Two Days in Yuma

I spent two days in Yuma this week. The County Farm Bureau had their policy development meetings and I was down there to assist them. It was fun and I enjoy going to Yuma.

We had our first meeting and then the vice president met me at my hotel to take me by his house and grab his oldest son and the boat and then we went out to the river. You would never know such a beautiful place was so close to Yuma. There was so much water! Yuma is beautiful anyways with all the fields but the river so reminded me of home, that I was a little homesick that night. John let me even drive his boat which was so much fun. We then headed back into town and met up with his wife (very nice woman). She couldn't make it to the river with us because of her signing classes she is taking. I am a little envious that she can sign, I had tried to take a class a few years ago and just didn't have the time. We had a great dinner and just a great conversation. They are such great people!

The next morning after doing some research for the next meeting, I toured around the town and looked at the real estate that is for sale. The board is looking to replace their building and I wanted to make sure that I understood their options and what the area was like. I also met up with John again, this time out in Wellton. We met at his company shop and then he took me around to a few fields and showed me several crops. I really learned about cotton and think that I finally understand how the plant grows and what the grower has to do to make it productive. John also showed me some artichokes growing for seed. They look just like mini sunflowers as they dry out prior to harvesting. I also walked into a black eyed pea field and learned the how they determine when to harvest them. We also talked a lot about the vegetable industry and different things the growers need to keep in mind. Overall, it was a very productive couple of hours and I learned more in those two hours than in six years of sitting in meetings about vegetables and cotton.

The one thing that I still need to learn is how to walk into the fields. John just walked in, no problem, I thought I was going to fall over trying to walk down the row!

Grand Canyon Hotel

I stayed the weekend at the Grand Canyon Hotel in Williams, AZ. We were up there for a retreat with work, but it is a cool little town and a cool hotel. It is the oldest hotel in the state and they are remodeling it to look like it did a hundred years ago. It is taking a lot of work because it stood empty for about 85 years. There is no AC in the hotel but every room has a fan and the windows were open for the breeze. The town is actually a happening place Friday nights. A group of us went to a local establishment and played a version of shuffle board (or something like that). We also played a little poker and had great fun betting the trail mix and especially raising a “raisin.”

If anyone is ever in Williams, they should try and stay at this hotel.

Time with Cari and the kids

I arrived in Fredericksburg around 4ish and Cari called and asked if I would pick up Chase from her dance class. That would be an adventure so I agreed. It was an adventure because I got lost and Chase tried to help me find my way back to their house but it wasn’t looking very good. I’ve been to see them quite a few times but I’ve never been the one driving. I happened to stumble upon an intersection that looked very familiar while on the phone to Cari so we were able to find our way to their house. They live outside of the town area. Once there, I unloaded my suitcase from my car and she told the babysitter everything she needed to know then we were off to play BUNKO with her friends. Vance was fishing with friends in NC that weekend and we probably passed each other on the road and didn’t even know it. BUNKO was great but we got back so late that I just fell into bed and then we were up on Saturday and after breakfast and Cari taking Chase for pictures, we decided to finish their home improvement project- painting the deck chairs.

In order to finish the deck chairs we had to tape off all the wood slats (my job) and Cari painted them and then removed the tape once they were dry. We both taped the first two chairs and the last one but I think I got to the point where I could tape them in the time it took her to paint one and remove the tape from the other. We stopped once when the ice cream truck came by. It was a nice way to be productive and spend time with Cari. I was tired and sore though by the time we were finished because of standing bent over the chairs taping them. I even had a great little sun tan/burn on the back of my legs and on one foot where the sun hit me. We finished late afternoon and all took showers and baths (the kids had been playing outside this entire time) then we ordered some dinner and spent some time just relaxing. Sunday we woke up and just puttered around the house doing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen before I had to leave for the airport. I enjoy spending time with them and hate having to leave at the end of my stay. I was glad to get home though after being on the road for so long- it was nice to sleep in my own bed.

