It's Monday

It's Monday!

I need a vacation from my weekend.

I need more vacation.

There should be a rule that one does not return to work after going away for a weekend.

I will leave my rant I had in mind for today for another day.

30th Anniversary Weekend

Hubs and I just returned from a weekend celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary. We chose the French Country Inn in Lake Geneva on Lake Como. It operates as a B&B (bed and breakfast) type of place. We never made the breakfast but we did eat dessert at their restaurant on Friday night on the patio overlooking the lake while listening to a one man singer (oldies) who was actually really good. We had their brunch this morning. Food was okay but the accommodations were top rate.

This is the path to our room:


Our room and yes that is a fireplace and jacuzzi in the room:



We were directly on the lake and sat outside on these chairs even though the temps were 50 degrees as a high.


Saturday during the day we walked Lake Geneva streets and of course picked up some Mackinaw fudge. Otherwise we just browsed the shops. Saturday evening we ate at Gilbert's in Lake Geneva and chose to have the chef prepare us a 4 course surprise dinner. We gave our likes and dislikes and my allergies but fairly well gave him a wide berth.


The first thing we got was a 'smoothie' I swear was named loose goose (we asked 4 times) and was a watermelon and peach smoothie drink in a small aperitif glass. Next came up our appetizer: seared tuna with pureed parsley, cucumber salad, and teeny oranges which again was good. Next up was another the fish main course: we thought they said it was sea urchins with shatike mushrooms but I could not find a picture of a sea urchin that looked like we had. Instead this picture depicts what we ate which is baby octopus but I think there were sea urchins on top like this picture shows:


Meat course was sliced veal on radicchio greens with Canadian bacon chunks, glazed pear, and baby carrots.

Dessert was in 2 steps: 1st was a cinnamon pancetta with a blueberry in the middle of the spoon, and 2nd was a chocolate souffle with chocolate fudge sauce, coffee ice cream on a fudge brownie, and brown sugar cherries.

It was an interesting dinner.....oh and the sea urchin/octopus thingie - does not taste like chicken.

One of THOSE Days

I knew it this morning when I got up.

Yet I still got up and better yet went to work.

Work - yeah one of those days and it wasn't even a full moon.

Did you ever have one of those days when things just didn’t seem to go just right?

It’s the kind of day when you wonder what you did, didn't do, should have done, could have done, thought about, didn't think about, wanted to do, didn't get anything done.

The kinda of day that just seems like something is out of whack with the world.

I blame the cosmos or a holdover from being with the inlaws all day yesterday.

I am going to bed. I don't even want to think anymore.

Cold Hands Warm Heart Stinky Feet No Sweetheart

Excuse me if I seem to be a bit looped but I just finished spending the day with the inlaws aka dementia day. The morning began stopping at MIL's home to pick her up but I had to use the bathroom first. I walked in the door and was greeted by the above picture only the room was dark. I thought it was real. Yes I did have a cup of coffee this morning and yes I was awake and no it wasn't butt early. I about peed my pants right then. What was even funnier was my response to the dog when it barked at me. It is a motion sensor dog and as soon as it senses motion around it, it starts barking. MIL was to see the cardiologist today and I was about to horn in on her appointment. It's not nice to scare someone in Forest Gump braces!

We then proceeded to pick up FIL at his group home and on the 15 minute drive to the hospital for them to have their bloodwork done, he asked the following question 15 times:
FIL: "Where are we going?"
Me: "To the hospital for some bloodwork then we are going out to eat for lunch."
FIL: "Good, I am hungry. They wouldn't feed me today."
Me: "I know - that is because you had to have this bloodwork done and you had to be fasting meaning nothing to drink or eat until after you get your blood drawn."
FIL: "Oh, okay."
FIL: "Where are we going?"
repeat repeat repeat

So we get the blood drawn and then I took them to lunch at their favorite restaurant. (FIL is still asking what we are doing). We get into the restaurant and when I asked him what he wanted to eat, naming some things on the menu I knew he liked, he responded with: "I just want a hamburger with cheese. That boy looks familiar that is sitting next to you. That waitress looks familiar".
Me: "Well, the boy sitting next to me is your only grandson who drove us because I can't drive."
FIL: "Why can't you drive?"
Me: "Remember - because I have a cast on my foot."
FIL: "Why do you have a cast on your foot?"
Me: "Because I fell 2 years ago and need another surgery."
FIL: "Oh sorry to hear that. Who is that boy sitting next to you? He looks familiar. And the waitress too - she looks familiar too. I want a hamburger."
Me: "Do you want cheese on your hamburger?"
FIL: "That would be nice. But I want a hamburger."
Me: "Yes, a hamburger with cheese on it. That is called a cheeseburger."
FIL: "I want a hamburger. That boy looks familiar that is sitting next to you."
repeat repeat repeat

MIL by this time had gotten back to the table and took over the answering and it turned out they did know the waitress as they bowled on the same league with her and her husband over 20 years ago.

