tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63910323853634552612024-03-12T22:14:53.686-07:00Quotidian DelightMadelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-82661769721394946672012-09-30T13:42:00.001-07:002012-09-30T13:42:34.709-07:00New Blog!Please visit <a href="http://www.gypsyatlas.com/">www.gypsyatlas.com</a> to see what I'm up to these days!<br />
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- MadelineMadelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-6934359567311177822012-05-08T22:06:00.003-07:002012-05-08T22:07:21.625-07:00Turtle Viewing at Carlsmith Beach Park, Hilo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo, Hawaii is known for turtles that hang out in the shallow turquoise water close to shore. Visitors can walk onto the rocks and simply look into the water to see a turtle. These magnificent creatures abound in Hawaii. Interested in swimming with them? Just use a convenient ladder that leads swimmers into the water.</div>
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After your swim, be sure to stop at Hilo Homemade Ice Cream Cafe, 1477 Kalanianaole Avenue, for delicious local flavors like lilikoi (passion fruit).</div>
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Carlsmith Beach Park is located on Kalanianaole Avenue, near Hilo Airport, a 10 minute drive from downtown.</div>
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<br />Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-37687613732594464422012-05-03T23:51:00.003-07:002012-05-14T20:08:41.366-07:00Rancho del Oso<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rancho del Oso's new Nature and History Center held a wildflower show on Saturday and Sunday April 28 and 29, 2 weeks after they opened their doors to the public. Rancho del Oso is part of Big Basin California State Park, located 17 miles north of Santa Cruz (past Davenport) at Wadell Creek.<br />
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The ranch got its name from the Grizzly Bears that once frequented the valley and who killed Mr. Wadell, Wadell Creek's namesake. They've got a sad-faced stuffed Grizzly in the visitors center. The park is lovely, with wildflowers, marsh, and ocean views. I visited with my 95-year-old grandma. It was especially nice for her since, she knew the woman who had owned the ranch before it was part of the State Park, Hulda Hoover McLean.<br />
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The new visitor center is open on Saturdays and Sundays 12-4. The drive up the coast from Santa Cruz is gorgeous, and there's plenty of parking at the park. Bring a picnic to enjoy at their picnic tables with a view.Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-84896450675214935012012-04-18T08:16:00.000-07:002012-04-18T08:21:06.804-07:001906 Earthquake and Fire Survivors Parade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1930s Fire Truck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 5:11am the firetrucks and ambulances sounded their sirens.</td></tr>
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Today is the 106th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. I marked the occasion by waking at 4am to join the survivors parade and gathering at Lotta's Fountain on Kearny and Market streets in downtown San Francisco. It was still dark as night, but that didn't stop a crowd from forming around the shiny copper fountain, the center of old San Francisco. </div>
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Mayor Ed Lee was there, along with Supervisor Scott Wiener, but what got me out of bed was the chance to see earthquake survivors. George Quilici, born April 26, 1905, Bill Del Monte, born January 1, 1906, and Winnie Hook, born February 14, 1906, all attended to commemorate the earthquake. Two of the survivors rode in an open-top historic car. They looked fabulous and had to share a blanket to keep warm on the chilly morning. By the end of the festivities, Winnie wore the blanket over her head. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1930s fire truck</td></tr>
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The crowd dispersed shortly after 5:15am, some going about their day, others attending the Lefty O'Douls survivor breakfast, and others, including myself, making their way to Dolores Park to re-paint the Magic Fire Hydrant. The hydrant gets a fresh coat of paint each year on April 18th. This year, the organizers accidentally purchased silver spray paint instead of gold! The crowd mumbled about it, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits.<br />
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Winnie Hook was the first to spray the hydrant. Next, descendants of survivors got their turn. Finally, anyone with a connection to the earthquake was able to step up, spray the fountain and tell the crowd a story. Each painter received a certificate for their help. As you can see below, the hydrant turned silver today, oops! The fire chief said that she would come back later today to repaint it gold.<br />
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Around this time, the sun was rising over Dolores Park. It was a fabulous way to start the day, honoring the survivors, and the memory of the victims and the heroes from that day 106 years ago.<br />
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We sang <i>San Francisco </i>at Lotta's Fountain. The tune can also be heard nightly at the<a href="http://www.castrotheatre.com/"> Castro Theatre</a> where the organists end their sets with the song right before the films begin.<br />
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<u>San Francisco</u></div>
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It only takes a tiny corner of</div>
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This great big world to make a place you love</div>
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My home upon the hill</div>
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I find I love you still</div>
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I've been away, but now I'm back to tell you:</div>
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San Francisco</div>
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Open your golden gate</div>
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You let no stranger wait outside your door</div>
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San Francisco</div>
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Here is your wandering one</div>
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Saying "I'll wander no more"</div>
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Other places only make me love you best</div>
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Tell me you're the heart of all the golden west</div>
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San Francisco</div>
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Welcome me home again</div>
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I'm coming home </div>
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To go roaming no more!</div>
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<br />Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-11296377345994865802012-03-27T23:44:00.001-07:002012-03-28T00:01:58.250-07:00Ferrenafe Cemetery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ferrenafe is not the town you imagined yourself visiting in Peru. Far from the Andes and the Amazon, on the northern desert coast, Ferrenafe is a small provincial town with one tourist draw, the Museo Nacional Sican, where elaborate gold funerary masks, pristine ceramics, impossibly pink Spondylus shells and jewelry of semi-precious stones from the pre-Colombian Sican culture are on display. Archaeologists continue to discover burial sites full of gold at the nearby Batan Grande dig site.<br />
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Most visitors view the museum and simply leave Ferrenafe. Spend another hour or two to gain some insight on more modern rural Peruvian funerary practices. Located a ten minute walk from the Sican Museum, the Ferrenafe Cemetery is a free attraction that will leave an impression.<br />
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The cemetery is made up of hundreds of outdoor stacked brick sarcophagi, plastered and painted turquoise and white. Each features an alcove dedicated to the departed. The alcoves are precious jewel box art pieces, with original paintings, dolls, decorative gates, and fresh and plastic flowers (mostly in plastic Inca Kola bottles). Older sarcophagi have crumbled into piles of bricks, while some newer alcoves sit waiting to be decorated, with new cement with a name scratched into it. <br />
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To reach the cemetery from the Museo Nacional Sican, walk towards the cathedral and plaza on calle Batan Grande. The unmissable white cemetery gate will be on your left. Be sure to bring your camera!<br />
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<br />Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0Ferreñafe, Peru-6.6382226 -79.7904475-6.6539946 -79.8101885 -6.6224506 -79.7707065tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-59476860785961998852012-03-11T16:30:00.000-07:002012-03-11T16:56:11.661-07:00Temple Ruins by Horse & Carriage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For less than it would cost for a taxi between bars in San
