Purple Bun, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

drakie Posted Jun 27, 2007, 5:32 pm	Well here I am ready for my journey, from Honiton in Devon, My host still has Lila Bun whom should be going to Jellycat next week and Cotton Candy who will be leaving for Pandamao in Germany so I will have to get a picture before I leave.  I have the codes now just waiting for my tag.  I will join on journeys my brother Eddy who is just leaving Japan and Henry who is still beginning of USA trail. I am getting so excited as I like girly things, and I am going to Jerusalem, now how exciting is that, I guess that could be my spiritual place, it is certainly holy in my books.  Albeit lots of troubles through the years it is still special _ I am the first traveller for Alley Cat so I cannot wait to be released.  I maybe going to Iceland after that, do they get snow in Summer .. not sure. Then will find others who might have me.  Anyway I am sure it will be fun and very exciting for a little Purple Bun
alleycat Posted Jul 9, 2007, 8:26 pm	Yay! I've arrived to Jerusalem! It's a relief to get out of my travelbox. I'm so excited Today I spent all the day in the University campus where my host works. It's a nice place, very green, quiet and peaceful, but I'll tell you more about it later, when she'll take the camera with us. Meanwhile, here I am at home, near the computer!
alleycat Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:02 pm	Today I spent all the day with Helen at work again - mostly staring at the computers (was it worth travelling to another continent?!) But then we went for a walk around the campus, and it was really nice. The place looks like a park or a tourist resort! who could believe that it's one of the biggest universities in Israel and is even recognized internationally as a member of the 100 most outstanding academic institutions in the world. Here is a fountain at the entrance - not that I like water, it's not healthy for my plushy purple skin, but it does look kind of nice. The administration building, which contains also a couple of shops, a canteen, a students' clinic, etc, and most importantly, the post office. Here is where I had arrived in the box and waited to be picked up! The alleys go alongside the green lawns which are very comfortable for sitting, relaxing or studying. It's also common to see families with kids here, but I didn't see any, maybe it was too hot for humans, I think around 30°C. The campus is decorated with some weird statues. This one is probably the least weird - I was wary of it at first, as I was sure it's a female troll, but Helen convinced me that in any case trolls do not eat bunnies. And another alley. All the buildings around are quite uninspiring, so I didn't care for their pictures. Btw if you wonder what I'm sitting on - it's a CD case. I highly value my appearance and don't want to make my furry bottom dirty. A promenade with pine trees around. (Maybe not exactly pine trees, but something similar) It appears there's a great view from the balcony (but of course it pales in comparison to my ears).  I could spot the Israeli art museum on the horizon, but unfortunately, it's closed for renovations, so it doesn't make sense to visit it any time in the near future. I've also made a few pictures of me around the flowers, but I'm saving them for the next post, to avoid overloading this one with pictures.
alleycat Posted Jul 10, 2007, 9:59 pm	It appears that the campus is a haven for all kinds of flowers! so colorful and pretty, I just couldn't resist posing for a few pictures. (btw if you want to see the big versions of the images, click on the zooomr link in the alleycat's signature) Playing hide-and-seek - can you spot the bunny? I'm not afraid of the big bad scary cactus! Oh and have I mentioned there's a lot of flowers? I start to consider signing up as a student. Maybe I'll study... birds! (click here for the big image with readable text)
alleycat Posted Jul 11, 2007, 6:29 pm	I was really excited to hear that we're going shopping - but it appeared that (1)it was a small lousy food store on the campus and (2)it was closed :/ Well, at least it was a nice walk in a nice company! I must say that although my host's workplace is so quiet and green and peaceful, I'm already eager for some action! We're definitely going to the city center next week, for some proper sightseeing! and we have some plans for the weekend The small human known as the Kitten was very happy to accompany me. The cafeteria on the open air, currently closed. I almost imagined myself in the forest. One of the less impressive city views - but my host is slowly learning to make pictures of *me*, not the background scenes.
alleycat Posted Jul 13, 2007, 10:16 am	Yesterday we went to buy new shoes (sandals) for alleycat, because her current sandals are almost broken in half, and I want her to be in a good shape to take me places! This is a reasonably inexpensive neighbourhood, all the buildings are used for various shops.
alleycat Posted Jul 15, 2007, 9:03 am	Would you believe it - yesterday I was on the beach! We went to Tel-Aviv to visit my host's relatives - which by itself was boring, I didn't even want to get out of my bag - I came along only because I was promised to be taken to the beach at the evening. We went only for a couple of hours, but it was the best time - just before sunset - and very nice indeed. During the drive, I was watching the views from the car window - so many big and modern buildings! not like Jerusalem at all (or so I've heard... soon I'll be able to compare) And the palm trees everywhere. But a lot of streets look less fancy. (The beach photos will be in the next post)
alleycat Posted Jul 15, 2007, 9:16 am	So here it is - the Mediterranean sea! The waves were too high to swim - but of course swimming is not my main concern, so I enjoyed just strolling around and breathing the fresh air. There are hotels all along the embankment, but we were staying at the place which was a bit far from the big hotels (but close to the car parking - finding a parking place is a huge problem!) This hotel is one of the smaller ones (I didn't succeed to catch its name) (more to follow...)
alleycat Posted Jul 15, 2007, 9:23 am	So quiet and peaceful. Not many people swimming at this hour and weather. I just can't stop watching these waves! (don't worry, it's quite safe - alleycat is holding me tight, and far from the water)
alleycat Posted Jul 15, 2007, 9:29 am	The sun is getting lower and lower... The sunset at the sea is an amazing sight! Oh and just when we were about to go home, I've noticed a flying kite!
alleycat Posted Jul 16, 2007, 8:21 pm	Today was a quiet day - I spent all the day at home, resting and contemplating the meaning of life, but the evening brought a surprise! another ToyVoyager - a parrot, called Robinson, had arrived from Germany! From now on, we'll travel together, until it will be time to depart to the next country. Now I'll never feel bored! I also met a new ToyVoyager called Tux, who will be leaving to Germany very soon.
alleycat Posted Jul 18, 2007, 11:24 am	Yesterday me and my new travelling companion (Robinson) went to the city center! We didn't see the Old City yet (except from the distance - we'll go specially another time to make pictures), but there was plenty to see. The Notre Dame of Jerusalem, located not far from the Old City, is an international pilgrimage and cultural center. It has a web site: http://www.notredamecenter.org We couldn't go inside, but even being there makes me all warm and fuzzy! And this is the Holy Trinity Church - a Russian Orthodox Church. I really must try to convince alleycat to dress appropriately and visit it - even that making photos inside is not allowed. It's difficult to make pictures because the church is surrounded with tall trees, and when you get close, you can't see it in all its glory. ...more to follow...
