Our Life in Illinois

New Year in Chicago

2016-01-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

Puerto Rico - 16th September 2015

2015-09-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

San Juan is the capital and most populous municipalityin the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States. It had a population of approximately 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico ("Rich Port City"). Puerto Rico's capital is the second oldest European-established capital city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.

Today, San Juan is the Puerto Rico's most important seaport, and is the island's manufacturing, financial, cultural, and tourism centre. The population of the Metropolitan Area, including San Juan and its municipalities, is about 2 million inhabitants; thus, about half the population of Puerto Rico now lives and works in this area. The city has been the host of events within the sports community, including the 1979 Pan American Games, 1966 Central American and Caribbean Games, events of the 2006, 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics, the Caribbean Series and theSpecial Olympics and MLB San Juan Series in 2010.

View from our hotel - Caribe Hilton

San Felipe del Morro Castle

Lying on the northwestern-most point of the islet of Old San Juan, Castillo San Felipe del Morro is named in honour of King Philip II of Spain. The fortification, also referred to as el Morro or 'the promontory,' was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay, and defend the Spanish colonial port city of San Juan from seaborne enemies.
The construction of the citadel and its surrounding walls began in 1539 on orders of King Charles V of Spain. Its main purpose was to defend the port of San Juan by controlling the entry to its harbour.

Santamaria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

City wall with look-out tower

City Trolley - Free ride around the old city to see the tourist attractions

Typical street in the old town

Sad to see some neglected colonial buildings.

Typical Colonial Building

Department of State Building

Pigeon Park - San Cristo Street

Afternoon cocktails

Cristo Chapel was built to commemorate what legend says was a miracle. In 1753, a young rider lost control of his horse in a race down this very street during the fiesta of St. John’s Day and plunged over the precipice. Moved by the accident, the secretary of the city, Don Mateo Pratts, invoked Christ to save the youth, and he had the chapel built when his prayers were answered. Today it’s a landmark in the old city and one of its best-known historical monuments. The chapel’s gold and silver altar can be seen through its glass doors. Because the chapel is open only 1 day a week, most visitors have to settle for a view of its exterior.

Cristo Chapel

There were 6 gates around the city. La Puerta de San Juan is the only one remaining, making it a precious historic landmark in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The gate was named in honour of Saint John the Baptist. As you walk through it, pause and notice how thick the city walls are. As soon as you pass the gate, you’ll find vendors at the corner of the street with refreshments including Puerto Ricans’ favourite, the piragua.

La Puerta de San Juan

The Cathedral of San Juan Bautista is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico. The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in San Juan, located in Old San Juan, and is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas. The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, is the oldest.

The original cathedral in what was the city of Puerto Rico (changed to San Juan after the Spanish-American War) was constructed from wood in 1521. It was destroyed by a hurricane and the current structure constructed in 1540, being reshaped in later centuries, the last time being in 1917.

City Walls

La Rogativa

In Spanish, the word, “rogativa” means “supplication or prayer”. One of the enduring legends of the 1797 British siege of San Juan is that of La Rogativa: that divine intervention led to the British abandonment of the attack following a religious procession of the women of San Juan, praying for the salvation of their city. The legend itself describes a prayer procession led by the Bishop held in honour of Saint Catherine and Saint Ursula and her eleven thousand virgin handmaidens.

This procession left the Cathedral after dark on 30 April with every participant, many of them women, carrying a candle or torch. The procession, in prayer, wound around all the streets of the city, not returning to the Cathedral until daybreak. Bells ringing from the towers of the Cathedral and other churches accompanied the supplicants. The British commander, General Abercromby, upon seeing the seemingly endless line of torches, along with hearing the bells, mistook the procession for a significant reinforcement of the capital by troops from the countryside. Recognising that the current military standoff would only worsen for the British with the arrival of so many more Puerto Rican recruits, Abercromby ordered the British troops to reembark their transports and by 1 May, the British ships were seen at full sail, heading away from the island.

Inside "Rums of Puerto Rico" on the Paseo de la Princesa. This bar was celebrating 450 years of Puerto Rican Rum

Typical Puerto Rican Cuisine

Iguana

Courtesy of Wikipedia. We searched every where to see this "Couqui" tree frog but never saw one.

Cruise ships passed by our hotel every evening.

Castillo San Cristóbal, also known as Fort San Cristóbal. It was built by Spain to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. It is part of San Juan National Historic Site.

