Bird Houses and Balloons

Isabelle has been wanting to make something for a while. She loves to paint and mess around in the garage helping me with my projects. This week with Jane in Nova Scotia we tackled a small birdhouse project. Off course with any project you have multiple phases. Isabelle had been working on the concept phase for a while. Here is what it looked like.

Then you usually have to hire an engineer (unless you have one kicking around) to take what the architect has come up with and make it into something that can actually be built.

Then the contractors come in and put it all together. Isabelle helped with some of the marking and measuring as well as some of the nailing. Here is the unfinished birdhouse. Note the three levels.

Now for the paint. She picked red and black. It's not completely done so we will have to see where it ends up. I will keep you posted.

Saturday we headed downtown like many others to enjoy the weather. It was looking like the real last day of summer as it was expected to get uglier in the next few days. Our main goal was going down to see our friend play with his band The Jaywalkers. Unfortunately we didn't stay out long enough but we did listen to a little blues and have a little fun with Jay Dee. Jay Dee is a great entertainer for people of all ages and can really twist balloons. I know some other people who got some really cool masks, helmets, flowers, monkeys, and other cool things. I think I will keep him in mind for the next birthday party I need to help organize. He seemed to be really good with the kids who were there.

Isabelle ended up with a dragonfly that will likely end up hanging from the ceiling in her bedroom.

Ever Want To Be a Fireman?

On Friday I did something a little selfish. I took a half day to spend with Isabelle and her classmates. It's not something I have done much of in the past but given the amount of travel I have had in the last few months I felt like I owed her that. I had an opportunity to drive some of the students to the E. North Street Fire Station of the Wade Hampton Fire Department for a tour and a visit.

Well I can say that it certainly was a great time. We were welcomed in and shown the whole station from the kitchen to the ladder truck. The guys there were great with the kids and genuinely enjoyed talking about what they do and fire safety. Isabelle later said her favorite part was seeing where they all sleep and eat. She said one fireman's bed was pretty messy and that she told him that he would have to make it up before he could sleep in it! If only she listened to her own advice.

Here are some pictures.

The tour always includes a fireman getting all geared up. It serves a couple of purposes. First of all some of us are curious about how they do it and all the gear they wear. Secondly, and most importantly for the students, it shows then what the firemen will look and sound like when they are in the house looking for people. It can get pretty scary for a little one who sees a fireman dressed up like a space alien that sounds like Darth Vader coming at them through the smoke on their hands and knees! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Of course the first thing they wanted to do was show us how their dispatch works. We were just sitting down when a real alarm went off. Just like that the men who were calmly talking to us were gone, both the ladder truck and the engine and everything. We all watched the trucks leave and the fire marshal stayed behind to explain to the students what was going on. Luckily it was just a minor event that was dealt with by another fire station and they were right back in five minutes to park the trucks in the garage. The tour went off without a hitch after that.

The firemen were very impressed with how much the students had retained about fire safety from their classes earlier in the week: stop drop and roll, call 911, leaving a burning house, escape plans, and all that stuff. In the end we all learned a thing or two. One I didn't know is that if you are stuck on the second floor without a way out you should hang a sheet or something out of your window. Firemen will always look for this type of signal when they first arrive at the scene. Of course they always check the entire house during a fire but making yourself visible is always a good idea.

Another thing that surprised me is their role in protecting property and cleaning up afterwards. They explained to us how their first role is obviously protecting life and limb, getting people out of a burning house, everyone knows that. Here the second crew at a fire will often go into a burning structure to retrieve and protect valuables and personal, irreplaceable property when possible. They will push furniture together and take down paintings then cover everything up with tarps and blankets. They also stick around and help clean-up and protect other items from water damage when they can. As one fireman said to me: "We try to do what we would want other people to do for us." Pretty cool, I thought.

I also got to check out the equipment and ask questions of some of the firemen. I got a little lecture on setting up a truck to a hydrant, on some of the municipal politics between departments, and had a good look at the sharp looking Michelin tires on all the trucks. They were all made in the USA in the very plant I had come from that morning in Spartanburg.

Here is Isabelle's CP class (1st grade) and the GS class (K-5) with a few of the brave men from the Wade Hampton Fire Department. Thanks again for the tour!

