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Tarpon Springs, Florida, Greek Sponge Docks
Have you ever wondered where your luxurious bath sponge comes from or how it is made? You may be surprised to find out that it actually comes from the ocean. It was once a living breathing organism and once harvested off the ocean floor it is cleaned, disinfected and sold to happy bathers like you. Recently I had the opportunity to see the process. Located not too far from home, literally in my backyard so to speak, there is a little known Greek community approximately 30 minutes north-west of downtown Tampa, Florida just off US Hwy 19 on alternate US Hwy 19. The name, Tarpon Springs is synonymous with the harvesting…
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2018 Camino Frances Campion Peregrina… The Adventures of a Cyborg Turtle
Am I nuts,what am I about to do?The Camino Santiago pilgrimage has been in existence since Saint James (Santiago) the apostle first made his way from the Holy Land to Spain. It’s been called the camino, the walk, the pilgrimage and the most popular “the way”. This descriptive term was made famous by the 2010 movie with Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez entitled “The Way” and also through a popular television travel series in USA by Rick Steves. Presently some 200,000 plus pilgrims or peregrinos, from all nationalities, races and countries take the pilgrimage, on some version of the camino each year. The ultimate destination is the Cathedral in Santiago…
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Trip to Scandinavia 2015
For my summer vacation 2015 I visited the Scandinavian countries Norway, Finland and Sweden. It was an amazing thirty four days in which I spent most living in Sweden with local friends. The weather there was cool which I totally enjoyed and that is saying a lot for me because I usually like the warmer weather! I also definitely did not mind that rain was a regular occurrence! While I was there I got to experience eating moose meat which surprisingly to me was not bad at all, it tasted more like a nice grilled steak! The above picture shows the head of the actual moose and the farm below is where it rests! This…
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From Poop to Gourmet in Bali Indonesia
In late 2012, fortune found me in Asia and subsequently led me to Bali, Indonesia. I experienced what can only be called an interesting “taste bud encounter”. Balinese coffee, specifically Kopi Luwak, is known as the world’s most expensive coffee. In the U.S., Kopi Luwak can go for as much as $1000 per kg. What is so special about this coffee you ask? I will spare you the lengthy details, but, if you consider that this coffee passes through the digestive tract, then out the rear end of a cat-like mongoose animal it is not only “special,” it is considered “gourmet.” According to baliorchidgardens.com, “Coffee Luwak is a rich, smooth,…
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Heelless shoes… when ugly shoes attack!
Hmmm, I am sitting here thinking about the subject of heelless shoes and wondering which man came up with this idea and why. Was there an argument between him and his wife the day he came up with this idea or did he just say F&%$ it, the bitches will wear anything, they will look like complete idiots and I’ll make a gazillion dollars? I don’t want you to think I am a man basher because I am not, but let’s get real or is that heel? I’m not sure who came up with this heelless idea first, man or woman? In either case it can’t be that comfortable. Heelless…