Castillo San Cristóbal is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. When it was finished in 1783, it covered about 27 acres of land and basically wrapped around the city of San Juan. Entry to the city was sealed by San Cristóbal's double gates. After close to one hundred years of relative peace in the area, part of the fortification (about a third) was demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city.

Rum shots with a touch of aniseed

This is supposedly the smallest apartment in the world.

Street Art on the walls of the Salsa club

El Yunque National Park Puerto Rico - 15th September 2015

2015-09-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

El Yunque National Forest, previously known as the 'Luquillo National Forest' is located in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is the only tropical rain forest in the United States Commonwealth. The forest is commonly known as El Yunque. The second-tallest mountain within El Yunque is also named El Yunque. El Yunque National Rainforest is located on the slopes of the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, covering 28,000 acres (43.7 square miles or 113.3 square kilometres) of land, making it the largest block of public land in Puerto Rico. El Toro, the highest mountain peak in the forest rises 1,065 metres (3,494 ft) above sea level. Ample rainfall (over 200 inches a year in some areas) creates a jungle-like setting with lush foliage, crags, waterfalls, and rivers. The forest has a number of trails from which the jungle-like territory's flora and fauna can be appreciated.

At an elevation of 1,476 feet (450 meters) above sea level, La Coca Falls is the first spectacular feature seen when traveling up to the Forest. The waters of La Coca Falls drop 85 feet (26 meters) onto a huge rock formation at the bottom of the falls. This is an excellent spot to take photos.

Native Tree Snail

Puerto Rican Green Anole

Spotted Lizard Anole

Yokahu Tower is one of the top two or three spots in all of El Yunque National Forest. Yokahu Tower is an observation tower that you can climb to the top for outstanding views.

Tree Fern

La Mina Trail in El Yunque is one of the most popular hikes in the rain forest along with Big Tree Trail. The reason; they both take you to the beautiful 35 foot waterfall at La Mina Falls where the water flows over huge rocks into a pool, where you can enjoy a cool (make that COLD) refreshing swim. The trail follows the course of the La Mina River downward through lush tropical trees, shrubs and flowers to the La Mina waterfall (Cascada La Mina). Along the way, it crosses and re-crosses the rushing river on many small bridges, passing tiny cascades and still pools filled with chilled mountain water, on its way to the falls.

Spotted Lizard Anole

Common Anole

Santa Fe de Antioquia Colombia - 1st May 2015

2015-05-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of Medellín, the department capital. It has a population of approximately 23,000 inhabitants.

Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robledo as Villa de Santafé on the western bank of the Cauca River, in 1545 it received the coat of arms and the title of City of Antioquia from King Philip II of Spain. It was elevated to the status of parish in 1547 by the bishop of Popayán. It changed its name in 1584 when it became the capital of Antioquia. It was a mining town from its beginnings and the gold mining operation has been the base of its economy.

Its cathedral was constructed in 1799 and elevated to Diocese of Antioquia in 1804 by Pope Pius VII. In 1813 Antioquia was declared a sovereign and independent state with Santa Fe as its capital, a status it maintained until 1826, when Medellín was chosen as the new departmental seat. Due to the state of conservation of its colonial architecture, it was declared a national monument in 1960.

Río Cauca

Family and Friends

Yarumo Blanco Tree

Blue Tanager

Town Square with the Cathederal in the back ground

Street Market

Motor Taxi

Smoked Chorizo

My favourite beer in Colombia

Deep fried Pig's intestines

River Amazon in Colombia - April 27th 2015

2015-04-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

Leticia is the southernmost city in the Republic of Colombia, capital of the department of Amazonas, Colombia's southernmost town and one of the major ports on the Amazon river. It has an elevation of 96 meters above sea level and an average temperature of 27 °C (80.6 °F). Leticia has long been Colombia's shipping point for tropical fishes for the aquarium trade. Leticia has approximately 33,000 inhabitants on the left bank of the Amazon river, and is located at the point where Colombia, Brazil and Peru come together in an area called Tres Fronteras.

A long-standing border dispute involving Leticia, between Colombia and Peru, was decided in 1934 by the League of Nations after these two nations were engulfed in an armed conflict known as the Colombia-Peru War. This was the first instance of action by an international body using its powers covered by the Monroe Doctrine.

Amazon Jungle viewed from our Aeroplane

Leticia Airport Colombia

Cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, and copoasu, is a tropical rain forest tree related to cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the jungles of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru, with the largest production in Pará, followed by Amazonas, and Rondônia.

