Category: Travel

Packing for a Trip to Ireland

Posted on by ka-author
The Jameson Whisky Distillery

We’re leaving for Ireland today.
We’ve planned it for months, I must say.
We’re traveling together
Like birds of a feather.
This trip is the longest away.

The packing was onerous
Each piece, a decision
The suitcase was generous
The additions, an admission
Of stuff we might need
The weather to heed
Our hats? The honest dread
Of them blowing off our heads!

Our shoes might get rained on
Our coats might get stained on
Our smiles will be trained on
Our wonder? Explained on!

Of course, Ireland’s pretty
And its people are gritty.
But we know they’re happy and hearty,
So, we’re coming to join their party.

To experience our fellow humans
To see the world anew
To expand our short horizons
We’ll keep traveling…
How about you?

A Race Track with No Racing, Just Horses

Posted on by ka-author

 

Clocker’s Corner at Santa Anita Racetrack

When we go away for a weekend, we like to do something. Something different. Something outside, if possible. Something that we will remember for a long time, especially the next time the days are dismally cold, depressingly lonely, or unusually sad. We can recall and relive that day when we____________(fill in the blank), and it was awesome. This was one of those days.

The day started early. We had to leave the house by 6:15 to beat the Los Angeles traffic from Orange County,  which can add up to two hours to any standard 40-minute passage from point A to point B. We arrived at Santa Anita Park before 7:00.a.m., and the place was already teeming with activity.

 

No Horse Races!

So, why did we go if there were no races? Because our goal was to hang out at the CLOCKER’S CORNER. It’s an outside patio area where you can get FREE coffee and watch the horses work out. Parking and admission to the park are free when the horses aren’t racing.  Seating is outdoors, children are welcome, and you can buy a hot breakfast  (oatmeal, eggs, toast, etc.) from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time Zone. Check the website before you go.

So again, if the horses are not racing, what’s the draw? The draw is that you can go to a freaking beautiful racetrack with gorgeous animals prancing and strutting, running, and snuffling as the people at the Clocker’s Corner swap stories, drink coffee, and smile a whole bunch because they love what they do!  There were no roaring crowds, sloshing beers, and crazed wagering–but we’re not into horse racing as much as we are into animals and people doing what they love with other animals and people who feel the same way.

The Day Unfolded in Magic

The November weekday morning was picture postcard perfect. The air was crisp; the San Gabriel Mountains were etched and beautiful, and the sun had just risen to cast long shadows over the horses, the track grooming machines, a smattering of jockeys, and horse race aficionados, and except for the wafting of horse poop and hay–which adds totally to the ambiance–the day smelled both calm and expectant. Everyone knew what they were there for–even and especially the horses. “We’re here to stretch our legs,” they might say. Or “We’re here to look good for our owner. He’s over there having coffee.”

We lucked out. We ran into someone who owned one of the horses out on the track, and he had time to take us to “the back.” That’s where the work is done.

The show cannot go on without the owner, the breeders, the trainers, the veterinarians, the walkers, the farriers (who care for the horse’s hooves), and the assistants to all those peeps. Dozens of other people clean out stalls, wash down the horses, fill the feed buckets, and fluff the hay in the stalls, along with hundreds of different tasks that must be done to keep the horses healthy and happy. The stables are 24/7/365 kinds of places. Horses don’t get vacations, and their caretakers don’t either!

What We Learned

Horses are like people. Some people compete in sports with grass in their teeth, snow on their goggles, or wind in their hair. And some would just as soon watch their favorite sport from the “grandstands” of their living room sofa. Horses are just as variable. Our friend said you think from the breeding of a horse that they may want to win races, but you never know for sure. People who like to gamble enjoy horse racing because it’s a vast, expensive gamble, for which the sport is called “The Sport of Kings.”  It’s very costly. For instance, our friend said that one horse trained for one month can cost $3,200 in Southern California. Or more. Owners will enter their horses into  “claiming” races and thus put their horses for sale at $20,000 to $50,000. Sheiks and kings and investors of all kinds “own” horses with the hopes of having them win big “purses” at the bigger races across the U.S. and around the world. The biggest purse? The Saudi Cup is notable for its $20 million purse, which makes it the most lucrative event in horse racing.