North Carolina and the Duchess of Arizona

Ron showing a soft shell crab (our dinner).

Being given the title "Dutchess of Arizona" by Queen Elizabeth.


I got off the plane on Saturday the 6th from Mexico and went home, unpacked and did laundry and repacked most of the same clothes for my trip to North Carolina. I left on Tuesday the 9th for Kill Devil Hills, NC for a Farm Bureau Safety Conference. I love these conferences because the people are so cool! I flew into Richmond because it was a shorter drive for me to NC than from Raleigh or Charlotte. This also gave me the opportunity to spend Friday evening through Sunday afternoon with Cari, Vance and the kids in Fredericksburg, VA (just 30 minutes north of Richmond).

I landed and picked up my rental car. I got a convertible because it wasn’t anymore money and they asked me if I wanted it. Why would I pass that up. The problem was, I didn’t know how to put the top down till I got to NC! The drive was amazing and it was so green and beautiful there. I passed through probably 10 counties on my drive there in 3 hours- in Arizona, I would have only passed through maybe 3 counties, if I was lucky. The hotel was cute and right on the beach. Kill Devil Hills is right next to Kitty Hawk, where the Wright Bros first flew a plane. I got there pretty late and just went to bed. I got up early the next morning and went down to the beach to put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean, something I had never done. The Ocean was so nice and the water was warm. The beach was amazing and I took pictures of my feet in the ocean. I was so occupied by taking the picture, I forgot about the waves till a big one came and soaked me almost to my knees. After that, I sat up on the deck of the hotel, right on the beach and sat in a rocker, put my feet up on the rail and took a nap in the sun with the ocean sounds. It was perfect!!!

Our conference started at 1:00 p.m., and it was really great to catch up and see everyone. I missed last year’s conference so I had a lot to catch up on. It was nice to see the guys from NC as well. I had met some of their field staff when they were out here and so it was good to see them again. That evening after our meeting, a few of us went to dinner and then Kristin and I took the convertible, with the top down, to get a t-shirt from a billboard we saw on our way down to the conference. They whole way down, there were these billboards we saw (we talked about it later with a few others) that said “I got crabs from Dirty Dick’s” crab house. It was so funny it made us laugh. Kristin wanted a t-shirt for her husband and I couldn’t bring myself to buy one but I did buy a shot glass!! We had so much fun in the little store next to the restaurant that tears were coming down our faces!

The next morning, I met Kristin and Marsha at 5:30 for a walk on the beach. We walked out for about 20 or 30 minutes and then turned back to the hotel. It was a real calorie burner. I was sweating and I’m not sure if it was from walking in the sand or from the humidity but I felt better when I was finished. That afternoon we took some tours and saw some soft-shell crab that we were having for dinner later. I doubt the ones we looked at were the same ones we ate but they were really good. We also toured a boat building company and the lost colony as well as the Elizabeth II (a boat the pilgrims came over on). We then met with the local county Farm Bureau board and had dinner which was yummy. It was pork, crab, shrimp, catfish and a whole bunch of over things.

We had a special guest for dinner, Queen Elizabeth (the first). She came to welcome us to North Carolina and then proceeded to “knight” a few people. Darrell from Ohio was “knighted” as well as three individuals from the North Carolina Farm Bureau and myself!! I was “knighted” the Duchess of Arizona!! It was quite fun and entertaining. We all got some great laughs out of that.
On Friday we wrapped up our conference and I headed out around 1:00 to head back towards Richmond and then on to Fredericksburg for my visit with Cari and the kids.

Project CENTRL Goes South

Ciudad Obregon, Mexico

May 2-6, 2006 Project CENTRL, my leadership class spent about a week in Mexico for our class trip. It was fun to see and hear all that the college is doing in the area. The college there, Institute of Technology Sonora (ITSON) is cutting edge in many aspects of colleges. I enjoyed spending time with growers and talking to them about issues they face such as labor shortages, trade concerns and industries moving to China for better labor rates.

