I had to be in Philadelphia earlier this week for work stuff. So I figured since I’d be heading north anyway, it was a good time to stop and visit with my parents in Baltimore.
I left home on Saturday morning and drove north.
Dad and I were going to go see a movie, but he wasn’t feeling particularly energetic. So we just hung around visiting.
My youngest, Eric, and his fiancee, Kelsey, joined us for dinner.
That’s where the crabby Dad comes in…
A family friend owns The Corner Crab House in Baltimore. Dad has worked there, in various part-time roles, for a number of years.
The crabs were delicious. Dad had ordered a box, which is roughly equivalent to a bushel. It contained just over 60 of the heaviest, meatiest crabs I’ve eaten in a long time.
Steamed Crabs
Dad had the store call him when his live crabs arrived. Then he went up and steamed them himself. He packed them into an ice chest to keep them hot while we waited for Eric and Kelsey to arrive.
Yes, the ice chest worked. He’s actually done the same, transporting hot, steamed crabs to my brother’s house, which is about a 4.5-hour drive away. And they stayed hot. Or at least very warm, which was just fine.
The crabs, which had been shipped in from Louisiana, were delicious. It’s not always easy to get crabs in Maryland, so many crab houses and restaurants rely on supplies being trucked or air-freighted in from Louisiana and North Carolina.
Lots of people say Louisiana crabs aren’t as good as Maryland crabs. Don’t believe them. Those crabs were awesome.
Eric and Kelsey
Dad only put a few out onto the table at a time to keep the crabs warm while we ate.
Hand-sized Crabs
The size of the crabs isn’t always as important as the weight. A small, heavy crab is much better than a large, light crab. Crabs grow through a process known as molting. If you want to understand that better, follow the link. Crabs that have recently molted and have just developed a harder outer shell don’t have as much meat inside as they haven’t filled out yet. Crabs that have been in their shell for awhile are packed full of meat. The shells are very hard and very thick. The darker the underside of the shell, the better.
My Mom (aka Mawsie) and Eric
Large and heavy crabs are the best. Sometimes, when you get crabs, you get a mix of heavy and light ones. Not a single one of those crabs we were eating was light. They were darn heavy and darn good!
Close-up of the Insides
Once you remove the claws, legs, and outer shell, you have to scrape away the gills (left center) and guts. Then you are left with an inner body from which you have to extract the meat. It’s time consuming, which is why eating crabs is a social thing. You just sit around chatting, laughing, and enjoying each others company while you pick and eat your crabs.
Me and Mom
It can be messy, too. The crabs are covered in seasoning, which is poured over them before steaming to flavor the meat. Depending on how much you like spices, you can either eat some of the seasoning or just push it out of the way.
We all enjoyed the visit immensely. It’s always nice to sit, chat, and catch up with the family, know what I mean?
The crabs were just icing on the cake. But that icing was really darn good!
I can’t remember if I ever revealed the destination we’ve settled on for our 2012 vacation. If I did, I know I didn’t say much about it. Because there’s not much to be said, yet, as far as details go.
The important stuff has been taken care of. We have purchased two airplane tickets and have made deposits to secure our rental motorcycles.
This next image is a hint. We’ll be in that country, but will not be traveling in a group. How’s that for adventure?
Some of you probably remember our 2010 trip to Europe. We did a week-long motorcycle tour in the Alps (with Austria as a base). We spent a few days in Switzerland with the Swiss Family Mac (who are now back living in the US). And we visited with Annelies and Yves in Belgium.
It was a great trip. It was actually during or shortly after that trip when we agreed to a routine with those Belgian friends of ours where we’ll alternate continents each year to do a joint vacation.
They started it by visiting us for a few days in 2009 while touring the Northeastern US. We reciprocated in 2010 by visiting them for a few days during our trip to Europe. In 2011, they came to the US and we explored a bunch of national parks out west. Now it’s our turn to go to Europe.
Annelies and Yves aren’t into the motorcycle touring thing. So the trick was to plan a destination where Hubby and I could ride for a few days and then meet up with Annelies and Yves for the rest of our time there.
Now, if you are not a motorcyclist, you might not “get” the allure of riding in Europe. Not only are the roads amazing, and the scenery spectacular, Europeans actually embrace motorcyclists.