alleycat Posted Jul 18, 2007, 11:47 am	On our way, we noticed an interesting place, which appeared to be the municipal building. Lion is a symbol of Jerusalem, so there are pictures and statues of lions everywhere. ...more to follow...
alleycat Posted Jul 18, 2007, 12:35 pm	Walking the Jaffa street - one of the central, busiest and oldest streets in Jerusalem. We tried very hard to capture the moment when there's no traffic. A typical building on one of the small side-streets. Everything is kind of crowded. Most of the buildings on the central streets (at least their first floors) are used for little shops, restaurants, cafeterias, clubs, etc. ...more to follow...
alleycat Posted Jul 18, 2007, 1:09 pm	We're on Ben-Yehuda street which is a pedestrian zone - and a shopping haven for tourists! This street is usually crowded... It's a popular recreation place, with numerous cafeterias. The public is very various. Here's a street musician plays guitar, and nearby the religious Jews are performing the ritual of laying Tefillin A shop of Jewish ceremonial accessories! shiny! And an Arab shop selling beautiful chess sets... ...and jewellery!!! But it's time to go. We're on King George street (another one of the main Jerusalem streets) on our way to catch the bus. (The big building to the right is a bank).
alleycat Posted Jul 19, 2007, 8:17 am	Happy birthday to my "mom" drakie ! I hope she'll have as much fun and adventures as all of her toyvoyagers! Peace, love and joy! ~Purple Bun~
alleycat Posted Jul 24, 2007, 7:08 pm	Today we had quite a tour! First we went to a viewplace on Mt.Scopus to see the panorama of Jerusalem with one of the most famous holy sites - the Dome of the Rock . (we arrived by this lonely road) The Dome of the Rock is a Muslim shrine built on a sacred stone which is believed to be the spot from which Muhammad ascended for a night-long journey to Heaven in AD 621, and in Judaism the stone is believed to be the place where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac We saw also the Church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives - a Russian Orthodox church built by Tsar Alexander III in 1888. And just a general view. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Jul 24, 2007, 8:07 pm	Then we visited the Latroun Monastery, founded by a group of monks of Ia Trappe, a Cistercian monastery in Normandy, France. Latroun Monastery is also famous for its winery. Around the monastery. The park is blooming with flowers. This is as close as we could get. The neighbourhood. A monument to 3 distinguished religious figures. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Jul 24, 2007, 8:34 pm	We passed through Abu Ghosh - an Arab village west of Jerusalem whose inhabitants are known for their friendly relations with their Jewish neighbors. So I stopped to see a mosque. The place is a bit crowded because of a few restaurants nearby. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Jul 24, 2007, 8:56 pm	And finally, Sataf gardens. The place provides great views at the neighbourhood of Jerusalem. The big building on the hill is the Hadassa Ein Kerem hospital. There's also a monastery or church but we were not sure what's the name. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Jul 24, 2007, 9:12 pm	It was fun to see and taste all the fruits growing here - especially grapes! (whoa... 5th post for today!)
alleycat Posted Aug 2, 2007, 2:58 pm	Today we had a nice walk around one of the new neighbourhoods of Jerusalem - built within the last 10 or so years. All the houses in Jerusalem are built of special white stone, to maintain the consistent look of the city. The place is quiet; the trees didn't have time to grow yet, but there are green lawns. The architects try to design interesting and various shapes for the houses. A view on the shopping center (permanently under construction). The building on the background is a hospital. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Aug 2, 2007, 3:16 pm	Further away from the main streets... No skyscrapers here - these houses are among the tallest ones. Still a lot of empty space - probably will eventually be turned into a construction site, which would be a pity... The weather was too hot, grass had dried out. A playground! so empty... probably it's too far and the weather is too hot to play. ...to be continued...
alleycat Posted Aug 2, 2007, 3:26 pm	Purple Bun and Robinson - friends forever! And here's another, bigger and more busy street. A typical "big" house entrance. And a small playground on our way home - the message says "for children under 3 years". Well, we just dropped by for a minute, so it's ok!
alleycat Posted Aug 18, 2007, 3:30 pm	Well, my first travelling experience was nice, but it's time to move on... tomorrow I'm off to Finland! Saying good-bye to Mooshie the Shadow Cat... Last looks around...
alleycat Posted Aug 19, 2007, 11:30 am	I'm in the post office, starting my travel to Finland
aelina Posted Aug 24, 2007, 8:33 am	I've arrived safely at Tampere, Finland. I'm a bit tired and ragged so I'll take a nap first, and look around and take some pictures later.
aelina Posted Oct 22, 2007, 10:01 am	Sorry for not updating this in such a long time. Right after I'd taken my nap, we went out to see the town. We went shopping for clothes, which was one of the things on my wishlist. Here I am in the fitting booth. And here's what we found that day.
aelina Posted Oct 22, 2007, 10:07 am	The next day we (I and a pig that was also visiting aelina) were invited to a birthday / going away party. We got to taste some biscuits. They were nice. Later on we went to see a concert. At first we couldn't see anything from behind people's backs, so we had to move to a better spot. Two friends of aelina played in the band, but for some reason their faces have turned into smileys. Cameras do strange things sometimes. The concert was nice, but we were so tired we spent the rest of the night in aelina's backpack.
aelina Posted Oct 22, 2007, 10:09 am	One day we helped aelina with her studies. It was a nice day, one of the last days of summer, so we went out to the yard. Here we are, with Persikka the pig.
aelina Posted Oct 22, 2007, 10:39 am	We did a little tour on the town. Tampere is a pretty town when the sun is shining. The Tammerkoski rapids smell terrible, though. Here are the pictures. This is Pakkahuone, a café/bar/concert venue. Even some international jazz and rock stars have performed here. Some shots of the Tammerkoski rapids. Pretty but rather smelly. There was a golden man standing in the water. Strange. The newspaper said he's a statue made by a Chinese sculptor. This photo was taken on the other side of the Tammerkoski bridge. Later we went for some coffee and saw some celebrities. I thought they were dead but they're hiding in Tampere. Here I am with Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Neil Armstrong. Unfortunately I think I lost my bracelet at some point of this sightseeing tour. Oh well, that's just one of the things that may happen on a long journey.
aelina Posted Oct 22, 2007, 10:40 am	I've finished my stay in Finland. I almost got to see some snow, but it snowed in the middle of the night, so aelina couldn't take any pictures. What a shame. I shall travel to Moscow next. How exciting!
kristl Posted Nov 7, 2007, 5:41 pm	I've arrived safely to Moscow! It's very cold here and it's snowing a bit.. I've already seen snow!! I'll mark my mission completed as soon as I post a photo I met here some TVs   The're very nice!! I'll write more and post photos soon!!