We as a class had a good time together as well. We all got together and bought Jason a donkey (our mascot) for his wedding present- we also got a Home Depot gift card for him and Becky but I think the donkey jokes had more mileage with our group!!

Prior to our class leaving for Mexico, we had a congressional hearing on Monday the 1st. I had never been to a congressional hearing before in person so I was fascinated by it. We also hosted the congressmen, their staff and the attendees for a BBQ. I was able to sit and visit with one of the congressmen from North Carolina and we had a great chat about agriculture and North Carolina, Farm Bureau and why he was in office. The other congressman from NC new some of the same people I did because a fellow FB staff person on the government relations side of NC had previously been on his staff. Jake is a good kid and we had fun in Cincinnati when we were all there for a conference a year ago.

A new job and a new truck

My new company truck. The front and door of my truck.


The back of my truck and the other trucks with my truck. I'm glad I have the one I have!


I started a new job back in January. I’m still at Farm Bureau but I am in field services now. I am responsible for six county Farm Bureaus (we have 15 counties in the state and 13 have county Farm Bureaus). I pretty much am responsible for everything south of the Phoenix area. I love my new job because I get to be out with the members. With my new job came a new company truck.
Kacie worked to get not have it be wrapped like her’s and Paul’s but they wanted to wrap it. Thankfully though it has nothing to do with a Dodge dealership so mine is just covered in agricultural products.

Gentlemen Start Your Engines!!!!

On the start/finish line. Tony Stewart driver of the #20 Home Depot (favorite driver). I took this one far away so I could just focus on him when he was near me.

Dad and I at the races. Kasey Kahne driver of the number 9 Dodge.


Kevin Harvick driver of the #29 Goodwrench.
Dad and I in front of a Tony Stewart Car.






We arrived at the track by noon to be part of a drawing for the NASCAR members club. I had signed up the day before and had to be there at noon to draw for prizes. The race didn’t start till later but we went early. Dad and I parked way out so we could get out of the race and not deal with traffic afterwards. Well I drew and won a chance to go down on the start finish line for driver introductions! We hung around and then went and found our seats. We had shopped a couple times for drivers of Dad’s friends that he had called and told them about the race the night before.

I had hoped he had had fun on Friday night but the way he talked to his friends about it I think he had a blast. I think I may have got him addicted to it because he talked about coming down every April for the races. After getting to our seats and hanging out a bit and explaining the layout of the track to my dad, I went off to do the driver introductions. We all met and then went down to the start finish line where I got to sign my name and also put that Tony Stewart rocks!!! Then we lined up on either side of the stage so that as the drivers came off the stage, they would walk right through us to the trucks waiting. It was so cool because they were so close and they would slap or grab our hands. Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart grabbed my hand, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex and others slapped my hand and Dale Jr, bumped into me high-fiving a friend behind me. I got some great photos out of it and memories to last a lifetime. (If you get the NASCAR members magazine, I’m in the May edition on page 18, I’m there twice.) I then made my way back to my seat and joined Dad.

It was fun and the race was really good. The radio chatter was interesting. They had red flagged the race at one point and Jr was telling a story about his driver from the night before. It was quite funny. I think Tony would have won it had they not been worried about gas. Greg Biffle also was worried about gas and I think he may have run out but Kevin Harvick won which was a big boost for him. I’m glad he won. We all had a great time and Dad found that he really like Biffle for a driver so we bought another shirt (Greg Biffle’s) for Dad before we left.

I think this was the best race I had been to and am looking forward to November’s race!!

Dad comes for a visit

Dad came to visit for a week and he got here just in time for Easter and then I carted him around the state, first to Yuma (for some great BBQ) and then over to Willcox for meetings. I kept telling him to rest for NASCAR weekend and I’m not sure if he believed me but I think I sent him home tired but happy.

We went to Yuma for their monthly meeting and got back in time to meet Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Jake to go to a Dbacks game. They have really good season tickets and so I knew the view would be great. Dad had never been to a major league baseball game so it was fun to share it with him.