No, that doesn’t mean they all hug you at every stop. Wouldn’t that freak my bashful Hubby out?
They respect motorbikes and happily share the road. That is totally not the case in the US. The US is the land of “I can’t let a motorcycle pass me, I have to be in front.” People will actually go to great lengths so you can’t pass them here. They’ll even try to run you off the road when you do finally get an opportunity to go around them. Really. I am not exaggerating.
Anyway, we can’t go to Europe and not squeeze some riding in. After a little bit of back and forth between Annelies and I, who are each the vacation planners for our respective units, we decided on Italy. Northern Italy to be exact.
Hubby and I will fly into Milan, where we’ll pick up our motorcycles, and then explore Northern Italy’s Dolomites. Maybe even a little bit of the Swiss Alps. Our rental period is only five days. Meanwhile Annelies and Yves will drive down from Belgium. We’ll meet up with them for sure at the end of our rental period. We may even hook up during those first few days for overnights as they might rent an apartment or something near Lake Como.
If you look at that handy-dandy map I have embedded for you, the pink pin in the center is Milan, Italy. Directly above Milan are some lakes, the two largest being Como (above and to the right of Milan) and Maggiore (above and to the left of Milan). Maggiore is actually in Switzerland. That gray squiggly line is the border.
You may have to zoom in on the map to see that detail. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll call that the Lake Region. They may rent accommodations in that general area. So if we plan right, we may be able to meet up mid-week.
Back to the map… all the green motorcycles indicate passes we may want to traverse. The blue “P” symbols are towns we may want to overnight in. And that yellow suitcase to the left is Tammi’s town.
Hah, I forgot to mention one of the coolest aspects of this trip. Annelies and I met while working together. That was a couple employers ago for me. Tammi worked for that company, too. So we all got to know each other. They are both lovely people. Tammi, who used to live in North Carolina, just recently (April 23) moved to Switzerland. So we are all going to visit Tammi and her husband, too!
Whenever Tammi talked about moving to Switzerland “one day,” I always said I’d come and visit. How cool is it that the timing worked out just right? Especially since Annelies knows her, too?
We’re all very excited.
We still have lots of planning to do. I can’t decide if I want to make hotel reservations for the bike-rental part of the trip or just wing it. Winging it is attractive as the bike segment is all about the ride, not the destination. If we reserve rooms, we’ll have a stricter schedule. I think it would be cool to ride until we are either too exhausted to go another kilometer or find a town we just have to see more of. The only problem with that is the language thing.
In smaller towns, not as many people speak English. They don’t need to. And neither of us speak a lick of German or Italian. German is actually the official language of the region in Italy where we’ll be spending most of our riding time. More on that later. (Maybe.)
I have plenty of time to figure it all out. We’re not actually going until September. We’re hoping to miss the tourist crowds. And beat the snow in the passes.
What? I didn’t tell you I was going to Texas? I’m sneaky like that. Now, I know I mentioned in passing that I was in Texas, but if you didn’t read the blog carefully, you might have missed it.
Anyway… I am back, much to the delight of my dogs who missed me terribly. I think Hubby missed me, too. He hasn’t been following me from room to room, though. Which is a good thing. A very good thing, actually. It would really be weird to have Hubby curled up on the floor of my office while I work. Dancing around when I get back from the store. Sniffing at the bathroom door while I am in there. Or sniffing at… well, you get the picture.
Why was I in Texas? I started a new job. Same job, different company. The last company I worked for grew very big very quickly. From about 500 employees to about 12,000. I am not exaggerating, it happened through acquisitions. I hated it.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some awesome people there. I just don’t like working for such a huge corporation. One sort of gets lost among the masses. I’d never be a good assembly line employee…
I had to go to Austin, Texas for a week of new employee orientation. Don’t worry, I’ll be working remotely from my home office. No moves to Texas in our near future. Although, I must say, Texas was pretty cool. It was way hillier than I expected. And the food was YUM-MO.
Unfortunately, I only took my point-and-shoot camera. So I didn’t get many fabulous pictures. But I did capture a few I thought I’d share here.
The Final Frontier
I took that space shot with the camera on my phone. Yes, I know it’s very geeky to take pictures from the airplane while flying, but I don’t care. The sky looked cool. And I thought the picture made it look as if I were flying in outer space.
