Leisure at the Lake Adventure: Final Thoughts

Odds and ends, concluding thoughts, and whatnot about the trip.

Farmer Pickles brought the most low maintenance dog i've ever met.  She is a cross between a Chihuahua and another very small breed, most likely a Mexican Hairless.  Most of the time she was so quiet, and so good, sitting and simply watching all of the goings on, that i even forgot she was there.

When she wanted to go out, she would give one tiny yip.  That's all.  No running around, barking and yapping like most of the small dogs i've met.  Pickles noted that the dog used to be much more excitable, but now that her own life was calmer and she never reacted with nervousness around the dog, and set a standard for behavior, the dog was calm like that.  It amazed me.


We were discussing making a soup with leftovers (which we never needed to do, but we did talk about it), and Westie brought the house down at one point by saying, "Yes, you know, you make the veggie soup with what's in the fridge, like the carrots that need Viagra!"  Now i can't think of carrots without laughing, at least silently.


Driving through the hills (yes, i've been in the mountains, and i know we were just in the hills), we didn't get to a very high altitude, but it was still a lot for my flatlander eyes to feast on, and several times i had to swallow to pop my ears.  Whatever we do next year, i hope i can get to see mountains, because as much as i love swamps and beaches, i don't get to see mountains often enough.


There were rest areas in every single state we drove through, except Louisiana.  Louisiana has closed all of its interstate rest areas, with the exception of the welcome centers at the state lines.  This is a sad and sorry commentary, that every other state can have rest stops, and we don't.  Yes, i know, they weren't as much used any more now that every exit has a gas station with a store attached and a couple of fast food choices, but still.  Each one we stopped at was clean, had vending machines that will sell you the same junk you get at the little stores, and had security provided.


After spending four days driving -- two up there and two back -- and thus traveling about 2,000 miles round trip, seeing a good chunk of the country, i can say the interstate system would be a great way to get around the country quickly if there weren't always so much of it under construction.


There's so much to do when you get home that you can barely think what to do first.  In my case it was to get my kitchen back in some semblance of order, and clean the litter boxes.  Also, tend to the A/C, which will need even more attention when i get back in town from Grandpa's big night.


Today is:

Albuquerque International Balloon Festival -- Albuquerque, NM, US ("Enchanted Sunrise" is the word for 9 days of fun)

Armed Forces Day -- Indonesia (Hari Tentara Nasional)

Cohocton Fall Foliage Festival -- Cohocton, NY, US (with the world famous tree-sitting contest; through tomorrow)

Constitution Day -- Vanuatu

Do Something Nice Day -- internet generated; make someone's day brighter, it will brighten your own

Fell's Point Fun Festival -- Baltimore, MD, US (two day festival in Baltimore's original seaport)

Festival of the Five Toes -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (held to placate the Manes, on dates when it was believed the doors to the underworld were open and the dead were free to roam)

Inter-American Water Day -- begun in 1992 by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (AIDIS) and the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA)

International Frugal Fun Day -- created by Shel Horowitz, author of The Penny-Pinching Hedonist; some of his ideas for how to celebrate are here

Issaquah Salmon Days Festival -- Issaquah, WA, US (celebrates the return of the spawning salmon to the hatchery; through tomorrow)

Johnny Appleseed Days -- Lake City, MN, US (two days of ayearpples and fun)

Knox County Scenic Drive -- Knox County, IL, US (drive through up to 100 miles of scenic rural Spoon River Valley, with attractions at every stop; this weekend and next)

Long Walk Day -- David Kunst finished his walk around the world on this day in 1974; go for a long walk in his honor

Morro Bay Harbor Festival -- Morro Bay, CA, US (a working waterfront at play; through tomorrow)

Most Common Birthday -- US (yes, according to Anybirthday.com, on average, more people are born in the US on this day than any other; wonder if it has anything to do with today being 9 months after New Year's Eve?)

National Apple Betty Day

National Apple Harvest Festival -- Gettysburg, PA, US (this weekend and next)

Navaratri Dusserha/Dasain/Dashain/Dasara -- Hindu (Festival of Dirva, wife of Shiva, and a time to go back home and reconnect with family, especially in Nepal and parts of India; through the 13th; local dates and official government days off will vary)
     Ghatasthapana -- Nepal

Noisy Munching Day -- a fun day for kids, or your own inner child; munch chips, celery, pickles, anything loud, to annoy others

Nubaigai -- Pagan Lithuanian Calendar (harvest festival; can't get independent confirmation that it's always on this day)

Pumpkin and Apple Celebration -- Woodstock, VT, US (lots of hands on fun with apples and pumpkins; through tomorrow)

Qatar Prix L'arc de Triomphe -- Longchamp Race-course, Paris, France (one of the world's greatest horse races, first run in 1920; through tomorrow)

Republic Day -- Portugal

Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive -- Fulton County, IL, US (15 villages participate in arts and crafts, antiques, collectibles, demonstrations, and showing off the beauty of the fall foliage; through tomorrow and again next Saturday and Sunday)

St. Placid's Day

Thesmophoria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (start of a 3 day women's festival of Demeter; date approximate)

Unicorn Questing Season begins -- as established by the late W. T. "Bill" Rabe, get your official license here (http://www.lssu.edu/banished/uh_license.php)

Vegetarian Festival -- Phuket, Thailand (lots of purification rituals and a rigid vegetarian/vegan diet are observed for spiritual cleansing and ensuring good luck; through the 13th)

Woofstock -- Wichita, KS, US (celebrate peace, love and pets; bring your pup and participate as all proceeds go to the Kansas Humane Society)

World Card Making Day -- Paper Crafts Magazine suggests you have fun and make a card today

World Teachers Day -- UN


Birthdays Today:

Maya Ying Lin, 1959
Bernie Mac, 1957
Bob Geldof, 1954
Karen Allen, 1951
Glynis Johns, 1923
Donald Pleasence, 1919
Allen Ludden, 1917
Larry Fine, 1902
Louis Lumiere, 1864
Chester A. Arthur, 1829
Denis Diderot, 1713
Jonathan Edwards, 1703


Debuting/Premiering Today

Monty Python's Flying Circus, 1969
Zane Grey Theater, 1956
You Bet Your Life, 1950


Today in History:

Founding of the city of Concepcion, Chile, 1550
The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Italy and other Catholic countries, 1582
March on Versailles by the women of Paris, 1789
Shawnee Chief Tecumseh killed in the battle of the Thames, 1813
Founding of the City of Anaheim, 1857
Destruction of most of Calcutta by cyclone, approximately 60,000 die, 1864
A strong hurricane devastates the Bay of Fundy region of Maritime Canada, 1869
The surrender of Chief Joseph, after the 1,700 mile retreat, marks the end of the Nez Pierce War, 1877
The first individual time trial for racing cyclists is held on a 50-mile course north of London, 1895
Sir Samuel Griffith is appointed the first Chief Justice of Australia and Sir Edmund Barton and Richard O'Connor are appointed as foundation justices, 1903
First appearance of the Little Orphan Annie comic strip in the NYC Daily News, 1924
Suffrage is extended to women in France, 1944
The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake kills 110,000, 1948
The first documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held,
1953Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released, 1962
The first episode of the famous comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus aired on BBC, 1969
Signature of the European Patent Convention, 1973
Raoul Wallenberg is made an honorary US citizen, 1981
Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, 1984
The first official version of the Linux kernel, version 0.02, is released, 1991
The Bulldozer Revolution begins in Belgrade, eventually leading to the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic, 2000
A new, though threatened, language known as Koro, is discovered by a team of linguists on an expedition to Arunachal Pradesh, in northeastern India , 2010