On Friday I left work early and we headed out to PIR for the Busch Race. I had mentioned in February to a board member how much I loved NASCAR so he ended up giving me tickets for the SRP booth over turn 1. I had already bought my weekend race tickets so I sold my Friday tickets to John and Tracy. We got there early so we could shop. I explained to my dad that you do all the shopping on the Busch race day rather than waiting till the Nextel NASCAR race because things sell out and the crowd is much deeper. We walked around and I bought a couple Kasey Kahne (2nd Fave) items and a lot of Tony Stewart items (he’s my favorite!!). I checked out Dale Jr.’s stuff but had most of it so I bought a t-shirt to give as a present. Dad bought a shirt and hat from Jeff Gordon (tried to stop him but didn’t really work). We also picked up our radio and a few other things. Dad didn’t really have a favorite driver so I told him about most of them. He hung out at the snack bar while I hiked back to the truck to put our stuff away. I had parked about 2 miles out (the furthest you can park) so we could get out easily.

We headed into the race and we had a great view of the track and free food and drinks all night in addition to the gift bag that SRP gave all their people. They were great seats but I think I like being in the stands with all the people because you can scream and yell and cheer. Most of the people in the box were there to socialize and not really watch the race.

Kevin Harvick won and I told Dad all about him. I was happy for him. He burned rubber clear down by us! Many of the accidents also happened by us so it added to the excitement for Dad. We were tired when we climbed in the truck to go home.

On our way home...

April 9, 2006

Dana’s plane was leaving for England at 6 am. Our guide told her that she would need to have her wake up call at 2 am and bags outside the door at 2:30. At 1 am, the phone rang (this is just a couple hours after going to bed), it happened to be our guide. Dana was supposed to leave at 2 am- not wake up at that time! So she threw her stuff together and got ready and left. Which was probably good for me so I wouldn’t cry at her leaving for England again. You never know how much you miss a friend till they are gone.

With Dana gone, I slept until 7:30 then got ready and headed down to breakfast with Ang. We then walked down to a little store to get a few snacks for our long flight home. We headed via taxi with a cute driver, to the airport around 10:30 and was on our flight by 2. It was pretty uneventful except that I spilled a whole glass of water on Ang and I during the flight. When we hit Chicago, I checked my messages and there were work calls and a call from my friend Melissa M.

She had called to tell me that her and Andy D. had gotten engaged while I was gone. Mel is one of my closest friends and I kind of tricked her into telling me the ring size and what she wanted so Andy could get the ring and propose while I was gone. So it is true… all major things (so far only the good ones) happen to my friends while I’m out of state or country!!

Our final night in Athens

We arrived back at the hotel in Athens and found our rooms. We were taken to the Acropolis on the back side and dropped off. We took a stroll down by Mars Hill and the market place. We never saw that side before and were a little disappointed we never had the chance to shop there. The marketplace was so close. We continued down to the restaurant and had dinner with Pam, Kay, Rudy, Rod and Kathy. The food was decent- the fish was really good. I wasn’t really impressed with it over all.

We left the restaurant and saw the opposite side of the Parthenon and the marketplace. It was so pretty at night. Our driver met us and drove us back to the hotel the scenic way and we saw the Presidential Palace, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and of course the Temple of Zeus!

At the hotel, we met Pam for a drink before heading off to our rooms. Dana and I shared a room so I could take a few things back for her to the states.

Ancient Corinth

The first picture is the place they believe could be Paul's first church in Corinth. The second is the Bema that Paul was brought to to be judged by the Jews.

We arrived in Corinth! Paul and Andrew introduced the Greeks to Christianity. Corinth is one of the churches Apostle Paul sent letters to (I and II Corinthians in the Bible are the letters). Corinth, in Paul’s time, was about 150,000 people in population. Paul first traveled to Philippi and then left to preach in Theasolocia, Athens, and Corinth and then on to Ephesus. We visited all but Philippi and Ephesus on our tour. During one visit to Corinth, Paul was visited by Timothy and Silas. The first time Paul stayed in Corinth he stayed for 18 months. It was very peaceful there and I kept thinking that I may be stepping and walking where Paul walked centuries ago.

