! It's a cool trick.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSN6rEBurDBGrRqU9JuPN7C0Rte8SVT1MTvndA6QOW-M_yYdaA-R1gjZQlNFnLBVLz1KwrxmVWz-m1p2qd2lYY57pgxC2d4Sykn16ZPM86gMBTJZ5fbXF7ODXHqCBrbOtrOSGYf3-3OI/s1600/rocks.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSN6rEBurDBGrRqU9JuPN7C0Rte8SVT1MTvndA6QOW-M_yYdaA-R1gjZQlNFnLBVLz1KwrxmVWz-m1p2qd2lYY57pgxC2d4Sykn16ZPM86gMBTJZ5fbXF7ODXHqCBrbOtrOSGYf3-3OI/s1600/rocks.gif" title="Fun rock at Vasquez Rocks" /></a></div>
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In reality, it was a great time and and amazing hike. The rocks were unique to what I've seen before and the adventure in and of itself was fun.<br />
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But, I think next time I'll wait till winter. :)<br />
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You might be surprised with the variety of milks available. Soy, almond, coconut, rice, oat, hemp. etc. Each type of non-dairy milk is known for having different properties. Out of all the different varieties of milk, hemp is the most nutritious, and most delicious too. Yet, most people don’t even know that hemp seeds can easily be made into milk.</div>
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What is amazing about hemp milk is it is packed full of nutrients. It is one of the most healthful milks one can consume, with the highest good fat (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and protein content per serving. It is packed with magnesium, phytosterols, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, calcium, fiber, iron, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavn, niacin, and thiamin.</div>
It is also one of the best sources of omega-3 and omega-6 in the proper ratio. Alone, hemp contains all 9 essential amino acids, along with all 21 known proteins, making it one of the best sources of complete proteins for vegans and non-vegans alike. It is also great for those with gluten intolerance.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I recently started seeing hemp milk on the shelves of my local co-op and health food store. This is a great thing to see, except for one problem. I was unable to find organic, and they are all fortified with added ingredients. Some fortified ingredients can be good, for example all hemp milks I saw in the store were fortified with B-12, but they also contain preservatives to retain good shelf life and may contain more sugar than you may like.</div>
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I decided to attempt making my own hemp milk and was surprised to discover how incredibly fast and easy it is. The best part is that when making it at home it is raw, can easily be organic, and it’s fresh. You also have the ability to fine tune your recipe to fit your personal taste palate. You can even mix in a tablespoon of flaxseed to add another nutrient boost. Flax is also full of amino acids and a great omega-6 and omega-3 ratio.</div>
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One of the beauties of hemp milk is the ease of making it. As simple as combining hulled hemp seeds and water, anyone can produce their own milk with the knowledge that they are consuming healthy, hearty, nutrient-filled milk.</div>
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With the following ingredients you can make your own hemp milk:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC8wOW8-9v8DMqOSCHDbKeKWCkXvOznSto2JBB1yi-hsQja2KY16uDPJzsGYGfSNc9WHCHLhxCzY3HRr9Rc6ngFi-dpgoGOf-08QtAJ0Q9L88W3OXsfN5l2n7lU4wGeaszmPWkeWMOtk/s1600/hemp-milk-ingredients.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/AVvXsEhvC8wOW8-9v8DMqOSCHDbKeKWCkXvOznSto2JBB1yi-hsQja2KY16uDPJzsGYGfSNc9WHCHLhxCzY3HRr9Rc6ngFi-dpgoGOf-08QtAJ0Q9L88W3OXsfN5l2n7lU4wGeaszmPWkeWMOtk/s1600/hemp-milk-ingredients.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">1/2 cup hulled Hemp Seeds</span></li>
<li>1 Tbsp Flaxseeds (optional)</li>
<li>3 cups water</li>
<li>1 Tbsp agave or other sweetener (to taste)</li>
<li>1 pinch of sea or himalayan salt</li>
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Mix the ingredients in your blender on high until smooth. You may want to strain your milk through cheesecloth once or twice to get a smooth creamy texture, depending on your personal preference and the quality of your blender. You may also want to scoop off the top layer of foam.</div>
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Once you finish blending, put the milk into a sealed container and store in the fridge. It will keep for 3-5 days. It is great in teas and coffee, baking, cereals, and even as a stand alone drink.</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/04/29/consumer-confidential-hemp-hears-by-manitoba-harvest/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" title="Consumer Confidential: Hemp Hearts by Manitoba Harvest">Buying seeds</a> </span>in bulk can be a great way to save on cost. If you decide to buy in bulk, make sure to refrigerate your seeds and even freeze them if you get a large quantity. This will keep them fresh, but is not necessary if your fridge is always full like mine.</div>