Cupuaçu trees usually range from 5 to 15 meters (16 to 50 feet) in height. They have brown bark and leaves are 25–35 cm (10–14 in) long and 6–10 cm (2–4 in) across, with 9 or 10 pairs of veins. As they mature, the leaves change from pink-tinted to green, and eventually they begin bearing fruit. Cupuaçu fruits are oblong, brown, and fuzzy, 20 cm (8 in) long, 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in weight, and covered with a thick (4–7 mm), hard skin.

Cupuazú Fruits

Fruit Market in Leticia Colombia

Flooded River Amazon (10 Metres or 33 Feet above normal)

Colombian Naval Vessel

Hotel Decameron Deca Ticuna in Leticia

Amazona Ghost Gecko

Parroquia Nuestra Senora De La Paz.

Typical Tourist Shop

Giant Anaconda in the Hotel dinning area

Indian Shaman

The Blue house is the last house in Colombia. Two Metres (Yards) to the right is the start of Brazil

'Victoria Amazonica' Giant Water Lilies

Monkey Island

Marpesia Berania Berania

Grey River Dolphin

Pink River Dolphin

Large Billed tern

Amazona Tribal Fishermen

Siproeta Stelenes

Flooded Tribal Tourist Store

Flooded Hotel in Puerto Narino

Puerto Narino. An Eco-Town. No Cars or Motorcycles allowed

During the Rainy season, these walkways are the only way to get around.

Fresh captured fish in Puerto Narino

Far left you can see one of the houses under water in Puerto Narino

Look out tower in Puerto Narino

Rainbow on the Amazon River

Refugio Amazonas

Local Taxi

Brazilian Boarder - No Boarder Controls. Gateway to the town of Tabatinga

Brazilians just love sandals - Must be 30 or more shops all in the same street

Its not so easy to take your catch home when the Town is partially flooded.

Not sure of the name of this snake, but the Brazilians said it was very poisonous.

EVIDENCE - This cheeky Monkey stole my Rum and Coke

Plane used to belong to Pablo Escobar. Was shot down in Brazil with over $6 Million on Board. Later the money went missing.

Brazilian Fisherman

Photo taken in Brazil. To the right the trees are in Colombia, and to the left in Peru

Fresh cooked fish at a native Indian house deep in the jungle.

The Indian Family. The were super and shared many stories with us

Luna Eclipse - 4th April 2015

2015-04-04T05:15:00.000-05:00

We set our alarm for 5am on Saturday 4th April 2015 in order to see the Luna Eclipse. We stayed in our pyjamas, put on a coat and headed outside in near zero temperatures.

Below are the pictures we took. We were not able to see a full eclipse as the moon ducked behind a group of trees. However, I am very impressed with the pictures we did get. The images are in sequence.

05:12am

05:14am

05:16am

05:23am

05:26am

05:28am

05:31am

05:33am

05:41am

Downton Abbey Party - 28th March 2015

2015-03-28T17:30:00.000-05:00

Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series created by Julian Fellowes and co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. It first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 26th September 2010 and on PBS in the United States on 9th January 2011. Five series have been made so far; the fifth airing in the autumn of 2014 in the UK and Ireland, and began airing in the United States on 4th January 2015. A sixth series was commissioned, which, on 26th March 2015, was confirmed to be the final series.

The series is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with the great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Such events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; the inter-war period and the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series; the Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series; and the United Kingdom general election of 1923.

So..... we decided to make a Downton Abbey party at our house. We had Charleston Music playing on our iPod/Bose, The TV was showing the series in the back ground with no volume, and typical food from period....... Cooked Lamb, Victoria Sponge, Malt Vinegar Pickled Onions, etc all home made.

Below are some pictures from the party...... By the way what a huge success this was.

Red Carpet

Home-made Victoria Sponge

Antiques from the period

The Beautiful Hostess

Welcome to Downton Abbey

The Abbey Flag Pole - Well Sort Of

Servants Bells on the Tableware

The Footman

The Hostess Awaits the Honourable Guests

The Picnic - Lamb, Salad, Home-made Mint Sauce

Fruits, Cheeses and Vegetables

Lord and Lady Ritschel

Lady Grimwade

Lord Zinneman and Lady O'Fallon

Lord Wayne and Lady Benoit

Lady Youngblood

Bald Eagle Watching - Chillicothe 2015

2015-02-16T16:30:00.000-06:00

Bald Eagle

Frozen Illinois River

Ring Billed Gull resting on the frozen river

This Bald Eagle is carved from an old tree with a chain saw

Ring Billed Gull

Bald Eagle Eating an Asian Carp.

