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Seattle: The Wow Factor Day 2 and 3

20 Aug 2013 Leave a comment

by Sheila Clapkin in Day Trips, Reflections, travel

We listened to the Mating calls of the Herring Gulls

We made it to Pier 52 in time to take the 11:25 ferry over to Bainbridge Island. I worried all night. A lovely talented, brilliant and beautiful sorority sister Renee and her wonderful husband Harry live on Bainbridge Island year round. Equally talented, brilliant and beautiful sorority sisters Penny and Phyllis were visiting them. Skip and I were invited for lunch. What a thrill for all of us to get together again. We re-connected instantly. Skip and Harry talked about boy stuff, and we just poured our hearts out to each other about our lives and the passing of years. I loved these girls then and even more now. I have no photos to share: I gave the camera up for someone to take the photo of the four of us and somehow the dial switched and I got videos for the rest of the day. You need no photos to know to know the sharing with old friends and how it brings tears to my eyes just remembering their words of encouragement and the love in our eyes. Thank you dear ladies, and may your lives continue to be noteworthy.

I go often to the cemetery to visit my parents and when I do I thank my mother and father for so many things. Each time, I remember to thank my mother for driving to the Miracle Mile from Huntington Park every few weeks to get my teeth straightened and I thank her for making certain I rushed for a sorority. She made certain I had an outfit for each occasion. I thank my father for saying, “If you want an answer now, it is NO, but if you let me think about it, who knows.

Let me share these remedies learned in Seattle. You may benefit from the information:

For Arthritis:

Wine: Fill a glass jar with cut onions. Cover onions with red wine. Cover jar with napkin or paper towel to let it breath for three days. Discard the onions and keep wine in fridge. Drink one shot glassful of onion-wine each morning and night on an empty stomach.

Gin: Soak yellow raisins in gin (use glass container) for 10 days. Cover with napkin or paper towel or cloth. Stir mixture every 2-3 days to make sure raisins are completely soaked. Pour out gin and keep raisins in fridge. EAT 9 raisins on an empty stomach once a day.

Day #2

Off we went to the Museum of Flight:

As you enter, you pay your tariff, then, you meet up with a greeter and you are told it will take three days to see all of the air and space history in this museum. So you know you better get a move on.

What a fantastic array of galleries, films, planes of all eras, exhibits, flight simulators, audio guides, museum stores and finally you drop into the Wings Café. What an experience to see so many artifacts, hear so many stories, and feel so much history.

We think we cannot move another muscle, but after refreshments we are riding out to Snoqualmie Falls, which is a huge waterfall on the Snoqualmie River. We are four of the 1.5 million visitors to the falls each year. Glad to be among the people who visit here. If you have extra time there is the Salish Lodge and Spa looking over the falls.

Jin and Don are a beautiful couple we met on a trip to Russia many years ago. We have stayed connected. They live in Tacoma. Everyday they came to visit with us and take us to sights I have and will mention. We enjoyed the time together and the lively loving companionship.

Thank you Jin and Don!!

SEATTLE: THE WOW FACTOR Day #1

19 Aug 2013 3 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Day Trips, Entertaining, Life Events, Reflections, travel

When you realize you are going to the home of the first Starbucks you know you are in for a treat. You have read that the first Starbucks resides at the Pikes Place Market, the “soul of Seattle”. We got settled in our digs at the waterfront and headed off to Pikes Market, right? Doesn’t everyone do that first? It seemed that everyone in Seattle was at the market because there was shoulder-to-shoulder traffic in every spot in and around the market. It was electric, inspiring and the soul of Seattle refers to the taste of the market. Everything is the top of the top in quality and taste.

Shoulder-to shoulder traffic

My new favorite potatoes are the Rainbow potatoes. You can have fun with a bag of those.

Rainier Cherries: The cherries in Seattle were the most delicious I have ever tasted and plentiful. A handful a day keeps you quite regular.

And Not your mother’s beans.

How about some Elephant Garlic?

