STRIPTESE

What To Do When It Gets Hot
         The first day in Yorkshire we woke to cloudy skies and considerably cooler temperatures than we’d had the week before. I decided that it would be a good idea to put on my silk long johns since the trousers I was wearing were pretty lightweight.
         I was looking forward to our first moor hike just because of the literary romance of the area. We started the day with a ride to Rosedale and a walk around the village.
        We were to hike over the Spaunton Moor to Lastingham, finishing at Hutton le Hole. Aren't English names interesting?
        What a start! The first and really only undulation that day was straight up 1000-feet to the top of the moor. The cloudy and cool day didn’t tame the steady climb upward over a narrow footpath. Many of us did a fair amount of huffing and puffing, and I, for one, thought we might never make it to the top. My mantra, I think I can, I think I can, I DID.
         Two hours later we were at the top only to find it so windy I thought it might blow a couple of the little people over! We stood in the cold wind near old railroad tracks for an explanation of the old iron kilns where the iron oar was decalcified to make it lighter for transport. It was sheltered on the other side of the kilns and a perfect spot for lunch.
         Fortunately the afternoon was all down hill, gently, over a reasonably good wide path. A couple of days later I learned that most groups are taken up  the moor over this gentle undulating route, but our group was deemed fit enough to make the climb up the moor through the pastures!
        It got warmer and warmer as the afternoon wore on. Coming down off the moor a stop in Lastingham provided a visit to the old crypt church. Built on the site of a Celtic monastery in 1078 it is a shrine to St. Cedd who brought Christianity to this part of England. He is buried within.
         By that time I was more than ready to shed those long johns! I thought about using the crypt to strip down, but decided that the church might not be quite the appropriate place to disrobe. However, the deserted church cemetery served nicely. One boot off, both pant and silky legs off, pants and boot back on, then repeat with the other leg.. In the blink of an eye my hiking boots were laced up, the silkies bunched up in a trouser pocket,  no one knew what I’d been up to, and I certainly was more comfortable.
         Down the path a way I pulled the silkies part way out of my pocket and said to Jan, "Lookie here."
        Totally surprised she exclaimed, “When and how in the world did you do that?”

SOME FUN INCIDENTS

Puskin
          Because Lake Kitzi was still frozen we had to forego our scheduled visit there, so made an unscheduled stop in Mandrogy, Russia. Mandrogy is a get away area for Russia's new rich. After perusing the  pricy gift shop we made a  short walk to a pull ferry that took us across a small river to Puskin Island. Puskin was a writer of children’s stories. It was a cold windy day but on the tree covered island we were sheltered from the wind. We walked a circular path around the island perimeter stopping to view the many wooden characters from Puskin's stories. It was a delightful walk into another culture.

Blueberries and more blueberries
       I was lucky to be in Nova Scotia at prime blueberry season. I love blueberries and unfortunately live in an area where they don’t grow. Believe me I’ve tried. The morning I went to breakfast and saw a punch bowl full of beautiful large ripe berries I was in blueberry heaven. Mumm, those cereal bows are too small, I need to find a soup bowl. I filled that bowl with blueberries, added a bit of milk and dug in. As I left the restaurant I said to the waitress, “I sure enjoyed your blueberries.”
      Smiling she responded, “I noticed.”

Singing Nuns
          One day in Poland when touring the countryside we stopped for lunch at a Bernadine Monastery. The nuns prepared and served a meal of delicious vegetable soup and fresh bread still warm out of the oven. The nuns run the equivalent of a soup kitchen serving several hungry people every day.
         The nuns were most gracious and it was fun talking and visiting with them. When we left, the nuns stood at the doorway at the top of the steps and serenaded us with their lovely voices. It was a delightful stop and a scrumptious lunch.

Water, water everywhere
        The only place where I have been delivered to my hotel by water taxi was in Venice, Italy as we stayed on the island in a local hotel, not on the mainland in a large chain hotel. The luggage was all transported in a water boat. The gondolas of Venice are for tourists. Water taxis get one around in Venice, and water boats transport all goods and supplies. There are no cars or bikes. On dry land one walks!

TURNEFF ATOLL

I Picturesque Spot in the Middle of the Sea.

I went to Belize to participate in a bottlenose dolphin research project. Arriving at Blackbird Caye on Turneffe Atoll I thought I had found paradise. The lush remote island was surrounded by clear turquoise water. The warm Belizean sun bathed deserted sandy beaches. The serenity of the unspoiled natural beauty was awesome.

My cabana, being a triple, was a bit larger than some of the others. All had thatched roofs, a complete bath, and a nice little veranda furnished with chairs and a hammock. Cool ocean breezes kept the buildings comfortable. Large screened windows had a drop down shutter for rainy or stormy days. Without the cool sea breezes it would have been very hot. It had was such a South Seas atmosphere.

Turneffe, 32 miles from Belize City, is the largest of the three atolls and contains 4000 acres of jungle. The resort has a generator to produce all its own electricity and reverse osmosis machinery to produce its water supply. All the water from the faucets is drinkable.

Clearing the jungle for the resort must have been quite a job in the beginning as there was no power for tools at the start.

All of our meals were taken in a unique dining /recreation building. At dinner it was explained, “The front part of this building is round showing an African influence and the back of the building, the kitchen area, is square, indicative of Mayan culture.”

In the center of the large room stood a multi-sided (sexton) serving table. Looking up at the ceiling, the thatched roof resembled the underside of an umbrella. The floor was made of narrow strips of different native woods and the contrast of the boards was striking.

All of our food was prepared by native cooks and included native dishes. The food was good and I had absolutely no complaints. The fresh produce was wonderful. Besides citrus we ate papayas the size of small watermelons and mangos the size of cantaloupes. Never had I seen fruit so big in those varieties and they were so sweet, juicy, and flavorful. Delicious!

One afternoon my roommate and I decided to walk into the jungle to see what we could see. We tucked in pants bottoms in socks and tales of our long sleeved shirts into our waist band. After dousing hands, face and clothing in bug juice we were off. The swarms of mosquitoes were so numerous that we didn’t get very far before deciding our curiosity could remain just that. It was a relief to get back to our cleared bug-free resort.

I enjoyed a couple of wonderful weeks on the atoll and there is a lot more to share---another day.