tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11840906949815758832024-03-04T22:26:56.732-08:00On the Road AgainDenis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-84771399345743634592017-03-14T10:36:00.001-07:002017-03-14T12:19:03.218-07:00Pátzcuaro and local PueblosThe next day we took a tour to visit <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pátzcuaro</span>, Quiroga, Tzinzuntzan, and La Isla Janizio.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Pátzcuaro was the capital of the Tarasco people from about AD 1325 to 1400. After the death of King Tariácuri, the Tarascan state became a three-part league. Comprising Pátzcuaro, Tzintzuntzan and Ihuatzio, the league repulsed repeated Aztec attacks, which may explain why they welcomed the Spanish, who first arrived in 1522. Bad idea. The Spanish returned in 1529 under Nuño de Guzmán, a vicious conquistador.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Guzmán’s reign against the indigenous people was brutal, even for those timesThe colonial government recalled Guzmán from, Spain where he was arrested and locked up for life and dispatched Bishop Vasco de Quiroga, a respected judge and cleric from, to clean up his mess. Quiroga was one enlightened dude. When he arrived in 1536, he established village cooperatives based on the humanitarian ideals of Sir Thomas More’s Utopia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">To avoid dependence on Spanish mining lords and landowners, Quiroga successfully encouraged education and agricultural self-sufficiency in the Purépecha villages around Lago de Pátzcuaro, with all villagers contributing equally to the community. He also helped each village develop its own craft specialty – from masks to pottery to guitars and violins. The utopian communities declined after his death in 1565, but the crafts traditions continue to this day. Not surprisingly, Tata Vascu, as the Tarascos called Quiroga, has not been forgotten. You’ll notice that streets, plazas, restaurants and hotels all over Michoacán are named after him.</span><br />
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<b>Quiroga</b><br />
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<a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-mexico/mexico/quiroga-michoacan-carnitas-capital">Quiroga</a> is known as the origin of the Carnitas. It's also renowned for it's crafts. We stopped in to sample some as we visited this Pueblo<br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Quiroga is a municipality that started before the colonial era.
Quiroga was an indispensable road from Tarazco’s capital “Tzintzuntzan” to the
ceremonial center “Zacapu”. Zacapu was known as “Cocupao” which means “Lugar de
recepción” ("Place of reception"). This municipality was not widely
known in the prehispanic era.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When the Order of the Franciscans arrived at Quiroga, they gave
it the name San Diego Cocupao, by San Diego Alcala, a name that so far leads
the parish. After the arrival of the Spaniards, it began to grow in population
leading to the city of today. Quiroga was established as a town, by territorial
law, on December 10, 1831. By decree of the State Congress on September 6,
1852, it was called Villa de Quiroga, to honor the memory of bishop of Michoacan,
Don Vasco de Quiroga.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Tzintzuntzan "Place of the Hummingbirds"</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Surrounded by hills and mountains, the watershed of the state of Michoacan’s lovely Lake Patzcuaro extends 50 kilometers east-west and 33 kilometers north-south. Ringing the 2200 meter above sea level lake are numerous Purepecha (known commonly as Tarascan) villages and towns. Far and away, as it literally is about a seven hour round trip by bus from my house, my favorite of these indigenous lakeside communities that I have visited is the tiny village of Tzintzuntzan (seen Soon sahn). From my perspective (more about this later), any place with such an avian onomatopoeic name must be interesting and it delightfully is.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Approximately 50 kilometers from the state capital of Morelia this indigenous village with buildings lining its one main street made mostly from adobe painted in the traditional white wash with red trim and red tiled roofs is located 14 kilometers north from the beautiful indigenous and colonial large town of Patzcuaro and 7 kilometers from the not so beautiful crafts and carnitas/braised pork town of Quiroga. Having only a couple of hotels, Tzintzuntzan is a very popular day trip destination for Mexican tourists and to a lesser degree foreign tourists primarily on the weekends and especially during the two days of the Day of the Dead celebrations. There are three major attractions that the majority of visitors come to experience.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Just a kilometer from the center of the village on the side of a hill is the Tzintzuntzan Archaeological Site. Until the Spanish Conquistadors vanquished them in 1522, Tzintzuntzan had been the capital of the Purepecha Empire (circa 1200AD-1522AD). While always remaining autonomous from the Aztecs the empire had under its control approximately 1.5 million people at the height of its power. Now, this ex-ceremonial center with a platform measuring 425 meters by 250 meters and its 5 yacatas- the unusual Mesoamerican semi-circular bases constructed from non-mortared basalt slabs that were the foundations for the long ago destroyed wooden pyramids/temples built on top of them- is all that remains of that empire. Although not as physically impressive (nor accessible as you may not climb on any of the fenced off yacatas) as the more famous, extensive, and “inward” looking Mexican archaeological sites like Monte Alban, Chichen Itza, or Teotihuacán, I find this “outward” looking site to be visually quite compelling. From this hill with the yacatas as a unique historical backdrop one is afforded an outstanding panoramic view of the village below and of Lake Patzcuaro off in the distance. Also, there is a one room, albeit not particularly well lighted, museum near the entrance that exhibits excavated pottery/ceramics, obsidian artifacts, and a diorama of the site.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Yet, back in town, what attracts the most tourists are the crafts that the village is known for. Although its craft market next to the monastery complex and artisan stores along its main street are open seven days a week, the crafts scene is most vibrant and full with vendors on the weekends, especially Sunday. There, among a plethora of mostly locally made goods you can find woven tule/lake reeds items, both high-end ceramics and inexpensive pottery including its famous green glazed pieces, rebozos, embroidered textiles with pre-Hispanic motifs, objects made from vegetable fibers, rustic wood furniture, basketry, and dozens of items woven from straw including brilliant strands of Christmas decorations like stars, candy canes, and mini wreaths along with more straw merchandise like lamps, tortilleros/tortilla warmers, wind chimes, and sea shells. Moreover, on the road leading into town from Patzcuaro are stonework shops that have decorative and landscaping pieces made from the pinkish rock cantera like ornate fountains and whimsical-looking fish, frogs, and turtles.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">However, while I enjoy all of the three major attractions that Tzintzuntzan offers, the primary reason that I travel so far to get there is for its bird watching opportunities, particularly in the winter. In the indigenous language, Tzintzuntzan onomatopoeically means “place of the hummingbirds.” While it is true that during the time of the Purepecha Empire that these diminutive birds were driven to extinction due to the desirability of their iridescent feathers for use in clothing and jewelry, it is also true that they and dozens of other species of birds now occur in Tzintzuntzan. In town the best places to view birds is at the Ojo de Agua and the small public embarcadero. The archaeological site with its pine-oak grove is also an excellent birding spot.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">Whether you are a birder or not, Tzintzuntzan is an indigenous lakefront town that is well worth a visit. Who knows, while in the Zocalo and enjoying its traditional ambiance, you might experience what I did the last time that I was there --- the tz-tz-tzing of hummingbirds, tz-tz-tzing to and fro in a flower garden.</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;">La<a href="http://www.lakepatzcuaro.org/Janitzio.html"> Isla Janizio</a> on Lago Patzcuaro</span></div>
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<span class="size10 Helvetica10" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, adobe-helvetica, "Arial Narrow"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; min-height: 16px;"><span class="size14 Helvetica14" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; min-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-center;">A 40-meter statue of </span><span class="size14 Helvetica14" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; min-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-center;"><b>José María Morelos</b></span><span class="size14 Helvetica14" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 18px; line-height: 21px; min-height: 21px; text-align: -webkit-center;">, a great hero of Mexico's independence, started in 1933, is found on the island's highest point. For about 6 pesos, one can climb to the top of the statue by way of a staircase that spirals up the inside. Along the interior walls, the life of Morelos is depicted in murals painted by Ramon Alba de la Canal and other great Mexican muralists. Although the steep stairway can become congested and distract one's attention, it is a good Mexican history lesson. At the top, one can peer through peepholes in the giant raised fist of Morelos, giving a spectacular view of the island, lake and surroundings</span></span></div>
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-47415359796362009472017-03-14T10:35:00.000-07:002017-03-14T11:21:14.482-07:00MoreliaDurung or stay in <a href="http://www.visitmexico.com/en/morelia">Morelia</a>, we took a tour of the city. Morelia is an old colonial city, with a colorful history. They are famous for their Zocalos (parks with carved trees and benches), colonial architecture, and food.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.travelbymexico.com/morelia/atractivos/index2.php?nom=bmoracueducto">aquaduct </a>is also one of the historical venues.<br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This
beautiful aqueduct of quarry pink, measure 1810 meters and consists
of 253 arches and two boxes of water.<br />
Construction
take us to the days of the golden age of the former Valladolid. In
1785 Bishop Fray Antonio de San Miguel commanded to built an
aqueduct with two purposes: to bring drinking water to the city which
was hit by a terrible drought for two years and to provide work for
the indigenous people of the region. The stone was transported from
the village of Santa María (now part of the city) and goes to the
old Calle Real. Today, Madero avenue.
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Here are a few photos of our tours:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">The Historic Centre of Morelia is located in central Mexico, at the foot of the Sierra Madre Occidental and near the agricultural valley of Morelia-Querendaro. Built in the 16th century according to a "checkerboard" layout, Morelia is an outstanding example of urban development combining town planning theories of Spain and the Mesoamerican experience. Well suited to the slopes of the central hill of the valley, its streets follow the original layout. The city has major axes, numerous urban squares, of which the vast rectangular Zocalo Plaza, and gardens that create an open, airy ensemble with magnificent vistas of the surrounding hills.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">The central part of the Historic Centre of Morelia includes 249 monuments of prime importance, of which 21 churches and 20 civil constructions, which crystallize the architectural history of the city. The sobriety of the urban townscape is enhanced by many Baroque facades characteristic of the religious foundations, including the cathedral and the churches of Santa Rosa, de las Monjas and Guadelupe. Although the majority of the monuments were erected in the 17th and 18th centuries, styles of earlier and later periods (Middle Ages, Renaissance and Neoclassicism) merge in the creation of the "Baroque Moreliano". Together, they form a harmonious unity that reinforces the measured use of architectural elements in pink stone, the numerous arcades and imposing towers and cupolas covered with azulejos that dominate the city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Founded in the 16th century under the name of Valladolid, the city was, at the beginning of the 19th century, one of the main centres of the struggle for independence of the country. Two priests received notoriety: Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos. It is to the glory of the latter, a native of Valladolid, that the city was renamed Morelia in 1828. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The original model of urban development, which is one of the universal values of the Historic Centre of Morelia has been maintained. In addition, the urban public space has preserved its integrity and the streets still follow the original layout.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Despite the changes of use required to meet the needs of civil society, the monumental Baroque style buildings have preserved their own architectural characteristics. The transformation of old residential buildings to new uses related to tourism has been achieved in respect of the integrity of the inscribed site.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It should be noted, however, that built heritage in good condition is found mainly in the heart of the historic centre. Conservation of the built heritage of traditional and neighbouring quarters has received less attention and the number of buildings in poor condition has increased.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Restoration work on the monumental ensembles, especially religious, was carried out in accordance with the criteria of authenticity of the site. The recuperation of urban areas for community purposes has enabled an appreciation of all their wealth, while promoting their conservation. Dissemination campaigns on the important historical events of Morelia help to strengthen the memory of the Historic Centre. In this regard, various events have been staged to commemorate the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">With regard to conservation practice that affected the authenticity of some buildings (the removal of exterior plaster), considered in the evaluation report of ICOMOS in 1990 as inconsistent with the Charter of Venice, a slow recovery process of the facades of significant monuments was initiated following the inscription on the World Heritage List in 1991.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Concerning the aesthetic falsifying of contemporary buildings (application of a colonial facade on a new building), this local construction practice has been restricted since 1993. The Urban Development Programme for the Historic Centre of Morelia, approved in 2001 by the Municipal Cabildo, henceforth prohibits construction of contemporary buildings that mimic historical styles.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGJGo4RWzjseR3rvWNXZ1pWfYt6vuMaJRcrZWsAX-6PGNuRFj2m9dyjM3KTnFNW5ApHzfOCcPvh2ayzoMrtRAKH4e5SU6Flsb535sJEeXpv6uUiHovyLikbwWOXBIJPlr22Ph_tkhDnCZ/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGJGo4RWzjseR3rvWNXZ1pWfYt6vuMaJRcrZWsAX-6PGNuRFj2m9dyjM3KTnFNW5ApHzfOCcPvh2ayzoMrtRAKH4e5SU6Flsb535sJEeXpv6uUiHovyLikbwWOXBIJPlr22Ph_tkhDnCZ/s320/IMG_1488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next day we took a tour to visit Patzcuaro, Quiroga, Tzinzuntzan, and La Isla Janizio.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3GY3PP0NlD_hkZKDICCU0vMF8d88y2fEZO547397UkuXmAd_e1ntevRSpPqtuN_evMlaD1e_Ae_aLzwwHX5A2VSZktAZHVZc5VrC10dNVDdOoGX0reitXOBNbOr7IQ0_EfYu2gugzLgl/s1600/IMG_1501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3GY3PP0NlD_hkZKDICCU0vMF8d88y2fEZO547397UkuXmAd_e1ntevRSpPqtuN_evMlaD1e_Ae_aLzwwHX5A2VSZktAZHVZc5VrC10dNVDdOoGX0reitXOBNbOr7IQ0_EfYu2gugzLgl/s320/IMG_1501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-21355319755066453652017-03-14T10:06:00.000-07:002017-03-14T10:06:34.881-07:00Monarch Butterflies Mexican HomeWhile we stayed in Zihuatanejo for a few months, we decided to take a side trip to visit Morelia. Patzcuaro and <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1290">The Monarch Butterflies Sanctuary</a>.<br />
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This blog concentrates on the <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monarch
Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in Angangeo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We stayed at the <a href="http://www.hotelsone.com/morelia-hotels-mx/hotel-casa-del-anticuario.html?as=g&aid=170253286967&dsti=516302&dstt=8&label=bh516302&akw=casa%20del%20anticuario%20morelia&asrc=Search&ast=_casa%20del%20anticuario%20morelia&gclid=CjwKEAjwqZ7GBRC1srKSv9TV_iwSJADKTjaDE9Kjj2My2E4nWzMRuyB7iywnFyDSXM24xb6aEjrQVBoCc-bw_wcB">Casa del Anticuario</a> in Morelia, which in itself contains a lot of history.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIa9wsKHig-hlHDrtTRzeXW3BkuRovTqRMRNSLfE8y2KVOZrv3rB25uwcfOzm7wlAbMNeRZ6rcuxkP2QIMwuPWI_KuqL3-Iv5CQvFSWpf3Gh_c0piqfdMmqdpv4vo1qxIXd76_HEnjbmT-/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIa9wsKHig-hlHDrtTRzeXW3BkuRovTqRMRNSLfE8y2KVOZrv3rB25uwcfOzm7wlAbMNeRZ6rcuxkP2QIMwuPWI_KuqL3-Iv5CQvFSWpf3Gh_c0piqfdMmqdpv4vo1qxIXd76_HEnjbmT-/s320/IMG_1389.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9oAN7d6SJZHavAm-UEbkzAL74MWsvBQsGAo_US5jVu11i9o3e2mtAGXnkLtX3Y17rnGzI6ZubwaMGlNL0pgo3L_vqfmxcUpIMfljn5z6UVunxzkEPtX3dVrHPbBNevcx7T19etqJ3RhV/s1600/IMG_1390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9oAN7d6SJZHavAm-UEbkzAL74MWsvBQsGAo_US5jVu11i9o3e2mtAGXnkLtX3Y17rnGzI6ZubwaMGlNL0pgo3L_vqfmxcUpIMfljn5z6UVunxzkEPtX3dVrHPbBNevcx7T19etqJ3RhV/s320/IMG_1390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgMm9WyFRFv9KCSlU6iZBmC6Un19lxT8Dpmx1S7ZvLbvwsvmQ7Z9INzqkVh9j0ApfCNXD2wrl95DdC2WDKsSvw7D0IUAinsE80N8wK4VV4GGijOeY-6Jcb40N6WOU8EbuZUVnlvP6plHd/s1600/IMG_1391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgMm9WyFRFv9KCSlU6iZBmC6Un19lxT8Dpmx1S7ZvLbvwsvmQ7Z9INzqkVh9j0ApfCNXD2wrl95DdC2WDKsSvw7D0IUAinsE80N8wK4VV4GGijOeY-6Jcb40N6WOU8EbuZUVnlvP6plHd/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">So on to the butterflies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">We left our hotel at 9:00am for a 2.5 hour ride up the mountain to the Pueblo of Angangeo This ride is a constant uphill ride to an elevation of 3300 meters or almost 11000 feet. One we arrived at the top of the mountain we had to climb for another 45 minutes to the summit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">Here are some photos of our experience as well as a bit of history of the Monarchs in Mexico.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fortunately we had an option to rent a horse to maneuver that climb, So we hopped on our horses an proceeded up the mountain. On arrival, we had to continue walking for about 30 minutes to arrive at the sanctuary. On the way in we spotted several stray monarchs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNfhrvIS4QcWGTY_nIqs-ILTCnFV2gZ9OMQkv4YP0-o0yrgx2LSXGecW5rtdR3jM7ER1yldxe6OpVt_IJneswVDoKJkw4JgQJbj0KBYSoXgeY7bxxeJKxLmCrKTesHYeBB0cUbvQ3X54m/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNfhrvIS4QcWGTY_nIqs-ILTCnFV2gZ9OMQkv4YP0-o0yrgx2LSXGecW5rtdR3jM7ER1yldxe6OpVt_IJneswVDoKJkw4JgQJbj0KBYSoXgeY7bxxeJKxLmCrKTesHYeBB0cUbvQ3X54m/s320/IMG_1406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5lKazhrTbu9In_jB-9O1H_bIaxMJ_2fZXSiKdE_TZQlWZKvkltMtzL-SXHaZni6nxQK2G3yOmePVkbVc7jl_b_6CPCCivui_TKnUWde-DCZnzJVcdiNNq2UkP0Omm9Y1SwECfKoN7vnq/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5lKazhrTbu9In_jB-9O1H_bIaxMJ_2fZXSiKdE_TZQlWZKvkltMtzL-SXHaZni6nxQK2G3yOmePVkbVc7jl_b_6CPCCivui_TKnUWde-DCZnzJVcdiNNq2UkP0Omm9Y1SwECfKoN7vnq/s320/IMG_1407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjKjxq5W__kZIkHSTyLU-L1O3MrW6UnCJBER1vn3sSAOFc30P-IZA57MIljoVOh51VpJ0mv2Worgry37XZoWsoRNNzRiwcetLeii1ui25ruAFMvS-Z_73B62ikb1K-sVcNDmMHUGJqE4j/s1600/IMG_1437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjKjxq5W__kZIkHSTyLU-L1O3MrW6UnCJBER1vn3sSAOFc30P-IZA57MIljoVOh51VpJ0mv2Worgry37XZoWsoRNNzRiwcetLeii1ui25ruAFMvS-Z_73B62ikb1K-sVcNDmMHUGJqE4j/s320/IMG_1437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;">When we reached the summit, there we posted signs to remain very quiet. What we witnessed was nothing short of amazing. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of monarchs perched on treetops for everyone to photograph. It was a long and arduous climb but well worth the effort. Especially for the poor horses that had no access to water during the trip. We chose to walk down the mountain to return.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EP0mxLWsCTyejOy3G6n7WeIeTiiu8jP8JwNjTANu7ovNMjuYxlQSDtb_cvzyWBWrofEu6ILOOi794XZQINpXOAyJvTBz6PSv5rAVS1Dz97Uopl_PZ4ZeT016e3yLhIVmELi0taaExUVM/s1600/IMG_1424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EP0mxLWsCTyejOy3G6n7WeIeTiiu8jP8JwNjTANu7ovNMjuYxlQSDtb_cvzyWBWrofEu6ILOOi794XZQINpXOAyJvTBz6PSv5rAVS1Dz97Uopl_PZ4ZeT016e3yLhIVmELi0taaExUVM/s320/IMG_1424.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Asclepiascommon.JPG/220px-Asclepiascommon.JPG&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias&h=190&w=220&tbnid=8qXbygZhILUOuM:&vet=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=176&docid=GLt4z8Sy4p5HWM&itg=1&usg=__1-sLMOlyVuALu2S3tTfrG_2HH78=&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwyKHmvNbSAhVKqlQKHdnFBu4Q_B0IdzAM&ei=QiLIWLCfM8rU0gLZi5vwDg#h=190&imgrc=8qXbygZhILUOuM:&tbnh=152&tbnw=176&vet=1&w=220">Milkweed </a>is their source of food, which is apparently only prevalent in that region of Mexico, and Canada in the summer.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zDJ5m6L4VenaJKvUEhqre4tE_351u2dBFFuMyjsdiJukGm0bIGl8M5Xb0C9NNWMqEEM2ww0vsL9MqVJfqRPtsMEMhk7ooBZ9MM_KgYL7BkhwoFgcf4FkFMiQnVb1VqsK8BjVIfBdqK47/s1600/IMG_1426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zDJ5m6L4VenaJKvUEhqre4tE_351u2dBFFuMyjsdiJukGm0bIGl8M5Xb0C9NNWMqEEM2ww0vsL9MqVJfqRPtsMEMhk7ooBZ9MM_KgYL7BkhwoFgcf4FkFMiQnVb1VqsK8BjVIfBdqK47/s320/IMG_1426.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The 56,259 ha biosphere lies within rugged forested mountains about 100 km northwest of Mexico City. Every autumn, millions, perhaps a billion, butterflies from wide areas of North America return to the site and cluster on small areas of the forest reserve, colouring its trees orange and literally bending their branches under their collective weight. In the spring, these butterflies begin an 8 month migration that takes them all the way to Eastern Canada and back, during which time four successive generations are born and die. How they find their way back to their overwintering site remains a mystery.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYJLC0BX2SPHflEGn70_DrxMihdXXWJuTY5CIoG6YXwM0empyXwDWQYf6IwCLtbJX_5nL_3hsaeNnDEDv0-uVMUWjxxGqeQ61SH3Unq5PSa1l9niXNOqwR1dZobyASRfFOi4XZsFInIj7/s1600/IMG_1433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYJLC0BX2SPHflEGn70_DrxMihdXXWJuTY5CIoG6YXwM0empyXwDWQYf6IwCLtbJX_5nL_3hsaeNnDEDv0-uVMUWjxxGqeQ61SH3Unq5PSa1l9niXNOqwR1dZobyASRfFOi4XZsFInIj7/s320/IMG_1433.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve World Heritage property protects key overwintering sites for the monarch butterfly. The overwintering concentration of butterflies in the property is a superlative natural phenomenon. The millions of monarch butterflies that return to the property every year bend tree branches by their weight, fill the sky when they take flight, and make a sound like light rain with the beating of their wings. Witnessing this unique phenomenon is an exceptional experience of nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Criterion (vii): The overwintering concentration of the monarch butterfly in the property is the most dramatic manifestation of the phenomenon of insect migration. Up to a billion monarch butterflies return annually, from breeding areas as far away as Canada, to land in close-packed clusters within 14 overwintering colonies in the oyamel fir forests of central Mexico. The property protects 8 of these colonies and an estimated 70% of the total overwintering population of the monarch butterfly’s eastern population.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1KrJj6eBs4aspbNkY__bYd8PaN1Sd3QhMNcEddiQfaPbOui9UhV-UVWztacBQoVSH_x0-UAwGPbeLieIlJchp61QEpuaVsKKj-_hxRayZQdkIDrwDNzE_6CEuMgic7YV1VN-I2lsym-4/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1KrJj6eBs4aspbNkY__bYd8PaN1Sd3QhMNcEddiQfaPbOui9UhV-UVWztacBQoVSH_x0-UAwGPbeLieIlJchp61QEpuaVsKKj-_hxRayZQdkIDrwDNzE_6CEuMgic7YV1VN-I2lsym-4/s320/IMG_1439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Integrity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
property includes more than half of the overwintering colonies of the
monarch butterfly’s eastern population. They provide a good sample
of the areas that are essential for maintaining this superlative
natural phenomenon. The maintenance of the standing forest and the
microclimates that they create is the key management requirement,
thus any threat to the forests is of utmost concern. Illegal logging
is a known threat to the property with potential direct impacts on
its Outstanding Universal Value. Public use has been increasing and
the levels of visitation and infrastructure provided require careful
control both in relation to impacts on the ecosystem and the quality
of experience provided by the property to visitors. Due to its
migratory nature, the maintenance of the overwintering phenomenon
also requires attention to the conservation of the monarch butterfly
by those countries through which it travels during its life cycle.</span></div>
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-61107917944445564882017-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:002017-07-08T05:34:28.099-07:00Zihuatanejo Mexico<br />
On January 16, 2017, we flew to <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/central-pacific-coast/zihuatanejo">Zihuatanejo</a> MX. We were to spend 3 months in the area to explore the local cultural aspect of Mexican life. We were not disappointed. We managed to find a beautiful apartment called <a href="http://directmap.mx/zihuatanejo/488">Villa Ximena</a>, right in the centre of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UKCUqzspK0">Mercado Municipal</a>, a local farmers market that spans many city blocks. It contains a fresh fish market as well as several <a href="http://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/mexico-city/2013/in-praise-of-the-fonda/">fondas</a> (mexican eateries).<br />
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Here are some of the photos taken during our stay.<br />
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During our stay we took side trips to visit <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/zihuatanejo/attractions/playa-la-ropa/a/poi-sig/496276/361536">Playa Ropa</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7JxNWRItMk"> Playa Linda</a>, <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/zihuatanejo/attractions/playa-las-gatas/a/poi-sig/496280/361536">Playa los Gatas</a>, As well as a beautiful beach a few kilometers north called Barra de Pose. We used the colectivos to bus our way around town. And we used different modes of transportation like the back of pick-up trucks, and small boats loaded with groceries, live chickens and a variety of other goods.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7JxNWRItMk">Playa Linda</a> has a crocodile and iguana sanctuary for vistors.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Long
before Columbus sailed to America, Zihuatanejo was a sacred sanctuary
for indigenous nobility. Artifacts, figurines, ceramics, stone
carvings and stelae are still being found in the area verifying the
presence of civilizations dating as far back as the </span></span><strong><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Olmecs
</span></span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(3,000
BC).</span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span></span>
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<div style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #101005; font-family: arial, helvetica, modern;">