Everyone knows they throw fish across the market stalls in the Pikes Market to get your attention and they do. There is no photo because of the massive crowds surrounding the event. Following are a couple of delicious looking possibilities in the fish market.

Where Starbucks was born:

We did not have the desire to go into this Starbucks because of the crowds, but seeing Starbucks birthplace reminded me of my recent experience in a crowded city center establishment; the ultimate tourist experience. I must admit I am not a youngster. I do not have the Starbucks thing down. I know you go to the counter, order, and give them your name, an alias. Never give your real name, so I said my name is Alias. Starbucks ethics. You don’t want them to yell out your real name and have someone follow you, yelling your name causing you a stir.

I did not see the line, old, nearsighted, unfamiliar with protocol, whatever, I went in the front of the line that later I saw snaked out the door and into the street. I wondered why people raised their eyebrows, but did not understand until I sat down and got the proper perspective. Sitting in shame, I hear them call, “Alias.” Nothing registered, again, “Alias.” Oh, that’s me. Sheepishly, in my most old lady persona, I approached the counter to retrieve our drinks.

Heck, it all tasted as good as if I would have waited properly in line and given my real name. But, deep inside I am sorry for my Starbucks behavior and you can be assured I will check out the line and place myself properly on all other visits. I will continue to use my new Starbucks name, “Alias.”

CHIHULY MUSEUM AND GARDENS: http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/?gclid=CJW03tiTirkCFeqDQgodew4ASA

We were privileged to enjoy the Chihuly Exhibition Hall, Glasshouse and Gardens before our revolving lunch at the top of the Space Needle at Sky City Restaurant with an unbelievable 360-degree view.

Dale Chihuly is a native of Washington and can still be seen supervising the blowing of glass in his studio. His work is distinctive in the field of blown glass. He became world renown and in the interim he had a car accident, which he recovered from and was still able to blow his glass sculptures. Again, he was injured. This time it was in a bodysurfing accident involving his right shoulder leaving him unable to hold the glass blowing pipe. He hired helpers to do the work he outlined and said when he was able to step back from his work, in the view. there appeared a new dimension

The first time we became familiar with Chihuly’s work was at the Bellagio and the MGM in Las Vegas. We walked into the lobby and saw everyone staring at the ceilings. We did the same.

The Chihuly Museum in Seattle is well worth the visit and includes a special delicious melting feeling, as if you are melting into everything that exists and that you hold meaningful. Now it is your job to pull the melt apart and examine what it means to you, personally.

I have included a few photos that look so yummy you feel like licking and biting.

The Sky City Restaurant is at the top of the Space Needle and the views show Seattle’s intricacies, vitality, and spirit.

Normally you would pay a fee and be elevated to a perch high above Seattle, but for just a few extra dollars, you can sit in the revolving restaurant, scenes changing every few minutes and dine on gourmet food. We chose the few dollars more and here are some of the views:

RIDING THE RAILS TO DENALI NATIONAL AND STATE PARK AND OUR VISIT TO MT. McKinley: BLOG # 8

01 Jul 2013 3 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections, travel

Nine and one half hours on a train riding through scenes of unspoiled beauty, wide-open spaces full of forests, streams, rivers and lakes is a special treat. The high domed ceilings of the our train gave floor to ceiling views of the beautiful South-central Alaska wilderness, but I must say by the 5^th and 6^th hour it becomes more difficult to stay focused.

Identities have been altered.

Photos of some sights along the train route.

We arrived at the Denali Princess Lodge and had the evening at leisure. The next morning we were treated to a Historical Tour through some of the park and stopped to watch a movie on how difficult it was to build a road through the park. Then, through the swarms of mosquitos we braved hiking out to a small ranger’s cabin, slapping and waving away the mosquitos.

Next we met Diane, an Athabascan woman. All of her family members have the last name Charlie. So meet Diane Charlie a native of Alaska.

Diane told us of her family, spoke about each of the generations and how they still embrace many of the old ways, but she has a television, washer, dryer, electric lights, stove, refrigerator and many other modern conveniences. Diane’s message is one of peace, friendship and common concerns for the land. She said we who have stood before her today are her friends and are now friends among ourselves. We stand together hearing her song to us and to the mountains. She is lovely and kind to share herself. She did indicate it would be lovely and kind if we shared with her. I am thinking TIP!

