tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86726080873960064902024-03-13T08:49:43.315-07:00Treasure SeekersBlackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.comBlogger650125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-84843695321987414072016-12-05T08:46:00.001-08:002016-12-05T08:46:24.377-08:00Move Over Elf Because Krampus Has Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Krampusnacht! I learned of Krampus a few years ago and I can see how terrifying this folklore could be for adults and children alike. Although from what I have learned Krampus festivals throughout Alpine communities kick off the holiday
season with townspeople dressing in Krampus costumes, running through the streets and putting a scare into the children. After the
children have been given a good fright to ensure they stay on the nice list, the wild Krampus are rewarded with holiday
spirits, traditionally beer and schnapps. In fact, Krampus celebrations
have become so popular that they can last for days before the arrival of
Saint Nicholas on December 6th. In other words it might just be a good excuse to drink beer!<br />
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Originating in Germanic folklore as early as the 1600s, Krampus is
believed to be a beastial creature who accompanies St. Nicholas on his annual journey. While St. Nicholas rewards the good children with gifts
and sweets, Krampus dispenses punishment to the wicked children who
have strayed from the path of good. It is said he takes care of St.
Nick's
"naughty list."<br />
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<span itemprop="articleBody">Bearing horns, dark hair, and fangs, the
anti-St. Nicholas comes with a chain and bells that he lashes about,
along with a bundle of birch sticks meant to swat naughty children.</span><br />
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I also read that Krampus's frightening presence was suppressed for many years—the
Catholic Church forbade the raucous celebrations, and fascists in World
War II Europe found Krampus despicable because it was considered a
creation of the Social Democrats. But Krampus is making a comeback now, thanks partly to a "bah,
humbug" attitude in pop culture, with people searching for ways to
celebrate the yuletide season in non-traditional ways. You can now purchase everything from <span itemprop="articleBody">Krampus chocolates, figurines, and collectible horns in addition to t-shirts, movies, scarves, books, stockings, greeting cards, pillows and nutcrackers. So put up your Krampus tree topper and sit down with your favorite Ale. Happy </span><span itemprop="articleBody">Krampusnacht only comes once a year! </span> <br />
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<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-23607302085205696862016-12-02T08:20:00.002-08:002016-12-02T08:22:50.711-08:00Wizarding Picture Frames and Pottermore Pages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While wandering around the Dark Arts Specialty shop Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley I unearthed two of the great picture frames above. The third frame at the top was from one of the shops on the boardwalk. I am excited to put these up on my desk at work on Monday (when I am cast free - hopefully).<br />
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I realized recently that the <a href="https://www.pottermore.com/" target="_blank">Pottermore site</a> has more more features that it did when it first visited. Pottermore is an official Harry Potter website made by J. K. Rowling. It offers an experience focusing on the reading of the Harry Potter series with interactive features, new information from Rowling's extensive collection of notes, and eBook editions of the stories available for purchase for the first
time. Prior to our trip I visited the Pottermore site to take the Discover Your Patronus quiz. A Patronus is a defensive charm. A form of advanced magic. The Patronus has two forms, non-corporeal and corporeal. A non-corporeal
Patronus can appear as mist. A corporeal Patronus has a form that is defined. Each Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it.<br />
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My Patronus revealed it's self as a Sparrowhawk. I thought it would be fun to see what other members of our family came up with. Alex's Patronus is a Manx Cat and Anthony's is a Goshawk. I thought it would be interesting to see those protective charms in living color so here they are. Not very magical but you can get a clearer image of their true form this way. <br />
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Anthony - Goshawk Patronus</div>
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Alex - Manx Cat Patronus</div>
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Kelly - Sparrowhawk Patronus </div>
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We decided to see about what houses we would all be sorted into while visiting the Pottermore site. Interestingly enough Alex and I were both sorted into Hogwarts Gryffindor House and Anthony was sorted into Slytherin.<br />
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Gryffindor is one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Godric Gryffindor.
Godric instructed the sorting hat to choose a few particular
characteristics he most values. Such character traits of students Sorted into Gryffindor are courage, chivalry, and determination. The emblematic animal is a lion, and its colours are red and gold.<br />
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Slytherin is one of the four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Founded by Salazar Slytherin, the house is composed mostly of pure-blood students, due to its founder's mistrust of Muggle-borns.
The house is traditionally home to students who exhibit such traits as
cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition. Its emblematic animal is a snake and its colours are green and silver. <br />
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Next we moved on to be sorted into the Ilvermorny Houses. This time Anthony and I were both sorted into the Horned Serpent House and Alex was sorted into the Pukwudgie House.<br />
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Horned Serpent was one of the four houses at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in North America founded by Irish-born witch Isolt Sayre. Horned Serpent house is sometimes considered to represent the
mind of a witch or wizard. It is also said that Horned Serpent favours
scholars.<br />
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Pukwudgie was one of the four houses at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in North America.<sup> </sup>It was named so by Muggle James Steward, after the Pukwudgie, a fiercely independent magical creature based on stories he heard from his wife Isolt Sayre about William the Pukwudgie. Pukwudgie house is sometimes considered to represent the heart of
a witch or wizard. It is also said that Pukwudgie favours healers.<br />
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With one quiz left to take we all decided to unveil our personal wizard wands. This was neat because we all ended up with completely different wands.<br />
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<b>Anthony's Yew Wood Wand, Phoenix Feather Core, 12 1/4 in Length and <span class="wand-attribute" data-r-wand-attribute="flexibility"><span class="wand-attribute__label">Rigid Flexibility</span></span></b> <br />
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Yew wands are among the rarer kinds, and their ideal matches are
likewise unusual, and occasionally notorious. The wand of yew is reputed
to endow its possessor with the power of life and death, which might,
of course, be said of all wands; and yet yew retains a particularly dark
and fearsome reputation in the spheres of duelling and all curses.
However, it is untrue to say (as those unlearned in wandlore often do)
that those who use yew wands are more likely to be attracted to the Dark
Arts than another. The witch or wizard best suited to a yew wand might
equally prove a fierce protector of others. Wands hewn from these most
long-lived trees have been found in the possession of heroes quite as
often as of villains. Where wizards have been buried with wands of yew,
the wand generally sprouts into a tree guarding the dead owner’s grave.
What is certain, in my experience, is that the yew wand never chooses
either a mediocre or a timid owner. </div>
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This is the rarest core type. Phoenix feathers are capable of the
greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn
or dragon cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative,
sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and
wizards dislike.
Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential
owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most
independent and detached in the world. These wands are the hardest to
tame and to personalise, and their allegiance is usually hard won.
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<b>Alex's Pear Wood Wand, Unicorn Hair Core, 10 3/4 in Length and Slightly Yielding Flexibility</b><br />
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This golden-toned wood produces wands of splendid magical powers, which
give of their best in the hands of the warm-hearted, the generous and
the wise. Possessors of pear wands are, in my experience, usually
popular and well-respected. I do not know of a single instance where a
pear wand has been discovered in the possession of a Dark witch or
wizard. Pear wands are among the most resilient, and I have often
observed that they may still present a remarkable appearance of newness,
even after many years of hard use.<br />
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Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least
subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are
generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most
faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their
first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch
or wizard.
Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most
powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are
prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may
'die' and need replacing.<br />
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<b>Kelly's Dogwood Wood Wand, Dragon Heartstring Core, 12 3/4 in Length and Surprisingly Swishy Flexibility</b><br />
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Dogwood is one of my own personal favourites, and I have found that
matching a dogwood wand with its ideal owner is always entertaining.
Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and
insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and
fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood
wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they
have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult
conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch
or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. An interesting foible of
many dogwood wands is that they refuse to perform non-verbal spells and
they are often rather noisy.<br />
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As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and
which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to
learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if
won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the
current owner.
The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it
will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone
of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.<br />
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<b>The following notes on wand length are taken from notes on the subject by Mr Garrick Ollivander, wandmaker: </b><br />
<br />
Most wands will be in the range of between nine and fourteen inches.
While I have sold extremely short wands (eight inches and under) and
very long wands (over fifteen inches), these are exceptionally rare. In
the latter case, a physical peculiarity demanded the excessive wand
length. However, abnormally short wands usually select those in whose
character something is lacking, rather than because they are physically
undersized (many small witches and wizards are chosen by longer wands).<br />
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<b>The following notes on wand flexibility are taken from notes on the subject by Mr Garrick Ollivander, wandmaker: </b><br />
<br />
Wand flexibility or rigidity denotes the degree of adaptability and
willingness to change possessed by the wand-and-owner pair - although,
again, this factor ought not to be considered separately from the wand
wood, core and length, nor of the owner’s life experience and style of
magic, all of which will combine to make the wand in question unique.
