Brown Motion

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New year in Antibes, France

Antibes, France. Long believed to be a haven for some globally known brands like Pablo (Picasso for those who did not know his first name), Claude (Monet) to name a few, it is a spot on the Cote d'Azur or French Riviera that we happened to visit the first day of 2024. As part of our end of year pilgrimage (to seek culture, food et al not a spiritual kind although it can be uplifting just smelling new things) to places unknown (to us anyway) we decide to spend it on the south coast of France. Along the Mediterranean sea during December is perhaps not the most ideal but it offered us a bit less crowds and not terrible weather. It rained a couple days out of 14 which is about 15% of the time so not bad at all. Hotels were also not exorbitant except for new year's. The one day it rained we were touring a fragrance factory and came out smelling better than when we went in - so all was well. So like I was saying, the first of Jan 2024 we were in Antibes, having come in on a local

Tintin and the case of the pissy kid

Such a joyous title. But not quite a Tintin comic. A recent trip to the earliest of Euro bloc political alliances called Benelux was the reason to run into the above mentioned art. Benelux so named for the three countries that formed this union allowing free travel across their respective borders eventually merging with the EU and adopting a single currency circa 2000. The Thanksgiving break is a good time for wife and I to hit the proverbial road not traveled and has happened each year barring covid. With no family or tradition to hold us to our base camp coordinates we have found this time works for us with generally mild climes across the planet and less of a crowd. Or so it used to be. This time the crowds were out with a vengeance as witnessed by the clogged arteries of cities in the Benelux when we visited. So this Benelux is made of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium is bigger in size and curious sights; Netherlands is a sinking ship - quite literally half the country

New England is gleaming in the fall

This autumn the weather gods cooperated as we took a family trip in the northeast to see six states that qualify or makeup what is known colloquially in America as New England. Mass, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island (tiniest state in the union). The outing helped tally up the states we either lived in, visited or have worked in to 47. Guess which three have eluded this intrepid traveling family. Any rate the drive was all in about 1,800 miles and included some memorable geographic wonders or points of interest. Easternmost part of state of Massachusetts being one. Furthest drivable road east in Mass being another. Visit to all Ivy League schools (term harkens to a collegiate athletics conference and generally regarded as elite academic institutes of some repute worldwide) is another random bucket list item of which this trip afforded the chance to knock two more of the list. Dartmouth in Hanover, NH and Brown (and its sister institute the RISD - school f

Lakeside frivolities

We moved to the Charlotte area not knowing where exactly our new home would be. Turns out it was by a popular lake formed by the damming of the Catawba river which flows north to south in the Carolinas. Local electricity generation utility built a series of dams along the waterway for hydro and couple nuclear plants as well to supply the state grid. The lake our house butts into is Lake Wylie. While tract home build has picked up in the Carolinas the developer often carves out parcels that they can get their hands on leaving behind privately owned lots that the individual owner may not want to sell. Our house is part of a subdivision but backs into actual lake front yardage that has always been part of legacy family owned properties who chose to build a cabin or getaway and did not sell to a corporation wanting to build in the hundreds. As such we can see the water through the year but it does not afford actual water access. That privilege is to our neighbors who still maintain thei

Madison WI

City by the lakes. Two big ones. Mendota and Monona. State capital of WI. Madison. A school town. Largely just that and seat of government. The Capitol itself, a 100 some years old sits on a high hill in the middle of an isthmus that separates the two lakes that straddle the land on the north and south ends. The city is compact otherwise. The Capitol is like many US state buildings a sight to see. This one claims to have the largest dome by volume among the 50 capitols including the one in DC. Dome is topped by a statue of lady Wisconsin. Her motto 'Forward'. by day and night It is also a unique design where it has four wings, one each in the primary cardinal directions. One holds the Assembly, another the Senate, one has the Supreme Court and another a hearing hall. All in all it has some pretty impressive stats and features. Marble from six countries adorns its interior walls as well as featuring a variety of tropical woods and a bell that resembles the Liberty Bell

Costume or Uniform

I like to wear comfortable clothing based on the climate I am spending time in. It is functional and to a degree soothing to my own eye in terms of its color and assembly. Some might describe the latter as style. Okay so be it. Beyond that to me clothing is not a topic of interest or discussion. Of course affordability of said item is critical but here again the functional aspect manifests. More durable the item the more value I derive from its lifespan spent protecting me from the elements. To a large body of humans that is not as cut and dry. Garments worn take the form of self expression and to a degree help in defining these people. Dress for success is the slogan. Always wear clothing for who you aspire to be one exhorts. And so on are cliches I have heard growing up and they echo a certain reliance on vanity of the species to make sure you are heard in a crowd. While I might not subscribe to such silliness I do appreciate what the authors of that expression were trying to commu