The original name, "Cihuatlán" means "place of women" in the <em>Náhuatl</em> language. It was apparently a matriarchal society where weaving was the dominant industry. This is evidenced by pre-Hispanic figurines, plentiful bobbins and other related artifacts found in the area. Close to a thousand pre-Hispanic pieces as well as murals and maps are on permanent display at the<strong> <a href="https://www.zonaturistica.com/atractivo-turistico/571/museo-arqueologico-de-la-costa-grande-ixtapa-zihuatanejo.html">Museo Arqueológico</a>.</strong></div>
<div style="background-color: #fcfcfc; color: #101005; font-family: arial, helvetica, modern;">
In 1527, Spanish conquistadors launched a trade route from Zihuatanejo Bay to the Orient. Galleons returned with silks, spices and according to some historians, the first coconut palms to arrive in America where brought here from the Philippines.</div>
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The Spaniards did little colonizing here. A scout sent by conquistador <em>Hernán Cortés</em> reported back with his evaluations saying the place was nothing great, tagging the name Cihuatlán with the demeaning Spanish suffix "nejo", hence "Zihuatanejo".</div>
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While Zihuatanejo's roots are traced back centuries, Ixtapa's birth came about in the 1970's, conceived and developed by the Mexican government. As one of mexico's newest west coast resorts, Ixtapa has managed to coexist nicely with the charm of Zihuatanejo. Not many resorts deliver modern comfort, tropical beauty and village charm better than Ixtapa - Zihuatanejo.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt;">The
longest beach of Zihuatanejo’s bay and approx. 1 km (0.63 miles)
long. Soft to medium waves most of the year. Medium to high waves
during our rainy season. Water sports rentals. Many restaurants and
snack-bars along its shore that open from breakfast to dinner. It is
probably the most famous and popular beach of our destination. Its
name "the clothes beach" according to a local legend, is
because a commercial Spanish galleon returning from the Orient
shipwrecked at the entrance of the bay and its cargo of fine silks
and clothing washed ashore. </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: white;">North
of Ixtapa. More than 1 Km (0.65 miles) long. Here is the pier where
you can embark for a visit to the island. Medium to high waves most
of the year. Here is where surfing tournaments are held. At the
entrance you will find an enclosed natural mangrove lagoon with
alligators and has a lookout point so you can see them. Various water
sports available. If you will like to visit the surrounding area, you
can take a horseback riding tour from this point. The origin of its
name is unknown but we assume that someone liked it very much and
called "Linda" (Beautiful).</span> </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 12pt;">Across
the bay. A seclude beach with practically no waves due to the
underwater reef constructed by our ancient civilization (see "Our
History" section). Ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving. Many
water sports available. Lots of restaurant on its shores. Recommended
for a whole day outing. Best way to get there is by taking the
shuttle boats from pier at Playa Principal beach. It got its name
from the the docile and harmless nurse or cat sharks that lived at
the bottom of this beach many, many years ago.</span></span></div>
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-5445877579650530402015-05-27T09:43:00.001-07:002015-05-27T09:59:31.431-07:00Ottawa Tulip FestivalOn the second week of May, 2015, We received a visit from our good friend an neighbor from <a href="http://www.visitcalgary.com/">Calgary</a>, Maria. <br />
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In Ottawa, Ontario, the <a href="http://tulipfestival.ca/">Canadian Tulip Festival</a> is held every year on the second week of May.<br />
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We took advantage of Maria's visit to do a bit of sightseeing in our neighborhood.<br />
During Maria's visit we toured downtown <a href="http://www.ottawatourism.ca/">Ottawa</a> including the <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/visitors/index-e.html">Parliament Buildings</a>, The <a href="http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/node/13258">Prime Minister,s Residence</a>, the <a href="https://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=6&lan=eng">Governor General's Residence</a>, the Rideau Canal, as well as the <a href="http://www.rideau-info.com/canal/history/locks/h01-08-ottawa.html">Rideau Locks</a>. We also got to see the <a href="https://www.gallery.ca/en/see/exhibitions/current">National Gallery</a>, <a href="http://www.notredameottawa.com/main.php?page_numb=0&lang=en">Notre Dame Cathedral</a>, and <a href="http://www.dowslake.com/">Dow's Lake</a>, where the Tulip festival is mostly held In St. Albert Ontario, we visited the <a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/about/st-albert-cheese/?lang=en">St Albert Cheese Factory</a>, world famous for their cheese curds.<br />
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Here are a few pictures from our week:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: open_sansregular, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">
<img alt="carriage" class="alignright size-full wp-image-652" src="http://tulipfestival.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/carriage.png" height="177" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em 1em; max-width: 100%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="148" /><span style="color: black; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; orphans: 1;">In May
of 1940, following the Nazi Invasion of the Netherlands, Queen
Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family were spirited out of the
country to rule in exile from the United Kingdom. The following
month, Princess Juliana brought daughters Princess Beatrix and
Princess Irene to the safe harbour of Canada, arriving by ship in
Halifax before proceeding to Ottawa, where mother and children were
housed at Stornoway — now the official residence of the Leader of
the Opposition.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: open sansregular, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">January
19, 1943, while in exile in Canada, Princess Juliana gave birth to
daughter Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, which was
temporarily declared extraterritorial by the Government of Canada, to
ensure the princess would hold exclusively Dutch, rather than dual
nationality. (The latter would have affected her status in the line
of succession for the Dutch throne; Princess Margriet remains the
only royal personage ever to be born within North America.) At the
news of the princess’s birth, the Dutch flag was flown atop the
Peace Tower and Dutch music rang out from its carillon. Overseas, the
princess’s birth was seen by the Dutch as an important symbol of
hope and source of inspiration.</span></span>
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<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: open_sansregular, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">
<img alt="tulips_vector" class="alignleft wp-image-653" src="http://tulipfestival.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tulips_vector.png" height="171" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: left; height: auto; margin: 0.3em 1em 0.5em 0px; max-width: 100%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="139" />May 2, 1945, following five years in exile in Canada, Princess Juliana and her children were reunited with Queen Wilhelmina in the liberated part of the Netherlands. As a show of gratitude for her stay in Canada, and for Canadian soldiers’ role in the liberation of her homeland, Princess Juliana presented to the people of Canada a number of gifts, including 100,000 tulip bulbs. The following year, an additional 20,500 bulbs were received in Canada, with a request to plant them on the grounds of the Ottawa Civic Hospital.</div>
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Juliana, who became Queen of the Netherlands in 1948, continued to send a gift of thousands of tulip bulbs to Canada each year during her reign, which ended with her abdication in April 1980 and the beginning of the reign of Queen Beatrix.</div>
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<strong style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: open_sansbold;">A Festival is Born</strong></div>
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The arrival of Princess Juliana’s gift of tulips generated great interest, curiosity and admiration among Canadians and the magnificent display of tulips quickly became a treasured tourist attraction in the Nation’s Capital. Stunning pictures became a springtime ritual in newspapers and magazines nationwide, in turn inspiring events centred on the annual arrival of a blossoming number of tulips of many colours.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: open_sansregular, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; margin-bottom: 1.4em;">
<img alt="camera" class="alignright size-full wp-image-654" src="http://tulipfestival.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/camera.png" height="126" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; float: right; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em 1em; max-width: 100%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="116" />In 1953, at the suggestion of world-renowned photographer Malak Karsh, the Ottawa Board of Trade spearheaded the creation of a Canadian Tulip Festival, to be held each May in Canada’s Capital. A celebration of the arrival of spring as well as a commemoration of the significance of the tulip and its wartime connection in Canada, the festival has grown each year to become the largest of its kind in the world, attracting over 500,000 visitors annually.</div>
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In addition to providing entertainment and activities for all ages, the festival has welcomed notable guests — including Queen Juliana, who visited during Canada’s centennial year in 1967, as well as Princess Margriet, who returned in 2002 for the 50<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> edition of the annual event. Today, over 1 million bulbs bloom throughout the Tulip Route.</div>
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As part of sustaining the friendship that links the Netherlands and Canada, the <a href="http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-to-visit/parks-paths/tulips" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #f57b0d;" target="_blank">National Capital Commission</a>, as official gardener of Canada’s Capital, is now responsible for planting close to one million tulips every year in Canada’s Capital Region.</div>
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<b>The Cheese Factory</b></div>
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<span style="color: #155da0; font-family: Nexa-Book, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Did you know that St-Albert Cheese Coop is</span><span style="color: #155da0; font-family: Nexa-Book, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/one-of-the-oldest-cooperatives-in-canada/?lang=en" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-family: Nexa-Book, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="One of the oldest cooperatives in Canada">one of the oldest cooperatives</a><span style="color: #155da0; font-family: Nexa-Book, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span style="color: #155da0; font-family: Nexa-Book, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">in Canada?</span><br />
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As early as the late 19th century, master cheesemakers in a charming Eastern Ontario village were already producing a high quality Cheddar: the St-Albert. Founding President Louis Génier and his nine partners could hardly have imagined back on January 8, 1894, that their little cheese factory would shape the history of the entire community and become a true regional institution.</div>
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Back in those days, there were lots of smaller local cheese factories, and the one in St-Albert was officially known as Fromagerie # 743 and registered as “The St-Albert Co-Operative Cheese Manufacturing Association”, this even before the famous Desjardins co-operative movement started (in 1900).</div>
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<a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/from.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Fromagerie-1" class="wp-image-180 size-medium" src="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/from-300x192.jpg" height="192" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="300" /></a><br />
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The first Fromagerie St-Albert in 1894</div>
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Today, Fromagerie St-Albert is the only one to have survived in Eastern Ontario.</div>
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Little is known about the co-operative’s first 45 years because the first book of minutes is from late 1939. However, we know that the co-operative was sold to an individual in 1931, and bought back by its members in 1939 for $8,500, which included the building, the one-acre property and the equipment.</div>
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In 1950, St-Albert Cheese inaugurates a brand new building for the manufacture of butter and cheese, an impressive and completely modernized plant for that time.</div>
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<a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/usine-1950.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="usine 1950" class="wp-image-676 size-large" src="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/usine-1950-800x488.jpg" height="381" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="625" /></a><br />
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St-Albert Co-Op in 1950</div>
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The Centenary and the Curd Festival</h3>
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In 1994, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative struck a special committee to prepare for its 100th anniversary. Roger Cayer wrote a book about the history of the Co-operative entitled Souvenances de la Fromagerie # 743. A great deal of research went into this book, which is filled with information and period photographs. Another highlight of the 100th anniversary was the first edition of the <a href="http://festivaldelacurd.ca/en/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Curd Festival</a>. Over the years since 1994, the Festival has become one of the big events of the summer, attracting up to 50,000 visitors annually to St-Albert for five days of shows and festivities.</div>
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True to the principles established by the founders in 1894, five generations of dairy producers and artisans have successfully developed and maintained the Co-operative’s tradition of quality cheeses. A fertile environment, a co-operative approach to every challenge, and a so-far unmatched expertise have earned St-Albert cheese its enviable reputation.</div>
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From 1994 to now</h3>
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Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors stop by the St-Albert shop to buy our delicious cheeses and local products. At the same time, more than 2,000 <a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/our-points-of-sale/?lang=en" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Our points of sale">points of sale</a> throughout Western Quebec and Eastern Ontario carry our cheeses.</div>
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In 2007, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative opened a second shop in Orleans,<a href="http://www.cheddaretcetera.com/index.php?lang=en_CA" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cheddar Et Cetera</a>, and in 2009 it purchased Fromagerie Mirabel, in Saint-Jérôme, Quebec. Over the years, many of the cheese products made in St-Albert have won awards in national and international competitions, including the Toronto Winter Fair, the Spencerville Fair, the British Empire Cheese Show and the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. In 2012, the Co-operative had its best year ever, employing 125 people, all driven by the same commitment to quality and freshness, the foundations of the Co-operative’s success.</div>
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<a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/from2.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="from2" class="alignnone wp-image-191 size-large" src="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/from2-800x502.png" height="392" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 5px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="625" /></a></div>
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On February 3, 2013, the St-Albert Cheese Co-operative was completely destroyed by a devastating fire. Over the next few days, production was quickly moved to other factories so that they could keep supplying their loyal customers. Some of the employees were redeployed to the St-Albert primary school, while others were temporarily laid off. The entire community was affected. Despite the challenges, in 2013, the Co-operative earned the title of Grand champion at the 86th edition of the British Empire Cheese Show, and won two prestigious awards for its matured cheeses.</div>
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<a href="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/form3.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #ed3126; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="form3" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-196" src="http://fromagestalbert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/form3-800x367.jpg" height="286" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; margin: 5px 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="625" /></a></div>
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In 2014, as the Co-operative was ready to mark its 120th anniversary, it emerged from its ashes, stronger than ever, with modern facilities, increased production capacity and an iron will, with but one goal in mind: to continue the tradition by producing the best cheddars and dairy products in the country.</div>
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<b>Parliament Hill</b></div>
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<b>Notre Dame Basilica</b></div>
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<strong><img align="left" alt="" border="0" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/architecture001.jpg" height="223" id="architecture001" name="architecture001" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="179" />History of the Church</strong></div>
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The first plan dates from 1839. The work on the building's structure was conducted between 1841 and 1865, and the interior ornamentation, from 1876 to 1885. Missionnaries on temporary postings initiated the actual construction. It was only after the arrival of the Oblate Fathers in 1844 that the work proceeded on a regular basis.<br />
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In 1847, the poor mission church was prematurely transformed into a cathedral, the seat of the first Bishop of Bytown, Most Reverend Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues, O.M.I. With the growth of the diocese under the second Bishop of Ottawa, Most Reverend Thomas Duhamel, and with the impetus of a visionary artist, Canon Georges Bouillon, the cathedral was finally completed in 1885. Dedicated to the Immaculate Conception in 1853, Notre Dame Cathedral was elevated to the status of basilica in 1879. In 1999, the Cathedral underwent a major restoration. This was the first phase of a multi-year project.</div>
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<div style="line-height: 18px; padding: 0px 0px 15px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: middle;">
<img align="left" alt="" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/856%20007.jpg" height="222" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="179" />In 1978, both the National Capital Commission and the City of Ottawa officially recognized the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Ottawa as an historic monument. The cathedral is indeed the oldest surviving church in Ottawa. It stands on the site that was occupied by the first Catholic chapel open to both anglophones and francophones of Bytown. </div>
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<strong><br /></strong><img align="left" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/856%20010.jpg" height="179" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="223" /><strong>Interior Architecture</strong><br />
Today the spaciousness, majesty, and sacred character of the interior of this cathedral strike the visitor just as they did a hundred years ago. In the reigning dimness, one soon makes out the long, narrow, and high central nave, with its line of imposing Gothic arches running from the entrance all the way to the main altar. On each side, bundles of slender columns divide the nave from the aisles. Supported by these columns and covering the side aisles are terraced galleries that look out into the nave and help to define its vastness. Above these large arches runs a blind arcade, with three arches per span, which accentuates the rhythm of the nave. Over each segment stands a high window. In the sanctuary, the large arches progressively open up to a view of the windows set in behind them, the blind arcades display their theatrical decor and the high windows look like beams of light beneath the imposing sculpted flowerlet that terminates the lierne and unites the ribbing of the apse in a crown above the main altar.</div>
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<img align="left" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/856%20009.jpg" height="224" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="178" /><strong>The Sanctuary </strong>The most surprising and fascinating aspect of this sanctuary is the richness of its Gothic ornamentation and the originality of its iconographic programme. It is in studying the decoration and especially the sculptures of the sanctuary that the spirit of Canon Bouillon's utmost creativity becomes evident. Strongly inspired by a long medieval tradition and influenced by the neo-Gothic movement, this iconography is at once complex yet coherent, traditional yet innovative, symbolic yet largely accessible. Although it has a traditional air, it bears the markings of its nineteenth century central-Canadian roots. The sanctuary of Notre Dame of Ottawa permits us to enter into the circle of a great assembly: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and saints gathered around Christ, amidst the angels, in the glory of the heavenly Jerusalem. But surprisingly, in different niches of honour, we recognize Saint Joseph, patron saint of Canada, as well as Saint John the Baptist, and St. Patrick, patron saints of the Archdiocese of Ottawa.</div>
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<strong><img align="left" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/856%20029.jpg" height="225" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="161" />The Lateral altars</strong>At the entry to the sanctuary, in the two lateral rows joining the nave's side aisles, have been erected secondary altars of sculpted wood, covered with gold leaf and decorated with precious stones; they are rather like the shutters of a giant triptych of azure and gold. The altar located on the left side of the sanctuary was built in 1879 and dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The other one, on the right-hand side, dates from 1885 and is consecrated to the Virgin Mary; it is the most splendid of this church's three altars, and Canon Bouillon's final realization in the cathedral.</div>
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<strong><img align="left" class="image_right_spacer" src="http://www.notredameottawa.com/images/architecture/856%20011.jpg" height="223" style="display: block; padding-right: 6px;" width="178" /></strong><strong>The Stained-Glass Windows</strong><br />
The first series of stained-glass windows installed in the cathedral dates 1879. Made by the English glassworker Horwood, these windows consist of geometrical motifs painted in grisaille and embellished by light touches of vivid colours. Most of them were replaced between 1956 and 1961 by a series of 17 historiated windows, made by the artist Guido Nincheri of Montreal, telling of the mysteries of Christ's life and that of the Virgin Mary. Of particular prominence is the large window located just above the cathedral's main entrance. The tall figures painted in the center of this window represent, from the left to right: St. Patrick, St. Paul, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. Peter, and St. John the Baptist.</div>
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<b>Byward Market</b></h2>
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<b>We visited the <a href="http://www.byward-market.com/">Byward Market</a></b></div>
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We had lunch at a Micro Brewery</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Recreationland</span></h2>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Finally, it's only fitting to have a few pictures from our Summer home at <a href="http://www.rec-land.com/">Recreationland Campground</a> in Cumberland Ontario.</span></div>
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-77062170876779122292014-07-22T07:37:00.000-07:002014-07-22T07:48:34.909-07:00Calgary StampedeOn July 10th, we visited <a href="http://www.visitcalgary.com/">Calgary</a> and took in the <a href="http://www.calgarystampede.com/">Stampede</a>. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 80's. They had a special day dedicated to seniors, with free admission, as well as free Tim Horton's coffee an doughnuts. The Westjet SkyRide was also free all day, as well as the rodeos and concerts.
Here are a few pictures from our day:
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-9875409961210216502014-04-08T06:45:00.000-07:002014-04-08T06:45:47.903-07:00New Orleans LouisianaOur our trip home at the end of March, We toured the Gulf coast all the way from <a href="http://www.cctexas.com/customer-service-center/facts-stats/history/index">Corpus Christi</a> to <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/panama/panama-city/history">Panama City </a>Florida. Unfortunately we were face with 5 days of torrential rain. So although we drove through all these <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Coast_of_the_United_States">Gulf Coast</a> cities, we only managed to stop and tour <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/history/">New Orleans</a>, as we got a reprieve from the rains.
We left <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/history/">New Orleans</a> to get to <a href="http://www.biloxi.ms.us/visitor-info/history/">Biloxi</a> Mississippi, and the rain was still holding off, so we took a chance and stopped at <a href="http://www.stateparks.com/shepard_state_park_in_mississippi.html">Shepard State Park</a> to set up our tent in . Boy was that a mistake. The skies opened up again overnight, and we woke up with 2 inches of water in the tent. It made us reflect a bit on this area. It was a part of the area hit hard by <a href="http://www.katrina.com/">Katrina</a> a few years ago.
We did go through a variety of Gulf coast cities along the way. The likes of <a href="http://www.galveston.com/history/">Galveston</a>, <a href="http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Baton-Rouge-History.html">Baton Rouge</a>, <a href="http://www.lafayettetravel.com/essentials/culture/history-acadiana">Lafayette</a>, <a href="http://www.historicalsocietyofgulfport.org/">Gulfport</a>, <a href="http://biloxihistoricalsociety.org/">Biloxi</a>, <a href="http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2255.html">Mobile</a>, <a href="http://www.visitpensacolabeach.com/discover/history.php">Pensacola Beach</a>, and <a href="http://www.panamacitymarketplace.com/pc-history.htm">Panama City Beach</a>.
