The Heat Dome

    We have been hearing about a weather phenomenon which I had never heard named before. It is an extended and severe heat wave that is centered in the Central United States and has been named, "A Heat Dome."  Basically it is a very high pressure area which is trapped in the middle of the United States, over the prairie states: Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. It has trapped very hot and humid air up from the Gulf of Mexico, compressed it, heating it up even more. It then expanded to include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana and it is now slowly drifting eastward. A combination of factors combined to produce this strange (to me) meteorological phenomenon. First the high pressure in this Midwest area was indeed very high so that no weather systems trying to move in from the West were strong enough to move it on. Also the jet stream is very far north and fairly weak at this time of year. So prevailing winds could not move it out. Thirdly there was a mild tropical storm area off the Southeast of the United States and that was blocking this high pressure system from spreading to the southeast. The humidity was especially high during this phenomenon because of all the recent wet weather and flooding in the upper Midwest, adding to the humidity in the air. Apparently "heat domes" are not rare, but it is rare for one to be this large (affecting 30+ states) and this long lasting (so far 5 days, probably up to 7 or 8.)

     Characteristics of this "Heat Dome" in the Milwaukee area are absolute temperatures in the 90s and in some areas even up to 100, and humidity levels of 70% and 80%. Heat indices (the combination of the temperature and the humidity) make a human feel like the temperature is much higher, well into the hundreds, as high as 115 and 120 in some areas. The Midwest has had at least 13 deaths directly related to the heat through these last 5 days. The heat is going to continue in the Midwest but the humidity has gone down some. Temperatures will be in the upper 80s in Wisconsin through the weekend. But now this heat phenomenon is spreading to the eastern states. 

     Since record deaths occurred in the Chicago area during a protracted heat wave in 1995, our city took all sorts of precautions. Various air conditioned cooling centers were opened. The libraries opened early and stayed open late as did the various pools and other water features. Multiple warnings were issued on TV and radio, suggesting that people try to get to a cool place for several hours each day. The signs and symptoms of heat injury were played and replayed.

     Well we were not satisfied to just sit at the edge of this phenomenon. My husband and I along with my sister had planned to take my 93 year old mother down into central Illinois to visit my aunt, my father's sister who is in a nursing home down there. We debated whether to cart this 93 year old woman along with us. The news media is constantly issuing warnings about the elderly during this heat wave. She saw no reason for concern and wanted to go. We would be fine in an air conditioned car, restaurants, motel, home, and nursing home. But what if something went wrong with the car. We have a car in good condition, but you never know. Well, we decided to treat it as though it were in the dead of winter, except the precautions we took were just the opposite. We packed all sorts of containers and coolers with ice water, cold beverages and ice cubes. I took towels and handkerchiefs we could moisten with the ice water and put around our neck. I carried umbrellas to provide shade because we certainly would not be able to sit in a disabled car without the engine and AC running. My AAA membership is up to date and I charged my cell phone up. We could only hope that if our car became disabled, the AAA or other authorities would be quick to respond.

      So we drove down into the "HEAT DOME"! When we arrived at our destination, the first thing we did was check into our motel to make sure their air conditioners were up to par and they were. Well, everything went OK. We visited the ill aunt, and spent time visiting with her daughter and her family in their nicely air conditioned home. Our cousin offered us the use of their outdoor swimming pool but she said the water was the temperature of bath water. Some did take advantage however. We drove back home today. When we got to Milwaukee, we learned that a weak "cold" front had moved through. The temperature was 89 degrees and the humidity level was down to 68%. I called my mother, told her we had made it home after dropping her off, and that we were so chilled that we had put on our sweaters. Sarcasm! Well the heat warnings have left the State of Wisconsin but it is still going to be in the upper 80s and very muggy the next 3 days at least. 

     We usually set our air conditioner to about 75 degrees, but we have ceiling fans in every room. Running them makes 75 or 76 degrees feel much cooler. For anyone building a new home, that would be my strongest recommendation -- buy fans. Well, I now need to go out in the cooler early evening air and water my poor potted plants. They must wonder what's going on. They sometimes need watering 2-3 times a day in this heat especially if there is a hot wind blowing.

