Pontiac Illionis

     Pontiac Illinois is a town on the famous Route 66.  Recently, we were in Illinois for a funeral and decided to visit the attractions that this little town had to offer.  The population of Pontiac is slightly over 11,000 and is the county seat of Livingston county,  At the center of town is a wonderful courthouse that was built in 1875 and is on the list of the national registry of historical buildings. 

 Many monuments surround the courthouse. Many of these monuments give honor to the soldiers who were from Livingston County and served in the seven wars that span from the Civil War to the current wars of Operation Desert Storm and the war in Afghanistan.  When you look at those monuments, you see the commitment that this community put forth for their nation throughout its years. 

  Abraham Lincoln has a wonderful history in Pontiac. He was a lawyer for the 8th district and came to Pontiac several times in which he represented several local citizens, It was here that the Republicans of this county first nominated him for a senate seat. Later in April of 1880, the Republicans of Livingston county in Pontiac resolved that Abraham Lincoln be the choice of this convention for President of the United States. Several different sites can be seen in the city that show the history of Abraham Lincoln in the city, but one of them that stands out is a statue of young Abraham Lincoln in front of the courthouse.

    Pontiac has a wonderful and unique war museum.  It is a must to see and is unlike any other military museum that I have been to.   It does not take that long to tour and has rows and rows of uniforms of the men and women who served in the many branches of the military.  

Just beside the war museum is the Route 66 museum.  It has many memorabilia of that famous highway.  Many of us hear wonderful stories of the interesting attractions that this highway offered before the interstate was built and many people now travel it for nostalgia's sake.  Even though the museum is small, it has exhibits such as the original Steak and Sheak memorabilia...

To VW busses and gas tanks and other items that remind us of a time gone by.

     There are wonderful murals throughout the city which represents a time gone by.  There is actually a mural tour of the murals in Pontiac.  Some of the murals that are represented include the following. 

  

       As a car buff, I needed to visit the Pontiac-Oakland car museum.   The Oakland motor company was founded in 1908 in Oakland County, Michigan.  In 1909, it was bought by GM.  In 1926, GM introduced the Pontiac as part of the Oakland car company and was the only survivor of the Oakland car company.   This museum has a wonderful assortment of Oakland and Pontiac cars which even include a Pontaic Road Runner and a rare Oakland automobile. The museum has an assortment of neon signs, dealer promotional items. posters and other assorted items. It also has a vintage garage that will send you back into the 1950s with tools and over 1500 oil cans.  If you visit Pontiac, do not miss this museum!

    Pontiac also is the home to three swinging bridges that cross the Vermillion River.  Be sure to see at least one of these bridges if not all of them.  A swinging bridge is supported just by the cables running across the river. It has no other support so it can sway.  So if you are feeling brave especially in a strong breeze, take on the adventure and cross one of these bridges, if not all three! 

    Pontiac is only a little more than 90 miles from Chicago. Being only an hour from where we were staying in Plainfield IL, it was a great place to visit and see all of the attractions that this little town of Pontiac had to offer.  So if you ever decide to drive the old Route 66 or are in the Chicago area and are looking for a great place out of the city to visit, this is a great town to consider. You can see the attractions that I did, take in others, or do the 'charm tour'-- one that collects charms from participating local vendors and museums. So be like these geese: come waddle in and visit this town! 

Peaches and Wine in the Texas Hill Country

    As the state of Texas opens up from the Coronavirus, quarantine, people can now go from staying at home to doing some traveling while still exercising social distancing.  Living in an area full of Skyscrapers and traffic, it is pleasant to travel on a wonderful country road and head to the part of the  Texas Hill Country known for its orchards and wineries and just plain get out of the city.  From mid-May through June, it is Peach season in the Fredricksburg, Texas area.  Usually, there are peach stands all up and down the highway heading to Fredricksburg but not this year there.  So, we ended up driving all the way up to Stonewall Texas to Vogel Peach Orchard.  Vogel's is a little more than an hour from the city of Austin.