In <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/history/">New Orleans</a> we toured the <a href="http://www.frenchquarter.com/history/shortquarterhistory.php">French Quarter</a>, http://www.neworleansonline.com/tools/streets/bourbonstreet.html, the downtown market, along with a <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/tools/streets/bourbonstreet.html">Bourbon Street</a> bar. It is a beautiful city that has had a remarkable recovery from <a href="http://www.katrina.com/">Katrina</a>.
Here are some of our photos from New Orleans:
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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrOy_-uFjF_VYOxDxtQ3XbEH3CYD8QWEIefTRYmFaZ51tk6Gb_p7cFlhZN6b61o2UcUw6jueWEMhG6HRk2jaoBb_CSnPIhJz9NAUiE9zlt3iq0J7czz14kIN6TsGZYOaeu_bK65_dh815/s1600/IMG_0325.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/AVvXsEiPrOy_-uFjF_VYOxDxtQ3XbEH3CYD8QWEIefTRYmFaZ51tk6Gb_p7cFlhZN6b61o2UcUw6jueWEMhG6HRk2jaoBb_CSnPIhJz9NAUiE9zlt3iq0J7czz14kIN6TsGZYOaeu_bK65_dh815/s320/IMG_0325.JPG" /></a></div>Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-22470568360256396162014-04-08T06:07:00.000-07:002014-04-08T06:07:34.417-07:00Rio Grande CityIn February, we visited the <a href="http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hfr05">City of Rio Grande</a> with our good friend Doris. This is the home of <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/robert-e-lee-9377163#awesm=~oAQtgFz3dlMFqY">General Robert E. Lee</a>. We also stopped by the <a href="http://writersoftheriogrande.com/our-lady-of-lourdes-given-home-in-rio-grande-city/">Our Lady Of Lourdes Grotto</a>. We stopped at a local Mexican bakery to sample some of the best Mexican pastries. The city borders the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/rigr/index.htm">Rio Grande</a> river, and you can view Mexico from the shoreline. It was a very nice day. Here are some of the photos from our day:
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Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-10880842391481546602014-04-08T05:51:00.001-07:002014-04-08T06:09:11.897-07:00South Padre Island TexasIn late February we visited <a href="http://www.sopadre.com/about/history/">South Padre Island</a>. Our Winter so far had been pretty cold, but we managed to get a good day to visit the island. We were there with our good friends Doris, and her son and daughter in law, Donny and Debbie. We spent a few hours on the beach. We took pictures of the The statue <a href="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM4PEA_El_Cristo_de_los_Pescadores_South_Padre_Island_TX">El Cristo de los Pescadores</a>, as you enter the beach area.
We also visited the <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/port-isabel-lighthouse">Port Isabel Lighthouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4RtkIxnMGZ34UzOYA4ln34zvCcGNwjbmeKNtFhcUevN8gItZoLU_2-b4gTWpMM7sKUFb2apFsYtp8I-gIREIO8m2dTg8umJBZqOhIJG0a3iE2qrg8xV4GDMtvuPay4sGwCmA56X2Zdi5/s1600/IMG_0219.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/AVvXsEhL4RtkIxnMGZ34UzOYA4ln34zvCcGNwjbmeKNtFhcUevN8gItZoLU_2-b4gTWpMM7sKUFb2apFsYtp8I-gIREIO8m2dTg8umJBZqOhIJG0a3iE2qrg8xV4GDMtvuPay4sGwCmA56X2Zdi5/s320/IMG_0219.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9q3cTiBgbGx6odA5cu4WW2vw73tMSI6B7kFs-JU45XxzY4qmJCX2Nra1h6O-2q0tsbU5LvuFVI3sRM5SLN1AIVU42mYwwwrOrOS8oRHucMVn6v93r7byu3FmjlMGI08tMa58I0XflJm0/s1600/IMG_0201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbD197EiJhduQLYMMXoBweQGx98zzirTwWkIpGQHQW7Wg1cWJK5q-D2lA5t7aQfPBOvSgWR2ZsvZ1tTfXno7mGRIwk2Gdy31HYxDB6F46ww7bwV6IDCzeBzXmpywuwyKG7YbNWryKCKbUD/s320/IMG_0211.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34nKfJFal8jXT-DhehbPC_va7sS5AeGwwI4K9ylF2CrjRhIvwQU4tXV3UDmfYCiMjrrBOsNt6eb0OJPjXcStc60aRhe8OO7AI7eAFPfeEZHQbtWERQWE4wVS9hikZP-b-pQPByhYgmeyE/s1600/IMG_0212.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/AVvXsEg34nKfJFal8jXT-DhehbPC_va7sS5AeGwwI4K9ylF2CrjRhIvwQU4tXV3UDmfYCiMjrrBOsNt6eb0OJPjXcStc60aRhe8OO7AI7eAFPfeEZHQbtWERQWE4wVS9hikZP-b-pQPByhYgmeyE/s320/IMG_0212.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH_oerZtKFk90Y-tnMr_qfpTIKgWyzBShwbnbEXWBlCpsZzP0l4Q9gL-ZnG9j3tmVwq2v3nZYgsw_JbXwQKzpo5z4kLvZ7wxoxwJabIRyxcvuYVbwQvSddhmRvO4Eb9fQxVELt8XjA1Yt/s1600/IMG_0214.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/AVvXsEgIH_oerZtKFk90Y-tnMr_qfpTIKgWyzBShwbnbEXWBlCpsZzP0l4Q9gL-ZnG9j3tmVwq2v3nZYgsw_JbXwQKzpo5z4kLvZ7wxoxwJabIRyxcvuYVbwQvSddhmRvO4Eb9fQxVELt8XjA1Yt/s320/IMG_0214.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRt2J_Aha9HJ4h44yVzq1vun5ji9yOeHVIGpJ9Y9y-gTY8hoq88d4Y3m9MhOiVdJ5utLeP2FM-YeUTxekOtVM1buMmTgkqYrkjJmCP_YOpWDP4vugHY18tXe-FfTCpm9vlVChoKoWYhyphenhyphenqE/s1600/IMG_0216.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/AVvXsEgRt2J_Aha9HJ4h44yVzq1vun5ji9yOeHVIGpJ9Y9y-gTY8hoq88d4Y3m9MhOiVdJ5utLeP2FM-YeUTxekOtVM1buMmTgkqYrkjJmCP_YOpWDP4vugHY18tXe-FfTCpm9vlVChoKoWYhyphenhyphenqE/s320/IMG_0216.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPWPN8zR3UqoX_sxEhyphenhyphenW0_rlVmwXvHxr5B1KWLqPN-B9BlVVyNgQ7cEGCGf5Y9s3S5X2WncULcOrtPdgjIcOfRUW_YRcLF9lx5r093cK1lIDZLwpPrNIdTHGBlkt2IzQ1ZrombDIWum3j/s1600/IMG_0223.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/AVvXsEiCPWPN8zR3UqoX_sxEhyphenhyphenW0_rlVmwXvHxr5B1KWLqPN-B9BlVVyNgQ7cEGCGf5Y9s3S5X2WncULcOrtPdgjIcOfRUW_YRcLF9lx5r093cK1lIDZLwpPrNIdTHGBlkt2IzQ1ZrombDIWum3j/s320/IMG_0223.JPG" /></a></div></a>.Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-70390158499552232942014-04-08T05:09:00.000-07:002014-04-08T05:09:09.266-07:00Bentsen State Park Birding CentreIn February, we visited the <a href="http://www.theworldbirdingcenter.com/Bentsen.html">Bentsen State Park Birding Centre</a>. This is a beautiful park along the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/rigr/index.htm">Rio Grande</a>. We got to see the rare <a href="http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/green_jay">Green Jay</a>. View some of the photos below:
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpZsfleVjvASbiWrEeOl7xgtavOTb3J5nFS9kBSBBjmcD-Firn6_Md9T-efPo2SaKrkuhhlSz0KW3gHk-NhBPixTct4qtqw9SgmK_Q469lalqSFe4RObYXxiLFV6nbf9pFrb-ftjaL-JB/s1600/IMG_0196.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/AVvXsEhkpZsfleVjvASbiWrEeOl7xgtavOTb3J5nFS9kBSBBjmcD-Firn6_Md9T-efPo2SaKrkuhhlSz0KW3gHk-NhBPixTct4qtqw9SgmK_Q469lalqSFe4RObYXxiLFV6nbf9pFrb-ftjaL-JB/s320/IMG_0196.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT08eHFXHo96lxl2p2tLck3qXN7s9ixuoEv7opTLOvRreAxmS6ijBL6sNYc92XVZxJmVWGjE80tPeZBDwTuAXijlRqhfoSND9FLP_Mu9ituP9ISqYStleo4_8iAM08wBZP2xmJSOsypMku/s1600/IMG_0200.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/AVvXsEgT08eHFXHo96lxl2p2tLck3qXN7s9ixuoEv7opTLOvRreAxmS6ijBL6sNYc92XVZxJmVWGjE80tPeZBDwTuAXijlRqhfoSND9FLP_Mu9ituP9ISqYStleo4_8iAM08wBZP2xmJSOsypMku/s320/IMG_0200.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-9VD5htzTxmrfHYeh0UXLVoJl9VLh7276qjmJJdQ3M_Hs7m9clE3zQ8dLYVfpqi_EOun6Fkj5ca0Gw6G9hlPS106bEFihcRQLyZfMMpWIO0HGP_DjusoydVAvHmY5YEn32R_Q5HKEoKr/s1600/IMG_0194.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/AVvXsEgn-9VD5htzTxmrfHYeh0UXLVoJl9VLh7276qjmJJdQ3M_Hs7m9clE3zQ8dLYVfpqi_EOun6Fkj5ca0Gw6G9hlPS106bEFihcRQLyZfMMpWIO0HGP_DjusoydVAvHmY5YEn32R_Q5HKEoKr/s320/IMG_0194.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPG7IGDNSNQ1Y31FZEM-9OBb1piSxulfhgdw7jS2V3A4W2lpdmS2W5bO89OjYePhdq_OuSgjoJQCgDESSTZUVP632SIDZ_O-RubmUOrSQgePZ0wDlq3aS6RPGca3CCs8OjrHqUXFSDz-aY/s1600/IMG_0190.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/AVvXsEjPG7IGDNSNQ1Y31FZEM-9OBb1piSxulfhgdw7jS2V3A4W2lpdmS2W5bO89OjYePhdq_OuSgjoJQCgDESSTZUVP632SIDZ_O-RubmUOrSQgePZ0wDlq3aS6RPGca3CCs8OjrHqUXFSDz-aY/s320/IMG_0190.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC-muV8v6naAqVsrLvBfRbN_zHkGaTXvfUAq3rU7PLj5W0sfGIVh3WGPWDCfcZM1x46TAsmiriHkHb9d6r0doU3fvsN6eSRqFFM6UJbDw7_ama9dfEfdfq7Ibg13Zs52ECZaMIW02D7YZ/s1600/IMG_0185.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/AVvXsEhjC-muV8v6naAqVsrLvBfRbN_zHkGaTXvfUAq3rU7PLj5W0sfGIVh3WGPWDCfcZM1x46TAsmiriHkHb9d6r0doU3fvsN6eSRqFFM6UJbDw7_ama9dfEfdfq7Ibg13Zs52ECZaMIW02D7YZ/s320/IMG_0185.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlL3N8a0oyVzlXlYCFqNCBUeGaMH0zltY9WTNP_zu7s5PWtZ3sVq1RBwOgCY74b2aFaWyPBX4z04-KwNDgN9Y-WqiRKMpOtjnP3lp1Ja9EBQtvwjn1yCgd6pEUfO6YQPkL0tGBoGa2Rcl4/s1600/IMG_0184.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/AVvXsEhlL3N8a0oyVzlXlYCFqNCBUeGaMH0zltY9WTNP_zu7s5PWtZ3sVq1RBwOgCY74b2aFaWyPBX4z04-KwNDgN9Y-WqiRKMpOtjnP3lp1Ja9EBQtvwjn1yCgd6pEUfO6YQPkL0tGBoGa2Rcl4/s320/IMG_0184.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhudwulDDIoUHlxZqX-BF_pL2ixFXMNIvz62_VFfT87GIoKbji5m_JQO23_nblJFD_F8TCH9rEd6DMqvNrDd5vBnLhQRiZVitgVkF6L6p2ZbvaCanZIAaDcTjIY4wPNM-K6pWtGql7OBP/s1600/IMG_0183.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/AVvXsEimhudwulDDIoUHlxZqX-BF_pL2ixFXMNIvz62_VFfT87GIoKbji5m_JQO23_nblJFD_F8TCH9rEd6DMqvNrDd5vBnLhQRiZVitgVkF6L6p2ZbvaCanZIAaDcTjIY4wPNM-K6pWtGql7OBP/s320/IMG_0183.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX5g8Hs7tdXp6Tz5_X82MpjAbBD2eE_m25ZCrvQeWbuk79nodkwtbi2Jt_E8DB68LdYgaYnNduJBLraRdb2u0eMrhdNoPW2XcP0s1IseZyuoKyBQ2YDvfOK0YtnRTJPLNpBP2RxORQIbRC/s1600/IMG_0182.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/AVvXsEgX5g8Hs7tdXp6Tz5_X82MpjAbBD2eE_m25ZCrvQeWbuk79nodkwtbi2Jt_E8DB68LdYgaYnNduJBLraRdb2u0eMrhdNoPW2XcP0s1IseZyuoKyBQ2YDvfOK0YtnRTJPLNpBP2RxORQIbRC/s320/IMG_0182.JPG" /></a></div>Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-36374357045846170962013-12-29T10:39:00.000-08:002013-12-29T10:39:02.131-08:00San Juan Del Valle BasilicaDuring our Stay in Texas, we attended Sunday services a the <a href="http://www.olsjbasilica.org/">San Juan Del Valle Basilica</a>. This is a magnificent church. They have a mariachi band performing at every service. View some of our pictures.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RHiuS93vazDW2ukLrNSnQGkZvgEp-AYUy7tYa2_HNrU7oYte3T2RxAoDF0p7K7lGL4jbRA6C8DGKAtmnssEqvIEiCOCozElQU-ipmgj1EJ-ogrCjcuVUQhedOsNgJaLWInoN7zAW4fi4/s1600/IMG_0171.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RHiuS93vazDW2ukLrNSnQGkZvgEp-AYUy7tYa2_HNrU7oYte3T2RxAoDF0p7K7lGL4jbRA6C8DGKAtmnssEqvIEiCOCozElQU-ipmgj1EJ-ogrCjcuVUQhedOsNgJaLWInoN7zAW4fi4/s320/IMG_0171.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJZqbukRoshxfk4hpyGRWTwgY5jBRnXlKGdFv7dyOXBvftY2RiXQ618wYSEzt5zQOFNwdr_IPcpQRs1HpIcsIYHVy8Nt7VK5FLDTZH2utKmRao5GC8tyTfwFhdVx7i2PdZ5rIgVDE1VIf/s1600/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgJZqbukRoshxfk4hpyGRWTwgY5jBRnXlKGdFv7dyOXBvftY2RiXQ618wYSEzt5zQOFNwdr_IPcpQRs1HpIcsIYHVy8Nt7VK5FLDTZH2utKmRao5GC8tyTfwFhdVx7i2PdZ5rIgVDE1VIf/s320/IMG_0170.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf7c4d3I-vSq_PcJumhq2dRzrZofLaYumDexidjvosfQ_IORcI9cCsOH7NKICxq8OmjZ56_JuaCO1rojR5j0gAyf52KTe4MCpaNFdjq_J1b86z4oWaSmQYt0WcZF0X3Pcgu8iE1wcAs5H/s1600/IMG_0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf7c4d3I-vSq_PcJumhq2dRzrZofLaYumDexidjvosfQ_IORcI9cCsOH7NKICxq8OmjZ56_JuaCO1rojR5j0gAyf52KTe4MCpaNFdjq_J1b86z4oWaSmQYt0WcZF0X3Pcgu8iE1wcAs5H/s320/IMG_0169.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlLFEbN17g_vGFlsW_bfgrD6lbkqOFX9A3gZ9QEd19MCPH1wQPX0gRhczBLTw3VenBzE6LpZzsoDPHD6Yxe3P6pZIKY6lnQ1D7lXMK-HxCnvX24gQNuCDGcpsn1lRgFG8a9_o0Hrfm9nq/s1600/IMG_0168.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlLFEbN17g_vGFlsW_bfgrD6lbkqOFX9A3gZ9QEd19MCPH1wQPX0gRhczBLTw3VenBzE6LpZzsoDPHD6Yxe3P6pZIKY6lnQ1D7lXMK-HxCnvX24gQNuCDGcpsn1lRgFG8a9_o0Hrfm9nq/s320/IMG_0168.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkWeS5LxqGZ32JuXd5ME-vnTHdftc394CDQY4YijaCVn_0g2Rvoa3aXk94Em6jQ6Wb9cWdWiUkuomNtRoOtZh-RurFWw0LcJqXkoHCUFQOCUr_1yjKjEhKP-LH5FGwyngSRkujjnt-e1g/s1600/IMG_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrkWeS5LxqGZ32JuXd5ME-vnTHdftc394CDQY4YijaCVn_0g2Rvoa3aXk94Em6jQ6Wb9cWdWiUkuomNtRoOtZh-RurFWw0LcJqXkoHCUFQOCUr_1yjKjEhKP-LH5FGwyngSRkujjnt-e1g/s320/IMG_0167.JPG" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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For centuries Christians have made pilgrimages with a spiritual purpose to holy places. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, hundreds are drawn to the Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, and the number of pilgrims continues to grow. Averaging more than one million visitors a year (20,000 a weekend), it is one of the most visited shrines in the United States.
The history of this Marian Shrine begins in 1920, when the Reverend Alfonso Jalbert, O.M.I., built a small wooden chapel in San Juan, Texas as a mission church of St. Margaret Mary Church in Pharr, Texas.
The origins of the devotion to Our Lady of San Juan del Valle are found in San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico, a town founded near Guadalajara after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Spanish missionaries placed a small image of the Immaculate Conception in the church of San Juan de los Lagos.
In 1623, an acrobat traveling with his wife and children stopped in San Juan de los Lagos to give a performance. While practicing their act, the youngest daughter lost her balance and was killed. An Indian woman, who was the caretaker of the church, begged the parents to place the image of the Virgin Mary over their daughter's body and prayed for the Virgin's intercession. The child was then brought back to life. As word spread of the miracle, the devotion to Our Lady, under the title of “La Virgen de San Juan”, started to grow throughout Jalisco. Today, she is recognized by many people throughout Mexico as well as the United States.
In 1949, Rev. Jose Maria Azpiazu, O.M.I., became pastor of the parish of St. John the Baptist in San Juan, Texas. He was convinced that fostering a devotion to Our Lady of San Juan would benefit the people and help draw the community together. After receiving permission from the bishop to foster the devotion, he commissioned an artist in Guadalajara, Mexico to make a reproduction of the statue venerated at San Juan de Los Lagos and this reproduction was first placed in the San Juan chapel.
Bishop Mariano S. Garriaga approved the construction of a new church and the Shrine was built five years later in 1954, and dedicated to the Virgen de San Juan. At the time San Juan was a part of the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Sixteen years after its construction, a tragic event on October 23, 1970 destroyed the entire Shrine. While 50 priests were concelebrating Mass with another 50 people in attendance, and 100 school children in an adjacent cafeteria, the pilot of a small low-flying airplane crashed into the roof of the shrine and exploded into flames.
While the overall loss was estimated at $1.5 million, many claim it was a miracle that no one was hurt or died in the tragedy. The pilot of the plane, Francis B. Alexander, was the only fatality. Our Lady of San Juan was protecting her children at that moment. Also, Father Patricio Dominguez, O.M.I., a missionary priest, along with the help of Pedro Rodriguez, a sacristan, rescued the statue of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle, and Ron Anderson, then a Diocesan Priest, saved the Blessed Sacrament before the
altar was engulfed in flames.
After the Shrine was destroyed, the Shrine’s dining room temporarily housed the statue of Our Lady of San Juan.
In 1972, Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick separated the administration of the Shrine from the parish. He made plans to build a parish church on the site of the destroyed Shrine and build a bigger church to serve as the Shrine on the grounds north of the former Shrine. The ground breaking for the new Shrine took place on November 27, 1976. The new Shrine was dedicated on April 19, 1980. Cardinal Medeiros joined Bishop Fitzpatrick at the dedication along with an estimated 50,000 people.
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops designated Our Lady of San Juan del Valle a national Shrine on March 24, 1998, and the following year on June 12, 1999 Pope John Paul II designated it as a minor Basilica.Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-64070571946265763932013-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:002013-12-29T10:15:09.044-08:00Mission TexasDuring our stay in Texas, we rented a park model at the <a href="http://sleepyvalleyresort.com/">Sleepy Valley Resort</a> in <a href="http://www.missiontexas.us/">Mission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUI8Q2Dvhifvxi5ZDLpE3Z0H-GpPPoaJMQc5G4IkHWPiqWOrsMzNf9gc-7T6OK0I9WObhau9jwFqNlKjbVzS0OJ_brX3Fu_GX-Ywao7LrSy2gaRQe9CWiCvH2BIBXl2t_a2nZvrx0eGou/s1600/IMG_0164.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/AVvXsEgJUI8Q2Dvhifvxi5ZDLpE3Z0H-GpPPoaJMQc5G4IkHWPiqWOrsMzNf9gc-7T6OK0I9WObhau9jwFqNlKjbVzS0OJ_brX3Fu_GX-Ywao7LrSy2gaRQe9CWiCvH2BIBXl2t_a2nZvrx0eGou/s320/IMG_0164.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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You can view photos from our stay. They had a golf cart Christmas parade. We played golf, darts, and pool. We took advantage of our stay to take conversational Spanish lessons.
The City of Mission is a great place to live and do business! With a mixture of old and new, there’s something for everybody in Mission, Texas.
Located along the U.S./Mexico border, Mission is part of one of the fastest growing MSAs in the country. It has experienced tremendous growth in population, business development and its economy in recent years.
The City of Mission is also widely known for ecotourism and is the premiere spot for birding in South Texas. Birders and nature enthusiasts flock to Mission for the World Birding Center headquarters at Bentsen State Park and the Texas Butterfly Festival.
Come enjoy the warm weather and rapid growth that Mission, Texas has to offer. It’s the perfect place to do business or raise a family.
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I also got to try out a Segway. It was awsome.
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The best place to cross in South Texas. Nuevo Progreso has become the crossing point of choice for tourists and locals who come back again and again.
There's a new bridge with wide, covered pedestrian walkways both going and coming. Even better, when you get across that bridge you're right in the heart of the busiest, happiest, and most fun shopping place anywhere on the entire border.