2014 Year in Review

2014-12-31T07:56:00.000-06:00

Chichén Itzá, Mexico - 14th November 2014

2014-11-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

The Maya name "Chichén Itzá" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itzá."

The name is spelled Chichén Itzá in Spanish, and the accents are sometimes maintained in other languages to show that both parts of the name are stressed on their final syllable.

Chichén Itzá is located in the eastern portion of Yucatán state in Mexico. The northern Yucatán Peninsula is arid, and the rivers in the interior all run underground. There are two large, natural sinkholes, called cenotes, that could have provided plentiful water year round at Chichén Itzá, making it attractive for settlement. Of the two cenotes, the "Cenote Sagrado" or Sacred Cenote, is the most famous. According to post-Conquest sources (Maya and Spanish), pre-Columbian Maya sacrificed objects and human beings into the cenote as a form of worship to the Maya rain god Chaac. Edward Herbert Thompson dredged the Cenote Sagrado from 1904 to 1910, and recovered artifacts of gold, jade, pottery and incense, as well as human remains. A study of human remains taken from the Cenote Sagrado found that they had wounds consistent with human sacrifice. However our tour guide, a descendant of the Maya was insistent that the Maya community did not make human sacrifice.

Typical souvenir trader

Castillo de Kukulcan

Templo del Jaguar

Carvings in the Juego de Pelota

Juego de Pelota - Balls were thrown through the hoop

Local Resident

Skull Platform - Annual ceremonies held here to remember the dead.

Platforma de Venus

Selfie at Castillo Kukulcan

Grupo de las Mil Columnas

El Osario

El Caracol Observatorio

Ik Kil is a well known cenote outside Pisté in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán, Mexico, It is located in the northern centre of the Yucatán Peninsula and is part of the Ik Kil Archeological Park near Chichen Itza. It is open to the public for swimming and is often included in bus tours.
The cenote is open to the sky with the water level about 26 metres (85 ft) below ground level. There is a carved stairway down to a swimming platform. The cenote is about 60 metres (200 ft) in diameter and about 40 metres (130 ft) deep. There are vines which reach from the opening all the way down to the water along with small waterfalls. There are black catfish which swim in the cenote. Cenote Ik Kil is sacred to the Mayans and the Mayans used this cenote for both relaxation and ritual services.

Cenote - 'Ik Kill'

Inside the Cenote cavern

The view from the bottom of the Cenote

Playa del Maya, Mexico - 9th November 2014

2014-11-09T14:34:00.000-06:00

Secrets Silver Sands Hotel

Puerto Morelos

Luxury Snorkeling Boat!

Shopping in Puerto Morelos

White Winged Dove

Palm Tree

Ready for a Wedding

The Bride Arrives

The Groom Makes His Vows

The Bride Makes Her Vows

After The Wedding

Brown Pelican

Nice View from Here

Ruddy Turnstone

Red Snapper

Fresh Cooked Fish. Yummy

The Main Pool

Silvia Chilling with a Cocktail

Me Chilling with a Cocktail

Mexican Dancing

Mexican Tree Frog

Romantic Decoration on the Bed

Fresh Made Paella

Bare Throated Tiger Heron

Coral Washed up on the Beach

Brown Pelican

Mariachi Band

The French Restaurant

Fillet Minion

Chicken Supreme

Goodbye Mexico

Hyde Park London Animals - 23rd October 2014

2014-10-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

Coot

Mute Swan

Great Crested Grebe

Magpie

Greylag Goose

Crane

Black-Headed Gull (Winter Plumage)

Coot

Egyptian Goose

The Grey Squirrels are just nuts for nuts.

Geneva Switzerland - 19th October 2014

2014-10-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

View from our Daughters apartment

EasyJet, Budget Airline over the Jura Mountains

Our Grandson 'Loïc' gets his first Caterpillar

Grandad re-learns the art of feeding.

Swiss Sand Lizard

Swiss turtle taking in a bit of sun

Junction of the Rhöne (left) and the Arve (right) rivers

Yvoire is a medieval walled city located on Lac Leman; Haute-Savoie in the region of the Rhône-Alpes in south-eastern France. It is well known for its medieval buildings and beautiful flower decorations during the summer season. It is also recognised as one of the "most beautiful villages of France".
The town was fortified by Amadeus V in the 14th century. And gained a strategic military importance.