Vogel's Orchard has a roadside stand with a little shop where they sell items from their farm.  This time of the year, it is peaches.  Inside of their shop, they had items such as homemade jams and spreads and peach barbeque sauce.  At the roadside stand, you could see where they sort out their peaches.

    From Vogel's, we wanted to experience one of the many fine wineries in the Texas hill country.    The Texas Hill Country is known as the Napa Vally of Texas. In the Texas Hill Country, there are over 40 wineries to choose from.  We started to look for a winery that had vines outside of the winery.  The winery that we choose was Baron's Creek Vineyards.

 This is a wonderful facility with villas if one desires to stay there. The Villas start at $408.00 for a 2-night stay. The property has some grapevines that are in front and back of the property but most of their grapes come from either other parts of Texas, California, Washinton State, or Spain.

    When we arrived, we saw many people enjoying the surroundings of the grounds of the vineyard.  My wife and I went into the wine tasting center and we were asked if we had a reservation, We did not but they took us anyway,  So if you are planning on going there, it is best to have a reservation,  They have two choices when it comes to wine tasting.  The first one is red wines and the second is a mixture of wines. If you are traveling with a companion, I would recommend that one of you get one and the other get the other. If you and your companion share, you will both get to test all of the wines,  One of our two favorite wines was the Viognier.  This wine has a flavor of plum jam and cranberries with a hint of chocolate in it. The second wine that we preferred was a Rose wine which to me had a taste of fresh strawberries with a very slight hint of cranberries to it.
    After the taste testing, we toured the facility.  This winery consists of various buildings and one of them had a wine distillery in it.

 Next, we headed out to Fat Ranch and Winery because my wife wanted a bottle of  Peach wine.  When we arrived at Fat Ass Rance and Winery there was a musician in Cowboy boots and hat playing his guitar and singing outside the winery.  People were sitting outside on picnic tables eating baroque and drinking Fat Ass wine.  The atmosphere at this winery has more of a Country Texas feeling.  We did not do a wine Tasting there; however,  they do offer tours of the Ranch for $30 (the tour might be a topic for another blog)  and wine tasting is only $10.  To me, one of the interesting items we noticed on arrival was the old still that they had on display.

The nice thing about this day trip was that all this was done in one relaxing afternoon and we were home by early evening.

Vimy Ridge and Ypres Belgium

  Upon arriving at the Paris airport we rented a car and started out for Ypres, Belgium.  On the way, we stopped at Vimi Ridge where a famous battle took place in World War One.  Even though Canada was already a country, this is where it earned its blood as a country in battle and the first place where Canada was able to command its own units. Vimy Ridge was supposed to be impossible to take but the Canadian expedition force took the ridge with a great loss of life. Here is where Canada shaped its national identity. Before this, they identified themselves by their countries of origin, such as Scotland, etc; after Vimy Ridge they identified themselves as Canadians.  Vimy is also where my great grandfather fought in the great war. The visitor's center is informative as well as very helpful in finding information on past ancestors who fought with the Canadian Expedition Force in World War One.  They also had a wonderful tour through the tunnels that were dug by the Canadians at Vimy before the battle began,  The purpose of the tunnels was two-fold. The first purpose was to dig deep enough to dig under the German trenches, fill them with dynamite, and then blow them up.  To this day you can still see small ponds where this was done.   The second purpose was to create starting points to start the attack.  One of the interesting things about our tour of Vimy was the sheep that were all around the monument. Sheep preserve the ground as it was by keeping the vegetation down so one can see just how scarred the ground was from the artillery shells and blown tunnels from the war.