Then son went to the bathroom. We asked FIL to see if he had to go but he said no so son went on - wiping his brow that he lucked out and didn't have to take his grandfather to the bathroom and help him.

No such luck. Not 2 minutes than son left the table, FIL said he had to go to the bathroom. So I took him there and opened the door to the men's bathroom and yelled at son to take care of him. I waited in the hallway for them to come back out and got "the stare that I will get back at you for this look" from son. Seemed grandpa forgot that he had to open the zipper so son had to assist him. Son's comment to me: "Next time you get to help him find it and hold it".

So we ate then took FIL back to his home then we left to take MIL to the cardiologist. Son wanted to see how they tested her pacemaker so he came in the room with us. The tech that came in to do the test was teasing MIL that she didn't look old enough to even have a grandchild let alone have a daughter in law. MIL preens and says well I am 82, grandson is 26 and DIL (me) is......she couldn't remember so I said I was 58, then 54 then looked to son to figure out how old I was. Yeah long dementia day that obviously is contagious.

Son hasn't stopped laughing or saying he is going to pay me back for 'having to help his grandfather go to the bathroom'.

As for the title of this post - it kinda went with the day. That was FIL's saying for the entire afternoon - every 2 minutes he would repeat this. It wasn't until we got back to the home that I learned he's been saying this when he is cold.

But you all know me and I had heard the cold hands warm heart before but never the rest. So I googled it. The saying is actually folklore-type sayings that have passed down through generations.

Here are a few more cute ones:
If you see a falling or shooting star, make a wish; It will come true. Just say, "Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight." However, if you wish upon a star, don't tell anyone your wish, or it won't come true.

A favorite weather saying is, "The morning rain is like an old women's dance. It is soon over." or "Frost on a moonlit night won't kill." or "Big raindrops, little rain. Little raindrops mean big rain."

A favorite saying about couples is, "One makes the living, the other makes the living worthwhile."

Another funny one: "Eat a bite of garlic every morning before breakfast to ensure against colds, flu, grippe and real close friends." I'll bet this works every time.

Have you heard this one? "What can't be cured, must be endured."

Here's a bit of advice for next melon season. To be sure whether a watermelon is ripe or not, balance a straw or grass blade crossways across the melon. If it is ripe, the straw will slowly turn to a parallel position along the melon.

A last saying: "When a person wants to tell something but can't remember the story, it is probably not true." Now this one I know about only many times I can't remember the names of the people involved or the entire story. Same with telling jokes - I always mess up the punch line.

Dementia day = even loopier me day!

Happy 30th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary my honey honey honey!

Right Side vs Left Side Driving

According to this article, on September 7th, people who drive in Samoa will have to begin driving on the other side of the road.

***http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125086852452149513.html***?mod=yhoofront*** (remove the ***'s to get the link)

Countries that drive on the left side of the road account for about 30% of the world's population or 73 countries.

I can only wonder if Vegas is throwing out odds on how many accidents happen that day because of it.

I know it bothers me because I have visited some of those places where they drove on the opposite side although I never drove myself. It also brings to mind cars - only the new cars would have the driver on the correct side of the car. I can't even wrap my brain around changing that or thinking the US would go to the metric system although that might be a bit easier for me since I was a huge chemistry and math geek.

Words and Phrases I Abhor - Okay Hate

I am old. I know I am when I see words being overused or used incorrectly and notice. When I was younger.....okay much much younger, I would only notice words the adults used and make fun of them. Role reversal now. Everytime I do it I look around my shoulder to see if my grandmother is lecturing me. Nope - I have become her.....***gasp***

Here are my top 10 words/phrases but realize that these are only some of the words I hate. I have included what I say in return:

"Whaz up?" - The sky, the ceiling, or I will look up and see what is up and answer. When did this become the way of asking someone what is new with them?

