On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Balloon Juicers who are on the road, travelling, etc. and wish to share notes, links, pictures, stories, etc. from their escapades. As the US mainland begins the end of the Earth day as we measure it, many of us rise to read about our friends and their transient locales.
So, please, speak up and share some of your adventures, observations, and sights as you explore, no matter where you are. By concentrating travel updates here, it’s easier for all to keep up-to-date on the adventures of our fellow Commentariat. And it makes finding some travel tips or ideas from 6 months ago so much easier to find…
Have at ’em, and have a safe day of travels!
Should you have any pictures (tasteful, relevant, etc….) you can email them to [email protected] or just use this nifty link to start an email: Start an Email to send a Picture to Post on Balloon Juice
Please note that Tuesday, I added a new plugin that removes all EXIF data from images that get posted on the site. It did not clean up old pictures, but from now on, all metadata stored in the image file header for new picture submissions should be scrubbed clean to protect your privacy.
Pictures after the fold
First up, from Mnemosyne:
Where it was taken: Epcot – Japan Pavilion
When: 3/16/17
Other notes or info about the picture: Only Ruemara and Major Major Major Major will understand why this is funny, but they’ll think it’s REALLY funny. Gudetama!
The kawaii is strong with this one!
Next up, from Ellen (last name withheld):
This was taken in San Diego today (3/17) just in front of The Dell in Coronado.
I’ve been to San Diego many times and yet never made it over the bridge to Coronado. I did get quite close on a small sailboat, though, until a bunch of very nice military men zoomed up in their patrol boat and pointed their deck-mounted M-60 at me and demanded that we move further away from shore. The nerve!
Thanks Ellen, send more!
Finally, from our European correspondent otmar:
Where it was taken: ViennaWhen: last Friday (note – with sick delay, two Fridays ago)Other notes or info about the picture: On the way to a business meeting I walked past the Secession building. See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secession_Building,_ViennaIt was a warm day and the Naschmarkt next door was full of people, shopping food and starting the outdoor lunch season.


raven
When I a kid my old man was stationed at Coronado for a summer . We lived in La Jolla and would take what we called “famous ancient” scavenger hikes on the beach.
?BillinGlendaleCA
I’ve got to rescan some, but I’ll break out my old pics from Korea. For now, though, just my current adventures.
ETA: Alain, you should have some new pics for tomorrow. I sent some over late yesterday evening.
raven
I had the same experience when I took a harbor cruise in Norfolk. We approached the Reagan and the squids dropped down on the boat with their 60’s too!
raven
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Have I sent you my youtube of 1967 Korea?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@raven: Nope.
Aleta
@raven: My sister had an amphicar.
raven
@?BillinGlendaleCA: This was an 8mm taken by my Battalion Commander. He projected it and captured it with a digital camera so the quality isn’t that great but it is a nice record of a time and place that is pretty much gone. Most of it was shot around Munsani but some of it is over by Paju.
raven
@Aleta: Ha! What I like best about that shot is that you can identify the WW2 vets by their medals. My dad was a “Mustang”, an enlisted sailor who became an officer. He was a signal man on a destroyer and was on 30+ landings in the Pacific. I wonder what they taught him about amphibious operations?
seaboogie
Not the thread for it, and way OT, but I just returned home from having my sweet little old kitty put to sleep. Been about 4 years working up to this moment, but it was still a surprise, as she was the energizer bunny, until this eve and drive to the emergency vet at midnight.
More manana maybe, because I am wore out.
raven
@seaboogie: Aw I’m so sorry.
Aleta
@raven: I forgot to say that’s a very interesting photo on its own. My former fil was a marine in the pacific. He stayed on the boat during the battle landings, but was sent ashore on Okinawa after the battle there was over. His wife was a WW2 Marine also, who taught celestial navigation to the men before they left.
Alain the site fixer
@?BillinGlendaleCA: great!
Alain the site fixer
@raven: I can post vids too…..
Aleta
@seaboogie: So sorry. Sending much sympathy your way. It’s so hard.
Alain the site fixer
@seaboogie: that’s never OT! So sad to hear. I still shake and tear up from losing my dear Mimi two years ago. At 21.5 she had a great run, but it is still an open wound for me. I hope you find peace knowing you did what you could!
seaboogie
@raven: Thank you raven – my nym is also my late beloved pooch’s name (one of them, anyway…actual name Seamus, and oftentimes Boogaloo). Recently departed kitty is Zoe aka Zo-Zo, Miz Biz, and Zoe-Bob (her TX nym).
rikyrah
Thanks for the pictures. Loved them
Just one more canuck
@seaboogie: my condolences, Seaboogie
Schlemazel
@raven:
I have no idea the cost but there are places that can digitize old home movies. They probably could clean up the color fade on that too, it is a nifty little view into a time and place thanks for sharing
Raven
@Aleta: Have you read Tidewater Morning” by Willam Styron? It is three short stories recounting “tales of youth”. Styron was a Marine Corps infantry officer who sat on a ship off of Okinawa and never participated in the fight. My dad was on what was called the “ping line”, the outermost band of ships that protected the carriers and battlwagons from kamakazies.
