Dorothy Cranking Dorothy was the head chef and always the first one out of the boat to operate the locks. Her husband Jeremy gave her an aluminum crank handle for her birthday one year because the steel ones were getting too heavy to carry. If we ever borrowed the handle, we were warned not to leave it at the locks! Apparently Jeremy had a large collection of steel cranks he found abandoned at the locks after 20 years of sailing.Jeanne of the Locks The boat is either lifted or lowered depending on your location and the terrain will determine how it will be. In some cases if the water levels in some areas is so great that using a hydraulic lock system is prohibited, a large mechanical lift would be used like the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. We were not in Scotland so NO WHEEL FOR US!Emily Pondering As Emily was an avid reader she was quite happy to see the rather large library in a canal boat measuring 65 feet long by 6 feet wide. Somehow all of us got along well, but Emily, not a big fan of camping remarked at the end of our journey that the experience was the best vacation she ever had and she would NEVER do it again!
Jim & Jeanne in the “salon” As this boat’s dimensions meant that space was a premium, the concept sort of can relate to living in a “Tiny House” world. Our dining table converted into a bed in the evening and the shower stall was also the toilet stall and sink. Don’t ask how that worked.Jim & Jeremy at the stern The Unicorn is not a horse drawn boat like they were in the 19th century but powered by a diesel engine. This was an older boat that didn’t have extra motors to propel the boat from side to side called “bow thrusters” . A Bow Thruster is an additional aid to manoeuvring a boat. It provides a boost to make the bow/front go port/left or starboard/right without even moving the tiller and without throttling backward or forward. As Jeremy says “Real men don’t use Bow Thrusters!”Roger being himself Roger basically kept us smiling this whole trip as he often found an interesting way of detailing our experience. He was also a good friend to us all.St. Michael’s Church We took a break in the town of Marbury and when we arrived, we heard bells chiming in the distance. As we followed the sound of the bells, when we entered St. Michael’s church yard, the bells stopped. We saw some people leaving the church an found out that these folks were the ones pulling the bell chords. They were practicing for a country wide bell chorus that was planned for the new year (You remember Y2K?)Hungery Visitor Floating swan and duck food is the best possible feed for any wildfowl. This is because, like all animals there are certain foods that are designed for them which suit them much better. For instance, corn, grapes, oats, wheat, lettuce, vegetable trimmings and peas are all much more suitable. So our little vacation on the cut was ending soon. The next day we sailed to our ending point in the town of Nantwitch and said good by to our friends. A cab ride to the town of Crew and then the train to London.
2211/123428 = 1.79 ! So why is the index going up?
Posted in Castles, The Dead | Comments Off on Plague Months, Day 28
On board the Unicorn September 10. 1999. On this day there were no castles, but we were always kept amused by the captain and his wife’s stories of life on the canal. The boat (The Unicorn) was a traveling history lesson, or at least that was the intention that Capt. Jeremy had in mind when he first began his canal adventure. Half the boat was crammed with books. Many were about English history, but there were several that even Roger and I found interesting enough to crack open.Emily The plan is to make it to the town of Ellesmere, a good 19 miles from our starting point. As we traveled south, the land became flatter, and there were more farms along the canal.We drifted past the towns of Rhoswiel and St. Martins before coming to the New Marton Locks. We passed the junction of the Montgomery Canal and then through the winding section of the canal near the town of Tetchill. No Emily So here we have Roger, Jim, Jeanne and Gloria. Along with Emily, we were the only passengers on the longboat (we planned it that way) . The boat captain was Jeremy who did the navigation and his wife Dorothy who did the cooking and cranking. Boat Parade! Today there was a longboat party in Ellesmere and we passed hundreds of canal boats all decked out for the big party. Since there was no place to park the boat in town, we floated a bit and got off with Dorothy and helped her do some grocery shopping in town. Further down the cut was found a little beach area with a bench near Blakemere Lake where we had a BBQ style dinner with hambergers, sausage, beer and chips. We stayed the night at the lake.
