Winter Solstice
Here we have just passed the winter solstice. This year we were treated to a full moon that was at its closest to the earth for 5 years. On the night of the solstice, the sky was cloudy; but 2 nights later when the moon was at its fullest, the sky was clear.
Out came the telescope and the camera. Trying to take photos of the moon is not as easy as it looks. Using a tripod and a long exposure can show you just how much the moon moves in a second or so. The images that we were able to get through the telescope were crisp and clear, even to the point that we could see a man waving a flag up there.
In Ecuador, the solstice celebration is for the returning of the sun from the north. There were a number of places that had a three day festival; I was not able to get there this year, but I hope to next year.
These are the images I was involved in many years ago before the fences went up at Stone Henge. I lived just a few miles away and would picnic there in the summer.
Dance Dance Dance
If you are interested in learning Salsa, Merange, and other Latin dance moves, then check this out.
This is a chance for those in Salinas to swing those hips.
Not long ago we had a new Chinese restaurant open called Wang, located on 1st street next to Budget rent a car.
So three of us went in there and had three different dishes. We were glad that we had tried this place because the food was very good. I cannot say the same for the service, but they did have a party going on at the time we were there.
We tried to order drinks, but they had no water and no ice. We were limited to cola and OJ, but as I said, the redeeming point was that the food was very good and the cook came over to help us with the menu. So I would say, give it a try.
I am sure that there will be activities at both Sin Bar and Score Bar for the 4th of July. I have asked them to email me as far as what is going on, but I have not received any word yet.
Last year, most of the activity was at Score Bar. But, this year, I think that it will be shared between Sin Bar and Score Bar.
On a different note, although not in time for the 4th, two new gringo hang outs opening soon, one on the Malecon, and the other by the bus terminal in Salinas. Kevin has said that he will email me information on the food and opening. The other has gone through a name change before it has opened and will be serving breakfast and have ribs as a special. More news when I get it on these new hangouts.
Just in
Ok, here is the scoop on the street:
Gary and Kathryn Van Horn Kelly are opening a Texas Barbecue Restaurant, on the Malecon, in
August. The property is wide and long enough to host many guests and provide a view of the playa.
Down below are photos of the interior as you enter...right...standing table area, the closed door on the front will be opened to provide a view of the playa.
Opposite this area is the intricately decorated bar....hosting all our favorites. It doesn't look like
much now, but Look Out..the word on the street to me is.
What is Texas BBQ? In Espanol
Que es BBQ de Texas?
There is excitement from the locals that someone new is in town.
The vastness of the restaurant just keeps going. Brick wall work here..and over there a nice look
of tile. Oh yes, another nice touch is the standing tables and side seating. Banos will be large and
accessible.
But, it's more than that. The restaurant will have a bar off the entrance. A little further up is the breakfast
area..nice size area to move around in. I like the whole layout of the restaurant. It feels like where I
would like to hang out and eat such tasty food.
Speaking of tasty food...there's a large barbecue pit out back....
mmmmmmmmmmmmm I personally like their baked beans...first time in my life to confess that...but
the food is really good, and I'm from Philly.
I like the architecture, movement of the space and total ambiance to have a spot on the Malecon to
just hang out eat, drink and enjoy each other's company. The place has nice flow..good karma.
It's a welcome site for new businesses to appear. This will provide locals with employment and training that will enhance your visit here.
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| BBQ pit |
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| viey from the Melecon |
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| Inside view |
This month
June 26
June 26, 1893 - Illinois Gov. John P. Altgeld issued a controversial pardon for three anarchists convicted after the Haymarket Riot. The riot had occurred in Chicago in May of 1886, after 180 police officers advanced on 1,300 persons listening to speeches by labor activists and anarchists. A bomb was thrown. Seven police were killed and over 50 wounded. Four anarchists were then charged with conspiracy to kill, convicted and hanged while another committed suicide in jail. Three others were given lengthy jail terms, then pardoned by Gov. Altgeld in a move that likely cost him his political career.
