June, 2014

Yahoo, it's June!

We try not to always be looking forward to the next place we will go to, but it's hard not to get in a tizzy about being at the Bee.  By now the fleet has been launched (all 5 boats are in the water), summer flowers are planted, the summer projects are well under way and we are in full island mode. 

Speaking of projects, we wanted to get a couple of ours out of the way before our summer company showed up. The first was a two for one. Last year, we decided that as much as we loved having a regular flush toilet, our black water holding tank was 20 years past the limit of its useful life and was beginning to spring small leaks from rust holes.... a sign of an impending disaster.

We also found that with the amount of company we had each summer, we were required to have the tank pumped out twice per season at a cost that has skyrocketed in the past few years. 

Worse, at the end of the season when the water levels are low, the pumping barge was unable to service us, leaving the only option to add 50 gallons (200 Lt) of anti- freeze to the tank before leaving for the season to prevent the tank from bursting. Having 2500 gallons (10,000 Lt) of human waste released in the river would not only make us pariahs in the neighborhood but subjects us to staggering fines and clean up fees.

After some research, we decided on a Swedish electric ultra low water vacuum system. It looks and operates like a regular toilet, except for the whooshing sound as the waste is vacuumed to an outdoor heated holding tank that churns it all in a medium, turning it into compost. Your pristine delicate hands, stay pristine.

Tandem ( double ) barges with 25 ton excavator, work boat and tug are seen here. Additional barge and tug to pump out tank not visible

Anyway, as these things are wont to be, one thing leads to another. We had the large tank pumped out one last time and taken away, creating a perfect place to house the new equipment in a little seen location on the island as well as providing an excellent location to store our aluminum boat in the winter .

Good riddance, holding tank!

While the fellas had the barge over to pump out the tank (barge and tugboat #1) they had another double tandem barge to carry the tank back to the mainland dump (barge # 2 and 3 with their own tug). I had them bring 30 yards of coarse sand to dump with a 25 ton excavator in an area where we created a beach for little ones on the back shallow side of the island. 

 

Fabric laid on river bottom prior to dumping sand

They layed a 20' X 20' (7m X 7m) special fabric so that the sand dumped on it would not simply get mixed in with the muddy bottom of the river. A few steps down and a dock to sit on ( I am working as fast as I can!) and TA-DA! Happy kids splashing in shallow water with barely any current.

 

Let 'er rip!

                     See the video here

Island Life (The Magazine)

As I mentioned in May's Epistle, the second Honey Bee magazine article came out this month. Actually, it is the third as the local Watertown paper did an extensive article on the Little Free Library  (ours was one of the two they covered) but I think we have written about that enough already. Still, you can read it here if you like: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20140505/CURR04/705059999

No, 'Island Life' is a local magazine that is published once a year by our dear friend Kim. She was a national reporter for a big city newspaper for years, but about 5 years ago decided to become a big time publisher in her own right. She started a local magazine on...well... 'Island Life'. She interviews Islanders and does stories on about a dozen of them each year. 

It is a glossy, high quality magazine that has done nothing but get better each year, and now reaches 25,000 homes in the Thousand Island area. This year she asked if I would write about how we came to be islanders and you can see the result below.

To make it much easier to read, simply hold the CTRL key on your keyboard down and click the + key on your keyboard repeatedly to enlarge the page views.

Wow! Now being 'published', I wonder if I will have to fight off book contracts from Random house or movie deals from Warner Bros? Would Tom Cruise be better to play me or should I hold out for Brad Pitt?

Let's meet here again next month, ok?

May, 2014

Chill, baby, Chill

Last summer, I wrote that we had been contacted by 3 magazines that wanted to do stories on the Bee, and  that they were scheduled to be published sometime in the spring or summer 2014. Well, the first went to press last month. The magazine is called "CHILL" and is a Canadian lifestyle magazine targeting  young, hip men. With a print run of 250,000 copies, they reach a large audience.

They were doing a story on the advantages of renting a private island as opposed to renting a shore cottage, so they contacted the owner of the Private Islands.com web site for information. They specialize in advertizing island properties for sale and rent worldwide. They in turn directed them to 3 properties they felt would cover a range of possible rentals, from $55,000. a night for an island in the Bahamas, to the little people like ...eh....us.

The nice thing was that since the owner spoke so well of the Bee "Honey Bee island is the perfect little private island getaway..." that they called to ask if they could include us in their story. The print version is below but is a little hard to read so the online version is HERE and much easier for text.