So far, so good. We take our temperature every morning; holding steady! 1588/101242=1.57
An Easy Lock The neat thing about doing a canal float trip in England is that you get to jump out and help with the locks. In the picture above, Jim and Jeanne are helping Dorothy with the lock mechanism. We were always excited to take the special crank handles they called “a windlass” and operate the lock gates. On this day we also came upon a low bridge that we had to crank up to pass. On some bridges, the local children would hang out near the bridges to help do the work because it was fun. Castle Chirk Our journey today took us through the towns of Trevor, Ruabon, Froncysyllte, Whitehouse and Chirk. Near Chirk we stopped near a bridge and contacted a taxi service to take us up to Chirk Castle. (I walked there and back because I needed the exercise and we all couldn’t fit in the taxi) The castle is owned by the National Trust and is open to the public between March and October, with limited opening dates in November and December. The property is also notable for its gardens, with clipped yew hedges, herbaceous borders, rock gardens and terraces and surrounded by 18th century parkland.The Gardens Here Jeanne and Emily are strolling through Chirk gardens, a 5 acre area created from William Emes’ designs from the 18th century. I think we liked the look of those trees. Most of the gang Gloria took this picture of Roger, Jim, Jeanne and Emily but she didn’t quite frame the picture to show that Jim and Jeanne have their feet locked up in the stocks, or pillory if you prefer. That’s why we have that fake look of humiliation on our faces.
The Colorado Gov. issued a “Stay-At-Home” order starting this morning at 6:00AM. and lasting at least until April 11. Index 1186/81836= 1.45
The 1999 journey along the canals of England and Wales
Over the cut Sept. 9: Aboard the boat– sort of like camping. The head (bathroom) was tiny, and the toilet was one of those chemical types. The water tank on the boat was extra large so everyone could take a shower if he/she wanted, but few did, at least for the first days. The itinerary was to keep on the Llangollen canal and visit “Chirk Castle” A Float Above We were in luck to have chartered this boat when we did. Starting off on the Llangollen canal proved to be one of the best points to embark and since this trip starts wherever the boat is at any particular time our time was now! First day on the journey we came up to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build. It is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain and the highest canal aqueduct in the world. View out of the boat We are floating at a maximum speed of 3 miles per hour so it was not very hard to jump ship and climb down toward the base of the aqueduct to take this picture. Actually we could easily walk along side the boat and view the countryside with ease. Note: When getting back on board, it is important to “Mind the Gap”: You wouldn’t want to get your foot caught in between the boat and the edge of the cut. And a tunnel Too! Not too far from the aqueduct was a tunnel! Called the Whitehouses Tunnel, it was completed between 1795 and 1802. and one of the first tunnels in Britain, that has a towpath all through it, is wide enough for one boat, and is 191 yards (about 175 metres) long. Not too long so you could see any other boat on the other side! Next: On to the town of Chirk.
928/65201, index = 1.42
Posted in Castles, The Dead | Comments Off on Plague Months, Day 25
Downtown Chester“The Rows” In London September 6, 1999 and spent a sleepless night at a hotel where the noise level was high with all sorts of activity all night. Sounded like there was a belly dance studio next door, then a drunk woman was screaming until someone called the police, and then workmen started pounding on something for hours until 4 a.m. We were to greet our friends Roger, Emily, and Gloria the next day, but someone nicked Gloria’s purse and she had to get to the passport office. Since Roger, Emily and Gloria would be busy most of the day, we decided to get out of town and get to the meeting place a day earlier. We took the train to Chester that morning.
Dee River We found a quiet B&B in Chester and purchased a city bus tour since we would be in town for an extra day. The Eastgate Chester’s most recognisable landmark, the Eastgate is the original entrance to the Roman fortress of Deva. Chester was founded in AD 70 as the Roman fortress of Deva Victrix. Tree? Standing next to a weird tree trunk someplace in England. Plas Newydd Note the extra letters in the above. We met our friends the next day in Chester and took a cab to the town of Llangollen, Wales. From there we will meet up with Dorthy and Jeremy who own a canal boat. But first we’re going to check out the town.