Family picture, one for the album

Happy Loic - He found something sticking out either side of his head (Ears)

Looks more like a boat to me!

Lunch time with Abuela

More feeding practice for grandad. He will be an expert soon.

First snow of the season on the Jura Mountains.

Greenwich London England - 16th October 2014

2014-10-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

Greenwich is located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and situated 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is famous for its maritime history and gives its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time.
Greenwich became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many Tudors, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.

Palace of Placentia

The Greenwich Meridian was established by Sir George Airy in 1851. By 1884, over two-thirds of all ships used it as the reference meridian on their charts and maps. In October of that year, at the behest of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur, 41 delegates from 25 nations met in Washington, D.C., USA, for the International Meridian Conference. This conference selected the meridian passing through Greenwich as the official prime meridian due to its popularity.

One foot in the East, and one foot in the West

First Shop in the World?

Well here's the confirmation

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) originally referred to the mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, and later became adopted as a global time standard. It is a term commonly used in the United Kingdom and countries of the Commonwealth, including Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Malaysia, and many other countries in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Before the introduction of UTC on 1 January 1972, Greenwich Mean Time (also known as Zulu time) was the same as Universal Time (UT), a standard astronomical concept used in many technical fields.

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich in London played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation, and is best known as the location of the prime meridian. It is situated on a hill in Greenwich Park, overlooking the River Thames.

The observatory was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the foundation stone being laid on 10 August. At that time the king also created the position of Astronomer Royal, to serve as the director of the observatory. John Flamsteed was appointed as the first AR.

Royal Observatory

Most Unusual Weather Vane?

The Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. Built on the Clyde in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion.

Cutty Sark - Above Ground

Cutty Sark - Below Ground

Other Pictures of Interest

William IV

The Meridian is in fact a huge Sundial

Millennium Dome - You may have seen this in some recent films.

Second Blood Moon in 2014

2014-10-08T07:36:00.004-05:00

15th April 2014

7th October 2014

Last Summer Boat Trip on the Illinois River - 7th September 2014

2014-09-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

Final day out tubing

Arthur - Amish Country - 24th August 2014

2014-08-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

Arthur, Illinois is a town of 2,200 residents located 10 miles west of Interstate 57 off exit 203 in East Central Illinois. Arthur is in the Heart of Illinois Amish Country, with more than 1,000 Amish families living in the countryside around Arthur.

Arthur's surrounding Amish settlement, was established in 1865 by a handful of families, and has grown to over 4,500 members. The Amish farm the rich land of the Arthur area with teams of six to eight horses, and operate numerous "country shops." The horse-drawn, black Amish buggies are a common sight around Arthur and Amish country.

Lincoln's Cabin - 24th August 2014

2014-08-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic site is a 0.3 square kilometre history park located eight miles (13 km) south of Charleston, Illinois, near the town of Lerna. Its centrepiece is a replica of the log cabin built and occupied by Thomas Lincoln, father of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. The younger Lincoln never lived here and visited infrequently, but he provided financial help to the household and, after Thomas died in 1851, Abraham owned and maintained the farm for his stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln.

In 1893, the original log cabin was disassembled and shipped northward to serve as an exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The original cabin was lost after the Exposition, and may have been used as firewood. However, the cabin had been photographed many times, and an exact replica was built from the photographs and from contemporary descriptions.

Replica of Lincoln's Hat

Thomas Lincoln's Log Cabin

Storage Shed for vegetables

Presque Isle, Erie - 29th July 2014

2014-07-29T09:46:00.000-05:00

Perry's Monument

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio's South Bass Island, in which Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry led a fleet to victory in one of the most significant naval battles to occur in the War of 1812.

The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of British Royal Navy. This ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war. It was one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812.

Presque Isle Light House

Wildlife on Presque Isle

The Beaches

Niagara Falls - 27th July 2014

2014-07-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

Niagara Falls is the name given for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States.
The three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island.
Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 50 Meters (165 ft). The falls are located 27 Kilometres (17 miles) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 121 Kilometres (75 miles) south-southeast of Toronto.

Horseshoe Falls

Skyline Tower

American Falls

Three Sisters Islands

Maid of The Mists

Dressed for a shower

Bridal Veil Falls (Far Right of Picture)

Getting drowned under the Horseshoe Falls

The Falls at Night

Buffalo New York - 26th July 2014

2014-07-26T08:11:00.000-05:00

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City.Buffalo is located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada. Buffalo has a population of 261,310 and the Buffalo–Niagara Area is home to 1,215,826 residents.
Originating around 1789 as a small trading community near the Buffalo Creek,Buffalo grew quickly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825. By 1900, Buffalo was the 8th largest city in the United States,and went on to become a major railroad hub, and the largest grain-milling center in the country.