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-16009886392844076472016-11-30T21:47:00.002-08:002016-11-30T21:47:51.617-08:00Star Struck Over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />When I visited Hogsmeade in 2012 with my Mother-In-Law only 1/2 of The Wizarding World was open during that time. Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express Train did not open until 2014. As a fan of the books and movies I will confess that I was a bit star struck by the park it's self. With the attention to detail in all elements of the Wizarding World it is hard not to just giggle in delight that you are standing there seeing it in person. My few meager pictures do not do justice to the park or the experience. And even with two visits in the same day I know there was still so much that I missed.<br />
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The actual rides in the park were great. Universal Studios has really mastered state-of-the-art 4-D attractions and technology. The Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringott's ride is amazing! I would also highly recommend the walking tour of the castle ride as there are no waiting lines but they give you the opportunity to see how amazing the castle details are from the inside if you are not interested in the ride. Plus you can take all the time you wish checking out the details and rooms/props along the way. I believe that other rides also have the walking tours but I only asked to go on the tour of the castle. <br />
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In some cases Anthony rode a few rides solo. He is a bit braver than I am (please no upside down adventures or spinning in circles for this little wizard) but a little known fact is that I put my back out as I was getting dressed at the hotel the morning of our Universal visit. I have never had back issues before and have not experienced this type of pain radiating across my lower back except maybe during child birth. Oh dear God it was intense and immediate. I was a little concerned with some of the jarring of the rides that they would take an awful situation and make it a thousand times worse. I did not complain because I was so excited to be there but when I first put it out I was worried I would not even be able to stand up. It took me 10 minutes to just get my clothes on. I really rocked the Advil all day at the park but honestly between my back and feet I was experiencing a very significant amount of pain the entire day. I have decided that my ability to function with pain is exceedingly high. If only I had brought my wand with me I am sure there is a spell for back issues. The good news is I only had one significant flair up after originally putting it out. Of course I was sitting at a restaurant eating breakfast not even moving around when it happened. And unfortunately it was on our travel day back to Boise. Longest plane rides of my life.<br />
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Another favorite ride of mine was the actual Hogwarts Express - Kings Cross Station. I felt like a little kid as we disappeared through the brick wall of Platform 9 3/4 (just like in the movies). On the train you wind your way through the British countryside, keeping watch outside
your window. You never know who or what you might see flying,
swooping or lurking just outside the train. You might also encounter an
adventure or two along the way as other passengers shadows are on their way to their own compartments and you can overhear their conversations. We rode the train both directions and each ride was unique. I totally loved it!<br />
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We took time to visit the makers of fine wands since 382 BC, Ollivanders. In the books and movies it is one of the wizarding
world’s premier wand shops. While there we were able to witness the
magical experience of a wand choosing a wizard. And of course you can purchase your own wands in the shop. Since I do have my own wand already I did not select a new one but I will admit I was tempted to purchase one of their interactive wands. Wizards can perform spells around the park and if cast correctly things happen. There is a map to show you where to find the special medallions on the ground and from there you perform the spell outlined on the medallion. You wave your wand, recite the spell, and watch as the magic unfold. Some times it takes a bit of practice to swish your wand properly. It was pretty neat to watch kids delight in creating the magic in the shop windows and with some of the statues (like the mermaid above who would spit water at you if you did the spell correctly). The only thing that stopped me was the $50 price tag and the fact that the interactive wands are much more delicate than the wand I purchased previously. The next time we travel back to the Wizarding World I am going to see if I can borrow G's wand so I can play around too without forking out the funds. Why should the kids have all the fun?<br />
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I did have some Pumpkin Juice while we were there but my favorite is the slushy ice cold Butter Beer. Oh, it is so delicious on a hot day! We did not end up eating at any of the restaurants in the Wizarding World but I would like to sample the food some day. I though it might be fun to try the Leaky Cauldron which features traditional British Pub Fare or Three Broomsticks which is a rustic tavern. I also need to revisit Honeydukes (Hogsmeade's legendary sweet shop) to pick up some unique treats. I was worried the Florida heat would melt the chocolate frogs I had my eye on. They also have Acid Pops, exploding bonbons, Cauldron Cakes, treacle fudge and Fizzing Whizzbees. <br />
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Although I have been sorted and am from the Gryffindor house (more about that later) I was very drawn to Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burkes was one of my favorite shops even though it specializes in Dark Art supplies. Death Eater Masks, skulls, costume replicas and shelves full of sinister items. It was so creepy and cool I could not get enough. <br />
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We also happened to be in the right place at the right time and enjoyed the 10 minute show by the Frog Choir which was composed of four singers, two of whom are holding
large amphibians sitting on pillows. The choir is inspired by a brief scene in
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the group sang quite a few cappella wizarding-related songs, including “Hedwig's Theme” and
“Something Wicked This Way Comes." It was really entertaining and I was even able to nab a picture with them after the performance as I was right by the stage when they appeared. <br />
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-51000701941935889122016-11-29T22:31:00.002-08:002016-11-29T22:35:35.138-08:00It's In The Details - Wizarding World of Harry Potter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Too Big to Hide</b> - Not quite all of Diagon Alley is hidden from the rest of
Universal Studios Florida. Sit down for a bite to eat in Springfield,
and you’ll be able to see the tail of the dragon that sits atop
Gringotts Wizarding Bank.<br />
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<b>Touchy Goblin</b> - Try asking the animatronic goblin in the Gringotts Money Exchange if he is a house elf, and see what kind of response you get.<br />
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<b>Call the Ministry </b>- The traditional red phone booth outside Kings Cross isn’t just for show.
If you dial 62442 (MAGIC) using the phone, you’ll be connected to the
Ministry of Magic.<br />
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<b>The Quint Trio</b> - This is a tribute to the Jaws attraction that sat on the same land for over 22 years before making room for the Wizarding World. Displayed in the window is a record titled “Here’s to Swimmin’ with Bow
Legged Women”, by the Quint Trio. This is a reference to a toast made by
shark hunter Quint in Steven Spielberg’s movie.<br />
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<b>Familiar Ad</b> - In Kings Cross Station, you’ll see a perfume advertisement that looks
very similar to the one Harry and Professor Dumbledore stand by in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.<br />
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<b>All Aboard</b> - You might recognize one passenger who is waiting on the Kings Cross platform – Hedwig, Harry Potter’s owl.<br />
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<b>Mail Your Letters</b> - The Owl
Post, located adjacent to the Owlery, is a fully functioning post office
where visitors can mail postcards and letters with a "The Wizarding
World of Harry Potter" stamp, postmarked from Hogsmeade. <b data-redactor-tag="strong" data-verified="redactor"></b><br />
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<b>The Monster Book of Monsters</b> - Dervish & Banges carries a rather animated copy of the Monster Book of Monsters in a cage.<br />
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<b>Horcruxes</b> - Look closely at the moving portraits of the four founders of Hogwarts
(Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga
Hufflepuff). Each is holding an object that Lord Voldemort stole from
them to create his evil Horcruxes.<br />
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<b>Club Pennants</b> - Take a look at the windows above the Quality Quidditch Supplies store.
