Packing Up

Well, in a couple of days we will be heading down to the beautiful South Carolina coast for a little "R&R" at Litchfield Beach.  Many of you have joined us on our getaways to Inlet Point and I hope you will be along this time too.  I'm not sure what adventures we'll have on this trip but you can count on some interesting times!!  One of the things we are planning is a fishing trip out of Murrell's Inlet.  All three of us love fishing but we haven't taken you along when we went out to try our 'angling' skills.  (Actually, we're pretty much rookies when it comes to fishing knowledge - but - hey, we have fun.)  Anyway - when we've gone bottom fishing in the past we've traditionally left from Little River way up at the north end of the S. C. coastline.  This time, though, we're going to try our luck with one of the boats from just up the road.  We'll be sure to document the entire adventure and let you know how our luck runs.

I guess my last post was a bit of a 'downer' since it came at a time that things seemed to be rather dismal around our wonderful country.  There is still much to be concerned about but recently I was fortunate to learn about a young man from one of our favorite cities - Beaufort, S. C. - who epitomizes all of the good stuff we are so hungry to find.  I really, really want you to take a look at the video at the link I'm going to include here.  You owe it to yourself to see it.  Please click on this -  An Amazing Young Man - I promise you won't be disappointed.  We'll be back soon to get our trip kicked off but, for now, we'll let Richie (see above) have center stage.  See ya.

Sometime You Just Wonder .....

Well gang, if you have lived in our beautiful country for any length of time you might be feeling a bit chagrined about the image we have probably showed the world this week.  There have been appalling acts of violence committed by young people all across the country and the response of our nation to acts of international violence have been less than admirable.  It causes those of us who believe, deeply, that human beings have a responsibility to care for each other, to wonder just what has gone wrong.  Well, this will be a short message and it will be directed mainly to those of you who have gotten to know a little bit about us over the last few years - as you have joined us on our travels.  If you are new to the SCTravelersX3 writings you might not have had the chance to see some of the things I might refer to - but, that's OK - you'll understand too.

Here is the simple fact; our future as a species is dependent on how well we prepare the young people we produce in every neighborhood, in every community, in every city, every borough, village, town, city, state, region or country on this planet.  It really doesn't matter what your race is, what your religion is, what your political affiliation is or what your economic status is.  Rich, poor, black, white, Christian, Muslim, European, North or South American, Pacific Islander - whatever!!!  This is the bottom line - Our personal future depends on the future of all of us.  Yeah, you might want to say - "That crime was committed by a black person, or a white person, or a yellow person or a red person.  Don't you get it?  It doesn't matter.  If we have a generation of young people who are learning that differences can be resolved only through violence, bloodshed, suppression, intimidation, greed and selfishness then we are in serious trouble.  Life on this planet will only be sustainable if we learn how to successfully live and work together - in spite of our differences!!!  We simply must - must - must - learn that it is our similarities that are important - not those differences. 

I hope you will recall some of the posts we have published, particularly those that talk about things we can do to give our young people a better chance for a happy life in this rapidly changing world.  We quoted a lot of authors and encouraged all of us to pay attention to the way we raise our children.  We talked about the meaning of "youth" and how we, as a little older generation, can keep the optimism of youthfulness.  We have repeatedly reported the absolutely spectacular young folks we meet on our travels and have commented on how those meetings refresh our souls.  We have repeatedly quoted a principle shared by over twenty-five major religious or philosophical groups across the planet - the belief that we should: "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us."  This is not a "U.S." problem, folks.  Look at the news reports!!  Across the planet youngsters are increasingly being influenced by those who would hi-jack their idealism for sinister purposes.  I plead with you - wherever you live, whatever religion you practice, whatever your political ideology is - STOP!!!  Step back.  Accept the responsibility for contributing to the solution - not the problem.  This is a wonderful, beautiful world with amazing, spectacular people and if we do our job right we can actually bring about peace and harmony across the globe.  Commit to it now before it is too late.  See ya. 

