Just A Note Or Two

A: Viaggiatore and I are very glad to be back! It's been a long break this time. Too long!

B Flat: Congratulations to Michelle of Bleeding Espresso for winning the Wandering Expedition! We may have one again at some point in the future... Viaggiatore and I do love to travel! So does Michelle, as it turns out!

C: Scarlett was extremely lucky and got to do a photo shoot/story with Harrison Ford this last Saturday. His fiance Calista Flockhart and their son were there as well. I will not post all the really good shots, because those are for publication elsewhere, but here's a sweet hello from them to you:

D: There is another upcoming journey which Viaggiatore and I will be posting about soon! We haven't seen the ocean since April and it's time to go again; although I have a feeling it will be much too cold to put our toes and paws into the waves! We'll enjoy the creme pie and delicious Italian food from the little Italy neighborhood in the northern part of this old seaside town. We'll walk trails and beaches, see stunning works of art and even drop in on Harry Potter! Of course, we couldn't visit Harry without bringing Mr. Black along for the adventure! Photos and stories to come in a few weeks.

E: Viaggiatore and I are off to enjoy Turandot from the Met Opera tomorrow night; no photos but definitely comments from that, to come soon as well.

Until we wander back again!

Veterans Day

Thank You, Veterans

Passport Stamps

"There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye, keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends." ~Homer, Odyssey 9th Century BC

Another Brief Interblued!

Before...

Those crazy kids at the University of Rochester Medical Center have found a new healing power for spinal injuries! The blue dye that can be found in M&M's and Gatorade. Apparently, when introduced into the body immediately after a spinal injury, it blocks the effects of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) which hinders the bodies ability to heal. Great news!

There's just one side effect... it turns the lab rats blue. Temporarily.

Sing the Blue Rat Blues with me now...

After!


True Story!! Read all about it at CNN!

Wandering Into A Bath ~ Destination Thirteen

Congratulations Vanilla! She won the latest point in the Wandering game! Excellent work!
We were indeed visiting the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, and if you haven't checked this haunted ruin of a graveyard out, it's well worth a look!

Current points:

Michelle: Bleeding Espresso 4 points
Rel: Under The Microscope 2 points
Hearts: Guilty With An Explanation 2 points
Lee: Dancing Crow 2 points
Vanilla: Absolute Vanilla 1 point


As soon as Vanilla found us, we were off again!
Viaggiatore and I have turned and gone in the opposite direction, to go have a very special bath!

Destination Thirteen~

Between the Ankh and the Crescent, a former capital city where every ruler built his own palace.
The bath of the first is now filled but once a year.
Once an emporer's bath, it is now a shrine.

What have we gone to see?

Wandering Into Sand & Sea ~ Destination Twelve

We are wandering off again!

Congratulations to Lee of Dancing Crow, who won the last point! Great job! That was a tough one. The scores now stand as follows: Michelle (Bleeding Espresso) has 4 points, Heart in SF (Guilty With An Explanation) has 2 points, Rel (Under the Microscope) has 2 points and Lee (Dancing Crow) has tied them with 2 points! Fantastic work everyone!

If you haven't started playing then join in! We have a long way to go and right now the possibilities are wide open! Viaggiatore (the lion on the beach at the top of the page) and I are wandering around the world throughout the year 1893. Everything that we are seeing will either have been invented, discovered or existed by that year. At the end of the journey, whoever has the most points (earned by guessing where we are or whom or what we've gone to see) will win The Wanderer's Treasure Bag!

Viaggiatore and I love the sea. But we're not quite there yet... where have we gone now?

Destination Twelve ~

By an ocean of water and still it is sear.
A cemetery of ships too far from the waves.
A very deep beach.

**extra hints**

We are south of Angola... and it is very dangerous here. There is but one way into these foggy gates of hell and no way out.

Good luck!

Wandering South ~ Destination Eleven

Welcome Lee of Dancing Crow (go check out the photos; they are fantastic!), and well done on winning the latest point! Keep trying and give these fine folks a run for the prize! Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has 4 points, Heart in SF at Guilty With An Explanation has 2 points, as does Rel at Under the Microscope - 2 points, and Lee of Dancing Crow now has one. Great job, everyone! There is more to be done...

We've left the Mediterranean, and now Viaggiatore and I are heading south, just a little, we will be wandering across a great continent! Now we are looking for a common thing the world over, but in a very special and specific place.

Follow the clues and find out where we've gone to now! Earn the point and you're one step closer to winning The Wanderer's Treasure Bag!


Destination Eleven ~

"And from the belt of the world, you shall bring from the highest mountain of fire, that which calms a fever"


What are we seeking?

Wandering Through History In Medius Terra ~ Destination Ten

Congratulations to Heart in SF! She won the latest point in the Wandering Game! The score is now as follows: Michelle at Bleeding Espresso; 4 points, Rel of Under The Microscope; 2 points, Heart in SF of Guilty with an Explanation; 2 points! Great work everyone!


If you haven't played yet, get in the game! We've got many places to go and things to see!


Viaggiatore just loves knowledge (see his book there in his photo?), so we will make one last stop in this region, before going south. Where have we gone now?