"Awesome" - Nifty, cool beans, are you on drugs?

"Absolutely" - Okey dokey, so there isn't a chance you aren't a wee bit uncertain?

"Ummmm" - I have learned to filter out the ummm's I because I use this one too much myself.

"Like, you know" - Like is an affection toward someone. So who do you like and no, I don't know.

"She/he goes" - This is used in place of she/he says or said. I ask where does he/she go?

"Hot" - It seems everything is 'hot' now. Well, I fit right in then because I am always hot flashing in some way or another, therefore I conclude I am 'hot'.

"Importantly" or worse "more importantly" - When did this become a word? The correct phrase is 'more important. Importantly is not a word.

"Going forward" - This seems to have replaced 'from now on'. Going forward implies that we were going backwards at one time or you want to forget something in the past but you are not going to tell me which makes me wonder what you are covering up.

"No problem" - When did this phrase start being used instead of "you're welcome"? Again, it makes me wonder if there really is/was a problem.

Although I have given you the top 10, there is one more I thought of. It annoys me when I hear an pregnant parent or someone say "I'm having a BABY girl or BABY boy", Why are they adding the 'baby' part? If they are pregnant they sure aren't going to be popping out a teenager. Isn't it redundant - like a double negative?

One more - the caption in the above photo. It seems to be the new buzz word. FAIL. Does anyone have a clue as to its meaning? All my son does is laugh when I ask him.

Brain Farts

Okay, I know I am not the only one out there that has brain farts! You know those times when you are talking to someone and then your mind just goes blank and for the life of you, you can't remember what you were saying let alone what you were going to say next? Or when you go into a room to get something and forget what you were going for? Those are brain farts, people. Some think they are cute and call them 'senior moments' or 'blond moments' or anything else that sounds nice and prim and proper. You all know I tell it like it is - they are BRAIN FARTS!

Even in the urban dictionary or wikipedia they are described:

A lapse in the thought process; an inability to think or remember something clearly.

A gap, interruption, or uncontrolled shift in a chain of thought resulting in a lull, pause, and/or blank stare during oral communication and sometimes involving the loss of short term memory.

Don’t try to deny it, I know you’ve had them. Everyone does. Most won't admit they have those embarrassing instants of mind-numbing stupidity. You’re faced with a task, question or action that you’ve done a thousand times, and yet, you flub it up. Even worse, you may even recognize the problem as it happens and you may know that you’re about to screw up big time......and yet, you’re unable to stop it. Brain fart.

But rest easy. Brain farts are real. No, the brain does not emit methane gas (aka noxious fumes). They are real, measurable events in the brain AND they are predictable. Yep, I am normal. (okay stop the laughing).

Researchers were looking in the brain for cues that a mistake was being made - hoping to spot some sort of activity blip that signaled an error, perhaps an instantaneous loss of concentration. So participants in the study were given a simple, monotonous game to play, while the activity in their brain was measured via MRI.

Interestingly enough, there was no single event or burp or fart at the instant of the error. Instead, there was a complicated pattern of abnormal brain behavior BEFORE the fart happened - up to 30 seconds before! Now in real time, 30 seconds isn't a whole lotta time but in brain time - that is a really long time.

So what happened in those 30 seconds? In the study, even though the participants were alert and focused on their task, parts of the brain usually associated with relaxation began to light up. At the same time, parts of the brain associated with cognitive control and sustained attention began to turn off. So even though they intended to stay alert, their brain was shutting down, forcing them into a less focused state. So even though the person was paying attention, their brain stopped paying attention.

Tada. Brain fart. Scientific proven study!

The researchers think the brain may be shutting down to conserve energy. Since repetitive, familiar tasks don’t require much processing power, the brain tries to go into a sort of autopilot mode. Sometimes it goes too far, and the result is a mental glitch. Once the participants made and recognized their mistakes, the abnormal patterns vanished - apparently the error woke the brain back up, letting it know it had gone a step too far in its efforts at energy conservation.

With that all important 30 second factor, it might be possible to predict and prevent critical brain fart errors in high risk situations (like I have done giving lectures or seminars or when trying to impress a new client). If the brain activity involved can be detected by lightweight, portable monitors, a warning could be sounded that would “wake up” the brain, hopefully before the mistake was made (yeah like I would wear that along with my 'Forest Gump' braces - I could just hear the comments then).