kristl Posted Nov 27, 2007, 11:53 am	Now it's time to tell about my adventurs As soon as I arrived to Moscow Kristl told me that she's going to Sweden so I "returned" to Scandinavia very soon ) The first snow in my life I saw in Russia, just when I arrived, but we did not have a camera with us so we could not make a photo But then.. I saw much snow in Sweden!! Here I'm in a buss travelling from Stockholm to Kalmar: I'm watching the snow! We went to see the Kalmar Castle (Kalmar Slott) and here are some photos Just arrived to Kalmar: I've never seen so man ducks in one pond!! Nice views: Can you see the swans? The castle we're going to: I'm sitting in the snow!! More ducks: Sitting in a fur-tree ) A nice house near the castle.. We didn't manage to see what all the sightseeings are cause it was pretty cold A monument: The plan of the castle: A HUGE anchor!! Entrance to the castle: One of the castle towers: Getting in: Three Swedish Crones: We're going up to the fortified wall: View of one of the towers from the wall: Some nice views from the wall: Old canons View of the castle from the wall: The Kalmar harbour:
kristl Posted Dec 2, 2007, 4:52 pm	Today we stayed in the town Zheleznodorozhny where Kristl actually lives. This town is not far from Moscow (1/2 hour driving) and it's name means "The Railroad Town" We went to walk to a park and saw many pigeons there. They followed us cause the thought that we'll feed them  There was a feedbox just near the place we met the pigeons. I tried to tell them about it but they did not want to hear me Then we found a very nice place where the setting sun made the snow and the trees look wonderful!!! Today I met another TV - Majed who had the same mission as I - to see the snow I have already completed this mission And on this photo Majed is completing his one
kristl Posted Dec 11, 2007, 4:27 am	Today we stayed at home cause the weather was awful On the weekends it was quite cold, but sunny, now it is +2 and it's almost raining.. When we were taking breakfast, Kristl told us a bit about some food she is used to eat in the morning Here are: glacé curd cake with chocolad and nuts, very tasty ) condensed milk with kakao Can be eaten with bread, but is very tasty without bread too ) Then Kristl decided to write some New Year cards and we could see how the Russian New Year cards look like. Kristl explained us that they do not celebrate Christmas as we do. They celebrate the New Year on 31th Dec - 1st Jan. Christmas is on 7th Jan, but this is only a religious holiday. So our Christmas is their New Year Can you see Santa here? It's not Santa!!)) It's "Grandfather Frost", the one who gives the New Year presents Then Bumba found a greeting card with a very nice girl. She is called Snow Maiden ("Snegurochka"), she is granddaughter of Grandfather Frost and she allways comes with him
kristl Posted Dec 11, 2007, 4:43 am	Today we went for a walk to the Moscow Centre and I could see myself many famous buildings! Here you can see State Historical Museum. And behind me you can see the Nikolskaya Tower of Kremlin. Here's Kazan Cathedral that is situated on the Red Square: And here's the Red Square! You can also see the Spasskaya Tower (with chiming clock), the Senate Tower, Lenin's Mausoleum near it, skating-rink and New Year Tree. Here are Iberian Gate and Chapel, the entrance to the Red Square: And here's the most famous shopping centre in Moscow - GUM (Main Universal Store)! This is the skating-rink organized by GUM on the Red Square The New Year Tree on the Red Square! Saint Basil's Cathedral - one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Moscow! The Spasskaya Tower once more: The small one is the Tsar Tower: View from the Red Square: Then we went to the main library in Russia - Russian State Library! And here's Dostojevsky Monumet in front of it: There was a New Year Tree near the library and I saw a picture of a cat near it. Kristl told that it is a very famous cat from Russian cartoons, he's called Leopold and his motto is "Let's live in peace and friendship!". I liked him! On the other side there was a dog and a cat playing guitar. They appeared to be Matroskin the Cat and Sharik the dog from another famous cartoon - Three from Prostokvashino.
kristl Posted Dec 15, 2007, 5:44 pm	Purple Bun hasleft us and continued her journey to th USA Have a good trip, dear Purple Bun, we'll miss you!!
Violette28 Posted Dec 25, 2007, 12:29 am	I arrived here in sunny California just in time for Christmas! I am very glad I was not stuck in the post office for the holiday. I helped decorate the Christmas tree, doesn't it look beautiful? Violette let us all try some of the fudge she made. It was really good! Violette came up with the idea to have a Secret Santa gift exchange. Its where everyone picks a name and then you get that person a gift. I picked Camille and I know just what to get her. Don't tell anyone I have her name though, its a secret!
Violette28 Posted Jan 15, 2008, 7:30 pm	Christmas was so much fun! On Christmas eve, it was hard to fall asleep! We were so excited for Christmas. When we woke up there were presents just for us under the tree! Santa even left presents, I can't believe he found me all the way in California. Babylonie got me a present for the gift exchange! She made me a pretty necklace! Violette's brother got a boat, and its just our size! We wanted to test it out in her pool, but it was too cold. On New Years Eve, we stayed up until midnight watching movies Then we put streamers on Violette’s tree, which is a tradition her family has. Doesn’t it look good?
Vicki Posted Jul 9, 2008, 8:29 pm	Hi there Mom!! I'm here, I finally arrived and am safe and sound. I am a bit fragile after all the knocking about in the post. I arrived together with Gilbert and there are two other TV's here called Emil and Grape Ape. Here we are all cuddled up together on Juanita's bed. Vicki has two children,Juanita and Nicholas, and they both want to look after us all, but Juanita booked us first. Juanita walked around showing us both the house and said we should feel at home! Going to take a much needed nap on a comfortable pillow, will catch up later!
Vicki Posted Jul 11, 2008, 7:06 pm	Hello from a very chilly Johannesburg! Yesterday we went to school with Juanita. She took us all and her friends helped her look after us and showed us around. It was a lot of fun, Juanita is in Gr9. Here we are all listening to the teacher reading from an Afrikaans book called 'Blinde Sambok' by Riaana Scheepers. This is one of the national languages and at this school, they can choose between Afrikaans and Zulu and take it through to Gr 12 as a second language. Hey, these naughty students haven't taken their books home to study for exams! The High School starts writing exams from tomorrow. Gasp! Juanita! There's a book here with your name on it! Aaaah! In the warm sun, as I said, pretty chillyhere!! We'll soak up some heat , thanks! Juanita took us back to Vicki, who is teaching art in the Primary School. Here the Gr6's are making carnival masks and we helped!! Be careful with that glue gun please!! We had a lovely day but I was glad to get home and get warm.