Destination Ten ~



1. The tales were rolled

2. They burned and destroyed them

3. Temples of knowledge and knowledge in temples



Best of luck!

Wandering In Medius Terra & Euripus ~ Destination Nine

The Wandering Game continues... positions have shifted a bit; Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has four points, Rel at Under The Microscope has two and Heart in SF at Guilty With An Explanation has one.
See if you can catch up! The winner (after several stops around the globe) will be awarded with The Wanderer's Travel Bag! Details about that are in the first Wandering post.
Come along and play with us! Try to figure out where Viaggiatore the Shameless Lion and I have gone off to this time!


Destination Nine ~

~Dug a long ditch for a shorter sail

**HINT**
...Sue is here.

A Brief Interlude ~ With A Katana

Congratulations to Rel of Under The Microscope! He won the latest point in the Wandering Games! There will be a new location up this afternoon... come back and play!

In the interim, here's a head turner for your entertainment:

A Sword Wielder Robs Walgreens In Glendale (as published in the Denver Post) ~

GLENDALE — A 19-year-old man held up a Walgreens in Glendale with a sword Tuesday evening.
He ran off with a cache of the painkiller Oxycontin, but he was chased down by police about a hundred yards away, according to authorities.
The man's name wasn't released pending his booking, said Glendale police Sgt. Joe Silla.
The red-haired teen, dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt, wielded a Samurai-style sword during the 6:30 p.m. holdup, Silla said.

You know times are rough when a kid resorts to holding up a Walgreens with a sword for painkillers.

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

Wandering Into Medius Terra ~ Destination Eight

Viaggiatore and I have wandered away to one of our most favorite places on the globe. We'll be in this area for a few stops.

The Wandering game has really taken off! Michelle at Bleeding Espresso now has four points, HeartinSanFrancisco from Guilty With An Explanation and Rel from Under the Microscope are tied with 1 each and 2 steps behind the mask has made several concerted efforts, for which Viaggiatore and I are quite delighted. The owners of these three blogs, by the way, are excellent writers and photographers, all three, which is one of the myriad of reasons why Viaggiatore and I love them so much. It would be worth your time to wander off to their pages to read a little, and I'd bet you'll be so glad that you did.

Life is too short to lurk. If you are reading but not playing, you are missing out. Get in the game! We've got a whole world to see, and plenty of time for everyone to make their mark! We are racing for a wonderful prize, The Wanderer's Treasure Bag! It's very special, there is only one of them in the world and we are giving it away to the winner!

So come along then, and play with us! Don't miss out!

Now then...

Destination Eight~

Sometimes as land
Sometimes as sea
Survival played out
For the entertainment
Of Emperors

Best of luck!

Passport Stamps

"You see things, and you say, Why? But I see things that never were; and I say, Why not?"
~George Bernard Shaw
Back to Methuselah 1921

Wandering High & Low ~ Destination Seven

My goodness! What a journey, and we've barely begun it!

If you haven't started playing this game, GET GOING & START! There's plenty of time! Here's the gist of it:

Viaggiatore and I are wandering around the world in the year 1893. Everyone, everything and every place we are visiting will have existed up to or in this year.

Everyone is competing for the Wanderer's Treasure Bag! See the first Wandering post for the wonderful surprises within it!

Michelle at Bleeding Espresso is hot on our tails! She has 3 points, Heart in SF and Rel from Under the Microscope have 1. Get in the game and see what you can come up with!

Viaggiatore and I saw the Black Prince's Ruby in the UK... now we've wandered just a little ways south, and UP!

Destination Seven ~

1. The high crossroads, as on the hinge of an oyster...

2. Titled to two yet governing itself

3. Three valleys granted by Charlemagne's charter


....and an extra hint, because this one is tricky...

~Near the mountainous home of a mountain of a dog...

Good luck!

Wandering Westward ~ Destination Six

The game is afoot! Michelle of Bleeding Espresso has 2 points, Heart in SF has 1 and Rel from Under the Microscope also has 1! Very exciting thusfar!

Viaggiatore and I have left the Taj Mahal and have headed west! Please remember that we are wandering throughout the year 1893...

What in the world have we gone to see now?


Destination Six~

1. A ruby that isn't, for a king who never was

2. Lost and found,

3. Now displayed in Great State


Good luck!!

**EXTRA HINT**

We are in Great Britain... what special thing have we gone to see?

Wandering Through India ~ Destination Five

The game is on! Michelle of Bleeding Espresso is currently in the lead with 2 points to her credit, and Heart in SF is right behind her with 1. Let's see what changes! If you haven't played yet, get in the game!

Viaggiatore and I are off again, to our last destination in India. We've made it a little more challenging this time... to find the clues, you have to complete the crossword puzzle. Once done, the words in the puzzle will lead to you our location!

Where in the world have Viaggiatore and I gone?

Down:

1. Devotion of heart

2. 3rd rock

3. Tribute

Across:

1. Amazement

2. Sleep

3. Harmony

4. Tomb

**A word of caution**

You must provide the location ~with~ all the words in the puzzle to win this point!

Good Luck!!