Francisco, we rented a private tuk tuk and driver for the morning to visit the
temple ruins of Wiang Kum Kam on the outskirts of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The
ruins cover an area that is filled, not only with ancient and modern temples,
but also family homes. We splurged on a private horse and colorful carriage
with driver. Part of the thrill was voyeuristically peering into the patios of
private homes from our carriage as we went from temple to temple.</div>
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The site is an oasis, where city dwellers can worship while
marveling at the beauty of the ancient sculpture whose red and white brick is partially
covered with green foliage. One of the most beautiful Buddha sculptures, of
black stone draped in a saffron sash, was renovated through the efforts of
concerned neighbors. Visitors can stroll in the park-like setting, but the site
is not just for gawkers. We encountered a Thai family fishing in a pond that
had formed inside a ruin. A shrine with fresh marigolds, cigarettes, bananas,
recently burned candles and incense, and miniature sculpture overlooked the family
as they fished. </div>
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The photo above was taken in a busy area of Wiang Kum Kam,
where vendors sell offerings to worshippers and new and ancient sculpture and
architecture exist side by side. Hire a tuk tuk and driver through your hotel
in the old city. The tour takes less than half a day and is absolutely lovely!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special Loy Krathong (Lantern Festival) strings attached to Buddha's hands</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not sure why lady cannot enter. This was the only sign I saw like this in Thailand.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtdRVn0RJj70QpiOb9d3Uy3zP8n3GfOFQsYBfQ4swP6YKFRmQwz1mTw79CsM2hTVHD9PK-RTpoGzp1J5FGNXoG524qEC10nHXG5jQx1PVBgOKhGvUzaGPb1pGNYxe2iBFvpeYN9Zv4mk/s1600/IMG_8234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtdRVn0RJj70QpiOb9d3Uy3zP8n3GfOFQsYBfQ4swP6YKFRmQwz1mTw79CsM2hTVHD9PK-RTpoGzp1J5FGNXoG524qEC10nHXG5jQx1PVBgOKhGvUzaGPb1pGNYxe2iBFvpeYN9Zv4mk/s320/IMG_8234.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-91106501420064580582012-01-16T12:14:00.002-08:002012-03-05T14:28:56.806-08:00Ancient Amazonian Cities?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBzEKuP9eLwfxjEo8NFZOwnFF7-4fpYj1FBBkGVMEM3qRIJo0SP3bU46_BBLkLysMnYAMVXbKKhe02OUkJEACvCTBSkthUoFrsbWIMY8Qnk210KYaOKTs0qM9lsZcr4tRftZkw9s8b94/s1600/Library+-+1526.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBzEKuP9eLwfxjEo8NFZOwnFF7-4fpYj1FBBkGVMEM3qRIJo0SP3bU46_BBLkLysMnYAMVXbKKhe02OUkJEACvCTBSkthUoFrsbWIMY8Qnk210KYaOKTs0qM9lsZcr4tRftZkw9s8b94/s400/Library+-+1526.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702166710820419474" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Amazon village, Iquitos area, Peru</span><br />photo by Madeline Horn<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/world/americas/land-carvings-attest-to-amazons-lost-world.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&tntemail0=y&emc=tnt"><span style="font-size:100%;">This article </span>in the New York Times</a><a href="http://http//www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/world/americas/land-carvings-attest-to-amazons-lost-world.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail0=y&_r=1&emc=tnt"> </a>discusses the large earthworks discovered under the forests cover of the Amazon in Brazil and Bolivia. The earthworks consist of large shapes (such as circles and squares) connected by roads. Researchers have not found evidence of human settlement in or on the earthworks, leading them to believe they are ceremonial. This means that thousands of people could have been settled enough to build massive ceremonial structures in the Amazon. It also means that large sections of land , which is now forested, were once used for agriculture.<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk60XjO8i6R2ffVWjoxoY2Mr1f4FlbmNtqz6rxO0-c5HTdG3vIhYy0aBKhtOdZeKTBHyfu9LOl4Nxz5zD_jiaPatZo66MzLEkk8GCRLLh848snhJDDZ4KqZzNwGBT9AKOhEAMiEeJleJc/s1600/Library+-+1598.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk60XjO8i6R2ffVWjoxoY2Mr1f4FlbmNtqz6rxO0-c5HTdG3vIhYy0aBKhtOdZeKTBHyfu9LOl4Nxz5zD_jiaPatZo66MzLEkk8GCRLLh848snhJDDZ4KqZzNwGBT9AKOhEAMiEeJleJc/s400/Library+-+1598.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702165030009137698" border="0" /></a>Amazon Clouds and Trees, near Iquitos, Peru<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk60XjO8i6R2ffVWjoxoY2Mr1f4FlbmNtqz6rxO0-c5HTdG3vIhYy0aBKhtOdZeKTBHyfu9LOl4Nxz5zD_jiaPatZo66MzLEkk8GCRLLh848snhJDDZ4KqZzNwGBT9AKOhEAMiEeJleJc/s1600/Library+-+1598.jpg"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:85%;" >photo by Madeline Horn</span><br /></a></div><br />The article sparks my curiosity by positing that there may have been towns connected by roads featuring large earthworks where thousands of people lived. This is a revelation. I love it when archaeology presents us with a new way of looking at the past. The earthworks were first discovered in the 1970s, yet scientists did not investigate thoroughly until the 1990s. What other ancient mysteries are out there waiting to be discovered?<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-31330284341779239322012-01-02T20:48:00.004-08:002012-03-11T17:01:28.185-07:00Loy Krathong Lantern Festival<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks helping people light their lanterns at a temple.</td></tr>
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</style></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></i> Sarah and I
planned our trip to Thailand to coincide with the annual lantern festival, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Loy
Krathong</i>. It was hard to get information about the festival before arriving in Chiang Mai, but once we were there, we could not escape the festival had we wanted to (which we didn't). We saw lanterns in the air, floating down the river, and set up in parks,
temples and plazas across the city. The
sky was filled with thousands of paper lanterns lit from within by flame. The
effect is intoxicating. I first noticed the lanterns in the sky after walking
into a temple complex lit by hundreds of small red clay candles with orange wax,
placed on every surface, including the golden <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chedi</i>, which reflected the lights beautifully as a black and white
temple cat slept peacefully amongst the candles. A monk’s chants were amplified
on a loudspeaker for Thais sitting on folding chairs facing the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chedi </i>worshipping and leaving offerings.
The monk knelt in front of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chedi, </i>his
amplified chants lending eerie sound effects<i>. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
As I walked out of
the temple complex gate, decorated with palm fronds and colorful lanterns, I
looked up and saw lanterns floating in the sky. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the
sky as I weaved through the busy night streets, until a massive parade diverted
my attention. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
Thousands of
people flood the streets to celebrate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Loy
Krathong </i>in Chiang Mai. Massive lanterns decorate the city in the shape of
dragons, elephants, cartoon characters, and people. Thais and tourists alike
pose in front of these colorful lanterns with big smiles on their faces and
fingers in the air in the universal peace sign. Thousands of lanterns hang in
parks, on city streets, and on temple gates as well. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
Revelers set
lanterns into the sky from temples and on the banks of the Ping River, where
kids of all ages let off fireworks in all directions. The white tissue lanterns,
sold by monks and street vendors, unfold to wider than a person’s width and
nearly as tall. It takes two, but most seemed to prefer 4-5, people to ignite
and alight a lantern. Posing for photos with their lantern right as the lantern
casts an orange glow on their faces is a highlight for most groups. </div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">The stars themselves have competition from the
beautiful lanterns filling the sky and temples bedecked with candles and lanterns
on the nights of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Loy Krathong</i>. The date
of the festival changes every year, as it coincides with the full moon in