MT. McKinley: MOUNTAIN OF HOPE

Mt. McKinley is called the mountain of HOPE in my opinion because of the optimism, the chance, and the anticipation that you will in fact see the mountain, this famous towering mountain of 20,302 ft. It is the largest mountain in North America and a big draw for tourists from all over the world. They say that only one in four visitors ever see any part of the mountain. I am certain it is one in four thousands! You find yourself on the viewing deck of the lodge imagining that you have the power to blow the mist away. There is so much mist and such a vast openness to scour. There are so many mountain peaks in the distance. You think, perhaps you are seeing it. There are hoards of mosquitos making your viewing uncomfortable. A man comes over to you and asks you to view through his binoculars just below the two little dark clouds. A peak comes through and you start jumping up and down. Pretty soon the news travels and grown up people are clapping and jumping like excited children, smiling and gasping in the joyousness that they have been like I mentioned before, the one in four, more like four thousand to see the mountain.

Below is a photo of the view that all the joy filled people who were jumping up and down, smiling and clapping their hands saw. I know it looks like a blank photo. There is a trace outline of the Mt. McKinley peak, I think.

Mt Mckinley, maybe…

You see it don’t you?

Blog # 7 Does Princess Cruise Lines really own Alaska?

30 Jun 2013 2 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in outdoors, Reflections, travel

Of course Princess does not own Alaska, but there is that rumor. They do own most of the stores in towns they frequent, they own Lodges and lots and lots of busses to bus around their clientele and even a railroad to give tourists a train ride out to their lodges where everything you see, do and buy is their product. I am not badmouthing them, oh no, just showing you how you can be smart and build a conglomerate within the travel industry or most possibly any industry you are familiar with.

Wait and get a grip. PRINCESS OWNS ALASKA? Preposterous you and I say, I agree, but not totally. Before much more is said, I suggest you look up Princess stock under the title, Carnival Corporation and watch it for a while. I am not, hear me now, NOT telling you to buy, just look under Carnival Corporation traded on the N.Y. Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol CCL. If in London the ticker symbol is CUK. A big birdy called Google told me that if you buy some shares, you get special sailing perks and shipboard credit. Do not quote me. You can also look and see how many cruise lines are under this umbrella. So, this is interesting.

Princess owns the waterfront stores in the towns they visit and hire out of the state personnel to run their Alaskan stores, It gets to be a little over the top in my book. The prices when you travel are up everywhere, but when you own everything your cruisers go, then, you may charge what you like and they will buy. We found it hard to buy anything with the Princess upgraded prices.

Our trip took us deeply and unknowingly into the Princess Conglomerate. After our lovely cruise, a Princess bus took us to the Princess Railroad Line, where food and drink was for purchase, during the entire 9-½ ride through the wilderness of Alaska to The DENALI PRINCESS LODGE where once again you are stuck out in the wilds with a number of Princess owned restaurants and Princess owned local tours. By the way, as a sideline, the mosquitos were as thick as fleas, for real. Everyone was swiping and swatting for dear life and not the life to the mosquito. There were unusually large amounts of bombarding black mosquitos in the wilderness of Princess. All of the outside events were complete with a thick smell of deet filled sprays and swatting. Where did you get the spray? Yeap, the Princess Lodge souvenir stores.

This is not intended to be rude to a very good business and a smart conglomerate. It is to tell you that with all of that business know how, they also know how to make everyone in the crowd feel special and safe. The ship personnel have wonderful qualities and personalities that shine out. Everything runs smoothly. The ship is spiffy clean and kept that way. The food is good and their specialty dining is fabulous. They will go out of their way to help you with your requirements if able. They are there to make your stay with them fine enough for you to boast to your friends. They do deserve a round of applause. So clap, clap, clap, and clap.