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 8:12 pm	We woke up bright and breezy (although it wasn't very bright outside at all!) because Vicki said there was a lot to do today. She strapped us in with the safety belt... Our first stop was a visit to MrsC. Vicki had told her that it was Emil's last weekend in South Africa and she had a surprise farewell party for him!! It was exciting to meet all the other toyvagers too, especially the famous Threadbear. He is busy collecting bears for the Teddy Bear Clinic here in Johannesburg. We had a lovely visit and chatted about where we had been and who had hosted us. We were sad to leave but we had another visit to get to. We were off to 'Footprints', a children's home where Vicki and her children visit and take clothes and toys that they gather up from anyone who is willing to donate. Juanita's class mates in Gr 9 collect toiletries on a regular basis for the home. We arrived and most of the children were still having there morning nap. Here I am amongst the shoes, help, it's smelly down here! These are the ladies that care for the children, they are preparing the lunch. Amazing how this trolley kept these children entertained. They were enjoying the ride! The wheelbarrow was also a lot of fun! Juanita stood us up on the sign. These two boys played for some time, having turns to ride. They are building up a farmyard and this is the goat, Clyde, who is very cheeky and wants to headbutt everyone. The two little pigs are cute, they are called 'Crispy' and 'Bacon' and wanted to chew our shoes. The children were having lunch and we kept them company. It was an icy cold day so none of the children were interested in playing out in the back garden or jumping on the trampolines. Look where Juanita managed to put us for a photograph, the children were laughing! The statue of David! We eventually said our goodbyes and left for home. On our way we passed the Zandspruit Squatter Camp. Some of these people are 'entrepreneurs' selling their wares on the side of the road. It was such a miserable day, even these Glossy Starlings were complaining! We were freezing cold when we arrived home, luckily Ken had a lovely warm fire going... We all sat around 'defrosting' and chatting.
Vicki Posted Jul 19, 2008, 8:16 pm	Sunday was as gloomy and miserable as Saturday. Vicki had to catch up with marking test papers, so we hung around and watched. And then moved on to sit with Nicholas cuddled up watching tv. Juanita had to study, she is busy with examinations at school. We helped Vicki wake her up. We helped Vicki mark some of the student's art work too. Wow! This desk is a mess!! We had a relaxing day. Hope the sun shines tomorrow!
Vicki Posted Jul 23, 2008, 7:06 pm	Yesterday we went with Vicki to school again. She was teaching art and we watched the children and helped where we could but Vicki was nervous that we would get messy and full of paint. The Gr 4 students are busy with building 3D figures of themselves. The Grade 5's are busy with making their 'cities'. And the Grade 6's are making carnival masks. Another TV called Abeeku arrived, we introduced ourselves. Juanita (Vicki's daughter) showed us some of her and Nicholas' art. We had a great day visiting the children at the school.
Vicki Posted Sep 5, 2008, 8:20 am	We took a ride to Northcliff Ridge to see all the beautiful views of Johannesburg. There is a water tower at the top of the ridge. Here is the whole gang together. This is the view to the north, Vicki's house is out there somewhere... Grape Ape, Sputnik and I were trying to spot it! The tall buildings in the distance are in Sandton where most of the businesses have moved to, away from downtown Johannesburg. Aaah, some quiet contemplation... the drop is a bit far down there... Back at Vicki's house, this is the view of Northcliff Ridge from her back garden. We sat and relaxed at the pool, in the beautiful sunshine. Pity the pool water is still so cold! And a quick jump on the trampoline with Juanita. Finally the view from the back garden of the night lights.
Vicki Posted Sep 5, 2008, 8:38 am	Woohoo! Gold Reef City!! It is a theme park built around the old gold mine and with rides such as miner's revenge, the golden eye, runaway train, etc. It is a small version of any theme park found in America or anywhere else in the world. We all had a great time, the children went on every ride but we were only allowed on the 'safer' ones, Vicki was scared we would get lost or wet! The roller coaster was a LOT of FUN!! We all had to relax and to catch out breaths for a while. Here we are with animals that the children won as prizes playing ball games. Not quite the London Eye, but a huge ferris wheel anyway! We had a fun packed day...
Vicki Posted Sep 5, 2008, 9:37 am	The children are on holiday from school so we get a trip out almost every day, YAY! Today we are visiting Origins Centre. We went together with Mrs C, her children and all her TV's too!! Vicki sat us all on this map of Africa to take a photo. The museum was very interesting, all about the origins of humankind and concentrating on the San people (Bushmen) of Southern Africa and other early tribes found here. Many philanthropic people tried to help the ancient tribes and record some of their history as they saw that the European settlers were exterminating them. Ms Lloyd and her uncle were such people. The Eland is an antelope which has strong significance in the beliefs of the San people and the 'Trance Dance' was inspired by it too. The San danced themselves into a trance, for rain and to get strength from the spirits. We went into a large hall with wall hangings telling the myths and legends of the San. The museum was also full of rock paintings and carvings and there were replicas of the carvings in this cement floor. This is an example of Khoe engraving. Poems and messages were recorded in books and on these bones so that people might read them, remember and not allow history to repeat itself. Whew! That was a bit heavy going! Quite sad, need to go home and rest.
Vicki Posted Sep 5, 2008, 3:46 pm	Today we visited Mrs C to fetch Jubilee Bunny. We were going on holiday and she was coming with us. We all posed for a group photo! Sooo many toyvoyagers visiting in South Africa at the same time, it's great!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:31 am	We packed our bags, there was great excitement, everyone talking together.... we got on the plane and almost two hours later we were in a town called George, situated on the beautiful Garden Route in the Western Cape. Our first stop was the Wilderness Beach. It was beautiful but unfortunately the water was very cold! Nicholas and Juanita took us to feel the water which was freezing! We decided to sit on the car bonnet and admire the scenery rather. Sputnik and Holiday Harry were getting up to there pranks again!! Hope Vicki doesn't drive off now... This is the view from the top of the hill. Just hold on tight Juanita please! It is a looong way down! A really pretty place though. Around the corner, the river joins the sea and the railway bridge crosses over the Keurbooms River. Sitting by the toasty fire at Vicki's step sister, Melinda's, house. It's quite chilly outside. I could just doze off right here....
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:37 am	Woke up to this beautiful view of the mountains. We watched some of the Olympic games on this huge television set!! We were off to Oudtshoorn for some sightseeing. First stop the swing bridge. Nicholas was shaking the bridge as we walked across and making it swing and Juanita was shouting at him, we were all laughing. Went to buy ostrich biltong for Vicki's stepfather. Biltong is a dried meat that is eaten all over South Africa as a snack and here it is made from ostrich meat. This meat has become very popular as it is cholesterol free. Personally, I think I'll stick to vegetables! Oudtshoorn is full of beautiful old buildings built during the ostrich feather boom. The weather in Oudtshoorn was glorious and we drove through the Outeniqua mountains to get back to George, through the clouds. We stopped at a viewing point but it was so cold nobody wanted to venture out of the bag. We were all cuddled up and warm! Abeeku, the teeniest of us all, couldn't see a thing out the top of the bag, so he volunteered to come out and see the view. And what a stunning view! Whew! Pity is was so misty and cloudy, you couldn't really see George in the distance. The dirt road is the old Montague Pass road which was the first road made to cross over the mountains. Eventually Jubilee Bunny and I decided we would have a quick look...