November. I can’t imagine a more magical time to visit Chiang Mai. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKqCyPWarsSYXQX-Vfambs5n3zC55W0tEYTAbvhpMDOL1ZR1o4lrL4ILsbP3YJ73hfbmHvejPmO22x8xCewlHJdtQLhehRiE4cxf8dPi3_DBj9PPaNvWftiP-Lgjs4nxiP-p6IjOXInw/s1600/IMG_8087.JPG"></a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-XfYI3wZ3PHEej4JWzppS1gE1fw2p05qul8bI0A1p1m03scd3sl4Tcmtr4L43LOqQ-il3W5h3lXA6nDHKkW9HlJGBlPieGcCdXQFc7ML0Ns4jWoq_kPPO58W0rXgpeaciR69sxy7Ag8/s1600/IMG_8115.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693273370876503954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-XfYI3wZ3PHEej4JWzppS1gE1fw2p05qul8bI0A1p1m03scd3sl4Tcmtr4L43LOqQ-il3W5h3lXA6nDHKkW9HlJGBlPieGcCdXQFc7ML0Ns4jWoq_kPPO58W0rXgpeaciR69sxy7Ag8/s400/IMG_8115.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spots of light behind the white <i>chedi </i>are lanterns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOR8SURbfsRfsoYvNcoSyM4W_C2RgIDghBV35coZZN5YW7EBatzpLH7QrWe8_5mYdd6GWcr_leGJ4JlPv-BvKTMj8w8uIalJlZUhWnobH7DJKYOYp6OblaHhobWk2-eiDSqKWssj3C_c/s1600/IMG_8069_2_2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693273351896913490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOR8SURbfsRfsoYvNcoSyM4W_C2RgIDghBV35coZZN5YW7EBatzpLH7QrWe8_5mYdd6GWcr_leGJ4JlPv-BvKTMj8w8uIalJlZUhWnobH7DJKYOYp6OblaHhobWk2-eiDSqKWssj3C_c/s400/IMG_8069_2_2.JPG" style="display: block; height: 259px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loy Krathong parade!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae1g01w5-omomvuQ-zr0QIWKiJpxd7aeS-kEF1r7fh3mgDn8rwyTb4A2UnTnKITaHn2xGaOZFpiB2SypP1RoxK3yseh2A7uuAeq5XKbYcvcKVl_hFU-W9Y-ST3zQ_eKVCwtnQ5mzoi1k/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693273351807938242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiae1g01w5-omomvuQ-zr0QIWKiJpxd7aeS-kEF1r7fh3mgDn8rwyTb4A2UnTnKITaHn2xGaOZFpiB2SypP1RoxK3yseh2A7uuAeq5XKbYcvcKVl_hFU-W9Y-ST3zQ_eKVCwtnQ5mzoi1k/s400/IMG_8065.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants are everywhere in Thailand.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R8af6J__79p4WMvWGozQ0X9g-3cMd_Aqc9LL2L2mDKm31WMTti4HJWbwA3wfzV0c2nIokyx2uF8TN31HZxIOVUNyc0eEuyoFSnPgVswLicjw9wvdvG-bs4mQJ286lMDyYn_klMXZh6k/s1600/IMG_7974.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693273344520854338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R8af6J__79p4WMvWGozQ0X9g-3cMd_Aqc9LL2L2mDKm31WMTti4HJWbwA3wfzV0c2nIokyx2uF8TN31HZxIOVUNyc0eEuyoFSnPgVswLicjw9wvdvG-bs4mQJ286lMDyYn_klMXZh6k/s400/IMG_7974.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish ball vendor near giant lantern display</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVg9qcbaOjgnq5ADdM3dEhTnhmNPVvNxFUFmdweIXykINT6bVyg79R7XNu9cLsD6ZXxdxX_E5L5ZJb3zsJY9J1-eLyY-aDi1PUEZbPNnj0KBrUDm8z5VElaAG7Gbx1nV17js-SoIwmKE/s1600/IMG_8063.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693270981005072386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVg9qcbaOjgnq5ADdM3dEhTnhmNPVvNxFUFmdweIXykINT6bVyg79R7XNu9cLsD6ZXxdxX_E5L5ZJb3zsJY9J1-eLyY-aDi1PUEZbPNnj0KBrUDm8z5VElaAG7Gbx1nV17js-SoIwmKE/s400/IMG_8063.JPG" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the black and white cat sleeping at the bottom left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_S0G34KQRWgk2ZzvPSTf5VmOggrRhMF2Z8J6wu9WekGfCQtvkQZ4LFQN5NY0JRMDmigD7G-swkAP-xuMKIRybpRAilpck4UZ1zCwQudNWkDDeBYiGg5qgvH-Rz30kE1OJVyzycdzTag/s1600/IMG_7972.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693270972860910018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_S0G34KQRWgk2ZzvPSTf5VmOggrRhMF2Z8J6wu9WekGfCQtvkQZ4LFQN5NY0JRMDmigD7G-swkAP-xuMKIRybpRAilpck4UZ1zCwQudNWkDDeBYiGg5qgvH-Rz30kE1OJVyzycdzTag/s400/IMG_7972.JPG" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These lanterns were EVERYWHERE!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-I3VCf-ZYrUbou-3B5kvBzzjORkXmnlwqCK81swnVkQ5-GwqLUEumfWT1F_G0xUCLUjCU3_B9OOdUyY7UNva2F1dcf7ZhQMB_Z2EApSBXZGSUilU8t_Ry0Vfhh_oUxQcIpwNOZ1Bn6U/s1600/IMG_7960.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693270963819794322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-I3VCf-ZYrUbou-3B5kvBzzjORkXmnlwqCK81swnVkQ5-GwqLUEumfWT1F_G0xUCLUjCU3_B9OOdUyY7UNva2F1dcf7ZhQMB_Z2EApSBXZGSUilU8t_Ry0Vfhh_oUxQcIpwNOZ1Bn6U/s400/IMG_7960.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitk0o_ngJsV2c_AH7zhL3cQLQMbdgQJDtaDEEGjKIUMVT-azDKXurpVv8ugB7TDvRSuz02VL5jM7OyFuxGVKGDAD2j2_Tbbh4LS4vglfyfmU29vaTK188D773SZPWueI1KfehiBZtklbc/s1600/IMG_7954.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693270958202362818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitk0o_ngJsV2c_AH7zhL3cQLQMbdgQJDtaDEEGjKIUMVT-azDKXurpVv8ugB7TDvRSuz02VL5jM7OyFuxGVKGDAD2j2_Tbbh4LS4vglfyfmU29vaTK188D773SZPWueI1KfehiBZtklbc/s400/IMG_7954.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nm_vuBY_3NBt8yYGfypfHtkuKu9azjkPXrakWNyXgQVAgTBIC3cvX49MVMEvG2NWWTn9YiOs16_yr5LciBE-Nw1dyvJhjnWOSdgsJu_Py76tkTRJbFayhQyIDVwD0b1aRaFrgxQmedE/s1600/IMG_8061.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693270951989120290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Nm_vuBY_3NBt8yYGfypfHtkuKu9azjkPXrakWNyXgQVAgTBIC3cvX49MVMEvG2NWWTn9YiOs16_yr5LciBE-Nw1dyvJhjnWOSdgsJu_Py76tkTRJbFayhQyIDVwD0b1aRaFrgxQmedE/s400/IMG_8061.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-12838357939078457142011-12-30T21:20:00.001-08:002012-03-05T15:01:41.279-08:00Mango with Sticky Rice<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Kao Nio Ma Muang</span><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgign85Oz8dSy9m0ElzP_R-pTwp_gTMRRwrm0CyUvTbaSHg6blkvHfKENOJHEO39E0eczQcogtpnwJhUvoLLeByCZ9vGiS1nSUveEiMvONsvN7Wc4TKxnR6Z8PYzx7WF1X2J7gEN8zmpDk/s1600/IMG_8058.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgign85Oz8dSy9m0ElzP_R-pTwp_gTMRRwrm0CyUvTbaSHg6blkvHfKENOJHEO39E0eczQcogtpnwJhUvoLLeByCZ9vGiS1nSUveEiMvONsvN7Wc4TKxnR6Z8PYzx7WF1X2J7gEN8zmpDk/s400/IMG_8058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692158850829003922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Mango with Sticky Rice</span><br />1 cup of steamed sticky rice<br />1/2 cup of coconut milk<br />1 ripe mango (peel, remove the seed and slice into pieces)<br />1-2 tbsp. of sugar (or wet palm sugar, available at specialty stores like Rainbow Grocery)<br />1/4 tsp. salt<br />1 vanilla bean (or padang* leaf, if you can get it)<br /><br /><span>Place coconut milk, vanilla bean, sugar and salt in a pot. Heat until boiling. Turn the heat off. Add steamed sticky rice. Mix together well. Let it cool. Serve with sliced mango.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></span><span><span><span>*Padang is a dark green sturdy leaf that imparts the coconut with a distinct flavor that is similar to vanilla</span></span></span><span><span><span>. I don't have a source for it in the U.S., but would be happy to find it someday.</span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;">recipe courtesy of The Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School </span><br /><br />Do you know how coconut milk is made?...by pressing coconut shavings!<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvACbvtsnNtc9XVorlu-IoXJdu5asXPLvWo27yi_8Jed1ZUj5MGFhzKwWkiSuhKUR7Y3tILN7heY1dH2TWMV39bpMwwSHLTO3QHRI1EbYYlrHKvpx5nOyf6eEmA492du2dTO_7ib5Nh8/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvACbvtsnNtc9XVorlu-IoXJdu5asXPLvWo27yi_8Jed1ZUj5MGFhzKwWkiSuhKUR7Y3tILN7heY1dH2TWMV39bpMwwSHLTO3QHRI1EbYYlrHKvpx5nOyf6eEmA492du2dTO_7ib5Nh8/s400/IMG_8030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692163416620520770" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Making coconut milk from shavings at the market</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We spent a delicious day at The Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School (<a href="http://www.thaifarmcooking.com/">www.thaifarmcooking.com</a>), visiting a market in the countryside before touring the school's farm of fresh-as-can-be ingredients, including bananas, mangoes, galangal, ginger, kaffir limes, lemongrass, and more. We cooked a feast with ingredients from the farm, including red curry chicken (<span style="font-style: italic;">kaeng phed gai</span>), basil chicken (<span style="font-style: italic;">phad kaprao gai)</span>, pad thai, and chicken coconut soup (<span style="font-style: italic;">tom kaa gai)</span>. Are you noticing a pattern? <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gai </span></span>means chicken! We made our curry paste from scratch, but you can see in the photo below that Thai cooks can purchase fresh curry paste in red, yellow, or green from the market in bulk.<br /></div></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvACbvtsnNtc9XVorlu-IoXJdu5asXPLvWo27yi_8Jed1ZUj5MGFhzKwWkiSuhKUR7Y3tILN7heY1dH2TWMV39bpMwwSHLTO3QHRI1EbYYlrHKvpx5nOyf6eEmA492du2dTO_7ib5Nh8/s1600/IMG_8030.JPG"></a></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFHc5src3EPX-1DJAgPJwy85Sg1N2v05R28T4lSOpX0V6-hYtD-BNPJ2Uv3B4ZhLbU9chzKjlXcUujaapyNTzgLGX5591h3hMlStXIga3VGngsaC0JfH0KosOOcSTsHZEmvknRtaSH4c/s1600/IMG_8027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFHc5src3EPX-1DJAgPJwy85Sg1N2v05R28T4lSOpX0V6-hYtD-BNPJ2Uv3B4ZhLbU9chzKjlXcUujaapyNTzgLGX5591h3hMlStXIga3VGngsaC0JfH0KosOOcSTsHZEmvknRtaSH4c/s400/IMG_8027.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692165360499103554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Green curry paste for purchase at the market</span> (<span style="font-size:85%;">thai cooks' secret)</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Qzyv_ZV9R0J0wq_hqHuBeZr0DgNnI4i0-iKk6FAGdOASRIlwOEuHkBCC-O0d6I0K0dmsNWg-2oFfIS1neb46JpaSQXgSiRz-fIjRuuXQHw_dVXQblbTReVcrmF9HVuSgFIdjTquGhM/s1600/IMG_8026.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1Qzyv_ZV9R0J0wq_hqHuBeZr0DgNnI4i0-iKk6FAGdOASRIlwOEuHkBCC-O0d6I0K0dmsNWg-2oFfIS1neb46JpaSQXgSiRz-fIjRuuXQHw_dVXQblbTReVcrmF9HVuSgFIdjTquGhM/s400/IMG_8026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692165355839535362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Chili sauces and oil at the market</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA65NmJturbyPocJesnta0gAk3CELUYzcIv5vPAcgX6ucg7NsIkmAswB6-khSdKKNGoiT0OkuqJuNgl1ExoQWvX3tqaprrRwZOxL_gxthcCuSar33Pq3qpq5qlyJrlDgihc2q2ayAgcY/s1600/IMG_8031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKA65NmJturbyPocJesnta0gAk3CELUYzcIv5vPAcgX6ucg7NsIkmAswB6-khSdKKNGoiT0OkuqJuNgl1ExoQWvX3tqaprrRwZOxL_gxthcCuSar33Pq3qpq5qlyJrlDgihc2q2ayAgcY/s400/IMG_8031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692165373187265106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the 20 baht (70 cent) bag of FRESH green peppercorns.