Breakfast
The hotel I stayed at — Homewood Suites, which I just loved — had a complimentary breakfast every morning. With a waffle iron that made Texas-shaped waffles. How cool is that?
Yes, I get excited easily.
Them Thar Hills
Since I was supposed to be capturing morning images for last week’s You Capture theme, I snapped a few pics while driving. Actually, I should say “while in the car” since I wasn’t exactly moving. Traffic got a bit congested in spots. You can see how hilly the place is. Austin’s downtown is ahead and to the left, beyond those hills.
View from My Office
This was the view from the office they had me sitting in. Not bad, eh? Several folks commented that I had the best view in the building.
Sky Writing
Not much to say about that shot. I just think it’s cool.
Hello, Betty
When I say this mural of Betty Boop, I immediately thought of my buddy, Ally, who many of you know as ShyBiker. She loves Betty Boop.
Not only was I limited by only having a point-and-shoot and phone camera with me, the space was sort of tight. You see, it was on the wall of a women’s bathroom. A relatively small bathroom, I might add.
I got a slightly wider view with the point-and-shoot.
Betty Boop
I only accomplished that by standing in the hallway outside of the bathroom, propping the self-closing door open with my left foot while balancing precariously on my right foot. It wasn’t easy. But I just HAD to get the shot. Know what I’m saying?
I didn’t make too much of a scene. It was right before closing at Lone Star BMW/Triumph, where I’d gone to buy a shirt for my Hubby. (Yes, Rachael, I thought of you, too, being surrounded by Tigers and all.)
That’s it for my shots.
Next time I am there, I’ll have to go to the downtown area. To the city park specifically. Apparently, there are stray cows/steers (I don’t know how to tell the difference) roaming around.
Cow Power
No, I did not take that last shot. I wish I had, though. I think it’s pretty funny.
Don’t you just love days that start out in one place and then, completely unpredictably, you end up in another place? Days like that keep life interesting.
Take Wednesday for example. It started out with me here at home in Virginia. One of my goals for this week has been to paint my office. (I made good progress there, by the way. I’ll finish today.) One of my other goals has been to take the girls to the WV place. So, the trip to WV wasn’t entirely unexpected. I just didn’t know when I’d go.
I was thinking about it while painting. Painting is one of those mindless jobs that forces contemplation. Since the week was winding down, I figured I’d better get my traveling butt in gear and head to the WV place.
After dinner, we did just that.
Know what that meant? Besides a late-night arrival? I had three very HAPPY dogs.
Meg Checks Out the Woodpecker TreeBelle Wondering Which Way I Was HeadedK Waiting Patiently for Mama
They love stretching their legs at the WV place. They really were super-excited to be there. Even if only for a brief visit.
K on the Hunt
That last shot above is my favorite doggie pic of the day. K was poking through her favorite brush pile looking for rodents.
Something else I’ve been wanting to do is take the dogs on a hike. They do really well walking on leash here in town. Since we’re so close to Shenandoah National Park, I figured we could stop for a visit. It is halfway between the VA and WV houses, after all. But the visitor center is closed for the season. So we opted for Sky Meadows State Park instead, which is also between the WV and VA houses.
Sky Meadows State Park, in Clarke and Fauquier counties, is just two miles south of Paris, Virginia. Here’s a brief description from the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation’s web site for Sky Meadows…
Just an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., Sky Meadows State Park … offers a peaceful getaway on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With rolling pastures and woodlands, the park boasts beautiful vistas of the foothills and access to the Appalachian Trail. Its rich history is shaped by the development of agriculture and the impact of the Civil War. Activities include hiking, fishing, picnicking, horseback riding, primitive camping, and nature and history programs.
Of course, I had to stop in Paris just so I could say I was in Paris on Thursday.
That’s where we encountered some strange creatures.
Giant Parisian Turkeys
What are these giant turkeys doing in a cow pasture?
More Large, Long-legged Turkeys
Turkeys are birds, right? When my three bird dogs spotted them, they were going nuts.
Gobble Gobble Gobble
Speaking of nuts… look at this strange collection of beasts in the neighboring pasture.
Strange Collection of Critters
Not a cow to be seen. And, wait, isn’t that a little horse?
