Month: July 2015
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Yellowstone through the years
Did you know there was a guy who jumped into a 200° F hot pot at Yellowstone to rescue his dog? When they pulled him out his last words were, “That was stupid. How bad am I? That was a stupid thing I did.” When they pulled off one of his shoes, the skin of his foot…
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Gargoyles and Notre Dame de Paris
The first time I saw the Notre Dame Cathedral (or really anything outside the western United States) was as a Mormon missionary in 1992. There was a tourist shop nearby that gave screamin’ deals to missionaries and I bought pretty much my favorite souvenir ever, a replica of the Rongeur gargoyle. I imagined him…
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Ugly faces of Pont Neuf
As you pass under Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge on the Seine River in Paris, you see a variety of grimacing stone faces. They’re called mascarons and there are 381 of them. They might be satyrs, sylvans and other forest deities. Or they might be caricatures of friends and enemies of Henry IV. Here are my favorites:
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A weekend in London
In 2014 I had a quick business trip to London and did some touristing. Here are a few highlights beyond the usual sights, from an email I sent to a friend who was visiting a few weeks after me: Fat Tire Bike Tour – highly recommended. You end up hitting a ton of sites in a…
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Cardboard Boat Race
Fun combined mutual activity last night – each class built a boat out of only cardboard, caulk, tape, and some paint. Each vessel had to hold at least one person. The Beehive Ark (marked “Made by Beehives” in quiet protest of the other boats that had more outside help) lasted quite a bit longer than anyone expected…