Valle Crucis Abbey Valle Crucis Abbey was founded in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, on the site of a temporary wooden church and was the last Cistercian monastery to be built in Wales. Roger and I saw the ruins way up on a hillside and decided we would hike up there and take a look. (Note that our corgi Duncan Madog used the name due to his Welsh heritage)
Canal Boat There is a canal in Llangollen and on the way back from the abbey, Roger and I took a short ride on this horse drawn canal boat, So tomorrow we start our adventure “On the Cut”.
Back in 2009 In the 1960s, a CDC branch dedicated to plague moved from San Francisco, California to Fort Collins when the majority of plague cases were occurring in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. In 1989, Lyme disease was moved to the division. Today, the Fort Collins site is the only major CDC infectious disease laboratory outside of Atlanta, Georgia.
Fem Mosqitoes on bicycles Some female members of our CDC lab were participating in the annual Tour De Fat dressed as mosquitoes. The above pictures were copied from a low resolution video I was taking at the 2009 tour.
Oops, Having problems scanning documents…
Posted in Health, The Dead | Comments Off on Plague Months, Day 23
Portugal, Still This day we went to something called Museu Nacional dos Coches located in the Belem district of Lisbon, Portugal. The museum was created in 1905 by Queen Amelia to house an extensive collection of carriages belonging to the Portuguese royal family and nobility. This museum is apparently the most visited museums in Lisbon, so I guess that’s why we were there? Phencyclidine Salesman The PCP might stand for People’s Communist Party but what else would it be if not the people’s party? Could the Forbe’s list of prominent CEO’s have their own party? OK, it might be the Portuguese Communist Party. Someplace in Lisbon photo op.Spitting Lion ornament saleswoman Actually this is Jeanne next to one of the many lion sculptures at the Monastery of Jeronimos, Lisbon, Portugal. The monastery sits on the original church grounds where Vasco da Gama spent the night in prayer before departing on his expedition to the Orient in 1497. Four years later construction of the monastery was started; completed about 100 years later, it was used by monks whose role it was to pray for the King’s eternal soul and to provide spiritual assistance to navigators and sailors who departed from the port of Restelo to discover lands around the world.
So far 389/31019, index = 1.25. The index is getting smaller each day; could be good news.
Albufeira Toward the end of the Portugal trip, after Evora we drove south for about 3 hours. As I recall, it was getting dark and we worried that we might not find the hotel. I took a picture of the “Bar” near the hotel but I can’t seem to find it. Actually I can’t seem to find any pictures but I remember taking them, and they were good ones.
INDEX = 1.28, 344 over 26784
Posted in The Dead | Comments Off on Plague Months, Day 21
Palacio Nacioal de Pena “The Palacio Nacional da Pena is one of the finest tourist attractions in Portugal and exemplifies the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture. The palace is a hedonistic mix of vividly painted terraces, decorative battlements and mythological statues, all of which stand at stark contrast to the lush greens of the Parque de Pena forest.”
Bones! “The day that I die is better than the day that I was born.” At least that’s what the phrase in Latin says at this Capela dos Ossos or chapel of bones. we were in Lisbon watching the television and saw an ad for some kind of festival in the town of Evora, Portugal. We had time before we headed south to the Costa do Sol and we had this little car, a Mini Morris, I think it was called. It was an hour and a half drive through the countryside to Evora, so we figured we could do it in a day and still have time to get down to our hotel at the ‘Sol.
Dem Bones It’s the Church of St. Francis in Evora. We didn’t know it was there until we got there and some locals asked us if were were there to see the bones. The church was built with human bones (somewhere in the area of 5000 skeletons) by a Franciscan monk and they say after he died, his body was hung on the wall. See it there on the right in the above picture?