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To create vanilla hemp milk, add another tablespoon of sweetener (or more to taste) and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend with the other ingredients. Enjoy!<br />
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First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/09/12/the-beauty-of-homemade-hemp-milk/" target="_blank">The Beauty of Hemp Milk</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-8015316023237452572013-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:002013-10-19T07:00:05.905-07:00How the GOP Created Obamacare<span style="clear: right; color: black; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="How the GOP Created Obamacare" height="255" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/themes/responz/themify/img.php?src=http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/obamacare-logo_full.jpg&w=474&h=&a=t" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="320" /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">With the next stages of the Affordable Healthcare Act being implemented and the recent GOP caused government shutdown, once again Republicans are fighting to repeal their much despised Obamacare. What is amazing about the Republican push against Obamacare is that in the 1990s, they were calling for the very system we are currently implementing.</span></div>
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In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton introduced a healthcare plan that sent Republican’s into a frenzy, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinton_health_care_plan_of_1993" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Clinton health care plan of 1993">Health Security Act of 1993</a>. They attacked Clinton’s proposal, claiming that their system would be better served for all Americans. But, the fight wasn’t against universal health care but how best to implement it.<br />
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Clinton’s proposal was a single-payer health care system, which is paid for by the government instead of individuals. While there are different variations of how single-payer works, the general idea is that instead of each person paying out of pocket, the government collects all insurance claims and pays it as a whole. A great example is Medicare, which is a single-payer system, but only covers seniors over the age of 65. Two different examples are the UK, which has health care run by the government, and Canada, which in basic terms has the government contract out to private companies.</div>
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The system that Mrs. Clinton proposed was a mandate that all employers must give their employees health care coverage. The hope was to get universal coverage for all Americans. But, Clinton faced strong opposition from conservatives. Sound familiar?</div>
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With staunch opposition to Clinton’s proposal, some conservatives came up with a different idea of what health care should look like in America. They believed that people should be covered, but that it should be run privately, not publicly as a single-payer system would encourage. This, at least until recently, was generally<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/28/nation/la-na-gop-insurance-mandate-20110529" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Many in GOP who oppose health insurance requirement used to favor it"> the GOP view</a> on health care. Democrats wanted government owned and Republicans wanted private owned, so what happened?</div>
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Mitt Romney, whom you may remember from the 2008 election, was the governor of Massachusetts and in 2006 enacted into law the<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </strong>Massachusetts health care insurance reform law also know as Romneycare. This Republican health care plan is <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/fieldclinic/Obamacare-vs-Romneycare-Is-there-a-difference.html" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Obamacare vs. Romneycare: Is there a difference? ">very similar to Obamacare</a> and its enactment was followed by the GOP pushing for their health care mandate in Washington in 2007.<br />
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By making health care coverage mandatory, Republicans saw the potential to save taxpayers money from the uninsured going to the ER or getting coverage only after they became sick, if possible. Based on previous GOP views, Obamacare begins to look like a compromise. Instead of asking for single-payer health care, President Obama settled with mandated, subsidized, privately insured health care that would allow people with pre-existing conditions the ability to gain coverage and force companies to spend their earnings on actual health care.</div>