A Few More Points on Brazil

Now for three points which weren't covered in the previous posts about Brazil.

One: Driving

Brazilian drivers are by far the most aggressive, cautious, courteous, mellow, crazy drivers I know. We drove at break neck speeds the whole time and didn't have a single accident. I say we, the taxi drivers were the ones doing all the driving. I have never been so close to another car in my life at over 100 km/hr. That includes in front of, behind, and next to! These guys know their stuff, and considering the roads there it's amazing the cars last as long as they do. All the while these fellows were on their phone and, except for one particularly nervous taxi driver, almost never used their horn in anger. A toot here or there to let a pedestrian know we were coming through or to tell the car in front of us to go by was it. They we generally very civil.

They also manage to put three lanes where any North American driver would only think of putting one. It seems strangely efficient. Picture three lines of cars getting on the I-85 or the 101 on-ramp and you get the idea. They do seem to have lane markers like we do, but no one seems to care.

Another interesting thing they have is "returnos". These things are like traffic circles or roundabouts only bigger. They are there since you usually can not or do not want to turn left on many of the major streets, so you go past your turn and find a returno so you can make a (relatively) safe u-turn to get to where you are going. It is all very civilized but must be fun getting used to. One returno I was on actually went through a multiple story mall parking garage. Space is clearly an issue in Rio since it is cornered by mountains on one side and the ocean on the other.

Two: Drinking

Caipirinha is the national cocktail of Brazil and it is made with cachaça which is a fermented sugarcane drink. It is similar to vodka but with a rougher flavor that is hard to describe. I suppose it's not as pure as vodka so has a slightly coarse taste. Either way these caipirinhas are great. Take a few ounces of cachaça, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a whole lime (called a limon), and some crushed ice. Crush the lime with the alcohol and sugar and then shake vigorously with the ice. The result is magical as far as I am concerned. It is as refreshing as a gin and tonic, as powerful as tequila, and as tasty as a good rum and coke with extra lime.

Now on a somewhat related topic: have you ever seen a cashew? Not the nut that everyone eats, which is actually the fruit. I mean the whole thing. For anyone who has never seen it, it is not quite as expected. Have a look at the following Wikipedia link for picture of a cashew. See what I mean? The nut is really the fruit, but looks like the stem. The fruity part is actually a false fruit, and is very difficult to store or transport, part of the reason most of us have never seen one.

The tree is native to Brazil so the juice is available everywhere. While in Brazil I had cashew juice several times. It was sweet and tasted similarly to mango juice. The cashew caipirinha I had was also very good but I think my favorite is still limon.

Three: Eating

Pichana or rump steak at the Churrascaria is the best way to eat meat in Brazil. It might be the best way to eat steak in any country. Churrascarias are generally a great way to eat what Brazilians call barbecue. They take all sorts of meat, from sirloin to the hump (you know, like on the Brahman bull) and a few other items that you wouldn't think of serving on a skewer, and grill them to perfection. Pork, chicken, lamb, sausage, it all goes.

The secret is the serving and the timing. The skewers of meat just keep coming and coming from the kitchen as long as you want to eat it. The servers at Porcao where we went several times were very good and generally kept tabs on who wanted what cuts, almost before we knew it. Add to this an amazing buffet with everything from sushi to smoked salmon, from blue cheese to blue crabs, from beans and rice to bean fried rice, and you have an unforgettable meal. The desserts were also impressive but once you've eaten every cut of meat from hump to tail, you just can't do a good flan or chocolate cake and custard the justice it deserves.

So to summarize I must say my time in Brazil was great. I always miss home on long trips but I can't wait to visit again, although next time maybe Jane and Isabelle will be with me. Who knows...

Kayak Storage and Other Art Forms

This weekend I tackled a project I've been meaning to do for a while. I've been tired of the way my kayaks are stored since this year's paddling season started. I just can't seem to get the boats away with so much clutter in the garage. When I first moved into this house I set-up an intricate system of pulleys for my three sea kayaks that pulled them up to the ceiling. The only problem was that the rafters run across the garage and not the length of it so the boats run across it. Add to this the fact that the double is just too much boat to be man handled effectively by one person and I needed a new system.