Of course, it wouldn’t help much with the socially embarrassing times that usually accompany my brain farts. And no, not going to reveal those :)

Interesting thing I found during my research -

Brain Fart Drink Recipe
1 fifth Everclear® alcohol
1 fifth Smirnoff® Red Label vodka
2 liters Mountain Dew® citrus soda
2 liters Surge® citrus soda
1 bottle lemon juice
1 pint Bacardi® white rum
Pre-chill soda, and mix slowly with other ingredients and ice in a punch bowl.

Nope, I don't need to drink that but if provided to others in my presence, it might make me seem 'normal' and not in need of a cranialproctologist because I have persistent cranial gas. It is just part of my make up. Thank goodness my friends and employees always seem to know what I was going to say and will even prompt me with what I was saying prior to the fart. I am proud of them - they were listening!

Toronto - Part 10 Ice Wine and Niagara Falls

I saw the falls as a freshman in high school on a band trip that started in Chicago, went into Canada, then to the falls then into PA then Ohio then home, stopping to give concerts along the way. I was impressed with the falls then and still am. It was my husband's first trip to the falls so I decided to book a day tour there but one that started at noon, stopping at a winery school (yes you read that right), then on to the falls complete with seeing the falls illuminated at night. We were gone for over 12 hours and to me was the best part of the whole trip.

First let's start with the winery school stop. I never knew that Niagara is known as a wine making area and especially for a specific wine called Ice Wine. What was even more interesting that this is a school especially devoted to one getting a degree in wine making (what a way to get a college degree....wonder how many classes an instructor can do in one day before being sloshed? Niagara College Teaching Winery is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, part of the Niagara Peninsula wine region. The area has an interesting climate and mimics France's and Tuscany, Italy's growing season for grapes. Icewine, or Eiswein, originated in Franconia, Germany in 1794. Grapes are left on the vines until they are frozen and are picked during the night while they are still frozen and they are not allowed to thaw before they are crushed. When they are allowed to do this, it concentrates both the sugars and flavors of the grapes. Icewines are usually served as a dessert wine and are highly prized drinks that are created in Germany, Austria, and Canada. The Niagara region of Ontario, Canada is currently the most widely respected producer of ice wines.

My husband loved it. We had been trying to think of something to bring back to our employees and our kids that is specific to the area and I thought we had found it with the icewine. That is, until we learned the price of ONE BOTTLE of wine. Yeah, not in our price range. At the college, the price was $55.00 per bottle. Even at the airport at the duty free shop, the wines were 3 for $125.00. Still too much. We actually didn't end up bringing anyone anything.

On to Niagara Falls......as I said I have been there before although going as a freshman in high school in a group of 500 and going there with a small tour and as an adult are 2 separate things. We did things on this tour I had never seen nor done or maybe I did but I didn't remember. We first stopped at the beginning of the rapids area.


If you didn't know, Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River on the border between Canada and the United States. Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which lies on the Canadian side of the border, and American Falls on the American side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded during the last ice age, and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America. The Horseshoe Falls drop about 173 feet, the height of the American Falls varies between 70–100 feet because of the presence of giant boulders at its base. The larger Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet wide. All pictures were taken on the Canadian side. Hubs went on the tour behind the waterfall (it wasn't handicapped accessible) and said it looked like a super heavy rain in front of your eyes. Together we did go on the Maid of the Mist boat ride and got absolutely soaked but it was an exciting boat ride. That evening after dinner overlooking the Falls, hubs got to 'illuminate' the falls since the controls are on the Canadian side. I couldn't go on this tour either but stayed down listening to the crowd uhhhhhh and ahhhhhhh every time our group changed the colors that were illuminating the falls.

This 1st picture is of all 3 Falls with the American to the left, the Bridal as the smaller one next to the American, and the largest (the Canadian Horseshoe) on the right.

This picture is of the American Falls and Bridal Falls close up to see all the boulders that the American side has. Yes that is a rainbow - at one point there were 4 at one time which of course was when the camera memory decided it was full and the picture didn't turn out when we tried to take it on our cell phone.

This picture is taken from a tower above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and the only picture we have that got the entire Canadian Falls in.

The next picture is when we were on the Maid of the Mist and are rounding the corner to the Canadian Falls.

This picture is of the Canadian Falls as seen right up close on the Maid of the Mist. I wouldn't consider that a mist - more of a drenching rainstorm. Look at the water swirling around the boat. One could not hear anything close to the Falls.

