Travel Schlepp's Dispatches

Plone Conference 2011

2011-11-20T02:50:00.000-08:00

Karl and Schlepp made it to the World Plone Conference this year, the first time in 3 years. It was being held in San Francisco, across the Bay from Berkeley and south of Sonoma where we were 2 years ago. On Saturday night, there was a party at a place called Treasure Island where Schlepp met all kinds of nice people.

In the pictures below the lucky bear is seen at the conference party with (top to bottom, left to right) Debbie, Chrissie Wainwright, Elizabeth Leddy, Alexander Limi, and Matt Hamilton.Chrissie was Debbie's instructor, Liz was a key conference organizer, Alex founded Plone, and Matt is the Plone Foundation President this year.

They had loud music, battling robots, and this huge pink flamingo. Not your typical bear habitat.

Don't know where next year's conference will be, but Schlepp is already planning on attending.

Travel Schlepp "does" Aix-en-Provence

2011-10-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a busy, busy month -- first Buenos Aires, then Karl's dad, and then France. The conference was in Aix-en-Provence, so getting there was a little longer than usual. First there was the little hop over to Houston; then the looong flight to Paris. Once we cleared customs, we worked our way from Terminal 1 to the railroad station in the middle of Terminal 2. After a wait, we caught a comfortable TGV (high speed) train to the south.

The next day we set out to explore and came across a lovely outside cafe. Here I finish off a bowl of penne with pesto. (It also had sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and prosciutto, but I finished that stuff off straight away before Karl could photograph it.)

A while later we stopped by the carrousel on the other side of the central traffic rotory by La Fontaine de la Rotonde. As almost always is the case, the horses were quite friendly.

On Monday evening after a full day at the conference, we went out with Karl's colleague, George Baldwin, and had a nice meal, again outside. The weather was a little cool after dark, but that doesn't bother us bears. After dinner I had a cup of the famous French coffee, which I must admit is very good.

On the way home we passed by several fountains for which Aix-en-Provence is famous. I think this is Fontaine d'Eau Chaude, a thermal fountain whose warm waters nourish a healthy ecosystem of moss and ferns.

Along the way back to the hotel on Tuesday evening, we met this French bear. Very friendly, of course.

Later on we came across the Fontaine du Roi René. Of course, down at bear height you can't see Good King René standing on the pedestal at the center of the fountain.

With the conference over by noon Thursday, we took a stroll to the north side of town and another nice restaurant. As with almost all our meals in Provence, we had the local rosé, always excellent.

Later on as we roamed farther north, we came across an unusual stuffed critter--a lama, I believe, but possibly an alpaca. Either way, it gave me a lift on the way to the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, an amazing church.

Here's an interior photograph looking up into the marvelous cupola of the cathedral. The rest of it was a magnificent mixture of ancient and medieval. Perhaps tomorrow I'll upload some photos to Picasa.

Next stop, Paris....

Came Ye o'er frae France?

2011-10-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just back from Buenos Aires in time for a rough week with Dad passing on. Karl's brother Paul was here to help out and he's staying on in Albuquerque to take care of Mom.

That means Caro, Karl, and a certain teddy bear can go to the ESARDA-INMM meetings in France. The trip was planned months ago, but with Henry's health so fragile, we weren't sure who if anyone would be able to go.

So tomorrow bright and early, it's off to Houston for a connection to the trans-Atlantic flight. Once at CDG Saturday morning, we'll catch the bullet train from the airport to Aix-en-Provence. Once there we'll settle in at the Hotel Roi René and enjoy the French cuisine and fine wines.

Expect updates in the week ahead.

Southern Cross

2011-10-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this from the Southern Hemisphere. In fact it 's the first time Karl and I have been below the equator. We're in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Karl is presenting at The Materials Research Society symposium on The Scientific Basis for Radiological Waste Management.

That was finished late this afternoon and tomorrow we fly home. It's been a long trip for such a short presentation. Right now we've finished off all the e-mails and the last of Karl's single malt Scotch.

"Now fill to me the posting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all."

Nine Eleven 10 Years Later

2011-09-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago Karl was in Bonn, Germany with his friend Debbie and colleague David Betsill. David was part of a GIS workshop while Debbie and Karl were presenting a knowledge management workshop. The participants were all from the Middle East and were taking part of Sandia's regional engagement program.

I remember distinctly that late in the day one of the German hosts opened the door and announced that an airplane had struck the World Trade Center in New York. I thought some idiot in a Cessna had messed up. But some time later, she returned and said a second plane had struck the second tower. Now we were truly puzzled.

The workshop adjourned around 4:30 (remember, Germany was 6 timezones ahead of New York). By then all the televisions in the conference facility were showing the awful events. Karl and I ate dinner alone in a daze--Debbie and David understandably didn't feel like eating.

We spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV in Debbie's room. Fortunately, the vending machines on our floor had wine and beer. By late that evening we had emptied them.

Karl and I returned to our room and, of course, couldn't sleep. At some point Karl thought to document what was obviously a world-changing event. The photo above shows me glued to the TV as the terrible tragedy was replayed over and over again. With all the airlines to the U.S. shut down, we had no idea how or when we'd get home.

E-mail messages instructed us to call Sandia's emergency operations center and our managers at their homes, since the Labs were closed. You don't want to know what the phone bill was by the time it was all over.

Debbie and David would finally be able to fly home several days later -- that was it's own kind of adventure. Karl and I were eventually authorized to continue on to Vienna for another two weeks of work with the Action Team. The world would never be the same again.

Budapest

2011-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Just got back from Hungary where Karl was presenting at a conference. As always, a furry bear makes friends fast. Below Karl's co-worker, Mike, shares a local Dreher beer with me. Dinner was a tasty catfish paprika with cream cheese-dill spatzl.

It's been 10 years since Debbie and I visited Budapest on a cold and cloudy weekend in December. Now I got a chance to go back to Buda Hill and view the city on a warm, sunny day. Below I look out from the parapets of Buda Castle down to the Danube River and the Hungarian Parliment Building on the far side (right).

While up on Buda Hill, Karl photographed me with some ancient statues. I'll have to do some research to find out who they were, but they were life-sized with great mustaches.

Schlepp Takes the Rail Runner to Santa Fe

2011-05-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday Schlepp along with Karl, Caro, PC and Barb took the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe for lunch and some touristy shopping. The trip up on the 9:30 train was happily noisy with a group of very animated passengers just behind us. The train was nearly full, which is good to see.

Despite a forecast of high winds, Santa Fe was calm with blue skies. A van ride to the plaza and short walk brought us to Osteria D'Assisi for lunch and some very tasty Italian food. Here's a picture of yours truly on a sculpture near the Palace of the Governors Museum.

After some strolling around, checking out the jewelry under the portal on the plaza, PC and I headed back to the RR station and the 4:10 train back to Albuquerque. Here's a picture of PC in the car we had all to ourselves.

It wasn't long before it filled up with regular Friday afternoon commuters and we were homeward bound. Caro and Barb stayed on for more shopping and caught the 6:28 train down.

=========================

As an aside, this item about a bear and crochet vandals made the news this week. Kind of reminds me of Wee Willie's sweater.

Crochet On A Bear Statue from Jennifer Sharpe on Vimeo.

Trinity Site

2011-04-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today was one of two days each year that the military opens up Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was exploded. Ric, Kent, and Karl were going down, so of course, I went along.

It was a crisp spring morning that led to a warm day, so typical of NM this time of year. The drive down went quickly and soon we were heading east of Socorro out into the Jornada del Muerto. Here I am on the dashboard as we turn and head south of the Stallion Range Center on White Sands Missile Range.

There was quite a crowd at the site with hundreds of cars in the parking lot. It had a kind of Balloon Fiesta feeling about it all. After a walk of perhaps 1/4 mile, we came to Ground Zero. Here I am at the marker while a curious onlooker looks on. Hasn't he ever seen a teddy bear?

As we walked around the grounds, one can still see bits of trinitite, the glassy mineral created by the heat of the blast. It's not really visually exciting, so I circled it in this picture.

On the way home, we came across a large fire in the bosque near Bernardo. As we watched, it grew quite large with the winds pushing it up the river. Karl has blogged about it elsewhere, but here I am watching it.

Well, we're safely home now. Time for a nap.

A Seattle Christmas

2011-01-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since the furry one has taken a trip--that was last August's jaunt to Taipei. But this holiday season found him in Seattle, visiting PC and Goen.

Of course, any visit to Seattle would be incomplete without a trip to the Pike Street Market. Here's TS checking out dinner, a pile of iced down Dungeness crab.

Later as we headed back to the car in the rain, we ducked into Kell's Irish Pub for lunch. That, of course, meant only one thing to the well-seasoned traveler: Guinness!

And to top things off, Santa was there...

And he did deliver...

As you can see, the crabs did make a lovely dinner.

The next day we worked off a few calories with a brisk walk around Phinney Ridge. Here Schlepp horses around on one of the many large yard decorations.

Happy New Year, everyone -- arctophiles and all!

Write a Post, Help a Dog

2010-09-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

We're taking a little break from the Taiwan stories and I'm not even going to blog about Talk Like a Pirate Day, even if TLAPD is tomorrow. Instead, tomorrow is the deadline for posting an entry that mentions Pedigree's shelter donation program. Simply by making this blog entry and linking it back to their site, I've taken advantage of their generous offer to donate 20 lbs of food to an animal shelter.

Similarly, if you go to their Facebook page and "like" it, they'll donate a cup of food to a shelter. Seems like a great idea to me. So get on over to Pedigree's FB page and click on the "Help Dogs" tab.

Here's the full list of others who have blogged about Pedigree. At the time of writing this, that's over 250 blogs or 5,000 lbs of dog food being donated. No telling how much they've gotten from Facebook fans.

Taiwan Retrospective

2010-09-14T19:26:00.000-07:00

Continuing with more photos from Taiwan, here I am enjoying a big steaming basket of dumplings. Karl wanted pot stickers and this is as close as we got, which was very good.

Later we walked through Chang Kaishek's Memorial Garden--lovely late in the day.

It's quite an amazing place with huge gateways, grand promenades, and meticulously kept gardens.