Remembering Shipmates

Well gang, it will be several weeks before we saddle up again for more traveling.  We have a couple of trips on the drawing board and one of the first will be another R&R trip to our beautiful South Carolina coast.  We look forward to that and we will do some 'fun' things down there; so be ready for more coastal adventures.  While we are getting ready for that trip, though, I wanted to take some time to look back at a couple of things.  One recent and one quite a while back.  Those of you who have hung around us for a while might recall that I served in the U. S. Navy years ago.  Sometimes, when we are down at the coast, I find myself gazing out to sea in pensive reflection of those times, those people and what they meant to the person I became.  Just recently we visited the "Fishermen's Memorial" in Seattle and spent some time in solemn reflection of the folks who have given their lives while pursuing  a career at sea.  That visit called to mind a trip we took several years ago when we visited a similar memorial in our wonderful Georgetown, South Carolina.  First - I think we've made it pretty clear how much the SCTravelersX3 love the ocean and all the things that are touched by its powerful influence  And - you might recall my proud recollections of the time I spent in the United States Navy.   Although it was at a difficult time in our nation's history, I was extraordinarily fortunate to serve with some of the finest human beings who ever put to sea to protect our nation and our people.  I was also privileged to serve aboard some of the finest vessels ever to fly the flag of our country and they

USS Monrovia (APA-31)

USS Everglades (AD-24)

USS Proteus and USS Betelgeuse

all distinguished themselves during their service in ways that will probably never be adequately recounted.  So - I just wanted to take a moment or two to look back at ships - whose silhouettes have long been gone from the distant nautical horizon but whose spirits live on in the men and women who served aboard them and the deeds they performed.  One of the earliest I sailed aboard was the USS Monrovia (APA-31) whose fiery red-haired captain could have been a prototype for anyone seeking to type-cast a naval ship commander.  Then, after weathering the missile crisis in Cuba, I returned to Charleston, S. C. and reported to the destroyer tender, USS Everglades.  From there it was a brief stint on the USS Betelgeuse (AKA-260) - the last of its kind in our navy - which delivered me to the USS Proteus (AS-19) in Holy

USS Proteus (AS-19)

Loch, Scotland.  I was privileged to serve with my brother on the Proteus but when the ship set sail for Guam I respectfully requested that I not serve on another 'distant island' and was transferred to the last of my sea-going homes, the USS Tattnall (DDG-19).   Other than a simple objection to more "island life" (after having served for more than a year on Cuba) there was another factor that came into play, big-time!!!  I had just gotten married !!!!! 

USS Tattnall (DDG-19)

So, opting to spend time with my new bride rather than my brother, I wound up in Charleston aboard my newly commissioned ship.  The Tattnall was a superb duty station and

Tattnall transiting the Suez Canal

the men with whom I served earned my respect and admiration every day I was aboard.  I won't spend a lot of time in nostalgic reflections here but, knowing the bond that is formed when people face adversity at sea, our visit to the birth of a new sailing vessel in Seattle brought memories rushing back.  And - visiting the memorials for those who didn't return from their voyages - and knowing that so many of the folks with whom I sailed the watery surfaces of our planet will never again smell that unique, intoxicating fragrance of the sea - I had to tell them - I remember, I will never forget, we will never forget.

Pondering .....

Each time we wind up a trip and finish up the posts;  when we settle down a bit and our minds quit whirling from all the stuff we've seen;   when we have a chance to reflect on the experience, I find myself getting a bit nostalgic.  I mean, we usually have a great time visiting new places - and even old ones again - but I guess it is just the fact that we miss the people we've been with that causes the 'let-down.'  We are a funny species aren't we?  There is so much wonder all around us that it is just amazing we ever have time to focus on anything.  So many talented, creative people doing so many wonderful things.  But we always find ourselves a bit puzzled about the things we all seem to be searching for.  The things that make us to stop and reflect.  The things that cause questions to arise in our minds.  As I looked back at some of the pictures from the trip - and some of the things we did - I wanted to put my thoughts together a bit better.  So - I took the opportunity to practice my "video converting" skills and re-familiarize myself with one of the programs we've used in the past and came up with a video capsule for those thoughts.  Now, I know that some of you think I go a bit overboard with some of this stuff - "over-intellectualize" things and get way too wordy.  But, that's me I guess.  I suppose I just want you to see what's down there inside too.  See ya.

