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

-
Image
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...
Post a Comment
-

I think the opening lines in "A Tale of Two Cities" has never been more true than today and what has beholden us with the pandemic. Georgia has been "open" earlier than any other state, now 2 weeks. Most restaurants are closed still, but take out is more brisk than it was a month ago. I am not seeing any changes to the reported state-by-state "body count." I am sure I am missing something unlike the folks who are sure they are not missing something.

I guess that I am trying to cope with the fact that the equivalent of a small city has died in the US from the virus (80,000). But I am also given numbers that I can't confirm. China is reporting very low numbers of deaths (5000), Russia (2000), etc. ---A source---. I don't have videos to look at like I can with the Tsunamis of 2004 (220,000) or 2011 (16,000). I didn't see a meteorite fall from the sky and explode. It is very hard to reconcile our current crisis.

Pictures:

  • The center of Terminal "A" Totally Empty at about 9:00PM on May 3rd in the World's busiest airport. Amazing!!
  • A full U-Haul after the cross country trip to Duluth. I am glad I didn't have to drive it.
  • The lawn it its rejuvenation phase now that it is getting regular doses of nutrient-rich lake water thanks to the new irrigation system.
  • The Honda back in its perch after its ride cross country and the new bathtub staged for installation.
  • I had some e-track powder-coated and I installed in the back of the truck. After having driven a truck for 30 years, I finally have some good hold downs and lashing points-- none to soon. I learned some about aerodynamics with stuff in the back of my truck over the years.
  • The invaders


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Caribbean Trip Christmas 2025

-
Image
Before this trip I couldn't spell caribbean... It's a weird one. We didn't have a lot of time for this trip as usual. Other things in life besides travel to get done, like work. We planned Punta Cana Dominican Republic, Domenica, and Antigua and Barbuda. Our visit to DR was shortened by a cancelled flight on Liat Airlines. Our first flight on Liat we were at the ticket counter for 3 hours. There were only 3 other passengers on an Embraer 145 which holds 50. We learned in Dominica that Liat is short for "Leave Island Another Time". Or as I used my very limited Russian swearing vocaulary "Blyat" or "блядь". You can hear this word many times watching car crashes in Russia on Youtube. It is normally compounded with many other intensifiers. Of the three countries we liked Domenica best. It reminds me of Maui without all the tourism and people. Parts of the island might be the densest jungle I've seen. This pic is a improptu ...
Read more

Summer's End - Hopefully.

-
Image
My sister took a picture of an iceburg near Greenland that looks a little like a cat, our white cat, Jewel. I been using the M998 without doors and the back curtain rolled up. Much better in summer. Redneck A/C. The Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the early Morning, using nothing but my cell phone to take the pic.
Read more
-
Image
I just received a Medal from the US Government for Service in Antarctica. Certainly, it isn't every day I get a medal. It is one of the few medals that the federal government gives out to civilians. I am not sure what to do with it. Maybe I can find an old Webelos uniform to wear it with (not that I could possibly fit into it). I would like to get back to Antarctica again someday. Early next month I am giving a presentation called "Aviation in Antarctica" to the Atlanta chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Tuesday I am headed to Dusseldorf Germany, The Netherlands, and Denmark. I will be spending next weekend in Copenhagen. I hope to rent a bicycle.
Read more