<br />That's galangal directly behind the peppercorns.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sarah and I had these little balls of delight in a very thin sauce with red peppers and lots of broth on our first night in Thailand at a street market stall, served on a skewer of chicken, pineapple, tomato, and onion. Oh how I would love to have access to fresh green peppercorns in California. </span><br /><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />In case you're wondering how to make sticky rice...</span><br />First, you must purchase sticky rice grains. You can't make sticky rice by using regular rice grains. Next, soak the sticky rice in water overnight. Finally, steam the rice in a bamboo steamer until it is soft. Voila!<br /></span><span></span><br /><span>We learned a very important lesson at cooking school. </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How to eat sticky rice...</span><br />1. Grab a ball of the rice with your fingers (half the size of a ping pong ball)<br />2. Roll the ball in the palm of your hands.<br />3. Flatten the ball into the shape of a blood cell.<br />4. Use your patty to scoop up bites of yummy Thai food.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div><br /></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-73917192602260345852011-12-27T10:13:00.001-08:002012-03-05T15:01:41.269-08:00Magic Gardens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMmHgbDFaqcBWghyphenhyphen35ssMcCYTz8tf6CjCHlEd45pNN1OqXK7KZX0re0g-pyGHfA5OYEGPzHRM3MjY5ecT2Ie1T1zQNbBI3U881OTbka-U0YngwSe5o-txLfkEobyiRyhyphenhyphenRJ5v_PH936I/s1600/IMG_7937.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMmHgbDFaqcBWghyphenhyphen35ssMcCYTz8tf6CjCHlEd45pNN1OqXK7KZX0re0g-pyGHfA5OYEGPzHRM3MjY5ecT2Ie1T1zQNbBI3U881OTbka-U0YngwSe5o-txLfkEobyiRyhyphenhyphenRJ5v_PH936I/s400/IMG_7937.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690882579414620866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4cMYgGnx7Cnw9I-4qIhIWBw-jKtopnts3F1biukrWR1Wmk5JV3ykg8_nv-0Qgme8NNQUQpIH8HMJDLhqDqUdz6ofY6IDSL-5XOIGxao5GNu-BRDzNSeospV_plUgdrKWHo1ynJzRfoI/s1600/IMG_7929.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4cMYgGnx7Cnw9I-4qIhIWBw-jKtopnts3F1biukrWR1Wmk5JV3ykg8_nv-0Qgme8NNQUQpIH8HMJDLhqDqUdz6ofY6IDSL-5XOIGxao5GNu-BRDzNSeospV_plUgdrKWHo1ynJzRfoI/s400/IMG_7929.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690875483011802946" border="0" /></a>Chedis (also called stupas in other countries) can be found in all Thai temples and are a solid structure, meaning you cannot enter it, as it's more of a monument. They are built to hold relics and other treasures. Thais kneel before them to pray and give offerings of incense, flowers and candles.<br /><br />The chedi at Wat Lok Molee is practically in ruins. Bare brick is all that remains. It is massive and golden Buddhas sit on various levels. The base of the chedi is the height of a 2 story building and is covered in green plants growing. Three monks in saffron robes sat smoking behind it. The top of the base was wrapped in what I call "monk orange" fabric.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7NL1cypMPV4ALo8qLlVt9oHHWXCphPC2rhyphenhyphen__Oar_0VX7-fQWdCN_71F6y3wy8kGamQax1FnZDzzu4_0T-KFOmJF6cvewgyUTZgYhhUxxE3IQE3R8eoMOLM2XL6pv7y1ijlE4Xh4X-o/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7NL1cypMPV4ALo8qLlVt9oHHWXCphPC2rhyphenhyphen__Oar_0VX7-fQWdCN_71F6y3wy8kGamQax1FnZDzzu4_0T-KFOmJF6cvewgyUTZgYhhUxxE3IQE3R8eoMOLM2XL6pv7y1ijlE4Xh4X-o/s400/IMG_7941.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690882582806014034" border="0" /></a><br />The main temple was made of very dark wood. In front of the temple stood a tree of gold and a tree of silver with 2 white elephants with red and yellow details. It truly was a magic garden.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6hI_Sau4bmNtc6rI7uNZ8GV_KMuaw9-ofZDygCBH3zYTqx2oTW-kdb8gsG2MPPZ5S4qmPK_JnVVET5vYgORHyN-vfRMVRKZRc-UL9jsS_ZEJ4bB_AMkXjGm0fGcG2rEcRLP8HTiz3yY/s1600/IMG_7916.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6hI_Sau4bmNtc6rI7uNZ8GV_KMuaw9-ofZDygCBH3zYTqx2oTW-kdb8gsG2MPPZ5S4qmPK_JnVVET5vYgORHyN-vfRMVRKZRc-UL9jsS_ZEJ4bB_AMkXjGm0fGcG2rEcRLP8HTiz3yY/s400/IMG_7916.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690875464140596946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgDSpnG3CD1FY1RpzF5GfcMoaj9_HHhInJNcfwf-MT0wwr8hwQ67UwjbrL9h1i2N3dNQRBGPHXIb94yvy7WAeurCFH_ZxZWApNEd_b8zpGTO0isjwyHjmr9i03ioocWw_8-dtYigZa2k/s1600/IMG_7852.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgDSpnG3CD1FY1RpzF5GfcMoaj9_HHhInJNcfwf-MT0wwr8hwQ67UwjbrL9h1i2N3dNQRBGPHXIb94yvy7WAeurCFH_ZxZWApNEd_b8zpGTO0isjwyHjmr9i03ioocWw_8-dtYigZa2k/s400/IMG_7852.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690875450224318898" border="0" /></a>The very shiny Chedi Luang was in a temple complex where, on Sunday evenings, food vendors set up stalls selling ice cream, sushi, noodles, thai tea (sold out of lemonade machines that keep it moving constantly), skewers of meat and fish balls, and rice dishes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXXgdqUhZQxW9Shjb3p-scfoQ13QIJN5asDP2CUVNXn8fbmySsG_CnToORZqZVYGLAZc85JFMz2CXXkwqTqyevMfbxxQ4d0Q5a_UyuTGRko2iPhm5ABHbXwbkMw9Nd5RXbIzVOxVPmAk/s1600/IMG_7826.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXXgdqUhZQxW9Shjb3p-scfoQ13QIJN5asDP2CUVNXn8fbmySsG_CnToORZqZVYGLAZc85JFMz2CXXkwqTqyevMfbxxQ4d0Q5a_UyuTGRko2iPhm5ABHbXwbkMw9Nd5RXbIzVOxVPmAk/s400/IMG_7826.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690875441906229138" border="0" /></a>This reclining Buddha at Wat Phra Singh is experiencing Nirvana even though they've built a tiny little house for him, which seems too small. He could never stand up in this structure! Notice Sarah standing at his feet to truly understand how gigantic he is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIrncy44EbVpU1OnpZQkCLRRjCuCnntppOXG2Xxno_VzLVR3VfTtmqc7Ny_FsbHn6ocoG8EfQkXwdbP7ggNmI51y5TZEsaY54gLPNLpgBBnl215QYZopiDUENcUSjpCrqg472AeFiFkM/s1600/IMG_7949.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIrncy44EbVpU1OnpZQkCLRRjCuCnntppOXG2Xxno_VzLVR3VfTtmqc7Ny_FsbHn6ocoG8EfQkXwdbP7ggNmI51y5TZEsaY54gLPNLpgBBnl215QYZopiDUENcUSjpCrqg472AeFiFkM/s400/IMG_7949.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690875487373193490" border="0" /></a>This peaceful Buddha looks out over the moat surrounding the Old City of Chiang Mai. Ruins of the old wall on the inside of the moat still stand. Thais use the ancient gates in the walls (used to enter the Old City) as landmarks and meeting places. We stayed inside the Old City.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-YB-GNa3xJEf7xFBKTS3azP1GtxhSVnm3PXC1Ps14slwbHY2bhM1TezWIqD8ZvJjHrclHy43jdDS7hbOhHOrwGJ0aCjeidfoOx0ncNUKFmB5Ma1a7Js4Y1JJobOMbJiYPex8OLnO_rU/s1600/IMG_7952.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-YB-GNa3xJEf7xFBKTS3azP1GtxhSVnm3PXC1Ps14slwbHY2bhM1TezWIqD8ZvJjHrclHy43jdDS7hbOhHOrwGJ0aCjeidfoOx0ncNUKFmB5Ma1a7Js4Y1JJobOMbJiYPex8OLnO_rU/s400/IMG_7952.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690884326149342338" border="0" /></a>Here I am standing at one of the gates in the wall surrounding the Old City. The pink lanterns were part of the Loy Krathong lantern festival.Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-18125757305342133482011-12-03T17:19:00.001-08:002012-03-05T15:01:41.309-08:00Chiang Mai Temples<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfqO19GUb6xyvmVF3MG9PW5qDLl8G2_TeXQqJXUKDIQNz-FE9ucEMGkrbIoQWJKAWE4r4VHOG3S6Ejh6CIngFLvDEuOgrb1Oa5iZ6q6GjDwEt-ulKEnpvsmrR12s1D8omYdbIvgJSP0w/s1600/IMG_7873.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhljSHWlt21VDqRV15rEk_l27kdDnWpJ5tHSojDO3u1Dwuz020a7llskrydypyuzODkYia8GQcWDRSWzNACWL3yTnRLSSFex-x3QXm5l1XtwBKAS4Jg7MDoPl0ce-VeSysVDxggwzGI7U/s1600/IMG_7868.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhljSHWlt21VDqRV15rEk_l27kdDnWpJ5tHSojDO3u1Dwuz020a7llskrydypyuzODkYia8GQcWDRSWzNACWL3yTnRLSSFex-x3QXm5l1XtwBKAS4Jg7MDoPl0ce-VeSysVDxggwzGI7U/s400/IMG_7868.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682078296266904610" border="0" /></a>Arriving in Chiang Mai after 18 years away I didn't know what to expect. I was absolutely delighted to discover the city still holds a spell over me. The rhythm of the city is quite different than any other place I've been. On the one hand, traffic is intense and chaotic and sidewalks are ripped up with gaping holes in them. On the other, you happen upon ancient buddhist temples, oases in the middle of the city that act as public parks and places of worship.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cTf06kM-8uPcobP_S06kmLD1C5mhRo4gwiNrs9dGR_dJ6sOCaz7xsfdNX9fUOhMOF2Zm6QFeZptCswhd2i8cxHJiRjgJdoD2sZN2M1DaX7JJE19vknvEkXHsb_TqmQroOpPhYiOx7es/s1600/IMG_7865.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0cTf06kM-8uPcobP_S06kmLD1C5mhRo4gwiNrs9dGR_dJ6sOCaz7xsfdNX9fUOhMOF2Zm6QFeZptCswhd2i8cxHJiRjgJdoD2sZN2M1DaX7JJE19vknvEkXHsb_TqmQroOpPhYiOx7es/s400/IMG_7865.