Trials & Tribulations-Packing for 9 weeks

Many rules have changed since 9/11 concerning what you can and cannot pack and how much weight you can carry on planes. We are going to Western Australia and Asia with a 2 week stay in Spain on our way back. In 1998/99 we went on a 3 month trip which included eastern Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Bali, India, Thailand, Italy and England and we took 28" gray suitcases as shown above in the bottom picture stuffed with kosher food for the areas where it would not be available.

This time, however, we are limited to 24" suitcases weighing only 40 pounds and 21" carry-ons which we had to buy ( blue luggage). We bought Delsey very light luggage! What to do with all the food we need to parts of Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam and Myanmar where there is no kosher food and no vegan alternatives? I packed up a large box and mailed it to our hotel in Cambodia. The concierge said he would hold it for us until we arrive. We sure hope it gets there intact!! We are also sending one to the hotel in Spain where kosher food is scarce.

The center picture shows just some of the food we have sent!! Packaged food, mostly vacuumed packed, that I can heat up on a hot plate we carry with. Simple fare but it makes it possible for us to travel anywhere and see this beautiful and exciting world.

The top photograph is the complete luggage I will take. A 24" and a 21" suitcase plus a personal tote bag which I also put my pocketbook in. I have learned to pack few clothes, making room for all the other paraphernalia that I need. A few pants, a few tops, a bathing suit, a sweater, underwear, a nightgown. I wear the same things over and over. It is amazing how little one needs. When I come home and have a closet full of clothes, I am amazed at all the choices I have.

Of course, as we use up the food, I'll have room for buying some new things so my closets will be filled with some new choices too. That will be good, I am sure, since I will be sick of seeing the same few tops and pants.

Pearl Harbor- December 7, 1941-2011- 70 years!

Pearl Harbor Oahu is proud to feature a number of exciting historic tours to the site of the United States entrance into World War II. As The Official Pearl Harbor Tours Site, our tours are designed for your convenience and schedule. All of our tours take you to Pearl Harbor's Visitor Center and the USS Arizona Memorial for a time of reflection and remembrance. The tragic attacks of December 7, 1941 shook the island of Oahu, and the United States, forever. The lives lost and that tragic day are things that we want to live on forever.


Within the grounds of Pearl Harbor are a number of exhibits, displays, memorials, and museums, honoring not only the 1,177 victims of the Japanese attacks, but all of those who bravely served in World War II. The USS Missouri Battleship and the Pacific Aviation Museum are located on Ford Island, and offer unique insights into the war. The USS Bowfin Submarine takes visitors through narrow corridors that often were submerged for months at a time.


Pearl Harbor Oahu Tours are combined with many of the top sites around the island of Oahu, including the world famous North Shore, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and a driving tour through downtown Honolulu's historic district. We took a tour that included the USS Arizona Memorial, USS Bowfin Submarine, USS Missouri Battleship and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

Using photographs that I took on the tour, I made the images shown above by cropping them to make them visually appealing. The series, entitled "Heroic Motifs," can be seen
at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.324100564269609.89549.100000090046416&type=3

Archival pigment prints from the top: Pearl Harbor Template 1, Oil and Water in Pearl Harbor 4, Heroic Impression 1, Eternal Resting Place 1, and Always Remember 1.

Travel With Me- Sketchbook Project 2012

Above are some of the scanned images from my sketchbook entitled "Travel with Me." Sponsored by the Art House in Brooklyn, New York, the Sketchbook Project has been an ongoing project for a few years. I participated in 2009. You do a themed sketchbook that travels around and then is housed in a sketchbook library in Brooklyn. this year's tour is international!! The tour comes to Philadelphia:

Aug 23rd-25th
The Painted Bride
co-presented with InLiquid
230 Vine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

I had so much fun doing the sketchbook and suggest you participate next year. I don't know what the theme will be but it should be fun!! Meanwhile, enjoy my images here and those of others on the website.

Houston- Museum Scene- Big & Bold & out of this world!!

The Menil Collection_ A Museum and A Neighborhood

The story of the Menil Collection begins in France with the 1931 marriage of John de Menil (1904–1973), a young banker from a distinguished military family, and Dominique Schlumberger (1908–1997), daughter of Conrad Schlumberger, one of the founders of the oil services company Schlumberger, Ltd. The de Menils left France during World War II for Houston, where John eventually directed Schlumberger’s worldwide operations. The de Menils quickly became key figures in Houston’s developing cultural life, as advocates of modern art and architecture. As patrons of architecture, they built one of the first International Style houses in Texas (Philip Johnson was the architect) and the Rothko Chapel. Surviving her husband by twenty-five years, Dominique built the museum that bears the family name as well as the Cy Twombly Gallery and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum.

John and Dominique de Menil were humanists who believed that art is a central part of the human experience. It is clear from their collection that they were deeply moved by the many ways individuals over different cultures and eras have revealed in art their understanding of what it means to be human.

This belief in the power of art explains the value the Menil Collection places on the primacy of the artwork, the individual artist’s intention, and the viewer’s unmediated experience in the gallery. That experience includes the contemplative, intimate quality of space and light, and the restrained aesthetic of display. Viewers will also note the absence of explanatory wall texts, docent tours, and acoustic guides: the Menils believe that a viewer’s encounter with a work of art should be immediate and direct, not conditioned by others’ thoughts and opinions about the work.

We saw Walter De Maria's Bel Air Trilogy, 3 awesome cars wondering how he did what he did and is it ART?? My 11 year old grandson and I had great discussions along with my son and husband. The extensive collection is awesome. Then we visited the Dan Flavin Installation of colored lights and the Cy Twombly Gallery which created quite a stir and discussion!! Is scribble art? "I could do that" Yes, but did you?? and off to my personal favorite the Rothko Chapel where 14 large black painting create a subdued and somber place of meditation and retreat. My 11 year old started giggling so that he had to leave before he could see that the seemingly black paintings were really not solid black at all.

The question is What is ART? How do you define it??

Museum of Fine Art

Next stop was the Museum of Fine Art which houses 63,000 works of art from all over the world, from ancient to contemporary times. The current exhibit that I liked best was Selected Prints by Robert Rauschenberg. The prints were stunning!!

Health Museum

A unique museum was the Health Museum Houston's most interactive science learning center and a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. Located in the heart of the city's rich and varied Museum District, The Health Museum encourages growing interest and regard for healthier lifestyles, fitness and good physical, mental and spiritual health. The Museum treasures Houston’s diverse population and welcomes individuals of all backgrounds. Very kid friendly and lots for adults to do and learn too. We all had so much fun and spent lots of time here!!All 14 of us!!

Johnson Space Center Houston

"INTELLIGENT FUN" defines the way we spent our day at Johnson Space Center Houston. A day when we've touched a Moon rock, witnessed a shuttle launch, enjoyed a guided tour of NASA and saw real space-flown vehicles! It was awesome! We all had a great day here- all 14 of us!!

Photos from internet from top: Bel Air by Walter de Maria, Installation by Dan Flavin,Cy Twombly's works,in the Rothko Chapel, Georgia O'Keefe from the Menil Collection, Ceramic from Menil Collection 600-800