All in all, it was a good trip. I was disappointed in the American Falls - the number of boulders and erosion is increasing and soon the falls will be gone while the Canadian ones are spectacular and one can see that they are well taken care of. It made me a bit ashamed to see the destruction (although natural) of a true American site. There was an attempt in 1969 to remove the huge mound of erosion at the base of the American Falls but was abandoned due to the cost of the project and has not been undertaken since. One can only hope it is taken up again.

Oh and the only other thing I have to say is that one has to be more than certifiable to go through those rapids then over those falls.

Run Me Run / Ankle Update

This is my husband's latest saying for me. FYI he doesn't mean any harm but just likes to tease me which I can guarantee I give back thricefold!

He likens me to the movie Forest Gump where the phrase 'Run Forest Run' is often quoted. The braces on my ankles mimic Forest's braces in his opinion.

As you can see in the picture, I am wearing braces on both legs. I can move both feet up and down but the braces prevent side to side motion. I had to start wearing one on my left foot (the right side as you are looking at the picture) because my ankle started hurting with all the extra pressure it was taking when I was non-weight bearing (over 2 years now). As you can see, my calf on the left leg looks like a body builders now since it has been taking my full weight for over 2 years now. I will need a surgery on it after the right foot can take supporting me all on its own since the ATF ligament is way too loose and needs tightened. That will happen hopefully before Christmas since I am at 100% insurance right now.

The right leg is a lot smaller because of the casting and loss of muscle tone and the atrophy that happens when you don't use those muscles. It will build back up and already in the past 2 weeks it has bulked up a lot instead of looking like a stick. I still have to wear a high compression stocking on it to help keep the swelling out of it. Notice the left shoe looks new. That's because right before I fell 2 years ago, I had just bought those shoes so the left one looks pretty worn in because it has been worn the entire 2 years while the right one has barely been worn.

The braces are called Don Joy Agility Braces. They actually are pretty comfortable unless like today the weather is stormy and my right ankle swells and goes nutso or I have been up on the right ankle too much and it lets me know.

Hubs still wants me to go for a 2nd opinion but I really don't want to since I trust my surgeon so we are arguing - to me this is my ankle and I am a fully functioning intelligent individual and therefore I am keeping my doctor and so far surgery is scheduled for September 24th to repair the right ankle that is still not stable.

As far as running........yeah I might beat a turtle but I am upright and sans scooter and cast. What more can a girl want?

Toronto - Part 9 Michael Huckabee

I bet you all now think I have really lost it. Most of my friends know I am a fence sitter in politics. I am neither Democratic nor Republican. I go for who I THINK is the best candidate for the job or the best between the 2 I have to choose from. I never pay attention to what party they are from because I personally don't care. I do care about a candidate's thoughts and feelings and what their track record is on issues I consider important. I am not easily swayed once I choose. (That's the Irish in me if you talk to my mother and the German in me if you talk to my father and because I am a woman if you talk to my equally stubborn Italian husband).

Yes, I am listing one of my favorite things about Toronto as Mike Huckabee's Keynote speech that he gave at the seminar. Shoot me but I like him. The following is a synapses of his speech written up by Dr. Marybeth Crane and says it more eloquently than I ever could.

The former governor from Arkansas inspired and encouraged the APMA to discuss more than health care reform but to think of revolutionary health reform in the United States as the answer to our health care woes. What does he mean by health reform? He encouraged the physicians to stop thinking about fixing the health care system. The system isn't broken. It is actually considered the best in the world. If you start discussing socialized medicine overseas, you will quickly realize that most wealthy foreigners would rather have surgery or cancer treatment in the US than in their own countries. We don't need to fix the system; we just need to work on unhealthy American habits. The combination of obesity, lack of exercise and smoking, lead to most of our chronic health problems in the US. The system is overwhelmed by chronic disease! Why not come up with a system that encourages healthy living, therefore decreasing chronic disease and actually increasing productivity in the country?

Mike Huckabee knows a lot about unhealthy living and its consequences. Several years ago he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and was told he was now in the last decade of his life. His physician outlined what death by diabetes looked like and encouraged him to take control of his future. He lost an incredible amount of weight, starting eating better, and even started running for exercise. Multiple marathons later, he is no longer a diabetic and is healthier than he has been in years. Mike Huckabee took control of his health and wants every American to experience this life-changing heath makeover.