A DAY OF SAILING INTO THE COLLEGE FIORDS: MESMERISING SIGHTS AND AN ALL ENCOMPASSING EXPERIENCE: BLOG #6

30 Jun 2013 4 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections, travel, vacation

How can I find words to explain being surrounded by the splendor of ice packed mountains, reflections, glaciers cascading down in triplets, vivid blues, and small ice bergs in the water looking like miniatures of the their parent glaciers. Also, you have the quietness that light plays and a wonderful tune of, blues intensified, blended greens, pomp of ice covered mountain peaks above the tree line and an all encompassing light, colored, quietness of overwhelming intensity and centeredness comes into the moment.

Being introduced to this brilliance and grandeur on a ship glides you into something you have to process, so you run from side to side and from floor to floor, from front to back to gather as much as you can when someone asked, “What are you doing running back and forth, the captain announced that he would be turning the ship in a slow circle and you will see all of it. “ We settled down and watched the spectacular experience unfold from the comfort of our shipboard home and balcony.

Even though I know we all get photos from the Internet that are so far superior in many aspects to the following, but I submit this experience we have documented and shared. The feelings and the lessons learned from the experience are all individual and personal.

Brandeis Day Trippers at Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Store

16 May 2013 4 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Adventures in Tarzana, Reflections Tags: food, having fun, pretzels field trips, restaurants

Thirty ladies from the Day Trippers Study Group converged on Auntie Anne’s Pretzel store in Northridge, California, to become Honorary Pretzel Rollers where we gained expertise in the ability in hand rolling and twisting a pretzel. There are Auntie Anne’s throughout the world, so be on the lookout and you, too can become an Honorary Pretzel Roller, or if you don’t have time for the field trip, you can become an Honorary Pretzel eater. They are delicious.

How Pretzels came down through the ages: Monks, in order to reward children who learned their prayers invented pretzels as a little reward. The strips of dough were folded to resemble arms crossing the chest in prayer, and baked into soft bread. One day the keeper of the bakery fell asleep, left the pretzels baking too long and dried out the pretzels. The head baker chastised the napping baker, but through his nap, the crispy pretzel was invented.

An anti-bacterial soap was used to wash our hands and then they were held under a black light. My, my how we left residue on our hands even though we washed and washed them. Gloves were also used as protection. Prizes were given for the best pretzel, (Cindi) and the cleanest hands, (Susie). Our own individual pretzel was baked, plus bagged along with an Honorary Pretzel Roller pin and coupons for our next visit. We will never pass an Auntie Anne’s without our lovely memories of learning and sharing.

After this fun filled kid based field trip, where everyone had such a good time, I began to wonder why some of us past childhood do not go into the past and re-capture fun for kids. I would love to relive riding on a pony and bouncing with my heart in my mouth and my hands clasped in a death hold on the saddle knob. Why not go to a petting zoo and be the one to pet instead of the one who now watches the little one who pets? How about going to the tide pools and watching the activity there. Be sure to bring a sun hat. I would like to go back to the Gene Autry Museum and the zoo. Want to build a project with Lego’s? Let’s just have a Play Date, a picnic, pitch pennies, play a board game, take a dance class, or how about visiting the fire station, police station or the post office as a first time field trip, no letters to be mailed in hand. How long has it been since you collected fall leaves, played marbles or hide and seek, had a water fight, planted something, or gone on a hayride? Make a kite and fly it, play Frisbee, jump rope, or how about go bowling? Let me know what your special go back in time things are…

STANDING ON YOUR OWN GRAVE; ALIVE AND FULLY CONSCIOUS

08 Apr 2013 5 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections Tags: burial, death, living, mount s, Mount sinai

Fully aware that you are alive and well, you are ready to make the hike up the gently rolling hill leading to # 2042, your awaiting burial plot. You think you are standing on the very, very, very spot you will inhabit most probably for eternity. You wait for some existential experience. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. You stare at the view. It is beautiful and serene. You still wait for something extraordinary to happen, something to give you a rush. You’d get more of a rush from an espresso coffee than you have standing on your own GRAVE! What did you expect? Lots.