These feature pennants from the teams seen in the movies, including
Puddlemere United, the Chudley Cannons, the Montrose Magpies and the
Holyhead Harpies.<br />
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<b>Familiar Tune</b> - While attempting to track down the shark in Jaws, the three
heroes sing “Show Me the Way to Go Home”. This song is among those
performed by the shrunken heads that are on display in Knockturn Alley.<br />
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<b>Shark Jaw Bones</b> - You can find another Jaws reference in the storefront of Mr. Mulpepper’s
Apothecary. A set of shark jawbones is hidden away behind a variety of
herbs and potions.<br />
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<b>Invisible Bird</b> - If you listen closely to the Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes, you’ll hear a bird chirping away inside.<br />
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<b>Mythical Being</b> - The mythical Crumple-Horned Snorkack beloved of Luna Lovegood can be spotted on the second level of the Magical Menagerie store.<br />
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<b>Speaking in Tongues</b> - In the window of the Magical Menagerie store is a snake, which will speak to you in Parseltongue and English.<br />
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<b>Bill's Telescope</b> - In Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment, sitting on Bill Weasley’s desk is the
microscope that Bill uses in the pre-show portion of the Harry Potter
and the Escape from Gringotts.<br />
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<br />
While visiting Florida last month we took a day to visit The Wizarding World
of Harry Potter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The park features two unique
sections Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Diagon Alley</span> is described as a
cobblestoned wizarding alley and shopping area located in London, England
behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron.<sup id="cite_ref-PS5_0-0"> </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside the alley is an assortment of
restaurants, shops, and other sights. All items on the Hogwarts supply list can
be bought at Diagon Alley. The alley is completely hidden from the Muggle world
which is right outside of its boundaries. It is very large in area and
essentially the centre of wizarding London.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hogsmeade Village</span>, or simply
called <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Hogsmeade</span>, is described
as the only all-wizarding village in Britain. It was founded by Hengist of
Woodcroft. Since before 1714 (when the 1714 Edict was passed), Hogwarts third
years and above have been permitted weekend trips into the village. Mainly,
students frequent the High Street in the village which contains the named
specialty shops and pubs such as Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes. Otherwise,
they wander on to observe the infamous Shrieking Shack.<br />
<br />
Hogsmeade is a picturesque little village of cottages and shops, with
enchanted candles hanging in the trees during the holidays. It is also near the
location of the train station used by the Hogwarts Express.<br />
<br />
Just like Hogsmeade, I learned from Kelly Reed, that Diagon Alley is filled
with little tributes (Easter Eggs) to the books and movies that inspire the
Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As you move through the alley, unless you know
what you are looking for, you can easily miss these hidden gems.<br />
<br />
Although we were blessed to be at Universal Studios with Anthony’s sister
Pam and her husband Dean we did end up splitting up for some of the day so
Anthony could help indulge in my inner wizard fix during our visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew that Pam and Dean had other interests
in the park and we did not want to hold them up while I was searching for
hidden secrets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This post features some
of the hidden treasures we discovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
did much better with these Hidden Easter Eggs than I did with the Hidden
Mickeys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did discover that some of
the hidden secrets were no longer in place or were not functioning as
expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An example would be the sign
at the Leaky Cauldron.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was rumored
that it actually did leak but alas there was no moisture on the day we
visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they fixed the leak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also some items we found I was not able to
capture in pictures like the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes perpetual fireworks
display in the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was too high
and too bright in the shop to get a decent image. And you can't take a picture of Moaning Myrtle moaning in the Loo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It is absolutely amazing to see all the details the engineers, architects
and designers built into bringing the Wizarding World to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think my only disappointment was the volume
of Muggles in this area of the park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is said that the opening of the Wizarding World increased Universal attendance
by 50%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally being wizards
ourselves the term Muggle does not apply to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have learned to own the fantasy and ignore the Muggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-48415792056019347332016-11-29T17:33:00.002-08:002016-11-29T17:34:53.906-08:00Keko's Rescue Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Keko and another Shar-Pei (Magoo) landed in the Lake
Havasu Arizona Humane Society on June 1, 2016 through no fault of their
own. Their previous owner was incarcerated
leaving both Pei homeless. A volunteer from
Pei People visited the pair at the shelter and assessed them. Both were full of wet kisses and tail wags. On August 11<sup>th</sup> Pei People was able
to gather the donations needed to spring both Pei from the shelter and placed
them into foster care. Pei People
assessed the pair and determined that they were not bonded so the decision was
made to adopt them out separately.</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Pei People rescues and adopts Shar-Pei in California,
Southern Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. They started in 2007 and focus strictly on
rescue, rehoming and education around the Chinese Shar-Pei breed of dog. Although
they do not typically adopt dogs to Idaho we were able to get approved to adopt
Keko. The other obstacle was that we had
to be willing to drive to Arizona and pick her up. They do not ship or transport Pei to Idaho. </span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Through the shelter and Pei People Rescue Keko was spayed
and all of her immunizations were brought up to date and she was micro chipped. They ensured that she had safe foster home to
stay in, nutritional meals twice a day and continued to evaluate her temperament
and behavior to help match her with a permanent family that she would fit into
easily. It was determined that she was great
with other dogs and people and was in great physical condition. She did not suffer from any eye, skin or
personality issues. With some Pei (like
The Raisin that we lost in 2016) you would need to have experience with the
breed. Although they do not believe she
was abused they do think that both dogs were somewhat neglected by their
original owner. If only dogs could talk.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fast forward to Pei People sharing
Keko’s picture and information on both their web and Facebook Pages. It’s not too difficult to guess which member of
the Dally family (guilty as charged) spotted this adorable mini Pei and fell in
love.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is the point in the story
when I am thankful each and every day that Anthony is supportive of my type of
crazy. And trust me there are times when
I even wonder about myself. Not really being
a dog person himself he not only gave the thumbs up for me to submit an adoption
application (including references, vet information, breed experience history
etc.) but he gave up a weekend to drive to and from Arizona to pick her up with
me. This also included covering her
adoption fee, all travel expenses (hotel and meals) and he even managed to keep
a smile on his face during most of the trip.
I only say most of the trip because it was a really an excessive amount
of time on the road crammed into 3 days.
I think all of our smiles were wearing a bit thin by the time we
returned to Boise.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jay came along for the long
journey to meet Keko and welcome her to the family. We did discover that Keko liked to hog the
backseat of the truck on the way home.
Jay is such a mellow fellow that he was never willing to press the issue
in return but Anthony came up with a solution so they would share the space nicely
using their new beds to give them both the personal space they needed.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We did have some interesting
moments during our trip like difficulty finding a dog friendly hotel on the way
home. We decided to drive to Flagstaff
after picking Keko up because of the heat in Scottsdale. It was almost 100 degrees and we knew that
Flagstaff would be considerably cooler.
We called the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Flagstaff from the road. The woman at the desk said she would hold a
room for us. Unfortunately when we
finally arrived (after dark and way past hungry) we learned that whoever we
spoke to had not made a note to save us a room and they were totally booked for
the night. Heavy sigh. We moved on to another hotel only to discover
they had tons of rooms available but they reeked to high heaven of carpet glue
(you could smell it from inside the truck) because they had put in all new
carpet. We finally managed to find a
room at another hotel and then food became our mission. We ordered food from the Outback Steakhouse Restaurant
only to discover back at the room that they did not include any
silverware. We were so tired and hungry
that we ate with our fingers. Not easy
to do with steak, chicken and mashed potatoes. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back in Boise Keko is
learning the ropes of being a Dally. She
has visited Starbucks (Puppuccino heaven) numerous times, loves walking in the
park (we are still working on those leash manners), enjoys shopping at Zamzows (they
give treats at the register) and really likes car rides and hiking. Another favorite of our new girl is visits to
the dog park where she can run around like a wild child. Thank you to Kelly Reed for the wonderful welcome basket she delivered to our house for Keko. Both the dogs loved the treats and the picture frame is proudly displayed near the fire place.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As with any new furry family
member Keko is still a work in progress.
It is obvious that she has not received any obedience training (we
really need to work on come, leave it and stay), tries to jump on people when
excited and is a constant leash puller.