From Vimy Ridge, we drove to Ypres in Belgium and stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called Alegria.  Luc the host was very knowledgable about the area and recommended a variety of World War One sites as well as some great restaurants to visit while in Ypres.  Ypres has a very interesting World War One History. Five major battles were fought in the area with an estimated loss on the allied side of 1 million men.  We left the bed and breakfast and headed towards Passchendaele where the Battle of Passchendaele or the Third battle of Ypres took place.  This battle occurred between July and November 1917 resulting in a third of a million dead or wounded allied soldiers during the fighting.  We went to the museum there which was very informative.  Like many of the other areas we visited, this museum had places where the old trenches were during the war.  We learned that the trenches were not dug in a straight line because if a grenade or an artillery round landed in that part of the trench, it would not wipe out solders along the rest of the trench line.  The trenches were muddy, lice-filled places. In the picture below, you can see how the trench is configured.

Countless numbers of soldiers in the war died in these muddy trenches. One of the more moving items in the museum is a memorial with hands coming out of the ground and reaching towards the sky.

From there we went to the St Julien Canadian Memorial.  This memorial is of a brooding soldier.  This marks the spot where the First Canadian Division fought and the first German gas attack took place during the war.  This spot is marked by the monument of the brooding soldier, signifying the /depth of the tragedy that occurred here. 

We then returned to Ypres.  This city has a very interesting history for it was first mentioned by the Romans in 1066 and became known for its linen trade in the 1200s.  Ypre's famous cloth hall was built in the 1300s. At that time, cats were thought to be a sign of the devil so the townspeople threw them off the tower of the cloth factory. Now, this is celebrated by a cat parade through the town which occurs every three+- years.  Today they throw stuffed cats, not real ones, off the tower! 

    The town was totally destroyed except the tower of the cloth factory during the Great War.  After the war, it was decided to rebuild it exactly the same way as it was before the war. So the downtown area was totally restored to what it was before the war.  This was possible because during the war they safely moved the blueprint plans of the town to a safe place. 

Ypres also contains some wonderful restaurants in town.  On the first night, we ate at "The Captain Cook" and the second night we ate at the "In't Klein Stadhiusn." Both nights we had flemish stew, french fries, and Belgium Beer. 

The town is full of wonderful shops where you can buy an assortment of chocolate, souvenirs and different Belgium beers.  The ice cream shop had a large ice cream cone statue out front,  At the Leonidas Chocolaterie, the staff was very friendly and very helpful because one cannot visit Belgium without getting some chocolate to take home!

    On both nights, we attended the Last Post at the Menin Gate. This is a ceremony to honor the 90.000 soldiers who have no graves on the Ypres salient during World War One.  This ceremony has taken place every day since 1922 at the Menin Gate except during the occupation during World War Two where it took place in England.  All 90,000 soldiers' names are inscribed on the walls of the gate which is a very moving sight.

On our second day in Ypres, we went to the "In Flander's Fields" museum which is located in the old cloth factory. This gave us a wonderful history of the town.  We then went on an amazing and moving tour of the surrounding area through the Flanders Battlefield Tour company. One of the highlights of the tour included a visit to one of the bunkers that the Canadians used as a field hospital and where Major John McCrae, a physician the Canadian Army, wrote the famous poem "In Flanders fields." 

In Flanders fields, the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row by row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard and the guns below.

We are Dead, Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie.

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold in high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

On the same tour, we also visited Langemark Cemetery which was a German Cemetery.  In this cemetery,  over 44,000 soldiers are buried.  There is a large crypt there where they bury unknown soldiers remains and that number is being added to as they find bodies still throughout the battlefield, even after a hundred years.  As you come into the cemetery, you go through an entrance that has the names of German soldiers whose remains were placed in a large mass crypt but were later identified.

The last place we went on this tour was the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery.  This is the largest cemetery for commonwealth soldiers in the world.  I was emotionally moved to see the over 11,965 gravesites.  It is also quite moving to understand that most of these tombstones have no name attached to them. 

Visiting Ypres was a worthwhile trip not only from a historical context but also from a cultural context.  The people in Ypres are friendly and I had no communication difficulties as most of the people there also speak English.  

