Monthly Archives: December 2019

Chinese Road Trip

 in China  tagged China / Chinese driving / Chinese ethnic minority / heavy equipment / Hounglong / manners / road construction / Tibetan / travel by

In 2009 the only way to get from Chengdu to Hounglong National Park was to fly because the road had been wiped out by an earthquake two years earlier. While driving the final leg of the journey, our van stopped for a construction blockage, so I got out to look around. A young man pushed his girlfriend up to me, and she said: “Hello.” “Nin how.” (My rendition of “hello” in Chinese.) “You speak Chinese.” She was no doubt pretending to believe I had a handle on the language. “That’s all.” Not true, I could also say  “Jiuzhaigou” and “waiguoren,” […]

Pine Cones 101

 in camping / Wildlife/animals  tagged male cones / needles / pine seeds / pine trees / pinecones / pollen / squirrels by

A few years ago a pinecone dropped out of the top of a ridiculously tall tree and wacked me upside the head.  It didn’t need to do that.  I learned a long time ago that paying attention to pinecones pays off. I figured out how pine cones come into being when I noticed a few clumps of needles that had turned red.  Apparently cones don’t start from a special bud, just some co-opted needles. In biology lab I learned that tiny cones like these above are males.  If you spot one in spring, shake it and watch for yellow powder–pollen.  […]

Tenerife Lizards

 in Snowbirding / Spain / Wildlife/animals  tagged gecko / lizards / mosquitoes / Tenerife / travel by

Though Tenerife’s giant lizards are now extinct, many other types can still be found. Our tour guide has a gecko that patrols the ceilings for mosquitos at night then naps in the warm cubby behind a television set through the day.  In Colorado we once had a lizard quietly volunteer to clean out a housefly infestation in our sunroom. He did a fine job then disappeared. A Tenerife blog post painted a darker picture of living with lizards.  The poor little guys tended to lurk in dangerous places like door and window frames or underfoot and cause serious guilt issues.  […]

Baskets of Yore

 in Uncategorized  tagged Ann Shaffer / Cruising / Joan Moore / Nantucket baskets / Nantucket Lightship Baskets / Timothy D. Parsons / transatlantic / travel by

On a transatlantic cruise, an unusual crafter caught my interest.  Ann Shaffer had taken up thread basketry to keep her hands busy while traveling. Ordinarily she uses stiffer materials to make Nantucket baskets. My ears pricked at the promise salty heritage, and Nantucket baskets didn’t disappoint. As Ann wove, she told of the men who operated light ships—brightly lit ships that anchored on dangerous shoals to keep passing vessels clear. They passed the time by weaving baskets, a skill settlers had learned from Native Americans.     Over time, the lightship men developed a specific style, using a form—a salvaged […]

Knots…Who’d Have Thought?

 in Gratitude / Travel media  tagged Celebrity Infinity / Culture of the Sea / Jan Hanley / nautical knot work / Today We Bought a Cow / transatlantic cruise / travel by

I pounced on an early arrival to my Culture of the Sea presentation, hoping to recruit people to join me in crafting souvenir knots later that day. Jan Hanley, it turned out, was once a knot-tist extraordinaire. As a full-time mom, she’d supplemented her family’s income by sculpting massive knot artworks for display in shows and as book illustrations. Huh? How many strapped mothers even consider knot tying as a possible money-maker? Jan seems to specialize in inspired paths less trodden, and I cannot wait to read her latest travel book: “Today We Bought a Cow.” Such a privilege to […]