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It would then beg the question, why the sudden idea of government forcing itself on the American people?</div>
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Somehow, someone thought this commercial was somehow not offensive, unsettling, and downright sexist.</div>
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From the infancy of the Affordable Health Care Act, the GOP has hated it. Tea Party members were elected on anti-Obamacare tickets, <a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/44543/37-failed-gop-attempts-to-repeal-obamacare-and-counting" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="37 Failed GOP Attempts to Repeal Obamacare and Counting">37 votes</a> to attempt to repeal it have failed in Congress, and in more recent news, a government shut down. The first time in history the government was shut down not to debate the actual spending bill, but to hold the country hostage on an unrelated piece of legislation. This shut down is already affecting millions of Americans and is completely unnecessary. When the government <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_1995_and_1996" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="United States federal government shutdown of 1995–96">shut down under Bill Clinton</a> the economy could handle the few days here and there to discuss the funding of Medicare. Today, the budget has nothing to do with Obamacare. So, once again, why?</div>
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Perhaps it is because Obama ran on his health care plan and it was his key issue. If he was unable to pass it into law, he may have been looked at as too young, too left. I was too young to understand the Clinton proposal in the 1990s, but with better understanding today, it is difficult for me to believe this is a fight for actual health care. The more I understand this debate the more I see it as a power struggle. If the GOP can defeat Obama’s health care triumph the stronger they look. But, the reality is, the longer they waste their time on this issue, the more people will understand that Obamacare is not going to destroy America as we know it or form a Communist dictatorship, but actually help people. Once people start understanding the legislation and seeing it for what it really is, a step in the right direction, they may start to question the complete and total blockade the GOP is trying to build. Because once the Affordable Care Act starts affecting peoples’ lives, the harder it will be to hate it.</div>
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First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/10/10/how-the-gop-created-obamacare/" target="_blank">How the GOP Created Obamacare</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-76976679487003430592013-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:002013-10-24T11:37:40.554-07:00Ventura<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMSRytpYjku-QiTCHoCCG2RrA-NK1Gh_mmeVKuFswbkKdHoiRdZI3RtlNpdj1f3zbjoljRzoCEk4-WmvDEDfMXV1VHbWfZEp8MwgYWMgZD0N4lA0atVqBWgnd8rGjpLy8uWY2jB79IfY/s1600/fly-a-kite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMSRytpYjku-QiTCHoCCG2RrA-NK1Gh_mmeVKuFswbkKdHoiRdZI3RtlNpdj1f3zbjoljRzoCEk4-WmvDEDfMXV1VHbWfZEp8MwgYWMgZD0N4lA0atVqBWgnd8rGjpLy8uWY2jB79IfY/s1600/fly-a-kite.jpg" height="400" title="Flying kites" width="265" /></a></div>
Ventura is just south of Santa Barbara and we recently took a trip up there to see family and enjoy the beach.<br />
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The drive up was very relaxing and beautiful and since it wasn't too far away from us we decided to take Highway 1, which travels along the ocean. It was a clear day and we were able to see the ocean almost the entire ride. Perfect!<br />
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When we checked in we were pleased to see that our room had an ocean view. We headed downstairs for a beer on the patio and to chat and catch up with our family.</div>
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Once we started to feel the chill of the fog rolling in we split up and Dan and I walked around the downtown a while. The stores were mainly second hand shops with a lot of interesting things in the windows. From Star Wars Pez to classic sewing machines. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to go into any of them and see if we could find any hidden treasures, because we were in charge of finding a place for dinner. Seeing as how Dan and I were the only veg heads we didn't pick the only vegan joint in town, although I was very curious to see if it was good. Next time.<br />
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We found a beer bar that had 100 or so beers on tap and enjoyed a brew before getting together with the family for dinner. It was a fun place, but a bit too sports bar for my taste. Also, there wasn't any edible food so we were lucky we didn't pick that place for dinner.<br />