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682078284876375266" border="0" /></a>Monks walk the streets of the city in the early morning carrying an alms bowl to collect food and other offerings for themselves and the temple. This photo was taken as the monks returned to Wat Phra Singh (<span style="font-style: italic;">wat </span>means temple in Thai), just after sunrise, carrying their alms bowls.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ppLlNkZnD6cBcwlSRS7ZLzc-nslvXDXPKd1oHYBHkVYEjp70FOcP8TKnyL-C8ZsbrdcsBbZBjPPsyYmLHqyUGMXrfsuZ_wlyUXy29d4Q2cIuCXVYvp1ruO0Hwbh9-MXcCOtwL2GWprU/s1600/IMG_7856.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ppLlNkZnD6cBcwlSRS7ZLzc-nslvXDXPKd1oHYBHkVYEjp70FOcP8TKnyL-C8ZsbrdcsBbZBjPPsyYmLHqyUGMXrfsuZ_wlyUXy29d4Q2cIuCXVYvp1ruO0Hwbh9-MXcCOtwL2GWprU/s400/IMG_7856.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682078278303675954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVLVl1liLBKvXC__KvKHb1bjmnIM8-qhrcWi5SLFQDDHbzx2K9oEmomrJEAEVDv5sFHf8BAIM88YOMNEcX2In5CtptNqP-wbUHk3Y1GbGSG3o3RjAwui91BzXAVlhVM9gFhHO1yxZotI/s1600/IMG_7846.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVLVl1liLBKvXC__KvKHb1bjmnIM8-qhrcWi5SLFQDDHbzx2K9oEmomrJEAEVDv5sFHf8BAIM88YOMNEcX2In5CtptNqP-wbUHk3Y1GbGSG3o3RjAwui91BzXAVlhVM9gFhHO1yxZotI/s400/IMG_7846.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682078268903602050" border="0" /></a>Thai culture, including religion and their script, is influenced by India. You can really see this in this shrine on a temple compound in Chiang Mai's old city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjctsq176u04iOBmNsb_Ndo_oFpz6HRJIyBQrOUccFlNMhg4ZG699OAyydL28auqlZmisYNH8cXj6tR1VIUQ05lEaRg6MjibwrAo8MM_kQewEciKW3hZ1IURiavGGkggCc0t859NBpQd8/s1600/IMG_7872.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjctsq176u04iOBmNsb_Ndo_oFpz6HRJIyBQrOUccFlNMhg4ZG699OAyydL28auqlZmisYNH8cXj6tR1VIUQ05lEaRg6MjibwrAo8MM_kQewEciKW3hZ1IURiavGGkggCc0t859NBpQd8/s400/IMG_7872.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682078309032419026" border="0" /></a>I made a donation in exchange for a Loy Krathong with my family names on it. I also cut a piece of fingernail and a piece of hair using the scissors and clippers provided by the temple to add to the little banana leaf boat. The boat was added to a larger boat that they floated on the river during the festival.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfqO19GUb6xyvmVF3MG9PW5qDLl8G2_TeXQqJXUKDIQNz-FE9ucEMGkrbIoQWJKAWE4r4VHOG3S6Ejh6CIngFLvDEuOgrb1Oa5iZ6q6GjDwEt-ulKEnpvsmrR12s1D8omYdbIvgJSP0w/s1600/IMG_7873.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfqO19GUb6xyvmVF3MG9PW5qDLl8G2_TeXQqJXUKDIQNz-FE9ucEMGkrbIoQWJKAWE4r4VHOG3S6Ejh6CIngFLvDEuOgrb1Oa5iZ6q6GjDwEt-ulKEnpvsmrR12s1D8omYdbIvgJSP0w/s400/IMG_7873.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682082485884137410" border="0" /></a>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-49454328498010035642011-12-03T14:50:00.001-08:002012-03-05T15:01:41.316-08:00Culture Shock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghanqlh6E_nNHODX6Vy49vki9KlKn6QVZUuYtCejQVJNiOIOTUOnpZOyDCETPaybqNWqA6sltp7dMRIfIPfdNgwPBmJQB-kibKMeBYyKe1UiKX_S5xvqpqJbGFQ3WZLuMcXkBXmxeOMw4/s1600/IMG_7888.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmuckloFk5SlijOwNOyOKMQtRJvH9FTfC_7lIkqUwD7vIgptJ4VxfsSQiiE59vTBODbEyK2jRi_5sUztCPYDR99RrwBomZ6PV-Z7gwAHESNFZ-E0rEg4i6fYcOqK7Eu6-AhkpT4pfbUI/s1600/IMG_7879.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmuckloFk5SlijOwNOyOKMQtRJvH9FTfC_7lIkqUwD7vIgptJ4VxfsSQiiE59vTBODbEyK2jRi_5sUztCPYDR99RrwBomZ6PV-Z7gwAHESNFZ-E0rEg4i6fYcOqK7Eu6-AhkpT4pfbUI/s400/IMG_7879.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682069126277339074" border="0" /></a><br />As a freshman in high school I decided I wanted to study abroad. I really didn't care where, I just wanted to leave the country. I was 14 so my mom helped me do research on possible programs. She found the Global Youth Academy on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz, a traveling school that toured the world during the school year and took shorter journeys during the summer. It was 1993 and they were going to Thailand and Indonesia that summer. I don't know if I had ever heard of Thailand before. I looked at a map of South America expecting to find it next to Brazil.<br /><br />I fundraised money and joined the trip of 7 students and one teacher. When I stepped off the airplane in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand, my host family met me and drove me directly to their home. The next day they brought me to the uniform shop to get me outfitted for school and soon I was the tallest palest student at Wattanothaipayap school. I experienced major culture shock and home sickness. It was serious. I hadn't expected when I signed up that Thailand would be like Mexico (my only foreign point of reference at that time for places with spotty trash service and no hot water)! I hadn't realized many things, like there would be shanty towns built at the end of roads in my neighborhood, and we would eat fried chicken for breakfast with something I'd never heard of called sticky rice, or that each of us 7 students would be attending different schools across the city, so there would be absolutely no buffer between me and the Thai culture and students. Oh, and I hadn't realized that, at the age of 15, I would be a head taller than most of the teachers in my school and that it was disrespectful to have your head higher than a teacher, so I would bow down to avoid towering over them each time we passed in the hallway or a classroom.<br /><br />I had an epiphany a few days into my stay. I sat down to lunch in the canteen at school and was introduced to a Thai girl who had lived in Los Angeles until she started high school. She complained bitterly about Thailand and lamented how much she missed California. She was unhappy. Our conversation cured my home sickness. Her attitude was so drastically different from everyone else I had met in Thailand. She was negative. She reminded me of my classmates in Santa Cruz, who had "everything" compared to Thais, but did not appreciate any of it and chose to focus on the negative in their lives. This had been me one week before when I left California. I decided right then and there at the lunch table that I would savor every minute of my time in Thailand because it was absolutely refreshing to be surrounded by people that smiled a lot, did not complain, and focused on the positive. Plus I was amazed by the orange robed monks wandering the streets, the incredibly ornate temples, and the armies of scooters in the streets. Thai pop was pretty awesome too.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEH3W03wMl4ZULplQcvl3wel9I25LHQOa2bzczZ0AVAfk4ciHJANXWJEE1Q1q1n_wRT6Sbavmzt8ilbwNgiZvGddHCxHwIdRJshcWOfdR-fqCdJFSDzwhOZqvL8O730dd-Cd9HRCyyBQ/s1600/IMG_7883.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEH3W03wMl4ZULplQcvl3wel9I25LHQOa2bzczZ0AVAfk4ciHJANXWJEE1Q1q1n_wRT6Sbavmzt8ilbwNgiZvGddHCxHwIdRJshcWOfdR-fqCdJFSDzwhOZqvL8O730dd-Cd9HRCyyBQ/s400/IMG_7883.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682055874745869890" border="0" /></a><br />Fast forward to 2011, my best friend Sarah and I took a trip to Chiang Mai and I met a bunch of students who weren't even born when I attended the school, but they look just like I remember them!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghanqlh6E_nNHODX6Vy49vki9KlKn6QVZUuYtCejQVJNiOIOTUOnpZOyDCETPaybqNWqA6sltp7dMRIfIPfdNgwPBmJQB-kibKMeBYyKe1UiKX_S5xvqpqJbGFQ3WZLuMcXkBXmxeOMw4/s1600/IMG_7888.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghanqlh6E_nNHODX6Vy49vki9KlKn6QVZUuYtCejQVJNiOIOTUOnpZOyDCETPaybqNWqA6sltp7dMRIfIPfdNgwPBmJQB-kibKMeBYyKe1UiKX_S5xvqpqJbGFQ3WZLuMcXkBXmxeOMw4/s400/IMG_7888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682070160208239746" border="0" /></a>In my journal from high school I wrote that I had been worried that there would be no ice cream in Thailand. I was delighted when I found that they offered freshly scooped ice cream at my school. On my recent trip I was happy to see that the canteen still offers many ice cream options!Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-58325928099907997542011-09-17T14:05:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:30:23.305-08:00Historical Beer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvddnVm5LlgYVIw8Qs6qHGxSD0JJ5AI149JL-6RFbDA9S-TvdKaU-iFkTVf-7Mhu0GM4psEjdU0vuXUdieEDdGrLsNN3SP429RPX283w37TGfiHf9hKuwaLScDlfcpSjzyljWGlcAkO44/s1600/IMG_7687.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvddnVm5LlgYVIw8Qs6qHGxSD0JJ5AI149JL-6RFbDA9S-TvdKaU-iFkTVf-7Mhu0GM4psEjdU0vuXUdieEDdGrLsNN3SP429RPX283w37TGfiHf9hKuwaLScDlfcpSjzyljWGlcAkO44/s400/IMG_7687.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653438229447798962" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Sacks of Pale Ale Malt</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uBBhrCNKdP1Y9oFyn4uWe_ZApJka-xVdXOYaKeNQLGBVdtrQAzfDmdxo3b6Q9lWu7RtaupCyspnhfvFj9eYtHtFGtdjOdHboCYtFaJ_u6HhKiP-D2Ga8xIdRL-66aXLzzvzUB-EiOic/s1600/IMG_7678.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uBBhrCNKdP1Y9oFyn4uWe_ZApJka-xVdXOYaKeNQLGBVdtrQAzfDmdxo3b6Q9lWu7RtaupCyspnhfvFj9eYtHtFGtdjOdHboCYtFaJ_u6HhKiP-D2Ga8xIdRL-66aXLzzvzUB-EiOic/s400/IMG_7678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653438223112963346" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Founder and sole employee Adam Lamoreaux explaining the beer.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSga84-wbFByLfe2BAkDuv4jy79u5pR8uSNbARTQzljaQPCIs8pA8umGafYp0nIMJWQS_f1_s5nzOAHMZgFRvKVeJJu231jizgPumgAdsOY2xVSjiJpP8wW91a30Yp0T84bWX0yjFtGJs/s1600/IMG_7680.