Summer Travel, 2010

Last month we hit perfect weather on our 2nd visit to Salt Lake.   It was still beautiful green from spring rains and not nasty summer hot yet.   Helen did a grand rounds presentation and I hiked around the streets and hills.   This is looking up to the school and hospital campus:

 

And this is from the top of that hill in the previous picture, looking down to downtown and the great salt lake:

Zach has turned me on to stitching photos to create panoramic shots.   This is the Hospital from above:

And this is the entire salt lake valley: 

And this is an amorous couple I met on the trail:

After we got back we met up with Zach and Tiffany on their way back from their crazy cross country car trip.   The dog named Cheese has been cloned (with the help of an animal rescue shelter) into dog named Mac:   

But the clone is flawed.  Although it looks nearly identical, instead of turning into a mini Doberman Pincher, it ended up as a Manchester Terrier.   Also, if you click to expand this photo, you will see his nose is missing:

 

But Cheese still has his nose, which he lovingly shares with Zach’s nose:

Our next stop was to University of NC at Chapel Hill.   The tulip poplar tree in the foreground here is 350 years old:

There is a legend that says if it dies, the University, which is over 200 years old, will crumble.   So to avoid that, they grafted a clone tree 100 years ago, the tree just to the left.   For good measure, 20 years ago, then started another one, the skinny one on the far left.    Then for extra extra measure, 10 years ago they filled the trunk of the original one up with cement!  So I think the University is pretty safe from crumbling.

Like many universities, these guys like their football.  I  stopped by the stadium and watched kickers trying out for the team:

From there we drove to Roanoke for a 2nd visit.  This time we had an extra day, so we hiked on one of the popular Appalachia trail spurs.   It was a 95 degree day, so here I am contemplating a dive from a high altitude rock, hoping to land in a lake:

Last weekend, we drove to the lake.   For Boris’ birthday, we bought him the same balls we use as desk chairs:

 

And an ipad:

Irena’s flower garden is amazing as usual:

We had a bunch of 4th of July visitors:

This is one of them escaping after lighting a pyrotechnic laden tank on the dock:

We had wonderful weather:

The last day, like most of the East Coast, was a record hot day.   The propane gas company apparently overfilled the cabin’s 10 foot tank last fall, so the heat expanded the gas to the point where it violently vented a 10 foot plume of white propane gas for 10 minutes!  Helen called 911 and they sent a bunch of fireman and trucks who spent a couple of hours evacuating our neighbors and spraying the tank to cool it down.  

Unfortunately they wouldn’t let me go back into the house and get my camera, so I have no pictures of the adventure.   So instead, I’ll close with another bag photo.

Bruce