This spot of burial earth and funeral expenses are already paid for and inscribed in the annals of Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuary. The money paid into this death account makes 6% interest as long as you live. Tell me where you can get that guarantee in today’s world?

When you are standing in the exact spot depicting your eternal resting place, you try and analyze death realizing nearly in the same thought that you have to analyze life first. Langston Hughes states that – “Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid”

Don’t we try to live to the fullest? Don’t we tell ourselves to live, be free, smell the roses, be observant and enjoy? Constantly, so why then do we often times find our thoughts on death in a quagmire? Are we not conscious enough or too conscious? Is there a happy medium when discussing your life and death? No, it requires stamina and concentration. It requires the help of others. If you start a discussion of life and death and our preparations for both, with friends soon, I imagine they will be inching away from you and bolting, maybe.

I imagined myself dead for a moment while I stood on my spot of land where I will be more than six feet under for perpetuity. Oh, the view is spectacular. Perhaps I will enjoy this view from this well sought after internment spot. I will wake each morning to sunshine, visitors, freshly mown grass, shadows and a sprawling view. Heck I will. I will be so far down under; I will not see, feel or hear anything. I will be gone. Thanks for the hope of the view and the hope of eternity in this lovely paid for piece of real estate, but it just isn’t the truth. Standing on the spot where I will be interned meant nearly nothing to me except for the reality and eventuality of my death someday. Big deal, I think about death as an eventuality every day whether I am standing on the exact spot or not. I don’t have to be there until some time after death, so I will dwell among the living, and when I visit those whose time has come to be permanent guests of the park while I am alive, I will exalt them and in death I will join them.

Please add your thoughts and ideas on this topic. I found it hard to be open and think of everything.

Why is this Morning Different From All Other Mornings?

10 Mar 2013 13 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections Tags: reflections, santa monica mountains, santa suzana mountains, spirituality

This morning I sat, coffee in hand, with my chair facing our back yard, and on all other mornings I sit with coffee in hand and my chair facing the television watching the news.

I realize that when I have my back turned to the action, I miss the woodpecker pecking a hole in the closest of three hollow trees on the bluff. I wonder at his/her pecking and tried to count the number of pecks per minute. I lost count. With my chair facing the yard and all of its inhabitants, I see the clarity of the bluff in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains and further the Santa Suzana’s softly displaying the tiny snow cap of Oak Mountain Peak far in the distance.

My objective this afternoon is to tell you of the wonders of this morning sitting in the turned chair looking into a seemingly empty landscape. There is a tiny snail inching along millimeter by millimeter leaving its gelatinous stain, the squirrel scampering across the patio is so energetic, the tiny bird is pecking at something nutritious on the newly swept concrete, the mating birds on the lawn leading to the hill are enjoying circling each other, and the sun kissed hill and all of its ground cover revealed nearly undistinguishable fluttering. When watched more closely, there revealed, were many and varied species of birds devouring the newly sprouted buds. Several pair of quail came strutting along the bluff line. I know what they are doing! They will have baby chicks to show us later in the spring. One year we counted twenty-eight quail, including chicks and parents.

In order to gain an added entrance into this world, I opened the sliding glass door in front of my turned chair and was further entertained by sounds and smells of our backyard. Hearing the woodpecker loudly and clearly gave me the realization that this bird must have a special built in brain protection against concussions.

This lovely scene must go on every morning and I think how I have missed all of it for years by just the turn of my chair. Certainly more often than not, you will find my chair turned, coffee in hand, because the real action is not coming from the inanimate box streaming the reality of others, it comes from my backyard, and yours. If you have a balcony, go out every day and see your reality. Just turn your chair in any new direction and report back what you see that you have heretofore, not seen.

THE TEA PARTY

28 Feb 2013 2 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Life Events, Reflections Tags: Chocolate covered strawberries, egg salad sandwiches, sunkist fruit, Tea Party, watercress sandwiches

As we drove into the citrus groves, we realized by the fullness of the fruit on the trees. We knew that the Sunkist fruit pickers would soon be by to pick and all of the yellow and orange globes. The trees, after a short hibernation will start the cycle of fruit production and in the spring they will show the fullness of fruit all over again. What a beautiful setting for Alice and all of her friends. You bet Alice was there; what’s a tea party without Alice. All of her friends were there, but we were so heavily camouflaged that who would know who was who? This was a very special tea party celebrating the eminent birth of baby boy Tash.