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:40 am	We loaded up the car and together with Vicki's Mom and Juanita (Vicki's daughter) and Nicholas (Vicki's son)(the men had to stay behind and work!), Vicki drove us along the Garden Route to the Sunshine Coast and Port Alfred. We drove over many rivers with beautifully designed bridges. The Storms River Bridge is one of the famous ones with it's deep gorge below. The story goes that the Italian architect who designed the bridge commited suicide by jumping off it because when the two sides were lowered they didn't meet exactly in the middle, there was a gap of a few centimetres!! It was raining so Vicki didn't take us out of the car. We finally arrived (500km later...) at this most beautiful hotel. It was called the Fish River Sun Here we are getting some fresh air and admiring the fish pond at the entrance of the hotel. This is where we were staying for the next week, yay!! Ooooh, what bliss! Vicki said there was a nature reserve on the hotel estate, I wonder if there are any bunnies there??
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:43 am	The Fish River Sun is actually 27km away from Port Alfred, so we took the little drive (after yesterday's 500km, it was little!!), and went to Port Alfred to do some sight seeing. The whole area is very picturesque! And Vicki took lots of photos... We drove down the East Bank and the West Bank of the Kowie River, which the town is built around. Hey! The beach!! Stop! We want to get out! I bet this water is freezing too... Juanita went to feel the water and said it was icy!   Vicki did some fancy photo stitching. This is the beautiful marina. There are five islands with stunning homes on them and people get around by boat. Vicki said she could get used to this life, she wishes she could win the Lotto. Pity she can't become a toyvoyager, now that's the life!!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:48 am	What many people don't know about Vicki, is that she is CRAZY about lighthouses! (And windmills but that's another story...). So here we are visiting the Great Fish Point lighthouse. South African Lighthouses. Lighthouse Adventures. Once again, we held on tight (what is it with these people and heights!?) and went up the 58 stairs to the top. This is the shortest lighthouse in South Africa. The guided tour was very interesting, the lighthouse keeper even showed us the original clockwork mechanism that was wound up every four hours. Now everything is automatic and generator driven.   The view from the top. Wow! On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a little town called Bathhurst, which was established by the 1820 settlers who came from Britain to settle in the Cape. Here is the church that was built by them. The whole area has been declared a national monument. Enough for one day.... 'Home James'!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:52 am	Aaaah! A beautiful sunshine day and we get to sit on the beach and feel the sand between our toes / hooves / paws, etc. Holiday Harry pulled out the towel and sunglasses and caught quite a tan! We walked down to the water and looked in the rock pools. The beaches are pristine, white, clean and untouched. Lots of shells around too. We gathered so many, we had to off load them into the bag. I jumped all over the place, it was lovely to have so much wide open space!   Vicki organised for a hotel guide to take us for a drive, on a tuc-tuc, through the nature reserve. We saw a few animals but no bunnies! They're probably fightened and hide away.     Vicki's Mom couldn't help but feed this poor Vervet monkey. It didn't have any hands, poor thing.   After the beach, we came to relax at the pool. The pool was heated, everyone was happy!! They had a lovely swim (and rinsed off the salt and sand!), even Vicki!! I just rinsed my paws off in the water, as you know I don't really like getting wet!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:56 am	Time to say farewell to Fish River Sun and Port Alfred and move on.... we will miss you, what a lovely stay. Some of the TV's were mumbling and grumbling about all the travelling in the car. Vicki told them to stop copmplaining, 'South Africa is a big country guys, if you want to see the places, you have to travel the distances!' That's what she said, and it seems her children know the drill, they said nothing! Anyway today's travelling wasn't too bad, only about 250kms! We stopped along the way and bought pineapples, they were huge! Twelve pineapples for R15! Now that's a bargain! Vicki's Mom was excited, she loves pineapples.   Another stop in Port Elizabeth to visit the small oceanarium they have there. A bit disappointing but the dolphins were very friendly, they wanted to play with the ball all the time. Vicki says the Ushaka Marine World in Durban is much better to visit. Maybe I'll get to see it some day?? Vicki's Mom lives in Durban. And pengiuns... Back on the road again, not far to Cape St Francis. Hooray! The end of the road for today....
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 6:59 am	Off to Jeffreys Bay, one of the famous surfing sights of the world!! Only the weather is a bit miserable and there don't seem to be too many waves to talk of. Not a surfer in sight! This beach must be sooo busy at Christmas time, when all the schools are on holiday and the weather is warm! We had coffee and walked around the shops. There are ladies who make figurines from the shells to make money. Jeffreys Bay is about 15 km from the St Francis area. St Francis Bay, Port St Francis and Cape St Francis all make up the greater St Francis area. We are staying at Port St Francis, in a place called Anchorage, it's real pretty!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:04 am	Another day, another lighthouse! This one is the Cape St Francis Seal Point lighthouse! This time there were 157 stairs and Vicki made it almost half way and turned back. The stairs were too narrow and too steep. She gave the camera to Juanita who carried on up to the top but we came back with Vicki. Here's the view from the top though. The lighthouse is the highest concrete structure in the area. And the narrow stairs... We walked on the rocks beneath the lighthouse and collected some shells. There is a penguin rehabilitation centre next to the lighthouse but it was locked up and we couldn't go in, we saw the penguins through glass windows and a fence. This was the view from our room at our apartment in Port St Francis. Anchorage is made up of various apartments and has a mediterranean look. This was the view from the balcony with the sea and the beach behind us, we could watch the boats come into the harbour. Vicki's stepfather (he met us in Port St Francis) went and bought calamari (chokka) from the fishermen and cooked it for them! They all said it was deelicious and Jubilee Bunny and I got special creamed spinach, yum! Here's the harbour which was a short walk away from our apartment. Vicki's stepfather collected mussels off the beach too (yes, you have to have a licence and for collecting shells too!) and they cooked and ate them too. Not for me thanks.... I'll stick to my veggies.