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSga84-wbFByLfe2BAkDuv4jy79u5pR8uSNbARTQzljaQPCIs8pA8umGafYp0nIMJWQS_f1_s5nzOAHMZgFRvKVeJJu231jizgPumgAdsOY2xVSjiJpP8wW91a30Yp0T84bWX0yjFtGJs/s400/IMG_7680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653438219073551698" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Dimpled beer kettle</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6dpOdZqFg6HELeJlvV5K5yqneMkJo2Wv0c4VOCY5nscg-knPr9QFctfRO3XHuoeCJX-oOLBueG6a2tc5vQ9NfiHd9PBIsLMhKTTwET7JEPFU0UzywIsb2mBOn_YU7qHiis2fX2Qflrs/s1600/IMG_7675.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig6dpOdZqFg6HELeJlvV5K5yqneMkJo2Wv0c4VOCY5nscg-knPr9QFctfRO3XHuoeCJX-oOLBueG6a2tc5vQ9NfiHd9PBIsLMhKTTwET7JEPFU0UzywIsb2mBOn_YU7qHiis2fX2Qflrs/s400/IMG_7675.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653438215048441074" border="0" /></a>Linden Street Brewery, founded in 2009, is located in an 1890 warehouse in Port of Oakland. Founder Adam Lamoreaux makes beer inside in the 1890 style! He wanted to make the type of beer that Jack London would have been drinking at Heinhold's Last Chance so he researched and learned that Oakland beer in 1890 would have been steam beer, which, he explained, "is a lager made like an ale." Adam makes two varieties of beer, Burning Oak Black Lager and Urban People's Common Lager. He's working on a new beer, Town Lager, that will be zero emissions, meaning it will only be available in places Adam can ride his bike to deliver it, mostly Jack London Square and Old Oakland. He has a custom 2 keg delivery bike he already uses to deliver to his neighbor clients. I am happy to report that Linden Street Brewery will open a tasting room soon. Right now, the only way to taste their beer is at a restaurant or bar that serves it. I sampled both varieties at the brewery and they were both excellent!Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-51515761177494772722011-09-17T13:51:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:30:36.660-08:00Cold Storage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IZpPFZ-hgGcMfnYSxCCm57ff2kmpfZmopsI69-L2xQPqIsPtEB7uYRhXTr2Cld_S0tDnGjve-AutxlDTLL4LkgUg-rnbk7PePnjH6nJRpYQHHJWItwNRjEG-jrRaEWNEdAgWW-WhMjU/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IZpPFZ-hgGcMfnYSxCCm57ff2kmpfZmopsI69-L2xQPqIsPtEB7uYRhXTr2Cld_S0tDnGjve-AutxlDTLL4LkgUg-rnbk7PePnjH6nJRpYQHHJWItwNRjEG-jrRaEWNEdAgWW-WhMjU/s400/IMG_7662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653437114700164882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHNZY7F-l2nWG9VGuiVoabbmAtrucI0iYRQvNnvvwuAOn8qIY8lYRdsaok_tQX53meql-JnEXlHVnOfDxTeG9Wk7JQPfY6yrh3dmrTeWkQKWKHDRZhQnsd_qf88PXYHT1hEB-9CeE1nE/s1600/IMG_7649.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHNZY7F-l2nWG9VGuiVoabbmAtrucI0iYRQvNnvvwuAOn8qIY8lYRdsaok_tQX53meql-JnEXlHVnOfDxTeG9Wk7JQPfY6yrh3dmrTeWkQKWKHDRZhQnsd_qf88PXYHT1hEB-9CeE1nE/s400/IMG_7649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653436242780058450" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RWTAb0vi97AtXGwf9ThWcSkTZ-ekb2JSXsxgxDr4eSgVNEiLX2TaZePcX7Ae6iL55b9jczTzKbwTwXpqCDYxjyJDoSeUWzRvTkw8eA57mgxOe75qb8wQbacmfmPHGIR0a61n9xFLbdE/s400/IMG_7672.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653435390537145090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " border="0" /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZbeAxRxlff17fLNqnT_9xawsjluuGWcnwuqyB9SmN9uKOciWhvXgYgrLUdBE7K3Dwdrdjkm2h4gj1As7wSuc0RBbrJFLFJj9eS8xu637DBMEpW7M9dz-xiBOyOgl1MLTMiePVrRjSes/s1600/IMG_7648.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZbeAxRxlff17fLNqnT_9xawsjluuGWcnwuqyB9SmN9uKOciWhvXgYgrLUdBE7K3Dwdrdjkm2h4gj1As7wSuc0RBbrJFLFJj9eS8xu637DBMEpW7M9dz-xiBOyOgl1MLTMiePVrRjSes/s400/IMG_7648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653434310864023938" border="0" /></a>Dreisbach is my neighbor. When I moved in, my landlord told me that they provided cold storage and that, even on the hottest of days, we would see men coming out of the factory in huge coats. What I notice a lot more than the men in the big coats is the mack trucks that idle in front of my house around the clock, while using my short street to turn around and back up to the warehouse. On moving day, my moving truck wasn't able to get to my house because 2 trucks were blocking the street. I asked my neighbor if this was normal and he smiled and said, "Oh yeah! You'll hear trucks right here at 3 in the morning! All the time!" I was scared, very scared.<div><br /><div> </div><div>As it turns out, Dreisbach hasn't been such a bad neighbor. The trucks come at 4am, they idle, they block my driveway in the morning when I'm trying to leave for work. But, all in all, the drivers are courteous when I need to leave, and its kind of exciting having this kind of industry going on right here. The steel manufacturer directly across the street from my house is a story for another day...</div><div><br /></div><div>I learned from the tour of Dreisbach that they are a 3rd generation family business established right here in 1900, and that they have locations in Pajaro and Watsonville, near where I grew up, where they freeze fruits and vegetable straight from the farm for packaging. They also use the train tracks and rail spur directly behind their factory to load and unload merchandise. They store foods on their way to Asia (eg. "Chicken Paws" [feet!] heading for China pictured above) and foods just arrived from all over the world, on their way to the American market. </div><div><br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-50329952830692317812011-09-17T13:41:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:30:46.093-08:00Nuts for nuts<div>Artisana Premier Organics in East Oakland makes nut butters out of mostly raw nuts. They make macadamia, cashew, raw cacao, almond, and coconut butters. They provided tons of samples to taste and then to take home. I must say that I am converted. The nut butters I've been putting on my toast are superb. Its great to know that these healthy exotic products are made right here in Oakland. The nuts come from across the globe to be ground in this factory.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iyZa7lBFwV0Yyaegu2Ot4Cxyab3z0DCBjyg6XqhX7FRUBd4-I0o58NMvkXXtsEPOGseYICHbiCd3eioGIsBJVy7liYskYvUgh7Rr6tUsuUw-Ib2IRhKCEDDhfJF5W7Ssyb-ZoT7kCps/s1600/IMG_7647.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iyZa7lBFwV0Yyaegu2Ot4Cxyab3z0DCBjyg6XqhX7FRUBd4-I0o58NMvkXXtsEPOGseYICHbiCd3eioGIsBJVy7liYskYvUgh7Rr6tUsuUw-Ib2IRhKCEDDhfJF5W7Ssyb-ZoT7kCps/s400/IMG_7647.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653432574261385218" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Artisana Premier Organics Sampling Table</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AAFlxexp99pD5pw9BUfV8IlNzib2XmMyyHmUMm8_eRByIS6zAGAwGir4Z8Wq1zQtNse2kkqHehnyha9zJvC6tLo9xogpGOgQjoXeEc7aQyNM5-03Ts7a7e0IoHFTJ_ELxumm7ABlSO8/s1600/IMG_7646.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AAFlxexp99pD5pw9BUfV8IlNzib2XmMyyHmUMm8_eRByIS6zAGAwGir4Z8Wq1zQtNse2kkqHehnyha9zJvC6tLo9xogpGOgQjoXeEc7aQyNM5-03Ts7a7e0IoHFTJ_ELxumm7ABlSO8/s400/IMG_7646.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653432573412670882" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">Artisana started in the old Sunshine Biscuits factory, but have moved across the street.</span></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-68900727732340621362011-09-17T13:34:00.001-07:002011-09-17T13:36:03.837-07:00Changing Perceptons"Most of us spend our lives viewing our environment through a haze, but if we work hard enough, the haze lifts and the view becomes limitless." -- Ishmael Reed in <i>Blues City: A Walk in Oakland</i>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-53447611610504729242011-09-15T21:48:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:30:57.441-08:00Veronica Foods<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU84kLpyh4v20e6ZEFXU49d9rD18XmX6G2Kctbk9QSH5T_SYd1ehIR0QZscste-dJ7-WMPkjMH_2uRclnIZqf0PNnPpKj7GgFcqq7V9S9wAXOFoWapbqQj46U0w0EEYCOM6HnD0s4ybZc/s1600/IMG_7642.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU84kLpyh4v20e6ZEFXU49d9rD18XmX6G2Kctbk9QSH5T_SYd1ehIR0QZscste-dJ7-WMPkjMH_2uRclnIZqf0PNnPpKj7GgFcqq7V9S9wAXOFoWapbqQj46U0w0EEYCOM6HnD0s4ybZc/s400/IMG_7642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652815859618124626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Cubes of Vinegar</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Veronica Foods, near the waterfront of Jingletown, Oakland, receives train cars full of olive oil and vinegar on their own set of train tracks located right outside the back door of their factory. In a year, they import over a million gallons of olive oil from all over the world. Veronica and Michael Bradley run the business. Veronica is the granddaughter of the founder of the company. Their daughter makes countless varieties of flavored vinegars, including violet and espresso flavors.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7uSy95R0R4pPf8jACQX96Yee9U_-JSs20TDpdjyMAiy1T7JhJjo4AVcJfl3GocpB1upzfCziPtIps0abvytn1V-LRjCfu9rWp7CousVuQ_JfOVvMryiQoMJ0dwUyz6nriRlcZ1SdRHY/s1600/IMG_7638.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7uSy95R0R4pPf8jACQX96Yee9U_-JSs20TDpdjyMAiy1T7JhJjo4AVcJfl3GocpB1upzfCziPtIps0abvytn1V-LRjCfu9rWp7CousVuQ_JfOVvMryiQoMJ0dwUyz6nriRlcZ1SdRHY/s400/IMG_7638.