Meanwhile, I don’t know what the horses think. In the novel “HORSE“ by Geraldine Brooks, you get the impression that the main character, Lexington, who is fashioned after a real horse, loves to race. Animal rights activists disagree. How do they know? I like to anthropomorphize animals…dogs, horses, cats, ducks. I think they have feelings, likes and dislikes. So I believe that horses like to win.

Takeaway

Go to different places near your home…and be a tourist. We loved walking around the empty grandstand, smelling the dirt track, and listening to the silence. We were super lucky to run into someone who wanted to show us around…show us his world. Because isn’t that what we all want? To share the things we love so others can love them, too?

And we got to get close to this beautiful animal. She seemed to say, “Come up and visit me any time.” I wonder if she will remember us. We will remember her. 🙂

An Outside Museum, You Say?

An Outside Museum, You Say?

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins
Tony Cragg’s “Bent of Mind” greets the visitor at the entrance.

It’s a museum. It’s a garden. It’s both. And it’s awesome.

It’s the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

… in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

If you’ve been to “normal” museums, you’ve seen sculptures mostly inside the museums. You know—Dégas, Michelangelo, Rodin, Warhol, etc. However, part of the Rodin Museum in Paris is outside, and be assured, some of the sculptures at this park are inside, too!

When you first arrive, you might find that the Frederik Meijer outdoor sculpture park is best viewed from the docent-led tram ride. (We were glad we did.) You’ll learn about how Frederik Meijer (billionaire chairman of the Meijer hypermarket chain) donated a large portion of the land for the park, and you’ll hear about the sculptures and artists. You can then visit any area that particularly interests you and explore the inner beauty of each of the glorious sections at your leisure.

Is it really that good?

Well, this park was voted “Best Sculpture Park in the United States by readers of USA Today in 2023 & 2024.” I’d put it in a bucket list category.

One of the highlights is the 24-foot-tall “The American Horse” statue—there are only two in the world.

The American Horse

A monument to creativity, The American Horse was created by famed animalier or animal sculptor Nina Akamu. The work is inspired in part by a work created by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci for the Duke of Milan in the late 15th century. Fred Meijer championed the project in the late 1990s, resulting in two casts of the 24-foot monument: one for Meijer Gardens and one for the city of Milan, Italy. In addition to inspiration from Leonardo, Akamu was inspired by the history of equine imagery and the study of horses. Source: Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park’s Website.

Nina Akamu’s “The American Horse”

I took the photo on the left in 2024. The next one gives you an idea of the relative size. That was me “holding up” its front foot in 2017. It was big then, and it’s big now!

“The American Horse” and Me

The place is huge. It’s 158 acres, which doesn’t sound that big until you realize an American football field is about 1.32 acres, so the park’s area is about 120 football fields.

Massive and Small Sculptures in Exquisite Gardens

The gardens elevated the artwork, and vice versa. It was clear the groundskeepers had lots of help! These critters must surely sneak out at night to weed, clean, and clip. 

 

 

 

 

 

This guy was supposed to oversee their work, but he’s definitely taking a break.

Sean Henry’s “Lying Man”

I’d love to tell you all the facts and figures about this wonderful, do-not-miss-it Midwest visiting destination, but I think you’ll find a lot more (evergreen) information on the website. 

Here’s why. As I try to write about the coolness of this unique spot, I find I’ve missed the fact that there are many gardens within the garden. The Children’s Garden invites young people to play, learn, and explore. The relatively new (2015) Japanese Garden takes tranquility, simplicity, and beauty to an exquisite height. You can check out all the gardens here. 

In all, there are five indoor theme gardens, outdoor gardens, nature trails, and a boardwalk; sculpture galleries; and a permanent sculpture collection. The website is temptingly lovely. But there’s nothing like visiting in person. It’s definitely a United States of America bucket list item worthy of Going on An Adventure.