Also she is always trying to get up on the furniture. All workable issues that are not uncommon for
any dog.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are so blessed to have
Keko in our lives and are looking forward to working with her in 2017 to help
her be the very best Pei she can be. It
is fulfilling to know that we brought a rescue dog into our family and are
extremely grateful to Pei People for their tireless efforts to save dogs just
like Keko who ended up unwanted through no fault of their own.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.peipeople.com/" target="_blank">Pei People Web Page</a></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/peipeople/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Pei People Facebook Page</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WesternIdahoSharPeiRescuewispr/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Western Idaho Shar-Pei Rescue (WISPR) Facebook Page (Idaho)</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/merlinshoperescue/" target="_blank">Merlin's Hope Rescue Facebook Page (Canada)</a></span></span><br />
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<![endif]-->Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-4581467974615238652016-11-27T17:08:00.001-08:002016-11-27T17:08:23.906-08:00Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have never visited Disneyland or Walt Disney World during the holidays. Specifically Halloween. For my birthday this year (which was in March) I picked Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom as my special birthday celebration location. A few nights each week in September and October, Magic Kingdom closes
early so that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party can be held
from 7 p.m. to midnight (though people with party tickets can enter as
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Anthony and I geared up for the party by selecting costumes to wear. The Halloween party is the only time that adults can dress in costume at Magic Kingdom. Originally we were going to rock the Star Wars theme. Me with my Jedi costume and Anthony channeling his inner Emperor Palpatine (Dark Sidious). That was right up until about a month before our trip to Florida. Anthony checked on the newly released costume guidelines and they had significantly changed from 2015. Now layered costumes were highly discouraged, capes longer than waist length were not allowed and costumes could not reach or touch the ground in length. Also full face paint and masks for those over 14 were not allowed even if your eyes were visible. Anthony even went as far as contacting Disney to check on our costumes and we received word that our Star Wars costumes would not meet the new guidelines. Yikes! Back to the drawing board.</div>
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We did a quick turnaround and completely switched characters and movies for our visit. Alice in Wonderland became our new inspiration. Anthony selected the White Rabbit and I decided to dress up as a female Boho Mad Hatter drawing inspiration from Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter costume. I put together new purchased pieces like my Mad Hatter hat, Bandolier thread spools, hat pin collection, Wonderland bow tie and Wonderland bird patch with inexpensive thrift store finds like my skirt, jacket and shirt. I took my thrift store finds over to As You Wish Clothiers and they helped me Boho my skirt and jacket adding touches of ribbon, lace and antique handkerchiefs that were my grandmothers. I changed all the buttons on my shirt so they were mismatched and dressed up my hat to also include real peacock feathers, buttons and odds and ends. My last purchases were some striped socks (two different colors), an inexpensive clock purse and some low boots.</div>
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For Anthony's costume we already had the hat and pants. He found a thrift store black jacket, white shirt, bow tie, clock and tennis shoes to finish his costume. I was honestly nervous about our quick costume turnaround but in hind sight I had nothing to worry about. The minute we stepped out of our hotel room we received compliments on our costumes from everyone under the sun. Visitors, families, cast members etc. It was an entire evening full of thumbs up for our costumes. Although I would say that a good 75% of the Halloween party attendees were in some sort of costume or decorative t-shirt our costumes were some of the most ornate in the park. Although we put them together so quickly I think it was the attention to detail that made ours stand out. I even sprayed my hair red (vs. using a wig) and it turned out great. I have enough natural curl to get the Mad Hatter look without looking clownish. I also put on heavier make-up than I normally wear and used two different colors of eye shadow and eye liner. One eye was bright blue and the other was bright pink. This allowed me to still be in the guidelines without chalking my face totally white like Johnny Depp's character in the movies. </div>
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The actual party was so much wicked Halloween fun. They had Trick-or-Treating, the Boo-To-You Halloween Parade (which is held twice during the party led by the Headless Horseman), Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Show, Hocus Pocus Stage Show (performing four times during the night), character visits around every corner (including Jack and Sally), Disney Photo Pass Special Magic Shots that you can only get during the party (like the Headless Horseman and Hitchhiking Ghosts) and special Halloween desserts. They also drape the castle in different Halloween themes during a projection show which is just amazing to behold.</div>
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Although not all the park rides are available during the party the rides we have enjoyed the most were running and there were no long lines to wait in. Our only misstep in the evening was not planning our dinner options wisely. We had eaten at Disney Springs for lunch and then failed to think ahead. By the time we decided we were way past the point of hungry our dining options had become extremely limited. We were left with hotdogs and corn-dogs around 11:00 p.m. We closed the celebration down at Midnight and headed back to our hotel room exhausted. Best Halloween Birthday Celebration ever!</div>
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-38616094263373113252016-11-13T20:40:00.001-08:002016-11-13T20:40:41.499-08:00Disney Springs Savory Cuisine Quest at Morimoto Asia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the really fun shops to visit at Disney Springs is the Lego Store. The larger than life Disney models are awe inspiring! I have loved Lego's since the kids were little. Lego's have endless possibilities and the kids could play with them for hours on end using just their imagination. I always thought is was fun to open a new package and follow the instructions to create the pictured project on the box. I am not really skilled with free form Lego's but that is okay because I still find building with Lego's fun and relaxing. Disney just recently released a new Lego set - The Magic Kingdom Castle. If it had not been $300 (over 4080 pieces) I might have been tempted to send one back to Boise for Anthony and I to build on date nights as a unique and fun couples project. Seeing the completed castle really made me have Lego envy - it was amazing. Nope I will never grow up!<br />
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Our savory food adventure was fulfilled at Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs. The Pan-Asia cuisine of Chef Morimoto was so delicious and the restaurant is a visual delight. Chef Morimoto is a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show Iron Chef and its spinoff Iron Chef America. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food. He was not present when we visited but we understand that he visits the restaurant about once a quarter and he also hand picks the chefs from Japan and personally trains them.<br />
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In September 2015, Morimoto opened the Pan-Asian restaurant Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs. Pam (Anthony's sister) and her husband Dean highly recommend Morimoto Asia having visited several days before we did. And it did not disappoint.<br />
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We ordered the Morimoto Spareribs with cilantro and a hoisin sweet chili glaze. They were amazing. For our entrees I ordered Orange Chicken (tempura chicken, Chinese broccoli, wok-tossed with a sweet Florida orange sauce) and Anthony ordered Kung Pao Chicken (carrots, shimeji, mushroom, bell pepper, bamboo shoot, cashew nut, stir-fried with spicy szechuan sauce). Both entrees were mouth watering and perfectly prepared. Unfortunately we were too full to sample any of their sweet offerings. I wish Morimoto Asia was a local restaurant here in Boise because it would defiantly be on our short list of go-to eateries. <br />
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-33366907475240206042016-11-13T19:39:00.001-08:002016-11-13T19:39:30.919-08:00Disney Springs Sweet Cuisine Quest at Sprinkles Bakery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anthony and I stayed at Disney's Saratoga Springs property during our trip to Florida. It was a great location as we easily walked to and from the bus depot to head over to the parks and on the day we visited Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) we caught the boat to head over across the pond. We could have walked but it was fun to hitch a ride on the water.</div>
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We did make a stop at Starbucks for a quick bite of breakfast. Most restaurants do not open for early morning eats so we saved our larger meal for lunch. Disney Springs is still under construction but we were able to visit quite a few shops (most open between 10 and 11 a.m.) while we were there including the Disney Candy Cauldron (mouthwatering treats), Star Wars Galactic Outpost, Qniqlo (Japanese Label Design Garments), etc.</div>
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For our sweet culinary adventure we visited the newly opened Sprinkles Bakery. Although we were the only customers in the shop they assured us that the roped waiting lines out front fill up quickly and the store is normally crowded with customers.</div>
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If you have not heard of Sprinkles before they are a Beverly Hills, California-based cupcake bakery chain established in 2005. It is considered one of the first cupcake bakeries. Candace Nelson who was originally an investment banker and her husband (also an investment banker) opened Sprinkles. Candace is described as taking a sophisticated twist on the classic
cupcake, using ingredients like sweet cream butter, pure Nielsen-Massey
Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, Callebaut chocolate, fresh bananas and
carrots, real strawberries and natural citrus zests. Her cupcakes have also received quite a few celebrity endorsements and she has become a celebrity too. Along with Florian Bellanger and a rotating judge, Candace is a judge on the competition series Cupcake Wars. She has also appeared on other Food Network shows. Nelson also has been featured on television shows, including The Today Show, Nightline, The Martha Stewart Show, and profiled in People magazine. Her cupcakes have been featured by The Oprah Winfrey Show, Bon Appetit magazine, Food & Wine, The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.</div>