Why do most Americans have unhealthy habits? Is it laziness? Is it hereditary? Is it social? Actually it is a combination of all of these things in most people. We need to encourage healthier lifestyles and teach our children the importance of healthy choices. Multiple studies have shown that regular exercise including around three hours of aerobic exercise and an hour of strength training each week leads to decreased depression, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. This has been well documented, but most Americans are not listening.

How can we encourage healthier life styles and off load the currently overwhelmed health care system? How about an overhaul of the health insurance system with incentives for healthy choices? I do not believe in penalizing people for obesity or smoking, but how about incentive discounts for a healthy BMI, non-smoking and regular exercise? Just like when car insurance companies give discounts for safe driving records. We could even put an accumulative healthy point system with sliding scale premiums for regular checkup and prevention programs.

Think of what this type of system would look like. The current reforms of the health care system being discussed will lead to a two tier system where the wealthy will have the best care and the rest will be stuck with the socialist model which has been shown not to work in many, many other countries. If we focus more of health reform instead of care reform, we can decrease the load on the current system, decrease health care expenditures and actually have a healthier, happier, and more productive society. Political parties aside, call or write your representatives and let them know you are unhappy with this rushed consideration of the most important legislation in decades. Let us not quickly put in place a program doomed for disaster that will significantly decrease the standard of care in the American health care system. Let us uplift the health of the American people instead.

I actually had the pleasure and honor of meeting Mr. and Mrs. Huckabee in person after his speech since his limo was waiting for him at the same place my husband and I were waiting for a cab. I felt honored!

Toronto - Part 8 Royal Ontario Museum

I left the last 3 posts about Toronto for the end because I consider them the best parts of Toronto along with the cathedral and these are how I want to remember Toronto because frankly the other parts I didn't like.

When we decided to go to the national seminar and I found out it was in Toronto, this museum was #1 on my list of things to do. Why you ask? Because I am a geek and love museums? Kinda.....what I wanted to see were the Dead Sea Scrolls. I missed them when they were in Chicago and I really wanted to see them. Friends of mine who had seen them likened them to seeing the Pope when he visited Chicago or visiting Rome - a religious experience.

I wasn't disappointed. They were amazing. They are housed in the Royal Ontario Museum. The Royal Ontario Museum is among the world’s leading museums of natural history, and of world cultures. The Dead Sea Scrolls are located in the 2nd level of the basement. We spent over 2 hours in this exhibit alone. No photography was allowed and I strongly urge all who can, to go visit this exhibit.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are widely considered among the greatest archaeological finds of the past century. They include the earliest written sources for the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament), as well as other less well known writings. Many of the ideas and beliefs contained in this collection of ancient parchments have resonated through the centuries and remain influential today. Indeed, they reflect the foundations of important religions such as Judaism and Christianity and have influenced Islam.

Dating from around 250 Before Common Era (BCE) to 68 Common Era (CE), the Scrolls include some 207 biblical manuscripts representing nearly all of the books in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament). Approximately 900 Scrolls were discovered; some almost entirely preserved and others in fragments. Together, they comprise one of the most important collections of writings ever discovered. The Scrolls are a collection of biblical writings, apocryphal manuscripts, prayers, biblical commentary and religious laws. Prior to the discovery of the Scrolls, the oldest known copies of biblical texts were written 1,000 years later.

For 2,000 years, caves overlooking the salt-laden waters of the Dead Sea in the Judean
Desert near the site of Khirbet Qumran hid one of the world’s greatest treasures. Until their
discovery sixty years ago, the Scrolls remained untouched by light and most elements.

Hidden from human eyes for millennia, the Scrolls were brought to light in 1947 in a fortuitous discovery by Bedouins said to have been searching for a stray goat. Mohammed Ed Dhib, the goat-herder, threw stones into a cave and proceeded to investigate upon hearing the sound of a breaking clay jar. While he surmised that these manuscripts appeared ancient and were possibly valuable, he did not know that he had stumbled upon some of the earliest biblical and religious writings to have ever been found. The Scrolls were discovered in a series of eleven caves between 1947 and 1956. The caves are situated in the Judean Desert, elevated from and to the northwest of the Dead Sea in an area known as Wadi Qumran. The caves are fairly close, and in some cases directly accessible from the site of Khirbet Qumran.

Of course we didn't just go to this exhibit. We also toured the Book of the Dead exhibit, the Bat Cave, the Dinosaurs, the Gems and Gold exhibit, and all of the World Cultures.