Schlemazel
@seaboogie:
Remember the fun times, Having to make that trip is one of the toughest bits. So sorry for the loss
Raven
@Schlemazel: I’m sure the Col. had passed away by now.
Raven
@Alain the site fixer: aha!
seaboogie
@Alain the site fixer:
We kind of went from zero to 60 in no time flat tonight – brought her in because of constipation and stomach distress (she kept laying down, and then would jump up with a yowl – so off to emerg…), and nary a peep out of her on the 30 minute drive – which was highly unusual.
She did the same thing while we were discussing our options for such an elderly one with chronic kidney disease – maybe subcutaneous fluids for comfort; she leapt up with a really feral yowl in the exam room, and then laid down to sleep. So the discussion changed focus really, really quickly. This was not Zoe. Normally she’d be trying to climb up into my arms to take her back home.
Once our course was decided, they carted her off to put in an intravenous port, and brought her back to me in the “visitation” room with comfy chairs. She was wrapped up in a soft blanket like a baby, and pretty much out of it. I asked if they had given her the first tranquilizing shot, but they hadn’t, so she was very clearly ready to go. Put the pink fluid in the syringe into her port and she was gone in less than 10 seconds. So she was ready to go. But it’s going to take a period of adjustment on my end.
seaboogie
Thank you all for your condolences – dog bless the good folk of BJ, where I can comment in the wee hours and count on your support in the loss of our beloved critters who share our lives.
Mary G
@seaboogie: That is so hard. I’m sorry.
seaboogie
@Schlemazel: Thank you. I actually didn’t know it was “that trip” until the drive home…but Pandora was playing some wonderfully appropriate atmospheric music…felt like I was acting in the movie of my life.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@seaboogie: Condolences.
PIGL
@raven: thank you for sharing this. As you say, a glimpse into a vanishing world. I was only 10 years old but that’s sort of imagery was in the air television news shows and such which somehow only reinforces just how long ago it was
Elizabelle
@seaboogie: My condolences. She had a good life with you.
Do you still have any pets? Sounds like your pet crew has been aging out on you.
Schlemazel
@seaboogie:
That has to be better, not knowing before hand, but a very sad car ride home.
OzarkHillbilly
@seaboogie: Ooooff.
seaboogie
@Elizabelle:
Well, there is a moth on the wall that moved in today – greeted him/her along with the kitty when I came home tonight. Not kidding.
Maybe time to have no responsibilities now…
Elizabelle
@seaboogie: Makes getting away to travel a bit easier.
Although pets perform invaluable service.
So you have one kitty still in residence? Along with the moth.
seaboogie
@Schlemazel: Yes, in the not knowing. Car ride home not so sad – more like thoughtful. Arriving home without her here was sad though…Leetle keety was very old and lived a pretty full life….
seaboogie
@Elizabelle: Nope – just the moth. So travel much easier – unless I have to hire a moth-sitter. Oh hell – I’m in CA – that’s probably a thing here!
rikyrah
@seaboogie:
So sorry for your loss.???
satby
@seaboogie: Condolences, seaboogie! She sounds like she had a very happy and long life with you. You gave her the best a companion animal can have, right to the end. Big virtual hug!
raven
@PIGL: I’ve had the video for a decade but, when I got it, it reinforced things that I had come to think might not have been true. The Korean funeral is probably the best example.
laura
@seaboogie: I’m so sorry for you -it’s the hardest part of having a creature to love. Here’s a hug (((hug))).
SWMBO
@seaboogie: So sorry to hear this. It is never easy. Peace and comfort to you as you get through this.
hedgehog mobile
@seaboogie: So sorry to hear that.
Jerzy Russian
@raven: Which one is the Old Man?
Mnemosyne
@seaboogie:
I’m so sorry. A similar thing happened with our cat Boris — when we took him to the vet that day, we didn’t know it would be the last trip, so we were both kind of in shock.
blackcatsrule
@seaboogie: So very sorry for you. I had been reading about your sweet Zoe as she seemed to be having many of the same problems my Tinycat was having. My little girl stopped eating one week ago and I was dreading having to make the final decision for her, but she passed away quietly at home the next day.
She is resting in my deep freeze right now so when the ground thaws she can be with all the other much loved critters. She’ll have a clear view of the cow pasture though, which she won’t be happy about…she never did like those cows!
Mnemosyne
I just sent one more Disneyworld photo. I’m reluctant to send pictures with my nieces in them because they’re not my kids, but will gladly show photos at any upcoming GTGs.