Mystery Photo 9: La Boca

     Mystery Photo 9 or rather the 5 photos are of La Boca, one of the 48 barrios of Buenos Aires, located near the old port, in the city's southeast corner.  It is a neighborhood of very colorful buildings, home of tango parlors and art galleries and artists' homes. The name probably comes from the "mouth" (boca) of the Riachuelo River which is in this neighborhood. La Boca has become a tourist stop in the capitol city. The area was settled by Italians and retains a European influence from such countries as Italy, Spain, Germany and France. The barrio has an interesting history as in 1882 the Genoese Italians who lived there, after striking for a long time, decided to secede from Argentina and raised the Genoese flag over the street called Caminito. That rebellion didn't last, but the area has always been a magnet for rebellious groups and was home to many demonstrations in 2001 when the government of Argentina was challenged. For we tourists, it is a nice little stop. There is usually some street tango dancing going on. You can buy nice souvenirs and take some photos and then move on relatively quickly.

     Below is a link to a great video of the neighborhood with music to give it the flavor of a true visit to barrio.

http://www.concierge.com/video/cental-and-south-america/buenos-aires/buenos-airesneighborhoods/2440494001/la-boca-buenos-aires/1830779229

Mystery Photo 8: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

     I apologize that I left you dear readers hanging for almost a month regarding Mystery Photo 8, but I imagine you all have figured out where this place is. I now owe you some more photos of this amazing place. And I owe you an explanation for my absence. I have just returned from a trip to Israel and Turkey. I had thought I would be able to enter a post from some nice friendly Internet Cafe along the way, but the Turkish keyboard was just too much for me. Anyway, we are back home and I have much more grist for future photo blogs. You will be hearing more about this recent trip in the near future.

    Back to Siem Reap and its many many temples. I had always wanted to see Angkor Wat. I had read about the place in National Geographic, but I had no idea of its extent. The complexes of temples near Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia, were built over about 600 years, from 800 AD to 1400 AD by various rulers of the Khmer Dynasty. These were quite large and well developed cities. But the housing and other buildings were made of wood and possibly thatch and disappeared long ago. Only their temples were constructed of stone. And they were constructed mightily with beautiful stone work and very intricate carving and frieze work. Each emperor wanted to outdo his predecessor so he would move his capitol down the road a bit and build an entirely new royal temple. The temples were not meant to shelter a large group of people while worshiping as we are accustomed to with our synagogues and churches. Instead, the temple was to house the deity to which it was dedicated. Any reverence paid by the people was paid outside the temple from a distance. In fact in many of the temples, only royalty were allowed to approach. For most of these regimes, the religion was Hindu so temples were built to the Hindu gods, Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Indra, and Ganesha. But at times a Buddhist influence crept in and sometimes a Hindu temple was converted to Buddhist. There are over 100 temples scattered over the Siem Reap province. In spite of the ubiquitous heat and humidity that occurs in this area year round (we tried to pick the coolest time in November), in three days we were able to visit the highlight temples and get a very thorough feeling about this wonderful place.

 What I found the most magnificent was the frieze work. These often completely encircles the "porch" of the temple, and tell the whole story of that particular ruler and his exploits. Here are some photos and some brief comments about them.

                                Look at this stone work. So intricate and so beautiful

Promenade guarded by demons leading to south gate of Angkor Thom

The dozens of demons tugging on Naga and stirring the Milk of Creation, the Khmer Creation Story

Closeup of one of those demons

This is Bayon Temple inside Angkor Thom, famous for all its carved faces.

Look at the calmly smiling faces all around you.

All around the outside wall of Bayon are friezes showing the life of the Khmer royalty.

Getting ready for a major battle.

Shows all the preparations and support that needs to accompany the military.

Here a woman carries a turtle for food, and it bites the slave in front of her. Note the dirty look. They had a sense of humor.

Elephant Terrace in Angkor Thom. This was a long review stand for parades.

Seven headed Naga helps guard the terrace.

Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world, reflects in its moat.

"Library" probably housed monks in the outer courtyard of Angkor Wat.

More than 300 types of apsaras (dancing deities) decorate the temples here.

Mystery Photo 7: This is Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France

   Mont Saint Michel is an islet just off the coast of France, where the Couesnon River flows into the sea. This river has always been touted as the border between Brittany and Normandy. However, the flow of the river has changed from time to time and the Mont is now in Normandy.