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Coincidentally, the fair was in town and right next to our hotel. Although we had no interest in going, we were lucky enough to be on the fair side of the hotel and got to see fireworks! It was a pretty good show and had some fun designs. I think one exploded a bit too soon, but luckily it was above the water, so it just sizzled out. We had a patio, so we sat outside and enjoyed the show.<br />
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After the fireworks we hit our pillows. It was a long, fun day. </div>
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On Sunday we walked down to the beach and took a quick stroll before grabbing lunch with the in-laws. It was slightly overcast, but the fog burned off quickly. The beach was surprisingly empty and it was very peaceful.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhGo5VuHJhNqVTK_SYy2fMh0DCDnU_SpywxmFeF9wZe7A4pmxXcZ_ILrKsPNQ06PLG8syMLIYn_hO6rFumyiLrV-fYM31m0ZNt-4FFQ5hiVZi3ISNwTr2UKc2Zrdkk_isYP_ju4GyzNQ/s1600/Ventura-Pier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhGo5VuHJhNqVTK_SYy2fMh0DCDnU_SpywxmFeF9wZe7A4pmxXcZ_ILrKsPNQ06PLG8syMLIYn_hO6rFumyiLrV-fYM31m0ZNt-4FFQ5hiVZi3ISNwTr2UKc2Zrdkk_isYP_ju4GyzNQ/s1600/Ventura-Pier.jpg" height="424" title="Ventura Pier" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYMHai-1M6CbwSz3XOFcSl1uBGDZJgOYERW-SGCcqW9wh4LDBcxiX1soJssH22YfIauYDQGRRA9UMAPjw_k-ALzxch5Vp1ghTTE2_Xr_W-1R4wgZAL1CH1UbxSP6eTwSYlagq3ZHaRew/s1600/poolside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYMHai-1M6CbwSz3XOFcSl1uBGDZJgOYERW-SGCcqW9wh4LDBcxiX1soJssH22YfIauYDQGRRA9UMAPjw_k-ALzxch5Vp1ghTTE2_Xr_W-1R4wgZAL1CH1UbxSP6eTwSYlagq3ZHaRew/s1600/poolside.jpg" height="212" title="Amber reading Dirty Wars poolside" width="320" /></a></div>
We walked back downtown with the in-laws and had a yummy sandwich at a juice bar. I think it may have been fully vegetarian, but I honestly can't remember.<br />
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Once we finished lunch we made our way back to the hotel and sat by the pool for a while. We watched the little one swim in the pool for a bit and I got in a few pages of reading before I started to doze off, so I wasn't very productive. But I suppose that's what weekends are for! We, all too soon, said our goodbyes and headed home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSbtYsMQ2CpUWnhp3NrJlPHYcpEVB3QJCqCL_bNrSgEZmYz4rdhcgxKgeBiLFE5AbIGZ4GHaG8ASrkJga8MKPH_MKvWDR2qZQRheQyZq5TTFd8o5__BRCzd5Xmyl4CQUl45kYkahwps8/s1600/Made-in-LA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSbtYsMQ2CpUWnhp3NrJlPHYcpEVB3QJCqCL_bNrSgEZmYz4rdhcgxKgeBiLFE5AbIGZ4GHaG8ASrkJga8MKPH_MKvWDR2qZQRheQyZq5TTFd8o5__BRCzd5Xmyl4CQUl45kYkahwps8/s1600/Made-in-LA.jpg" height="213" title="Made In LA. Golden Road Brewing" width="320" /></a></div>
Of course since we were in the car and out of the city, we figured we might as well stop at Golden Road Brewery for a beer and dinner. It was sorta kinda on the way, so why not?<br />
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It is basically our favorite place in Los Angeles so it would have been difficult to pass up the chance to go. We were surprised to find that they had changed their menu a bit, sadly taking away our favorite quinoa burger, but enjoyed it none the less. Thank all things good they didn't take the vegan oreo cheesecake off the menu. That would have been traumatizing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMO5MgL6-pGg5KnJej63TE7kAUPu2J92FbdXiT5h8rdunK8cH0xcRQSQONAK-I_FGtmlfiHuX3DuShw6iau16__Bo5_053LkU6ri-nAs_2fm6W1ZwHhjuHjOxI-NFaBPefTS2AzCysxI/s1600/tracks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMO5MgL6-pGg5KnJej63TE7kAUPu2J92FbdXiT5h8rdunK8cH0xcRQSQONAK-I_FGtmlfiHuX3DuShw6iau16__Bo5_053LkU6ri-nAs_2fm6W1ZwHhjuHjOxI-NFaBPefTS2AzCysxI/s1600/tracks.jpg" height="320" title="Amtrak tracks" width="212" /></a></div>
Since Ventura is right along the coast the train passes through. We were tempted to take that in, but being in California, it would have taken all day (our passenger train system is pathetic).<br />
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Perhaps we can take the train up sometime, check out that vegan joint, get more beer (of course), and go treasure hunting in some of the stores there. I'm dying to take the train, so this may be a great chance to go without it being too far away.<br />