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It was fun to sample the cupcakes at Sprinkles after hearing so much about the bakery for years now. I love the show Cupcake Wars and it's neat to see what she offers as a judge of so many others cupcakes. We only sampled two mini cupcakes (since we had not eaten lunch at this juncture). I would say at $3.50 each they were a bit pricey for mini cupcakes. Regular sized cupcakes were $4.95 each. The decorations were simple and classic. Not quite as decorative as my Dark Vader cupcake from Starbucks at Hollywood Studios (which I absolutely adored). They were flavorful and good but Anthony and I both thought they were actually a wee bit dry. It might be because we only sampled mini cupcakes vs. their full sized options. I think the smaller the cupcake the harder it is to keep the moisture inside. Anthony also found the frosting to be much sweeter than he would like. I thought it was sweet too but I have a sweet tooth so I am more tolerant to sweet treats than he is. Overall it was fun to visit and try Sprinkles Bakery cupcakes which are not available here in Boise. I would be interested in picking up her cookbook to see if the recipes at home turn out better than the ones we sampled at the bakery. She must be doing something right with over 17 shops in the United States and abroad. </div>
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<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-21528485507713662412016-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:002016-11-09T18:43:40.070-08:00Hidden Mickey's Are Quite The Challenge to Find<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Hollywood Studios</b></div>
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<i>Don't miss a classic Mickey on a tree along the outside queue. </i></div>
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<b>50's Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios</b></div>
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<i>Check out what's holding them together.</i></div>
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<i>Found on our own. </i></div>
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<b>Toy Story Midway Mania! at Hollywood Studios</b></div>
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<i>Along the exit walkway, spot another classic Mickey on the wall. </i></div>
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<b>Toy Story Midway Mania! at Hollywood Studios</b></div>
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<i> Study a book along the exit for a tiny classic Mickey.</i><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>The Garden Grill Restaurant at Epcot</b></div>
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<i>Find and then marvel at the green face of Mickey Mouse on the left side of the large wall mural of vegetation. He's in the three-quarter profile on the right side of a single fern and he's well camouflaged by the fern's leaves. </i> </div>
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A Hidden Mickey is a representation of Mickey Mouse that has been inserted subtly into the design of a ride, attraction, or other location in a Disney theme park, Disney properties, animated film, feature-length movie, TV series, or other Disney product. The most common Hidden Mickey is a formation of three circles that may
be perceived as the silhouette of the head and ears of Mickey Mouse,
often referred to by Disney aficionados as a "Classic Mickey". Mickeys may be painted, made up of objects (such as rocks, or three
plates on a table), or be references such as someone wearing Mickey
Mouse Club ears in a painting. Hidden Mickeys can take on many sizes and
forms.<br />
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Prior to our trip to Disney World I purchased a Hidden Mickey's Field Guide book and mobile app. to take to the parks with us. I was thinking that while waiting in line that we might have time to search for Hidden Mickey's. A great way to pass the time on an activity we have never participated in before.<br />
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In theory it sounded pretty simple. But in reality some of them are so difficult to locate that we were really scratching our heads. So much for our top notch Letterboxing skills. Thankfully we discovered some Cast Members that were not only familiar with Hidden Mickeys but also enthusiastic about the hobby. And boy oh boy did we need the help. We quickly discovered that many of them are really difficult to see, are no longer in existence and are so obscure that we are still not sure if they really exist or not. Two of the pictures I have here are Hidden Mickeys we found on our own but the others we had help with.<br />
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I think overall unless you have a season pass and are spending time in the Disney parks on a regular basis you might not have a lot of time to dedicate to locating Hidden Mickey's. However, if you live in Florida or California and are a regular visitor to the parks the challenge of finding Hidden Mickey's might be a fun pastime to add to your regular visits. I really liked the mobile app because it let you log in your finds and also provides additional hints at the push of a button. <br />
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In all we found 1 Hidden Mickey at Epcot and 5 at Hollywood Studios. Not a great total for the two of us but we discovered pretty quickly that it was too time consuming while we were on the go so much of the time. And often you had to be at the right place at the right time to find it. You could not really push past people in line to try to find them and with so many people milling around it made it difficult to event figure out where you needed to be. I still think this is a great treasure hunting hobby but we will save it for another visit when we have a lot more time. <br />
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<b>Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at Hollywood Studios</b></div>
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<i>Find a classic Mickey in the gift shop at the exit.</i></div>
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<i>Found on our own. </i></div>
Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-53578930517375483262016-11-08T21:03:00.000-08:002016-11-08T21:03:29.728-08:00Disney's Hollywood Studios A Galaxy Not Too Far Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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They say that no one enjoys your vacation pictures and updates more than you do. And I do know that is true. I have shared a few pictures from our October Florida trip on Facebook but I hesitated to make it an hourly moment by moment posting fest while we are on vacation. Besides I was honestly too busy enjoying our time (living in the moment) to be too overly concerned about sharing every activity we were doing. Instead upon returning I can post whatever my heart desires on my blog and not fill up my Facebook profile with endless vacation pictures and updates.<br />
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Our first day at Disney World was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We opened the park first thing in the morning at 9:00 a.m. and started the day with character visits and sweets. How can you visit Starbucks and not walk out the door with a Dark Vader Cupcake for breakfast. <br />
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Some of our favorite character visits during the day included Donald and Daisy Duck, Encounter Kylo Ren, Meet Chewbacca, Olaf, Toy Story Friends, Goofy, multiple encounters with the Storm Troopers (they liked my handbag and shirt), the stars of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and other miscellaneous characters that we were delighted to run into.<br />
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We were able to see the March of the First Order and the Star Wars A Galaxy Far, Far Away Center Stage Show. Both new to Hollywood Studios. Some of the other activities we enjoyed included Step Into Star Wars, Star Wars: Path of the Jedi, Voyage of the Little Mermaid Show, The Great Movie Ride, Toy Story Mania (4-D Shooting Game), Star Wars Launch Bay and The Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Somehow we manged to rack up the same score (124,400) on the Toy Story Mania Ride. We even asked the Cast Members if that is common and they said that it never happens. The only difference was our accuracy score. Mine was 29% and Anthony's was at 36%.<br />
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Sometimes we have a plan in place but at the parks we sort of fly by the seat of our pants watching the Disney Experience Mobile App to determine our next move based on wait times and show time availability. On occasion that leaves us out of dining opportunities (families book restaurant reservations months and months in advance) and that was the case at Hollywood Studios at their nicer sit-down eating options. Unfortunately they were all booked without any cancellations or walk in opportunities. Still we just made due and ate quick simple meals while at the park and didn't worry about restaurants that we were not able to sample.<br />
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All in all it was a really fun day running around the park. We had picture perfect weather for the entire week which is amazing for Florida. I purchased lots of fun Disney Star Wars Halloween Pins for my tiny collection. And since this was my belated Birthday Celebration I was given a Happy Birthday Pin to wear all day. Every single cast member we encountered wished me a Happy Birthday and the Cast Members in the Tatooine Traders Shop sang me a special Star Wars Happy Birthday song (I got to blow out a light saber). But what was surprising was the number of park visitors that stopped me to wish me a Happy Birthday. What an incredibly special feeling to have all day. If only I could spend every birthday at Disney World.<br />
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<b>Disney World Tip:</b> I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Disney World that they add to their budget purchasing the Disney PhotoPass Memory Maker product. The cost was around $160. The PhotoPass allows you to get unlimited pictures taken while at the parks and you receive unlimited digital downloads of the memories including character visits, attraction photos and videos and extras like Animated Magic Shots. We also received recipes and stock photos. All we would do was have the photographers (who you can easily locate on the Disney Experience Mobil App. or just while walking around) tap your Magic Band after taking your pictures and the pictures would upload to your account often within minutes. And if they didn't show up you could visit the Photo Pass Shop at each park and let them know the time and date of the missing pictures (we had this happen once) and they can locate them and add them to your account. It was absolutely amazing and easy to use. It helped us a lot because there were only two of us at the park. So neither of us was left out of a shot if we both wanted to be in it and we did not need to rely on selfies or asking other visitors to take a picture of us.<br />
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-72980552382469725842016-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:002016-11-07T20:16:03.976-08:00Disney Trading Pins - Star Wars Halloween Delights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The buying and trading of Disney pins has been popular since 1999. The pins contain characters, attractions, icons, events etc. and thousands have been created over the years. Most are enamel or enamel cloisonne with a metal base.<br />
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If you visit Disneyland or Disney World you will notice Cast Members wearing pins on lanyards or that have display boards with their pins featured. Cast Members must trade pins with guests if they are presented with an
acceptable pin. The Cast Members may not decline a particular trade
based on preference or rarity of the pin, but may decline if the pin is
not acceptable or pin trading rules are not being observed.<br />
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Each guest may only trade two pins with the same Cast Member in one
day. If the Cast Member gives his or her lanyard to a different Cast Member, a guest may trade again with the new Cast Member even though the
physical lanyard is the same.<br />
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The specifics of what make a pin acceptable for trading varies from
park to park. At Disneyland and California Adventure parks, the Cast Members are instructed not to accept pins that have a clasp or
brooch-type backing (as with jewelry).<br />