     In prehistoric times this area was all land. But the scouring of the sea over eons has removed the softer rocks leaving this hunk of granite.The natural shape of the islet served several different peoples as guardian fortresss over the centuries. Following the departure of the Romans in 460 AD, the Mont was held by the Amoricans, a Romano-Breton culture which extended into Britain. But it was conquered by the Franks.

     The origin of the monastery on the peak of the Mont is told in a very colorful legend. Supposedly the Archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of nearby Avranches in 708 AD, telling him to build a church on the islet. St. Aubert ignored him several times until reportedly the Archangel burned a hole in his skull with his finger. The church was built and eventually did become a monastery.

     In the above portion, at the right upper corner, the Mont is pictured in the famous Bayeaux Tapestry showing the conquest of Normandy by William in 1066. The monastery gave its support to William of Normandy in 1067 in his bid for the throne of England. Four centuries later after many changes in the relationship of England and France, England put the Mont to siege in 1423-24 but failed to conquer it. The monastery and its wealth and holdings were great for the next 4 centuries. But with the French Revolution, its influence faded. The French then made it into a prison. Many of the remains of that prison are still seen in the monastery buildings at the peak of the islet.  Among the remains is a large wheel shaped cage in which 4 prisoners would run like hamsters to power a hoist that would bring supplies from the sea up to the prison at the peak. The prison was closed in 1863 and gradually Mont Saint Michel attained its proper historical importance when it was made a historic monument in 1874. In 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

     The islet has been connected to the mainland by a bridge of land at low tide which was obliterated at high tide. The bay silted up due to the lack of water motion in and around the Mont and also due to the grazing of sheep on the salt flats. In 1879 the land bridge was built up into a permanent causeway. One could drive out to a parking area to visit the islet. But it was thought that this was not historical and it was felt that the natural water motion in the area should be restored. Therefore a hydraulic dam was built across the River Couesnon and the causeway was obliterated starting in 2009 (after we were there). This project will be completed in 2012. There will now be a foot bridge to the Mont, and shuttles will take people from a parking lot on the mainland to visit the site.

     I found Mont Saint Michel to be very quaint. Climbing through the spiralling streets from the sea level to the Monastery at the peak, creates a sense of returning to Medieval times. One can easily picture what life was like here in centuries past.  That's one of the attractions to travel: the sense of history and identifying with and learning from what came before.

     "Stay tuned!" I have some photos of the Normandy Beaches to show you, maybe in the next posting or two. Viva La France!

Talinn, Estonia. More photos and information.

     MYSTERY PHOTO: Talinn, Estonia, the capital. Several years ago after a tour to Moscow, Russia; a river cruise up the Volga, through various lakes etc, to St Petersburg, Russia, we then took a bus trip to Talinn, Estonia. I loved Talinn. It is a walled medieval city that is well preserved, having been spared much of the damage to Western Europe during World War II. It has become a tourist destination and therefore has many businesses, restaurants and pubs that cater to tourists. Particularly people from Helsinki, Finland take the 3 hour ferry over to spend a weekend in Talinn. We learned much of the history while we were there and viewed several of the historic churches. I have posted several photos of the city and its charm.

      This is the Town Hall, the only surviving Gothic Town Hall in Europe. The present structure was completed in 1402. Talinn was  a member of the Hanseatic League. This was an alliance of cities and their guilds along the Baltic Sea and North Sea that cooperated economically in the 13th-17th centuries, also called the Hansa. The Hansa merchants from each city elected the governing council and it met in this building. This Town Hall was used until the 1970s for city meetings. It is now only used for special events. Below is a map showing the extent of the Hanseatic League.

     Below are two photos of the largest town square in the Old City, although there are several smaller squares.

    Below are two pictures which show some of the architecture of the Old City; first just an interesting building, and then an interesting door. 

    

The city streets are very narrow and winding and demonstrate very nicely what life was like in this city in medieval times. 

      There is a restaurant in the Old Town that we went to twice. This is where we found many of those Finns visiting for a day or the weekend to be eating, imbibing and having a general good time. The food was very hearty and served  in old looking pottery by waiters and waitresses in medieval dress. The restaurant was busy both on the street and inside the old building. You could definitely imagine yourself backwards in time here at this establishment.