Next installment, Dr. Sun Yatsin's Memorial and Taipai 101, the 2nd tallest building in the world.

Back from Taiwan

2010-08-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a whirlwind trip! Last Tuesday I was in Taiwan and by last Friday I was back in Albuquerque.

Door-to-door it took 26 hours to make it from ABQ to TPE. Thank the gods of airline upgrades, this was business class from San Fran to Taipei. That more than makes up for the non-reclining seat in the ABQ-SFO leg (watch out in row 12 or higher of a CRJ-200).

We arrived late Monday night. Tuesday morning, without missing a beat, we met with our Taiwanese colleagues and ventured out to Chinshan to view the proposed storage site.

That evening our host took us into Keelung. Since it was the end of Ghost Month, we hiked up a hill in the city center to a temple where preparations were underway for the Ghost Night festivities. Here's a panorama stitched together with Hugin from 8 separate photos--it's a large temple and one can't back up far enough to get the entire thing in a single frame with a 35 mm lens.

The tables are loaded with hundreds of offerings to the ancestors. We wouldn't want hungry ghosts causing problems in the year ahead.

Afterwards our gracious host took us to a sumptuous seafood dinner--sashimi, steamed shrimp, spiny sea urchin roe, squid, hermit crabs, roast frogs, and much more. Very tasty.

Stand by for more photos tomorrow as I catch up on all of last week's travel adventures.

Bound for Taipei

2010-08-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, after a summer spent at home, it's time to hit the road again. This time we're heading to Taiwan to look at the Chen Shan #1 Dry Cask Spent Fuel Facility.

The question has occasionally come up, "what doe the well accoutred bear take with him on a trans-Pacific trip?"

Here's Schlepp while packing (click to enlarge). The key to the letters is as follows:

A. Snacks, very important, especially on a 20+ hour trip
B. DOP kit
C. Jura single malt Scotch, 3 oz max allowed in carry-on
D. Shampoo and conditioner, ditto
E. Schlepp himself, most important
F. Tempurpedic pillow, since airlines are now reneging on creature comforts
G. Umbrella, it's typhoon season in Taiwan right now

There you have it, the basic survival kit for the traveling bear. Not shown are headphones, mp3 player, book, camera, and miscellany kept in the under-the-seat bag. For the entire trip, we only have to deal with this one wheeled carry-on and the much smaller shoulder bag.

Back from Sonoma

2010-05-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

It may have been rainy and cool in California, but the wine and cheese did not disappoint. Ingrid's Cabin at the Glenelly Inn was the perfect place to tuck in to local wine, cheese, sausage, and breads while a cheery fire crackled in the fireplace.

A day-trip took us to Jack London's ranch, where his widow built a museum in a large cabin to commemorate his short but active and prolific life and writings. Despite fog and drizzle, it was great for a bear from the desert to get his fur wet. Fascinating history, too. Here I am on top of a banister carved in a South Seas style.

Other diversions included the redwoods in Armstrong Grove and the rather exciting one-lane, two-way road to Austin Creek.

The drive up the coast to Fort Ross and down the coast to Bodega Bay was beautiful. Although extremely curvy with few guard rails, it wasn't nearly as scary as Austin Creek. Plus the B&B outside of Guerneville was terrific. Here I am just south of Fort Ross.

Next... my adventures at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden.

On the Road Again

2010-05-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Packing for the trip to California. It's been a loooong time since I've been farther than White Rock. Of course, emptying out the White Rock house, remodeling it, and getting it staged for sale has been a huge distraction since February. Now that's done and it's time to relax a little.

So it's off to Sonoma for a few days of wine and cheese. Follow the adventure here and via Twitter--http://twitter.com/schlepp. The rest of the Homefront Brigade (including newest member, Tinsel, from the MMNA garage sale) plus the three cats will hold down the house along with our house-sitter Sheila.

Stay tuned for adventure!

The White Rock Adventure

2010-04-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Haven't been traveling much this winter and spring... except up to White Rock. It's time to sell Gert and Henry's home of 40 years. But first, we had to empty it out, then replace the kitchen cabinets, replace all the linoleum, redo both bathrooms, re-carpet the bedrooms, and stage the house for sale.

Whew! It's been a lot of work but the kitchen looks great.

Along with all this, Ty has had a big oral surgery. Luckily, he's been sharing his Haagen-Dazs ice cream shake with me. Here I am on Henry's old desk in what once was the most cluttered room in the house--his office and computer room.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T02:14:00.000-08:00

Schlepp went down to Old Town so that the Chilcotes, visiting from Seattle, could enjoy a New Mexico Christmas tradition: thousands of luminarias.

It was cold and a stiff north wind made for a chilly experience. More than a few luminarias were blown out. Here Schlepp is seated beneath the huge Christmas tree just off the main plaza.

A Happy Christmas to all and a Joyous New Year!

Traveling without Leaving Town

2009-10-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

Went to the zoo this weekend with the folks. Beautiful weather and a great opportunity to get them out of the apartment. We managed to get through about 1/3 of the place in 2 hours of leisurely strolling.

As it happened in Victoria, we came across some small primates. I was hoping for lemurs, but those are in a different section. In the Tropical Americas Exhibit there were Golden Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia). The little critters pretty much stayed at the far back of their cage. I don't blame them--they are critically endangered in their homeland of Brazil.

Then Schlepp, of course, got out and made friends. They were timid at first but soon, just like in Victoria, they were at the front of the cage, eager to find out what this strange new animal was. Perhaps they think he's another tamarin. Maybe he's just friendly and furry like they are.

Either way, a good time was had by all. We'll have to go back soon and see the lemurs.

A Quite Summer... Almost

2009-08-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Not much travel for a Travel Schlepp since May. Perhaps something will come up in Oct-Nov. But there's always time for adventure. Yesterday the furry one got to meet our resident salamander. Whether its a Suzi or a Steven Salamander, we don't yet know.

Here's a picture of our intrepid bear with his new tiger salamander friend in the Hidden Garden.

Schlepp Visits Oak Ridge

2009-05-29T01:36:00.000-07:00

Its been a couple months since Travel Schlepp had any traveling to write about. This past week, though, he was in Oak Ridge, TN visiting Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Here we are inside the ORNL conference center. There we were instructing over a dozen students in the nuances of on-site inspection under the International Nuclear Safeguards Additional Protocol.

When we flew back to ABQ, we left from the nearby Knoxville airport. In the main hallway leading to the security checkpoint, there are beautiful waterfalls that fill the area with the sound of tumbling water. There's also a couple of Tennessee black bears soliciting donations for black bear habitat. Schlepp of course took some time to chat.

Albuquerque Fencing

2009-02-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't about building a fence, which is what fencing usually refers to in NM. This is about Fencing--foil, saber, and epee. Nephew Peter is in town for the Junior Olympics, which this year is being held in, of all places, the fencing capital of the U.S., Albuquerque, NM. The tournament is this weekend and we'll be there on Sunday cheering Peter on.

Happy Birthday, Travel Schlepp!

2009-01-22T01:52:00.000-08:00

Well... its been 10 years already--ten years since Karl opened a small box and found the furry one inside. And with that first trip to Vienna combined with his first digital camera, we've had 10 years of adventures together. Here's the very first photo of me: #61 taken on Jan. 22, 1999, in Hotel am Stephansplatz:.

We were working with the UNSCR 678 Action Team, the fellows who were keeping Saddam from getting the big, bad bomb. Nuclear disarmament inspections in Iraq had been halted, but Gary Dillon wisely realized that the pause was the time to bring the Action Team up to date with its information systems.

Debbie and I worked on their intranet, their inspection planning systems, and their analysis tools. We were probably just getting started with GIS, mostly by giving Martin a surplus copy of an old ArcInfo license.

Then it was off to Amsterdam. Here Karl and I lounge around the hotel room before going out and exploring the town. The next day it snowed and was icy everywhere. We took a train to The Hague, gave an ACE-IT demonstration at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, took the train back to the the airport, and late in the evening caught our flight back to the States.

Since then its been trips from Ankara to Shannon, Mumbai to Cairo. Eventually, Karl would take over 7,000 photos on that old reliable Kodak. Even though its been retired, there have been over 7,000 photos taken on a second Kodak. The way things are going, the second 10 years will have even more trips to more exotic locations--gotta keep the bad guys from getting those big, bad bombs.

Schlepp Goes Cross-Country

2008-12-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Schlepp and Karl got a break from elder care. Along with their friend Ric, they grabbed skis, snowshoes, and packs and went up to Sandia Crest for some winter fun.

Ric had never been on snowshoes before, so he was enlightened with the ease with which he could manuever in the crusty, icy, 4-day old snow. Just the week before, he was defeated in a hike up to the South Crest by two feet of snow.

As you can see, everyone enjoyed the trek up to the Kiwanis Hut. Alas, on the way down, one of Karl's 20-year old Karhu skis finally gave up the ghost, cracking just behind the 3-pin binding plate. Time for some no-wax skis.

BTW, Gert and Henry are doing well. Today the physical therapist took Gert down the hall a goodly distance and back, non-stop. The trip measured 95' one-way, more than far enough to get her to the dinning room down on the first floor. Tomorrow we'll try doing lunch downstairs as well as unpacking the last of the boxes.

Update on Telephone Service

2008-12-24T03:18:00.000-08:00

Just a quick jot to say that phone service hasn't come online as expected. A technician is going to work on the problem tomorrow. Meanwhile, Gert and Henry's cell phone is the only way to call the new apartment.

Whew!

2008-12-22T17:54:00.001-08:00

Got Gert and Henry into the new apartment and all is well. She's still moving kinda slow but can make it from the curbside all the way up to the 4th floor. Everyone is happy about the look-and-feel of the new place.

When we left they were having dinner with some neighbors from down the hall. Tomorrow Gert starts out with home P/T at the Woodmark--she doesn't have to go back to Health South for out-patient P/T.

I think I'm going to sleep for the next week.

The Big Day

2008-12-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Looks like we're going to survive the big move. Got Henry all packed up, Ty is coming down with some last minute items, and I'll be picking up Gert from Health South around 11:00. Should have them both over to the new apartment by new if all goes as scheduled. Of course all this is contingent on doctor's discharge orders and that moves at the speed of insurance paperwork.