Rip Van Winkle Gardens

"His mind now misgave him; he began to doubt whether both he and the world around him were not bewitched.  Surely this was his native village which he had left but the day before.  There stood the Kaatskill mountains--there ran the silver Hudson at a distance--there was every hill and dale precisely as it had always ken--Rip was sorely perplexed"

 Rip Van Winkle

I believe that we often think similar to  Rip Van Winkle. In times like we are experiencing right now, many of us are sorely perplexed on the epidemic and what that means to us and the world around us.

    I listed this quote because on my last trip I was able to visit Jefferson Island in Lousiana where I went to Rip Van Winkle Gardens.  On these gardens is one of the homes of Joseph Jefferson who played the role of Rip Van Winkle 4500 times starting in the 1860s.

    The gardens are on 15 acres and cost 12 dollars for adults and 8 dollars for children to get in.  The entrance of the gardens was amazing. Since we went in January they had not yet taken down the large Christmas tree at the entrance of the gift shop.  Upon entering the gardens, we were greeted by a peacock.  This is probably my favorite bird to film.  So it was a great joy to greeted by one when I entered the gardens.

Actually, the gardens are very beautiful and have a wonderful assortment of statues and fountains located throughout.

When we were there, the flowers were just starting to bloom and there was an amazing color of red and yellow throughout the gardens. I imagine if one visited the gardens in the spring or summer the flowers would be even more unbelievable.

A most intriguing feature at the gardens was the home on them which had a very unique architecture.  The tour of the home is a must but photographs are not permitted inside of the home. But although the inside of the home is amazing so is the outside of the home.  The back of the home was unique but the front had a large and wonderful wraparound porch.

   

    In the waters surrounding the property, we were able to see some alligators as well as an Egret sitting on an old pier beam. 

    If you are ever in the area of Jefferson Island, Lousiana especially in the spring or the summer I would highly recommend visiting Rip Van Winkle Garden

Notre-Dame De Paris

    Somethimes when you get the chance to travel, you are blessed to be able to see something for the last time.  This was the case when we visited Paris. We were able to see Notre-Dame before it went up in flames on  April 15th 2019.  This cathedral was started in 1163 and completed in 1345.  It had been modified throughout the centuries,  This structure was visited by approximately 12,000,000 people annually.  It was an amazing structure and it was amazing even to see it all lit up at night.

    This  cathedral is considered French Gothic in style but one of the amazing things that I loved about it was the entrance which was amazingly carved with various Biblical scenes.  The one at the central portal is of Christ sitting on the throne of judgement with both of his hands up.  Below that is an angel and a demon with the good and the bad souls.  The good souls in the door frame are looking up to heaven.  The bad souls are to the right and are chained up.  The lower panel has angels with trumpets that are walking the dead from the graves reminding all worshipers that all social classes will be judged.  This is just part of the story of the central portal of the cathedral. Three such portals are available to enjoy when visiting Notre-Dame.

After entering the Cathedral, you saw amazing sculptures and paintings.  Surrounding walls of the Church, various Chapels and sculpures abound. The one that stood out to me was the one of Joan of Arc.  

    Walking around the inside of the Cathedral, I noticed the rose stained glass windows.  The vastness of these windows was amazing and those windows alone made the trip to Notre-Dame worthwhile.

    After touring Notre-Dame, I climbed the over 700 stairs to the first observation deck on top of the Cathedral.  Here I was able to get a great view of the city of Paris as well as get an upclose view of the many gargoyles that  fill the roof of Notre-Dame.  These gargoyles act as waterspouts to pour the water off of the roof of the building.  But why are they shaped as gargoyles?  I have seen perhaps two theories for this.  It is said that it is because of St Romanis who slew the dragon-like creature called Gargouille.  He slew it and burnt the body except the head which he placed on a new church to protect it from evil spirits.  The other story, though not as colorful, was that they represent souls that are caught up between heaven and earth.  Either way, they are colorful creatures that line the roof of Notre-Dame.