All of the ingredients for a tea party were set up and the partygoers were politely attacking the food. The egg salad sandwiches were plentiful; the cucumber and watercress sandwiches were harder sells. The turkey croissants with cranberry sauce are an American addition, perhaps, but delicious. British gentry would approve.

Scones you ask? Oh yes, and none have ever looked or tasted better. I wished that I had armed myself with little plastic bags at the bottom of my purse for take home sneaks. The conversations between mouthfuls were satisfying, informative and there was camaraderie in sharing the event.

I put clotted cream and lemon curd on top of a crumpet and actually wept as the flavors singularly combined. Weeping over food is usually not my forte. I had a second helping all the while delighting in finding a clot in the cream and a tang in the curd. Having an affair with a huge chocolate covered strawberry was luscious and the licking and lapping was certainly forbidden. Then, it happened. There was a tiny yellow stack about the height and width of my ring finger. I just popped it in my mouth, and then another followed by another until I realized there were chocolate stacks as well. They were my next ecstasy.

I needed something to drink, so I looked to the beverages. I thought I had poured lemonade, which as I think back would have been a disaster. It was grapefruit juice. Now that is a way to cleanse the palate I did not know existed. How clever. After a few swallows of grapefruit juice I was ready to start with another round, changing my choices somewhat. Oh Alice, there is heaven on earth and magic, too. The only thing I missed having is THE TEA.

I will have to go back to that tea party time and again in my mind and when I do I will sample all of the teas. I will experience the eye tearing clotted cream and lemon curd. I will have an affair with my chocolate covered strawberry yet again. I will not be shy at the dessert table and I will taste the frosted cookies and the raspberry tarts. I will remember that tea may not be the most important part of a tea party.

OKAY KID, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LET THEM KNOW IT IS YOU

15 Feb 2013 6 Comments

by Sheila Clapkin in Reflections Tags: expansion, freedom of spirit, journey, limitless possibilities, philosophy, spirituality, think outside the box

Okay kid, you don’t always have to let them know it is you. You don’t have to always use I to tell the story. You don’t have to insert yourself into the photograph, give the reader a break. Put it back on them, they can take it.

So you want to be a free spirit, well who doesn’t? Celebrate the freedom of spirit. Take a walk outside of the box. You don’t have to tell them you are doing it, make them think they are. Now, evict boundaries, expansion is what you want to know. Expanding opens the door to limitless possibilities. Possibilities that are limitless sound so enticing, but in reality you will find many roadblocks on your quest for the limitless highway. You can incorporate adjacent possibilities and embark upon your journey by: taking a class, looking for employment, or new employment, changing a relationship full of limitations, or simply expanding your horizons by gathering new experiences. It is a journey and only you can take it.

Okay kid, how did you get on this subject? You stopped talking about yourself and now you are talking to yourself. You have banished your self-imposed barriers and began to see there is nothing you cannot do or create. Talking to yourself, not about yourself has unlocked a newborn awareness of how limitless you truly are. Here we go, this is your new sense of spiritual freedom, this is your turn to shine.

So you want to know what to do with this freedom? It is your journey so enjoy choosing.

Okay kid, I heard you. You want me to know that real freedom of spirit is not all in the choices we make, it also has to do with freeing oneself from one’s internal demons or negativity. Everyone wants to be free. No one likes feeling trapped physically or emotionally. Freedom is just a word, but means sit up, speak up; be heard and don’t stop until you can live as you choose and not under anything unpleasant or unwanted. Okay kid, you say hold up here a moment, it is not that easy. Who said easy, we mean freedom of spirit and that will be defined and determined by each individual as they see it. Okay kid, you have made your point and you did not have to say I one single time. Thank you.

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