Despite the recent drug-related violence in much of North Mexico, there has been no US citizen involvement in <a href="http://www.shop-progreso.com/">Nuevo Progreso!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa4twzzb9CdUd5rJjwd009q6jlhWmvIUJ6sggpX2Q6yUAVmwx_IMx9yHEnwR1bNt1bEVKtzeL84CvsyRKaTMakm0cdnB5znUARrz6qOA8e7Dd4OBJgtm8tzTMgmLghC-WHozMeZuPzJbn/s1600/IMG_0113.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/AVvXsEhWa4twzzb9CdUd5rJjwd009q6jlhWmvIUJ6sggpX2Q6yUAVmwx_IMx9yHEnwR1bNt1bEVKtzeL84CvsyRKaTMakm0cdnB5znUARrz6qOA8e7Dd4OBJgtm8tzTMgmLghC-WHozMeZuPzJbn/s320/IMG_0113.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAdv7w6IFibzVv9cydQcudBL13Lus-AZdC_TYCSqNOLfJzl1_CllkHyPZoBxSTYhtFwVjq1QmlqqOvKQQYk09hs9CRKcBhxNMbzzDeQcLdGScjdjKT0tnvgI2_57HavZ4E4-Q9KVWB0kV/s1600/IMG_0112.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/AVvXsEgIAdv7w6IFibzVv9cydQcudBL13Lus-AZdC_TYCSqNOLfJzl1_CllkHyPZoBxSTYhtFwVjq1QmlqqOvKQQYk09hs9CRKcBhxNMbzzDeQcLdGScjdjKT0tnvgI2_57HavZ4E4-Q9KVWB0kV/s320/IMG_0112.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPsS5LCFbE1iBPuwXHM_iGnxlEvgVr1yU_5-eiyq6lf_ShSP9nJDA3y8zQxSaBTGEGR40Wdm6evMbZlzwRvlWl2LGTui-qypZjzJ3w20dN5IneHIYhwIMB6j8khGRKgcsTqInc_eqlT6A/s1600/IMG_0111.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/AVvXsEjcPsS5LCFbE1iBPuwXHM_iGnxlEvgVr1yU_5-eiyq6lf_ShSP9nJDA3y8zQxSaBTGEGR40Wdm6evMbZlzwRvlWl2LGTui-qypZjzJ3w20dN5IneHIYhwIMB6j8khGRKgcsTqInc_eqlT6A/s320/IMG_0111.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcItBXUWUoPYewLFDbq3zHXre567yTb9jZbpy-a9mbZLRzBxIcn7wAxEYNU2vH2dr1se1MaLZj9qNMeCoHuEgi0wX35sTDRx043rHTyOTbOf4TFAjxnc3E3KktLXgKN6uqjhf0wTfPtuQ/s1600/IMG_0110.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/AVvXsEjdcItBXUWUoPYewLFDbq3zHXre567yTb9jZbpy-a9mbZLRzBxIcn7wAxEYNU2vH2dr1se1MaLZj9qNMeCoHuEgi0wX35sTDRx043rHTyOTbOf4TFAjxnc3E3KktLXgKN6uqjhf0wTfPtuQ/s320/IMG_0110.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVli7Gmp81YTOPEru70tDE6ViPJrXocyXBixBsnSYAlDzVKMpRuQZfCcJpPY2nnyY5UXchYoW7ZyOrhlx4EGNzsOGM3bjz7JY4t633rYsAI1sJPxCXYKg_OYBwYanjIBPLERQ-UJ1lAN_/s1600/IMG_0109.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/AVvXsEhLVli7Gmp81YTOPEru70tDE6ViPJrXocyXBixBsnSYAlDzVKMpRuQZfCcJpPY2nnyY5UXchYoW7ZyOrhlx4EGNzsOGM3bjz7JY4t633rYsAI1sJPxCXYKg_OYBwYanjIBPLERQ-UJ1lAN_/s320/IMG_0109.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdBPjUpth2EBW-O-6MvKxoZvbAl6s8MDGb9Uv8itr3CC4L53rMYwdw8jS2_xCX-EwyMnctZpkDJzeebZJuyTzXS00kDTK6kNtADMdkrX6roMyyPVKvMd1_Xyu_NkNW7uPNR86JNJq5qvZ/s1600/IMG_0108.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/AVvXsEghdBPjUpth2EBW-O-6MvKxoZvbAl6s8MDGb9Uv8itr3CC4L53rMYwdw8jS2_xCX-EwyMnctZpkDJzeebZJuyTzXS00kDTK6kNtADMdkrX6roMyyPVKvMd1_Xyu_NkNW7uPNR86JNJq5qvZ/s320/IMG_0108.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv3dMwSgPGqYLWU053gD2P2Z6Zn_rQfHZnkhXfQYd_aRV2gsc7wEOTzRq5Zwm3rLKkb-pHT1dwvqm3xx6kYnrND3exPUQi0SulEh4yuu7ZoJ7h6ym_vB9vL0eZch4D4ls84EIDDK9cwu4/s1600/IMG_0107.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/AVvXsEicv3dMwSgPGqYLWU053gD2P2Z6Zn_rQfHZnkhXfQYd_aRV2gsc7wEOTzRq5Zwm3rLKkb-pHT1dwvqm3xx6kYnrND3exPUQi0SulEh4yuu7ZoJ7h6ym_vB9vL0eZch4D4ls84EIDDK9cwu4/s320/IMG_0107.JPG" /></a></div></a> One incident occured in December of 2009 between Mexican military and some drug-gangsters. No US citizen was involved and no one has been criminally endangered in any way over the past nine years that this website has been online!
Nuevo Progreso is the safest place to cross on the US-Mexico border. 2/6/09
Why not click on the buttons to the left and see what it's all about?
Great weather during most of winter makes it a must do for the 130,000+ Winter Texans who visit each year. There's shopping for all kinds of things: boots, booze, furniture, curios, cheap cigarettes, leather, pottery, clothes, and whatever your heart desires and you simply must have.
Drug stores offer pharmaceuticals at great prices. Many dentists offer their expertise for keeping the teeth and dentures in great shape.
Bite into a steak or seafood or fantastic Mexican food prepared by real Mexicans in fine restaurants. Enjoy music and ballet folkloric dance while you eat and dance. Hear street musicians entertain.
Get your shoes shined, hair cut, and sun film on your windows. Stroll the streets while you sip an icy margarita or Corona for prices you won't believe.
Come and let the friendliest folks on the border show you a good time!
Bienvenidos a Nuevo Progreso, mis amigos!Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-52282332956737468902013-03-20T13:52:00.001-07:002013-10-25T09:15:42.129-07:00Florida 2013Apart from all the festivals we attended, we took part in various fish fries, picnics, and activity days with our friends Ken and Rita. We took part in the Meadowlark Shores activity day. Also the Grandma Groves' picnic, and Lakeport fish fries. Here are a few pictures:
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/jyaQDEdO6k8/UVBr1YOiAbI/AAAAAAAAC0k/TsgHJHa3hSQ/s1600/DSCN4343.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOTWdp9YkFZ_3VT9hbsp0dgX4nae7w3pTTGABLgH8NEQAwwbS-ZAeRqEDUsSYW_k5ndjYzJfBr7EF062yUPB34OQPvgwZmy7RwMtKFP8GL3UGUjmHUuvtAyqPh3VLZfnImHPVHUJuO-Xu/s320/DSCN4343.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRUWL9SJXfusnCswHEPxh600AuHM9Do8yYcGsi93N6HyH9uRNOpTJEVpopsRd5P-ZUTeg1njZm75FFbQk5pLy_8ufqeXE3qsSAVf3VjowkwwtDdoua-wqIBrsMRPFBnil6hm_5Tt9T3I/s1600/Gator-2013+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRUWL9SJXfusnCswHEPxh600AuHM9Do8yYcGsi93N6HyH9uRNOpTJEVpopsRd5P-ZUTeg1njZm75FFbQk5pLy_8ufqeXE3qsSAVf3VjowkwwtDdoua-wqIBrsMRPFBnil6hm_5Tt9T3I/s320/Gator-2013+009.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVIfOu0tcB-wTdBjyPTY6B6aUefcq5aOpuJoWrXVMF7hKgN6AcuL5bYtW1If9m9jQhhL8VVfGVwjTejuio4vRWf7DDt-Rt0hspMnoURPATeo_O_VM08CGCiU74UssrxmnCjzNTZ0k7h0/s1600/DSCN4469.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCVIfOu0tcB-wTdBjyPTY6B6aUefcq5aOpuJoWrXVMF7hKgN6AcuL5bYtW1If9m9jQhhL8VVfGVwjTejuio4vRWf7DDt-Rt0hspMnoURPATeo_O_VM08CGCiU74UssrxmnCjzNTZ0k7h0/s320/DSCN4469.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7NIXjQxM3Tk0Xv4tPwLFCmKkc8mw24QYTl2UbEa56gC-TAzAzrLkmeql_ejOcfH_gitc4x2AC4F65D29srSX4Sy9SJQzO_wgZj_pd21GyYj_craDuNLelvUTATYMuO2XYs4yJpWajt8/s1600/Gator-2013+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7NIXjQxM3Tk0Xv4tPwLFCmKkc8mw24QYTl2UbEa56gC-TAzAzrLkmeql_ejOcfH_gitc4x2AC4F65D29srSX4Sy9SJQzO_wgZj_pd21GyYj_craDuNLelvUTATYMuO2XYs4yJpWajt8/s320/Gator-2013+004.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_beT3I6IhWKXoJraFthFK-QNIOQggebfbBMQl48AKWhQo4OWvZjGzMIWKzIXC8LidrVEOH0mkMX0Rq3P8bFi4wLef8PEBSu-EgB_OAU4BoDBxgyvVz3wfIIUTa9z19RKsU6j8TXk8xA/s1600/DSCN4460.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_beT3I6IhWKXoJraFthFK-QNIOQggebfbBMQl48AKWhQo4OWvZjGzMIWKzIXC8LidrVEOH0mkMX0Rq3P8bFi4wLef8PEBSu-EgB_OAU4BoDBxgyvVz3wfIIUTa9z19RKsU6j8TXk8xA/s320/DSCN4460.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrZydCqWIGFM8BdHKH0vMYXg-aLvdRCDNUdzWJKy3QNkwgYM0cMbQBg09rLuRib_tB61eOYbUPZJGn7nAyBBJKBo-JyUnzsLp9k-8WsEINzKNRYCVP8LM6T2YR5v2DlC7X9zeKDd5hec/s1600/DSCN4426.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrZydCqWIGFM8BdHKH0vMYXg-aLvdRCDNUdzWJKy3QNkwgYM0cMbQBg09rLuRib_tB61eOYbUPZJGn7nAyBBJKBo-JyUnzsLp9k-8WsEINzKNRYCVP8LM6T2YR5v2DlC7X9zeKDd5hec/s320/DSCN4426.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdshcIRj8SB80-8ZNLlzPfoBO2ZAet47rBlBnMkEWgmcmqvQs6HS-IHo8QsA4gRmvwZMuKlkG6A51FLBk1MW0u_YFJKCfmiT9NZ-DxRNkB8L6ZmD2WjKKvty7P5wmgQSS8Q9pg6KTqRqE/s1600/DSCN4353.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdshcIRj8SB80-8ZNLlzPfoBO2ZAet47rBlBnMkEWgmcmqvQs6HS-IHo8QsA4gRmvwZMuKlkG6A51FLBk1MW0u_YFJKCfmiT9NZ-DxRNkB8L6ZmD2WjKKvty7P5wmgQSS8Q9pg6KTqRqE/s320/DSCN4353.JPG" /></a>
We also took in a bit of beach and Spring Training baseball between the <a href="http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tor">Blue Jays</a> and the <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=min">Minnesota Twinns</a>.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDdJvnkjBtkgg10tvMZVrQPdAd0nlOIW5Ibu53Gm5fWkWqnX4YwwpFSlqx-Ozt8urYtPM7do6jrNri9n-KHDj-1ctf8hCeJSxZM5HxU6oRljFvSrUtQ43I46y0J5kihMUedoiM-2bYohh/s1600/DSCN4558.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPDdJvnkjBtkgg10tvMZVrQPdAd0nlOIW5Ibu53Gm5fWkWqnX4YwwpFSlqx-Ozt8urYtPM7do6jrNri9n-KHDj-1ctf8hCeJSxZM5HxU6oRljFvSrUtQ43I46y0J5kihMUedoiM-2bYohh/s320/DSCN4558.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvL14dwKJ7T-TFWh_idb6u_xtYMQ1enRsM0aSo731fxN4h2SwkbRciUAnyJXRV4M7XNaPt8nNwg7E_ydPP66ie_ooRnzaewzpPKGAJQ65mbRf4VBLbtz2od_mnr2YR28mM2cAFeyqv3EK/s1600/DSCN4566.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitvL14dwKJ7T-TFWh_idb6u_xtYMQ1enRsM0aSo731fxN4h2SwkbRciUAnyJXRV4M7XNaPt8nNwg7E_ydPP66ie_ooRnzaewzpPKGAJQ65mbRf4VBLbtz2od_mnr2YR28mM2cAFeyqv3EK/s320/DSCN4566.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j0RkHTVc6UdoYuiDstN7Fw61hSDwjMvn14ETSUSLWLeIU_pAOc3sdpYPR_6hgrBdUMWa4lnvOLXltUMnwqhi7jNEFbP715UFAEb1U-GWmWejN6-dRp1aqXA-u8CxPigms6Dpsisw3x8O/s1600/DSCN4563.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j0RkHTVc6UdoYuiDstN7Fw61hSDwjMvn14ETSUSLWLeIU_pAOc3sdpYPR_6hgrBdUMWa4lnvOLXltUMnwqhi7jNEFbP715UFAEb1U-GWmWejN6-dRp1aqXA-u8CxPigms6Dpsisw3x8O/s320/DSCN4563.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TCYt2kBhZK9Smw0tZQe1AbhVzG0N2ctBTAFZ7Y6e4mYCfafohHcZKWSYyBzQH2b0BxsYU7iq7tZdUPRnLGomKQecP37eTV_Bsw6rAKjtZLe_y5vsH_XdBpIzHuN2SpM-3_x9QY63a82W/s1600/DSCN4568.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TCYt2kBhZK9Smw0tZQe1AbhVzG0N2ctBTAFZ7Y6e4mYCfafohHcZKWSYyBzQH2b0BxsYU7iq7tZdUPRnLGomKQecP37eTV_Bsw6rAKjtZLe_y5vsH_XdBpIzHuN2SpM-3_x9QY63a82W/s320/DSCN4568.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvayI64Di7I73gJHGjXdJp-r4Rs1pGUxCO3LFD1ro5v907F3GuAxuMuX1HmvMuTlo11jWlxNPucNgd8Plim2hC1e_jmugBpsvi01FgQdBsPtmK7oVBYyjl-QDCKqzwILyx__vmq1HE20WP/s1600/DSCN4575.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvayI64Di7I73gJHGjXdJp-r4Rs1pGUxCO3LFD1ro5v907F3GuAxuMuX1HmvMuTlo11jWlxNPucNgd8Plim2hC1e_jmugBpsvi01FgQdBsPtmK7oVBYyjl-QDCKqzwILyx__vmq1HE20WP/s320/DSCN4575.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVxv2U8PirrWiPcqTgaixJoBna1tbq4HErr6a83LjM6gD1rQlM4mnpQPzSf0YsnHO9X2jgOS3W_KFqJAZrm4xtz5H5bGvGYhygXJ6eW7p-tEy73xGCRIHq-nx9jcbfEWxQ1ZlaylUwISv/s1600/DSCN4577.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVxv2U8PirrWiPcqTgaixJoBna1tbq4HErr6a83LjM6gD1rQlM4mnpQPzSf0YsnHO9X2jgOS3W_KFqJAZrm4xtz5H5bGvGYhygXJ6eW7p-tEy73xGCRIHq-nx9jcbfEWxQ1ZlaylUwISv/s320/DSCN4577.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrVyWd3w92ABY09WZ_kocbK8MT30h7IbxeBxXy3-aJYgauWQ86Za3cvtJ7315JS4GWv15qncUaX3mPT9W8JWKouMw-N8Xc0CY2_lVRq6zYNinuFUs2QhNlOkMDn2Xbm9p7kiL35NjIkDM/s1600/DSCN4567.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsrVyWd3w92ABY09WZ_kocbK8MT30h7IbxeBxXy3-aJYgauWQ86Za3cvtJ7315JS4GWv15qncUaX3mPT9W8JWKouMw-N8Xc0CY2_lVRq6zYNinuFUs2QhNlOkMDn2Xbm9p7kiL35NjIkDM/s320/DSCN4567.JPG" /></a>
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-61503792472252673592013-03-20T13:42:00.000-07:002013-10-09T05:38:27.430-07:00Florida Wildlife<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAEg6owziljMZiTlORvlEQln_YFt1a9NeomxagcWFyw5EAepLSAyEk7MyxvIL9kPqGwmj-MIJoozWmfa2KgSxbG74t4sB-3CfjVCOb7h1v4R_9f-uozUanW7zViv2HIGU2xuM9pukCNg/s1600/DSCN4556.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAEg6owziljMZiTlORvlEQln_YFt1a9NeomxagcWFyw5EAepLSAyEk7MyxvIL9kPqGwmj-MIJoozWmfa2KgSxbG74t4sB-3CfjVCOb7h1v4R_9f-uozUanW7zViv2HIGU2xuM9pukCNg/s320/DSCN4556.JPG" /></a>
After spending 8 winters in Florida, we've seen our share of wildlife. This year has been particularly active
We encountered a multitude of gators, one who's found a permanent home under our dock. We encountered a <a href="http://bigcatrescue.org/bobcat-facts/">bobcat</a> while taking a morning walk on the <a href="http://www.martin.fl.us/portal/page?_pageid=350,3713504&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL">Okeechobee levies</a>. We have a bald headed <a href="http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/">american eagle</a> outside our home on a daily basis.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_T-cJK76cU-VN3mj3fCD8HQRpMo1FSnQtI1JFHGvlJIbQ6OBzqE1fqa4Gb0ozmgZKxliOWwb1aY5yhpGi8ACRWWYqGPYVDixMZUOvrufra3RXJaLhK87Ebe67E1cPaUsDkO0HqP8rsw8/s1600/DSCN4453.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_T-cJK76cU-VN3mj3fCD8HQRpMo1FSnQtI1JFHGvlJIbQ6OBzqE1fqa4Gb0ozmgZKxliOWwb1aY5yhpGi8ACRWWYqGPYVDixMZUOvrufra3RXJaLhK87Ebe67E1cPaUsDkO0HqP8rsw8/s320/DSCN4453.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJwe0W1nMOvEw-1fFdgMYHfDRD7Sh_MipbDUdKldG4N0EEMVkmJar-1yHNsTL3lPU_h84B_a3ZMzSz67BgSSF1EaR4c4l3WMjEowVx2bNg26uc2ZnmMOnUY1V_L4dy4xj2WO5s7D5lqk/s1600/DSCN4436.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAJwe0W1nMOvEw-1fFdgMYHfDRD7Sh_MipbDUdKldG4N0EEMVkmJar-1yHNsTL3lPU_h84B_a3ZMzSz67BgSSF1EaR4c4l3WMjEowVx2bNg26uc2ZnmMOnUY1V_L4dy4xj2WO5s7D5lqk/s320/DSCN4436.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2Up_Vt2FQxZ8rf0Gkp6RcKGBxaN9bmzBzMfmNZMlzXXOWI3FYS7PXlP4sV6K-uQeyD8GCruA0u9jou-MWcz48Xc74xhbnnWf43uoorZqBNyS2-l3IeYm8nzX7miyVAJOyg0y3iVYMVE/s1600/DSCN4336.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2Up_Vt2FQxZ8rf0Gkp6RcKGBxaN9bmzBzMfmNZMlzXXOWI3FYS7PXlP4sV6K-uQeyD8GCruA0u9jou-MWcz48Xc74xhbnnWf43uoorZqBNyS2-l3IeYm8nzX7miyVAJOyg0y3iVYMVE/s320/DSCN4336.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9FGKSIhk9-0pm2UhpnYCJQX04ftBKrzqB3BL5XCRM6ceqZu8a5yb3BbkhOKd6U_iwEUyLTGbILmN9fCGl_hZNQsRVzlPZaPO8hQ3DIP3d6wi0-q6L22gfnf5FaY6QSCxsal3vbyOr2c/s1600/DSCN4429.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9FGKSIhk9-0pm2UhpnYCJQX04ftBKrzqB3BL5XCRM6ceqZu8a5yb3BbkhOKd6U_iwEUyLTGbILmN9fCGl_hZNQsRVzlPZaPO8hQ3DIP3d6wi0-q6L22gfnf5FaY6QSCxsal3vbyOr2c/s320/DSCN4429.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYXZMwXSof_Jz9QYPbtqEJ8VAnNSNSiS4g4uP9IETbizKS7Cw6Mv_IXMtyW-Q51v5xP3yfSLqdzZYRrgEnQDxePXD0AeBF4XjUsNalijpiipBgjrV116gjKXzgdMJLsU-YyRHkPjTif4/s1600/DSCN4320.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYXZMwXSof_Jz9QYPbtqEJ8VAnNSNSiS4g4uP9IETbizKS7Cw6Mv_IXMtyW-Q51v5xP3yfSLqdzZYRrgEnQDxePXD0AeBF4XjUsNalijpiipBgjrV116gjKXzgdMJLsU-YyRHkPjTif4/s320/DSCN4320.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ0s47aMWpeDXCquyHRDZqBDGIgQL6mqxg2JNVAWrYcuv1KN4saL2HdeuyRJs3hHC9zZLBwb_Mx9GMQT15XH6eXhXc2js4GnQyubzncIJV82avOV5s_mXMFupJdgW5-I27bUshjm7cFs/s1600/DSCN4293.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ0s47aMWpeDXCquyHRDZqBDGIgQL6mqxg2JNVAWrYcuv1KN4saL2HdeuyRJs3hHC9zZLBwb_Mx9GMQT15XH6eXhXc2js4GnQyubzncIJV82avOV5s_mXMFupJdgW5-I27bUshjm7cFs/s320/DSCN4293.JPG" /></a>
We've encountered <a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322">wild pigs</a>, snakes, <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/armadillo/">armadillos</a>, <a href="http://myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/deer/">deer</a>, turtles, and a host of florida <a href="http://stock.tobinphoto.com/florida-birds-pictures.php">fowl</a>, most of witch, right on our property. We don't always carry our camera, but, Here are a few pictures:
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU12Aom2_0BMo6NVn6cAv-0yK6sS-FHYuAXYySsMxZNgkP4iEpCetIAgG2rNNa4NMJZZXAj-J5WQhRK7OqhrWlnguOQ4BQEINzBhFEm-QVSEdjouzDMoNmQRgbwgYFIeXXE-8zNa8sueA/s1600/Gator-2013+029.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU12Aom2_0BMo6NVn6cAv-0yK6sS-FHYuAXYySsMxZNgkP4iEpCetIAgG2rNNa4NMJZZXAj-J5WQhRK7OqhrWlnguOQ4BQEINzBhFEm-QVSEdjouzDMoNmQRgbwgYFIeXXE-8zNa8sueA/s320/Gator-2013+029.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_USM966qGAV4_ZEaJXGF3NkqT7-erpLcpAR75HcCk34p-B_mQOX3pacKx1A_-MP89q5EwvKF9KOkniyHMayWx-c-Fywb1D0eZ7q9KAYw6DIU3f3BilVAGwanSARj3X13ypsCi1i0pv8/s1600/Gator-2013+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_USM966qGAV4_ZEaJXGF3NkqT7-erpLcpAR75HcCk34p-B_mQOX3pacKx1A_-MP89q5EwvKF9KOkniyHMayWx-c-Fywb1D0eZ7q9KAYw6DIU3f3BilVAGwanSARj3X13ypsCi1i0pv8/s320/Gator-2013+017.JPG" /></a>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmJuEbuf6RFkvlQmw2y93_DrL0hyphenhyphenFnClhERYEPiQe1ee3cmCBfmOZdHzrPzyI-uweaBcAFmormreNysUp_W8bZKw2gxFunvfTzUk2CLo1SltNKuxwBtD0iVte7uZlf8rVXhuKlQr5gaA/s1600/Gator-2013+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmJuEbuf6RFkvlQmw2y93_DrL0hyphenhyphenFnClhERYEPiQe1ee3cmCBfmOZdHzrPzyI-uweaBcAFmormreNysUp_W8bZKw2gxFunvfTzUk2CLo1SltNKuxwBtD0iVte7uZlf8rVXhuKlQr5gaA/s320/Gator-2013+009.JPG" /></a>
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-41153701447867341762013-03-20T13:18:00.001-07:002013-10-08T11:15:55.063-07:00Ave Maria Florida
In mid February, we visited the town of <a href="http://www.avemaria.com/">Ave Maria</a>. This town is all brand new. It was built as a high end community, with a world class university and golf course. Here's a bit of trivia about Ave Maria. Enjoy.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhaI6BtyUvesP6g6owa2f_rgqLjN_BkwZX77Rmuewmlo9M39YXjIyCOAuFEFwi7XObKqHLKRIdT_aaiY5IijcG8wF3YUvivy02SWbLvP9XS9cfAZQ6vBo1qrD4Ao6qwpk5LP9qx7IAAY/s1600/DSCN4412.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhaI6BtyUvesP6g6owa2f_rgqLjN_BkwZX77Rmuewmlo9M39YXjIyCOAuFEFwi7XObKqHLKRIdT_aaiY5IijcG8wF3YUvivy02SWbLvP9XS9cfAZQ6vBo1qrD4Ao6qwpk5LP9qx7IAAY/s320/DSCN4412.JPG" /></a>
Florida's holy land, the town of Ave Maria.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p1tnBy-Q8bUwvaKPptqZqXk0-Zc3MPUaeLFanWSTzpgM_vbglOnyt6gmEsQS1ViyhluKVkTz0zkHRRtHUx49ungqSIkDMvMOrumeNe8WTotwTeGwuYb2jszaHLyX29zhJ1oSJZBhoD0/s1600/DSCN4409.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1p1tnBy-Q8bUwvaKPptqZqXk0-Zc3MPUaeLFanWSTzpgM_vbglOnyt6gmEsQS1ViyhluKVkTz0zkHRRtHUx49ungqSIkDMvMOrumeNe8WTotwTeGwuYb2jszaHLyX29zhJ1oSJZBhoD0/s320/DSCN4409.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gKzhMGRq_4_vuJNFc7SScT-Eh7q8KIynh-mK7BWSw-4dumy2k7RKW7QSuhNwd1HL9JJ-6xp63gxXM0hvToWYmQcDgglqzbYHBdAOVwMdB6jGW3qVt_k2esee1dWYxcXN7W16MKgpGFI/s1600/DSCN4408.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gKzhMGRq_4_vuJNFc7SScT-Eh7q8KIynh-mK7BWSw-4dumy2k7RKW7QSuhNwd1HL9JJ-6xp63gxXM0hvToWYmQcDgglqzbYHBdAOVwMdB6jGW3qVt_k2esee1dWYxcXN7W16MKgpGFI/s320/DSCN4408.JPG" /></a>
Ave Maria is a fledgling town that was once a tomato field.