A Day At The Office

Recently we've talked a lot about the Alaskan Leader fleet and it has been fantastic looking at the remarkable new "Northern Leader" and taking a look back at the other ships in the fleet.  We even put together a "video" composed of still photos of the Alaskan Leader, Bering Leader and Bristol Leader during an "at sea photo op."  Well ....  we got to thinking (always a dangerous thing) and dredged something up from waaaaayyyyyy  back in the cobwebs of my memory.  I don't know how I happened to recall this - or even find it since the title of the clip was very obscure - but I located a video from years ago that should give you a better appreciation for what these ships and their crews do.  This is a shot of the Bering Leader from, I believe, when it was the "new kid on the block."  But - the main thing is that is represents the rest of the fleet in showing what conditions are like on a typical "day at work" for the guys that sail aboard the ships.

Take a look at the video and keep in mind the sea conditions you are seeing.  Then, take a look at all that "white stuff" that is coating the upper, exposed surfaces of the vessel.  Then - note the guys taking a leisurely break topside - in spite of what has to be somewhat 'tricky' footing. Amazing, huh?  Anyway, I thought it was kinda cool (no pun intended) finding this video after spending time with the Alaskan Leader bunch in Seattle.  Here's to successfull voyages and friendly seas.  See ya.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Day For Art - And For Reflection

Seattle Art Museum

As we started to work on this post we kept reflecting on our experiences and the things we wanted to show you during the trip.  Our visit to the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) was a bit shorter than we had hoped but we did want to at least share with you some of the wonderful Native American art we saw.  And then we wanted to take you down to Fishermen's Terminal to give you a look at some of the interesting things there - to which Kimberly and Breanna introduced us.  But, most of all, I guess we wanted to wind down by looking back at the uniqueness of the opportunities we had on the trip and how much they mean to us.  First, though - art, one more time!!!  Although we haven't had time to visit there with you, Pioneer Square, epi-center of Seattle's early development is really a great place to begin learning about the development of this city.  It has tons of stuff to see and do so, when you're here - don't forget to go there!!  As we mentioned the other day, Smith Tower sits at the Southeast corner of the area and six blocks or so to the North, at the corner of 1st Avenue and University is the S.A.M.  It's kinda hard to miss because of the gigantic moving sculpture that stands right outside the door.  As if to underscore the emphasis on things dramatic, the lobby of the museum contains a multi-part sculpture (?) that consists of six Ford automobiles displayed as though tumbling through the air from a starting point at the north end of the lobby.  The cars have all kinds of dazzling lighting emanating from them and it is quite a display!!  While the museum is chock-full of art of every genre and period we will leave most of it for you to discover on your own.  What we will do in the limited time we have left is show you some of the Native American art that can be found in an extensive and stunning exhibit.  Having visited Tillicum Village and seen where one aspect of the renaissance in the art of our indigenous people gained momentum we were delighted to see so much - old and new - displayed so effectively.  Let me take a moment to do a commercial!!  We have had the great good fortune to visit some of the most beautiful collections of Native American art in the world and we wanted to encourage you to go see one or more whenever you have the chance.  Of course the Museum of Native American History in Washington is a "must" but others we have seen all over our country are fantastic.  I apologize for shortchanging the discussion of these wonderful pieces but I want to get to one other place before we close.  We're going to head over to Fishermen's Terminal before we leave for today and I think you'll enjoy it so that's why I'm hurrying a bit.  But - please do take the time to visit the S.A.M. when you're here.  It is an excellent facility with great staff and world-class art to see.  Plan to spend a lot more time than we did today though. 

