When I tell people I’m going to London, they inevitably rattle off a list of the top 10 tourist attractions – the Tower, Big Ben, London Eye – and ask which ones I’ll be seeing there. I always laugh and tell them I haven’t a clue. What people don’t realize is that for me, London means visiting my step-daughter. She’s the main dish, and everything else is gravy. (Actually, everything else is usually cheese or chocolate when we’re together!) The bottom line is that I fly to London to see Naomi. Like any parent, I want to make sure that…
Category: Travel Photo Essays
Travel tips, photos & travelogues from all over the world.
Don’t let the name fool you, the Dallas World Aquarium is more than just a fun place to see exotic fish. Even the nondescript exterior of this former warehouse belies the lush interior inside. The show begins even before you have bought a ticket; as you wind your way along the side to enter, there is a “Wilds of Borneo” display featuring animals from Indonesia. You then enter at the canopy level of a humid rainforest environment called the “Orinoco – Secrets of the River” display. Walkways let you meander through the treetops, where several bird species fly through the…
When I was a kid up in eastern Washington, I often carried pebbles in my pocket to toss ahead of me before stepping into tall grass. Sometimes I’d hear a rattler slithering out of the way afterwards. My little dog was good, too. She’d run ahead and keep the trail cleared of any snakes. I didn’t realize people ever shot snakes; so when I saw this ad for a snake gun proudly displayed in a shop window, it caught my eye. The ad amuses me because the guy they drew looks a bit like Hunter S. Thompson. I can just…
I expected a lot of nationalism when I moved to Texas, y’know, plenty of flags a-waving, and those culturally myopic “God Bless America” bumper stickers, as though the supreme universal deity cares only for my country. (Hey, I love America, too, but if God plays favorites, I’m gonna tell his mom.) Anyway, patriotism, I understand.
What I did not expect was the Tex-centricness of this particular state. In retrospect, the amount of Texas-shaped things I saw within moments of getting off the plane should have clued me in. On the way to baggage claim, I saw everything from belt buckles, cookies, tattoos, gold pendants, even a dachsund – no, not a Texan-shaped dachsund – but one wearing a sweater with a Texan star proudly stitched on the side.
Yes, it’s pretty hard to forget you are in Texas when you are in Texas; even with a severe head injury, I’ll wager you could figure that one out.
So the other day at Sam’s Club, I came across these Tex-Centric books and laughed. Wait, no, I guffawed (it sounds more Texan to guffaw, doesn’t it?) At any rate, I knew that I must quickly snap some pix to share with those of you who – gasp – live elsewhere.
Voila! I have, at long last, visual proof that turkey pants, err, trousers, I mean, were actually worn by our London bird. In England, you see, ‘pants’ means ‘underpants.’ I discovered my faux pas after cheerily announcing that I had brought a pair of turkey pants, only to have a dinner guest reply, “I beg your pardon?” in that quintessentially British way, the very tone of which informed me I had – yet again – put my Yankee foot in my Yankee mouth.
I failed to mention that Tex and I would be taking the long way home from London. In fact, we took a 14 day cruise across the Atlantic Ocean! I took a gazillion photos, including this one. The ocean seems to impress people in one of two ways, a person either finds it monotonous, or – like me – endlessly fascinating and dynamic. I loved watching flying fish soar over the swells, while the sea and sky made more costume changes than you might see at a Lady Gaga show. By night, the stars were stunning and crisp. We saw…