      Below is a photo of the Old City to refresh your memory, taken from the waterfront of the Baltic Sea.  In the middle picture below, you can see the beautiful church in the center which stands higher than the rest of the buildings. That is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox church, which is located in what is called the Upper Town. The rest of the Old City photoed sites here are located in the Lower Old Town. The photo below that shows that there is a modern city of Talinn which is where our hotel was located. This area is within walking distance of the Old City Wall.

     Below is a photo of the radio/tv tower which is located outside the main city, across a bay from the Old City. We went up into this radio tower to see the view. Apparently it is now obsolete and regarded as becoming unsafe, so it would be closing after the summer season that we were there. Also nearby is a botanical garden which is quite pretty. It was worth driving out to this place, but it may not be open any more.

         Below are photos of the Old City Wall, some portions dating to the 17th century. There are 26 cone roofed towers guarding the corners of the City Wall. They are in quite good repair. It was important to make these towers round, because cannon balls were deflected by the round shape if the city should come under attack, especially from the sea.  



     Mostly this city was very well maintained and was very clean and fresh looking even though many of the structures are very old. But here was some evidence of the age of the infrastructure here. We were walking from our hotel to the Old City and were just about to pass through a pedestrian gate in the wall. We were passing a very large flower market when we heard a pop and then a hiss and then some sound of tumbling bricks just 10 feet behind us. We turned around and the brick sidewalk that we had just walked over, had exploded as shown here. We concluded that there must have been a gas leak that got ignited and basicly blew up the sidewalk. Scary! If we had been on top of this spot, we would have been knocked down I am sure; not killed, but certainly injured in some way. We went on and saw the Old City. When we returned this was a hole filled up to street level with sand. The city works had been active. We regarded ourselves as very lucky and just went on with our travel.

          All in all, with the exception of the exploding sidewalk, our visit to Talinn was very much enjoyed. Do try to include it in any plans you have for a Baltic Sea cruise, or Eastern European tour.

Our Travels + Melanoma

After the last post, anyone accessing this site might be wondering what is going on. Well, we decided with the support of my surgeon, and my oncologist partner, my son the surgeon, and another surgeon partner of mine, that we would go ahead with the planned trip. Everyone agreed that it would not make any difference to postpone the definitive surgical removal and the sentinel node biopsy for 4 weeks so we could take this trip. I have spent some time off and on checking the lesion that still remains on my right upper arm. It will be nice to get it off though the trip of course has kept me occupied to block most of these thoughts.


Here's our trip itinerary. You may read here and there in my future postings about some of these sites: Prague, Czech Republic in off and on rain showers; Budapest in a gorgeous sunny day with this time a visit to the interior of the Great Synogogue, the second largest in Europe; a cruise with Avalon down the Danube from Budapest to the Black Seas past the Iron Gates of the Danube, and a high light visit to Veliko Tornovo, a lovely medieval town in Serbia; then Bucharest, Romania; a tour of northern Romania including the Bran Castle of Vlad the Impaler fame, the stimulus for Dracula; finally a tour through Moldova to seek out the villages of Amos parents' birth and other important sites for the family history. We have been traveling since May 3 and return home tomorrow.

We are staying tonight at an interesting litte hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We didn't want to pay the $300 a night to stay at the Airport Sheraton. At this point in our trip as we are travel weary and wending our way home, we didn't want to go into Amsterdam. We have seen it quite well on past trips. This little hotel is called CitizenM; the M stands for Mobile. It is certainly meant to house the mobile citizen. The rooms are almost like a small river cruiser stateroom. A king sized bed stretches from wall to wall and up to the window which overlooks the tarmack of Schiphol with its KLM planes coming and going, yet you do not hear the planes. The shower is open in the room as is the toilet with circular clouded glass enclosures that can be closed for some degree of privacy. The luggage is intended to be put in a drawer under the bed but ours was too big and too heavy to do that, so we stacked them by the door making it a little difficult to get in and out of the room. There is a remote control to alter the lighting, the background music, the temperature, and what is played on the large TV on the wall to the left over the bed. You can watch movies, TV, or play games, or you can just watch all the instructions and demo videos for the various assets of the room. The decor downstairs is very avant garde. There is a large internet cafe, and two small libraries, as well as a canteen where you can purchase any item 24 hours a day and heat it up or eat it cold. We also spent sometime exploring Schiphol while staying at this hotel. We have been through Schiphol numerous times but were always just following signs to get to another aisle of gates, or to get to the exit to get into the city. This time we explored the shopping mall and we ate a lunch at a very large Burger King. We even went up to the viewing terrace where children were going crazy at the sight of all the airplanes landing and taking off.  I recalled what my two boys would have thought when they were small. They would have been excitedly screaming as well. I think I will head back up to the room and try out some of that technology.