June 26, 1945 - The United Nations Charter was signed in San Francisco by 50 nations. The Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945.
Birthday - American author Pearl Buck (1892-1973) was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia. She became a noted authority on China and wrote books including The Good Earth which revealed the mysterious Chinese culture to Western readers. She received a Nobel Prize in 1938 for her many books.
Birthday - Champion athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson (1914-1952) was born in Port Arthur, Texas. Nicknamed after baseball legend Babe Ruth, she won two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics, setting world records in the javelin throw and high hurdle. She then took up golf, winning the 1946 U.S. Women's Amateur Tournament. In 1947, she won 17 straight golf championships and became the first American winner of the British Ladies' Amateur Tournament. As a pro golfer, she won the U.S. Women's Open in 1950 and 1954. She also excelled in softball, baseball, swimming, figure skating, billiards, and even football. In 1950, she was named 'woman athlete of the first half of the 20th century' by the Associated Press. She died of cancer at age 42.
June 27
Birthday - American musician Mildred J. Hill (1859-1916) was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She composed the melody for what is now the world's most often sung song, Happy Birthday to You.
June 28
June 28, 1862 - During the American Civil War, the siege of the Confederate city of Vicksburg began as Admiral David Farragut succeeded in taking a fleet past the Mississippi River stronghold. The siege continued over a year.
June 28, 1914 - Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, touching off a conflict between the Austro-Hungarian government and Serbia that escalated into World War I.
June 28, 1919 - The signing of the Treaty of Versailles formally ended World War I. According to the terms, Germany was assessed sole blame for the war, forced give up Alsace-Lorraine and overseas colonies, and pay reparations of $15 Billion. The treaty also prohibited German rearmament.
Birthday - Flemish painter and diplomat Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was born in Siegen, Westphalia, Germany. Regarded as the greatest of Flemish painters, he was considered the master artist of his day. He was also skilled in science and politics and spoke seven languages. Among his masterpieces; Le Coup de Lance and The Descent from the Cross.
Birthday - Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His book The Social Contract stated that no laws are binding unless agreed upon by the people, a concept that deeply affected the French. In his novel Emile he challenged harsh child-rearing methods of his day and argued that young people should be given freedom to enjoy sunlight, exercise and play. "Man is born free," he wrote in The Social Contract, "and everywhere he is in chains."
Birthday - German-American physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972) was born in Kattowitz, Germany. She participated in the secret Manhattan Project, the building of the first atomic bomb. She later became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize, sharing the 1963 prize for physics for works explaining atomic nuclei, known as the nuclear shell theory.
June 29
June 29, 1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that capital punishment was a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment." The decision spared the lives of 600 individuals then sitting on death row. Four years later, in another ruling, the Court reversed itself and determined the death penalty was not cruel and unusual punishment. On October 4, 1976, the ban was lifted on the death penalty in cases involving murder.
Birthday - Social worker Julia Lathrop (1858-1932) was born in Rockford, Illinois. She fought to establish child labor laws and was instrumental in establishing the first juvenile court in the U.S. In 1912, President Taft named her to head the newly created Children's Bureau. In 1925, she became a member of the Child Welfare Committee of the League of Nations.
Birthday - American surgeon William Mayo (1861-1939) was born in LeSeuer, Minnesota. He was one of the Mayo brothers, pioneers of the concept of the group clinic, bringing together specialists from a number of medical fields to better perform diagnoses and treatment. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, became an internationally known medical center.
June 30
June 30, 1971 - The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was enacted, granting the right to vote in all federal, state and local elections to American citizens 18 years or older. The U.S. thus gained an additional 11 million voters. The minimum voting age in most states had been 21.
June 30, 1997 - In Hong Kong, the flag of the British Crown Colony was officially lowered at midnight and replaced by a new flag representing China's sovereignty and the official transfer of power.