The site is divided into three levels. The temple of Apollo is the first thing you see when you enter. It is on the highest level. It dates back to the beginning of the 6th Century, making it the oldest temple. Hera’s temple in Olympia is the second oldest temple in Greece. The actual area of ancient Corinth is so small- you can see it’s entirety from anyplace in the area. A lot of the ancient town was built over by the current town. When you visit you look up from the edge of the ruins and there is a house that people live in right there. I think it would be cool to have that be your view out your bedroom or kitchen window.

The second level is the Agora- the Roman market place. We walked past the temple and Agora to the middle of the marketplace where a large marble slab that originally had a statute of Athena and an alter was located At one end of the marble floor was a location referred to as Bema. It was a tall balcony that officials would appear to give speeches or announcements. This is the place where it is believed that Paul was taken to be judged when he was accused by the Jews. Three months after that incident, he sailed for Ephesus. Across the marketplace has a store that was rebuilt from the stones. It is believed that this is the location of Paul’s first church.

After walking on that level you take marble steps down to the third level. At the point that you begin to descend the steps, there is a spring the ancient city used for water. It still has water (you can hear it). The spring is in a stone circular building with pillars and windows. An early Christian church is located behind the spring. The third level is the Lehighton road that leads to the port. This would lead from the port in Lechaion up to the main part of town and then up the stairs to the Agora area. The road is still remaining in the small section that is persevered. It is quite amazing to see it. There are ceramic shops located along it and this is where they believe Paul had his shop.

We didn’t get to spend much time in the ruins- there wasn’t even free time to walk around so I hope to go back and visit it again someday. We left the ancient city of Corinth and traveled to the Canal of Corinth.

The Canal of Corinth began construction in the 6th Century but stopped until 1881. Before the canal, boats were unloaded and using logs, they were drug across the peninsula (approx. 3 miles) and then reloaded and off they would go. The canal can only be used by small and medium boats.
We first saw the Aegean Sea side of the canal and then we walked over (dodging cars) to see the Gulf of Corinth that leads to the Ionic Sea. I had my picture taken on both sides. We then board the bus for our final trip back to Athens. Once inside Athens and on our way back to the hotel, the temple of Zeus was pointed out again!

Sanctuary of Aesculapius and the Ruins of Mycenae

The entrance to the tomb of Atreaus.

The Sanctuary of Easculapius

April 8, 2006

We left Napulia for Athens. Today we are going to be visiting Corinth!! I’ve been waiting the entire trip to come here. Before going to Corinth we had a few other places to see. We first visited the Sanctuary of Aesculapius amphitheatre. This place was very cool and amazing and I even cried. Dana and Ang had been talking about this place the entire trip. Aesculapius is considered by the Greeks to be the god of medicine. He was the son of Apollo and a mortal woman. The amphitheatre was built in the 4th century B.C. It has been known for its acoustics and performers don’t even need microphones for people at the top to hear them as if they were sitting right next to them.

Nina, our guide, started the demonstration of the acoustics by dropping coins and crumpling paper and tearing the paper in the middle of the theatre. I sat higher and it was amazing the clarity that you could hear everything with. Nina allowed people to try the acoustics by performing. Dana sang “You Raised Me Up” and it was so beautiful and I cried because the last time she sang that song was at Terri’s funeral. I taped her and Ang singing and it was hard to tape it while crying!!

After leaving the amphitheatre, we drove to a pottery place and watch a guy make a pot and another paint a large pot. We also shopped for some items while we were there. We then took a short drive to the tomb of Atreaus and the location of the ruins of Mycenae.
The tomb is where the king of Agamemmon was buried. It dates back to 13th Century B.C. There are other tombs that exist in Greece, but this was the biggest and most preserved. Dana and I posed as lions in front of the entrance. It kind of smelled bad inside but it is a tomb and what do you expect- it’s not going to smell like roses!!