As we left the Northern Leader after our last visit we wanted to spend as much of our remaining time with some of the family folks as we could so we decided to go out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants over at Fishermen's Terminal on Salmon Bay. After a wonderful meal Kimberly took us on a tour of the area and what we saw was marvelous.  The terminal is home to a mammoth freshwater mooring site for both fishing vessels and pleasure craft.  (In fact, some of the ships you see on TV's "The Deadliest Catch" call this home!!)  It lies just North of Seattle and just South of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and is bordered by 115th Ave. NW on the Eastern side.  There are countless shops, restaurants and business offices throughout the more than 225,000 square feet of business space.  In fact, the Alaskan Leader Seafood offices are also nearby.  The marina can accomodate up to 600 boats/ships up to 250 feet in length and its capacity makes it a highly desirable location for ship repair facilities of all kinds.  As fascinating and dazzling as the activities around the terminal are, the two that stand out most are the Fishermen's Memorial and the locks between Lake Washington/Lake Union and Puget Sound.  The Fishermen's Memorial is a somber but distinguished site that memorializes the more than 500 men and women who have been lost at sea in fishing related incidents since the beginning of the 20th century - including the entire crew of the Arctic Rose that sank on April 2, 2001 making it the worst maritime disaster in fifty years.  The memorial and the association that keeps track of the information related to the incidents is amazing and it is really an emotional experience looking at the names and reading about the tragedies.  But - it does underscore the fact that life at sea has always been one of the most hazardous occupational environments you could find and that the men and women who go to sea exemplify bravery at its finest.  A little to the north and west of the memorial is a remarkable facility and the ingenuity that lies behind it is quite amazing.  It is the site of the H. M. Chittenden Locks - or, as they are more commonly known, the Ballard Locks.  They perform several crucial functions including maintaining the levels of Lake Union and Lake Washington at the level of the mean low tide in Puget Sound and preventing salt water from entering the lakes.  Ultimately, though, their function is to enable ships and boats to pass between Puget Sound and the lakes - and the moorings at Fishermen's Terminal.  Watching the ships and boats traversing the locks is truly fascinating.  There were scores of people visiting the locks and watching the boats moving up and down and the mammoth, intricate gates opening and closing.  Interestingly,  the area around the locks is actually an attractive park with flower-lined paths for walking, ample seating for folks who want to stop and rest for a while and interesting activities going on wherever you look.  If you are interested in getting to know a bit more about Seattle, the fishing industry, life in a major seaport - or - just more about the wonderful Northwest of our country, this is a great activity to include on your visit.  Overall, this has been one very fantastic trip.  Time spent with family, opportunities to be part of a historic celebration, new experiences of all kinds ... what more could you ask.  But - as we have said so often, all good things must come to an end ....  well, make that 'a pause' ... we've got a whole lot more to see and do before any kind of 'end.'  And, while we're doing and seeing all that stuff we want to make sure you are right along with us.  So, while we will close out this trip here, we will be back soon - so, be ready!!!  See ya.

Olympic Sculpture Park

Well, gang, we've received a lot of gifts during our travels; most of them of the intangible kind and others real treats like those we received from the Travis bunch on our visit to Pike Place!!  Seattle has given us many of them over the years and this trip was certainly no exception.  To mention only a couple of them - the "SAM" (Seattle Art Museum) surprised us with "Senior Friday" - free admission for 'ancient ones' when we were there.  And then they "one-upped" that with the fact that there was no admission fee for the Olympic Sculpture Park.  Talk about a deal!!!!  We've mentioned the park several times on this trip and we wanted to make sure you got there even if it is for a brief visit.  Located at 1400 East Prospect Street in Volunteer

Curve XXIV - Ellsworth Kelly

Park, the Sculpture Park is really a treasure.  We'll come back to talk about
the layout in a bit but let's get started on our tour.  Even before you leave the 'welcome center'  you encounter a startling creation.  "Encontro das Aguas" (Encounter of Waters) by Brazilian artist, Sandra Cinto.  The work incorporates absolutely enormous wall

Encontro das Aguas

drawings done exclusively with blue paint and a silver drawing pen and a beautiful wooden boat with an intriguingly
patterned deck to round out the impression that you are standing before a churning body of water.  It is really beautiful -

Boat at "Encontra das Agua

but - it is only temporary!!!  Get down there and see it before October!!!  Exiting the building you walk across an attractive plaza (with lots of tables and chairs for relaxing during your visit) and come out at the top of Gates Amphitheater courtesy of the Microsoft giant.  At the lower end of the