More news later today....

Yet Another Sunday Update

2008-12-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

Gert's doing well and expected to get "sprung" from Health South Rehab tomorrow. Gotta run now 'cuz we're frantically unpacking all the boxes that came down with the movers on Friday.

Hurry, hurry. Scurry, scurry.

The Great Geezer Migration

2008-12-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

My good friend Paul McGoey has a remarkable way with words and has deemed this week "the Great Geezer Migration." On Friday morning three movers with a 23-foot van head up to White Rock. Lou and Ty meet them at 10:00 and they load furniture (carefully numbered and labelled) plus something like 19 boxes that have been packed since mid-November.

The movers blast down to Albuquerque and they unload into our pre-planned arrangement of furniture. With Gert still in rehab, we have Sat. and Sun. to "stage" the apartment for Gert's arrival. Whew!

I'm still amazed that on Friday the phone company will turn off good ol' 672-9164 up in White Rock where its been an active number for 39 years. New phone = 881-5146.

Meanwhile, the icy roads prevented an AM visit to Gert but Caro and Henry saw her in the late afternoon. She's doing very well.

Henry has quite an appetite these days. Ty and I cooked up sausages, baked apples, gourmet grits (cream and smoked Gouda), and biscuits--very much the Low Country cooking of the Carolinas. Afterwards Henry had the last couple bits of "spotted dog" bread that we baked on Sunday. Finally he had a bit of egg nog and a chocolate chip cookie from Millie's diner.

Yet Another Sunday Update

2008-12-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

After a frantic day of Mom-care, driving up to White Rock, packing like crazy, and then driving back to ABQ, Sunday truly is a day of rest. We've got things as ready for the movers as we can.

Its a grey day with snow and rain showers earlier. The forecast promises much colder and snow tomorrow. At least the streets are passable right now. Keeping our fingers crossed for the movers next Friday.

Caro is up at Health South with Gert. After a so-so day Friday and yesterday, she is back on track with improved spirits. The doctor has her scheduled for discharge a week from tomorrow (12/22).

Right now Henry is playing the accordion in the next room and I've a rare chance to put the iPod with a microphone next to him. Earlier he finally got his chance to make pancakes, which traditionally are a Saturday breakfast.

Yesterday, during the hectic packing expedition, Kent and Ty did yeomen's service by taking care of Henry all day from 8 'til 8. They got Mom's collection of crosses up on the wall and Dad got to see the apartment for the first time after painting, shelving and lighting were installed.

Sunday Update

2008-12-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

Gert is doing fine, comfortably settled in at Health South. She's met the physical therapist and the occupational therapist, nurses, and other staff. Serious rehab starts on Monday. Probably the only complaint would be less than stellar food.

Henry is staying in the guest bedroom and seems to do alright. This morning while I was putting together a crockpot pot roast, he and Caro had a long talk about family care giving, death and dying. He worries more about taxes and is already concerned about next April 15. We assure him that we'll get professional tax help for him.

Schlepp and his human, Karl, are glad to be back home after some really hectic packing in White Rock. Probably one more weekend trip should pull it together. Despite the broken hip, surgery, and rehab, people keep telling us that Gert will be ready to go to the new Woodmark assisted-living apartment on the 19th.

Getting Gert Going

2008-12-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the Physical Therapist had Gert up into a chair for lunch. Then a little later, he got her into a walker and they went out into the hall, perhaps 30' or so. It was painful and tiring, but the leg can bear her weight. The hospital is getting Gert a cool 4-wheel walker, in purple, so she can get used to her own personal one instead of using the lenders that PT brings.

A social worker has set things up for discharge on Friday to Health South, a rehab facility in Albuquerque. Henry will come stay with us for awhile, using Frances' room with its new sofa bed. They expect that Gert will be out of rehab in about two weeks, just in time to move into Woodmark Assisted Living.

So despite the drama of the past few days, it looks like there will be little impact on the move out of White Rock. The main thing is that we have to get things packed up pretty well today.

122 Azure

2008-12-02T01:48:00.000-08:00

Schlepp spent a subdued Thanksgiving weekend with the folks up in White Rock, packing the house on Azure. Forty years of living layered into closets, shelves, and nooks have so far been distilled into 14 boxes. Each carefully labeled and its contents written down in a notebook.

Schlepp helped where he could, but he's a little bear and the boxes are big. Some family treasures have come to light--more about that later. The big move will be the 19th, when Gert and Henry leave the house for assisted living in Albuquerque.

But Monday has had its own twist. After a couple doctors appointments in the morning, Gert was getting out of the car and she fell. She has a fractured femur. Surgery is set for 7:30 this morning.

The Colt

2008-11-11T20:34:00.000-08:00

While I ended up with Grandpa's Mauser on my wall, my older brother got his WW 1 vintage Colt .45 automatic. The wooden diamond-shaped pattern cut into the grip had been worn completely away where his hand held it, although the incisions are at least a 1/16th of an inch deep elsewhere. He must have literally had it in his hand all the time for the entire deployment. That might have been 500 days because as a professional soldier he was sent overseas early to learn trench warfare from the French shortly after the US declared war (April 1917). Most doughboys didn't arrive until 1918.

Colt service automatics had a safety feature that prevented the gun from firing if the muzzle was pressed directly against something. I remember someone telling me that he had filed that safety off. Lou says it just wore down from constant use. At any rate, better to have it blow up in your hand and take out your adversary when you're in hand-to-hand combat.

He mentioned once that a trenching tool (that cute little folding shovel you see in Army surplus stores) made an excellent weapon in close quarters. I shudder to think about two men fighting in a trench, one with a bayonet and the other with the modern equivalent of a battle axe because he has emptied the Colt's magazine. The fact that my grandfather survived leaves one stunned to think about the other unfortunate soldier. And how often did it come to that? No wonder he came home, hung up the uniform, and put all the guns away.

He told the tale of running through a young stand of trees, only able to take cover behind 1" saplings. He took a .22 in the bicep that passed clean through. At the aid station they simply put a bandage on one side and then poured iodine directly in the wound and capped it with the top bandage. He said that hurt much more than the bullet.

Another time an artillery shell exploded beside him and he continued on for some minutes until he noticed wet blood on his Colt. His arm (again) had taken the shrapnel and he hadn't felt a thing.

My brother had had the Colt inspected by a gunsmith and he even fired it a few times at the shooting range. It had a tremendous recoil. Grandpa said that if you had a choice you aimed at the pelvis, so the momentum of the bullet would strike bone and knock a charging soldier down. No good to shoot someone and have them still run up and bayonet you. Imagine the kinds of lessons our soldiers are learning in Afghanistan and Iraq today.

Unfortunately Grandpa's Colt was stolen when burglars broke into my brother's trailer back in the 90s. The thief may just have thought that they had gotten an old gun to pawn, but instead they had taken an irreplaceable piece of our family history.

The few stories we know about that terrible war make sure that we Horaks understand that war is not a game and that sacrifice is real. Despite Grandpa leaving the military after the war, both my father and uncle served during the Second World War. It has only been our great good fortune that war has not overtaken my generation--my draft number during Viet Nam was 311--just lucky, I guess.

Relief and Astonishment

2008-11-05T02:10:00.000-08:00

The entire Bears' Home Front Brigade has issued a collective sigh of relief. Whew! Obama made it! Chili Bear can (almost) relax about endangered polar bears. Travel Schlepp can (almost) feel the international tensions settling down a notch.

All the bears and critters are wondering aloud that America truly is amazing if it can go from 8 years of Bush to a free election where the black son of a Muslim Kenyan father and a Kansas farm girl rises to become our next president. The bears are proud to be American bears today.

Schlepp's Civic Duty

2008-10-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Schlepp has voted... well, at least his human has. The first attempt, last Wednesday, ended when he walked into a darkened polling place downtown. A power outage had taken out the lights. Even though the voting machines have backup power and procedures exist to keep the balloting going even without power, there was no order or organization and he quickly left. Thursday evening in Ranchitos he had better luck and was finally able to vote.

Amazingly, there are teddy bear political sites out there. The best we've seen is Polar Bears Against Palin. Certainly Chili Bear agrees with that sentiment.

In this photo Chili hangs out with Maddie, Jennie, the Cat with No Name, and the Schlepps.

With a little Googling you'll learn that Bobo is Barack Obama's childhood teddy bear. Its a good thing to have a teddy bear close at times like these. I think Bobo has Secret Service protection.

But whatever your political persuasion, be sure to get out and vote. If you can, vote early. If you can't, vote next Tuesday. A week from now we should know who our next president is.

Schlepp in DC

2008-10-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Schlepp and I finally escaped the World Plone Conference briefly today to take the air, which was surprisingly warm and sunny. We walked down to the Mall and watched the people go by, admired the buildings and monuments from a distance, and quietly reflected.

You see, Aunt Frances, whom we had been hospicing in our spare bedroom back in NM, passed away late yesterday afternoon. She died quietly and peacefully surrounded by her daughter and niece.

Even if Travel Schlepp and I weren't there, Big Schlepp and the entire Home Front Brigade were. Fido and Cousin Middle Schlepp were there, too, and Paddy stayed curled up next to her to the end.

Although we'll miss her, somehow this all feels right... as though in her death was the completion of something important and in its own mysterious way, miraculous. Life's journey takes many unexpected twists and turns. Certainly Aunt Frances life had more than its share and in the end gave us memories and lessons of living that will stay will us all.

Lost Teddy Bear in Atlanta Airport

2008-10-06T15:10:00.001-07:00

Just today TS received a lost-bear report from a lady and her son who were in the A concourse of the Atlanta airport Friday October 3. The missing bear is either a 14" or 18" Gund Schlepp and was not (as of this posting) turned in to lost-and-found. The Bears' Homefront Brigade is mobilizing volunteers in the area. Any stuffed critters or their humans with any information on this bear, please leave a comment or e-mail schlepp 'at' swcp.com.

Thanks!

Valle Grande Tour

2008-09-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Travel Schlepp went up to the Valles Caldera National Preserve and took the "Heart of the Valle Tour." It was a combo van-tour and hike, with the ten participants able to hike a little or a lot as they saw fit.