We crossed the road to the Mycenae Acropolis. The king was the only one to permanently live behind the walls. When there was danger those living outside the walls in town would enter inside the walls for protection. The walls were about six feet wide. We entered the acropolis through the Lion’s Gate. The acropolis was destroyed by fire and an earthquake (by this time, it seems like a theme). Inside the gate was a grainery because in excavation, they found jugs with carbonized grain inside (how cool is that!).

It was a neat area to visit. The poems of Homer describe many of the ruins we visited along our journey through Greece or ruins that were nearby. There was a monument to the prophet Elijah nearby. I walked to the top of the ruins. It was so peaceful up there and the scenery reminded me of Oregon.

We left the area and stopped in town for a bite to eat. The owner of the restaurant, a little old man, broke plates for us! We encouraged him to break a few more by yelling “Opah!!!” and he did a couple more and then stopped. We had been wanting someone to break plates, the entire time we were there but everyone- except him said no.

Nauplia and Megalopis

We headed to the town of Nauplia. Along the way we stopped at Megalopis were we had a little ice cream served by an older gentleman who didn’t speak any English but the very beautiful grandson (or maybe son) did. He told us how much we owed after getting our ice cream from the grandfather. We just used gestures and pointing to get some great ice cream.

We made our evening stop in Nauplia. Nauplia was a seashore town that was very quite and it reminded me of some beach towns in the states. Nina, our guide let us off in town for a short walking tour and then gave us about an hour to shop on our own. There were many cute shops and I even bought another purse. (I know a big shocker!) Dana and I had some extra time so we went into a cute little place and had a drink while we waited for the bus. We went to the hotel and had dinner and then spent the rest of the evening at the hotel piano bar with the rest of our tour group and even Nina, our guide, joined us.

Posing as three Greek gods outside the temple ruins of Zeus.

Hera's Temple and the stones in front are the location where the Olympic torch is lighted every four years in a ceremony.

The gymnasium at Anient Olympia.

April 7, 2006

We left the hotel this morning and visited Ancient Olympia where the Olympics began. We arrived at the archeological site of the original Olympic games. In 1895 excavations began in the area. It was completely buried again by fire and earthquakes and this time they threw in a flood from the river Alphis for good measure!!

There are temples to Zeus and Hera that people was able to come and worship them. The athletes would arrive one month early to have time to adjust. They would also take an oath to not cheat. The first building we arrived at was the gymnasium. The second building was the wrestling room where wrestling and boxing took place. Before the day was over there was actual wrestling that took place there!

This area was inhabited by people in the 2nd millennium B.C. but later the area became a sacred place and no one lived in the area except for the priests. We also visited the temple of Zeus and several pillars were scattered around the base of the temple and across from the temple was an early Christian basilica that was built on top of the workshop that built the huge ivory and gold statute of Zeus that stood 35 feet tall!! It was one of the seven wonders of ancient Greece.

We entered the ancient stadium and there was a pedestal at one side of the field where the statute of the goddess of agriculture was worshiped on the first day of the games. Her name was Demetra. I brought back a miniature statute of her for Jim, Kevin and I. We aren’t going to be worshiping her any time soon but it was cool to see how important agriculture was to them back then.

Hera’s temple was built in the 6th Century B.C. and for one whole century both Hera and Zeus were worshipped there until the temple of Zeus was constructed. The alter in front of Hera’s temple is where the Olympic torch is lighted every four years. After lighting the torch, it is carried into the stadium nearby where the first runner takes the flame to travel the world.

We had half an hour of free time so we toured the gymnasium area were the wrestling occurred. Ang and I “wrestled” in the gymnasium for Dana’s camera. It was quite funny and I began to laugh and lost my balance and fell and Ang promptly kicked me while I was down and cheer for her victory. We had quite a few laughs over that!!! At each temple area in Greece, we would do some pose and take a picture as the “gods.” I’m sure some people thought we were disrespectful but it added to the humor of the tour.