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I thought of taking it up north but that would be literally an entire day on the train. That would be fun, but typically we only get a few days when we go up, so it would probably feel like a waste. I wish they would build the new train already!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05743346596202341950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3001494449132501519.post-89083937142134611682013-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:002013-10-13T08:00:03.317-07:00REVIEW: Blackfish – An Inside Look At Killer Whales In Captivity At SeaWorld<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhz-XG04enze4I7a5maX_7pxR0KhKxTbxWSUzR4X-RvGIoCYH0bdqaXDwZteP3IOTLp4iDxoTCbyX5E0vgJpHK96C-qRjdPtRhL_p_EMFWKnaB3W3az5xIr95wBt0QxAFW4cCao26cUxlQQM82QeFGxEHb8a000XkDGQW9l_7NCgdma1ipb6F9oP2V1eh0eIMGLlHcKWueAa87iws5LiNd5uQ8dHFJe7HvJaTfUy4DiIbiiPl681asjNYSvQzBrBO0IK5lw43y3u-EJSH54WzfBN4uGVaPnuulqIQ=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="REVIEW: Blackfish – An Inside Look At Killer Whales In Captivity At SeaWorld" border="0" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/themes/responz/themify/img.php?src=http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/blackfishladybud.jpg&w=474&h=&a=t" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" /></a>When I was a kid I loved <a href="http://seaworld.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">SeaWorld</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">. Watching animal shows and hoping to get splashed was the best part, of course. The trainers would talk about the orca as if they loved to do these shows, that this behavior was normal for them in the wild. So, when I went into this film, the child in me was devastated to find out that this amazing show was a farce.</span>
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<i><a href="http://www.blackfishmovie.com/" target="_blank">Blackfish</a> </i>is a documentary that takes a hard look into the reality of orca’s (a.k.a. Killer Whales) lives in captivity. The film begins with a rough looking fisherman almost breaking down in tears talking about the capture expedition he went on in 1983. In this expedition, they captured a baby orca, named Tilikum, off the coast of Iceland.<br />
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Tilikum is the focal point of the film. The largest male orca in captivity (12,000 lbs), Tilikum has been involved in three deaths over the course of his captive life. He started his career at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand_of_the_Pacific" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Sealand of the Pacific</a> in Canada, which was little more than a net in the ocean. Tilikum, along with two other females, was regularly shown off to spectators.</div>
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In a pod, or family, of orca in the wild, females are dominant. With Tilikum being so large, in such a small space, he was constantly battered and “raked” by his fellow orca. Raking is exactly what it sounds like, one orca drags their teeth across another’s body. This does happen in the wild, but very superficially and the orca under attack can easily get away from the offender, whereas in captivity, these rakes can be very damaging. With nowhere to escape, Tilikum was constantly forced into small spaces with more dominate females who would act aggressively toward him. Between raking and sleeping in a cramped module, it is very likely that Tilikum was mentally damaged by this treatment.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Dawn-Tilikum.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[5571]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Dawn Brancheu's first photo with Tilukum the orca, who would later kill her. " class="size-medium wp-image-5594" height="225" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Dawn-Tilikum-300x225.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></span></a><br />
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Dawn Brancheau’s first photo with Tilukum the orca, who would later kill her.</div>
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Having a good understanding of animal rights, I prepared myself for tears throughout the film, but I was surprised to find that this movie was not an in-your-face, “you’re a terrible person because you go to SeaWorld!” kind of film. The director, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1363250/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Gabriela Cowperthwaite</a>, gave a Q&A after the film and the first thing she said was that she had not gone into this as an activist, but as a mother who would bring her children to SeaWorld. She had heard about the death of <a href="http://www.dawnsfoundation.org/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Dawn Brancheau</a>, one of the most experienced SeaWorld trainers, and could not understand why the orca would lash out at their trainer, the person who fed them and clearly loved them.</div>
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Dawn was the third, and as of today, final death involving Tilikum. The first incident happened at Sealand of the Pacific in 1991 when Keltie Byrne slipped into the tank and was tossed back and forth between the three orca, to the horror of spectators. Keltie subsequently drowned and soon thereafter Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld and Sealand of the Pacific closed.</div>