With an 8:00 start time, getting to the Valle from Albuquerque was a bit of a challenge but very worthwhile. Not only was sunrise in Jemez Canyon lovely, but the Valle Grande had a bowl full of fog. It had rained the night before and that's what triggers the fog.

The Valle was a chilly 38 at first but quickly warmed into the 80s. Beautiful vistas of the Redondo Border were everywhere. The final part of the tour took us into the Valle San Antonio in the far NW of the preserver and then through the center, past the History Grove, the old ranch headquarters, and back to the visitor center.

Hurricane Ike Aftermath

2008-09-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Schlepp got Sunday off from hospicing Aunt Frances thanks to Cousin Kathie holding the fort. Got to go up to the Valles Caldera and tour back into the far NW reaches of the Redondo Border. Beautiful country, early fall, and wonderfully re-energizing.

Today we're back at it, but for perspective, don't forget that Hurricane Ike was a huge disaster despite the media's switch of attention to the financial situation.

For example, this just in from my old college roommate, J.C. He lives in PA but obviously took time off from work to help out in TX.

hi all,
I just got back form Houston/Baytown. Baytown is the site for the 2nd biggest emergency kitchen operation in history ( the first was the support operation at the twin towers site). I have to admit that the baptist men's clubs of North Carolina really do know how to do it right as far as supporting the emergency workers, they run the kitchens that supply the food we deliver to the clients, and they have both a couple of portable shower trailers and a laundry trailer that was parked outside of the staff shelter that I got a cot in last night.

this is an altogether different operation than what we did at Katrina, the need is more pressing. It is probably because I am here at week 2 instead of week 5 like Katrina. We have elderly people walking up to the meal lines at the shelter who have walked for a 2 miles or more. This isn't "helping the needy and meeting the greedy" this is bringing 500 lunches to the community of Anahuac and running out of food, then 4 hours later coming back with 750 diners and leaving just 30 extra meals in the shelter for people who walk up after we have to leave. You do NOT want to be the guy in the red cross vest who has to look a 3 year old in the face and say "Sorry, we're out."

we aren't resupplying warehouses like we sometimes did in Katrina. We are running supplies to where the generosity of America meets the desperate of America. The missions are long, very long! We operate the main warehouse and the head quarters up in Fort Worth because ....well for exactly the reason we are in now. There is Kyle churning up the Atlantic. If we were deployed closer we could be knocked out by anything that comes on shore.

well I've driven almost 900 miles in a box truck in the last 48 hours so I need some pillow time.

See ya all,

JC/Razz

Hurricane Hanna

2008-09-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Big Schlepp just earned his Hurricane Merit Badge--Hanna came ashore on the NC/SC border this morning. He and the rest of Aunt Frances' critters and human friends stayed put, although when Hanna was thought to become a Cat. 2 storm, they were planning to evacuate inland to Whiteville, NC.

Here TS watches the Weather Channel for updates. The Sun News online (Kurt Knapek) reports,

Two awnings were damaged and four trees were toppled in Myrtle Beach during the night as Tropical Storm Hanna made its way through the area, according to city spokesman Mark Kruea.

The damaged awnings are located at Ocean Boulevard and Third Avenue South, and the other on Kings Highway and 65th Avenue North, Kruea said.

Myrtle Beach received more than 3 inches of rain, he said.
Most of the power outages in the city were repaired within 30 minutes, Kruea said.

Hurricane Hanna

2008-09-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tropical Storm Hanna is forecast to become at least a Category One hurricane in the next day or so and then head north. South Carolina is right in its crosshairs. Aunt Frances is getting ready to evacuate ahead of the storm 'cuz their too close to the ocean. Big Schlepp is taking special care that everyone is safe. The latest e-mail from Myrtle Beach said,

Don't worry about ... Middle Cousin Schlepp and Fido (Frances' beautiful stuffed doggie) - they're going in the car if they have to sit on the steering wheel. I've put all of Frances' other stuffed critters together on a shelf in the closet and told them to "hunker down cause a big wind might be coming."

Hurricane Gustav

2008-08-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Louie is having bad flashbacks tonight. Only three years ago I rescued him from the left lane of I-40 westbound in Albuquerque during a pounding rain storm.

He and his human family had evacuated New Orleans ahead of Katrina only for him to be lost on the highway when a luggage strap failed. Now he's good buddies with all the other bears and critters in the Bears' Home Front Brigade.

He also has played a key role in the rescue of Lightfeather in Travel Schlepp's novella. Should be another podcast uploaded this evening.

Meanwhile, Schlepp, Louie, and other bears have been watching the Weather Channel and hoping that Hurricane Gustav doesn't do too much damage. In the photo above TS and Louie look at the Saturday AM model tracks from the Weather Underground. Louie has seen what a big hurricane can do and he's urging everyone to evacuate as ordered and make for high ground.

Postscript: Turtle weigh in. Terrance came in at 278 gm today, his heaviest weight ever. Its a good thing, too, with only six weeks or so until hibernation.

Valle Grande Walkabout

2008-08-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend Schlepp and friends drove up into the lovely Jemez Mountains north of Albuquerque and hiked the Valle Grande. The Valle Grande is the largest of the huge high mountain calderas in the very center of the Jemez. They mark the site of what was once a lake in the center of a collapsed volcanic uplift, much like modern Crater Lake in Oregon. The lake drained 11,000 years ago into the East Fork of the Jemez River, leaving wide grassy bowls surrounded by mountains up to 11,500'.

In the panorama above you can see the expanse of the Valle Grande from the roadside viewpoint at the east end. Taking the gravel road out to the Valles Caldera National Preserve visitors center gives one a much better vantage.

Most hikes require reservations and a scheduled van ride to and from the trailhead, but three shorter hikes are available without prior arrangements. The scenary is superb and our short flower walk around Cerro la Jara was a joy, even if short. Its rare to come across a hike at a park site where one is instructed to strike out across the grassland without a trail.

Valles Caldera is a jewel. As a unique "national preserve," they are attempting to be economically self-sufficient by 2015. Currently they are at 20%. Every lesson they learn can be eventually applied to our other National Parks, Monuments, and Historical Sites. They deserve your support.

Visit their website (even if a bit awkward to use) and then visit the Valles Caldera. If you sign up for one of their scheduled events, note that Albuquerque to the Staging Area for meeting your van will take 2 hours. This gives you a little leeway for unexpected delays, getting you to the parking area 15 or so minutes ahead of time for administrivia and loading gear.

Schlepp plans on going back soon. He's signed up for the Heart of the Valles tour on Sept. 21. This will get him into the Redondo Border, an area that is not visible from any vantage outside the preserve and said to be extremely scenic.

Big Schlepp Goes Traveling

2008-08-14T03:45:00.000-07:00

In a surprising turn of events, Travel Schlepp isn't the one traveling this week--Big Schlepp is. Caro is flying home to Myrtle Beach 'cuz Aunt Frances is sick. With Miss Frances in the hospital and not doing so well, Big Schlepp has his work cut out for him.

Here TS gives Big Schlepp some pointers on the use of airline headsets so he can watch the movie ("Kung Fu Panda"--pretty much a bear's kinda movie, don't cha think?)

Because Aunt Frances is ill, the Bear's Home Front Brigade decided to recruit a special bear for remote assignment. Just like we sent Cousin Brown Bear to stay with Bill in the hospital, we've found a special Gund bear for Frances.

He/she is still in the box with its big message of "Follow your Dreams" and has graciously agreed to let Miss Frances name him/her.

Here you can see our Special Agent Bear getting briefed on Bear's Home Front Brigade Security and Safety by Big Schlepp, Newport, the Beautiful Roberta, and the Cat with no Name.

We'll have more updates from Myrtle Beach as soon as Big Schlepp gets there late Thursday and probably a new podcast this weekend.

Bears on Mars to be Baked in Ovens

2008-06-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Its true! The Phoenix Mars lander has identified three bears on Mars. The team at JPL plans to scoop them up and bake them in ovens.

If this sounds like some mixed up and terrible extra-terrestrial Brothers Grimm fairy tale, you're right. Papa Bear, Momma Bear, and Baby Bear are just the names for the first three sample sites for the Mars probe to dig. The soil will then be placed in a tiny on-board oven and slowly baked to analyze vapors that come off at different temperatures.

One of the most fun things to do with this lander is to follow its activities via Twitter (http://twitter.com/MarsPhoenix). That way you can get answers to your questions or just follow all the excitement, step by step.

Terrance Update

2008-06-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

We spotted Terrance this weekend after three weeks and he's put on 15 gm. With his discriminating tastes, of course he turned up in the Hidden Garden, the very moist and lush courtyard garden that Caro has created on the west side of the house. Its shaded by the high fence on the south and a 20-year old stubby spruce. My four old cats, Oreo, Yoda, Tigger, and Paco are buried there. After all, it was there private yard when we first moved into the house.

Terrance immediately scarfed down some strawberries we set out for him and he has spent most of the weekend comfortably nestled in among the cedar bark mulch behind the lupines. This evening as the shadows grew long, he ambled off towards the other side of the yard. Eventually he reached the big Rosemary by the Bodhisattva Fountain and seems to have settled in there.

Prius Training

2008-05-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today's Washington Post has an interesting story about a phenomenon that Schlepp has long been aware of: how Karl's Prius trains you to drive more efficiently. We knew about that long ago when Karl was graphing the mileage of his new Prius with every tank of gas. Mileage kept increasing (to a point) as Karl responded to the two engine-battery performance screens that could be displayed on the console.

Caro went so far as to describe the Prius as a video game disguised as a car. The object of the game was get the highest mileage possible. Fill up at the corner gas station and nearly coast home so you can park it overnight in the garage with 83 mpg on the computer. Drive up to Los Alamos and back (90 miles and 2,000' vertical feet) while not falling under 50 mpg.

Today we came back from a quick weekend trip up to White Rock to visit the parents and help out around the house. We came back via State Road 4, the Valle Grande, the Ponderosa pine nursery at milepost 34, and High Country Gardens in Bernallilo. Even going over a 9,000' pass up by St. Peter's Dome Road, we scored 53.4 mpg.

