NYC a while back

Sharon and I wnt to NYC a while back.  We visited the 911 Memorial and went running in Central Park.  We apartment-sat Von and Jordan's apartment while they were gallivanting around the world.

44 photos here, so you know what you're getting in for.

The tree with the origami bird in it is a pear tree named the Survivor tree.  All the other several hundred trees are Swamp Oaks brought in for the memorial.  The survivor tree was found in the rubble of the buildings, and take to a a nursery in Long Island, where it was replanted, but then uprooted by a hurricane.  It survived even that and was brought back to the memorial.  If I recall, it has no plaque of recognition.

I don't buy in to a lot of the chest thumbing nationalism evoked from this memorial, but I really liked the story of the Survivor Tree.

Aruba Slideshow

Here's my little Aruba slideshow of 10,000 photos.



When I joined Google+, my Picasa Web Albums account was coverted to Google+ Photos.  For months, I couldn't figure out how to embed a slide show in my blog from those Google+ albums.  I learned how just now.

1.  Log in to the Google+ account photos.
2. Then open a new tab and go to www.picasaweb.google.com/home
3. All the familiar tools return!

Let's hope Google keeps these available, or makes them available in Google+ Photos.

More Aruba

 OK, here are some more sights from Aruba.
"I Heart Aruba" is the logo everywhere.  

 

 

While we were there, President Obama won reelection.  It was kind of funny, because Sharon's phone was buzzing with texts from "Obama", and Joe's was buzzing with texts from "Romney".  We had a lot of fun.

The local paper announced the results in their own quirky way.

 

 


And I also found this PSA in the newspaper.  Good advice.
 

 


We had no problem keeping around the timeshare clean.  But we had the advantage of the Towel Hut.
 

 

 

But on the other side of the island we came across this toilet with a tank lid made from drywall cut perfectly to fit.

 

 

At this particular facility, I was held up for hours.

 

I hope to post more photos before Thanksgiving. 

Aruba Signage

Sharon and I returned from a week at Aruba.  We had a blast!  Here we are at the lighthouse, overlooking the Palm Beach area.

 

We ran a total of 18 miles.  Below, Sharon is on the left, and our friends Dolly and Joe are on the right, on the paved road.

 

We saw some interesting road sights.  In a Lonely Planet discussion, I read that Aruban Road signs are "too general to be useful."  We eventually figured out that these numbers on round signs are the speed limit in KMs.

 

On this road, you couldn't do the blue dot thing.

However, on this street, the blue dot activity was partly allowed.  I think. 

Approaching this corner, there is a speed limit, and the blue dot stuff is disallowed further on. 

On this road, they are telling us something about the yellow square.  I think yellow square activities are allowed.  Or watch out for them.

But here we have a yellow square (or is it orange?) with three lines across it , and another sign with only the three lines.

 

 On this street a yellow square activity is allowed, and the blue dot is half allowed. 

 

 But here the blue activity is verbotten, despite yellow dot OK.

 

 Whoops, here is something important with a yellow square and big orange square, both with three lines across.

 

Yield but orange square issues? 

 


The red and black car sign showed up quite a bit.

 

Combination signs were especially confusing.

The exclamation point sign reminded me of our ubiquitous "New traffic patterns ahead."  (I always prepare to drive on the left when I see that sign)

This was our little car.  On a dirt area with no road and no signs.

 

In some areas we were not allowed to wash our feet in the sinks.

 

Or take our shopping carts in to the Marriott.

In some areas without signs, people just made their own roads.

 

More photos to follow.