The 5,000-acre town the religious vision of Domino's Pizza tycoon <a href="http://www.avemariablvd.com/tommonaghandominosbiography.html">Tom Monaghan</a>. It's between <a href="http://www.naples-florida.com/">Naples</a> and Immokalee. It takes 20 minutes to reach Interstate 75 if you ignore the speed limit.
It's so remote that conservative commentator <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/">Rush Limbaugh</a>'s radio show crackles with static on the AM dial, reports the St. Petersburg Times.
There is a Monaghan museum it the office of Ave Maria Development, overseer of the entire project. Monaghan's credo stares down from a display: "I believe my mission is to get as many people to heaven as possible."
Ave Maria's projected population of 11,000 stands at about 500.
The town is home to one of Florida’s most impressive modern churches. Its interior steel-beam vaulting rises 104 feet. You can see it from miles away.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQtBVJbBouY1YwDP88LYuNpa8PFbGnDLS0iYZpwahxgdUJqwr_gj-M_lOx2FRhSjNvZLv5__Qo_W_j7uTZ3vXwGjlPYf1GKsdYLk94TjV6E6fKE33jqwhPW38yciz1gyCtD32amlkwWU/s1600/DSCN4414.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQtBVJbBouY1YwDP88LYuNpa8PFbGnDLS0iYZpwahxgdUJqwr_gj-M_lOx2FRhSjNvZLv5__Qo_W_j7uTZ3vXwGjlPYf1GKsdYLk94TjV6E6fKE33jqwhPW38yciz1gyCtD32amlkwWU/s320/DSCN4414.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PjKVJmaJxY_yraChgbxg8EswYChT-HMvKyK3DPr47zUbrivc6eABevDCb_RTgzZ3v7rpMaSlKqTEezZ0N_xSkHWUz24nrxqFnOXozVygP0_1THV-5RalIsLTcMu5cjiZvPv3SW2LCNs/s1600/DSCN4415.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PjKVJmaJxY_yraChgbxg8EswYChT-HMvKyK3DPr47zUbrivc6eABevDCb_RTgzZ3v7rpMaSlKqTEezZ0N_xSkHWUz24nrxqFnOXozVygP0_1THV-5RalIsLTcMu5cjiZvPv3SW2LCNs/s320/DSCN4415.JPG" /></a>
Monaghan wants to give the massive 1,100-seat church to the Diocese of Venice.
But the Catholic bishop is reluctant to assume the upkeep, including the frightening air conditioning demands. Big church, so few parishioners.
The town's coffee shop is called the Bean and there are pictures of the Virgin Mary on the wall.
The Bean serves up conservative sentiments on its cups: "Tolerance without conviction is the same as apathy" — Chesterton.
But thank God they do serve a cold beer.
The Bean serves bottled beer in a town without a grocery, at least until the Publix opens this summer. And an English-style pub is opening soon. It's called the Queen Mary after England's 16th-century Catholic monarch.
For those who like living in a religious retreat-like environment we say "AMEN!"
Founder's goals.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji55OJLmdyNoXVjT-DpnV6vNZR2WjgXMPu6yHVlnq_raHv7_gK8WEhDrVFn2vu1ClnUomx8UfmD-8EjKIKVLZ8Zie3Skxo4l04D98cn3bPQaGM9H3hXjj5zzWXb7MtRqozo9ur8cKIBsU/s1600/DSCN4418.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji55OJLmdyNoXVjT-DpnV6vNZR2WjgXMPu6yHVlnq_raHv7_gK8WEhDrVFn2vu1ClnUomx8UfmD-8EjKIKVLZ8Zie3Skxo4l04D98cn3bPQaGM9H3hXjj5zzWXb7MtRqozo9ur8cKIBsU/s320/DSCN4418.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOJSUr7f0bktN1g2cgfNELT0LMqtRuyguSUcA-EY0wujBDHoPe8c3epEZUh6ZBnQSlqZmmtsvBwBJZN3tUL-pirj04X2APKN9pk2T19XN1k8vfQ10pTbIqQ1uZmqrNWt_vq8jE48_zRo/s1600/DSCN4416.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizOJSUr7f0bktN1g2cgfNELT0LMqtRuyguSUcA-EY0wujBDHoPe8c3epEZUh6ZBnQSlqZmmtsvBwBJZN3tUL-pirj04X2APKN9pk2T19XN1k8vfQ10pTbIqQ1uZmqrNWt_vq8jE48_zRo/s320/DSCN4416.JPG" /></a>
In a May 2004 speech, Monaghan expressed his wish to have the new town and university campus be free from pre-marital sex, contraceptives, abortion, pornography and gay rights. This elicited sharply critical statements from the international press, who saw such proposed restrictions as violations of civil liberties. Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union branch in Florida, challenged the legality of the restriction of sales of contraceptives. He said, "This is not just about the sale of contraceptives in the local pharmacy, it is about whether in an incorporated town there will be a fusion of religion and government." An opinion column in The Wall Street Journal quoted an Ave Maria faculty member who exaggeratedly called it a "Catholic Jonestown". Frances Kissling of Catholics for Choice compared Monaghan's civic vision to Islamic fundamentalism, and called it "un-American". In response, Monaghan announced a milder form of civic planning in which the town could mostly grow on its own, except that it would not have sex shops or strip clubs, and store owners would be asked rather than ordered not to sell contraceptives or porn. Contraception and porn would still be banned from the university.
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-80025330979501019832013-03-20T12:21:00.001-07:002013-10-09T05:52:03.470-07:00South Florida Festivals
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTvs-cSrxeLM1dLfn9wFuOHqWrSVz2tTV0rP91eXUelTaaaRySrfFNQ83RaNrWH4rkEx99LAG1VJlVByAsUbCmyOU2MCWahySIF-5t24AdBsn_xJSSSMtP6MU50JPis-kdMIUZ7zqPYM/s1600/DSCN4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTvs-cSrxeLM1dLfn9wFuOHqWrSVz2tTV0rP91eXUelTaaaRySrfFNQ83RaNrWH4rkEx99LAG1VJlVByAsUbCmyOU2MCWahySIF-5t24AdBsn_xJSSSMtP6MU50JPis-kdMIUZ7zqPYM/s320/DSCN4322.JPG" /></a>
One of our activities in South Florida, is attending the numerous local festivals. Some of these I've written about in past blogs, so I'll concentrate on some of the recent ones.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWuIr7by0HpN3MhZR7yZyJKCyoizkc4M4nX5nOEwOEqnTzRhtijjLLVoVZiLDYtgel-sO6yvDqruYhaAqr-LYavm_9VuL9N07WlT4SIFfjD8f1kcP8XK0nvfpJXk5CmTow_LdZ95BMP0/s1600/DSCN4339.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWuIr7by0HpN3MhZR7yZyJKCyoizkc4M4nX5nOEwOEqnTzRhtijjLLVoVZiLDYtgel-sO6yvDqruYhaAqr-LYavm_9VuL9N07WlT4SIFfjD8f1kcP8XK0nvfpJXk5CmTow_LdZ95BMP0/s320/DSCN4339.JPG" /></a>
On the second saturday in February, the <a href="http://howtodoflorida.com/florida-events-activities/southwest/southwest-region-events/sour-orange-festival/">Sour Orange festival</a> takes place in the town of Lakeport. This is one of the smaller festivals. You can try one of their delicacies, sour orange pie.
LAKEPORT, FL. -- The harvest of the rare sour orange is cause for a yearly celebration in a small fishing resort on the north shore of Lake Okeechobee. Sour oranges are prolific in this remote wilderness region, the ancient trees growing wild in cattle pastures and homesteads. The tropical fruit once grew all over the state but due to development was purposely destroyed. Only in pastoral Florida will you find so many of these treasured trees.
If you love sour oranges, this is the place to be. You can taste and purchase sour orange pies, sour orange BBQ sauce Caribbean style, and sour oranges at Lakeport's Sour Orange Festival on Saturday, February 11th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Prepare yourself for a simple festival in a tree-shaded park. The commercialism and noise of most festivals is absent. It is more akin to an old-fashioned community picnic where half the people in attendance know each other. Long time residents meet up here after not having seen each other for a time; local politicians are out slapping backs; snowbirds living in local RV parks bring their folding chairs to sit in the community park and listen to local bands play from the outdoor stage.
You can wander casually through a few rows of vendors and encounter hard working artisans selling their own special handmade products, or talk to members of civic groups who get a space for free.
In 1992, locals decided to celebrate the origins and unique culinary uses of the sour orange with this one-of-a-kind annual festival as a fundraiser. The original Sour Orange Cookbook, published by the Lakeport Community Association in 1992, speaks of the traditional uses of sour oranges by the Gladesmen who hunted the wild hogs in the hammocks near Lake Okeechobee. "There are two traditions that must be observed when roasting wild hog in Lakeport," it states. "First it is considered to be a man's job (and the men definitely hold bragging rights to how well they can cook pork); second, basting of the hog with the juice of the Sour Orange is essential." However, locals have found basting fish and chicken with the juice is very satisfying, too. In fact recipes using lemons can be substituted with sour oranges.
Brought here by the Spanish in their colonial period, sour orange trees have historical roots. Sour oranges were once the original rootstock for the creation of the sweet oranges that created the huge citrus industry in Florida.
Sour oranges are still grown commercially in Spain to make marmalade in Britain, sour orange peels make candies in Puerto Rico and the Mojito of Cuba is a zesty mixture of sour orange juice, garlic and other herbs, according to the cookbook. Liqueurs such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier and Curacao are made with sour oranges.
During the day, fun contests and games for both children and adults take place keeping the restless busy. The Sour Orange Bake-off and the Sour Orange Pie Eating contest are traditions, as well as a raffle of many intriguing items, including the winning pastries, jellies or specialty foods.
Tourists who happen to see a flyer about the festival or read about it in a local paper, come out of curiosity to taste the sour orange. They also get a taste of the friendly folks of old Florida. Nothing hectic, no crowds, just real laid back and simple entertainment making it a lovely no-headache day.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD72cWo8aCnyBHnZZ6qf9rv7NcrBH6IjwLsiOkr0QCWGO-TUQUkxW6gyCTim97tg0DrnyVLkocEipZIDycHlBlECs-WDnnY_KbXZT-rhIhSYODz7rzZNZ78PlVPBM971zvI75hJv-PGv8/s1600/DSCN4382.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD72cWo8aCnyBHnZZ6qf9rv7NcrBH6IjwLsiOkr0QCWGO-TUQUkxW6gyCTim97tg0DrnyVLkocEipZIDycHlBlECs-WDnnY_KbXZT-rhIhSYODz7rzZNZ78PlVPBM971zvI75hJv-PGv8/s320/DSCN4382.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5amBBL5924Z4DtSyt9MmDJYAQlQhLeNTGQFPIjZrKkg5KIK34AVNDseV9hyphenhyphen0qAW1kSLqtXIOjnWFbc6WitN2cCn0NuMdxkY8IH46wABdy5ZsmOvvuMnyKWrMfjF_LUgrWPBKr9es7rMA/s1600/DSCN4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5amBBL5924Z4DtSyt9MmDJYAQlQhLeNTGQFPIjZrKkg5KIK34AVNDseV9hyphenhyphen0qAW1kSLqtXIOjnWFbc6WitN2cCn0NuMdxkY8IH46wABdy5ZsmOvvuMnyKWrMfjF_LUgrWPBKr9es7rMA/s320/DSCN4370.JPG" /></a>
One the first saturday in february, you can attend the Ortona <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pollywogcreek/sets/72157613523430990/">Cane Grinding Festival</a> in the Ortona Mounds. You can view an ancient mechanical grinding of sugar cane. You can purchase or sample some of the cane syrup produced from the process. It tastes a bit like molasses.
Ortona Mounds
While less than a mile long, this walk in the woods in the ranchlands of Glades County takes you back to a time more than 3,000 years, well before the Calusa paddled the Caloosahatchee in their canoes and settled here too. The original complex is about the same age as the Miami Circle. The Calusa were known for building canals, and here near Turkey Creek, this settlement had an extensive canal system and a large number of mounds, including the highest point in Glades County at 22 feet above sea level. Only a portion of the original complex is left today, but this interpretive trail leads you through the hammocks and scrub to see these ancient mounds and canals.
Ortona Cane Grinding Festival, held the first weekend in February.
There are picnic pavilions and playground equipment in the shady oak hammock where the trail begins, and a covered picnic table in a pretty spot along the hike.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV5imyiJrx253x_ZgmHGEv2bL39x19U33kiDfqqo6fJDd-RO8P3Xih-k5ZS-kBFFybmDK3B8uC8aLKK1xBwHTqaTo2Fd_LUybomaodtMgevPRu-MEuuZAyON1gobWuVWdTDuKR5Zr7B4/s1600/DSCN4404.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCV5imyiJrx253x_ZgmHGEv2bL39x19U33kiDfqqo6fJDd-RO8P3Xih-k5ZS-kBFFybmDK3B8uC8aLKK1xBwHTqaTo2Fd_LUybomaodtMgevPRu-MEuuZAyON1gobWuVWdTDuKR5Zr7B4/s320/DSCN4404.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycJurloeEqR8r2XGASfd6gfgrH9fngKOtBbjh4Y7hyphenhyphen9JFoShluPo2DwhELa5mBBbcUtSBPLelRsGMwsXG7E_MezwWIES22_lzuwlZV8EF_k_9fF5x0m-GaEvJkmxGcQpxwGCUjXTnPZw/s1600/DSCN4393.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycJurloeEqR8r2XGASfd6gfgrH9fngKOtBbjh4Y7hyphenhyphen9JFoShluPo2DwhELa5mBBbcUtSBPLelRsGMwsXG7E_MezwWIES22_lzuwlZV8EF_k_9fF5x0m-GaEvJkmxGcQpxwGCUjXTnPZw/s320/DSCN4393.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_BHdm9TpwM2J_NvAL0ARYwSzVzc_Ma2pi_G1DZ02FlI5g3GBeEY9H8xX9uUlCgDjxLrkIPSKVbnfMq4FBF_RwTw06JlPg9LWtl6Yxe6tnUCUikCE2rt0JHN6g_Wufw_0nAksX4UjB2U/s1600/DSCN4391.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_BHdm9TpwM2J_NvAL0ARYwSzVzc_Ma2pi_G1DZ02FlI5g3GBeEY9H8xX9uUlCgDjxLrkIPSKVbnfMq4FBF_RwTw06JlPg9LWtl6Yxe6tnUCUikCE2rt0JHN6g_Wufw_0nAksX4UjB2U/s320/DSCN4391.JPG" /></a>
<a href="http://www.floridarambler.com/southwest-florida-getaways/everglades-city-seafood-festival-201/">Seafood Festival</a>-Everglades City. This is one of the largest festivals. Very crowded. You can sample Conch Fritters, as well as a host of other seafood delicacies.
"The original Everglades Seafood Festival happened because the city bought this land and wanted to build a park," says Marya Repko, President of the Everglades City Historical Society, adding, "We had a fish fry to raise money for the playground equipment." Since that original fish fry, the event has grown exponentially.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmO6R-yDOImYbwtvNBSBIq1pjKwf_Rh_9FyasYrfGSgBRSPcLZ5mceQA2mSefJmB4vXnrva0VfGeLXHLdC8JOAtEbEQWyAvDf2VpP6xgGCmHGhRmWlz_ioqSFt9jDk07XUtfumqtwX04/s1600/DSCN4478.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmO6R-yDOImYbwtvNBSBIq1pjKwf_Rh_9FyasYrfGSgBRSPcLZ5mceQA2mSefJmB4vXnrva0VfGeLXHLdC8JOAtEbEQWyAvDf2VpP6xgGCmHGhRmWlz_ioqSFt9jDk07XUtfumqtwX04/s320/DSCN4478.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapkqGGR-5EsJ7YHZIZKv8c_ygYTTZ06l0ih5yYCd84bnrJBscuMFYiLsk_IE83dGdEmY6NGzKkzuOSn2FDmdO9ojxkCfKfH7hHDyiIACsjq1zoi2n5c7uFtEWyBJ8jYhgXhy9iGlS2MQ/s1600/DSCN4474.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapkqGGR-5EsJ7YHZIZKv8c_ygYTTZ06l0ih5yYCd84bnrJBscuMFYiLsk_IE83dGdEmY6NGzKkzuOSn2FDmdO9ojxkCfKfH7hHDyiIACsjq1zoi2n5c7uFtEWyBJ8jYhgXhy9iGlS2MQ/s320/DSCN4474.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcjKaR2724O8xvks1l-JvE7Yo1zctu1j9AyLz6Cqr1CUlAa8yAMYpH9r_mMQPF9l8Hqla5mx_f7XIpmk4YXwPFgJC2_Hkw5VJRsDpijvEezO3vLDERUZfniO6tTUFkLIF9pt9LoqdSrQ/s1600/DSCN4445.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcjKaR2724O8xvks1l-JvE7Yo1zctu1j9AyLz6Cqr1CUlAa8yAMYpH9r_mMQPF9l8Hqla5mx_f7XIpmk4YXwPFgJC2_Hkw5VJRsDpijvEezO3vLDERUZfniO6tTUFkLIF9pt9LoqdSrQ/s320/DSCN4445.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtzxScAsMCeSYdpgnOoe5AOJ2GyA-7zQDRqHu3QpWKtHRlPLZAyfNjnVQDU011PmBn3cUN3orG8DXEuABS2WMMsPDGepTqyvSv3ZSGpZo7COAhS82o8qW503P4MrxKDfDL_yt8fPDfo8/s1600/DSCN4441.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghtzxScAsMCeSYdpgnOoe5AOJ2GyA-7zQDRqHu3QpWKtHRlPLZAyfNjnVQDU011PmBn3cUN3orG8DXEuABS2WMMsPDGepTqyvSv3ZSGpZo7COAhS82o8qW503P4MrxKDfDL_yt8fPDfo8/s320/DSCN4441.JPG" /></a>
In mid-february, the Brighton Rodeo takes place. You can try out fried bread and other native dishes. The festival is run by the Seminole Tribe. Here is a bit of trivia about the Seminole:
Survival In The Swamp
The <a href="http://www.floridaseminoletourism.com/things-to-do/">Seminoles</a> began the 20th century where they had been left at the conclusion of the Seminole Wars - in abject poverty, hiding out in remote camps in the wet wilderness areas of South Florida. There, finally left at peace from U.S. government oppression, the last few Florida Indians managed to live off the land, maintaining minimal contact with the outside world. Hunting, trapping, fishing and trading with the white man at frontier outposts provided the Seminoles with their only significant economic enterprise of the era.
By this time, development had reached the coastal rivers and plains of South Florida. Inland, a "drain-the-Everglades" mentality promoted by politicians and developers, forever altered the course of the "River of Grass." Even in the untamed wilderness of the Seminole, man's social and ecological pollution had dire effect. Poor crops, shrinking numbers of fish and game, droughts, serious hurricanes and other calamities once again heaped pressure on the Seminoles.
The collapse of the frontier Seminole economy in the 1920s threatened the Florida Indians with assimilation and extinction. The wilderness no longer offered salvation; many lived as tenants on lands or farms where they worked or as spectacles in the many tiny tourist attractions sprouting up across tourist South Florida.
By this time, however, the U.S. Congress had begun to take notice. By 1938, more than 80,000 acres of land had been set aside for the Seminoles in the Big Cypress, Hollywood and Brighton areas and the invitation to move in, to change from subsistence farming and hunting/trapping to an agriculture-based economy, was offered. Few Seminoles moved onto these Indian reservation lands, however, mistrusting the government that had hunted their forebears. Even the religious missionaries had a tough time breaking through the determined Seminole spirit.