Hooray, we win!

Back from Turin

2008-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, as quickly as we were gone; we're back. About 44 hours dealing with travel compared with 20 hours of KMS meetings at UNICRI plus another 12 hours of formal socializing. We got out for a couple hours late on Friday afternoon in a light drizzle for a bit of shopping: perfume, chocolates, and a glass paperweight.

Dinner was at a nearby restaurant called Kipling for reasons that are still unclear to me, but the food and wine were excellent. The starter was beautiful tray of three seafood appetizers: salmon with mango chutney, a whitefish (Baccalà) with capers, and black pepper-encrusted tuna with a balsamic reduction sauce. For the first plate, I had gnocchi in a very fresh and light tomato-basil sauce. The second plate consisted of seabass filets wrapped around asparagus with a butter sauce and the slightest drizzle of balsamic. Combined with a fine Barolo, it made an excellent repast.

But Saturday morning, after a restless night with poor sleep, we were up at 4:00. We were off to the airport around 5:30 after a bit of a struggle getting a taxi. The flight to Paris left at 7:00 and only took an hour or so. After a three-hour layover in CDG, we were off again, this time to Atlanta.

At first blush it could have been horrible--I was seated next to a small infant--but she was amazingly well behaved and quiet the entire trip, even on descent when ear-troubles bother most children. The furry one quickly made friends and the long flight across the Atlantic was a pleasant one.

After a dash through passport control, customs, and ATL, we caught our flight home with about ten minutes to spare. Even though only 3-1/2 hours long, we were in a window seat and that always makes for a claustrophobic flight despite the view. We much prefer aisle seats.

Next thing we knew, we were home in Albuquerque, about 24 hours after we had awakened and it was only 6:30 PM Saturday. Like Dickens' ghosts of Christmas, we had done it all in one day.

2008-05-15T14:43:00.001-07:00

Another day of the UNICRI Knowledge Management System meetings. We were finished and back at the hotel by 3:00, in time for a nice lie-down. At 5:00 the bus picked us up and we headed out for a tour of the city before winding our way up one of the highest hills in town with wonderful vistas even with cloudy, cool weather. At the top was the Basilica di Superga.

Turn around and there's a magnificent view of the city with the Po River running through it. Alas, the day has been cloudy with a bit of rain. Here's Schlepp and Laura, our workshop coordinator, who did such a great job of feeding us, arranging for buses and airport shuttles, and generally keeping everything moving smartly.

Afterwards we made our way to the nearby Trattoria Bel Deuit where we enjoyed the local wines and again many, many courses. After finishing the meal, there was of course, espresso (no cappucino after 10:00 AM!).

The drive down was in the fog, which made the blind curves all the more fun. Here we are loading onto the bus, which gives you an idea of the visibility. Lower down the mountain things improved considerably as you can see here on YouTube.

Arrival in Turin

2008-05-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Twenty four hours after leaving Albuquerque, Schlepp is in Italy. It was a long but uneventful trip. Got to the strangely named "Jolly Hotel" around 4:00 PM European time. After a brief lie down, it was still sunny outside, so we took a walk, had our first gelato, and basically tried to keep from falling asleep too early.

Here's a chocolate gelato, before...

and after...

Travel Schlepp on the Road Again

2008-05-10T21:18:00.001-07:00

Travel Schlepp and his human, Karl, are off on another jaunt this week. Monday they leave for Turin, Italy via Delta Airlines, Cincinnati, and Paris. It promises to be one of those weeks with little free time and more hours spent in airplanes than in meetings.
Turin looks to be a beautiful city full of cathedrals, ancient architecture, and historic facades. More importantly, it is the birthplace of solid chocolate. Schlepp's entire Tai Chi class is eagerly awaiting Karl's return with a suitcase full of Italian chocolate.

This trip is to attend a meeting with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Institute (UNICRI). Although a small agency, they work hard to stop illegal activities like drug smuggling, slavery, and the illicit transport of chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear weapon and equipment. The conference is a kickoff meeting regarding their knowledge management system, which will likely be built upon a Plone framework. For now though, its a time to listen and to understand their needs--what they need to do to accomplish their mission.

Its a little scary for Schlepp--the last time Karl and he did a knowledge management workshop, it was in Bonn, Germany... Sept. 10-12, 2001. Knowledge management will always be linked with 9-11 and the awful events of that day.

As a side note, Terrance is doing fine, wandering about mostly in the Vinca. Yesterday he happily snacked on some shrimp we left out for him. He has such refined tastes.

Schlepp Conquers the Faulty Trail / Terrance is Back

2008-04-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today Schlepp, Kent, Ric, and Karl went up to Tijeras and followed the Lower Faulty Trail until it met the Upper Faulty Trail and then returned by the South Crest Trail. 4.3 miles and about 1000' of elevation. Kent lent the furry one his camera. Perhaps tomorrow Kent will e-mail the resulting photo this way.

Meanwhile, Terrance has responded to the near-80 degree weather and started rumbling about. He passed on a plate of strawberries and a dish of water, but not to worry -- he weighs 12-½ oz. That turns out to be exactly what he weighed last Oct. 6th when he was last weighed right before he hibernated. After I took him off the scales, he scampered into the Vinca and hung out at the edge of the porch for awhile. But now he's scooted off deeper into the tangle of vegetation and is nowhere to be seen. TTFN, Terrance.

Terrance Spring Update

2008-04-19T01:11:00.000-07:00

Its April 19 and Schlepp has been worrying about Terrance. Last year he was up and about by mid-April, but this year he's nowhere to be seen. Well, as bears are wont to do, he rustled around in the leaves under the Vinca where he'd seen Terrance burrowing in last October. Sure enough, just under the surface was Terrance, all squinty-eyed and sleepy but OK. He had turned himself around from last fall when he was about 6" deep and was only under the very loose leaves lying on top of the ground. Suspect he'll be up and around one of these days when he decides its safe and warm enough to come out.

The last two years he dug in within 15' of the swimming pool. Schlepp thinks that when Karl turned on the pool heater in early April those years, it warmed up the ground and got Terrance jump started. For now, he's in a safe place and we're glad to know he made it through the winter.

Teddy Bear Marches for Tibetan Autonomy

2008-03-10T02:47:00.001-07:00

Today a brave Tibetan teddy bear and his human set out for their homeland as part of a symbolic march home by 100 Tibetans as part of pro-independence protests ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"The youngest marcher was 19-year-old high-school student Tenzen Pema, who carried home-made cookies, a bottle of water and a teddybear."

Schlepp and all the Bears Home Front Brigade support this teddy bear's stand for freedom.

Travel Schlepp on the go again

2008-02-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

Its traveling time again for Travel Schlepp. This time its to Seattle, a favorite town, home ofBarb, PC, and Gus. We'll be just in time for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show plus we'll have time to catch up with John Olsen, who retired from Sandia last year and relocated to Whidbey Island. Expect photos and podcasts from the Great Pacific Northwet in the days ahead.

Meanwhile, the latest installment of Schlepp's novella has been posted. Enjoy!

Travel Schlepp's Technical Side

2008-02-11T19:26:00.001-08:00

You don't travel all over the world building databases, designing web portals, and such without picking up a few tricks. Head over to my technical blog at Plone Metrics. Also, be on the lookout for my third installment on the novella this weekend.

New Arrivals--New Podcasts

2008-01-30T03:20:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays we picked up a polar bear named Chili Bear aka Chilly Bear and a striped cat. The cat apparently has amnesia and that, along with Chili Bear, will roll into the novella's story line in Chapter Five. Below is a Christmas photo of Lady Jenny, Miss Maddy, Chili, Big Schlepp, Travel Schlepp, and the cat with no name.

For my birthday I received a takaan, a wooden teddy bear that was designed to be a papier-mâché mold. He's about 15" high and has a rather rigid pose, but looks to be a formidable part of the Home Front Brigade. He too will be worked into the story.

Speaking of which, another section of Chapter One has been recorded and we hope to have another podcast online this weekend.

New Podcast

2008-01-20T00:58:00.000-08:00

As promised, I've uploaded chapter 1, part 1 of Schlepp's new novella. Can a small bear originally from Seal Rock, Oregon rescue his friend Lightfeather? How 'bout save the world? If that's not enough, he's got to save the entire galaxy! Good thing he's got lots of help--Terrance the Tortoise and Louie, a silver leaf monkey from New Orleans, not to mention the entire Bears Home Front Brigade.

More to come on approximately a weekly basis.

Fish & Wildlife Drag Feet While Interior Sells Out Polar Bears

2008-01-15T00:57:00.000-08:00

From today's New York Times comes this scary little bit. Chili Bear, the new resident polar bear in the Home Front Brigade wants to bring it to everyone's attention.

The Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service has announced that early next month it will sell oil and gas leases on nearly 30 million acres of prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea. Meanwhile, the department’s Fish and Wildlife Service has postponed a long-awaited decision on whether to place this iconic and troubled animal on the list of threatened species.

This means that Bush and Cheney will give their buddies in the oil industry first whack at sensitive polar bear habitat while their Fish and Wildlife friends drag their feet on protecting polar bears. Yet within a few decades two thirds of all polar bears will be gone, including _all_ of Alaska's.

The Passing of a Great Beekeeper

2008-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

We bears have an especially tender spot in our hearts for beekeepers, those selfless men and women who provide us with honey. Today the world is sadly without one of the greatest beekeepers ever, Sir Edmund Hillary. Its not every day that a beekeeper gets knighted, you know. Here is a photo of Sir Edmund along with Tenzing Norgay, the Shepa. Together they were the first climbers to ascend Mount Everest.

Not only a beekeeper and a climber, Sir Edmund was deeply committed to helping the Sherpa people. He built hospitals, schools, and airstrips throughout Nepal and dedicated himself to improving their lives. The Bears Home Front Brigade wishes to salute the passing of Sir Edmund and extends their condolences to all those who mourn his death.

He will not be forgotten.

Travel Schlepp Book Now Online

2008-01-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Day, Schlepp is posting the first four chapters of his new novella. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for the podcasts of the same.