Dark-faced, Horned Sheep
We didn’t linger too long because the dogs really were going nuts in the back of the truck. K can be quite vocal, too, and the animals were getting quite freaked out. I didn’t want to start a stampede and make Paris look like that scene in Jumanji.
Farm on the Outskirts of Paris
Check out the size of that farmhouse! I guess that would be called a manor.
The state park really was just around the corner.
Entrance Sign
It’s also only about 30 minutes from my house. How cool is that?
If you are wondering why I find that so exciting, have a look at some of the pics I shot at the park.
Paris, Virginia
Keep in mind, these are just snapshots (just point and shoot). I had three very excited dogs with me.
View from Overlook Trail at Sky Meadows State ParkView from Overlook Trail at Sky Meadows State ParkView from Overlook Trail at Sky Meadows State ParkView from Overlook Trail at Sky Meadows State ParkView from Overlook Trail at Sky Meadows State Park
Just imagine how pretty this place will be in the Spring and Summer when everything is green. And in the Fall, when the leaves are changing.
Oh, and did I mention that the Appalchian Trail runs through Sky Meadows State Park? That’s something else on my list of things to do this year. (Not hike the whole trail, just pieces of it.)
Speaking of things to do… I have to finish painting my office. That’s a job I both dread and am excited about. Just wait until you see the dramatic difference, then you’ll understand why the excitement.
I did say we got lots of geyser pics that day (September 14), right?
The last stop of the day (in the park) was the Midway Geyser Basin. There are actually a few features at the Midway Geyser Basin, but the granddaddy of them all — and Hubby’s favorite — is the Grand Prismatic Spring. At about 300 feet across, Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone. It’s also considered to be the third largest in the world (there are two larger hot springs in New Zealand).
Grand Prismatic sits atop a wide, spreading mound. The water flows evenly on all sides and has formed a series of small, step-like terraces. Grand Prismatic is named for its wide variety of colors (best experienced from the air, as shown in the photo below).
Aerial view of Grand Prismatic Spring; Hot Springs, Midway & Lower Geyser Basin; Jim Peaco; July 2001
That line across the lower left of the frame is the boardwalk. Those dots on the line are people. It’s really quite big.
As described by YellowstoneNationalPark.com, “The colors begin with a deep blue center followed by pale blue. Green algae forms beyond the shallow edge. Outside the scalloped rim a band of yellow fades into orange. Red then marks the outer border. Steam often shrouds the spring which reflects the brilliant colors. Grand Prismatic discharges an estimated 560 gallons per minute.”
View from Parking LotReflective MomentTerracesThe Big Kahuna of Hot Springs... Grand PrismaticMesmerizing Colors and TexturesMore ReflectionsEye CandyPool at MidwayDisappearing MenLeaving Midway Geyser Basin
I’m not sure why that one is Hubby’s favorite, but it is. Maybe it’s the size? Or the colors? Perhaps it’s how, depending on wind direction, you can be completely enveloped by fog.
It was a very long, but very good day. One of many on a vacation filled with amazing stuff. Including fabulous company. We couldn’t have asked for better travel companions. We’ll soon have to start planning our next big trip.
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that our friends Annelies and Yves were excited about seeing some geysers, right? We were all excited, really. As I continued digging through the folder of pics from that day, two things struck me.
First, I couldn’t believe I forgot to post one of the shots we did in front of our Grand Teton cabin. I mean, really. Look how happy we all look.
Annelies, Yves, Hubby, and Me
Second, I forgot just how many super-cool geysers and other geothermal stuff we saw that day.
After we left West Thumb on September 14 (the subject of yesterday’s post), we headed to the Upper Geyser Basin. That won’t mean anything to most of you unless I add that Old Faithful is located in the Upper Geyser Basin.
Everyone’s heard of Old Faithful, right? Even if you’ve never even thought about taking a trip to Yellowstone.
Old Faithful is famous not because it’s the biggest geyser, but because it’s the most predictable. Hence the name. It generally erupts every 90 minutes or so. Day and night. All year round.
But Old Faithful is just the tip of the iceberg. The Upper Geyser Basin, which is where Old Faithful is located, has a land area of about two square miles and “contains the largest concentration and nearly one-quarter of all of the geysers in the world.” That quote and all the other educational/informational/boring info about geysers in this post is courtesy of the Upper Geyer Basin page at YellowstoneNationalPark.com (not the official NPS site).
