Iguazu Falls - South America Trip - 2013

Located on the border between Brazil and Argentina, Iguazu Falls is one of the most impressive natural wonders in the world. They stretch for about 2,700 meters and consist of around 275 individual waterfalls, the most famous being the "Devil's Gorge" (Garganta del Diablo), which is 82 meters high and 150 meters wide. The falls are located in the Iguazu National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and rich in biodiversity.

    Sam and Narene - Devils Throat

Narene & Sam @ Iguazu Falls on the Argentina side - 2013.

The region is surrounded by lush rainforest that is home to numerous animal and plant species. Iguazu attracts millions of tourists annually who enjoy the breathtaking views and the opportunity for boat tours and hikes. The falls are not only a symbol of natural beauty, but also part of the cultural stories of the indigenous Guarani. Conservation measures have been taken to preserve this impressive natural wonder for future generations.

    Devils' Throat

Coatis, diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Southwestern United States. Coatis are part of the Procyonidae family, which also includes raccoons, ringtails, kinkajous, and olingos.

Flora Bush

Walking path at Iguazu Falls

 At Iguazu Falls - Paraguay Side

At Iguazu Falls - Brazil Side

Narene & Sam - Standing on Argentina side at Iguazu Falls with 3 countries in the photo:  Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay

Iguazu Falls Three Country Monument on the Argentina side 

(Paul & Elaine Faucette with us on our Fun For Less South America Tour.)

Narene - Iguazu Falls - Three Country Monument 

on the Argentina side

* * * * * * * * * * * *

This was on our South America trip with Fun For Less Tours - 2013.

You Might Live in South Dakota

Jeff Foxworthy's comments … (slightly modified to be true for South Dakota; originally posted for North Dakota.)

Mount Rushmore

 

If "vacation" to you means going shopping for the weekend in Rapid City or Sioux Falls (while the kids swim at the Comfort Inn) - You might live in SD.

 If parking your car for the night involves an extension cord -  You might live in SD.

 If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 8 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by - You might live in SD .

 If you're proud that your state makes the national news primarily because it houses the coldest spot in the nation - You might live in SD.

 If you have ever refused to buy something because it's "too spendy” -  You might live in SD.

 If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March - You might live in SD.

 If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there - You might live in SD.

 If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead - You might live in SD.

 If you have worn shorts and a parka (coat) at the same time - You might live in SD.

 If your town has an equal number of bars and churches - You might live in SD.

 If you know how to correctly pronounce Huron - You might live in SD.

 If you measure distance in hours - You might live in SD.

 If your family vehicle is a crew cab pickup - You might live in SD.

 If you know several people who have hit deer more than once - You might live in SD.

 If you often switch from "heat" to “A/C" in the same day and back again - You might live in SD.

 If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching - You might live in SD.

 If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events - You might live in SD.

 If you've installed security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked - You might live in SD.

 If the largest traffic jam in your town centers around a high school sports game - You might live in SD.

 If you carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend or teen daughter knows how to use them - You might live in SD.

 If there are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at Wal-Mart at any given time - You might live in SD.

 If there are more people at work on Christmas Eve Day than on Deer Gun Opener - You might live in SD.

 If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit - You might live in SD.

 If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow - You might live in SD.

 If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction - You might live in SD.

 If you can identify a southern or eastern accent - You might live in SD.

 If you consider Comfort Inn exotic, You might live in SD.

 If your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your cottonwood - You might live in SD.

 If a brat is something you eat - You might live in SD.

 If finding your misplaced car keys involves looking in the ignition - You might live in SD.

 If you find 0 degrees a little chilly - You might live in SD.

 If you actually understand these observations - You must live in South Dakota or have lived there.

Grandma's Apron

I wonder if the grandkids know what an apron is. 

    My mother's pink houndstooth checked apron (top, left) and Gramma Mabel's white apron with pink cross stitch (below) 

are displayed in the Martin Heritage Center. 

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

More apron memories from a Facebook post are shared below and were inspired by Tina Trivett’s poem, Grandma’s Apron.

* It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

* From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

* When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

* And when the weather was cold, Grandma wrapped it around her arms.

* Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

* Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

* From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

* In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

* When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

* When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, and waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

* Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

* I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love... 

Canon Lands Trip, continued (2010)

In my 2010 Year In Review Shutterfly book, I included a few photos from the Canyonlands trip we enjoyed taking with Greg and Chris Shepard.  

And in my previous blog posting, I included photos we took at Newspaper Rock on that same trip.  

Newspaper Rock (Sam, Narene, Chris, and Greg)

Here are more photos from the 2010 Canyonlands trip with the Shepards.

Blanding, Utah - Twin Rocks gift shop and restaurant.

Canyonlands National Park

    Canyonlands National Park -This image within the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park shows a great example of an unconformity (a gap in geologic time) as seen in the stark contrast between the light tan and dark red-colored rocks in the Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Weathering and erosion since the uplift of the Colorado Plateau have sculpted the rocks into unique formations here.

 Butler Wash Ruins - Narene and Chris 

Chris's arm in a sling from taking a fall earlier and injuring her arm.

Butler Wash Ruins

Butler Wash Ruins

Elephant Feet

Grain Storage

Hiking - Greg

Narene and Chris

Sam and Greg

Canyon Lands Lizard

Narene

Needles - (

Narene)

Needles

Interesting Rocks

Rocky Ledge

"Woodenshoe"

Goosenecks State Park Canyon Drive

Goosenecks State Park

Moab "Slick Rock" - Greg bicycling

Moab "Slick Rock" - Sam bicycling

Slick Rock

Moab "Slick Rock"

Natural Bridges - "Kachina" (Sam and Narene)

Natural Bridges - "Kachina" (Narene and Greg)

Natural Bridges - "Owachoma"

Natural Bridges - "Owachoma" (Sam)

Natural Bridges - "Owachoma Bridge"

Natural Bridges - "Sipapu Bridge"

Natural Bridges - Trail (Chris and Narene)