If You Go

If you go, you might try to hit it before a famous midwest winter storm chases the sculptures inside. 🙂

Click HERE for ticket information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE LOVE LIGHTHOUSES!

WE LOVE LIGHTHOUSES!

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

What is it about lighthouses? They are a throwback to a quieter time when we had less to worry about and less control over it. But wait. Wouldn’t being dashed to unseen river rocks be a considerable worry?

Enter Fort Gratiot Light. Pronounced Fort grǎ’-chit, this quintessentially iconic lighthouse is the oldest in Michigan (constructed in 1825) that is still in active service.

It stands in the southern portion of Michigan’s Thumb and marks the entrance to the Saint Clair River from Lake Huron.

We visited it on a beautiful day in June and took an hour-long guided tour, which allowed us to climb the 94 (!) steps to the top of the tower.

Can you imagine running up and down these stairs several times daily as a lighthouse keeper? Those days are long gone—modern technology has replaced all the glamorous tasks of the courageous, stalwart keeper.

Bummer.

I like that the light is still in service, though.

And we were so silly to realize Canada is just across from Michigan now. As West Coasters, we haven’t studied our country’s middling geography very well. The bridge you see in the background in this photo from the top of the lighthouse goes from the U.S. to Canada. We felt like we had witnessed the second coming or something!

In closing, I have to tell you this story. One Christmas, maybe thirty or so years ago, my husband and I gave each other the same lighthouse calendar! So, it was a foregone conclusion. We had to drive over an hour to see this lighthouse. And, it was an excellent adventure!

Peonies in Bloom in June

Peonies in Bloom in June

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

I wondered if people would consider a uniquely colored peony worthy of a travel blog. But then, one person’s peony is another person’s mountain top.  We (my husband and I) planned a few weeks in Michican’s Lake Whitmore to be with the grandkids… but we had time some days to do a little sightseeing. We discovered that peonies were on their way out of their short-lived bloom period, and we didn’t want to miss it. Off to the University of Michigan arboretum we went.

While there were literally dozens (who knew?) of peony varieties, I had to choose one that caught my eye. Isn’t that the way? Whenever you’re traveling, you have to make choices. Where do we go today? Where do we eat? Do we want to drive a lot or walk a lot?

Then, when you get there, do you just see stuff, or do you have to photograph every little thing? Are you really there when you’re snapping the photo, or are you saving the now for a future time when you can relive the experience you missed because you were taking the photo? It’s the perennial travel question. (Wait, are peonies perennials? Yes… actually, they are. Sorry about that.)

For me, a photograph does pull me from the moment, and it lets me save the moment, too. Sigh. Travel is about seeing yourself as much as it is about seeing the world. Isn’t that cool??

A note about timing while we’re here. If we’d been a few days later in our stay, we would have missed the bloom!  In fact, we were told they were on their way down from the height of their beauty. A few of the petals had begun to fall, but many flowers still held that breathtaking “peony-ness.”) Travel timing is another whole post, but I couldn’t ignore the thought of it here.

So, let’s leave it at peonies and the perennial question of photography versus being in the moment.

Sigh.

 

Enjoying the DIA in No-Way…Detroit???

Enjoying the DIA in No-Way…Detroit???

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

Travelers love to find gems in unexpected places. The DIA, Detroit Institute of the Arts, is one of those.

According to this website, there are 35,000 museums in the United States. They listed the top 30, one of which is the DIA (#13). Yes, it’s in Detroit, Michigan.

A famous installation is that of the Detroit Industry Murals (1932–1933) by Diego Rivera. They are permanent as they were painted directly onto the walls.

I’m looking at one of the smaller frescos, and my husband and I are standing in front of an entire wall of one of the murals.

Rivera’s murals here… “create a tribute to industry and workers. These murals reveal Rivera’s fascination with industrial processes — and his critique of the political and social realities of capitalist enterprise.” (Source: DIA information piece about the murals.)