Happy Holidays to All!

2007-12-23T20:37:00.001-08:00

Here's Schlepp in front of a luminaria, a traditional holiday decoration in New Mexico. Whether you call it a faralito or a luminaria, they are beautiful when massed atop all the houses and along all the streets.

Have a safe, warm and happy holiday!

Winter in NM

2007-12-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Schlepp took Aunt Frances down to the Albuquerque Nature Center to see the winter wildlife. It was cold but sunny and there were lots of Canadian geese, a bunch of wood ducks, and lots of mallards. Here's Miss Frances at the observation room looking out over the Nature Center's pond with lots of Canadian geese in the background.

Oddly enough, we didn't see a single crane. We're guessing they are farther south at Bosque del Apache.

Tonight it may snow, but its just not cold enough for a white Christmas in Albuquerque. Maybe it will snow on Christmas Day.

To all the Schlepp fans, have a happy solstice celebration, whatever your faith. Be safe and stay warm.

Teddy Bears in the Sudan

2007-11-29T19:30:00.001-08:00

Talk about a collision of cultures--today a court in the Sudan convicted Gillian Gibbons for letting her 2nd year class name their teddy bear Mohammed. If any foreigner in the Sudan had thought about how the Danish cartoons of the Prophet were taken, and if the Sudanese had thought about how precious teddy bears are to the Brits, this never would have happened. To misconstrue that this is some kind of pernicious plot to overthrow Islam is ludicrous. The Muslim Council of Britain was quoted as saying:

"(Gibbons) should never have been arrested in the first place, let alone convicted of any crime," Muslim Council of Britain spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said. "There was no crime, it was a wholly innocent and naive. ... The worst you could say about her actions is that she was inadvertently naive. She should not be put in prison for that."

Schlepp and all the critters of the Home Front Brigade want Gillian to know that we fully support her and find the recent actions of the court in Khartoum to only reinforce negative stereotypes.

My understanding from the press is that a disgruntled school employee made the charge and that students had been taking Mohammed home for the weekend since September without ill feeling. After all, it was the students who nominated and voted for the name.

==========

Monday 3 December update. With the pardon of Gillian Gibbons by the President of Sudan, perhaps some calm will come to a land under seige. Now the correct focus of our attention (and that of the media) should be the situation in Darfur.

Thanksgiving in Ne w Mexico

2007-11-23T13:34:00.001-08:00

Schlepp went north to visit the Horaks and Ramsays (Karl's brother's wife's family) for Thanksgiving. The forecast was for a good bit of snow and it did not disappoint. Here TS helps dig the Prius out. For scale, remember that he's just an 8" bear.

Luckily, the snowplows had stayed on top of things and the roads were slick in places with a bit of snow pack, but easily traveled if you used some bear sense.

By the time Schlepp had shoveled Dad's driveway, it was 10:00 and time to leave -- we wanted plenty of time to get back to Albuquerque because the road conditions in Santa Fe were an unknown quantity.

As it turned out, the roads were turning slushy by ten and only a few icy bridges greeted us in Santa Fe. The Interstate was somewhat wet but not at all snowy from Santa Fe south. So the Great Thanksgiving Snowstorm of 2007 turned out to be not so horrible and everyone's back home, safe and warm.

Home Again Home Again, Jiggitty Jig

2007-11-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

ter

This is the way Schlepp handles fatigue while on travel--main-lining Espresso straight from the machine. And fatigue is what we had coming back from Amman.

First there was an entire day of workshop, close-out meetings, workshop luncheon, and team dinner. Then there was an evening to pack, shower, and shave before heading to the airport at 11:00 PM.

Flight to Paris took off at 2:00 AM in an old 737 that was crowded, uncomfortable, and poorly ventilated. Arrived at CDG around 6:30. Here's Schlepp at Gate E-96 so early that none of the shops are open. We worked on the Schlepp Book for a good bit while Debbie slept on the floor. Got Chapter 3 finished as well as the Dramatis Personae at the front.

The trans-Atlantic leg was much more comfortable than Amman to Paris. Arrived in good shape in Atlanta. Had a moment for a light dinner, then home to ABQ before 9:30 PM. All in all, about 44 hours on the go. Whew!

Yet Another Banquet

2007-11-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Had another banquet, this time in Madaba, a town famous for magnificent mosaics. Here Schlepp views one of the pieces under construction. The mosaic in the background is over 4' across. Both of them show the "tree of life," a remarkable symbol that cuts across Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths. Many of these mosaics are crafted by the handicapped and the pieces are only 2 or 3 mm on a side.

Afterwards we ate outdoors in a Jordanian restaurant. There were a large fig tree, grape vines, and an olive tree covering the entire group. More mezza, more shish kebab, more good times. Schlepp made friends with the daughter of one of the participants, as you can see. He is such an international diplomat.

Banquet in Amman

2007-11-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had a huge banquet at a Lebannese restaurant. True, there wasn't music and dance like last March, but the service was impeccable and the food limitless. To begin with there were course upon course of mezza (appetizers) laid out on the long tables. There was hardly any room beverages for all the little plates.

After eating our fill of a huge variety of treats, they came around with the main courses, lamb, beef, kebab, chicken. Of course, afterwards there was a yummy desert and deadly strong coffee with cardamon. In a pause between course, Karl took my picture with a variety of the guests and Hanada got me to sample my first "hubbly bubbly," a Middle Eastern water pipe. Finally, the evening was finished with a lovely glass of sweet tea with mint.

A great time was had by all and I did my part for international diplomacy. Tomorrow we have another day of talks and discussion by individual NGOs and then the technical part begins. Wednesday and Thursday the Plone training will take place over at the Royal Jordanian Scientific Society.

Travel Schlepp Visits the Dead Sea

2007-11-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

The trip to Amman started off with a bad oman: a two-hour delay due to an oil leak in an engine. Got to Cincinnati with 5 minutes to spare. Luckily, the flight to France was at the gate exactly across the concourse from our arrival gate. Karl and I were the last ones on the plane.

Security lines in Paris were chaotic, but we managed them and our flight left CDG only an hour late.

Arrived in Jordan last night about 9:00. Thank goodness for the Mohammed, the meet-and-greet fellow. Asleep by midnight and in fact slept pretty well after the 23-hour long flight from Albuquerque.

Today five of us hired a car and driver for a trip to the Dead Sea, about an hour away. Its amazing how much elevation you loose going down so far below sea level.

Here I am sitting on a salt-covered boulder on the shore of the Dead Sea. In the distance you can see people floating in the water, where they can't sink because of the buoyancy. On the left is Jordan. In the distance on the right is Israel. The Palestinian West Bank is to my left (your right) outside the picture.

Schlepp in Northern New Mexico

2007-10-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month Schlepp attended the InterLab 2007 Conference in Los Alamos, NM. On the way up he stopped at the obscure Mormon Battalion Memorial near Budaghers. (You have to look real hard at the bottom of the monument to see Schlepp.)

Then on the way back, he stopped at Camel Rock. Most people stop at the casino on the north side of the road, but there's a small parking area for the stone formation on the south side of the interchange. The rock is now fenced off, but when I first arrived in NM you could climb right onto the camel's hump. Worries about erosion and the loss of the camel have resulted in a closed off site.

Where's Terrance?

2007-10-19T01:45:00.001-07:00

Can you spot him?

This photo from two weeks ago shows him foraging in the oregano, where he is almost invisible. Now the weather has turned cold and he's dug himself a couple inches into the leaf litter underneath the Vinca. If I poke around a little, I can just see the top of his shell.

Even though the low this morning is forecast to be 40, this weekend its supposed to be back near 80. We'll see if that warms Terrance enough to get him moving again. This time of year in Albuquerque there are only 11 hours and 11 minutes between sunrise and sunset. With a sun elevation of only 45 degrees and the porch shading the Vinca bed until 1:00, he won't be getting much direct heat.

Meanwhile, Schlepp and the gang continue to work on Chapter Three of his book. Its almost time for NaNoWriMo, but since we started this last summer, we can't take credit for the 8000 words written so far.

Turtle Weight Watchers

2007-09-30T02:50:00.000-07:00

Something for the biologists out there. Here is the graph of Terrance's weight, which I've been tracking since July.

I'm a bit surprised that it took such a dive in August when I thought he'd be laying on winterfat. At least the weight loss has flattened out, but he seems to be turning up his nose at strawberries, his favorite summer food.

His current weight of 354 grams works out to about 12.5 oz. In the next 2-3 weeks Terrance will be burrowing in for the winter's hibernations. Be on the lookout for post-hibernation weights next spring.

Abo Pass

2007-09-23T04:19:00.000-07:00

Schlepp and PC took a pilgrimage to Abo Pass yesterday. This obscure pass between Mountainair and Belen, NM handles an incredible amount of rail traffic. Apparently this line carries more freight than the combined maritime transport between Europe and the U.S.

For several tight miles down in the canyon on the west side of the saddle it is single rail, so the trains stack up waiting for one to snake through before another can climb up the grade.

We watched a dozen or so from various vantage points as the 9000-foot long intermodal freights rolled by. Here we watch an east-bound train head into the pass at the NM 47 crossing. I'll have a audio podcast up later today and post the video to YouTube.

We went off the pavement south of the highway just west of the ghost town of Scholle, under a trestle, and down a canyon looking for the twin horned serpent petroglyphs, but we were turned back by mud from the recent rains.

Terrance, Newport and Schlepp

2007-08-28T02:32:00.000-07:00

Terrance was out for a stroll the other morning. I found him behind the rosemary, so I brought him a plate of strawberries (his favorite food). Afterwards he checked out Newport, Schlepp, and Roberta (off camera left--you can just see an ear).

Since then I've only seen Terrance in the vinca, probably because its been too hot in other parts of the yard. As we move into September and things cool off, he'll start using the rosemary bed more often because of its early morning warmth.

Schlepp Visits Acoma

2007-06-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

Its been about three years since Karl was out at Acoma. This trip Schlepp got to go along for the ride. The visitor center, which burned down seven years ago, has been rebuilt and is a wonderful island of cool and shade full of interesting exhibits, a museum, a restaurant, a picnic area, and gift shop. Schlepp got to see the entire mesa-top pueblo, go inside the church with its fascinating mixture of Pueblo and Christian symbolism, and hike down the original trail from the cliff top. At left Schlepp rests on a bench in the main Acoma square.

