November 15, 2015

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

Go Explore More!!

​GREETINGS everyone from Joshua Tree National Park!

I've been known to type up my column from some random outlandish places and this one will go down in the books as one of those odd and memorable locations - whilst sitting inside my tent at the Black Rock Campground in Joshua Tree National Park! 

It's so weird how you don't get signal/wifi in some places that you would think and expect that you should and then you wake up to realize that you are in the middle of nowhere and you've got bars!!!  Go figure!

I woke up this morning after a VERY windy night. There was a wind advisory and the gusts were blowing at over 45mph
​- yep try sleeping through that...in a tent! 
I sure am glad that the tent held up and didn't collapse on us - but you know this was going through my mind!

Anyhow that was well after the wonderful day we had exploring the National Park and then meeting up with Jet (my sis), Chaplin (my niece), and Andrew (Chaplin's daddy).
THEY ACTUALLY CAME!!!

Chaplin's eyes were twinkling like it was Christmas morn, she had the absolute BEST time. Even quoting that yesterday was the BEST DAY OF HER LIFE!

After setting up camp, we had sat around the campfire and roasted (vegan) marshmallows (yes they have those and no the ones you eat are NOT vegan). Roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores were definitely a few of the highlights that Chaplin was looking forward to.
And the experience did not disappoint!

Backtracking a wee bit further before those guys showed up, our gang of four had decided to drive through the entire park, and check out several of the sights along the way from the South Entrance (Cottonwood Springs) up to the Joshua Tree entrance. And this feat took all day!

We did our share of nature walks, short hikes, and boulder scrambling.
The park itself was actually quite busy.
The renowned desert park draws campers & hikers with its geologic wonders & signature Joshua trees.
Joshua Tree National Park is also the nations most popular rock climbing mecca and Stargazing is among one of the most popular activities.

Dave had set up his telescope and we gazed upon the skies, we saw beautiful shooting stars with tails that streaked though the nights sky, there were more stars visible than you could ever imagine, and each of us took our turns looking at them through the telescope as Dave pointed out the constellations.
We clearly saw the Milky Way with the naked eye, but through the telescope we even got to see the Andromeda Galaxy - which is the closest spiral galaxy to us, and though it's gravitationally bound to the Milky Way, it's not the closest galaxy by far – being 2 million light years away!

Through the telescope we also saw the Ring Nebula - which is about 2,000 light-years from Earth and measures roughly 1 light-year across! 
The original star was several times more massive than our sun. After billions of years converting hydrogen to helium in its core, the star began to run out of fuel. The nebula is expanding at more than 43,000 miles an hour, but the center is moving faster than the expansion of the main ring. The Ring Nebula will continue to expand for another 10,000 years, a short phase in the lifetime of the star. The nebula will become fainter and fainter until it merges with the interstellar medium.
Credit: Nasa.gov

Some of the gang woke up before the sun came out to greet us with her warmth in order to capture the sights of Venus, Mars and Jupiter as they were on the rise. It was still quite windy, and although I had brought my tripod with plans of some wonderful astrophotography - it was too windy and it just wasn't going to happen right then and there.
​Oh well, maybe next time!

A couple of hours later when I did wake up, I found Jet and Chaplin up (which is rather odd - they are late sleepers), and found out that they never fell asleep - all night long! Ugh.

Well it's time for me to whip up some S'mores Pancakes and then hit the trails once again.

All in all complete awesomeness!
From the Cholla Cactus Garden, to Arch Rock (which have much acclaim from National Geographic), to the majestic nights sky. We were in awe of our world and all of its amazing wonders.
​As the quote goes...

I'll see you back here tomorrow, as we start a new week with some more pictures and stories of our exploration!
​-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN:
BOSTON, MA

Duck Tour, Tea Party and a "Beautiful" Night

Greetings from Boston!  Wow! Cannot believe it's Sunday and our third day here in Bean Town.

Yesterday, we spent time down at the Prudential Center, eating, shopping and sightseeing.

On the 50th Floor of the Prudential Tower Skywalk

Let me say, before I go any further, just how gorgeous the Shops at Prudential Center is!!

The entire complex is very elegant, and brightly lit, giving it a cheerful atmosphere.  There are restaurants spread out throughout, some of which were very familiar to my girls.

They wanted to eat at California Pizza Kitchen, and I have to say, we enjoyed a delicious lunch immensely.  

More importantly, Kelsey lost another tooth!  It was really loose, but with a little coaxing from mom, she yanked that bad boy right out!!  And right in time to scoff down her pizza!

My girlies coloring away at California Pizza Kitchen

Kelsey just lost her tooth at lunch!

Although it was cloudy on and off and extremely windy, the visibility from The Skywalk Observatory on the 50th Floor of the Prudential Tower was great!