Tiff Massey

The exhibit (on view through May 2025) that tickled me the most was that of Tiff Massey. I had never heard of her, which is why we go to museums, right?  From her website, we learn “…She was the first Black woman to earn an MFA in metal smithing from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. She draws on 1980s hip-hop culture and her experiences as a Detroit native to examine the concept of adornment as an examination of the African diaspora and contemporary issues of race, class, and popular culture.”

I like her work because she makes statements about the connection of community, jewelry, and large works of art that put her “art in a context” — a theme of the DIA, according to our docent.

I’d like to put all her work here, but a better idea is for you to go to Detroit before May 2025 and see this exciting, inspirational installation. You’ll love it.

By the way, I’m making a general statement here that I hope to repeat as my travel blog grows.

“Always take a guided tour of any place you can when traveling. It helps you know what you want to see and see what you’d like to know.” — Kathryn Atkins, Blogger, “Gone on an Adventure ”

And speaking of curation (we weren’t but I wanted to see if you were paying attention), the museum houses 65,000 separate pieces of artwork. At any one time, they exhibit about 10% of them, sometimes because the artwork is too fragile to the light and other times because the featured work does have to be rotated so we get to see it all eventually. As in, “keep coming back!”

We will. 🙂

Going on an Architectural Adventure

Going on an Architectural Adventure

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

 

Just last week, we took off to Pasadena—a mere twenty-seven miles from home yet worlds apart. We go fairly often to appreciate the architecture whenever we get the chance, but our favorite season is the Heritage Weekend in October, when we tour the craftsman homes built by architects Greene and Greene between 1894 and 1922. Brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Charles Sumner Greene brought their degrees from MIT and apprenticeships from Boston to California to define a new style and a new word. “Bungalows” were not little shacks where Hollywood stars changed into their bathing clothes. No “Bungalows à la Greene and Greene were specific and of various sizes. In fact, the popular and famous Gamble House, completed in 1909 for David and Mary Gamble (of the Proctor and Gamble family), is an 8,000-square-foot home that is defined architecturally as a bungalow.

The Pasadena Showcase House of Design was built in 1902 and remodeled in 1922. At 7,300 square feet, it is slightly smaller than the Gamble house but in a totally different style now. The remodel was redesigned as a Tudor revival-style home, but architect Joseph J. Blick originally thought created it as a craftsman home for Gertrude Potter Daniels, who paid $15,000 to build it. It’s hard to believe!

Oh… that’s the bathtub in one of the redesigned rooms for the Showcase. It was amazing!

The Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts committee that sponsors the event contributes to arts and music nonprofits in Southern California and appreciates the 25,000 or so visitors to the Showcase every year. It’s a treat. You should go. It’s a fundraiser!

Information is here, and after 59 years of doing it, they have it down to a lovely and elegant science.

Enjoy!

TIPPING AND TRAVELING

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

We piled out of our tour bus at the Medina in Marrakesh, Morocco. Waiting there with huge hats and bigger smiler were several brightly clothed men who offered to have our pictures taken with them. Why, sure! That would be fun to see when we get home. Snap. Snap.

We began to walk away when our tour guide said, “Um, you’re supposed to tip them.” We knew that, I guess, but the question is…how much? And how much do they make in a day smiling and getting pictures taken? Does it feed their family? Are there people all over the city doing the same thing? On the other hand, aren’t there lots of families who would like that “prime” spot where the tour buses unload? Is there a lottery or something? Do they take turns? What about the guys with the snakes? How do they get their spot? By the way, we don’t know what our guide tipped this nice man with the snake. She took care of it, which was perfect. And no, my husband did not get bitten. Nor was the snake poisonous in the first place. At least, we don’t THINK so!

What happens when it rains? What happens in the off-season? How much does the tip buy, and do we need to know if these people are legitimately “poor” or not? What a cynical question, you say. Of course they are. On the other hand, I think I heard that a panhandler in San Francisco could make $60,000 a year. This may not sound like a lot, but if they don’t pay taxes, it’s quite a bit more. And $60,000 for just standing and asking for money?