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I have discovered pins ranging in price from $7.95 and even over $100 for a limited edition pin. I received my very first pin from Anthony last October after he visited Disney World wit his Grandson Ashe. I am wearing it in the picture above and it is a Jack Skellington pin. Then in September I received my second pin from Amanda (also in the picture above) with Mickey Mouse as Dracula and the words "I don't Bite" underneath his feet at the Disney themed Letterboxing Event. What a great gift to give to all the participants at the event!<br />
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We just returned from a trip to Disney World and while we were at Hollywood Studios I discovered Star Wars pins mixed with my favorite holiday Halloween. How could I resist? My collection grew just a bit with the Star Wars pins above. I even wore one of them on Halloween here in town with my Jedi costume.<br />
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It was hard for me not to also come home with a huge collection of Nightmare Before Christmas pins but I did manage to snag Zero and his dog house which I just loved. <br />
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I am looking for a display case or other means of displaying my pins. You can bet that these will never be traded and are staying with me to wear and enjoy. They are such a great reminder of our trip and they do not take up much space. They are fun to wear with a scarf or on a winter jacket. In my mind there is never a bad time to celebrate Star Wars or Halloween. And Nightmare Before Christmas is always in style any time of year. <br />
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It was really fun to see all the kids at the parks trading pins with Cast Members and you could talk to the kids while waiting in line and they could tell you at the drop of a hat which pin they had was their favorite and where they got it. So many of them were so proud of their pins and you could see the enjoyment on their faces and the excitement of their trades. Pretty neat for just a small piece of metal. <br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-36706145855084497112016-08-13T22:48:00.001-07:002016-08-13T22:49:45.932-07:00Kalmae Hal'loe Part I: Legs of the Order<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
As a Jedi Knight I travel the galaxy and aid all those that I encounter. Jedi Knights are the arms and legs of the Order. My duties can include peacekeeping, diplomacy and investigation. The Force has guided me to follow the path of the Jedi Guardian which means I am often sent on missions where I am desperately needed. Missions often include traveling to the Outer Rim and even Wild Space. My lightsaber sees plenty of use although I have selected a green blade vs. the traditional blue of most Guardians. I had originally thought that my path was one of the Jedi Consular using words and wits to resolve conflicts. However, I quickly realized that the Force was calling me for a different purpose. <br />
<br />
A distress call was received from the planet Earth and my services were in need to investigate devastating recent attacks in the foothills of an outpost city known as Boise. I could feel the presence of the Dark Force as soon as I reached the base of the foothills. If you have not felt it before the dark side is the selfish, impulsive energy you feel when you have not set yourself at peace. The dark side can cause irreversible spiritual corruption that marks a person as a dark sider.<br />
<br />
I was hyper vigilant as I walked the ruins of the once beautiful rolling hills that are now just a burned and blackened world that has been completely destroyed by the Galactic Empire (also known as the First Order). All that remained were small fragments of bone and ash that easily slipped through my fingers as I felt the life force of those that had bravely stood against the Empire drifting from my clutches in the warm summer air... to be continued. <br />
Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-21886039251305821592016-08-09T21:51:00.000-07:002016-08-09T21:52:03.469-07:00Pokemon Go Letterbox of the Month - Pikachu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I feel like I lived through the Pokemon craze as Alex was growing up. We have a million Pokemon cards floating around the house and I have seen and purchased more Pokemon movies, games and novelty items than you can imagine.<br />
<br />
I had sort of lost connection with Pokemon until Pokemon Go launched here in the United States. Alex was eager to share the new technology with me and I have to say I was impressed. Finally a video game that gets folks off the couch and out their front door. I loaded it on my phone and was amazed that I can actually play. I am a notoriously bad video game player. But hay I can toss a Pokeball on my phone and catch Pokemon. <br />
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Pokemon Go has really given me a bit more to enjoy while waking Jay the two to three times a day that we head out. Instead of just watching him sniff and mark the neighborhood (he is like a camel) I can also catch Pokemon.<br />
<br />
I thought it would be fun to combine Pokemon Go with Letterboxing so I have launched a Pokemon Letterbox of the Month here in Boise and my first carving is Pikachu. Pikachu is the most popular and recognizable Pokemon there is. I have also whipped together a Letterbox Trading Card (LTC) to accompany the Letterbox. Each month a new wild tribal Pokemon will be placed at a different Pokestop and the previous Pokemon will disappear (just like they do on Pokemon Go). So our local Letterboxing community will be able to Letterbox and play Pokemon Go all at the same time. And don't you just love my snazzy socks and Pikachu co-pilot! Gotta Catch 'Em All!<br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-55849191156989668622016-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:002016-08-09T21:07:27.351-07:00Penny Dreadful - Werewolf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The Penny Dreadful was a 19th-century publishing phenomenon.
These cheap, sensational, highly illustrated stories were very popular with the
Victorian public.
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In the 1830s, increasing literacy and improving technology
saw a boom in cheap fiction for the working classes. ‘Penny bloods’ was the
original name for the booklets that, in the 1860s, were renamed Penny Dreadfuls
and told stories of adventure, initially of pirates and highwaymen, later
concentrating on crime and detection.<br />
<br />
Penny Dreadfuls were issued weekly, each ‘number’, or
episode, was eight (occasionally 16) pages, with a black-and-white illustration
on the top half of the front page. Double columns of text filled the rest,
breaking off at the bottom of the final page, even if it was the middle of a
sentence.</div>
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The bloods were astonishingly successful, creating a vast
new readership. Between 1830 and 1850 there were up to 100 publishers of
penny-fiction, as well as the many magazines which now wholeheartedly embraced
the genre.<b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">There is some THING
within us all.</span></b><br />
<br />
Penny Dreadful the Showtime show is a powerfully written
saga filled with dark mystery and suspense. It lives in a demimonde — a half
world between reality and the supernatural — where personal demons from the
past can be stronger than vampires, evil spirits and immortal beasts.</div>
Some of literature's most terrifying figures, including Dr.
Frankenstein and his Creature, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel
Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of the city. They are joined by a
core of original characters in a new narrative filled with alienation and
dread.<br />
<br />
<b>Werewolf</b><br />
<br />
Werewolves (also called Lupus Dei) are humans who undergo a transformation into savage, wolf-like beasts on the night of the full moon.<br />
<br />
When transformed, werewolves are strong and ferocious predators. Werewolves do not appear able to force a transformation outside of full
moon, nor do they seem to possess any control their savage nature once
transformed.<br />
<br />
The transformation itself is not severe; they remain essentially
humanoid in appearance, but of larger stature and with wolf-like eyes,
ears, claws and fangs. The transformation can be fought but it can not
be prevented from occurring. <br />
<br />
When transformed, werewolves are seemingly mindless predators and will
prey on animals and humans for food. Remains found at the scenes of
these killings have been severely mutilated, with limbs having been
dismembered.<br />
<br />
"<i>Even a man who's pure of heart, and says his prayers by night, may
become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the moon is full and bright.</i>"
<br />
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<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-68563726468400610922016-08-07T16:42:00.002-07:002016-08-08T17:23:36.736-07:00Jedi Knight Kalmae Hal'loe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I needed to post some of my Jedi images and exploits as I am in the process of applying for membership with the Rebel Legion (thus the images of me from every angle). I would say that my action shots are much better than my Jedi-against-a-blank-wall images but they need clear shots of my uniform to see if it meets the membership qualifications which I total understand. With temperatures so warm here in Boise I will admit that it was a tad bit toasty to go full Jedi yesterday but hopefully it will be worth the effort. I may need to take some additional shots without my Jedi robe but this is at least a good start. May the force be with you!<br />
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-75521114284900374762016-06-09T20:42:00.001-07:002016-06-09T20:42:46.866-07:00Penny Dreadful - Brona Croft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Penny Dreadful was a 19th-century publishing phenomenon.
These cheap, sensational, highly illustrated stories were very popular with the
Victorian public.
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In the 1830s, increasing literacy and improving technology
saw a boom in cheap fiction for the working classes. ‘Penny bloods’ was the
original name for the booklets that, in the 1860s, were renamed Penny Dreadfuls
and told stories of adventure, initially of pirates and highwaymen, later
concentrating on crime and detection.<br />
<br />
Penny Dreadfuls were issued weekly, each ‘number’, or
episode, was eight (occasionally 16) pages, with a black-and-white illustration
on the top half of the front page. Double columns of text filled the rest,
breaking off at the bottom of the final page, even if it was the middle of a
sentence.</div>
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The bloods were astonishingly successful, creating a vast
new readership. Between 1830 and 1850 there were up to 100 publishers of
penny-fiction, as well as the many magazines which now wholeheartedly embraced
the genre.<b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">There is some THING
within us all.</span></b><br />
<br />
Penny Dreadful the Showtime show is a powerfully written
saga filled with dark mystery and suspense. It lives in a demimonde — a half
world between reality and the supernatural — where personal demons from the
past can be stronger than vampires, evil spirits and immortal beasts.</div>
Some of literature's most terrifying figures, including Dr.
Frankenstein and his Creature, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel
Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of the city. They are joined by a
core of original characters in a new narrative filled with alienation and
dread.<br /><br />
<b>Brona Croft (Alias Lily Frankenstein) </b><br />
<br />
Brona Croft is an Irish immigrant working in London as a prostitute. Brona met Ethan Chandler at The Mariner's Inn and they fall in love. Brona's illness (tuberculosis) led Chandler to seek the help of Victor Frankenstein who sped her death in hope to reanimate her to be the bride of the Creature.