Gates Amphitheater and "Wake"

amphitheater is, to me, one of the most intriguing pieces in the park.  It is "Wake" by Richard Serra and from the top of the amphitheater it appears to be five open-ended columns with a 'waving' design.  It is an enormous piece composed of five huge structures each of which is made up of two "S" shaped pieces of steel fabricated using a machine that was once used by the French to manufacture submarines!!  When you arrive at the bottom of the slope, "Wake"  seemingly dissolves into its separate pieces and from that perspective it is impossible to imagine what it looks

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X - Coosje van Bruggen

like from above.  From that point, you enter a veritable wonderland of art, engineering and ecology.  Olympic Sculpture Park is built on a former industrial site and the grounds literally weave over, under and through city streets, an interstate highway and a railroad - all without losing an ounce of beauty and often depending on those features to enhance the art!!!!!  As we arrived a gentle rain started to fall but, y'know what?  As has happened so often before, when Linda and I have a chance to do a little "walking in the rain", we have a ball and don't mind the moisture one bit!!!  The park  is a masterpiece of planning and vision.  The spacious main building contains several temporary exhibitions and a wonderful gift shop.  The staff are delightful

Bunyon's Chess

and helpful and can give you some great tips on how best to view the pieces - particularly if you are inching up on the category of "ancient."  Best of all - the pathways through the park are all wide and spacious and where they go uphill or downhill they follow gently sloping ramps.  The staff are very

Eye Benches - Louise Bourgeois

focused on making sure you have a good experience here and provide detailed information about the exhibits.  You will find that the artwork here is almost universally huge and most often blends into the landscape in subtle, almost invisible ways.  At first glance, some of the pieces appear to be something

Love & Loss - view 1

absolutely "normal" (like a piece of plastic patio furniture or a park bench) until you look more closely and find that it is a hand-made piece of art crafted from amazing materials!!  Some incorporate functionality and art together like

Love & Loss - view 2

the three sets of whimsical and delightful "Eye Benches." Others are more complex, incorporating both organic and inorganic features and multi-part elements like the thought provoking "Love & Loss" by Roy McMakin.  A piece like this makes you wish you had the opportunity to talk to the artist to find out a

Love & Loss - view 3

bit more about his thinking as he was putting the work together.  I also wished our son were with us when we looked at works like Schubert Sonata.  To me it definitely evoked a sense

Schubert Sonata - Mark di Suvero

of music, rhythm and meter but I would have enjoyed discussing it with Rick.  He is a much more accomplished musician and it would have been neat to hear his thoughts.  Of course, I guess I had similar feelings about most of the exhibits.  As we talked about above, some were whimsical

Stinger - Tony Smith

and some appeared to have deep meanings.  Some were light and cheerful while others were somewhat dark and foreboding.  One of the pieces in the latter category (for me, at least) was Tony Smith's "Stinger".  This was actually one part of a two-part exhibit and the other part, "Wandering Rocks" was certainly a lot lighter.  In the

Eagle - Alexander Calder

former category was the brilliantly colored - and executed - "Eagle" where I got Linda to do her Vanna White impersonation.  (By the way, ya'll know that Vanna is from South Carolina, right???)  Anyway, Eagle was one of the brightest exhibits in the park.  And then, as so often happens when I edge slightly out of my cultural depths, there were pieces that I really struggled with.  I mean, I could

Sky Landscape I - Louise Nevelson

appreciate their artfulness but I suppose my depth of knowledge is a bit limited in understanding the background and intent of some of the pieces.  One of those was the excellent but (to me) somewhat bewildering Sky Landscape I by Louise Nevelson.  I've got to confess, I actually did some research on the piece, trying to figure out why it was so puzzling to me.  I didn't really get the answers I was looking for but I got even more questions.  The piece located in the Olympic Sculpture Park was apparently completed in 1983 but there is another sculpture entitled simply "Sky Landscape" by Ms. Nevelson that was commissioned by the A.M.A. and which is now on permanent display in Washington D.C.  It is quite similar to this one but was dedicated on March 10, 1988, one month and one week prior to her death.  Hmmmmmmm...  Oh well, that's the world of art.  Anyway - the Olympic Sculpture Park is one fantastic opportunity if you love art and you happen to be in Seattle.  We hope you enjoyed a little "cultural outing" in the rain.  We'll be back soon with a couple of final posts from Seattle but, until then, support your local artist!!!  See ya.