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:06 am	Our last day at St Francis, aaaaahhh! We were having a fantastic time. Relaxing on the beach (they had a pool here too but it was not heated, so nobody volunteered to brave the water, brrr!), taking walks, taking afternoon naps (hmmm!), playing cards and games, etc. With Vicki around, we had to get some sight seeing done too! She found out that we missed visiting a lighthouse in Port Elizabeth (when we went to the oceanarium), and was most upset! SO we decided to visit the Seal Point lighthouse one more time, at night time to see what it looked like in the dark!! Really beautiful!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:11 am	We packed our bags and back into the car ( some quiet mumbling that Vicki didn't hear...), we drove back along the Garden Route to George. Luckily we stopped along the way to stretch our legs and see the sights! First stop was the famous Bloukrans Bridge, apparently the world's highest Bungy Jump!! Not for me thank you! But Holiday Harry was keen. Vicki said that there was an age restriction, you have to be over 18. Thank goodness, because Juanita was dying to go and Vicki's Mom said if she was 20 years younger she would have done it too!! Poor Vicki!! We watched a few people jump and my stomach jumped too!! It was exciting to watch though. We drove through the Tsitsikamma Forest and the next stop was Plettenberg Bay. Vicki drove us to Robberg Beach, (she knows the area well because her family used to come to the Beacon Isle Hotel for holidays when she was young), and there we saw a whale!! In the shallow waters rolling around and playing, flicking it's tale. Not easy to get a photo of though! In the car for the last stretch, the TV's remembered not to grumble!! I was enjoying the scenery, so I wasn't bothered. We drove past George onto Mosselbay. I was confused, weren't we going to George?? Another very picturesque town. Vicki decided since it was only 40kms from George, we should get to see it too! And then we discovered why Vicki thought it was a good idea to see Mosselbay..... ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE!!! That makes it three in one holiday!! And Vicki reminded us it could have been four if we hadn't missed Cape Recife in Port Elizabeth! Juanita said she wasn't getting out the car!! She missed out, it was very pretty. Unfortunately (or fortunately!?) we arrived too late and the lighthouse keeper had already locked up. We did get to walk around a bit, more beautiful vistas... There were Rock dassies everywhere. They lived in the rocks around the lighthouse. No bunnies?? Back home in George, we had supper and prepared for the journey back to Johannesburg on Saturday. Vicki was not keen to go back to the 'rat race', she was happy to keep on driving, looking for more lighthouses.... nobody commented!
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:17 am	Spring has sprung in Johannesburg! Mrs C came to fetch Gilbert and we all hid in the Brunsfelsia that is growing outside Vicki's front door. It smells beautiful! Can you see all eight of us? I am pretty well camouflaged, don't you think? We posed for a farewell photo.
Vicki Posted Sep 10, 2008, 7:29 am	Today we visited Museum Africa which is housed in the old fresh produce market (pity there isn't still some fresh produce there!!). Vicki remembers going there when she was young and her grandfather used to take her on a Saturday morning to buy veggies. There was a whole section on the prisoners who were tried for treason during the apartheid era. This is a photo of Helen Joseph, who fought against apartheid. They have named a hospital after her now. Newspaper cuttings with headlines from days gone by... There was a scene of a shebeen (the old illegal drinking houses) in Sofiatown, an old 'black' suburb from which the blacks were evicted to make way for 'whites'. There were also replicas of shanties or 'jondolos' (as they are commonly known). This is how some of the squatters live in the squatter camps. A lot of the people living like this are illegal immigrants coming from neighbouring countries to try and make a living. The shanty walls were covered with cardboard and paper to keep out the elements. Posed for another photo opportunity. Signing the register... Vicki went to the tourist information office and there we met Mr Mandela, standing next to the South African flag!
Vicki Posted Sep 11, 2008, 8:02 am	We were all very excited about the special invitation we had received! Threadbear and Eloise were getting married and we had all been invited to the wedding as honoured guests! What we didn't realise was how many guests there would be!! Eloise looked beautiful.... and Threadbear looked so smart too. All the bears waiting to go to the Teddy Bear clinic were there too! We all watched as Eloise came down the isle. You could hear some 'aaahs' coming from the gathered guests. We listened to them say their "I do's" and then Threadbear kissed his bride. They walked back up the isle as man and wife. The bride and groom cut the cake and it was time to PARTY!! We eventually waved them goodbye... MrsC's house was a mess but the party continued into the early hours...
Vicki Posted Sep 12, 2008, 7:19 am	Yesterday we said our farewells. It is always sad to say good bye, especially when you have made good friends! Vicki is posting me off on my next adventure, I am leaving for Germany to visit with Apperveilchen. Hugs and kisses all around... Sputnik and Grape Ape are on their way too. Farewell South Africa.... Have a safe journey Purple Bun, we will miss you...
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 19, 2008, 6:57 pm	I already arrived in Germany. I thought this way would take me much longer. Hopefully we'll do something fun this weekend. It's the last of the summer and the weather is supposed to be dry and sunny.
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 20, 2008, 1:52 pm	On Saturday morning people go grocery shopping in Germany. Often they prefer to buy fruit and vegetables, but also flowers and eggs on the markets. The are held in different parts of the bigger towns, because many of those grew together from smaller town and villages. The one we visited today has stands that offer more exotic or expensive things. Here's the French cheese stand. My host bought a lot of stuff here, but not without tasting.
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 25, 2008, 7:50 pm	We went to a shopping center in the center of the city today. Soaps and creams for me, pillows and deco. I think I fit in very well. I like this store. Now off to the special chocolates downstairs...
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 27, 2008, 1:21 pm	Isn't this a beautiful entrance? The trees won't be this green for long now. Some are already turning yellow or red. This is on the Dreiringplatz in Steele. The nets are there to protect the column from pidgeons. This is the small counrthouse, also at the Dreiringplatz.
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 27, 2008, 7:38 pm	Am I pretty enough to go golfing? People sure drive fast on the Autobahn. It's hard to get good pictures when you're going 170kmh. Fields... It's getting rural. A truck stop. The light out there is great this afternoon. A farm with some horses: Hole #3: There are 'good German oaks' here. The eypression is a bit old-fashioned, but it is a nice tree. On the way back we found some mushrooms. Think the are edible? None of us knows so we'd rather not try it. We're driving back home 'into the sunset'. There was an accident on the Autobahn and we left it and took an inner city route instead of waiting in the traffic-jam. Here we passed the Jahrhunderthalle (century hall) in Bochum. It used to be part of the steel industry and is now a palce for events. Church and people for a special celebration. We heard the bells and horns for lots of wedding today. Driving through Bochum
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 27, 2008, 7:44 pm	Back in Essen, here in the Ruhrgebiet the cities just flow into each other without real distinction. You can look a long way to Gelsenkirchen and further. The green sign announces the beginning of a protected area(nature). Another farm, inside the city this time. billboards are at many stop-lights
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 28, 2008, 7:50 am	We went to a biker party. They had fireworks there. It was hard to take pictures in the dark, but I got one and I asked to pretty please put a picture of the fireworks here, even though I am not in it, I am just watching.
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 28, 2008, 4:23 pm	Today was the first day of three different trade fairs in the 'Messe Düsseldorf. (Messe = the fair but also the building for it) They are called InterCool, InterMeat, InterMopro and hogatec. They are about gastronomy, hotels, foods, etc. The area is so big that the shuttle bus had several stops before we came to our parking place and we'd been there early. The LTU Arena is also in that area. The soccer club Fortuna Düsseldorf plays there.