Brona is revived as Lilly Frankenstein with no memory of her former
self. She later regains her memory and leaves Frankenstein for Dorian Gray.<br />
<br />
"We are not women who crawl. We are not women who kneel. And for this we
will be branded radicals. Revolutionists. Women who are strong, and
refuse to be degraded, and choose to protect themselves, are called
monsters. That is the world's crime, not ours." - Brona Croft (Lily Frankenstein) Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-45156158580415834832016-05-10T18:23:00.002-07:002016-05-10T18:23:57.933-07:00Grandjean Idaho Baron Creek Trail April 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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During our first camping trip to Grandjean two weekends ago we tackled an obstacle course on Sunday set up by Mother Nature on the Baron Creek Trail. She thought she had us a few times but she was no match for us as we crawled, scampered, hopped and shimmied our way through ever obstacle she threw our direction. If only Anthony had brought along his chainsaw on the hike. <br /><br />We hiked to the first major water crossing and back to camp which was approximately 9.73 miles and 1,025 feet of elevation gain. We were not prepared to cross the river but stopped and enjoyed some trail mix and G2 while sitting in the sun. This area appeares to be an old burn area as you can still see burned tree stumps standing. Above there is even a picture of a directional sign burned into a dead tree. There was a lot of foliage and some wild flowers too. This is a trail that I would like to explore again in the future with our water shoes in hand. We only ran across one hiker and his daughter on their way down the trail and a couple of hikers on our return trip. There was no snow like we encountered on the Trail Lakes Trail but plenty of sun shine and a trail that was easy to navigate once we cleared the obstacle course. Another beautiful day on the trail!<br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-38371467184810249622016-05-09T20:37:00.000-07:002016-05-09T20:40:50.427-07:00The Chainsaw is Back In Action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While we were camping in Grandjean the weekend before last we discovered that there were quite a few trees still sticking farther out in the road than we thought they should be and also freshly fallen in the campground blocking two of the roads and also laying right across the path to our fire pit. Mr. Dally had the situation completely under control. Within minutes the chainsaw was unveiled for the season with a freshly sharpened chain and zip, zip, zip the roads were cleared, the path to the fire pit was no longer blocked and the main road was much wider to travel down for larger vehicles or when two vehicles encounter the same section of the road. If only we could have packed it along on our hikes Anthony could have really done some major trail clean up. It still felt good to leave the roads and campground in better shape than when we arrived for others to enjoy. Jay and I mostly watched in awe from a safe distance as Anthony made quick work of every obstacle! <br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-64407095272896267482016-05-09T20:18:00.002-07:002016-05-09T20:18:15.421-07:00Alex Completes His First Big Hike to Lucky Peak Summit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Alex (my 21 year old son) has just started hiking and felt like he wanted to try a more strenuous hike on Saturday. We wanted to stay in town because of late afternoon/evening commitments so we chose Lucky Peak Summit. This hike is approximately 10 miles with 2,350 feet of elevation gain. I have only hiked this trail once before in <a href="http://lbwithblackvelvetrav.blogspot.com/2016/04/lucky-peak-adelmann-mine-lollipop.html" target="_blank">April 2016</a>. Anthony has hiked to the peak quite a few times over the past couple of years. This is a challenging hike as my calves and shins can attest to as they are still sore today (two days later). Although this is a very steep climb Alex was determined to make the round trip loop and did not give up. It was great to see his enthusiasm and excitement over what he was able to accomplish. I am afraid he is still pretty sore like I am but hopefully we will all recover soon. We did not have time to visit the abandoned Aldelmann Mine on Saturday but I know Alex is looking forward to going back to check it out. One option is just to hike to the mine and back without going the entire distance to the summit to make is a shorter and more manageable hike.<span style="color: #666666;"></span> <br />
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A couple of items I noted on Saturdays hike was that all the snow that was there just weeks ago has completely melted. And wild flowers continue to be plentiful. Although there were some flowers I had seen before I discovered many others in bloom that were not in April. We were also very fortunate to have cloud cover during quite a bit of our hike. As shade is limited during most of the hike the clouds were very welcome as the day was about 80 degrees as we returned to the truck. In April we had the trail completely to ourselves and this past Saturday we only crossed paths with 2 other individuals. One was running the trail and was running so fast down hill he was almost a blur. The other greeted us from below and it appeared that his hike was focused on visiting the mine.<br />
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Although we did not have time to stop for pizza and drinks on Saturday due to the tight time line I did score both on Sunday with Anthony as he drove Jay and I back out to enjoy Hilltop Station for Mother's Day dinner complete with a trip to the salad bar. I totally loved it!<br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-49930003587698042432016-05-04T20:10:00.001-07:002016-05-04T20:10:21.887-07:00Grandjean Idaho Trail Creek Lakes Trail April 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Saturday's hike (April 30, 2016) was on the South Fork Payette River Trail - Trail Creek Lakes Trail. We started bright and early to take advantage of the cooler weather and crisp morning air. We were not sure that we would make it past the first water crossing as Trail Creek is a fast flowing stream, 10-15 feet wide. It can be difficult to cross depending on the conditions you encounter. This is considered an intermediate hike and if you were to hike to the first lake and back you would be hiking approximately 11 miles round trip.<br /><br />We were actually able to use the snow to our advantage at the first river crossing as there was a huge snow bridge which enabled us to easily cross to the other side. This was completely unexpected. We continued on the trail to the second water crossing. The trail had patches of snow but they were easy to hike through/over and did not block our view of the trails direction. Since we had left our water shoes and Jay's new harness back at the R-Pod we decided not to try to risk crossing the creek at this time. Also we could see there was a lot more snow further up the trail after the crossing and thought it would be best to come back a little later in the season when more of the snow has melted and we can hike to the lakes.<br />
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In total we hiked 8.6 miles round trip with 1,690 feet of elevation gain. We also helped to clear a few fallen trees and abundant branches to make the tail easier to navigate as it was obvious that not many hikers have been on the trail yet this season. We had perfect weather, the trail completely to ourselves and were back in camp at a reasonable time so we could drive around to check out other camp site options and many of our favorite campgrounds between Grandjean and Stanley (all of them were still closed). We also had time to find me a new rain jacket in town and to stop for an appetizer and refreshments before returning to camp to build our evening fire and start cooking our meat on a stick.<br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-80765876187372072932016-05-04T19:21:00.001-07:002016-05-04T19:21:34.866-07:00First Camping Trip of 2016 Grandjean Idaho Campground<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Last Friday (April 29, 2016) Anthony, Jay and I pulled the R-Pod out of storage and hit the road for the weekend. It was so great to head to the mountains as my sinuses were really acting up from all the pollen in the air in the Treasure Valley. Because of the cooler temperatures up north less is in bloom and I literally breathed a sigh of sinus relief. No sneezing, no watery or irritated eyes and no sinus congestion. Our destination was Grandjean campground. Anthony called the forestry department to ensure that the road was clear and that the campground was open before we set our sites on this location as there is still a lot of snow up north. There is nothing worse than heading out and finding yourself without a camp site when darkness falls. <br /><br />Grandjean Campground is in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area on the edge of
the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. There is also free range (disbursement) camping sites before you reach the actual campground but we were not familiar with the camping options so we set our sites on the established campground. We were not the only ones at the campground but there were only one or two others camping and it looked like a few folks were hiking and backpack camping from the trail head. We also noted several free range sites were occupied when we drove around to take a look at everything after hiking on Saturday. It's good to know our options for the future.<br /><br />The campground is first come - first served (no reservations). We were not completely sure about the layout of the sites so we just made ourselves at home after clearing a tree or two out of our way. It was obvious that we were the first campers in the spot we selected for this camping season. There is a spot designated for a camp host (closer to the trail head) but no one is in place yet.<br /><br />To reach the campground from Boise take Hwy 55 North to Banks, Idaho, about 34 miles.