The irony is that the picture that is identified as "Somerset island" is not correct. The picture is of Zavikon island, located about 10 minutes from our place and to the best of my knowledge, it is not for rent.

 

Road trip!

In 2010, we had planned a big-o-honking road trip all over creation to visit deep into the Eastern European countries. It was to be a one shot deal, more or less. We were curious to see the area some, or at least get our feet wet, as we didn't think it would be an experience we would necessarily want to repeat. Fate had other plans, when days before we left Janice was diagnosed with cancer, again. 

All bets were off for that year and 2011 as she underwent the treatments. 2012 was out, as she needed a little surgery for another health issue. 2013 was out too, as I needed a little knee surgery myself. 2014 was upon us and for the life of me, as hard as we tried we couldn't find a thing wrong with either of us.

We pulled out the thick packet of maps and guides of places to visit and the plans we had put together, updated the visiting hours information, re-booked accommodations, changed the oil in the car and off we went. Now, I realize that reading about other peoples trips can be as interesting as being held hostage through hours of of your neighbors home movies of his kids birthday parties, so I offer this in two versions. 

Pick the version of your choice and simply skip the other. We won't know, you won't tell, so no one will be the wiser. Until we quiz you.

The Boy Version

We went on a big trip, saw a lot of cool stuff and had a great time.

The Girl Version

Driving across France, Belgium and the Netherlands to Aachen, Germany we visited daughter Mandy and  Markus for several days. After being wined and dined with their friends for a couple of nights, they lined up a couple of tours. They had called in an IOU from a big wig on the NATO base nearby that they knew, to take us on a tour of one of the AWAC'S at the base.

The tour was comprehensive, from the cockpit to the inside of the radar dome to the electronics in the belly. For the uninitiated, AWACS are the airborne control planes that allow the good guys to control the airspace around a 500 Km radius (300+ miles). For the record, the photo you see was taken from Google as I did not bring a camera and I would tell you what I saw but they would then have to kill me. 

I have often written about how when we travel we seek out UNESCO World Heritage Sites (marked in red *) as they have been identified as the best historical, cultural and scientific places to visit in any country. This trip was no exception.

Mandy and I have had an friendly ongoing  feud over the number of sites we have each visited over the years. Having had a head start and a bit more free time on my hands, I am still a little ahead. But, being a good sport she and Markus took us to the Augustusberg Castle* near Cologne. 

I love being back and driving in Germany which has no speed limits on the rural areas of their freeways. It allows me to free my repressed inner Parnelli Jones for a short while. It is amazing how quickly you adjust to barreling down the road at 105 MPH (168 km/h) or as fast as our wimpy dufus car can peddle, yet have to quickly pull over in the 'slow' lane to let  someone going just under the speed of sound by. It just doesn't seem right that they drive faster than my plane can fly.

The Castle Church door where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses, launching the Protestant Reformation

Leaving the kids, Janice and I headed to Dresden in what used to be east Germany for a week in a home we exchanged for. On the way, we visited Wartburg Castle*. (Martin Luther was exiled there) Once settled, we saw all the hot spots in Dresden including the Swinger Palace (Not pronounced or intended for what it sounds like) the green vault in the Dresden Palace (home to some of the finest treasures in Europe) and the Elbe Valley*.  Our home was great as it was directly facing the river across from 4 illuminated castles on the other bank.

Castle "Sansoucis" (without worry)  in Potsdam

We visited Wittenberg* where the home, church and burial crypt of Martin Luther is located, followed by Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam*. In Berlin we saw everything from the Brandenburg gate to remaining parts of the wall, Castle Island*, the Reichstag, and the 'Fuhrerbunker' where Hitler committed suicide.

  

Remnants of "The Wall", separating East and West Berlin

Of special note to me was returning to Checkpoint Charlie. I was last there when I was 17 when our bus drove around the anti tank traps and submitted ourselves to the East German border guards running mirrors under the bus looking for stowaways. Of course this was long before the wall fell and we spent the day in East Berlin which looked like what I imagined it would look like the day the war ended.

Checkpoint Charlie, 1967

Now it is a tourist site next to a McDonalds in the middle of high rises, shops and apartments.

Checkpoint Charlie, today

We crossed the border into the Republic of Czech (formerly Czechoslovakia) to Prague*, visiting the town square, the astronomical clock and old town below the Prague Castle.  We found the country to be far more sophisticated and developed that we had expected but noticed that the police where everywhere. They were on street corners, parked here and there and a very heavy -almost oppressive- presence on the roads. Are they expecting trouble or do they want such a tight grip on their people? It was a bit creepy.

