On a rainy summer morning

Our dog Chippie does not have too long left on this earth.  He is now 17 years old, quite deaf and blind and I suspect a bit senile too.

But he still likes to keep me company when I do leatherwork.  So here we were, me braiding and listening to the radio and him trying to see if maybe a treat will come drifting his way!

Short Vacation Day One

After a long stressful time we decided to take a break – not to Arizona as we would have liked, but to the north shore of Lake Superior (a bit more reasonable price wise).

We left on Sunday morning, intent on spending a few days doing as little as possible.  (I did have a lot of electronics packed in my bag, but that was so that I could play with toys that there would ususlly not be time for.)

Up on I35, past Duluth and then we hit Highway 61:

We had gotten a sweet deal from Chateau Leveaux, who still considered this time of year to be off-season.  The little condo we got had a beautiful view looking east over Lake Superior.  It was like being at the sea.

From the two big easy chairs, it was only a few steps to get to the kitchen area.

The previous Friday, Gina’s mother had an emergency operation, so we were never too far away from our cell phones.

My brain just about died after a delicious stir-fry dinner …. so that was the end of day one.

Wilhelm gets a haircut …

….and not just a haircut – an old style one – by a real barber – a barber with a revolving red/white/blue pole outside, wooden benches for kids to fit on his swivel chairs and old style charm and friendliness.   South Saint Paul is turning out to be a real-rural-town-like town.

After the haircut we proceeded to look around a local flea market.

English?

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000168 EndHTML:0000003275 StartFragment:0000000520 EndFragment:0000003258English Signs from Around the World

In a Bangkok temple:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

Doctor’s office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Dry cleaners, Bangkok:
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the main road to Mombasa, leaving Nairobi:
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.

On a poster at Kencom:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.

In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.

In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Tokyo hotel’s rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Tokyo bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

A sign posted in Germany’s Black Forest:
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Hotel, Zurich:
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

A laundry in Rome:
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME


They say one of every four humans is a lunatic. Check three friends…if they’re okay, you’re it.