The views of Boston were incredible and I managed to capture some wonderful photos.   

We walked around the Skywalk with our audio guides were chock full of information, at every window encircling the Skywalk.

Here are few facts that I garnered on my tour today:

1) The John Hancock Building is the tallest building in New England.

2) John Hancock, a successful businessman, with one of the most well-known signatures on the Declaration of Independence, was the first governor of Massachusetts.

3. Logan Airport was named after General Logan from the Spanish American War.

4. The first air flights from Logan were between Boston and New York in 1927. 

5. Today Logan is an international airport with flights in and out from all over the world, serving approximately 25 million passengers annually.

6. There are 34 Boston Harbor Islands with 21 of them being inhabited.

7. Deer Island was connected to the mainland and is used as a waste water treatment area. 

8. Georgia Island houses Fort Warren

9. Spectacle Island is known for its beaches.

10. Little Brewster Island is home to the second oldest lighthouse in the nation.  Originally built in 1716, and the oldest lighthouse,  it was burned down by the British in 1776 and a replica was built in 1783.

11. Mary Baker Eddy founded Christian Science in 1866.  Today the building is home to the largest pipe organ in the world.  

12. The Mary Baker Eddy Library, adjacent to the Christian Science building houses the Mapparium, which is a huge replica of the globe, which millions of tourists visit each year. (This was closed for renovation during our visit to Boston)

13. Martin Luther King received his Ph D from Boston University.

14. Harvard is the oldest institute of higher learning in the U.S.

15. Bunker Hill Monument is built where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place.

Fenway Park, Home of the Red Sox

Close up of the side of the John Hancock Building - there are 10,044 panes of glass used in this building

The Skywalk had both enjoyable and informative displays, films and entertainment that we all enjoyed.

There was a special area on the Skywalk dedicated to the immigration that took place through Boston.

I have to tell you, the film and display brought tears to my eyes. Why? Well, what I didn't know and learned was that the immigrants coming from Europe were only allowed to take one small trunk with them on board the ship(s). 

What I never realized was how they had to sell all their worldly possessions and then make a decision about what was important enough to bring with them on this journey to a new land to start a new life because they were only allowed to bring 1 small trunk!

Can you imagine that?  What would you bring?  How would you decided? These immigrants were brave.

It made me realize just how lucky I was to be an American, and the wonderful life I have always enjoyed AND just how much my grandparents and great-grandparents sacrificed; and just how brave they were to venture away from all that was familiar, on the belief that they and their children would have a better life.

​I tried to explain this to Kelsey.  I'm not sure if she was able to understand.  I hope so.

One of the most enjoyable features was the interactive "game show" where "contestants" had to answer questions in hopes of "becoming" citizens.  The girls participated in this game and had enough correct answers to become Americans.

Here were some of the questions, which are some of the same ones asked of immigrants desiring U.S. citizenship.  

By the way, did you know that 750,000 people take the naturalization test annually?

Q: How long is a U.S. Senator's term?
A: 6 Years
(The 17th Amendment changed the manner in which Senators got their jobs - prior to this amendment, they were appointed and following its passage, they were voted in)

Q: Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
A: Thomas Jefferson

Q: What territory did the U.S. buy from France in 1803?
A: The Louisiana Purchase

Q: Who was president during World War I?
A: Woodrow Wilson

The girls were ready for their long-awaited dessert when we descended from the Skywalk and so we headed to two different places ... Pinkberry for Kelsey and Godiva for Gianna.

We strolled around the mall a bit. The girls were fascinated with the new "Surface" from Microsoft, with which they played, drawing and "painting" pictures after devouring their sweets.

Guess what's on both of their Christmas lists?

At Microsoft Store - the kids were fascinated by the new Surface -- drawing away

We hopped in a cab back to the hotel and passed a few great Boston buildings up close and personal -- the State House and the John Hancock Building.

The State House, Boston

John Hancock Building - the tallest building in New England

An early dinner at Nix's Mate where I had the most amazing beet salad, filled with greens, grape tomatoes, fennel, feta cheese and oranges - SOOO GOOD! I accompanied it with a comforting bowl of tomato bisque.

The girls enjoyed spaghetti and some steak fries.

But, hold on...dessert was decadent!!  Just look at my pictures below - don't drool!!  
Chocolate cake with a raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream AND Zeppoles dipped in sugar!  We had to roll out of the restaurant!!

Today, we have an early start, which was not the case yesterday.  Off for an early morning Duck Tour around Boston and then onto the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.

And of course, tonight is our big show night with tickets to see Beautiful the Musical at the Boston Opera House.  What a great day it's going to be!

Gonna try to do some vlogging today! 

See ya back here tomorrow for our last and final day in Boston.

-E
xoxo