Here are a few pictures and yes the 1st 2 pictures were taken by my husband (shrunken head and the head of a dinosaur):

Toronto - Part 7 CN Tower and more

The day before the seminar started we had planned on visiting the CN Tower which was right next to the Toronto Convention Centre. We figured we had to check in and get our badges anyway and scope out where we were supposed to go, etc, then go back to the hotel and rest until our friends arrived for dinner. So we took out after breakfast.

Let's just say that the seminar brochure lied big time. Like HUGE! The hotel was supposed to be next to the convention centre. WRONG! We soon learned it was at least 3 blocks away and my scooter was not going to be able to negotiate Toronto's sidewalks which were worse than Philadelphia's and definitely not handicap friendly unless they wanted you to have a heart attack trying to get there. So we finally arrive at the convention centre only to find out we were on the north side and needed to go to the south side of the convention centre. Yeah - not close and again no air conditioning! I am sweating buckets and making my own water. We decided to go on to the CN Tower since it was next to the centre and on the south side anyway and for me to take taxi's to and from the centre every day.

By the time we got to the CN Tower, we stopped to rest along the walkway. I was pretty wiped out and looked at the trees along the walkway and asked hubs what the white bugs on them were. He handed me the camera and said to zoom in on them. I did and decided that I needed refreshment and probably commitment. Hubs couldn't stop laughing! Yeah those are lights not bugs!

The next ones are of the CN Tower from the bottom and if you look real close you can see the glass floor areas.


Here are the specs of the CN Tower:

Chicago in 1999 decided to decorate cows. Guess Toronto decided on the moose. Here is the only Canadian moose we saw the entire trip:

So we then went up the elevators (all of which are on the outside of the tower by the way). Basically the lookout is the same as the Hancock Building or the Sears Tower in Chicago - just a different city. What was different and funny was my husband's reaction to the glass floor. The first picture is me on it with my one big foot. The next ones are of my husband's. He carefully read the weight allowance on the window and decided that there were too many on it. Then came kids who decided to jump on it. It took him 10 minutes to decide to finally venture out. The glass windows were edged by steel girders as you can see in the 2nd picture. My dear husband would only step on the steel girders. It took him over 5 minutes to be convinced to step a toenail off said girder after I reassured him that I had indeed made sure his life insurance was paid to date **snicker**

Toronto - Part 6 Casa Loma

Another one of the days we were in Toronto, we visited this Castle that sits on the brow of a hill overlooking Toronto. It is called Casa Loma and was previously owned by Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. It was Sir Pellatt's lifelong dream to build a medieval castle and construction began in 1911 and was finally completed in 1914 to the tune of $3,500,000.00 - yep that's 3.5 million which is a whole lotta money considering it was 1911!. The Pellatt's lived in this house for less than 10 years before they lost their fortune and abandoned the house. All the original furnishings of the house were sold and the house was abandoned until 1937 when the City of Toronto and the Kiwanis Club took control of the property for $27,303.45 in back taxes. The castle has a whole lot of rooms complete with secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel, towers, stables, and beautiful 5-acre estate garden. Currently it remains as a tourist attraction but it can also be rented out for social functions. The castle is used in films as backdrops, etc. Here are some of the pictures of the outside:





Here are a couple of pictures of the very beautiful grounds and gardens:



Now for the inside: I was not impressed. The rooms had over an inch of dust everywhere. Some of the original furniture had been found and brought back to Casa Loma but never restored. The castle is filled with elegant and beautiful architecture and wood moldings and floors but they were in poor upkeep. The window coverings and seat covers that looked to be gorgeous hand done tapestries were worn and in total disrepair although all but the following "King's Chair" was not open to the public. Here is a picture of the King's Chair with my husband in it. Note he is holding his self guided digital audio tour guide which comes complete with earpieces. We had to exchange either one of ours or both at least 4 times during our tour and finally gave up trying to even listen to each room's description of what used to be in it and its history. I have also included the only room that was picture worthy - the conservatory which has a large stained glass dome and marble Italian floor. The ferneries you see on the sides are constructed of Ontario marble and the beds were kept warm by steam pipes.



The only other impressive items worth even a mention was the extensive gun collection Sir Pellatt had. While the grounds and outside were gorgeous, the inside was not worth the steep price of admission. I have toured many old buildings and they have been totally restored inside and out. I was highly disappointed with Casa Loma.