    It has been promised that sometime in the near future Notre-Dame will be restored to its glory for all to view again.  When that happens I hope to be back to see it again. Perhaps you will also have  the chance to go to Paris and can tell me all about the wonders of the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Rastafari Village Tour in Jamacia

    Right now with the Coronavirus going around, most of us are staying at home and not traveling.  Many places we cannot travel to right now.  I know I have wanted to attend some local festivals that were canceled because of the Coronvirus. This has made me want to dream of the next place I want to travel to.  I believe in the near future all this will pass and we can even find toilet paper in the grocery stores and be able to travel and attend local fesivals safely.  In this blog I would like to talk about my last cruise when me and my wife went to a Rastafari Indigenous village in Jamaca.  Even though I am a Christian, I have always been interested in learning about other cultures. Rastafarianism is one of them.
    To begin this tour, we went to the Montego Bay Gardens where we rented some water sandals. To get to the Rastafari village, we had to walk across a river and we did not bring any water shoes.  Therefore, I would strongly encourage you to bring water shoes with you if you desire to go on this type of excursion. We then walked to the river and had a lesson about the plants in the area because the Rastafarians live off the land and are also vegetarian.  After walking through the river and down a path, we arrived at the Rasti village where we met some very interesting people. First they brought us in and told us about the history of the Rastiafarians and about some of their religious beliefs and customs.  Next, they took us around to some of their different shops where they showed us how they make items like jewlery, soap, and drums. All items are made from the plants and trees in the area.  The man who made the drums was a very interesting character.  He said he had been making drums since he was 8. 

Here he is with my wife showing a sign of friendship.  He also has made all of the drums at the Rasti village.
   After that we went to participate in making one of our favorate items--chocoalate!

Here the Rasti is grinding the chocolate beans after they have been roasted over an open fire.  I think right now when we are being asked to stay home, a nice cup of hot chocolate would be a great treat to enjoy like we enjoyed at the Rasti village.
    We then had a meal provided to us which was made up of seasonal fruits, nuts, and vegetables.  Also to mention in Jamica Conconut is the main ingredent for the food of the Rastifarians.

    We then went to their worship area and two of the villagers led us in playing some music on their drums.

They taught us some music too and we joined in!

All in all this was a very interesting, educational, and enjoyable day which I would recommend to everyone who is cruising  or vacationing to Montego Bay, Jamicia. 

 

Introduction and Grand Cayman Island Tour

    Photography is a very exciting hobby and profession. So why am I a photographer, especially a travel and nature photographer, and why do I want to blog? Let me share my philosphy as to why I am a travel and nature photographer. In my photography, I want to show the wonders of romance and nostaliga of the world near and far. In shooting my photographs, I believe that people should feel some emotion when viewing them.  I try to do inspire that emotion both in my Travel as well as my Nature photography.  

On our cruise with Carnival, one of our excurisions was a tour of Grand Cayman Island. On this tour, we went to three interesting places. The first was the Tortuga Rum company.  Although their rum is made at a different location, they do make their delicious rum cakes there.  My wife and I visited the gift shop where we tasted wonderful flavored Rum.  Our favorites were the mango and pineapple rums.  They are very smooth and quite enjoyable,  We purchased a bottle of each and they gave us another bottle of rum for free. We also pruchased some souveniers and a rum cake which was very tasty.

   

The next place we went to was a place called Hell.  This part of the island contains an interesting group of black limestone formations that are very jagged.  Hell also has a gift shop and a post office. You can even get your passport stamped to reflect your visit to Hell, Cayman Islands!  Now I guess I can say I have been to hell and back! 

The gift shop had many humorous items including T-shirts.

The last part of the tour was at the Cayman Turtle Center.  This was a must-see on the trip for we were able to learn all about green sea turtles and see them at the various stages of their life cycle.  These amazing animals can grow as large as 500 pounds. The Cayman Turtle Center is also a conservation center where they breed the green turtles and release them into the wild, both in Grand Cayman as well as in Mexico. 

 Before returning to the ship, there was nothing like experiencing Margaritaville in Grand Cayman and enjoying the entertainment, the food, and of course the Margaritas and Pina Coladas!