40 Years Later

Marvelous Madrid

gnome-san — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 02:55:00 GMT

friendly assistants at cafes, the hotel Europa, the Prado, fountains, and jamon iberico make Madrid a city to love. And how to describe the Prado With its penchant for huge works of art? It even has an early version of the Mona Lisa done by Leonardo's star pupil Sali, that is virtually identical the original, but better restored with a delightful background of blue mountains--- prettier and more glowing than the original.

Opa Gnome Steps Out Again

gnome-san — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 06:13:00 GMT

Opa Gnome and Oma Gnome step out again in search of fellow gnomes around Europe, including a visit to a rumored and very specail Baby Gnome. Look for sightings perhaps in the Alhambra, Athens, or Dubrovnik where they have not been seen before in recorded history.

Photos: Just lookin for a home

gnome-san — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 01:32:00 GMT

Photos: Opa Gnome moves to Florida

gnome-san — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 01:16:00 GMT

Green seas and pink sunrise

Opa Gnome Moves to Florida

gnome-san — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 01:06:00 GMT

Joining the colony of palmetto gnomes, Opa Gnome trudged over with his backpack to an undisclosed location with a Europeanesque tint near the sea to take off his wooden clogs in exchange for Chacos. Surprisingly, it is a land of sky--- wonderful sunrises, different every morning, along the waterway, and sunsets, when not obscured by shaggy, dark cumulonimbus blotting out the blue and pink. Calm green seas, rather clear when not windy, and very warm. Store managers and assistants and check-out are rather helpful to gnomes.

The gnome home is mostly in shape now, with statues of Norwegian and German cousins dotted about. The nearby arboretum with palms from around the world is a rather nice hangout, too.

Opa Gnome Returns

gnome-san — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 23:57:00 GMT

Back to one's front door. A refreshing site, seeing friends, seeing the familiar yellow garage door, the black bamboo grove, the mountain laurel arch mirroring the brick arch before the door, the sound of the fountain, all wonderful when seen with the eyes of the grateful returning traveler.

The memories of Caddo Lake dappled with sunlight and shade, springtime plums and cherries in Seattle, the blues of the bays of Kailua, the perfectly nuanced Imperial palace and gardens of Kyoto, the colors of spices and carpets and lamps and mosaics in Istanbul, the mountains and lakes of the Alps, the slightly askew timbers of Colmar, the spring green of the beech forests of Germany, the seafood pasta of a tiny pizzeria in the port of Genova, the Norman chapel of Palermo, the canals (and mussels with frites) of Brugges, the million bicycles crossing the waterways of Amsterdam, and Gaelic in the airport of Dubin, and yet so much more of this world than one can ever know.

Home again, having felt deeply of the grace of the privilege of having lived one more year to know that every step and every breath and every kindness experienced is a gift of God.

The Gnome prepares to return

gnome-san — Wed, 1 Jul 2015 07:09:00 GMT

the gnome is set to return home After circling 98% of the globe thus far, and a marvelous adventure it has been.

So if you wished to travel what equipment and clothes have worked?

Haglofs GoreTex, Chacos sandals as a secondary and for warm weather, Dockers Pacific On the Go pants in navy because the net pockets dry overnight in the hotel or ten minutes in a dryer (much faster and much less expensive and much more European looking than fancy adventure fabrics which I have at home, Nikon 30x zoom Coolpix 9700'with WiFi has been in my pocket for 5 months with excellent framing zoom and decent telephoto for something that fits in a pocket and WiFi let us share all around the world- best travel camera ever after having fluctuated between SLRs and changing lenses and small cameras for 40 years, iPad mini for reading Dumas and Kawhead and Rick Steves guidebooks and keeping track of banking, iPhone to change SIM in Europe, Adidas cool max socks in dark grey that provide padding for hikes in Cascades and dry in 24 to 30 hours in a humid hotel in Istanbul unlike 3 days for light wool, silk liner socks for cold weather, super light French Eider rain shell, Patagonia pack able down-alternative for cold with minimal weight and doubles as a pillow if hotel offering is a rock if you just add a $2 travel size pillowcase from WalMart, Jack Wolfskin light vest and soft shell for modest water repellence and extra layers of warmth for minimal weight. light to mid weight cotton shirts dry faster than many synthetics.

Photos: Lesser Floridian palmetto gnome

gnome-san — Wed, 1 Jul 2015 07:06:00 GMT

Photos: More from the secret island

gnome-san — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 09:36:00 GMT

Photos: Morning and evening, and it was good

gnome-san — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 08:59:00 GMT

The secret island

Photos: Morning, Anna Maria

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:27:00 GMT

Photos: Evening Anna Maria

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:24:00 GMT

Photos: Dali museum

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:20:00 GMT

Photos: Gulf coast

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:17:00 GMT

Photos: Anna Maria wildlife

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:13:00 GMT

Photos: Anna Maria

gnome-san — Sun, 21 Jun 2015 01:10:00 GMT

Florida left bank

Photos: Amsterdam

gnome-san — Tue, 9 Jun 2015 16:39:00 GMT

Photos: More Brugge

gnome-san — Tue, 9 Jun 2015 16:34:00 GMT

Photos: Brugge

gnome-san — Tue, 9 Jun 2015 04:22:00 GMT

Photos: Ghent

gnome-san — Tue, 9 Jun 2015 04:17:00 GMT