Toronto - Part 5 St Michael's Cathedral

Whenever we go anywhere, if there is a cathedral in the town, I insist on visiting it. I am in awe of the architecture in these churches, probably more so after I read what goes into making them and then after reading Ken Follett's novels "The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End". If you haven't read either yet, I highly recommend them both.

On the first Sunday we were in Toronto we attended mass at St Michael's. When we first arrived at the cathedral, one could see part of it under renovations (the first picture which is the back end of it). It didn't diminish the impact of the church as you can see from the other pictures above. St. Michael's was actually built by William Thomas and was financed by Irish immigrants. Construction started in 1845 and was finally finished in 1848. The cornerspace has some fragments of a stone pillar of the old Norman York Minster Cathedral in England and some small pieces of the oak roof of that same cathedral. For those of you who didn't know or were curious - St. Michael's is a 19th century interpretation of the Minster's 14th century English Gothic style which is why it doesn't completely look like something from the 14th century. It is home to the world renowned St. Michael’s Choir School which we did get to hear during service. What amazed me was how packed the service was with no special event going on. It has such a welcoming feeling and draws crowds in from all walks of life - yes even the homeless. The choir brings tears to your eyes - they were that good and the choir that sang that day wasn't even the one that tours. We heard afterwards that there is a long line of people on the waiting list to be in this choir. They reminded me of the Vienna Boy's Choir.

The inside was stunning with stained glass windows and the Stations of the Cross. I only had one picture of the inside turn out as of course while we were inside for Mass, the heavens opened up in Toronto and one is not allowed to use flash cameras inside. The one picture that did turn out shows the great stained glass “crucifixion” over the sanctuary, which is a masterpiece of the noted French artist Thevenot, and was donated by the Most Reverend Armand-Francois-Marie Count de Charbonnel, second Bishop of Toronto and was installed in 1858. The picture does not do it justice. This cathedral is definitely one thing that I loved about Toronto. There was another cathedral in Toronto - the Angelican one but my ankle wimped out and we never got to it.

Toronto - Part 4 Beastly Mings

This image is what one had to transverse to walk Toronto's streets. Every single grate for the 7 block walk we took back to our hotel was covered with the homeless sleeping over the sewer grates. I couldn't understand why at first until I walked over one that was uncovered before someone had claimed it. The heat coming up from the grate would keep anyone warm. The problem was the stench.

When we first arrived hubs and I thought it was because the inside workers and outside workers were on strike for the 30th day. Toronto downtown just plain stunk aka bad smell aka sewer smell permeating your nasal hairs. We would pass people who would smell like that and wondered if we too would smell like this by the time we left. We honestly thought it was the garbage since the no garbage had been picked up in 30 days and it was being collected in public park sites. Yep, in children's playgrounds, swimming pools, Toronto's public parks - filled with garbage bags. So imagine just one large park packed with bags of garbage coupled with a Toronto heat wave of 30 degrees Celsius aka 90 coupled with rain every day. Yeah - stinky.

When we got home I opened the suitcases to dump the dirty clothes in the laundry room and yeah - we brought back Toronto sewer smell on us and in the suitcases.

So I thought I would do some research on said stench. It seems there are many underground lost rivers in Toronto and people have been mapping them and offer free walking tours to show how the streams have become part of the water course of Toronto.

Some of the original streams were filled in by developing neighborhoods but many became incorporated into the city sewer system. In the 1830's Toronto was a town of 10,000 people and didn't have any sanitation. It was nicknamed "Muddy York" because it was a dirty, smelly, and filthy place. This underground water system became the place where garbage, human waste products, sewage, and dead animals were put. Along with this filth came disease and the contaminated water courses did lead to several cholera epidemics.

Francis Collins, founder of the Canadian Freeman newspaper in 1825, wrote of the harbour: "All the filth of the town – dead horses, dogs, cats, manure – drops down into the water, which is used by almost all the inhabitants on the shore." Ironically, Collins died during the city's cholera epidemic in 1834.

By the end of the 19th century Toronto began building water filtration plants and a sewer system but used the old underground water system since they followed the natural topography. The politicians at the time agreed to combine the storm and sanitary sewers with this underground water system because it was cheaper than having 2 separate systems. It works unless heavy rains overwhelm the sewers, spilling sewage and rainwater into the streets.

This is why there were beastly mings and I came home washing every stitch of our clothing twice with Lysol added to the laundry to make sure every ounce of stench was out.