Still, seeing Old Faithful erupt is like the quintessential Yellowstone experience. So we had to go watch.
Waiting for a Geyser to Erupt is BOOOORRRRRING
You ever stood by a stove waiting for a pot to boil? That’s about how much fun it is waiting for a geyser to blow. Usually.
That day there was an odd undercurrent of excitement in the air. And it all seemed to be focused on some other stuff nearby.
The Sleeping Giantess
See that little puff of steam toward the left of the frame? That’s the Giantess.
You know I HAVE to share more than the name, right?
GIANTESS GEYSER, temperature 200.7°F, interval of 0 to 41 eruptions per year, duration 3-43 hours, height 150-200 feet. “Giantess is unpredictable with long dormant periods. When it does erupt, the first hour is generally the most spectacular. An eruption has two phases-a water and steam phase. Water periodically jets to 200 feet high during the first hour and as the water phase subsides steam begins and roars from the 15×20 foot crater, sending a large column of steam into the atmosphere. Giantess’ vent has been probed to a depth of 62 feet below the lip. Subterranean connections exist between other Geyser Hill features and after an eruption, nearby Beehive Geyser may be triggered to erupt.”
So, while seeing Old Faithful was cool and all…
Thar He Blows! (Old Faithful)
… seeing Giantess erupt would REALLY be something. There was quite a buzz going through the crowd. Seriously. Up to that point, Giantess had only erupted two times in 2011.
Once in early January, shortly after midnight. And once in May.
Then it also erupted on September 14. And we got to watch.
Giantess Erupts
Remember, the last time it had erupted was in May. So we had Old Faithful and Giantess erupting at practically the same time.
And did you read that bit about the neighboring Beehive?
BEEHIVE GEYSER, temperature 199°F, interval of 7 hours to days, duration 4-5 minutes, height 150-200 feet. This geyser is appropriately named after its beehive-shaped cone, which is three and a half feet high and four feet in diameter. “Beehive, considered one of the largest active geysers in the world, erupts to a height of 200 feet. However, since its discovery, it has been unpredictable. It has eruptive intervals of eight to twelve hours, but it has infrequent eruptions as long as 3 to 10 days and dormancy of weeks to months. A small vent located a few feet east of Beehive, called Beehive’s Indicator, erupts 6-10 feet usually 10-20 minutes before an eruption. An eruption begins with occasional splashing, then small surges. These progress into an eruption as the ground rumbles and a narrow, straight fountain of water jets upward.”
Yep, it erupted, too.
Beehive Geyser Erupting
Like Annelies said at the time, there were so many geysers going off, we didn’t know where to look next!
Beehive Geyser
Those folks were a bit too close for comfort if you ask me.
Beehive Geyser
After we took a gazillion pictures, we walked along the pathway that winds in among the geysers and other thermal features in the basin.
It’s amazing to see just how many shapes, sizes, and colors there are.
Small Bubbling Pot (I can't remember the real name)AnemoneHot Spring
That’s one of my favorite shots. Look how you can see down into the pool. Remember, click on the image and you’ll get a bigger version to peruse. And look at that sky. It had been threatening rain off and on all day.
Quite an Unusual LandscapeLove That Reflection!Depression Geyser?Color GaloreFirehole River
I kept telling everyone the rainy, gray skies were going to make for some dramatic lighting. Other than re-sizing, these are all pretty much SOOC shots.
Colorful Pool
I don’t remember the name of that one either, but it was sure interesting watching it bubble.
Color and Bubbles
I am so glad we took our time and really looked at all of this stuff closely. It was amazing.
In Too Deep
That one isn’t very colorful, but I love the way you can see down into it.
That’s it for Upper Geyser Basin.
But that’s not the end of the geysers for that day. There were more. Next stop… Midway Geyser Basin.
Know what’s there?
The Grand Prismatic Spring. The big daddy of all the pools.
On Our Way to Midway
Do you have a favorite shot from this post? Hard to pick, isn’t it? I think I like the river ones the best. But then there’s Hot Spring with the dramatic sky in the background. And the Colorful Pool.
Sigh…
I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for this year’s “favorite shots” post. Last year, it was the top 10 of 2010. I think this year I’ll do my favorite 11. Narrowing them all down is really going to be tough.