In 1934, Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act, recognizing the rights of American Indians to conduct popular vote elections and govern their own political affairs by constitution and bylaws. Again, inherently suspicious, mistrustful of any government intervention, the Seminoles did not take advantage of this opportunity until 23 years later when the Tribe was faced with official termination by the U.S. Government. They did, however, file a petition with the U.S. Indian Claims Commission in 1947 for a settlement to cover their lands lost to the U.S. government aggressors. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDooM619Vp6tjGe_WrOttfey0LguJx2rVxitNMnhz8Qq4THkvt6leQ5Jk7uu3g1g4vp5v3GWCY7NHVl6xazjgtzr3HexosLd-HghoIaTmR2AAOANRjkzFB2gO63CaBQ7NelWx7YEg6LVA/s1600/DSCN4479.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDooM619Vp6tjGe_WrOttfey0LguJx2rVxitNMnhz8Qq4THkvt6leQ5Jk7uu3g1g4vp5v3GWCY7NHVl6xazjgtzr3HexosLd-HghoIaTmR2AAOANRjkzFB2gO63CaBQ7NelWx7YEg6LVA/s320/DSCN4479.JPG" /></a>
The <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/donbrowne/scf">Swamp Cabbage festival</a> is held on the last weekend in February. You can sample Gator Fritters, and Swamp Cabbage.
The LaBelle Swamp Cabbage Festival is held every year on the last full weekend in February in LaBelle at Barron Park.
It is a local celebration (parade, music, food, entertainment) to honor the official state tree, the sabal (cabbage) palm, by eating it. The heart of the cabbage palm is prepared into swamp cabbage or fritters (each a southern Florida Cracker vegetable delicacy) and the focus of the celebration. So, if you've got a hankering for swamp cabbage or just want to see what it looks like... or taste it, then this festival is for you.
The festival was started back in 1965. Old Man Riggs (being a 1969 graduate of LaBelle High) remembers the first Swamp Cabbage Festival and had the honor of being classmates with the first of the Swamp Cabbage Queens ever to exist. Yee Hah!
The Swamp Cabbage parade begins at 10:00 am Saturday morning and contains lots of home-grown floats decorated with swamp cabbage palm fronds. Immediately following, we all crowd into the park and sample the southern "swamp" cuisines and listen to live music at the main stage in the park.
The festival usually features around a 100 booths vending crafts and foods.Typically there are armadillo races and a rodeo.
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Chalo Nitka is a small town rodeo and festival held in MooreHaven.
<a href="http://www.chalonitka.com/">Chalo Nitka</a> History
A Brief History of Chalo Nitka: Seminole for "Big Bass," Chalo Nitka is a festival that originated in 1948 to celebrate the paving of then Main Street in Moore Haven. Since that time, the Annual Chalo Nitka Festival has evolved into what it is today, a week-long series of events that showcase the southern hospitality of Glades County and our friends from the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Now one of Florida's oldest continuous festivals, Chalo Nitka has turned into Glades County's fair with events sure to delight everyone. From livestock shows to alligator wrestling, to a ranch rodeo, Chalo Nitka is the place to be the first weekend in March. For more information on the festival's events please see the schedule as it gets closer to the date. We hope you stop by and enjoy Chalo Nitka and get a sense of the natural beauty Glades County and Moore Haven have to offer.
Glades County History
Named partly for the Florida Everglades, Glades County is located on the southwest edge of Lake Okeechobee in South Florida and was developed in 1921. On the bank of the largest freshwater lake in Florida, Glades County is a rural county known mostly for its primarily agricultural land use for citrus, sugar cane, and other crop production. Also, since Glades County is connected with Lake Okeechobee, eco-tourism is a draw for many bird watchers and amateur/professional fisherman because of some of the best bass fishing in the world. The total area of Glades County is 986 square miles with 774 square miles being land and 213 square miles comprised of water. The population of Glades County is approximately 11,100 including Moore Haven, named after founder, James A. Moore. Also, the Caloosahatchee River runs through Glades County which is part of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway. There are five unincorporated communities in Glades County: Buckhead Ridge, Lakeport, Ortona, Palmdale, and Muse along with the Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation located in northeast Glades County, home to the Brighton Seminole Casino.
Glades County residents appreciate nature which is evident in the rich history and traditions that have been present for generations. Recreational opportunities are abundant in Glades County, whether visiting The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail which winds its way through the county, canoeing at Fisheating Creek, visiting Gatorama, or taking advantage of the numerous hunting and fishing opportunities Glades County has to offer.
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Speckcled Perch Festival is held in Okeechobee Florida around the second weekend in March. You can try your hand at fried pickles and various fried fish.
Since its inception in 1965, the Speckled Perch festival has provided entertainment and festivities for the city and our visitors, including the annual Speckled Perch parade and rodeo at the Agri-Civic Center. The Speckled Perch Festival will be held this year on March 9th and 10th, kicking off the week of the Okeechobee County Fair. Visitors will enjoy the ambiance of our small, rural setting and city murals in the midst of craft and specialty vendors, the aroma of festival goodies and local musical entertainment. The Speckled Perch parade which will begin at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 9th, will showcase our newly crowned Speckled Perch Queen, Junior Miss, Princess, Little Miss and MIster and Tiny Miss and Mister and their respective courts. This is an opportunity to leave the stress and traffic of the city, relax with friends and stroll through the town.
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-32347948779601538322012-12-10T11:25:00.001-08:002013-10-21T07:01:30.501-07:00Shark Valley-Everglades Florida
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After spending last Winter on the west coast, we decided to head back to Florida for this Winter. We are back in Lakeport. We have a beautiful location on the canals of Lake Okeechobee. We sit right on the water, with all kinds of wildlife to view on a daily basis. We often have <a href="http://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/wildlife/gators/">gators</a>, <a href="http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/">bald eagles</a>, and a whole host of <a href="http://www.wlpearce.com/Nature/Florida-Sea-Birds">aquatic birds</a>, right on our property.
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Last weekend we decided to visit <a href="http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/svdirections.htm">Shark Valley</a>. The area is known for the abundant amount of wild gators roaming the canals and waterways. We weren't disappointed. We had to cycle the park as vehicles are prohibited. We got to see a snake as well.
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We cycled the whole course, a total of 15 miles. We were a bit exhausted after that ordeal!
Here are a few pictures of our day, as well as some from our waterfront dock area.
Enjoy
<a href="http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm">The Everglades</a>
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Water in south Florida once flowed freely from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and southward over low-lying lands to the estuaries of Biscayne Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Bay. This shallow, slow-moving sheet of water covered almost 11,000 square miles, creating a mosaic of ponds, sloughs, sawgrass marshes, hardwood hammock, and forested uplands. For thousands of years this intricate system evolved into a finely balanced ecosystem that formed the biological infrastructure for the southern half of the state. However, to early colonial settlers and developers the Everglades were potential farm land and communities. By the early 1900s, the drainage process to transform wetland to land ready to be developed was underway. The results would be severely damaging to the ecosystem and the species it supported.
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With the support of many early conservationists, scientists, and other advocates, Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to conserve the natural landscape and prevent further degradation of its land, plants, and animals. Although the captivation of the Everglades has mostly stemmed from its unique ecosystem, an alluring human story of the Everglades is deeply interwoven with its endless marshes, dense mangroves, towering palms, alligator holes, and tropical fauna. Various groups and people navigated through and wrestled with the watery landscape to make it home, and even to exploit its natural wonder at times. On these pages you can discover more about the Native Americans that existed and thrived; the agricultural development and drainage of the Everglades; the people and groups who advocated for the conservation of the area; the Everglades’ role in United States War efforts; the preservation and restoration work that continues today; and much more.
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<a href="http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/SharkValley/">Shark Valley</a>
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Shark Valley is one of the most popular attractions in one of America’s most visited national parks. Located right off Tamiami Trail near the Miami-Dade/Collier line, the entrance to Shark Valley is separated from the rest of Everglades National Park by 36 miles.
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Shark Valley’s main trail is unique. Alligators by the dozen lie on the trail as humans walk up and down checking out the scenes. These Gators have lost their fear of humans by virtue of interacting so much with tourists and visitors. However, only one fatality ever occurred between an Alligator and a human at the complex and that was many moons ago. Nature co-exists with human visitors as naturally as it possibly can at Shark Valley.
Tram tours are offered which visitors on board the open air tour on a track which is limited and the wildlife inhabiting it. At the midway point of the trip, explorers have the opportunity to stroll up the spiral ramp way and platform of the Shark Valley observation tower, allowing a panoramic view of the heart of the Everglades.
In addition to alligators and wading birds, Turtles, Fish, Deer, Raccoons, and other wildlife can all be seen from the Observation Tower. From the tower you can also get the best possible look at the Shark River Slough. The Observation Tower can be reached also by hiking on the walking trail. The River is a distributor of fresh water into Florida Bay, and it’s health is critical for the entire Everglades ecosystem to function normally.
The building of Tamiami Trail in the 1920s ruined the natural water flow of the Everglades and the Shark Valley Slough. This in turn contributed to the destruction of fisheries and estuaries in Florida Bay. The combination of pollution, and development has prevented the Bay from getting natural freshwater runoff for decades now. As a solution an elevated stretch of Tamiami Trail through the Shark Valley River Slough has been proposed.
Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-10375845889724771702012-07-26T09:29:00.001-07:002013-10-21T07:14:27.982-07:00Eastern Townships of QuebecIn mid July, we visited the <a href="http://www.easterntownships.org/">Eastern Townships</a> of Quebec. We also did a qick tour of old Montreal on our way. We spent a week in the Townships, at at cottage in the picturesque town of <a href="http://www.easterntownships.org/city/45050/north-hatley">North Hatley</a>. We toured the area, and got to see the <a href="http://www.realfoodtraveler.com/2011/04/eastern-townships-quebec-for-the-love-of-lavender/">Lavender fields</a>, and the local cities of Magog and <a href="http://www.destinationsherbrooke.com/en/visitors/index.aspx">Sherbrooke</a>. The weather was excellent with temperatures in the high 80's. We got to spend the week with our daughter. Here are some pictures from our week.
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<a href="http://www.oldportofmontreal.com/">Old Port of Montreal</a>
The Old Port of Montreal is now a must see for tourists in Montreal. It has not always been this way. This place has been the first place of trade in the city. Bordering De La Commune Street, the Old Port has seen the birth and grows of Ville-Marie and then Montreal.
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Short History of the Old Port of Montreal
Ground zero of Montrealists arrival in 1642, the coastline has changed a lot since. Many changes have altered the appearance of the Old Port of Montreal beginning with the construction of the five quays (Alexandra, King Edward, Jacques-Cartier and Clock, conveyors). The clock tower was built in 1922 in memory of mariners that died during the First World War.
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A major retrofit
While port activities are increasingly, being installed in the east end of Montreal, the occupation of the old port is discussed. Property of the Government of Canada, the space is occupied by many grains elevators, warehouses and others functional buildings. An idea then came around: To give Montrealers access to the river for on this sector. An urbanism contest is organized to have many projects to choose from, then grains silo N3 is destroyed and the water side is transforms in a large pedestrian alley (Promenade des Quais) and finally the Bonsecours Basin is built.
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Touristic Old Port
Since its completion in the beginning of the 90’s, the old port has seen many tourism facilities installed such as the Science Centre, Imax, bookshops and the location of various amusement machines; 4 places bikes, Segway and Rollerblades, all to use the bicycle path that goes beyond the Lachine Canal. It also became a place for shows of all kinds like the Canada Day celebrations and performances of the <a href="http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/home.aspx#/en/home/americas/canada.aspx">Cirque du Soleil</a>. The Bonsecours Basin is even transformed into a skating rink in winter times.
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One of the jewels of the Townships, North Hatley was founded in 1897 and is located at the northern tip of Lake Massawippi. Like neighbouring Hatley, the region developed thanks to the efforts of immigrants who obtained concessions in Lower Canada through the Company of Associates. Following the arrival of immigrants <a href="http://">Henry Cull</a> and <a href="http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bradner/3489.htm">Ebenezer Hovey</a> from the United States in 1793, Japhet Le Baron settled on this picturesque site. Originally, colonists lived on agriculture, wood harvesting, and the production of potash, which was sold to soap manufacturers. But the charm of the place attracted rich American tourists, and in 1880, the construction of a rail line strengthened its reputation as a holiday destination. Thanks to its growing fame, it received over 2000 visitors at the beginning of the 20th century, lodged in six hotels and 250 villas.
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Over the years, luxurious, century-old residences have been converted into charming inns, bed and breakfasts and artists’ studios. Other buildings house art galleries, shops, cafés and restaurants, all of which illustrate the welcoming quality that makes this village a choice vacation spot and/or home for prominent people. Since 1982, at the end of each spring, the Festival du Lac Massawippi has offered music lovers a variety of recitals in Sainte-Elizabeth Church (1913), in addition to open-air concerts every Sunday through the summer in Dreamland Park. St. Barnabas Anglican Church (1894) and the Unitarian Universalist Church (1895) are well worth a visit. The presence of the lake gives the village a natural amphitheatre shape, which has been protected by a 1986 declaration designating part of the village an official heritage site.
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Route 247 South is a driver’s dream. It winds through gentle green hills, into the little 19th century village Fitch Bay on Lake Memphémagog, and over a classic covered bridge.
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Lavender became the path to health and happiness for this busy executive. If you turn at Applegate Hill, you’ll come to one of the most beautiful sights in the verdant triangle that makes up the Eastern Townships of Quebec—Bleu Lavande, the largest lavender farm in Canada and the second largest in North America. Bleu Lavande isn’t just 50 fertile acres growing beautiful, aromatic plants—it’s a place that heals bodies and spawns dreams. And it’s become one of the most successful small businesses in Canada.
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The story of Bleu Lavande starts with a mysterious illness. Hard-driving businessman and electrical engineer Pierre Pellerin’s career was, by conventional standards, a resounding success. He’d built his high-tech company through sweat and hard work. The job required long hours and traveling nine months of the year. Then suddenly, at age 42, Pellerin began experiencing strange neurological symptoms like uncontrolled shaking. His doctor told him to take a vacation. He didn’t listen. Several months later, in September 1998, Pellerin was poised to take his company to the next level. He had a meeting planned with investors who were ready to invest $15 million in the company. But he wanted to take an evening to think about the deal. When Pierre Pellerin ran his previous company, he didn't have time to plant flower boxes. Then Pellerin’s body simply stopped working. When he woke the following morning, he couldn’t move. His body had simply stopped. “It was terrifying,” says Pellerin.
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He missed his meeting. At 11 o’clock, the owner of the condo were he was staying noticed Pellerin’s absence and became concerned. He knocked on the door, but Pellerin couldn’t answer. The landlord called for an ambulance. “My doctor told me to change my life or life would change me forever,” he says quietly, recalling the doctor’s somber advice. Pellerin knew without a doubt that his lifestyle was killing him. He called his attorney, within four hours, had sold the business he’d lovingly built. It took attorneys four months to sort out the paperwork and close the deal. Pellerin, his body still wracked with strange neurological symptoms, wondered what to do with his life. Could he ever work again? He was too young to retire. What would he do with his drive and his creative energy? He had no idea.
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What Now?
On December 18, 1998, Pellerin drove along route 247 S. He noticed a for sale sign posted on a graceful hill. On impulse, he turned and drove up the gravel road. The property was 260 acres of fields and forest. There were no buildings or improvements, just trees and rolling hills of grasses. He called the realtor and made an offer. “Somehow I knew this is where I’d restore my health,” he says. Today, Bleu Lavande boasts more than 3,000 certified lavender plants and plenty of places to picnic. When Pellerin traveled in France, he’d seen acres and acres of lavender. He’d heard that lavender was good for health, especially as a stress reliever. Despite the fact that he had no experience farming, Pellerin decided he’d grow lavender. In the spring, he contacted Minister of Agriculture and told him of his plan. “He said I was crazy,” Pellerin says smiling. “He told me you can’t grow lavender in Quebec.”
Undaunted by the skepticism, Pellerin began the long process of getting the proper permits, finding the right vendors, and the back breaking task of transforming acres of grassland into farm fields. He started with 400 lavender plants. He knew the process would be a long one.
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Two years later, Pellerin decided that he knew enough to expand his farming operation. He ordered 70,000 plants and planted them in his fields. “That was the year of no rain,” he says ruefully. “No rain and no snow. It was just bone-chilling cold.” When the snow melted in the spring, his beloved plants lay dead. “I cried when I saw my lavender,” he says. The one saving grace of the icy winter of 2001 was that he’d met Christine Deschesnes, the love of his life. “She encouraged me to replant, to not give up,” Pellerin says. He slogged out to the ruined fields. Not everything was lost. “We retrieved and replanted 10,000 plants from the fields that were still alive,” he says. “We re-planted them by hand.” In the midst of failure, Pellerin met his wife Christine Deschesnes. He learned from his mistakes. He planted earlier. He ordered 15,000 starts of a heartier variety from Australia. And he searched for a way to protect his tender plants from another episode of devastating cold. Then he saw a neighboring strawberry farmer removing giant rolls of straw from his fields, he was intrigued. “The farmer told me the straw, which he baled with wire into long rolls, keep his plants warm when there’s no snow to insulate them.”
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Sweet Success
That fall, Pellerin and his workers spread baled straw over the fields. He following spring, the plants were perfect. He was on his way to becoming a real lavender farmer.
His health was returning too. The physical work, the fresh air, and being around lavender all the time had a healing effect. Though he still had moments of weakness, he felt stronger, healthier and happier than he’d been in years. “My dream was to be a gentleman farmer,” he says. “I wanted to farm for six months of the year and head to the South of France for six months.” Now married, his wife Christine had always wanted to open a small boutique. Selling products made from Pellerin’s lavender was perfect combination. Pellerin had a small space built for Christine’s store. They stocked it with some lavender plants and a few lavender scented soaps and lotions. In 2004, Canada TV got wind of the lavender farm and came to film a story. “The next morning 100 people were waiting outside the gate,” Pellerin recalls, chucking. “We sold every plant and ran out of boutique items.” Bleu Lavande boutiques have become one of the most successful parts of the company. Today, they keep coming. More than 200,000 visitors per year (6-7,000/day) stream through the gate to stroll through two types of 300,000 ISO certified organic lavender plants, eat soup, sandwiches, and lavender fudge at the café, enjoy an outdoor leg and foot massage, and learn about the process of distilling lavender (it takes a half ton of lavender flowers to make 1-2 liters of essential oils and 40 liters of lavender water).
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They also come to browse through Christine’s elegant white and lavender themed boutique. Unlike the early days when they sold just a few items, Bleu Lavande’s Boutique boasts hundreds of products from soaps, cosmetics, and lotions to lavender honey and edible lavender for cooking. In fact, the boutique business has become one of the most successful aspects of Bleu Lavande. Two hundred retailers all over Canada carry Bleu Lavande’s lavender products. They operate eight stand-alone Bleu Lavande Boutiques and re opening mini-boutiques in several hotels. They’re also brokering a deal for Bleu Lavande Boutiques to operate in select Hudson’s Bay stores. Bleu Lavande focuses on lavender products, all made with certified lavender grown on their farm. Isn’t this the kind of success that drove Pellerin into ill health in the first place? “I do business completely differently now,” says a decidedly relaxed CEO. “I used to try to do everything myself. Now, I have other people to do a lot of the work and, you know, they do a good job.”
And in mid-August, Pellerin and Christine head to France for a month’s vacation.
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Bleu Lavande
<a href="http://">www.bleulavande.ca</a>Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-38590460855901674842012-06-22T08:32:00.002-07:002013-10-22T11:36:47.901-07:00Jasper National Park AlbertaOne June 20, 2012, we visited <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx">Jasper National Park</a>. On our way we stopped at <a href="http://www.banfflakelouise.com/">Lake Louise</a>, and several other attractions. The views of the rockies and the wildlife were spectacular. We saw several <a href="http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildSpecies/Mammals/Bears/BlackBear.aspx">black bears</a>, <a href="http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/WildSpecies/Mammals/Deer/Elk.aspx">elk</a> and cariboo, mountain goats, and big horn sheep. We also viewed several falls and gorges in the park. Here are some pictures of our trip:
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Jasper National Park is the largest of Canada's Rocky Mountain Parks and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jasper spans 11,228 square kilometres (4335 square miles) of broad valleys, rugged mountains, glaciers, forests, alpine meadows and wild rivers along the eastern slopes of the Rockies in western Alberta. There are more than 1200 kilometres (660 miles) of hiking trails (both overnight and day trips), and a number of spectacular mountain drives.
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Jasper joins Banff National Park to the south via the Icefields Parkway. This parkway offers unparalleled beauty as you travel alongside a chain of massive icefields straddling the Continental Divide. The Columbia Icefield borders the parkway in the southern end of the park.
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Large numbers of elk, <a href="http://www.jasper.travel/content/bighorn-sheep">bighorn sheep</a>, mule deer and other large animals, as well as their predators make Jasper National Park one of the great protected ecosystems remaining in the Rocky Mountains. This vast wilderness is one of the few remaining places in southern Canada that is home to a full range of carnivores, including <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/grizzly-bear/">grizzly bears</a>, <a href="http://www.hintonparklander.com/2013/09/06/mountain-lion-numbers-growing-across-alberta">mountain lions</a>, <a href="http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlife/wolves">wolves</a> and <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/natcul/animaux-animals/mammifieres-mammals/carcajou-wolverine.aspx">wolverines</a>.
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Park Highlights
In such a large and spectacular area, there are many sights to see and plenty of stories to be told. A few of the highlightes are listed here:
•The highest mountain in Alberta (Mt. Columbia, 3747 metres);
•The hydrographic apex of North America (the <a href="http://www.explorerockies.com/columbia-icefield/">Columbia Icefield</a>) where water flows to three different oceans from one point;
•The longest underground drainage system known in Canada (the Maligne Valley karst);
•The only sand-dune ecosystem anywhere in the Four Mountain Parks (Jasper Lake dunes);
•The northern limit in Alberta of Douglas-fir trees (Brûlé Lake);
•The last fully protected range in the Rocky Mountains for caribou (Maligne herd);
•The most accessible glacier in North America (the Athabasca).
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Did you know?
<a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx">Jasper National Park</a> protects over 10,800 square kilometres of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem which includes a diversity of wildlife, plants, rivers, lakes, glaciers, and magnificent mountains.
<a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx">Jasper National Park</a> offers over 1,200 kilometres of hiking trails, with scenery ranging from cascading waterfalls to alpine meadows carpeted in wildflowers.
Jasper National Park is one of four national parks (Jasper, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay) and three B.C. provincial parks (Mount Robson, Hamber and Mount Assiniboine) that make up the Rocky Mountain World Heritage Site.
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On September 14, 1907, the Dominion Government established Jasper Forest Park (later called Jasper National Park), setting aside an area of about 13,000 square kilometres.
The National Parks Act was passed in 1930 and Jasper was officially established as a national park, with a final area of just over 10,000 square kilometres.
The Icefields Parkway, Highway 93, stretches for 230 kilometres (130 miles) between Jasper townsite and the town of Lake Louise, following the shadow of the Great Divide.
The Icefields Parkway crests two passes; Sunwapta Pass at 2035 metres and Bow Summit at 2069 metres. These passes take visitors to the very edge of the treeless, alpine tundra.
In the Canadian Rockies there are 69 naturally occurring species of mammals. It is very common to see elk, deer, bighorn sheep, coyote and black bear throughout Jasper National Park.
The largest glacial fed lake in the Canadian Rockies is found in Jasper National Park. <a href="http://www.malignelake.com/">Maligne Lake</a> is 22 kilometres long and 97 metres deep.