After walking through the ruins, we visited the museum that goes with the site, inside were all the statutes that lined the pediment (top) of Zeus’ temple. One side had Zeus (without his head- PB!) and the other side was of Apollo. These statutes were bigger than us so the size of the temple was amazing.

The bridge that took 115 years to build

The Charilos Trikoupis Bridge.


Holding the Olympic Torch



We left Delphi and headed back through the olive groves where some of the trees are 2000 years old. Our guide told us that olives that are to be eaten are hand picked and those to be used for oil are machine picked. Interesting agriculture facts!!! We continued on towards the water to a town called Itea where we sat by the sea and tried to drink some ouzo and still couldn’t acquire a taste for it. Itea was the port location of the old town of Delphi. We skipped the lunch and took the time to walk down the street to the shops and ran into a gentleman who has a daughter who lives in Portland, Oregon so we chatted a bit and the girls laughed that I could go anywhere in the world and meet someone who could be traced to me like in six degrees of separation. It got better because I mentioned that I now live in Arizona and he spends the winters in Yuma so that really sent us over the edge in laughter!

We continued on to Corinth and Olympia but stopped to view the new bridge that connects continental Greece to the peninsula. It had been a vision of the Prime Minister since 1889 and was completed in time for the 2004 Olympic games. Up until that time, to cross over you had to use a ferry and it took about 45 minutes, now it takes a toll and about 5 minutes. I think the Greeks were procrastinating on the project for it to take that long but we got to see a video about it and inside the visitor’s center are the two torches that crossed the bridge. We all had our photo taken with it! It is a beautiful bridge and the Greeks have every right to be very proud of it. The bridge is called Charilos Trikoupis.

Delphi and Apollo's Temple

The treasury, Apollo's Temple and the view of the temple from the theatre on our way to the arena.

April 6, 2006

We left our hotel and headed to the ancient town of Delphi where Apollo’s temple and oracle were located. This is the site where the Greeks would come to get prophecies. It was first built in 7 century B.C. It was divided into four sections or levels. The first level was the Roman marketplace (Agora) with the small shops. Just below the temple, was the Athenian store where they displayed the loot from the wars of the Persians. We then traveled the sacred road of Delphi to the second level where Apollo’s actual temple was located. It was built in 4th Century B.C. when Apollo came to Delphi and killed a python to become the ruler of Delphi.

The temple had been destroyed three previous times by fire and earthquakes (you think they would reconsider their locations!) So what we actually saw was the remains of the 4th temple of Apollo. The sacred road originally was flanked by statutes on each side. A few still remain today but they are housed in the museum. They were of gods, kings and emperors. The navel stone is located near the treasury where it is said two eagles met that Zeus sent out to find the center of the universe. This is the location that Apollo was to place the oracle. The oracle is where the prophetess would be to read your future. Our guide told us about her and she would sit and chew on bay leaves and give very vague readings- I think she was high on something!! Sometimes she would just sit and scream at people and then send them off to have it interpreted by the temple priests. She sounds kind of like the fortune tellers of today only without the screaming or hallucinations. She would give vague readings because she didn’t want the gods to be wrong.

On the highest level were the cities’ treasureries where the people would leave their gifts for the gods at their town’s treasury. The fourth level had a stadium for games similar to the Olympics that were dedicated to the various gods. They trick you when you visit by saying the fourth level is just a little farther up the hill when it actually is quite a ways but I was determined to go up there even if it took my all day to climb the hill. I made it and took a picture then turned around and came back down just in time to go over to the museum with the group! I am not sure how the athletes climbed those hills and then competed right away, even the most physically fit people where out of breath and gasping for air when they made it up.
We left the temple area and walked a short distance to the Archeological Museum of Delphi. Inside we saw the statute of the sphinx as well as the charioteer. The charioteer is a bronze statute dedicated to Apollo representing a racer after his championship win in the Python games in 478 B.C. His eyes ere intact and if you stared at him intently it seemed as though he would open his mouth to speak at any moment.