Well, here it is:

I used three 2x4x10s, two 2x4x8s, some scrap wood I had kicking around, some slightly modified hooks and the straps I had from the previous set-up. The whole thing only took about three hours to make. The rack is mounted on the wall so it won't slip, but I didn't want to hang everything off the walls since we only rent the place. I don't want to leave too many holes in the walls.

As you can see the four boats fit quit nicely and I put a one of my paddle holders behind it to start keeping the 15 or so paddles I have in some semblance of order. I plan to add a second paddle holder later this week but may modify it a bit to get more paddles in and make it easier to get at.

Now the other big part of the weekend was a trip to Sunrift Adventures huge rental sale. They actually put all their gear on sale, but the boats and paddles they use for rentals all year long are where the real bargains are. I went with Pascal since he was looking for a boat for himself (in the end he didn't find anything that was right for him.) I did manage to find what I was looking for. I got a new Werner Powerhouse whitewater paddle to replace the old Aquabound paddle I broke a few weeks ago in Charlotte. I can't wait to try it out.

Lastly I must report that Isabelle has been exploring new forms of art. Her watercolours are coming along nicely. Yesterday's effort looks like this.

It was nice of her to include my newest boat and my new paddle in the painting. (She started real art classes today and seems to be really enjoying it.) She told me the painting was of me in a "kayak parade." Those are banners and lights above the boat. You have to appreciate the imagination of a six year old.

Rio de Janiero in Photos

My one weekend in Brazil was all about seeing the city of Rio de Janiero. I was lucky enough to do it two ways. First I met up with a family from Canada who live there now. They showed me parts of the city you don't get to see on the regular tours. The second day was a full fledged commercial tour complete with local guide and a minibus. It was great too, but the differences were apparent. I'm glad I got to do both.

Let's start with the beach. I got up early on Saturday and headed to the beach. The place was busy with runners and surfers. Everyone seems to use the beach for something. The most amazing were the footvolley players. These guys play volleyball with soccer rules on the beach with a regulation volleyball court and net. They are amazing to watch not using their hands at all.

This is the view from the hill in front of the Atlantico Sul Hotel where I stayed. The beach goes on to the right for about 10 miles. It's pretty spectacular. The waves were good too and the water was warm. I did that just after taking this picture. First swim in the South Atlantic for me.

Here are some lifeguards practicing. The water was beautiful blue and clear all the way to the sandy bottom. Although the beach was a little dirty with litter and plastic the water seemed clean enough, although I did come home with a little head cold...

At 10:00 my "guide" picked me up and we were off to his apartment for a quick stop before heading into the city. We dropped off his son and a friend at the yacht club and then headed into town. Centro is downtown and is the financial heart of the city. It also hosts the museums and cultural spots as well as some interesting architecture.

Some of the interesting architecture, along with the cathedral below. I think this one is the police headquarters.

A very traditional street in the downtown which reminded me of Europe. On Saturday everyone goes out for lunch and eats on the streets. By the time noon rolled around you could hardly walk for all the tables and chairs.

We had lunch at the Imperial Palace. It had a nice little cafe with quiche and salads. Add a bottle of wine and life is good. The few exhibits showed some of the history of the city and the country. The influences of Napoleon when he invaded Portugal, the Spanish and Portuguese and the slavery, and the rise and fall of democracies and dictatorships.

Here a view of the Imperial Palace. It really wasn't much of anything but it did have a neat story to tell.

The Banco de Brazil building is now part of a larger cultural center and had some interesting exhibits on everything from cartoons to early Brazilian exploration.

The exhibit that really caught my eye was one by Ziraldo. He is a modern artist who is not afraid to push the bounds of art. His work pushed the envelope of sexuality and race while remaining light. The cartoons were amazing but unlike the locals I didn't take any pictures so I can't show you. The link does have a few of his works.

We also went to another exhibit of work by a well known Brazilian designer: Sergio Rodrigues. I was not familiar with his work but it was along the lines of what I like in the way of furniture. Have a look here for some of what he does.

