Aerial view before storm showing the jungle 

In the lobby 

Wind from Emily 

Theater roof destroyed 

We are going back!

Hurricane Emily made a direct hit on the resort my wife and I have visited for the last 3 years. She did a fair amount of damage - blew off most of the thatch from the palapas (the shade poles at the beach and pool), blew the roof off the lobbies and the theater. The storm surge also filled the main pool with filthy water, blew out some windows, and worst of all damaged the jungle that made this place special.

Hotel management has been posting repair updates to a chat group I belong to called PalladiumAddict at MSN.com. Group members have been posting pictures of the damage, lots of palm trees destroyed also. Management has ordered 2000 palm trees and already has most of the mess cleaned up. They are working on the palapas and I am sure by the time we go in October they will all be repaired or replaced.

I don't know if it was salt water spray or what, but the jungle that was all around the resort looks like it is mostly dead or dying. There are boardwalks through the jungle from the buildings that house the guest rooms to the restaurant and bar and pool areas. The first few days at the resort most people get lost alot on the jungle paths, but by the end of their stay they are experts on how to get wherever they want. The jungle removes all the noise you would expect in a place with a lot of people around. You can be in a crowd if you want, or you can be almost totally alone. It is really a unique environment.

I hope to put a link to an interactive map of the resort here. And mostly I hope the jungle can recover its former beauty in 2 months. I know it will recover, I just hope the tropical environment helps it happen in a hurry.

I will post a few pictures of the damage and repairs here also. Thanks to everyone that posted these pictures in the PalladiumAddict group at MSN. The link to the interactive map works - just click on the title for this post to go there. I found this link through the PalladiumAddict group also.

By the way, if you are interested the Palladium Grand Resort is a few miles south of Playa Del Carmen (Playacar) on the Eucatan peninsula, Mexico. Applevacations will get you there from the US. You'll be surprised at the resonable prices, from here in Illinois about $850 per week per person including airfare, the hotel, all food and drink and transfers.

Going Back to the Palladium Grand

Read this about PETA

The following story is from This is True dated 17 July 2005. It is
Copyright 2005 Randy Cassingham, all rights reserved, and reprinted here
with
permission:

"Ethical" Defined

After more than 100 dead dogs were dumped in a trash dumpster over
four weeks, police in Ahoskie, N.C., kept an eye on the trash receptacle
behind a supermarket. Sure enough, a van drove up and officers watched
the occupants throw in heavy plastic bags. They detained the two people
in the van and found 18 dead dogs in plastic bags in the dumpster,
including puppies; 13 more dead dogs were still in the van. Police say
the van is registered to the headquarters of People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, and the two occupants, Andrew B. Cook, 24, and
Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, identified themselves as PETA employees. An autopsy
performed on one of the dogs found it was healthy before it was killed.
Police say PETA has been picking up the animals -- alive -- from North
Carolina animal shelters, promising to find them good homes. Cook and
Hinkle have been charged with 62 felony counts of animal cruelty. In
response to the arrests PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said it's against
the group's policy for employees to dump animals in the trash, but "that
for some animals in North Carolina, there is no kinder option than
euthanasia." (Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald) ...Oops, my mistake: that's
"Playing God" Defined.

In his author's notes section, Cassingham had more to say about this
story:

The more I learn about PETA, the less I think of
them. The story of them killing animals isn't even unusual. According to
PETA's own filings, in 2004 PETA killed 86.3 percent of the
animals entrusted to its care -- a number that's rising, not falling.
Meanwhile, the SPCA in PETA's home town (Norfolk, Va.) was able to find
loving homes for 73 percent of the animals put in its care. A shortage of
funds? Nope: last year PETA took in $29 million in tax-exempt donations.
It simply has other priorities for the funds, like funding terrorism
(yes, really). But don't take my word for it: I got my figures from
http://www.PETAkillsAnimals.com
-- and they have copies of PETA's state and federal filings to back it
up. The bottom line: if you donate money to PETA because you think they
care for and about animals, you need to think some more. PETA literally
yells and screams about how others "kill animals" but this is how
they operate? Pathetic.

And you know what I wonder? PETA's official count of animals
they kill is 86.3 percent. But if they're going around picking up
animals, killing them while they drive around and not even giving them a
chance to be adopted, and then destroying the evidence by dumping
the bodies in the trash, are those deaths being reported? My
guess: no. While 86.3 percent is awful, the actual number is probably
much, much higher. How dare they lecture anyone
about the "ethical" treatment of animals!

(This is True is a weekly column featuring
weird-but-true news
stories from around the world, and has been published since 1994. Click
the link for info about free subscriptions.)

MIT Survey

Eagle archway at WWII memorial 

Medallion under the eagle arch at WWII Memorial 

An official part of the WWII Memorial, Washington, DC 

Live life fully! 

Mama and baby on neighbors roof. 

Alex, route 68 Maryland 

Route 68 Maryland 

You know you're from Upstate NY when:

You Know You're From Upstate New York When...

You refer to downtown Albany as "The City." "Vacation" means going to Lake Ontario or Niagra for the weekend. There is a mini-mall every 1/4 mile, if not, you are in Vermont. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the Hannaford at any given time. You know to avoid tractor trailers (or cars for that matter!) on the Northway with Canadian plates. You don't consider what Domino's or Pizza Hut sell as pizza. You know that "First Night" isn't a Sean Connery movie. There is no such thing as waiting for the left turn arrow at an intersection. Your career ambition is to work for NY State. Even with the slightest threat of snow, you know that Ichobob Crane schools are closed. You think everyone from down-state has an accent. Down-State starts just south of the Thruway. You're in line to get the first custard cone when summer comes. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Upstate NY.

Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here



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Deja Vu all over again

About 7 years ago I set off on an adventure. A 1000 mile trip by car with my 3 year old grandson Alexander. I wanted to visit my folks in NY and my wife couldn't get the time off. Not wanting to be alone for 2 days I was trying to get either my son or daughter to make the trip with me. Couldn't do it. But Alex said he wanted to go on an adventure. So Alex and I made the trip. It was great, we had a ball. 51 year old grandpa and 3 year old grandson. We stopped at Niagara on the way and rode the Maid of the Mist. Alex still remembers and talks about it.

Well, Alex lives in Virginia now. His dad works in Washington, D.C. I am going to visit my folks again in a couple weeks. They live in Vail Mills, NY, just a mile or so from Broadalbin, NY - now I'm sure I've got you zeroed in. Well, after a few days there I am going to drop down the Washington and pick up Alex. School will be out, Grandma wants to see him and I kind of like the kid myself so I guess we'll have another adventure.

I don't know what we'll do, maybe just drive for two days. But you never know - we may have to stop and look at the world's largest ball of string or something as exciting. Whatdoyasay Alex, ready for another adventure?

Saturday Morning Flowers

It's Saturday morning. Tough day so far, got up, cooked bacon and eggs and then got out the camera to take a few pics of PJ's flowers. They are posted below along with a couple pictures of my new Scion Xb. 35 mpg is a good thing.

My niece Amy graduated from High School last night. We were in the stands at the football field watching along with a few thousand other graduates relatives. It is always a good thing to see young people reach a milestone. They all look so young, but I'll bet most of them turn out ok.

We have to go over to my son's house later to help put on the solar cover for his pool. Earlier this week we had temps in the eighties, but then one really cool day kind of ruined it. It is nice again today so maybe in a week or so we'll be able to swim.

Well I just wanted to post Paula's flower pics so I guess that's all for now.