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The second incident has some strange circumstances surrounding the event. Daniel P. Dukes was a guest at the park and was able to elude security after the park closed for the night and was found the next morning in Tilikum’s tank. He was pronounced dead due to hypothermia and drowning, but was also covered in multiple wounds, contusions and abrasions. The people interviewed in the film found the incident suspect, because it is well known that SeaWorld is covered in cameras and has night trainers on hand, yet there was no footage of Daniel’s death, and none of the trainers had noticed a person in the tank until the next morning.</div>
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The third and final death was of Dawn Brancheau, as I mentioned earlier. She was the last person trainers believed would die at the mercy of orca. As one of the former trainers stated, “What happened to her, really could have happened to anyone.” Right after the last show of the evening, Dawn was spending some quiet time with Tilikum, as per usual. While the details once again are murky, somehow Dawn was dragged into the tank and was pronounced dead from drowning after being in the tank for over a half hour with Tilikum.</div>
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What I really appreciate about this film was it doesn’t criminalize the people involved. In fact, most of those interviewed were former trainers. These people saw orca and fell in love. All they wanted to do was to be with these majestic animals and would never want to cause harm to them.</div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tilikum.jpg" rel="prettyPhoto[5571]" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="A killer whale with a curled-over fin." class="size-medium wp-image-5595" height="201" src="http://www.ladybud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/tilikum-300x201.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></span></a><br />
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A killer whale with a curled-over fin.</div>
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It was interesting to hear SeaWorld had not disclosed information about previous incidents. When they did give information, it was often skewed and misleading. With the death of Dawn, the company went so far as to say she would have blamed herself for her death.</div>
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SeaWorld was shown to also give misleading information to guests of the park. For example, it is common enough to see an orca in captivity with their fin falling over. SeaWorld claims this happens to 25% of orca, but in the wild, there are less than 1% of these cases known to scientists. SeaWorld also tells guests orca’s lifespans are much shorter than what is believed in the scientific community.</div>
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Mrs. Cowperthwaite constantly reached out to SeaWorld to be a part of the film, but never heard back from them. That is, not until 48 hours before the premiere to a national audience. They directly sent out a response to about 50 high profile film critics, most likely to discredit the film. You can find SeaWorld’s response along with Blackfish’s rebuttal <a href="http://blackfishmovie.com/news?seaworld_reacts_button" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="SeaWorld Reacts">here</a>.<a href="http://blackfishmovie.com/news?seaworld_reacts_button" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /></a></div>
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As I left the theatre, I had a quick word with Mrs. Cowperthwaite and thanked her for making this film. I told her I would tell everyone I knew to see this film, and I meant it. Please see this film. It was so well done and will give you a new perspective on animals in captivity.</div>
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What I have written about here only touches on some of the issues and details discussed in the film. Find out more about the film and find a screening near you by visiting their website: <a href="http://www.blackfishmovie.com/" style="margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Blackfish Movie">www.blackfishmovie.com</a></div>
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<span style="color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">WATCH THE TRAILER:</strong></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/w2vG_Ifu4zg" width="853"></iframe>
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<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">First published in <a href="http://www.ladybud.com/" target="_blank">Ladybud Magazine</a> here: </span></span><a href="http://www.ladybud.com/2013/07/24/review-blackfish-an-inside-look-at-killer-whales-in-captivity-at-seaworld/" target="_blank">REVIEW: Blackfish – An Inside Look At Killer Whales In Captivity At SeaWorld</a></div>
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