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652815856367930658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Olive Oil vat</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Veronica and Michael taught us how to taste olive oil from a cup. Step 1. Slurp, Step 2. coat your tongue, Step 3. Feel the burn on the back of your throat. </span>They also taught us that the number one criteria for good olive oil is freshness. All olive oil should be eaten within one year of production.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EdSNHFdgUX9A3vdtgW5hSkNnuPnZQlB7zW3z-NfYMVFkg1cllNAI9yzELLKRBJBzvNv0tyc5PJ9ViQrJv0MgWlhAF_LKDOLTa59cKHL9084s2rQ5rp_rQyD1VzyEzlALSBXOreuFa68/s1600/IMG_7634.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EdSNHFdgUX9A3vdtgW5hSkNnuPnZQlB7zW3z-NfYMVFkg1cllNAI9yzELLKRBJBzvNv0tyc5PJ9ViQrJv0MgWlhAF_LKDOLTa59cKHL9084s2rQ5rp_rQyD1VzyEzlALSBXOreuFa68/s400/IMG_7634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652815856636990562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Stacks of Olive Oil</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA6I234SoydfyuhFSRSJcllauvJc6Wor47b0XD_dUzCQNTXaE2G3_dzzLqxEFpraDJEyveKWM3_Jxwzd5jl7A_txrsPopcY8doQJgvrabSelXKLBYeyeV9Wt6vLXcAxL1vYZbt3xxWGk/s1600/IMG_7625.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxA6I234SoydfyuhFSRSJcllauvJc6Wor47b0XD_dUzCQNTXaE2G3_dzzLqxEFpraDJEyveKWM3_Jxwzd5jl7A_txrsPopcY8doQJgvrabSelXKLBYeyeV9Wt6vLXcAxL1vYZbt3xxWGk/s400/IMG_7625.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652815849637181682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Veronica Foods </span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKpgRDegalCKHyiAOAsIZZsBqMdh6mfB-jXDjqlytVx6blm8kdIDjOzFIANiOwAZmGTP0BxkIdf3mlfqjPTNwE_ZB4wpj0PgwdHvKa5b7m1bLkjZ-A1dpRLY1AiF236oJnnNYj-JGXio/s1600/IMG_7643.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKpgRDegalCKHyiAOAsIZZsBqMdh6mfB-jXDjqlytVx6blm8kdIDjOzFIANiOwAZmGTP0BxkIdf3mlfqjPTNwE_ZB4wpj0PgwdHvKa5b7m1bLkjZ-A1dpRLY1AiF236oJnnNYj-JGXio/s400/IMG_7643.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652815876054964578" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">6,000 pound olive oil sack</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">They took a hint from the wine industry on how to ship their oil. These 6,000 lb. vacuum sealed sacks never allow air to touch the oil. </span>They travel the world forming relationships with their farmers. They also established a mill in Tunisia to produce their own oils.<br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-74811787613914204472011-09-15T21:32:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:31:11.243-08:00Exotic Teas of Oakland<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsHBqsrXXNShVzfKur9c1vTmPN7S9EPPlbSyTr29vjg0shyH13-MUelns6IzV6It6X8PubKKMpP1B6ZmZwGIe84nX61xiqYELg8db7sCjuIC1dahPT1Wpn52Xp6nHmN9LpVNRMj6ZCLw/s1600/IMG_7617.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJsHBqsrXXNShVzfKur9c1vTmPN7S9EPPlbSyTr29vjg0shyH13-MUelns6IzV6It6X8PubKKMpP1B6ZmZwGIe84nX61xiqYELg8db7sCjuIC1dahPT1Wpn52Xp6nHmN9LpVNRMj6ZCLw/s400/IMG_7617.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652811774304281202" border="0" /></a><br />Numi Tea is located in part of the historic California Cotton Mills in Oakland. The tea that started it all for the brother and sister that run the company is a dry desert lime tea that their mother served them as children. They couldn't find the tea as adults and decided to solve that problem. They've since expanded to many exotic teas from all over the world. Numi Tea is organic and they form relationships with their tea farmers in order to ensure the highest quality.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsHKurf-mtdSEOVc6OuAwvnsgTrdUwEXYwrxGYMQu6c5wduwewOabWGQLW2N6GlTw2guCH01zFXH5DjkhCzTAlFSpVQLtcsnhYiAjw1i3P0_TQIAIsXyeyYPalETlRamWK9b3QqGhxDQ/s1600/IMG_7620.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsHKurf-mtdSEOVc6OuAwvnsgTrdUwEXYwrxGYMQu6c5wduwewOabWGQLW2N6GlTw2guCH01zFXH5DjkhCzTAlFSpVQLtcsnhYiAjw1i3P0_TQIAIsXyeyYPalETlRamWK9b3QqGhxDQ/s400/IMG_7620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652811778417375730" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;">Scenic Historic Cotton Mills Warehouse<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeq-na3duAYTEgysi2Ez6N5pfzjThq6W889gONYvVr4Q_Vt0_lsj09eotAc5wx1De21ZpGBoEtbKObAREHe1elMK66otG6plCCzn6Ehz8nFXrsWD3DmW6mov_qx4JuLt5Sm5NM7pdFwE/s1600/IMG_7623.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeq-na3duAYTEgysi2Ez6N5pfzjThq6W889gONYvVr4Q_Vt0_lsj09eotAc5wx1De21ZpGBoEtbKObAREHe1elMK66otG6plCCzn6Ehz8nFXrsWD3DmW6mov_qx4JuLt5Sm5NM7pdFwE/s400/IMG_7623.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652811781037088786" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Bulk Teas in the "tea garden"<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Visitors to the tea garden can sample Numi Teas and nibble on snacks, such as cookies flavored with Numi Tea. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-58476387645741557092011-09-15T21:15:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:31:25.001-08:00Blue Bottle Coffee (aka torture stop)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAdo6VucB4oui4XidiMrbcKC1Nd8Urabo0hpwfJSO3UT2-kIobg095U57opKPZyWLnGWtotnd6zhyK0P7s6xx1nXRG3YENBiu4YxyDV2vpc25bO9a_nHtV95xqTkagTcCfW7oKz1_rKI/s1600/IMG_7606.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAdo6VucB4oui4XidiMrbcKC1Nd8Urabo0hpwfJSO3UT2-kIobg095U57opKPZyWLnGWtotnd6zhyK0P7s6xx1nXRG3YENBiu4YxyDV2vpc25bO9a_nHtV95xqTkagTcCfW7oKz1_rKI/s400/IMG_7606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652807862465704114" border="0" /></a>The third stop on Oakland's Food Industry Tour was at Blue Bottle Coffee in Jack London Square. To be fair, the owner, James Freeman, said he doesn't like that name and calls it the produce district. The rest of the world still calls the area Jack London. In fact, Blue Bottle's factory was a long-time produce warehouse and quite a few produce wholesalers continue to do business in the area. Why did I title this the 'torture stop'? Because we didn't have time to drink coffee! The smells were intoxicating in themselves. I learned that all their coffee is organic and that they cook their delightful pastries on sight. Mr. Freeman is married to the pastry chef. He showed us raw coffee beans, that kind of look like kids teeth after they fall out.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOELykv031Uu-6ChJKsg7AnV5gFSLQEBPJ4fNXcvKzYc1hqInxcoYLvVgNzlyBc-tv__-fJABxATTvOmb_O4ZGyXeQGEXpLSdhmAiYMbtaHCeo20oq0ps83k6iUBW_f06FW08EafOTQE/s1600/IMG_7612.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghOELykv031Uu-6ChJKsg7AnV5gFSLQEBPJ4fNXcvKzYc1hqInxcoYLvVgNzlyBc-tv__-fJABxATTvOmb_O4ZGyXeQGEXpLSdhmAiYMbtaHCeo20oq0ps83k6iUBW_f06FW08EafOTQE/s400/IMG_7612.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652807870584213042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Blue Bottle's Oakland Factory<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">If you would like to taste the glory that is Blue Bottle Coffee, they host free and open to the public cuppings on Tuesdays and Sundays at 2pm each week. </span><br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-3847719540406063502011-09-15T20:54:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:31:36.324-08:00California Cereal Products<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzmWCe5qbk77L7pknQImrev4OYeUZIgf8RX_kWuBCHYkIlikSMrLrypzpEJDrAp1qrNY34ePYZnJdq3XePlIU9c6CI0qjFKzdac2q-Ix_ZLT812Uimzbs035dA1NbBfDSOIM2v8agDBU/s1600/IMG_7605.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzmWCe5qbk77L7pknQImrev4OYeUZIgf8RX_kWuBCHYkIlikSMrLrypzpEJDrAp1qrNY34ePYZnJdq3XePlIU9c6CI0qjFKzdac2q-Ix_ZLT812Uimzbs035dA1NbBfDSOIM2v8agDBU/s400/IMG_7605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652801147457003074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">California Cereal Products, West Oakland</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">You may have seen this building in West Oakland and wondered what it was. I didn't see a sign, and I must say, it looks more than a little scary from the outside. I was granted entry on the Tour of Oakland's Food Industry with the Samuel Knight Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. We weren't allowed to take photos so I can't share what it looked like inside. The building opened in 1917 as a Shredded Wheat factory.</span> It was sold to the National Biscuit Company (later renamed Nabisco) in 1928. In 1994 California Cereal Products took over the plant. CCP produces organic breakfast cereals and rice flour, much of which is exported to Japan. It smells nice inside, like cooking rice and toasting rice. They have a giant sugar coating machine for the cereal. Walking through the factory in my hair net and earplugs I realized that this was the first working factory I'd been in. The factory has gorgeous huge windows that I'm more used to seeing in converted loft living spaces. It's striking that organic food can be produced in West Oakland in a building nearly a century old surrounded by barbed wire.<br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-81279396814075406392011-09-14T20:19:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:31:46.791-08:00Hodo Soy Beanery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I7p9ASc6Cy83BviuZBW_xZBCz3QQ8yKYODefekVM_snoqO5xa_V98eeQ6Z_Ck_HHUyFmGd6bmZcfUdxXWFcVlgL7BA-p5eaO4SpSazfPM3kaN29VLBUHmMhetMa0BtSRZyPd3zAOG94/s1600/IMG_7603.