From the mesa top, one can see marvelous vistas across the Acoma reservation. Here you can see the view out towards Enchanted Mesa, a very large, very vertical formation off to the northeast. The clouds in the background are probably building up over the Jemez or Sangre de Christo Mountains 75-100 miles away.

Matthew Meadows Neighborhood Association Online

2007-06-04T01:49:00.000-07:00

The great guys over at Openia came through with a Plone instance for my neighborhood association. Now our little Matthew Meadows has a nice new home in cyberspace. With Plone we should be in good shape for moderated blogs, a community calendar, news listings, and a useful repository for handy community information.

Already I've raided the City of Albuquerque GIS and purloined names and addresses of all the residents. Links to govt, Yahoo, and Google maps are up, but relevant content is still short. I'm posting on various of my sites to get some cross-linking with the indexing services.

Note that this morning the WaPo has an article about community and neighborhood blogs. Very timely.

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy weekend: Ty's graduation, shopping for plants at High Country Gardens, getting ready for tomorrow's evening get-together. For me, definitely not a morning-bear, getting up for the nephew's 9:00 AM graduation was a horrible way to start the weekend. But luckily, he graduates from high school only once.

Then, on the way back down to Albuquerque, we stopped at High Country Gardens so Caro could pick up some plants. The photo is of me in their green house by the petunias. Of course, buying plants means having to eventually plant them. So much of today was spent digging holes. Terrance was out and about, so he survived his little adventure in the swimming pool last weekend. Caro did the bulk of the work, but I'm a little sore in the back from digging and some heavy lifting.

Had time to tidy up some of the bonsai, especially a couple of the tropicals. The ginkgo is doing very well despite some critter trying to excavate a burrow in its pot. The little fern-like ground cover adds a nice touch.

Monday we're having eight or so friends over for bon bowl--our version of a Vietnamese noodle salad. Lettuce, cucumber, green onion, cilantro, basil, bean sprouts, and a pile of capellini topped with grilled shrimp and pieces of spring roll. Don't forget to sprinkle liberally with chopped peanuts. The sauce is noteworthy (from Sunset Magazine years ago):

3/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/2 c soy sauce
3 T sugar
2 T sesame oil
2 T minced fresh ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 t red chili powder

Albuquerque Bonsai Exhibit

2007-05-06T02:42:00.000-07:00

The Albuquerque Bonsai Club will have a display of bonsai, viewing stones, and accent plants at the Albuquerque Botanic Gardens over the Mothers Day weekend. BTW, Schlepp will be taking his turn as docent and guardian of the bonsai from noon until 3 PM Sunday.

Evolution

2007-05-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

It came as a shock during the Republican Presidential Candidates Debate, not only that three of ten candidates do not believe in evolution, but that the question of evolution is a one to be asked. Even more astounding is that the answer is still open for debate among the Republican Party. A fourth candidate (McCain) has accepted speaking engagements from the Discovery Institute (the intelligent design think tank). We have a President who claims that the jury is still out on the theory of evolution. (The three who identified themselves as not believing in the theory of evolution were Sen. Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Rep. Tom Tancredo. Curiously, a number of MSM outlets did not name names.)

This state of affairs represents a profound disregard for scientific knowledge, a serious lack of understanding of the scientific method, and a prodigious statement of anti-intellectualism at the very highest levels of U.S. government. No wonder our response to global warming has been held back for seven years. No wonder we have ideological recipes to justify the invasion of Iraq and then more ideology to design a failed solution.

What ever happened to plain old critical thinking?

(Truth in Blogging Disclaimer: Schlepp has a PhD in Biology.)

The Return of Terrance the Tortoise

2007-04-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Its April 30th and we still hadn't seen Terrance. Last winter he popped up in mid-April. We were beginning to worry. Then this evening after work, we spotted him along the edge of the rosemary. Yup, he's up and at 'em.

True, he's a Western Box Turtle, not a tortoise, and he's slow, but he's busy hunting. Snagged a bug on his way back to his burrow underneath the Euonymus.

Good to have you back, Terrance!

Soon to come, another episode of SchleppCast in which Schlepp rescues a hummingbird who was trapped in the garage.

The Mauser

2007-04-17T03:39:00.000-07:00

Horrific news from Virginia today. The massacre at Virginia Tech has that feel of 911 for some reason, even though it is two orders of magnitude smaller. Perhaps it is the innocence lost... yet again. Another assault by unfathomable forces--one by extreme ideology, the other by extreme instability. Perhaps they are, deep down, the same thing. Schlepp's heart goes out to all those touched by these senseless acts of violence.

I am reminded that on the wall behind me is a wooden gun rack holding the 8mm Mauser that Grandpa brought back from France. As the family lore goes, he picked it up off the battlefield of Verdun. Its a carbine, originally designed for cavalry use, but the machine guns of World War One ended that.

Instead, the Mauser on my wall became an artillery officer's sidearm. The idea is that if you are in a rear echelon artillery battery and you have an opportunity to shoot a sidearm at the enemy, they'd better be at rifle range or else your artillery is as good as captured.

Grandpa was career military, a brevet company commander, and had a Sharpshooter medal. He was a Kansas farm boy who grew up with guns, probably hunting for food, not sport. He came back from the Great War and put all the guns away. Never taught his sons to shoot or hunt. He took the carbine apart and sanded the stock down, planning to refinish the gun, but never completed the task.

Years later I had a gunsmith friend in Santa Fe finish what Grandpa had started. With newly stained wood and browned barrel, it only needed a replacement shoulder strap. It hasn't been fired since at least 1918, although the gunsmith tells me it should be fine. Perhaps in 2018 I'll fire the Mauser, to celebrate a century of peace, at least for one small rifle.

But as yesterday's events bear out, Grandpa was right--guns are for killing. I'll follow his example and not fall into the trap of bringing a gun into my CSF classroom. The best we can hope for is to make it harder for madmen to lay hands on them.

I cannot teach you violence, as I do not myself believe in it. I can only teach you not to bow your heads before anyone even at the cost of your life. -- Mahatma Gandhi

Shrine of the Stone Lion

2007-04-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Schlepp had an interesting weekend. Instead of traveling somewhere exotic and faraway, he traveled to someplace exotic and nearby. With an eclectic group of fellow hikers he climbed an obscure mesa in central New Mexico and visited the ancient and little-known Stone Lion Shrine at its eastern rim.

True, there is a well-known Stone Lions Shrine just north in Bandelier National Monument with its two famous carved lions, but this is a single lion shrine. The ancestors of Cochiti Pueblo no doubt carved this remarkable work and set up the stone ring around it. They set the standing stones in place.

Apparently, in years past, the University of New Mexico used a helicopter to remove the lion to the Maxwell Museum, but protests caused it to be returned. I wonder if that is when the tail went missing?

At any rate, the shrine appeared unused, even now, just two weeks after the equinox when we would have thought there would have been a ceremony. Ten years ago there were sea shells, obsidian, and quartz crystals, but today... nothing. But still the Stone Lion quietly guards its sipapu and looks out forever across the endless mesas.

Arrivederci Amman!

2007-03-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Its the final day of the workshop. Everyone wandered off to home or caught flights out or are waiting for tomorrow's flight. Tim, Ruth, Amir, Kent, Hanada, and Ghada had dinner in the Marriott's Cigar Lounge. (It wasn't really smoky, but it has big comfortable chairs and is much quieter than the Champions sports bar.)

Ghada, our heroic workshop coordinator, finally got to meet Schlepp. I think everyone except Gen. Shiyyaab has posed with the furry one. Frankly, its been a good trip for a little bear and international security.

Travel home tomorrow starts at 5:30. There's a two-hour connection in London (tricky but possible) and then a 1:50 connection in Chicago. With customs, passport control, picking up and rechecking luggage, this will need a minor miracle to pull off. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post with all the exciting details.

Schlepp in Amman, Part 2

2007-03-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today Schlepp went shopping down the street from the Marriott. By happy accident, he found a sports shop that sold football jerseys (soccer to you Yanks) in Jordan team colors. So we've got nephew Ty's birthday present worked out. We found Jordanian pastries for the gang at the office, some Afghan trinkets at the bazaar, and Dead Sea beauty products for the ladies back home. Now to a bear, they look like packages of mud and salt, but they're supposed to be great stuff.

For dinner the entire workshop went to Kan Zaman, a traditional restaurant. Excellent food, great company, and traditional music and entertainment. Schlepp made lots of new friends--Hanada, Rima, and Hakam from the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Amman.

Now its late and Karl has finished his e-mail to the States and he's done updating view graphs for tomorrow's final workshop sessions. Friday the long flight home begins early. There are close connections at Heathrow and a O'Hare, so stay tuned for the exciting transits through some of the world's most busy airports.

Time for a little bear to get to bed. TTFN

Travel Schlepp in Amman

2007-03-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

After an eventful flight over, Schlepp is at last settled in at the Marriott in Amman, Jordan. There have been meetings at the Cooperative Monitoring Center at Amman and preparations for the disaster preparedness workshop are virtually complete.

On Friday the Muslim sabbath, Schlepp toured the ancient Roman ruins downtown, especially the theater of what was then called Philadelphia. Now its 1:14 am on Sunday March 4 and Schlepp is up in the middle of the night to catch the total eclipse of the moon. Its deep rudy red, even here in the middle of Amman with only a slight lightening on the north limb of the disc. Beautiful.

Travel Schlepp on the Go Again

2007-02-23T02:29:00.000-08:00

Its official -- the trip to Amman has been blessed by the powers that be and the tickets finally arrived.

With a little luck Schlepp managed to get an aisle seat (unfortunately back in row 43) for the 9+ hours Denver-London. Seating from Heathrow to Jordan appears better. Overall the trip is an uncomfortable one, 25 hours long not counting getting to the airport 2 hours early to check in and then its coach all the way. That makes for a wasted day after arrival just sleeping off the effects.

