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Showing posts from December, 2013

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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Some more flying today.
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I had a great Christmas and holiday. Many Activities. The weather still continues to be bad pretty much only when I have the opportunity to fly, well almost. Here are some pics of activities where our rights in the US are slowly, but surely eroding, firearms and the right to fly. Feel free to ask me for examples. The drones in the sky are not the problem. It's the drones on the ground.
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Here is a pic of some Manatees that we saw when in Florida a couple weeks ago. I am planning another adventure. This time in the US Virgin Islands. I plan on doing some island hoping in a rented plane next month. It is going to be fun!
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Moscow Subway and a Moscow Winterland pic with twinkle added.
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Fall has been good. Plenty to do for sure. My boat will be in the water soon. I ended up putting a new speed controller and motor on it. It is a 24 volt propulsion motor with 12v accessories. Leaves are everywhere in the yard now. They need to get cleaned up. The pine cones and needles certainly keep coming. My new electric car is fun. I had it plugged in at the Doraville MARTA station when we flew down to FL to see my Brother and Sister for Thanksgiving. I find opportunities to plug it in at most stores. The electric signs often have electric outlets as a convenience for electric vehicles. The cold weather really surprised me on the de-rating of battery capacity. I had read about the de-rating in the manual, but when the battery heater comes on and it reduces range quite a bit. The car is a perfect fit for my everyday needs. I am still shopping for a sports car. Here are some pics I like from a few months ago.