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 2, 2008, 3:08 pm	At my hosts they are isolating and cleaning up the attic. A lot fo things were thrown out and we helped bring them to the 'Recyclinghof' where plastics, metal, paper, wood and other things can be disposed off properly. Somethings can be put there without a charge and for others one has to pay. Later we had to get a few things because Oct. 3rd is a holiday in Germany. This is one of our hosts' favourite book stores. It's not part of a chain and looks like pure chaos but it has character.
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 5, 2008, 10:06 pm	Today we went to a Museum in Bonn, showing "Rome and the Barbarians". It was about people who didn't speak Latin or Greek (= barbarians) and their interactions with the Romans. It showed the flow of people and goods throughout Europe during the migration period and the fall of the Roman empire. Here I am with some "temple rings". The weather was bad when we left. We crossed the Rhine. The trees turned color during the last few days.
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 5, 2008, 10:39 pm	At home we had a look at the flyer of the exhibition. We saw these things in reality!
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 12, 2008, 6:17 pm	We had a lazy weekend at home and decided to bake a cake. The shops here are closed on sundays and we hadn't planned on this so we had to go with what we had in the kitchen. We looked through the cookbook and decided that we needed do make our own variation: 200g maize meal, 2 teaspoons of baking soda, a bit vanilla sugar to be mixed, add 3 small (or 2 bigger) eggs 150g butter, 180g sugar, a bit of rum, a little bit of salt, 3 spoons of milk, whatever else you feel like (we used 2 teaspoons of vanilla drink mix) an mix: add the two together and if neccessary, add a bit of milk and/or rum to make the dough more fluid: put into a form (or several small forms as we did): bake at 180°C for about an hour after taking it our of the oven, pour rum (or juice, whatever you like) over the cake and let it set for 10 min, then turn it: Tahdah! Tastes wonderful!
Apperveilchen Posted Oct 25, 2008, 6:14 pm	After two weeks of watching autumn arrive here, I took a last look at a beautiful but chilly evening before saying good-bye to everybody. I'm on my way to my next host.
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 2, 2008, 8:33 pm	Hello from Tenerife! I arrived today and me my host Katja and Stuart The Lion I was told I missed a great walk today...but hopefully there'll be more of those soon Tomorrow I'm going to visit my host's work place.
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 2, 2008, 8:38 pm	Today I've been to visit Katja's work place. She works in a small private clinic that attends mainly Scandinavian tourists. This is the desk in the reception More reception area Katja's boss had bought some new flowers yesterday. The pots were really nice This is where the doctors attend the patients That's me on the x-ray machine Katja works 24h-28h days so she also sleeps in the clinic...same as us Will write more soon!
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 15, 2008, 2:35 pm	Hola! I'm sorry I haven't been updating for a while. My host Katja started a second job a week ago so she's been really busy. On Tuesday we went up Teide, a volcano that sits in the middle of Tenerife. Teide National Park is one of the UNESCO World Heritages. Here are some photos from there: This was our first stop off point just to see how high we were and look at the view Then we stopped here to take some more photos. That's my host's boyfriend Dave on the background. I did a bit of mountain climbing too Some rock formations And Teide!!! And some more rock formations And after that we drove down to Puerto de la Cruz. You can read more about that in my next update
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 15, 2008, 2:48 pm	After we'd been up Teide, we drove down to a town called Puerto de la Cruz. It's the main tourist destination in the north of Tenerife. Here's me just next to the sea. They had some proper cannons there and we thought that it would be a perfect place to pose on Can you see the snow on Teide? The sea again And the beach A church Will write more soon I hope!
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 15, 2008, 2:54 pm	And when we got back to my host's house, we found a new ToyVoyager waiting for us in her envelope, a little fish called Wieka It's a shame she missed our trip to Teide
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 15, 2008, 3:48 pm	Hello again! Today when another ToyVoyager arrived; Dottie Mouse. We can have a proper party soon I hope, that would be my first ToyVoyager party
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 26, 2008, 10:14 pm	A few days ago we received another ToyVoyager to keep us company; GIRAY. I hope he will have a great time here with us
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Nov 26, 2008, 10:21 pm	Wieka is leaving tomorrow so we organized a small leaving do for her. First we had some chicken kebabs. They were really nice. And then we had some desserts I hope she'll have a great time in Malaysia
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Dec 6, 2008, 7:14 pm	Hi! I'm sorry it's taken such a long time for me to update. My host's mum has been over so she hasn't had much time for the computer. On the 28th of November we went up to "Mirador de la Centinela"..a view place. Here are some photos from there. This is me and my host's mum There was some cross up there too.
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Dec 6, 2008, 7:41 pm	Hola! Today we walked up Montaña Roja (the red mountain) in La Tejita. The view from the mountain was great! This is the mountain on the background This is the sea next to the mountain Our host's boyfriend Dave carried us in his backbag. Here's the mountain once more
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Dec 8, 2008, 4:25 pm	Today we went up north, to a religious town called Candelaria. We visited a church there. A Jesus statue There were statue's of men outside the church And here you can get a better idea of the church and the statues.
katjaintenerife katjaintenerife@yahoo.co.uk Posted Dec 18, 2008, 11:31 am	Hola! I'm now saying goodbye to Tenerife and all my friends here and I will start my journey to Estonia this afternoon. Here's my host family's Christmas tree too. They wish you a very merry Christmas!!
minnihiiru Posted Jan 10, 2009, 5:46 pm	I arrived just and now I looked a bit around.I met other Toyvoyagers:Odette,Vickie Mouseham and Benjie Bunny.I'd like to see Rakvere and other nice places.So Nägemist (=Bye )for now
minnihiiru Posted Jan 17, 2009, 9:45 pm	Hello again my friends Today finally Mari had time to go out of home and she saw me different places in Rakvere. We visited Rakvere church and there was 2 nice ponds with thin ice. Pikk street is the oldest street in Rakvere and we saw really old shop "Optika "(it's glasses shop) and other old houses in this street.Then we went to look "Tarvas"(this big black sculpture) then also Rakvere's castle. Later we saw a lot of ducks in other pond in Rakvere.Whether was really good today(sunny) only a bit cold was outside.So we couldnt be outside more than 1,5 hours.
minnihiiru Posted Feb 26, 2009, 5:54 pm	Hey Mummy ! Today is Estonia 91th b-day,in many houses we saw flags and on one pic you see also me with Estonia flag. This year it is also same day with "Vastlapäev "(shrow Tuesday ) ,but not always.This day people go sledging,and who makes the longest slide,this person get longest flaxs,old estonians believed it.Nowadays people still go sledging,but maybe they don't believe it to much,cos they don't grow flax. This day people eat tradional food peasoup,trotters  and with  special cream bun. It's quite old tradition,even Mari's great-great-grandmother celebrated it,but only beliefs are changed and nowadays it had changed more modern.. like persons go snowboarding.. and do other things.. I had so fun to sledge and we saw there so many people  :P I had fun !!