One of the more interesting buildings near Centro is Rio de Janiero Cathedral. It is a modern building built in the 60s and 70s. It has some incredible stained glass which extends from floor to ceiling. We were there as the sun was coming out and it was impressive.

Here is the building from the outside with several views of the stained glass from the inside below.

A panorama of the inside of the cathedral. Amazing. (Remember you can click on most of the pictures here for a larger image.)

After the cathedral we headed for the concert hall. The plan was to see a Schumann concert, but first I had to get past the ticket takers. I had bought a ticket earlier but there was some concern over my apparel. I had been told to wear trousers for the concert (rather than shorts) but had not anticipated an issue with my footwear. After a consult with some other security personnel I was allowed to enter with my sandals.

The building sits downtown in front of a large square. It faces the harbour and by the decor and facade you can see how important the arts are to the Brazilian culture.

The building has a amazing interior. The whole thing was recently refurbished.

Before the concert we took a little tour of the place.

The view from the terrace on the second floor of the Theatro Municipal. Note the architecture on the right where old and new buildings are side by side, very typical in Rio. In the distance you can see Sugarloaf as well as the WWII memorial.

So usually classical music isn't my thing. I wasn't sure what to expect from Schumann but generally had a good experience. I say generally since the first performer was a little off putting. Once we got past the operatic component and got on to the violins, clarinets and horns I was fine. The other thing was that I was seated right behind a young twenty something couple who could not keep their hands off each other. It was almost entertaining but for the sake of the music I moved for the second half of the concert - too distracting.

After a quick trip back to the hotel and a meal in the hotel restaurant I was exhausted. A good sleep and on to day two of the weekend. We started at the hotel around noon, waiting for the rest of the team to get in for the conference. Once everyone was there we hit the road.

The first stop was a beach where the hang gliders and parasailers land. They launch from a nearby mountain and land ever so softly on the beach. There were also many kite surfers. They are the ones you see in the picture below on the left (imagine being strapped to a surfboard and a parachute at the same time and you get the idea).

Below is the Sheraton Hotel with the Flavela Vidigal behind it. Flavela is essentially a Portuguese word for slum but these have a little more of a story than that. They are more organized and came into being due to migration rather than poverty. Have look here for a better description. Some would say the Sheraton below the best hotel in the city, complete with its own Private beach, but it is also right next door to some of the toughest neighborhoods.

Ipanema Beach from Avenue Niemeyer, the same Ipanema as the song by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.

Next we were on to Sugaloaf again. This time we also took a ride up the cable cars and had a good look around. I even managed to find time to have ice cream, complete with kiwi, strawberries, papaya, honey, and cashew nut sprinkles. It really hit the spot.

Above is a view of Corcovado from the top of Sugarloaf. If you squint you can see the giant statue of Jesus. More on that later.

The harbour mouth from Sugarloaf or Pão de Açúcar as it is called in Portuguese. Can you imagine the first French and Portuguese explorers arriving here? The city is named for what was thought to be a river found in January. In fact there is no river, just a very large harbour, but the name stuck.

The view above is of Urca, a small part of Rio nestled below Sugarloaf. It has some interesting houses. Of particular note for me are the kayaks. They certainly didn't outnumber the surfers but it made me a little homesick. Rio would be a great place to paddle. It has lots of coastline, islands, surf, and history. Maybe someday...

The last big thing was Corcovado and the statue of Christ the Redeemer or Cristo Redentor which stands atop of it. We arrived just as the sun was setting and took the 30 minute trip up the mountain on the tram.

A better view of Cristo Redentor.

The view from Corcovado looking towards Centro, or downtown. On the right is Sugarloaf with the harbour behind it.

Another view from Corcovado looking south. The lake is Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and the lights on the right are the horse racing track and Jockey Club. After that it was home for the night, but not before a huge feed of pizza at a great buffet. Even the desert pizza was good.

Finally a view of the plant parking lot and surroundings. I was there for work after all. It reminded me very much of Southern California since the weather was clear and dry and there was always a breeze. The hills by the ocean also made it feel like the San Diego area.

Later I will go over three points which aren't covered in this post. One: Driving. Two: Drinking. Three: Eating.

Now for my next trip...