One day and I am home. Will fast on the airplane the last meal so I can immediately go and get my fasting blood drawn for preop labs. Also will get my chest xray and EKG done in preparation for surgery on this melanoma in 6 days. Ah, it is all coming back to me now. Back to reality. So that is what happened. I committed to living my life as planned and going on this trip as long as it was not foolish to do this. Now I must start to practice my meditation and my mindfulness training to get through the next couple weeks of procedures and of waiting for the results of the sentinel node biopsy. Stay tuned!

Invictus and South Africa today

     I know the movie, Invictus, is now out of most movie theatres, but I still recommend that you somehow get to see it -- look for the DVD or on Netflix, or whatever. It was a great 'feel good' movie.It is the story of Nelson Mendela and the South African rugby team. Mendela decides that that team, even though it had poor skills, even though it was all white except for one man, even so, that team could and should be the anchor to draw the country, both races together. All sorts of small and larger transformations occur in the movie. 



Capetown from Table Mtn
Robbens Island is to left center, Mendala's prison.

      My husband and I were in South Africa most of September, 2009. We traveled all over with many different guides. We tried to ask each guide how he thought the country was doing just about 15 years after Apartheid ended. We were particularly curious to find out how the black people felt about that historical event and where they thought their country was now. Of course, these were all people who were in the tourist business -- in addition to guides, waiters, bartenders, hotel employees and owners. etc. But to the man or woman, they were very pleased, and positive, and forward looking about their country. Also to the man or woman, they did not hold a grudge. I found that amazing. We know how horrible Apartheid was. The blacks had no freedom. They had a 2 pm curfew and had to be off the streets of white South African cities and towns, unless they had a paper pass. Then of course, there was poverty, inequality, and even brutality from the white authorities. Remember the whites were and are only 5% of the population. And still this tiny minority subjected the remainder of the South African people. But there is no grudge! Amazing!

                                                                                    Cape Point from Table Mountain

     The last week of our trip we had a white guide, a Jewish South African who had lived in Israel for 25 years, but who now was back in his homeland. He was the only one who told us about the trials that were held after the end of Apartheid. These were broadcast on the radio and TV, over loudspeakers in the streets and in schools and other public places These trials were for the atrocities that went both ways between racial sides. They were extremely difficult to listen to. People of both races were seen crying on the street corners as they listened. This went on for some weeks. But the understanding was that when these trials were over, the judgements would be over. There would be foregiveness and no revenge, no grudges. Nelson Mendela was extremely important in leading the people and making sure that this was the result of the trials. It seems to have worked.

Downtown Capetown from Table Mountain

     Our Jewish guide did say that he thought the country was at a crossroads. There needed to be more done about housing the poor. The very common slums in the townships needed to be improved and relocated. Land reform and redistribution had to take place slowly unlike in Zimbabwe but it had to take place. The progress in this direction was entirely too slow and it was unclear how long the poor would wait. But we found the country modern, beautiful, and very positive. Johannesburg and to some degree Capetown has crime problems, yes, but the more rural areas are delightful to travel in and the people are warm and friendly. In spite of Apartheid, there does not seem to be the racial bad feelings and undercurrent that we have in this country. It was amazing. I want to go back.

                                                 Stadium for 2010 World Cup

     So go see the movie and you will see the beginnings of these small transformations. I hope this wonderful country can continue to move forward, improve the daily life of the poor, protect their public lands, and animals and be an example for the other African countries who must follow them into the 21st century.

     My husband has shot literally thousands of photographs from this country and others in southern Africa. I have included some of these in this blog. You will probably see others on this blog site as time goes on.