Leaving our home in Dresden we crossed Poland to tour Auschwitz*, the WWII Nazi extermination camp outside of Krakow. I had visited Dachau (another death camp) outside of Munich when I was 16, but this was the largest one of them all as they ran almost 1.3 million people (mostly Jews) through the crematoriums. It is impossible to describe the horror of what we were shown.

In Krakow, we stopped at Schindler's factory (of 'Schindler's List' fame) and walked through the old town*.

From there we saw the salt mine* in Wieliczka, the only site in the world where mining has functioned continuously since the Middle Ages. Reaching the depth of 327M (1100 Ft), it lies on nine levels and stretches for 300 km (186 miles). It even has two chapels, where everything (from its chandeliers to the altar) is made from salt.

I worried about the language thing, considering we were out in La-La land so I prepared a little something, just in case. In Polish, it was "Stary, nie mam freeking pojęcia, co właśnie powiedział!" Roughly translated, it means "Dude, I have no freeking idea what you just said!"

Leaving Krakow, we crossed the border into Slovakia where we spent the night at a lovely log cabin kind of place. Our room was equipped with one of those ultra modern $10,000. digital shower enclosures that even had a radio and phone built in. ( I was waiting for you to call) It had the largest rain shower head I have ever seen with water jets in the walls to spray you from all directions. Totally water world.

Such luxurious accommodations don't come cheap, but damn the costs! (945 Slovakian Korunas! [33 Euros or $45.], including breakfast :)

Crossing Slovakia,  we visited the wooden churches of the Slovak Capathians* in Lestiny and Hronsek, the town of Banska Stiavnica* and the medieval village of Vlkolinec* where the Slovak national uprising of WWII took root and a third of it was burned by the Nazi’s in retaliation.

Budapest: See it here

Finally, we arrived on the Danube river in Budapest,* Hungary. One of the great things about this kind of travel is the up close and personal geography lessons it entails.


Quick! Which countries share a border with Slovakia? See what I mean? (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary and Ukraine) With 3 of the countries sharing borders with Ukraine and the Russians amassing troops on its borders, we thought best to hightail it out of the region and head home.

We visited the 1100 year old, still functioning and in pristine condition, Abbey of  Panonhalma* before crossing into Austria to the Schonbrunn Castle* in Vienna. Re-entering Germany, we arrived in Munich right on time for a cold draft at the worlds most famous beer hall, the Hofbräuhaus in the middle of old town. (Surely it was 5 o'clock somewhere)

I know that I have yammered on and on about Castle this and Castle that, but being a self appointed high priest of the church of the painful truth, the harsh reality is that by my estimate, 80% of all the big art in Europe is to be found in the churches and Cathedrals. The other 20% is in the Castles and private collections (The Louvre for instance). 

I have never seen a 60' to 70' (20-25 M) tall, hand carved dripping with gold and silver sculpture in a museum as I have seen as altar pieces (the huge decorated sculpture behind the altar) in Cathedrals. The reality is that whether you are a person of faith or pride yourself on being a garden variety heathen, if you want to see the good stuff, you follow the Willie Sutton* rule...you head for the churches.

*Willie Sutton was a notorious bank robber who when asked why he robbed banks said "Because that is where the money is!"

Finally, we made a beeline for home. Pulling in, we had covered 5700 Km (3,500 miles), 16 new world heritage sites* (total now 124), in 4 new countries (total now 37). Whew! We need a vacation....or maybe just a little road trip.

Counting down

If you are just rejoining us after reading the boy version of our trip, welcome back! The bills are starting to arrive so it is time for us to start packing and hide out somewhere else. Before we did though, friends Ed and Marylin from Los Angeles stopped by for several days during their trip to the UK, and I spent some time wrapping up a little forging project to take back to California (via the Thousand Islands)

Wake up C-IJQP,

 daddy is coming home...

April, 2014

Click on the arrow to see our little hide-y-hole

Last month I signed off as we arrived for a week in a little hide-y-hole of a place overlooking the sea across the bay from Marseille. It was fascinating watching all the big cruise ships and ocean liners pass within spitting distance of us day and night. We toured areas that were new to us but the highlight was a day cruise of the “Calanques” out of the port town of Cassis. 

They are the endless rocky cliff walled canyons that rise up to 360 feet (120 M) from the sea, some with private secluded beaches, allowing us to enter them by boat. It was the location where the film “The French Connection” was shot. We headed home feeling like we had just arrived in Europe when in fact we have already been here a month. We had forgotten that we left on our road trip days after arriving.