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I7p9ASc6Cy83BviuZBW_xZBCz3QQ8yKYODefekVM_snoqO5xa_V98eeQ6Z_Ck_HHUyFmGd6bmZcfUdxXWFcVlgL7BA-p5eaO4SpSazfPM3kaN29VLBUHmMhetMa0BtSRZyPd3zAOG94/s400/IMG_7603.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652422201275014866" border="0" /></a><br />I joined a tour of Oakland's Food Industry on September 7th hosted by Anthony Meadow, President of the Samuel Knight Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology. We visited 8 Oakland food businesses in one day! The tour was led by Margot Prado, Senior Business Development Specialist for the City of Oakland, and Betty Marvin, of the Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey for the City of Oakland.<br /><br /><br />Our first stop was Hodo Soy Beanery in West Oakland where founder and tofu master, Minh Tsai welcomed us and told us about accompanying his grandpa to the local tofu shack in Vietnam as a child. Minh couldn't find the excellent quality tofu he craved here in the U.S., so he started making it himself. Hodo sold at farmers markets only at first, and now they are expanding to selling in local stores. They are expanding to the southern California and Pacific Northwest markets right now as an experiment. Since tofu doesn't have a long shelf life, Minh doesn't foresee expanding much farther than the West Coast.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPwTeZF0_9TByfF5HK-iSt1iO7dvx-Ke5iCAPoUrPHsnmoG99Ry601VJCUY_oY62NxlVuNbOBKji_P-lSKvGFsCqLHTyIWuTX0ZKaM10uEUzusSCyiyG-9jho7XWXIJanNy_C9diUyko/s1600/IMG_7601.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPwTeZF0_9TByfF5HK-iSt1iO7dvx-Ke5iCAPoUrPHsnmoG99Ry601VJCUY_oY62NxlVuNbOBKji_P-lSKvGFsCqLHTyIWuTX0ZKaM10uEUzusSCyiyG-9jho7XWXIJanNy_C9diUyko/s400/IMG_7601.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652422206602907602" border="0" /></a><br />Tofu Skin (yuba) forming on soy milk.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J6VGUzMAmIid63pU32IoNYalQ6J8ZrlAEQsNwTbvcCXBfnl9Ii_5U2tZrthhT7DQvj29fmbjnSN5GbytPkB0uReBiywyxesBepeU_sG3srFed4UyGQvyNbLAH0Op2cc-M9doMyIetFA/s1600/IMG_7596.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3J6VGUzMAmIid63pU32IoNYalQ6J8ZrlAEQsNwTbvcCXBfnl9Ii_5U2tZrthhT7DQvj29fmbjnSN5GbytPkB0uReBiywyxesBepeU_sG3srFed4UyGQvyNbLAH0Op2cc-M9doMyIetFA/s400/IMG_7596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652422211200708290" border="0" /></a><br />Folding the yuba for packaging.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Yuba is so tasty! Minh treated us to samples of many tofu varieties, all of which were delicious!<br /></div></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-10180561785812648542011-06-05T21:51:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:31:59.915-08:00Oakland Juxtapositions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVCtNCI4jKPau64Nn7_EA7CWBHgNs6XBT0qowYHY3DAz6Qh85ghpanYlJg0iGXQV8JVLQ5tdhsD_XLUOHVE7kNXI45C8VoPTMoU0RQiMEDAu5hTQHihX_dSNV3gJTWYiKwaBIjvqXyVw/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVCtNCI4jKPau64Nn7_EA7CWBHgNs6XBT0qowYHY3DAz6Qh85ghpanYlJg0iGXQV8JVLQ5tdhsD_XLUOHVE7kNXI45C8VoPTMoU0RQiMEDAu5hTQHihX_dSNV3gJTWYiKwaBIjvqXyVw/s400/IMG_0255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614970686338538834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1PuwGKp_AEZBpnxjvDhSuYaYf4MNgk1NEcv0kL8lvSqUu1MiYTeeMQUZ16PIATsEUVFGQ80Eyl8EoKrtJrhHrtcvN1wVhNZTIftR7IF5pYAD0Y-dgsrsC1rJfJEzTDemwF5wRfcPpX0/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1PuwGKp_AEZBpnxjvDhSuYaYf4MNgk1NEcv0kL8lvSqUu1MiYTeeMQUZ16PIATsEUVFGQ80Eyl8EoKrtJrhHrtcvN1wVhNZTIftR7IF5pYAD0Y-dgsrsC1rJfJEzTDemwF5wRfcPpX0/s400/IMG_0270.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614968246452986466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxkxfeHHBQQhQ3THtCp9aO29_CMk0rSPcLz91J9RVlXx1c6pnqSwBW2nhjzTMCMNXUPwmtCdHh5IhItIVUbd6FwM34ZG-AcaAByJYhSDFiMo-GAexGBSSTTI42l5IWnjs1BLJoDA_dA4/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxkxfeHHBQQhQ3THtCp9aO29_CMk0rSPcLz91J9RVlXx1c6pnqSwBW2nhjzTMCMNXUPwmtCdHh5IhItIVUbd6FwM34ZG-AcaAByJYhSDFiMo-GAexGBSSTTI42l5IWnjs1BLJoDA_dA4/s400/IMG_0254.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614967442740174034" border="0" /></a><div><br /></div>Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in West Oakland is incredible. To reach it, you wind through a neighborhood made of shipping containers stacked 15 high and giant shipping cranes. Upon reaching the park, you are greeted with a huge expanse of manicured green lawn bisected with geometric walking paths. Beyond the expansive lawn, sit bbqs and picnic tables, beyond which lies a beach (!?). From this mini West Oakland beach, complete with sand, kelp, and water (and a heartbreaking amount of litter washed up from the bay) is a view of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco across the bay. The Bay Bridge looks and sounds peaceful from this angle.<div><br /></div><div>To either side of the park are active boat shipping yards, with giant cranes and shipping containers. Its a surprisingly quiet place. We saw only a few other groups of people there, mostly families. The park is huge! We walked along the water for so long that my feet were sore by the end of our visit. While walking, be sure to look at where you step, since the massive flock of Canada Geese that thrive there leave droppings every few feet, or more. Along the waterfront paths, habitat has been restored to its long forgotten natural state, with native grasses and other plants. We saw many beautiful and distinctive birds. </div><div><br /></div><div>Middle Harbor Shoreline Park is an oasis in Oakland. It feels a million miles away. The quiet, and the expanse of the park make it peaceful, while the proximity to the shipping yards makes it exciting, as if its a place you're not supposed to be. Yet, clearly, the city of Oakland wants you to be there. There are parking lots, well-maintained paths, bbqs and bathrooms. I highly recommend a visit to this park as a step away from your everyday existence in the bay area. The unique view of the bay bridge and the city make you feel special, while the shipping yards remind you of the economic heft and international importance of the port of Oakland.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-44705722737633273312011-03-02T23:02:00.002-08:002012-03-05T14:44:59.300-08:00Makes me miss New York...<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/18554749" frameborder="0" height="225" width="400"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/18554749">NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/mindrelic">Mindrelic</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><p>beautiful.<br /></p>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-75347288088522556832011-01-20T13:12:00.002-08:002012-03-05T14:45:14.217-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eTPHinwmRp6UN8VhZ2ayL5OyBF_d88C2uHFPiXodXicoER_ZCshPnaZ19G47Im29EvrrEoqlQQAvEXW8udMQyTKYes6Gtrt8zZAC5H0mFba50DGWFSV4n6QP4qZLsta1HMVbOYSaDoA/s1600/islands-of-san-francisco.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 392px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564379299173758610" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7eTPHinwmRp6UN8VhZ2ayL5OyBF_d88C2uHFPiXodXicoER_ZCshPnaZ19G47Im29EvrrEoqlQQAvEXW8udMQyTKYes6Gtrt8zZAC5H0mFba50DGWFSV4n6QP4qZLsta1HMVbOYSaDoA/s400/islands-of-san-francisco.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;"> map courtesy of Burrito Justice Blog</span><br /><br /><div>I love this map! It puts San Francisco's many districts into cute little boxes. The map also imagines the neighborhoods to be islands with canals running between them. Its true, that SF neighborhoods are so distinctive they can feel like little islands!</div>Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6391032385363455261.post-30147132941194783982010-10-05T21:29:00.001-07:002012-03-05T14:32:42.703-08:00Electric Shadows<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Xn4RTzYw1GJr9crqBhdfqrSEfTemqHoBGnOSQpF0R3vO3TA5Pbe_nbuJ3HAfZ_Q153ei8DpO4PJH-YZqxDXbOByr73IyGfKxSwmQK-_4nA6hW8wnSK07ulHFDH9p2_ULMyKZqASGgs/s1600/ElectricShadows2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1Xn4RTzYw1GJr9crqBhdfqrSEfTemqHoBGnOSQpF0R3vO3TA5Pbe_nbuJ3HAfZ_Q153ei8DpO4PJH-YZqxDXbOByr73IyGfKxSwmQK-_4nA6hW8wnSK07ulHFDH9p2_ULMyKZqASGgs/s400/ElectricShadows2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524786373519365810" border="0" /></a><br />Electric Shadows moved me in a way few films have the power to do. The film tells the story of a young girl, Ling Ling born to an unwed mother with a passion for film in a small Chinese village. The mother and daughter are shunned for lacking a father/husband. What moved me so much about this film? Let me count the ways... 1. The mother-daughter relationship. They dressed up together and looked smashing despite the village's bigotry. 2. The pure love of cinema expressed so poignantly in the film. Ling Ling and her mother are buddies with the town projectionist who runs an outdoor cinema. 3. The friendship formed between Ling Ling and the town clown (a boy). 4. An unexpected twist in the plot that I can't divulge.<br /><br />The film captures a sense of wonder at the world despite difficult circumstances. Characters are always on the edge of loneliness, but reach out to each other in unexpected ways. See it!Madelinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05391876628397634418noreply@blogger.com0