Electric Tower

Buffalo City Hall

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery (Great Beers and Great Views)

Below

USS Croaker was built as part of the effort to assemble a major submarine force just prior to and after the US entry into the '2nd World War', USS Croaker was sent to the Pacific to wage a war of attrition against Japan’s merchant marine and Navy. USS Croaker had 6 WWII pacific war patrols, was awarded 3 battle stars, and claimed 11 Japanese vessels including a cruiser, four tankers, two freighters, an ammunition ship, two escort craft, and a minesweeper.

USS Croaker

Sad reminder of the cost of the Vietnam War. Spent several quite moments in reflection here.

Below

The USS Little Rock was the first ship to bear the name of Little Rock, Arkansas, and is the only guided missile cruiser on display in the US. USS Little Rock is the sole survivor of the Cleveland class, the most numerous of US wartime cruisers (29 vessels total). The Little Rock made four cruises to the Mediterranean and two to the North Atlantic. She served with distinction as flagship for both the Second and Sixth fleets.

USS Little Rock

Rainbow over the 'First Niagara Centre' Indoor Arena

Best way to finish the day - Oysters in the Bay.

Dubai (UAE) - 12th July 2014

2014-07-12T07:14:00.000-05:00

Dubai is the most populous city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the second largest emirate by territorial size after the capital, Abu Dhabi. Dubai is located on the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf and is one of seven emirates that make up the country. The city of Dubai is located on the emirate's northern coastline.
The earliest mention of Dubai is in 1095 AD, and the earliest recorded settlement in the region dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established on June 9, 1833, by Sheikh Maktoum bin Butti Al-Maktoum when he persuaded around 800 members of his tribe of the Bani Yas, living in what was then the Second Saudi State, to follow him to the Dubai Creek by the Abu Falasa clan of the Bani Yas. It remained under the tribe's control when the United Kingdom agreed to protect the Sheikhdom in 1892 and joined the United Arab Emirates upon independence in 1971 as the country's second emirate. Its strategic geographic location made the town an important trading hub, and by the beginning of the 20th century, Dubai was already an important regional port.

Wildlife in Dubai

Arabian Oryx

Sand Gazelle

Baby Quail

Common Mynah

Falcon

Red-Wattled Lapwing

Buildings in Dubai

Air-Conditioned Bus Stop

Etistat Tower

Arabian Desert

Dates

Falconry Display

Traditional 'Mandi' Food

1800's Chaise - reupholstery project

2014-07-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Whilst walking through the various displays during the Moss Avenue Sale, we came across an old dilapidated 'Chaise Lounge'. We made an offer which was accepted, and decided to reupholster it ourselves to make it look similar to its original condition.

As you can see above, it was in a bit of state. Its springs had collapsed and the material was thread bear and torn in many places.

When turning the piece over, we noticed a label from the 'Naperville Lounge Company' on the underside.

We decided to study the original manufacture to see what we were working with.

In the Early 1800's Fred Long opened a store called 'Fred Long's Furniture Shop', later around 1830, this became the 'Naperville Lounge Factory'. In 1915 the factory was merged with 3 other furniture factories and was renamed the 'Kroehler Manufacturing Company'. This implies that our chaise dates from between 1830 and 1915, making it a minimum of 100 years old. As we seperated the o;d materials we found an ink mark on the base material, it said 'Hartford Duck - CT'. We assumed that this material was from the Greenwoods Company in Connecticut, which was supplying from 1845 to 1901.

Below are photo's of the transformation process due to the re-upholstery.

Finished Product

Classic Car Show - Peoria 31st May 2014

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Chicago - 21st May 2014

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The Fourth Presbyterian Church Michigan Avenue

Art outside the Hancock Tower

North Shore View of Lake Michigan from the Scenic Bar in the Hancock Tower

Sunset view from the Scenic Tower in the Hancock Tower

City view from the Scenic Bar in the Hancock Tower

Dinner at Andy's Jazz Bar is a must when you visit Chicago.

The Light House at Navy Pier

This Schooner will take pleasure boaters for a trip round the harbour.

Some Rich Play Boy with Private Helicopter

City view from the lake

Silver Bean at Millennium Park

I don't fancy running down these stairs in an emergency

Ferris Wheel on the Navy Pier