The rest of the story...

The Bay of Corinth from my hotel room.

We continued on to Delphi after stopping at the gas station next to the John Deere dealership. Prior to getting to the hotel, we stopped in the town of Arahova were we were able to do a little bit of shopping. This region or area has a large amount of olive trees. We will be driving through them tomorrow but this large grove is owned by private individuals, corporations and the government. They all own various trees that are intermixed so they just harvest all of them and then split out the proceeds based on the number of trees you own. It was quite impressive. It reminded me of the Rim Country area leaving Payson for Snowflake where all you see are trees.

We arrived at the hotel and I can see the Bay of Corinth from my room. Before dinner, Dana, Ang and Pam came down and we sat out on the deck and drank a bottle of wine and just took in the beauty of the scenery. After Apollo’s temple tomorrow we will be traveling on to Olympia.

John Deere in Europe!

John Deere in Greece! Who would have imagined. Since I saw one in England, I think I'm going to try and find a dealership in every European country I visit in the future!

Monastery here we come!

Dana, Angela and I in Kalambaka outside one of the monasteries.



April 5, 2006

We woke this morning and left the hotel for our visit to the famous monasteries in the area. They are built on top of rocks that are inaccessible to normal people at least a hundred years ago). They use to pull people up in nets or bring up supplies in nets. Now there are staircases that are carved into the rock to allow access. It is quite amazing. We drove by several of them before we stopped to visit one. There use to be about 26 of them until many were damaged by bombs during WWII. In order to visit them, women had to wear skirts and a shirt that covered their shoulders. If you did not have a skirt they would provide the women with wraps to wear over their pants. One of the monasteries was even used in a James Bond movie.

The first monastery was inhabited in the 14th century. The actual monastery we visited was built in 1542 by two brothers. It is dedicated to all saints and is completely covered inside with pictures of saints, just as all monasteries and Greek churches are. The paintings in this church dated back to the 16th century. Both brothers are buried at the church, which is quite small. We didn't see any monks while we were visiting the monastery.

During our visit to the church, Nina, our guide yelled at another group and guide to be quiet. We thought it was quite entertaining- especially when she yelled at the French. It usually occurred at least once a day so we started guessing at which stop she would yell at a group.

We left this monastery and proceeded down to another monastery that actually was inhabited by nuns instead of monks. The nun's monastery was referred to as St. Steven and 30 nuns reside there. It was built in 1780 but was destroyed by a fire and was recently rebuilt. We saw on the inside of the church the painting being done to fill the inside of the church. I thought it was quite interesting. Since women can not perform certain church duties so monks from the All Saints church come over to assist them. The view from St. Steven's was amazing for the valley below.

We left the nuns and drove back into town for lunch before heading off to Delphi for the night.

After an hour or so on the bus, those of us in the back decided to see if we could spot the John Deere dealership again so I could get a picture of it. We all kept our eyes open for it and I actually thought maybe we had already passed it or would turn off the road before we reach it. But to my amazement, it appeared up ahead on the road. I spotted the building first before the sign- who can not spot John Deere yellow and green? So we all were poised with our cameras when the bus began to slow and pull off. We were told we were stopping in an hour and a half(when we left lunch) and our driver chose to stop at the gas station right in front of the dealership!! I was so excited that I ran off the bus and over to snap a picture. Then Dana came over after visiting the station to take a photo of me in front of it. They had quite a few large tractors and cotton pickers in front. I couldn't figure out how to reach it so see if they sold toys and books inside like the American stores do. But I did feel a little at home- even if it was in Greek!

We continued on to Delphi where we stopped in town for a quite tour and shopping before heading to the hotel. Delphi has a large olive grove nearby that is owned by both private individuals as well as the government.

At the hotel, my room overlooked the Bay of Corinth and so we sat on the deck and watched the sun go down over a bottle of vine. Tomorrow we will be visiting Apollo's temple before heading to Olympia.

Monastary here we come!