minnihiiru Posted Nov 14, 2009, 3:13 pm	Hello=) Before going home we deceided to look colorful life around in Rakvere.Baubles was also with us. Last week were lots of snow,but now so few.We sat there. So many leaves on ground. Then we wanted climb a little bit. and then the X-mas tree in the forest/near the forest.
minnihiiru Posted Nov 14, 2009, 3:21 pm	Today I got breathe last time and I can't wait to get away from this envelope. Good-bye Mari and Estonia !
freshwater Posted Jan 16, 2010, 8:58 pm	I arrived in Milwaukee last night, and right away my host took me out to dinner at the Silver Lake Inn.  She had a delicious plate of bar-be-que ribs with cole slaw, German potato salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio....the perfect end to a school week!  My friend in the photo is Betty Marie...tomorrow she's off to visit knit_bear_friend in Australia!  Saturday morning means sleeping late and a leisurely breakfast.  My host likes to mix her yogurt into her granola, and enjoys chocolate coffee in her Harry Potter mug.  It was fun to watch the Marauder's Map appear with the hot liquid inside, and then disappear when the coffee cooled.
freshwater Posted Jan 23, 2010, 5:36 pm	It’s been a busy week for my host here in Milwaukee, what with the end of term testing and report cards to prepare.  But Friday evening we went to see “The Domes”; three glass domes, one with arid plants from desert areas, one with tropical plants, and the show dome which has changing exhibits.  Just now it features a garden railroading exhibit! My friend here is Odie,my host’s newest TV.  He’s still waiting for his first trip, so we will get to do a lot of things together.    We had a lot of fun watching the trains in all the different scenarios……. It was fun to see the western area, with the ruins of Native American pueblos.  Odie was excited to get a close look at the cattle ranch, but I preferred hiding behind the bush…..they might have been little, but there were a lot of them! My host is still unable to insert captions among pictures, so she'll make several different posts of this adventure, so that it won't be so confusing to have all the pictures at the end of the post.
freshwater Posted Jan 23, 2010, 6:01 pm	Next we visited the arid dome.  There were many spiny plants called cactus, but also many succulent plants with thick leaves to store water. We took a rest in this nice gazebo…..can you see us?
freshwater Posted Jan 23, 2010, 6:09 pm	Finally we visited the tropical dome.  It wasn’t really dark in there, it’s just that it was late in the afternoon, the sky was overcast, and the tall tropical bushes and trees with their broad leaves did block a lot of the sunlight. These lovely orchids were growing in front of a banyan tree. Can you see the waterfall in the background of the first picture? The red “flowers” below are pointsettas, but I don’t know what to can that gigantic fan-like plant! Isn’t it a cool shape? We enjoyed the colors and unusual plants in the tropical dome, but it was quite warm and humid in there.  That’s the way those plants like it, and it is a nice escape from January’s chill and dryness in Wisconsin.  It was nearly time to leave, so we went back to the show dome for one more look at the trains. Once we were back home, Odie and I read up on the best ways to create a garden railroad in your own backyard.  It would be a lot of work, but also seems to be great fun. Saturday morning means a bigger breakfast than on school days: scrambled eggs with cheese, hashbrown potatoes, cinnamon toast and hot chocolate……ahhhhh. Resi has been very friendly, and I think that she is jealous that she can’t join Odie and me on our adventures.
freshwater Posted Jan 28, 2010, 4:51 am	I've visited several different places in the last few days.  Along with Big Bird, I visited the Barton Roller Mill.  Long ago it ground grains into flour, but now it has been converted into offices and shops.  We visited at night so did not take a photo of the outside, but you can see the mill in this framed photo. This was one of the stones used to grind the grains into flour. This was the wheat roller mill machine. The fieldstone walls in the lower level by the river are about 18 inches thick! When the mill was renovated, beams from old barns in the area were sometimes re-used at supports. Then we stopping at my host's favorite bookstore: Fireside Books in West Bend.  Here we are thinking about reading the novel "Driftless" which is set in rural Wisconsin. The next day we visited my host's classroom.  She calls this her "magic machine", although others call it a document camera.  Can us see us under the camera and on the big screen?  I feel famous! This evening we attended another book discussion group.  "Wrack and Ruin" is a quirky and  amusing farce set in a small California town.  We especially liked seeing the elephant on the cover.  This weekend we may go to the theater!
freshwater Posted Jan 31, 2010, 7:26 pm	On Saturday morning we had a light snow shower...just enough to make things white again.  Big Bird and I just had to take a moment to let the flakes settle on our tongues. Saturday night we joined our host and a friend of hers for dinner out and the theater.  Here she enjoyed shepherd's pie at Slim McGinn's Irish Pub in the Third Ward in Milwaukee. Then it was off to the Skylight Opera for The Marriage of Figaro.  The singing was excellent, but we particularly liked the comedy of it.....and the lovely little theater.  It was a fun night out and we slept late this morning.  We'll check in again soon!
freshwater Posted Feb 21, 2010, 9:08 pm	We are sorry to have been so long in updating again!  My host is a teacher and the end of January was all about grades and reports to parents and testing.  Then she was moved to another school!  That is a good thing, but it took a lot of time. When the weather has been cold and snowy we have snuggled up inside to watch movies and eat popcorn!  Since my host is a big Harry Potter fan, here we are watching Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Can you see the Quidditch player on the screen? Big Bird and I made a special trip to my host's classroom to help with a writing project.  The students are 9 years old and are learning how to write a descriptive paragraph.  Each of us was given to a small group, and their challenge was to write  a description that "made a picture in the reader's mind".  These students are Javariana, Jaylon, Martin and Kevanna.  Here is what they wrote about me: "This bunny is purple and fat.  She has a purple tutu and a necklace with beads.  The necklace also has a silver star.  She has earrings in her ears.  Her eyes are round and black.  She has paw prints on her feet." We met a friend for a concert at a Starbucks coffee shop. The two older men in the group call themselves "Grey and Grayer".  They write their own songs in a folk or rhythm and blues style, and they are pretty good! Yesterday my host drove her son back to their old hometown to visit his old friends.  While we were there we stopped to check out the two new modern art sculptures in front of the local art museum. Then we stopped to visit with my host's favorite sculpture in town, the Three Musical Frogs.  In summer they wear straw hats.  We think that they need knitted scarves for the winter! Then we stopped in the town library which is right across the street. That's all for now!
freshwater Posted Mar 15, 2010, 1:05 am	We are sorry for the lack of updating!  My host loaned her camera to a friend for the day....two weeks ago.  We hope to post again soon!

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