Let’s be nicer. Let’s assume that people in underdeveloped countries are relying on tips to feed their families. Tourism is an industry. People need income, and maybe standing with a hat is all they can do. I’m done for now. Let’s just say that if we have the money to travel with a tour group, then we have enough to help people who aren’t as lucky as we are in the U.S. I’ll also mention that going with a tour group, we are able to ask the group leader, “How much should we tip these people for this service?” A good guide will know exactly.

That’s why we like going with tour groups at our age. In my 20s, I hitchhiked through Europe. That was then. This is now. Times change. We change. It’s all good.

TIpping and traveling go hand in hand. Going forward, I’m going to pay more attention to the “rules” of tipping. For now, this is a good place to start: with Rick Steves, who knows a lot about traveling…and, in this case, tipping. Traveling helps us be better people because we learn about our world in new ways. Tipping helps the people who live in foreign countries, and that makes us better human beings.

 

With or Without

With or Without

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

In the past, we have used travel agents, then gone without them, then added them back, and finally, we went with a tour company for our last two trips—until recently.

Just last month, we surrendered, tail between our legs, and went backward in travel time. The airline gods would not bless us with a passage from point A to point B, no matter how we tried and how many airlines, travel routes, multiple cities, and layover combinations we searched online. After two hours, we gave up.

“Honey, we have to see a travel agent.”

[Photo credit: Tom Barrett, Unsplash]

We sat across from our local travel agent—the flesh and blood kind—with another person from our foursome. They, too, had surrendered and agreed to pay a little extra for peace of mind. The travel agent cracked an indulgent smile, cracked her knuckles, and began the same search we had attempted. Her smile yielded to pursed lips, then a full-out frown. Then, the muttering started. Sweat all but gleamed on her forehead.

Two hours later, we (she) finally had an itinerary that worked. “It may be tight,” our stalwart travel agent announced. “You have a 45-minute connection between flights in the Madrid airport to achieve your final destination.” She hesitated. Then she looked at each of us individually to gauge our reactions as she said the five magic words: “It is a legal connection.”

I was game. I pulled out the airport’s map and airline gates for each of the flights we’d be taking. “It’s the same airline, for goodness sake, and the gates are in the same terminal,” I told my husband, who always fears the worst. (That would be his nickname, and I would, of course, be Tigger.) Besides, what are the best travel stories ever? They’re the ones when something goes wrong, and you have to sleep standing up in a doorway or something.

You’ve been there. You’re at a party. The conversation dims and slows, and the refrigerator hum becomes the loudest noise in the room. Finally, some brilliant soul begins talking about their latest trip. Then, before you know it, each person engages in travel one-upmanship, vying for the prize of the most outrageous (and memorable) story in the room.

What’s yours???

We travel to see the world, but we also want to find ourselves in the world. Traveling tests our resilience and resourcefulness. If we go to the gym and the library on Tuesdays and Thursdays at home every week, we don’t get to learn how fun it is to “nearly miss our train” (we did that in Pisa) or “take the wrong boat” (which we did in Venice more than once). Traveling is a battle. It’s a puzzle. It’s a joy. It’s sickness sometimes. But there are stories in those times, too!

Traveling is a test—a wonderful, expensive (usually but not always), exciting journey. And with or without travel agents, tour guides, travel companions, or itineraries, travel is always an adventure.

Besides, our travel agent was happy she had redeemed herself and protected her profession. But it was a close one. Whew!

 

Travel Writing — It Wasn’t the Truth

Posted on by Kathryn Atkins

Perhaps I’ve traveled too far. Perhaps not enough.

Perhaps traveling is not about geography but traversing the soul.

What I believed was the truth bore me down the river

With rocks and rapids until

the falsity turned the river into a stream and then

a dry trickle.

I missed the truth because what I thought was important

–the white spiral-bound book I’d written–

still lay on the shelf

as 75,000 words of blood squeezed

dry of white lies.