In 1916 Mount Edith Cavell was named to honor the heroic British nurse executed during World War 1 for assisting prisoners of war to escape German-occupied Belgium.Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-14074293021606561072012-06-22T08:15:00.003-07:002013-10-22T11:39:46.805-07:00West Edmonton Mall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYv1YJQ-w2Qr4Tu568_E2Sj2tatHxiTPGPvmyHT_3R_WN0cN5QvB85YlM73lZTjn0nb-SLrcAq-3LAbuWQjcIcmBSB4E5ccYr_CdNKbStwIpiZ2RzICS7tNTVOl669TbjQaXFWnIrw38/s1600/DSCN4174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYv1YJQ-w2Qr4Tu568_E2Sj2tatHxiTPGPvmyHT_3R_WN0cN5QvB85YlM73lZTjn0nb-SLrcAq-3LAbuWQjcIcmBSB4E5ccYr_CdNKbStwIpiZ2RzICS7tNTVOl669TbjQaXFWnIrw38/s320/DSCN4174.JPG" /></a>
On June 20, 2012, we visited the famous <a href="http://www.wem.ca/">West Edmonton Mall</a> in Edmonton Alberta.
The mall is one of the largest in the world, with a skaying rink, amusement park, waterpark, mini put, and numerous other attractions. See some of the pictures:
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRH-7aN_3A6wdNYkKv7VlpJ9KtDjXy1rcZBRuNdnultddFsc2J2BVX50mtotDZt8bKfrTx8BUby0BM_zs9guXLsEy2FlhO-5TMcEhU_gWjTAE9O7UxkBn6j5FQFCOA_6MucrYBxUwE8GM/s1600/DSCN4178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRH-7aN_3A6wdNYkKv7VlpJ9KtDjXy1rcZBRuNdnultddFsc2J2BVX50mtotDZt8bKfrTx8BUby0BM_zs9guXLsEy2FlhO-5TMcEhU_gWjTAE9O7UxkBn6j5FQFCOA_6MucrYBxUwE8GM/s320/DSCN4178.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwh7eeOEHMSdtxgiJVl2S8pOYIqc03BYcFAT9PlV5IZg2XkDjzuk5u8uq5Ggx_S172fZ9SmHYOGJ2e_Pl99zReqhdmYgkM5VHxnlL8NZ6B_XSfKhdD7ONaH3Uv-UoVnrnHb9u0qVSxSk/s1600/DSCN4179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwh7eeOEHMSdtxgiJVl2S8pOYIqc03BYcFAT9PlV5IZg2XkDjzuk5u8uq5Ggx_S172fZ9SmHYOGJ2e_Pl99zReqhdmYgkM5VHxnlL8NZ6B_XSfKhdD7ONaH3Uv-UoVnrnHb9u0qVSxSk/s320/DSCN4179.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Yn2TqelA3LDyv0-soUdwbL-xVE5o4i94kBJfOLj6XZ1OMnnvXvdW_NnNm6AEk5lXAGirRd4LCdtmcF8H4LZvz_TTD8JZAJc1IMvA9SZV0cwGcSBwy4_RxTITLSa_0wB5njDq5xqWos/s1600/DSCN4184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3Yn2TqelA3LDyv0-soUdwbL-xVE5o4i94kBJfOLj6XZ1OMnnvXvdW_NnNm6AEk5lXAGirRd4LCdtmcF8H4LZvz_TTD8JZAJc1IMvA9SZV0cwGcSBwy4_RxTITLSa_0wB5njDq5xqWos/s320/DSCN4184.JPG" /></a>
The history of WEM is the story of a proud and resourceful family with a long, rich history. It begins in the late 1940s, when the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/economy-business/consumer-goods/consumer-goods-general/the-brothers-behind-canadas-biggest-mall.html">Ghermezians</a> left their homeland for New York. In the ‘50s, they began to move north and west. Jacob Ghermezian, the family patriarch, sent his eldest sons to Montreal where they were educated and re-established the family business, selling Persian rugs. In the ‘60s and ‘70s decided to settle in Edmonton. In the late ‘70s they hatched the idea of WEM.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN6aFEY7iYbDOZ7BIMkjMewmZSkZHTKOuOSDw8uHQVLFONZaDhOwOv5Ade-pA9toHvpN7Pg9_Pq0xTZMBjHcG2G6o4REAn_CQwWyiaFrrqxL69znAA1Xs7O8gLZ_pCX9smnYP1C1s3ec/s1600/DSCN4188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDN6aFEY7iYbDOZ7BIMkjMewmZSkZHTKOuOSDw8uHQVLFONZaDhOwOv5Ade-pA9toHvpN7Pg9_Pq0xTZMBjHcG2G6o4REAn_CQwWyiaFrrqxL69znAA1Xs7O8gLZ_pCX9smnYP1C1s3ec/s320/DSCN4188.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbixnqKLO5mmn2hLEn_pMdzr8Qo2XiJsziqaerWn-T4gqmgGM6dv5aZNj6lebGwswzdSABHpT8POiLI5aufnnABGYyfTpaUBIPJCyN_HKFkBfhctQgAnEcvX6e694iVgKSuMHCXu3oDU/s1600/DSCN4189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbixnqKLO5mmn2hLEn_pMdzr8Qo2XiJsziqaerWn-T4gqmgGM6dv5aZNj6lebGwswzdSABHpT8POiLI5aufnnABGYyfTpaUBIPJCyN_HKFkBfhctQgAnEcvX6e694iVgKSuMHCXu3oDU/s320/DSCN4189.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kdPud778mRNQ4gcNnWG8jlEpz-ui_diiJQhyMsU-fUmEOGjd1dPT-d60-vIhnvdvPUUSns20Pl_J-bv51Jy9pynhFGEQoDPWmd_dLZDwmMjVJmT0nn15V0x3b2IPOsNPuRYBlzHD4ac/s1600/DSCN4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2kdPud778mRNQ4gcNnWG8jlEpz-ui_diiJQhyMsU-fUmEOGjd1dPT-d60-vIhnvdvPUUSns20Pl_J-bv51Jy9pynhFGEQoDPWmd_dLZDwmMjVJmT0nn15V0x3b2IPOsNPuRYBlzHD4ac/s320/DSCN4191.JPG" /></a>
The Mall opened in September 1981 with Phase I. It was 1,140,560 square feet and featured 220 stores and services.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh707woFG8Y0vNccberjOoQhTpqX4pEWD6yvOj0Cb4n0TYk2-V1LCcoFmvD5IlHaeQ56SJfXgSyQXJaLugx56wO20tkGeVqacaGeTIXbP5dC4Q31W8PbgZysZmDkmz8KXJI-Aq77eA6xz0/s1600/DSCN4194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh707woFG8Y0vNccberjOoQhTpqX4pEWD6yvOj0Cb4n0TYk2-V1LCcoFmvD5IlHaeQ56SJfXgSyQXJaLugx56wO20tkGeVqacaGeTIXbP5dC4Q31W8PbgZysZmDkmz8KXJI-Aq77eA6xz0/s320/DSCN4194.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila-SqAg1aE7TKtr4w-qb7VYfViK7VA4hWNP9SDe5h9k6g5Mb2xqQA1PYv6cu-UkhpS8fcVGMJaxJavaWUV-RpmluEjF-xlCouYYZ1nP5Big8-vDh1tw5laafZo5QBupNPyJDxnBLrH08/s1600/DSCN4196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila-SqAg1aE7TKtr4w-qb7VYfViK7VA4hWNP9SDe5h9k6g5Mb2xqQA1PYv6cu-UkhpS8fcVGMJaxJavaWUV-RpmluEjF-xlCouYYZ1nP5Big8-vDh1tw5laafZo5QBupNPyJDxnBLrH08/s320/DSCN4196.JPG" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxOBsJbtP33Sr0Gmgx8K_XKrkECjTTE6U-pW0jfogOHf9NHufdjGp2W47EriKYOB3dT1gWpX0tP-vSJfVN_PNTf5Hzz2DWnbrfB3oE0s5KS0QY8saUqe_y5-8IBTCOJcHUbrSfjoCRD8/s1600/DSCN4199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOxOBsJbtP33Sr0Gmgx8K_XKrkECjTTE6U-pW0jfogOHf9NHufdjGp2W47EriKYOB3dT1gWpX0tP-vSJfVN_PNTf5Hzz2DWnbrfB3oE0s5KS0QY8saUqe_y5-8IBTCOJcHUbrSfjoCRD8/s320/DSCN4199.JPG" /></a>
Phase II opened in September 1983 and increased the size of the Mall by 1,129,800 square feet. Phase II brought the Ice Palace Skating Rink, Galaxyland Amusement Park and another 240 shops and services.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeYsj-Qo2CohI_jZuy54wPoN1H7uoAgPEwwYqTAbGpZcEkoLz5_Tiv05TrF6mYqY8FC5d1JJVZwkDY3Vb1kAedWorwIYphMgQBEVK6rZTOd9zYIrZuSbXTnr6W-7JTrUeZmPz1DWlVY8/s1600/DSCN4200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeYsj-Qo2CohI_jZuy54wPoN1H7uoAgPEwwYqTAbGpZcEkoLz5_Tiv05TrF6mYqY8FC5d1JJVZwkDY3Vb1kAedWorwIYphMgQBEVK6rZTOd9zYIrZuSbXTnr6W-7JTrUeZmPz1DWlVY8/s320/DSCN4200.JPG" /></a>Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-82289672073919467072012-04-22T17:04:00.000-07:002013-10-22T11:46:43.409-07:00The Trip HomeAfter a long winter trip, with over 14000 miles, we're finally headed home. On the way, we stopped to see some of our friends from Florida. We've known these folks since 1999. Our first stop was in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle,_Missouri">Belle Missouri</a>, where we visited Fritz and Ann, and we also visited Doc and Jan. Further up the road we stopped in <a href="http://www.covingtonky.gov/">Covington Kentucky</a> for a couple of days to visit Homer. And finally we stopped in <a href="http://www.newmarket.ca/en/">Newmarket</a> to visit my two daughters, and grandaughter. It was Chloe's 4th birthday. Here are some pictures from this trip:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmwrxIqiQftHedUMpP58rU5WLzWTpWUl-urbhFFAZ6-O6zN5Ehs0nCKqtF1II6quwHe3qgeM4O1NBKJQOBuoRGST9tJngJl_9ALejdwLPh0iNOEFGQTtIiA_6GVT-oLT4_msx7C-wnQE/s1600/DSCN3910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmwrxIqiQftHedUMpP58rU5WLzWTpWUl-urbhFFAZ6-O6zN5Ehs0nCKqtF1II6quwHe3qgeM4O1NBKJQOBuoRGST9tJngJl_9ALejdwLPh0iNOEFGQTtIiA_6GVT-oLT4_msx7C-wnQE/s320/DSCN3910.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCQr_BbCCjAsJeWaJ8adABq_Ys-hzWZWozBDVFe-VjUU4VDCVtwiDumFtnnBW3lrVsbmR6-JCim5XiEr0qZ-rAdpgvbb7t1FBtYV-1JoLm5tj90uo_YXGz9qfXcF2-RVKzTwkUNJ5bhA/s1600/DSCN3911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCQr_BbCCjAsJeWaJ8adABq_Ys-hzWZWozBDVFe-VjUU4VDCVtwiDumFtnnBW3lrVsbmR6-JCim5XiEr0qZ-rAdpgvbb7t1FBtYV-1JoLm5tj90uo_YXGz9qfXcF2-RVKzTwkUNJ5bhA/s320/DSCN3911.JPG" /></a></div>
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Belle, Missouri
Belle is a city in Maries and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 1,344 at the 2000 census.
The Osage County portion of Belle is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Notable Belle natives include distinguished geologist and geophysicist, J. Michael Party. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km²), all land. Belle is surrounded by the Osage and Gasconade Rivers, and is approximately 100 miles (160 km) west southwest of St. Louis. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,344 people, 595 households, and 357 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,062.1 people per square mile (408.6/km²). There were 652 housing units at an average density of 515.2 per square mile (198.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.10% White, 0.07% African American, 0.52% Native American, 0.60% from other races, and 1.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgEL_2Djo934dvvf1xg7fSTcFddj9sAFQ7lrGEsjgkZGLyGyuj79e8FZ65utoACfnfzZ_nc8F9KclQCnw9lX900vcAB4J26VUuiBTcLJ7nep3nxk30Dalz2h0i_z7_-CIpHp8iJ4Vp6k/s1600/DSCN3915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgEL_2Djo934dvvf1xg7fSTcFddj9sAFQ7lrGEsjgkZGLyGyuj79e8FZ65utoACfnfzZ_nc8F9KclQCnw9lX900vcAB4J26VUuiBTcLJ7nep3nxk30Dalz2h0i_z7_-CIpHp8iJ4Vp6k/s320/DSCN3915.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHsOpPKCCLkiquY2XS-l0fDnoreygHod8vkg5lNXsdI3oqECL70xtKAstXMBYmelbVBi53ZC4ufmk-i9LCiis-BX3blKxt60m9WY5yE8VleIXUSm-Lj8eEg8McMkWo4qtehVluJ49aOg/s1600/DSCN3914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHsOpPKCCLkiquY2XS-l0fDnoreygHod8vkg5lNXsdI3oqECL70xtKAstXMBYmelbVBi53ZC4ufmk-i9LCiis-BX3blKxt60m9WY5yE8VleIXUSm-Lj8eEg8McMkWo4qtehVluJ49aOg/s320/DSCN3914.JPG" /></a></div>
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There were 595 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.83. In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,091, and the median income for a family was $35,982. Males had a median income of $27,917 versus $17,857 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,785. About 14.7% of families and 19.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
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Covington, Kentucky
Covington is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 40,640; it is the fifth-most-populous city in Kentucky.It is one of two county seats of Kenton County. Covington is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking Rivers. Covington is part of the Cincinnati – Northern Kentucky metropolitan area and is separated from Cincinnati by the Ohio River and from Newport by the Licking River. Covington is located within the Upland South region of the United States of America.
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Covington was established in 1814 when John Gano, Richard Gano, and Thomas Carneal purchased 150 acres (0.6 km2) on the west side of the Licking River at its confluence with the Ohio River, referred to as "the Point," from Thomas Kennedy for $50,000. The city was incorporated by the Kentucky General Assembly a year later. Covington experienced growth during most of the 19th century, only to decline during the Great Depression and the middle 20th century. The city has seen some redevelopment during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagrK3V2sf3PIY-hC-dN7BMDdIniW1xAZU0NBPXUzC6g0431F9kzBgjz8KSeGX6TFAAAdSLNs-8XNUeGRQFT9WiRxrD8Svib2oX7ho6zN2UlxJL3XmXdgICktb0M3dQg_ilM6nl2zgNxg/s1600/DSCN3948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagrK3V2sf3PIY-hC-dN7BMDdIniW1xAZU0NBPXUzC6g0431F9kzBgjz8KSeGX6TFAAAdSLNs-8XNUeGRQFT9WiRxrD8Svib2oX7ho6zN2UlxJL3XmXdgICktb0M3dQg_ilM6nl2zgNxg/s320/DSCN3948.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://rcnky.com/articles/2013/06/06/shop-launches-local-roots-line-caps-honoring-covington-blue-sox">Covington Blue Sox</a>
In 1912, city leaders attempted to acquire a baseball franchise in the Class D Blue Grass League; the Cincinnati Reds, whose park was just five miles away across the Ohio River, nixed the move. Instead (after several larger cities backed out), Covington was awarded a team in the new "outlaw" circuit, the Federal League. The city raised $12,500, with $6,000 budgeted to build the ballpark. Bernard Wisehall, a prominent local architect, designed Federal Park (also known as Riverbreeze Park) with a capacity to 6,000. The playing field (bounded by East 2nd Street, East 3rd Street, Madison Avenue and Scott Boulevard was tiny, believed to be smallest for any pro baseball park ever built: just 194 feet down the right-field line, 267 feet to dead center and 218 feet down the left-field line. Construction didn't even begin until a month before Opening Day; after starting the season on a long road trip, the Blue Sox managed to sell out their home opener in late May, with thousands of fans turned away.
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But Covington simply didn't have the populace to support such an ambitious endeavor. On June 26, the team moved to Kansas City and ownership of the team reverted to creditors. Federal Park was used for other events the next few years, but it was eventually torn down and a tobacco warehouse was put up in its place; Covington has never hosted a professional team in any sport since.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5626yepd-KlhC6Iu8IwFRJb1nC37JcsvKeYp4IZ69-RO9-R9pygoMZB7iHp93_L5AMBWJpkCexD8IMXWq3fA1Mh3WNY821c42pKCNDApOETL3JCZTGaH0-cMf8D-l8wdtM4QyhE2fN4/s1600/DSCN3959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5626yepd-KlhC6Iu8IwFRJb1nC37JcsvKeYp4IZ69-RO9-R9pygoMZB7iHp93_L5AMBWJpkCexD8IMXWq3fA1Mh3WNY821c42pKCNDApOETL3JCZTGaH0-cMf8D-l8wdtM4QyhE2fN4/s320/DSCN3959.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfXRk1-hakdI8Pg-oFVI5ww8JGOIsGT41Lcz3wtpM-47FzQxMdGEr2xzqP7bOkT5HkUt2msyGsW3n2-nB8eyXlkKhk1hBcAJX4VZBZ3UftsxLN9YuVTne71BDZc6bzDD8XsdXqYGIoUs/s1600/DSCN3957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfXRk1-hakdI8Pg-oFVI5ww8JGOIsGT41Lcz3wtpM-47FzQxMdGEr2xzqP7bOkT5HkUt2msyGsW3n2-nB8eyXlkKhk1hBcAJX4VZBZ3UftsxLN9YuVTne71BDZc6bzDD8XsdXqYGIoUs/s320/DSCN3957.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheSueLfulAhfLmICov3PvJi0NxPyzoVIepYQxBRIAdPVkrpd2Rbc_bavUiH-HAvYR6jdvFCVHPje8YJR6mGDQY1MtlR7SVR0oTRr3Krac6yafnZM5eR5U-2rX234mBJsxrpDBr-Yb-hQ/s1600/DSCN3952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheSueLfulAhfLmICov3PvJi0NxPyzoVIepYQxBRIAdPVkrpd2Rbc_bavUiH-HAvYR6jdvFCVHPje8YJR6mGDQY1MtlR7SVR0oTRr3Krac6yafnZM5eR5U-2rX234mBJsxrpDBr-Yb-hQ/s320/DSCN3952.JPG" /></a></div>Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-31383395213711304722012-04-22T16:30:00.002-07:002013-10-22T12:17:41.149-07:00Branson Missouri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUfdW6o7AA7l9eK37NupWkuvmNlZwErmIE2-vT-Hvf45aEH9bP3IMbBnMz24pjglg4vjx01cn2LXYcg6_gI21LXxML6lkKMwD2OT6nvj5sZYQsd11kqJUigE0L1kr7vPQopywgTI5Epg/s1600/DSCN3848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUfdW6o7AA7l9eK37NupWkuvmNlZwErmIE2-vT-Hvf45aEH9bP3IMbBnMz24pjglg4vjx01cn2LXYcg6_gI21LXxML6lkKMwD2OT6nvj5sZYQsd11kqJUigE0L1kr7vPQopywgTI5Epg/s320/DSCN3848.JPG" /></a></div>
On April 17th, we toured <a href="http://www.branson.com/">Branson</a> Missouri. In the evening we took in the oldest show in Branson, the <a href="http://www.baldknobbers.com/">Baldknobbers</a>. This show was the first show in Branson. It has run continuously since 1959. 53 straight years of performances. We had a great time. Just a week before, Branson was hit by a nasty tornado. We saw evidence of damage all along the theatre strip. Here are some pictures:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJG98axvsgatH68nq-oH6yZ0MSB9A3F4nNvd2pWy_ZFp4IF92ASZC9_Skk954IGJJaVltfi91jzHOVdLXGDy0GLqszPFsy_uxisnJUHkWEsDHKd8-EOjqadnN5DIZy50QHqd3k5xLDS4/s1600/DSCN3838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGJG98axvsgatH68nq-oH6yZ0MSB9A3F4nNvd2pWy_ZFp4IF92ASZC9_Skk954IGJJaVltfi91jzHOVdLXGDy0GLqszPFsy_uxisnJUHkWEsDHKd8-EOjqadnN5DIZy50QHqd3k5xLDS4/s320/DSCN3838.JPG" /></a></div>
Branson, MO incorporated, on April 1, 1912, It had 1,200 residents. Shortly there after, the notion of Branson as a resort town began to take root. The right kind of industry and infrastructure emerged for a resort community to evolve such as; a commercial ice plant, a soft drink bottling plant, a candy factory, an ice cream factory next to the waterfront and soon dams creating lakes. The first visitors to Branson, Missouri were lured by the water.
In 1907, Harold Bell Wright published the novel Shepherd of the Hills which tells about the Ozark area and its' settlers such as the Ross family. Mr. Wright was afflicted with tuberculosis (consumption) and stayed with the Ross' while he waited for the White River to recede enough to be crossed. Mr. Wright was a young man seeking his health. He stopped among the hill folks and found peace. He explored Marvel Cave and was amazed with its beauty. He visited each summer for seven years collecting notes about real life events of the people of the area. He stayed in a tent near the Shepherd of The Hills homestead. The experience moved him to set a story-part fact, part legend, part dream. The novel gained popularity quickly and attracted many tourist to see the area he wrote about. The Shepherd of The Hills novel has become a widely read book and had over a dozen television productions and eight movies made from it.
The first dam across the White River created Lake Taneycomo, which became a byword for those who loved the challenge of bass fishing, and for those who loved the serenity of the placid lake. The dam and lake also created a resort town that was known nationwide-Rockaway Beach. The water drew enthusiasts, adventures who relished the challenge of the unknown. By the 1930's Lake Taneycomo had become an inexpensive vacation get away. The area enjoyed increasing tourism due to its ease of accessibility by car or train from distant or nearby cities and the Shepherd of The Hills novel. The tourism helped the town's businesses survive through the Depression and banking industry failures.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJLDsl5sc_wIoHHeOk6-Pw3Jgev2oEv4cNBpKaux-GhA4oCUhn5JtzEorMXIy8dPm7bMv91qMjZvZn8jZH6EnA0-vb0C084GPZJYX9VHhteralslLpmKKNeH5oXc-JegBhEn1IR2QBzE/s1600/DSCN3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJLDsl5sc_wIoHHeOk6-Pw3Jgev2oEv4cNBpKaux-GhA4oCUhn5JtzEorMXIy8dPm7bMv91qMjZvZn8jZH6EnA0-vb0C084GPZJYX9VHhteralslLpmKKNeH5oXc-JegBhEn1IR2QBzE/s320/DSCN3841.JPG" /></a></div>
After World War II many craftsmen, artists, and retirees came to the area. In the late 1940's the Hugo Herschend family visiting from Chicago were struck with the potential of the area, as well as that of Marvel Cave, which drew a few thousand people a year. The family leased the cave from Lynch's daughters and moved here. Hugo, Mary and their sons, Jack and Peter, worked to establish cave tours. When Hugo died, the three continued, improving the cave and exploring new areas for development.