Port of Cassis

  

Click on any picture to enlarge. This one is worth a closer look.

Meanwhile, Ian, Lyne and the kids returned home to Canada from their visit to our place before we got back. Ian sent me the photo above of his visit to my blacksmith friend here in our village. It is evidence of the mixture of his rare photographic eye combined with cutting edge photographic equipment. 

He managed to capture what I have tried to describe in vain in this blog for years. A medieval forge more suited to Dante's inferno or the set of the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'

News of the month

The big news this month was the 90^th birthday of Janice’s mom, Lorraine. Daughter Cassie and family drove 16 hours from Kelso Washington down to our home in California for 3 days to celebrate her birthday.

Then again, daughter Mandy announced that she was starting her PhD at the University of Maastricht in April. After spending the last 18 months finding a topic, doing basic research and preparing an outline, she now expects it will take her approximately 3 years to complete it.

Her thesis will be on “Addressing European Union recognition and enforcement of specific judgments within the realm of public policy”. Of course, I will make myself available for ‘Dr. Mandy to be’ in case she has any questions.

Post road trip activities this month included giving my buddy Loic (above) a hand in a little reno work, and entertaining friends John and Claire and her parents Bob and Chris. The irony is that the latter do the exact opposite of us in that they travel to a home they have in the US a couple of times a year then return here.

 It should be obvious that being in Europe, we are surrounded with old historical stuff at every turn. Often though, we turn a corner somewhere and realize just how old some of the events that have occurred are. In two adjacent villages are wall plaques that identify events that had happened here, back in the day. 

The first below identified a local mother of 5 kids who, during the French revolution, hid 2 priests from the rabble rousers. She was condemned to death and was promptly guillotined on the town square where she lived, in front of the Cathedral. The story I hear was that after the deed, one of her daughters attempted to place her severed head back on her shoulders.

The second is on the wall in the back streets of the village on what (for obvious reasons) is called Pillory square. It was the medieval version of counseling, behavior modification or attitude adjustment if you will. Crude, but effective.

I love seeing new gizmos

Last  year I wrote about a new vending machine we saw here that was almost the size of an airport shuttle bus. The darn thing had department store sized windows to display its contents, and you could purchase pretty much anything from condoms to milk anytime of the day or night.

This year we found three new techno gizmo's worth noting. The first was a new type of touch less snack dispenser that allows you to simply swipe your credit card by a reader to make your vending machine purchase.

No, that is not me in a gay boy skirt.

The second are the new public toilets. I had heard of these but this was the first time we have seen a few firsthand. They are  an outdoor enclosure  the size of  a large bathroom to accommodate wheelchairs. You enter and take care of business, then run your hands under an automatic soap and water dispenser followed by a touch less hand dryer. Then you leave. "So what?" you say.

Ahhh, that is when the magic happens. The door locks behind you and after a motion sensor determines that no one is still in the room, a disinfectant spray is released covering the toilet, seat, floor and lower walls to clean them spotless. Then a powerful fan attempts to dry the lot. When done, the door unlocks and is ready for the next occupant. Quite civilized.

The third is closer to my heart as it covers several key food groups. You might think we spend all our time here eating cheese and drinking wine, but I happen to know firsthand that many McDonald franchises here are no longer taking orders at the counter. 

People tend to dawdle while checking out the menu selections which is nowhere near an efficient way to run a business. Instead, customers are required to place their orders using something similar to an I Pad at ordering stations all around the inside of the restaurant. Up to 10 people can place orders simultaneously.

By the time you have paid and the machine issues your receipt with the order number, you food is usually waiting at the counter, or in some franchises, they now serve you at your table. This 'have the customer do more of the work' approach follows the success of having patrons clear their own tables, pump their own gas and use an ATM instead of tying up a tellers time. Still, I am a fan.

OK, one more quick one.

How do you like the entrance to this office?

Yes, this office. The guy that makes these sells camouflage to the military. He covers aircraft hangars with sphagnum moss then grows whatever on it. It is not only invisible (1st principle of Magic: hide it in plain sight) from a few feet away, but it is so insulating that you can't pick up a heat signature flying over it.  A great way to hide your fighter jet from the bad guys.

As I sign off for the month, we have done it again. This morning we got up, hopped in the car and drove half way accross the continent to Germany to visit daughter Mandy and Markus to celebrate his finishing his Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering. We will surely have much more on the trip next month.

Have a great month, but please...be careful out there.