Turn
right onto the Banks Lowman Road just past Banks. Follow the Banks
Lowman Road to Lowman, Idaho, another 33 miles. Turn left on Hwy 21 and
travel 21 miles to the Grandjean Road (#524) on your right. It is 5.6
miles to the Grandjean Campground.<br /><br />Since there was rain in the forecast for Friday night I planned a dinner menu that did not require a fire to cook over but we were thrilled to have the weather hold and enjoyed a relaxing evening around the fire roasting marshmallows and watching the evening grow dark under the stars listening to the river flowing in the background. Boy have we all really missed the mountains and camping. It felt wonderful to get back out again even if it was only for a couple of nights. <br />
<br />Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-66458817641137096082016-04-25T19:55:00.001-07:002016-04-25T19:55:46.065-07:00Friendly Characters and Amazing Sweets at Aria<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />It's so much fun in Las Vegas to meet friendly characters and sample amazing sweets. We managed to do both at <a href="https://www.aria.com/en.html" target="_blank">Aria</a>. We actually visited the <a href="https://www.aria.com/en/restaurants/jean-philippe-patisserie.html" target="_blank">Jean Philippe French Pastry Shop</a> twice. Once to soak in all the splendor of the chocolate shop and the second visit was to sample the delicacies in the pastry case. It was so hard to decide on the sweets we both wanted to sample. I finally picked a Key Lime Tart with Mango Filling and Anthony selected a Chocolate Eclair. Neither dessert disappointed and we learned that you can visit the Pastry Shop until very late at night. On Friday and Saturday nights they are open until 2:00 a.m. One just never knows when your sweet tooth might strike. Especially after spending time with the Mario Brothers gang. It would be fun to revisit the Pastry Shop each season to see the new displays and confections being offered. And of course to sample the new offerings in the pastry case. Las Vegas definitely caters to every indulgence you can dream up including mouth watering sweets! <br /><br />
Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-8188634207911110292016-04-24T16:45:00.000-07:002016-04-24T16:45:12.840-07:00Wilson Creek Hike to Soldier Cap Peak<br />
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Look carefully Anthony is waving from the peak at Soldier Cap!</div>
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An overcast and cool day in Boise made it the perfect day to return to Wilson Creek (outside of Melba) for another hiking adventure. Just like last month we had the entire trail to ourselves. We started our hike early around 9:00 a.m. when it was in the low 50 degree range. Originally we had hoped to hike to both Soldier Cap and Wilson Peak but Mother Nature had different plans for our day.<br /><br />Our first destination was Soldier Cap which we made it to without any issues. As Anthony had never hiked to this peak before and it looked extremely rocky I let him scale the last 200 feet up while Jay and I enjoyed lunch below. Upon his return from the summit he did say that I probably could have made it to the top although it was a bit rocky and steep (two of my least favorite things when combined). I decided to save the summit for another day as the wind was really picking up and storm clouds were rolling in on top of us. Sure enough as soon as we started to make our way towards Wilson Peak the rain drops began falling. We decided to ditch our plans of hitting to both peaks as we were uncomfortable with the muddy condition of the road we had driven up due to the rain from Saturday. Although the truck has 4 wheel drive we have heard stories of trucks and cars really getting stuck on dirt roads (int he middle of nowhere) and did not want to end up being the latest causality of overconfident driving conditions.<br /><br />We hit it in overdrive to try to out hike the rain but it caught up with us quickly on our way back to the truck. We ended up pretty muddy and soggy by the time we were back at the truck removing our hiking boots but as luck would have it the roads were not an issue driving back to civilization and we still managed to hike 7.3 miles with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Although we did not see any snakes on this hike I did see some freshly shed snake skin so I know they are on the move this spring.<br />
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If you are not familiar with the two peaks Wilson Peak has a rounded summit with several communication towers standing tall. Soldier Cap is more rugged with a pointy summit that makes it distinctive when viewed from a distance. Both peaks can easily be seen from the Snake River Valley from below. This area is classic desert hiking which takes you across canyons and plateaus. <br />
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<a href="http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/visit_and_play/places_to_see/owyhee_field_office/wilson_creek_travel.html" target="_blank">Wilson Creek Trails and Information </a><br />
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Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-25117690118553340192016-04-18T10:51:00.000-07:002016-04-18T10:51:26.274-07:00Exploring Snowy Trails Crooked River and Lamar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />On Sunday we decided to drive to cooler climate for our hike. Sometimes you just have to go and check out the snow conditions in person to see how your spring hiking options are shaping up. We drove to Edna Creek Campground for the starting point of our hike. <span itemprop="description">Edna Creek Campground is located 56 miles northeast of Boise and is located in a Ponderosa pine forest along Highway 21. As the actual road into the campground is closed we hiked down to </span><span itemprop="description">the Crooked River Trail that runs parallel to Crooked River which is about a mile from the campground turnoff. I actually also have letterboxes planted on this trail although they are still under snow at this juncture. <br /><br />Our morning did start quite crisp at around 30 degrees. However, by the time we returned to the truck it had reached about 66 degrees. You warm up so quickly on the trail that Anthony and I were shedding layers within the first mile of our hike. There really is something to moving and staying warm. When I use to watch survival shows I would always think the folks were insane for wearing such thin layers in cold temperatures but now that I have tested the theory myself there is really something to dressing light, working hard physically and staying warm. Any time I think otherwise I start perspiring almost immediately and then regret overdressing. I am still learning the art of layering properly but I am making huge strides in this area.</span><br />
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<span itemprop="description">Crooked River Trail is a </span><span itemprop="description">6.6-mile out-and-back that meanders along the Crooked River and boasts abundant fishing holes and a sandy beach. Directions to the actual trail head: </span><span itemprop="description"><span id="toTrailHead"><strong> </strong></span><span id="trailHeadText">From
Idaho City, head east on ID 21/Ponderosa Pine Scenic Rte. for 17.7
miles. Turn right onto Crooked River Rd./National Forest Develop Rd.
384. Follow 1.1 miles to the trail-head on the right. </span></span><br />
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<span itemprop="description"><span id="trailHeadText">We were able to navigate a mile or two of the actual Crooked River Trail until we came upon the narrow rocky inclined section of the trail that was completely covered in avalanche style snow. Without additional equipment like ropes and our ice/snow grippers we were not about to continue in the direction we were headed. It was just not worth the risk of falling into the river. We turned around and located the starting point of Lamar Trail and hiked until we found ourselves at the </span></span><span itemprop="description"><span id="trailHeadText">Whoop-Um-Up Park N\' Ski Area. The Lamar Trail was in excellent condition with the exception of a few trees crossing the path. Very little snow remains on the trail and it was not muddy at all. However, it was a bit confusing once we reached what we thought was the top as the trail just sort of seemed to end without any clear indication of which direction to head in. Fortunately Anthony did manage to maneuver us to the snowshoe/cross country skiing trails and we hiked through the snow to Whoop-Um-Up. In all we hiked almost 8 miles total with an elevation gain of about 800 feet. It was a beautiful day for hiking!</span></span><br />
<span itemprop="description"><span id="trailHeadText"><br /></span></span>Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8672608087396006490.post-24909546432504496112016-04-17T18:45:00.000-07:002016-04-17T18:45:29.472-07:00Return to Swan Falls Petroglyph's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In <a href="http://lbwithblackvelvetrav.blogspot.com/2014/01/swan-falls-petroglyph-hike.html" target="_blank">January 2014</a> we hiked from the Swan Falls Dam to the Petroglyphs and we just repeated the hike on Saturday. Although Anthony had been on this hike several times with the Meet Up - Milestone Hiking Club (doing a key exchange at the Petroglyphs) this was my first time back. Swan Falls
Dam is 19 miles south of Kuna on Swan Falls Road. The hike to and from the
Petroglyphs is 11.4 miles round trip (from the dam) with approximately 500 feet of gain. One reason we picked this relatively flat hike was to save my toes from additional abuse while my right one heals. My right toenail is currently a lovely shade of purple from last weekends hiking exploits. Too much downhill hiking caused me to have some serious big toe issues and we were trying to lessen the stress on my toes this weekend. My left large toe is doing great again but the right one is still not so good. Anthony said that my purple toenail is a sign that I am a real hiker now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was interesting visiting this area in April vs. January as wild flowers are now in bloom, temperatures were much warmer (upper 30 degrees when we hit the trail vs. 11 degrees in 2014), the abandoned orchard had green leaves sprouting on the trees and we saw our first snake of the year (fortunately not a rattlesnake). We also saw quite a few rabbits, lots of lizards, beetles and of course birds galore. The desert environment seemed to be much more active and alive than during my first visit. Also with the warmer weather the east side of the river was very populated with families camping and fishing. Fortunately on our hike we only encountered a couple of folks on the return hike towards the beginning of the trail and we also talked to some campers (the only ones camping on the west side of the river who used a boat to cross the river and set up camp).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I find it fascinating that you can see new things and learn a little more during each visit to this area. The Swan Falls Dam Museum was open when we returned to the truck and we had a few minutes to visit. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Swan Falls Dam was built in 1901 to supply electricity to nearby mining
towns. The dam is the oldest hydroelectric project on the Snake River.
Swan Falls is one of the first hydroelectric plants to generate three
phase power, the same electricity standard used today. During the mid
1990's a new power plant was built. The old plant was decommissioned,
and now serves as a museum. Idaho Power maintains the museum at the dam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The area with the petroglyphs has many boulders covered in symbols that vary from bird and animal shapes to complex geometric forms. </span>It has been widely believed that animal depictions serve as sign
markers of game trails and/or presence of particular resources. However, it is believed that many of the more complex geometric designs are simply artistic. There is also speculation that some of the images are associated with shamanistic activity or rituals. Anyway you sum it up they are wonderful to visit in person without knowing their exact purpose or reason. I hope to make it back to Celebration Park eventually to learn more from the self guided tour at the Visitor Center.<br />
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We also found some rock cabin remnants across from the petroglyphs that we had not seen before. It is said that the cabins were originally built by miners in the late 1890's to early 1900's as they searched for the very fine "flour gold" of the Snake River Canyon. We have also heard that they were built by Chinese laborers. Either way it was pretty neat to stumble upon during our visit. Again I need to stop by the Visitors Center to see about getting my facts straight. We did have a funny moment while visiting the petroglyphs. We sat and ate lunch on a large, mostly flat boulder. Anthony laid back and it looked so comfortable that I joined him. Before long we both fell asleep in the sun. I am not sure how long we snoozed but it was so nice out that we just could not resist. <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>Blackvelvetravhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09048192543530969032noreply@blogger.com0