Not everyone could or would make the difficult journey into its depths. Some waited above ground. It was Mary who realized these people needed to be entertained while they waited. She planned that several women would make crafts and show them in keeping with the heritage of the hills. Thus was born <a href="http://www.silverdollarcity.com/">Silver Dollar City</a>, so named for the change first given customers. It opened in 1960, with a single street of shops and a stagecoach ride.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE6Hix3l9kHIHR5jH0SYtJxtTMqBe4OuhRj2Cs28TWJojfrW9BuDbV1HYVBj2cDIl8jD1KfQMzQoYAejUKLPtZw2lQ-2_G29VTtDnOGXzEtBoQdcr4XtIc9SscqfuhyphenhyphenAD1vgXBOnMB-0/s1600/DSCN3852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE6Hix3l9kHIHR5jH0SYtJxtTMqBe4OuhRj2Cs28TWJojfrW9BuDbV1HYVBj2cDIl8jD1KfQMzQoYAejUKLPtZw2lQ-2_G29VTtDnOGXzEtBoQdcr4XtIc9SscqfuhyphenhyphenAD1vgXBOnMB-0/s320/DSCN3852.JPG" /></a></div>
Preparations for the construction of <a href="http://www.tablerockdamtours.com/">Table Rock Dam</a> began in 1954, and was completed in 1959. The water rose to its expected average level, and Branson's citizens were relieved that floods no longer threatened their waterfront. Tourists came in growing numbers to enjoy the big new lake, the Herschends' 1890's Silver Dollar City theme park, and the Trimbles' new outdoor theater at the Shepherd of the Hills Farm. Resorts near Branson and downstream were encouraging their guests to fish and visit the area's new attractions. Lake Taneycomo was too cold for swimming now that it was fed by the deep cold waters of Table Rock Lake, although it quickly became a first class trout fishing lake. Meanwhile, an enterprising family, the Mabes, from Springfield, Missouri began the <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/ozarkjubileesbobmondythevoiceoftheozarksjubilee">Ozarks Jubilee</a>, a music show. In 1959, the Mabes moved their show to the basement of Branson City Hall, where they set up 50 folding chairs. Since their "theatre" was also the police station, they had to put away the stage after every performance. The group called themselves the Baldknobbers: there were brothers Bob, Jim, Bill, and Lyle Mabe, and friend Chick-Allen. They played on home made instruments, all except Allen. We called him Chick-a-boo. "Bill says, "He played the jawbone of a mule, literally."
Advertising was homemade too. The men's wives stood beside Highway 65 with signs. The band travelled and promoted the show and the wives mailed out invitations. We were gone from home so much,"Bill says, "the women figured if they couldn't lick us, they'd join us." So after work in Nixa and Ozark, the men would drive by their homes and their wives would jump in the cars armed with sandwiches for evenings meals. Off they would drive to Branson to entertain.
Sports people on the Table Rock side needed entertaining, too. Another musical family from Springfield took their show there. The Presley family played in a cave, the Underground Theatre of Lakeview, some five miles north of Kimberling City. The cave was damp. Sometimes the instruments got wet. Plus, the Presleys found the location was out of the way. Branson had developed into the base for travelers to Silver Dollar City and <a href="http://www.oldmatt.com/">Shepherd of the Hills</a>, a farmstead/attraction that featured an open air production based on Wright's novel.
So the Presleys put up a simple metal building on the road west of Branson. And they waited. "Some nights we would all stand out in front and watch for car lights coming down the road, hoping the would turn in here," says Gary Presley. Everyone in that family helped out too. They did double and triple duty. After performing, they cleaned the building. And during intermission,10 year old Steve dropped his drumsticks and ran to the parking lot to tape bumper stickers on cars.
In 1960, when tourism increased rapidly in the area, the Missouri Pacific cancelled all passenger service on its White River Line. With so many visitors forced to arrive by automobile, traffic on winding U.S. 65 to Springfield often slowed to a crawl. To shorten and straighten the 75 mile route to 40 miles, blasting crews and earth moving equipment constructed a road through the limestone hills between Springfield and Branson. A two-lane highway with alternating third passing lane was completed in the mid 1970's. The bypass rerouted U.S. 65 away from Branson's congested downtown business district and with interchanges at Highway 76 and at Highway 248, and a new bridge across lake Taneycomo. At that time, businesses were just beginning to develop along 76 west of Branson with only a few scattered shops and five music shows. A decade later, eleven more music shows and many restaurants, motels and tourist attractions had extended the built up area three miles further west. The number of music shows, which started with the Baldknobbers in 1957 and increased to sixteen in the 1980's, now exceeds thirty; and with the addition of the <a href="http://www.explorebranson.com/christmas">Ozark Mountain Christmas Celebration</a>, the tourist season has increased to nine months.
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The legendary <a href="http://thesuperpicker.com/index.html">Roy Clark</a> was the first of the national country stars to recognize the potential here, giving his name to theatre. He was followed soon by <a href="http://www.boxcarwillie.com/">Boxcar Willie</a>, the first to settle permanently in Branson. Now, the names on theatres read like a Music Who's Who: <a href="http://www.moebandy.com/">Moe Bandy</a>, <a href="http://glencampbellmusic.com/">Glen Campbell</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mickey-gilley-mn0000471156">Mickey Gilley</a>, <a href="http://www.cristylane.com/mm5/merchant.mvc">Cristy Lane</a>, <a href="http://www.charleypride.com/home/">Charlie Pride</a>, Bob Nichols, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-rabbitt-mn0000794846">Eddie Rabbit</a>, <a href="http://shop.kennyrogers.com/">Kenny Rogers</a>, <a href="http://www.jimstafford.com/#axzz2iTlQRNet">Jim Stafford</a>, <a href="http://www.meltillis.com/">Mel Tillis</a>, <a href="http://www.bucktrent.com/">Buck Trent</a>, <a href="http://www.jimmytravis.com/">Jimmy Travis</a>, Jennifer, <a href="http://www.douggabriel.com/">Doug Gabriel</a>, <a href="http://www.yakov.com/">Yakov</a>, <a href="http://www.don-williams.com/">Don Williams</a>, New York's radio City Music Hall <a href="http://www.nyc.com/broadway_tickets/radio_city_christmas_spectacular.75774/editorial_review.aspx?gclid=CJ6q2OiRq7oCFaFDMgodnWcArg">Rockettes</a>, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pump-boys-dinettes-on-broadway-mw0000205115">Pump Boys and Dinettes</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203384/bio">John Davidson</a>, the <a href="http://www.welkshow.com/">Lawrence Welk Show</a> with the Lennons, the <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-osmonds-mn0000403184">Osmonds</a>, <a href="http://www.tonyorlando.com/">Tony Orlando</a>, <a href="http://www.shoji.com/">Shoji Tabachi</a>, <a href="http://www.bobbyvinton.com/">Bobby Vinton</a>, and<a href="http://www.andywilliamstheatre.com/"> Andy Williams</a>. Even Mr. Las Vegas himself, <a href="http://www.waynenewton.com/">Wayne Newton</a>, has found his way to Branson. and <a href="http://www.bucktrent.com/">Buck Trent</a>. Various theatres feature guest appearances by other stars such as <a href="http://www.barbara-mandrell.com/">Barbara Mandrell</a>.
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Although the music scene is broadening, the area maintains its culture of the American "country," with family values and family activities. As you look around, you see shopping lights, excitement, people, action and more development. It seems everything has changed. Residents work to preserve the natural <a href="http://ozarkmountainregion.com/">Ozarks</a>' beauty while accommodating development. They strive, in the midst of economic boom, to maintain the small town family atmosphere, the friendliness and trust of the Ozarks.
<a href="http://www.baldknobbers.com/">Baldknobbers</a>
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Began over 50 years ago...It was in 1959 that the Mabe brothers (Jim, Lyle, Bill & Bob) created a legacy of country music and comedy that would forever change the face of family entertainment in the Ozarks. Adopting the name of an old Ozarks vigilante group, it was on the downtown Branson lakefront that the “Baldknobbers” paved their way into America’s musical history.
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The Baldknobbers were an immediate hit with fishermen and tourists to the Branson lakes area. Outgrowing the original location, the Mabe brothers’ moved their show into an old skating rink, converting it into Branson’s first live entertainment theatre.
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Expanding again, The Baldknobbers Theatre was built on 76 Country Boulevard in 1968. The current building has undergone six sets of renovations, making the longest running show in Branson also one of the largest by seating 1,500, fans of country music and comedy. Now Branson is home to over 100 live shows, with more theatre seats than Broadway and hails as the “Live Music Show Capital of the World” and the Baldknobbers is the show that started it all!
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On January 27, 2011 the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History held a donation ceremony and received a number of original Baldknobbers artifacts from brothers Jim, Lyle and Bill Mabe including costumes and instruments for the permanent collection of the Arts and Culture Division of the museum in Washington D.C.
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Over the past five decades, the Baldknobbers have evolved with the changing times, but they have always remained true to their rich traditions, their family roots and their ever-present faith by providing great country music and hilarious comedy.Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1184090694981575883.post-48900538300534137482012-04-22T16:05:00.000-07:002013-10-22T12:31:32.543-07:00San Antonio River Walk and The Mission District<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On April 16th, we toured the <a href="http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/">River walk</a>. This is a section of the river that is populated by bars, hotels and restaurants, all set in relaxing surroundings. We also toured the missions district, with <a href="http://www.missionsjc.com/">San Juan Capistrano</a>, <a href="http://www.missionsanjose.org/">San Jose</a>, and other ancient missions. Her are some pictures from this tour:
History of the River Walk
In Texas, water has been a lifeline for many generations for centuries past. The <a href="http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/sariver.html">San Antonio River</a> is a source of a South Texas Treasure, The San Antonio River Walk. Development of San Antonio and its most popular tourism attraction has come a long way.
1691
June 13. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domingo_Ter%C3%A1n_de_los_R%C3%ADos">Domingo Teran de los Rios</a>, first Governor of the new Province of Texas, accompanies Father Damian Massanet on his return trip to East Texas. Camping at a rancheria of <a href="http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/bmp53">Payaya Indians</a> on a stream called Yanaguana, someone said "let's celebrate mass and rename the stream 'San Antonio' because it is Saint Anthony’s day"
1718
<a href="http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fal02">Martin de Alarcon</a>, Governor of Texas, names the presidio San Antonio de Bejar in honor of the Duque de Bejar, The Mission of <a href="http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/uqs16">San Francisco de Solano</a> is moved from the Rio Grande to merge with Mission San Antonio de Padua. The mission is renamed Mission San Antonio de Valero. The presidio, the villa and the mission comprise the municipality named San Antonio de los Llanos (of the Plains) by Governor Alarcon.
1792
All the missions are closed down by order of the Spanish government. Their lands are distributed to the mission Indians attached to the compounds
Through the late 1800s and early 1900s, San Antonio's growing population and expanding boundaries were the cause, to a large degree, of problems brought about by flooding. In fact, if steps to control the flooding had not been taken in the 1920’s, later commercial development along the river would not have been possible.
1845-1848
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/index_flash.html">The Mexican War</a>. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo is signed in Queretaro. Mexico cedes Texas, California, New Mexico and most of Arizona to the United States for $18,250,000. The Texas border was established by this treaty as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande">Rio Grande</a>.
1861-1865
U.S. Civil War
1929
June 28. Robert H. Hugman presents his plan for 'The Shops of Romula and Aragon' to Mayor Chambers, two city commissioners, property owners and civic leaders. The proposal endorses the bypass channel and recommends flood gates at the north end, a small dam at the south end and a tainter gate in the channel to check the flow and create pools of water. Bypass channel completed, but the Depression prevents further expenditures.
1936
Texas Centennial. Jack White, owner of the White Plaza Hotel, visits City Hall to urge clean-up and beautification of the river. White and the Mexican Businessmen's Association stage 'A Venetian Night' on the river- the first river parade.
1938
The full esthetic potential of the river becomes recognized. Congressman Maury Maverick, Mayor C.K. Quin and a group of citizens, headed by White, push for development of the river. October 25. A special election is called to approve a tax of .015 cents per $100 valuation to raise the $75,000 needed to leverage $325,000 in WPA funds for river work. The tax passes 74-2. 71 voters live in White's hotel.
1961
Marco Engineering Company of California, major designers of Disneyland, complete a report, funded by the City and the Chamber, on the commercial potential of the river. The plan suggests that all buildings which back up to the river be developed in an early Texas or Mexican colonial style, and that as many as possible be rehabilitated to provide basement space that would open at the River Walk level to accommodate retail and entertainment facilities. Criticism arises over the carnival-like aspects of the plan, but other elements, like forming a merchants' association and holding frequent festivals are used as a basis for further plan development.
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1962
Straus, along with Harold Robbins and Jimmy Gause from the Chamber staff, visit Carmel, CA, and New Orleans' Vieux Carre Commission to look at their ordinances guiding development. Straus frames an ordinance based on these two documents which establishes a River Walk District and a seven member Riverwalk Advisory Commission. Council adopts the ordinance on March 28. The Department of Parks and Recreation completes a major landscape program along two miles of river walkway, including over 17,000 assorted tress, shrubs, vines and ground cover. El Tropicano, the first riverfront hotel, opens. La Sirena at 107 West Commerce opens with a patio at river level. The Three Wives Antique Shop, at a location now part of the Hilton Hotel opens in November.
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1963
April 15. The San Antonio Chapter of the American Institute of Architects unveils a plan for the Paseo del Rio. The plan takes the form of drawings, text and a scale model. It includes a land use plan, the basis for a planning district recommendation, and a capital improvements program for public and private development. The Chamber of Commerce creates a staff position to assist the Tourist Attractions staff manager of the Paseo del Rio project. The Landing opens in the basement of the Nix Hospital in April.
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1964
San Antonio voters approve $500, 000 bond issue for Paseo del Rio improvements. City Council adopts an ordinance regulating signage on river walk. March 17. The Paseo del Rio Association is formed; with a staff person funded by the Chamber of Commerce staff position and the money used to pay a PR person to write the weekly Rio Ramblings for the Express-News.
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1966
La Paloma del Rio opens at 215 South Broadway (Losoya). The Billboard Theater opens at street level of 231 S. Broadway over Venice Restaurant which opened the year before. The first Conservation Society-sponsored Las Posadas is held on the streets of San Antonio using the Courthouse, the Navarro House and the Spanish Governor's Palace.
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1968
March. Hilton Palacio Del Rio opens. Hotel La Posada opens in the old St. Mary's Law School on College St. April-October, HemisFair '68. Construction is completed on the river extension and the convention center complex. August 12. Kangaroo Court opens. The Little Rhein opens in a San Antonio Conservation property. December. First Fiesta de las Lumlnarlas held. The bypass channel is modified.
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1988
Channel Improvements are completed from Commerce to Houston Street incorporating Hugman's details. The Hugman wall across from La Mansion and below the Aztec is completed. Rivercenter opens on an extension of the river extension. The Mall opens in February, Dillard's in May and Marriott Rivercenter in October. The Original Mexican Restaurant opens at 528 River Walk.
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1995
Southbank project between Presa, Crockett, Navarro, and river opens. Newly constructed buildings designed to fit in with existing architecture of San Antonio. Tenants are Country Line, Fat Tuesday, Hard Rock Café, Paesanos, Starbuck's, and Howl at the Moon.
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2002
River improvements take place from Convent to Lexington dedicated. July 4th- Major Flooding on West Side creeks and San Antonio River. October- River Improvements from Houston to Convent dedicated. Silver Ventures purchases Pearl Brewery site with the idea of creating a varied premier mixed use development.
Construction begins on the Museum Reach (Lexington St. to Josephine St.) of the San Antonio River Improvements Project. October- Saltgrass Steakhouse opens in the Casino Building. November- Initial construction begins on the Mission Reach of San Antonio River Improvements Project.
2010
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December- Phase 1 of the Mission Reach project opens, providing 1 mile of bike and hike access.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park preserves four of the five Spanish frontier missions in San Antonio, Texas. These outposts were established by Catholic religious orders to spread Christianity among the local natives. These missions formed part of a colonization system that stretched across the Spanish Southwest in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
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In geographic order from north (upstream of the San Antonio River) to south (downstream) the missions are located as follows: Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. The Espada Aqueduct, also part of the Park, is due east of Mission San Juan, across the river. The fifth (and best known) mission in San Antonio, the Alamo, is not part of the park, rather it is owned by the State of Texas, and operated by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas; it is upstream from Mission Concepcion.
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Mission District
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Concepcion">Mission Concepción</a>
Misión Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña was established in 1716 as Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de los Hainais in East Texas. The mission was moved in 1731 to San Antonio. Founded by Franciscan friars, this is the best preserved of the Texas missions. Located at 807 Mission Road, Mission Concepcion was designated a National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970.
In 2002, Archbishop Patrick Flores appointed Father Jim Rutkowski the archdiocesan administrator of Mission Concepcion. As such, Fr. Rutkowski has been charged with the pastoral duties associated with the operation of the active church congregation. In 2009-10 Las Misiones Foundation began an active, aggressive campaign to restore the interior of the Mission. Work on the interior is expected to be completed in March 2010. Fr. Rutkowski continues to offer Sunday Mass regularly for the Mission community.
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<a href="http://www.lasmisiones.org/MissionEspada.asp">Mission Espada</a>
Misión San Francisco de la Espada was established in 1690 as San Francisco de los Tejas near present-day Augusta. and renamed San Francisco de los Neches in 1721. The mission was moved in 1731 to San Antonio and given its current name. Located on Espada Road, this mission was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.
Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo.
Main article: Mission San José (Texas)
Misión San José y San Miguel de Aguayo was established in 1720. Located at 6519 San Jose Drive, it was designated the San Jose Mission National Historic Site in 1941. The historic site was administratively listed on the National Register on October 15, 1966. Mission San Jose was founded by Father Fran Felan.
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<a href="http://www.archsa.org/ParishLocator/ParishInfo.aspx?ID=4108">Mission San Juan Capistrano</a>
Main article: Mission San Juan Capistrano (Texas)
Misión San Juan Capistrano was established in 1716 as Misión San Jose de los Nazonis in East Texas.[4] The mission was renamed and moved in 1731 to San Antonio. Located on Mission Road, San Juan was listed on the National Register on February 23, 1972.
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On April 16, we drove to <a href="http://www.sanantonio.gov/">San Antonio</a> Texas to see the <a href="http://thealamo.org/">Alamo</a>. We also toured <a href="http://www.sfcathedral.org/">San Fernando Cathedral</a>, which is adjacent to the Alamo. There lie the remains of <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/davy-crockett-9261693">Davy Crocket</a>, <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/jim-bowie-9222110">Jim Bowie</a>, and <a href="http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/TexasIndependence/p/Biography-Of-William-Travis.htm">Colonel Travis</a>. These were the leaders of the battle of the Alamo. Here is some of the history, and pictures of our day:
The Alamo
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Originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction began on the present site in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials secularized San Antonio's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. These men and women continued to farm the fields, once the mission's but now their own, and participated in the growing community of San Antonio.
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In the early 1800s, the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission. The soldiers referred to the old mission as the Alamo (the Spanish word for "cottonwood") in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The post's commander established the first recorded hospital in Texas in the Long Barrack. The Alamo was home to both Revolutionaries and Royalists during Mexico's ten-year struggle for independence. The military — Spanish, Rebel, and then Mexican — continued to occupy the Alamo until the Texas Revolution.
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San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house fighting, they forced General Martín Perfecto de Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo — already fortified prior to the battle by Cós' men — and strengthened its defenses.
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On February 23, 1836, the arrival of <a href="http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/thehistoryofmexico/p/Biography-Of-Antonio-Lopez-De-Santa-Anna.htm">General Antonio López</a> de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.
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The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several attacks. Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. Once inside, they turned a captured cannon on the Long Barrack and church, blasting open the barricaded doors. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa Anna entered the Alamo compound to survey the scene of his victory.
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While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt about what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds — a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason, the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
<a href="http://www.sfcathedral.org/">San Fernando Cathedral</a>
San Fernando began March 9, 1731 when fifteen families of fifty-five settlers arrived from the Canary Islands at the Presidio of San Antonio and were welcomed by Captain Juan Antonio de Almazan in the name of King Phillip V of Spain. Their arrival was a result of a recommendation of the Council of the Indies that a permanent civil settlement in the remote territory of Texas be established to prevent possible incursion of the French. Thus began "La Villa de San Fernando."
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The cornerstone of the church building in the new village was laid in 1738, making it the first parish church in Texas. The patronesses of the church were those of the settlers and soldiers in the area: Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of Candlemas), a patroness of the Canary Islands, and Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe), the patroness of what would later become Mexico. The church was completed in 1749 and the original walls still stand today forming what is now the sanctuary (the area around and behind the altar) of the present church. These walls are the oldest standing structure in the State of Texas. The dome of the original church was the geographic center of the city and the point from which all mileage was calculated to San Antonio.
In 1793, the Alamo, Mission San Antonio de Valero, was secularized and closed as a church. Its' people became members of San Fernando. The total population at the time was just over 1,000. The next year the other four missions in the area, San Jose, Concepcion, Espada, and Capistrano were also secularized and their lands divided among the Indians. In 1824 Missions Concepcion, San Jose, and Espada were made a part of the San Fernando parish.
Alamo
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Zebulon Pike visited San Fernando in 1808 as he was leading the exploration of the lands of the Louisiana Purchase. During the 1810 - 1820 War for Mexican Independence several battles occured in San Antonio and many of the fallen soldiers were buried at the church. In 1822, the pastor of the parish, Father Refugio de la Garza, was sent as a delegate to the first Congress of Mexico. James Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi at San Fernando in 1831. The Battle of the Alamo in 1836 began after Mexican General Santa Ana raised the flag of "no quarter" from the tower of the church. In the back of the cathedral today there is a sarcophagus or marble coffin on which is inscribed a notice that the remains of the defenders of the Alamo are buried there. Colonel Juan Seguin, who took control of San Antonio after Texas won independence, was purported to have buried the remains under the sanctuary railing of the old church. In 1936, during renovation work, a box of charred bones, nails, and shreds of uniforms was unearthed at that spot. Historians have argued since then about the validity of the claim, but the marble coffin with the remains has been visited by thousands of people since that time.
Late 1800's
The cornerstone of the new addition to San Fernando was laid in 1868. The eastern wall, including the original tower, the front of the church, the choir loft and baptistry were torn down to make room for the French Gothic building which is now the main body of the church. This work was completed in 1873 in preparation for the naming of San Antonio as a diocese by Pope Pius IX in 1874 with San Fernando as its' cathedral.
Bishops and Archbishops
The first bishop, Anthony Dominic Pellicer, is buried under the head of the main aisle of the church. In 1926 the Church of San Antonio was named an archdiocese with Arthur Jerome Drossaerts as its first archbishop. San Fernando was blessed as a metropolitan cathedral, or the official church of an archbishop. Former archbishop, José H. Gomez, STD, was installed in 2005.
Pope visits San Fernando
Various church and civic dignitaries have visited the cathedral over its long history. Pope John Paul II prayed and spoke to students in religious formation at San Fernando on September 13, 1987. President Lyndon Johnson visited in 1966. Several Cardinals have presided at liturgy in the church, beginning in 1887 when James Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore preached at a solemn High Mass. Since then, presidents, politicians, ambassadors, governors and other leaders have been a part of the history of San Fernando.
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San Fernando's living history is its people. Over 5,000 participate at weekend Masses each week of the year. Over 900 baptisms, 100 weddings, 110 funerals, and countless other services are performed each year. Symphonies, concerts, and television specials are but a few of the special events held in the cathedral regularly. Hundreds of people enter the church daily to pray, visit, light a candle, or follow various devotional traditions. Tour Buses arrive constantly. Each person is a part of the story of this magnificent place and a tribute to its enduring presence as the spiritual center of San Antonio.Denis and Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14785283683721704934noreply@blogger.com0