The technical aspects of the trip involve disaster management and specifically how to respond to a hazardous chemical disaster along the lines of a terrorist event with chemical weapons. What was initially thought to be an academic exercise now turns out to be frighteningly urgent, what with two recent chlorine car bombs in Iraq.

Expect some podcasts during the two weeks in Amman. Friends in Jordan have already found a kafia (traditional headgear) sized just right for a small bear.

Eight Years of Travel Schlepp

2007-01-26T02:31:00.000-08:00

Its January 26 and this is the 8-year anniversary for Little Schlepp. It was on Karl's birthday in 1999 that Travel Schlepp arrived from the Bears Cookie Den in Seal Rock, Oregon. The very next day he was whisked off to Vienna for his first international adventure.

Here's one of the first photos taken of TS while traveling. Karl had his new Kodak digital camera (a 1-megapixel DC-265) and the maid at Hotel am Stephensplatz had placed Schlepp in the sconce of the bedside light.

In no time Schlepp was heading out with Karl to historic and picturesque sites all over Europe. That first trip included a stop in The Hague to meet with the OPCW. In the past 8 years he's visited Paris, Venice, Prague, Budapest, Salzburg, Bonn, and Bratislava, as well as toured parts of England and Ireland. He's gone to Cairo, Vancouver, Mumbai, and Ankara plus coast to coast in the US.

Next month he'll take his first trip to Amman, Jordan. There he will help out with a Middle East Regional Workshop on Emergency Preparedness. Its a long flight, but he's used to it. Expect several posts while he's on the road.

New Year -- New Post

2007-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Technorati Profile

The odometer of US military deaths in Iraq turned over 3000 recently. Saddam Hussein was executed in a mocking, unprofessional manner on a Sunni holy day (but, interestingly, not a Shia holy day). A milestone and a martyr for the insurgency.

Winter in NM

2006-12-31T02:50:00.000-08:00

Record-setting snow fell over the weekend, but luckily we got Kent moved before things really got icy Friday night. By Saturday morning, there was over 15" on the ground.

The family across the street got out in the snow by noon and built a truly enormous snowman. Of course, Little Schlepp went out to help.

Although pretty to look at, the storm stranded travelers, caused us to cancel holiday dinners with friends, knocked out power over at Paul and Toni's place. Last I heard, McGoey had borrowed a pole lopper yesterday evening to cut frozen branches away from the utilities.

Christmas Cats

2006-12-29T02:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the family is always special, but this year we had special guests: a pair of orphaned mountain lion cubs. Their mother had been killed by a poacher, but NM Game & Fish trackers found the den before the little guys starved. Here's a shot of them under the Christmas tree.

About five years ago my sister-in-law Kathleen nursed three other orphaned mountain lions until they were about 35 lbs each. That gang is now happily at the Albuquerque Zoo. Please support wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, in particular, support the NM Wildlife Center, Kathleen's organization.

Happy Holidays from Travel Schlepp

2006-12-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

From one small bear to the rest of teddy beardom and all the rest, have a safe and happy holiday, a festive Festivus, a salubrious Saturnalia, a joyous Noel, a wonderful Hanukkah, a rejuvenating Solstice, and a merry Christmas. For all the year's work on international security, nonproliferation, and WMD threat reduction, my job is not endangered by an outbreak of world peace.

Look for the December Schleppcast later today, but first... I have to make a trifle and not get any fur in it.

-- Travel Schlepp

More Lyrics for Iraq

2006-12-09T01:20:00.000-08:00

From Loreena McKennett's "Lullaby," based on Blake. She answers the question, "Who has gotten us fouled up in Iraq:?" with "The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it! Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!"

========================================

O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war!
When the senses are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand?

When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages,
who can stand?

When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of god, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together,
who can stand?

When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain.
O who can stand?

O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!

========================================

Technorati tags:
Politics
International security
Travel
Teddy bears

Talking Heads and the Iraq War

2006-12-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

LIFE DURING WARTIME
Slightly modified from the Talking Heads 1987 original on their "Stop Making Sense" album. Kinda scary how this song describes what's going on right now in Iraq.

Heard of a van that is loaded with weapons,
packed up and ready to go
Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway,
a place where nobody knows.
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance,
I'm getting used to it now.
Lived in a brownstone, lived in the ghetto,
I've lived all over this town.

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around.
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey,
I ain't got time for that now.

Transmit the message, to the receiver.
hope for an answer some day.
I got three passports, couple of visas,
don't even know my real name.
High on a hillside, trucks are loading.
Everything's ready to roll.
I sleep in the daytime, I work in the nightime.
I might not ever get home.

This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around.
This ain't no mudd club, or C. B. G. B.
I ain't got time for that now.

Heard about Baghdad? Heard about Tikrit?
Heard about Diwa-ni-yah?
You oughta know not to stand by the window;
somebody might see you up there.
I got some groceries, some peanut butter,
to last a couple of days.
But I ain't got no speakers,
ain't got no headphones,
ain't got no records to play.

Why stay in college? Why go to night school?
Gonna be different this time?
Can't write a letter, can't send a postcard,
I can't write nothing at all.
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco,
this ain't no fooling around.
I'd love you hold you, I'd like to kiss you.
I ain't got no time for that now,.

Trouble in transit, got through the roadblock,
we blended in with the crowd.
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines.
I know that ain't allowed.
We dress like students, we dress like housewives,
or in a suit and a tie.
I changed my hairstyle so many times now
don't know what I look like!
You make me shiver, I feel so tender.
We make a pretty good team.
Don't get exhausted. I'll do some driving.
You ought to get you some sleep.
Get your instructions, follow directions,
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day,
whatever you think is best.

Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive.
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace.
The burning keeps me alive.
Try to stay healthy, physical fitness.
Don't want to catch no disease.
Try to be careful. Don't take no chances.
you better watch what you say.

No good move in a bad position

2006-11-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

My father taught me chess when I was so young, that now I can not remember not ever knowing how to play. One of the most important lessons was, "There is no good move in a bad position."

That explains a lot about life in general. It explains why the Democrats can't articulate a magical, silver bullet strategy to deal with Iraq and terrorism. After five years of Republican rule, we've made so many mistakes* that there is no simple, clean solution to get out of the hole they've dug.

There is no good move in a bad position.

_________________________
* Should have bulldozed Abu Ghraib, made Saddam's palaces a national memorial instead of the Green Zone, never disbanded the Iraq army, never disenfranchised low-level Baathists, finished Afghanistan and Bin Laden first, double-checked the WMD intelligence.

Mid-term elections

2006-11-02T19:24:00.001-08:00

Its coming down to the wire and here in NM its a close one between Wilson and Madrid. If the number of campaign signs in yards is any indications, Madrid will win. Her signs outnumber Wilson's 3 or 4 to one.

I've already voted and, to avoid the chance of electronic fraud, I did so with a paper absentee ballot. See How to hack a voting machine. More importantly, I read the entire Princeton report "Security Analysis of the Diebold AccuVote-TS Voting Machine" and believe its methods and conclusions are sound. Of course, my paper ballot gets read with an optical reader and then sent to some master database of votes, so anything could happen. But I will be very upset if the exit polls and the final vote counts diverge significantly as they did in Ohio in 2004.

One thought is to take a video camera, or failing that, your camera-equiped cell phone into the booth with you and record the process. If any unusual behavior turns up, please contact your precinct voting officials immediately with your images. I'd appreciate hearing from any who experience problems. Schlepp 'at' swcp.com.

All that said, in the end it comes down to one thing -- vote on Nov. 7.

North Korean Nuclear Tests

2006-10-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

I suppose it was inevitable--North Korea's nuclear test today. At right is the USGS summary map of the area for the day showing a small seismic anomaly. Interestingly, when I went to the site immediately after the North's announcement, the USGS map showed nothing.

Back in 1968 nuclear nations agreed with the signing of the NPT to take "effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." With current US foreign policy, it's not surprising that North Korea has pulled out of the NPT and has begun building nuclear weapons. Nor is it surprising that a number of other nations might be working to develop a nuclear weapons capability. If the nuclear powers cling to their nuclear weapons and threaten their use, then other nations will inevitably try to join the nuclear club.

Disarmament Sketches

2006-09-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Back in the fall of 2002, I had the pleasure of buying a copy of Disarmament Sketches at a book signing by the author, Amb. Thomas Graham. It was close to the end of the evening, but I had time to ask him one question, "What about Iraq?" This was while UN inspections were in high gear and before the shooting started. He said that it would turn the entire Muslim world from Morocco to the Phillipines into a huge Al Queda recruiting camp.

After the declassification of a portion of the recent NIE report on Iraq, it turns out that Amb. Graham was exactly right.

Electoral Statistics and Prognostications

2006-09-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

These links to my favorite poll-watcher in the Netherlands.

And while we're at it re: statistics, here's a graph of the terrorism stats behind the National Intelligence Estimate from http://noquarter.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Instantly clear is the effect of the War in Iraq.

Talk Like a Pirate Day

2006-09-19T01:57:00.000-07:00

Ahoy, its September 19th already and that means... its International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Get your "5 A's" ready, put on your piratitude, swagger a bit, drink some grog, and get 15 of your friends to hang out with on a dead man's chest. Just to keep you straight about it, those important A's are:

Ahoy!
Avast!
Aye!
Aye-aye!
Arrr!!

Schlepp will be hosting UN visitors, and probably not get a chance to fully embrace TLAP until after 4:30 in deference to their cultural sensitivities and such. Arrr!

Don't miss www.talklikeapirate.com and chase down the links to their half dozen or so short videos on YouTube.

Keep to the code!

Bravo, Olbermann!

2006-09-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

I was incredibly encouraged by Keith Olbermann's MSNBC piece tonight. Very much on target and in sync with my thoughts. Unfortunately, everyone who needed to hear his remarks were probably watching Disney's strange view of 9/11 on ABC. And recent research indicates that "a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." Yes, Simon and Garfunkle beat the behavioralists by about 35 years.

Think I'll get brave and record my 9/11 + 5 years SchleppCast. Schlepp and I were in Bonn, Germany and it seemed like all of civilization was burning down behind us. How were we going to get home? http://www.travelschlepp.com