I Hope I’m Around To See This

I first saw this slide show months ago. I couldn’t decide if it was a joke, or it was for real. When I did some research, I learned that Richard Branson was on a mission to save animals. I became fascinated. I always thought killing other living things, so we can eat, was a little weird. I accepted that was the only way we could survive.

Then I read that Branson believed there was an alternative. There are many stories about Branson’s determination. You can read one particular story in Forbes. Click here. This is going to be very interesting to watch.

Should The Galapagos Be On Your Bucket List?

Many family and friends have asked me just how fabulous the Galapagos is, and is it worth the trip? I’m going to “yes” right off the bat because anytime you can see wildlife in their natural habitat, it’s a treat. This is probably truer for a gal who grew up in a city atmosphere than those who were raised in rural areas.

The natural beauty of the unspoiled islands make you realize what this Earth is all about and what we are doing to mistreat it. The Galapagos naturalists make you wonder why while some of us devote ourselves to the land, and the rest of us are not even aware of what makes the Earth tick.

The following photos, taken by Eliot Hess, give you a sense of the beauty that awaits you.This set of photos were taken on Española, the southernmost of the Galápagos Islands. It’s also one of the oldest. Geologists day it’s about four million years old.

A 31 Year Relationship

My friend Maurice de Hond is probably one of the most famous people in the Netherlands. You can’t walk around most places in Amsterdam without him being recognized. If you are Dutch, you know Maurice.

Most of his fame comes from being a TV personality. He is a pollster, a computer expert, and the founder of School Suites, a start-up that promotes personalized learning in the school system. Maurice believes that each child should be educated on his or her own individual talents and interests. The days of mass learning in a traditional classroom is over. The transformation will take place over the next decade. Click here to read all about it. http://scoolsuite.nl/en/. He travels all over the world giving lectures about it.

He is also working with a cancer research company that will have a big announcement in the not-to-distant future. Keep your fingers crossed. We may beat this disease in our lifetime.

Maurice and I met though business but have remained friends for 31 years. We usually see each other once a year and speak to each other via email, social media and phone calls. Eliot and I also know Maurice’s adult children and their families.

Maurice is pictured with his wife Mari and daughter Daphne in the above photo. Maurice met Mari on his trip to Cuba almost 13 years ago. He went there to learn how to Salsa dance, and came back to Amsterdam with a bride.

We have all gotten together a number of times on both sides of the ocean. I’m thankful for the Internet because without it, we never would have maintained such close ties. I have done other profiles on Maurice before in DigiDame. This won’t be the last.

Pictures taken at Wynwood Walls.

A Facebook Gift

This video was created by Facebook about my trip to the Galapagos. I opened my Facebook account today and there it was. Interesting to note, some of these photos were never posted on Facebook. They were taken from my camera roll on my iPhone. Watch out what you store on your phone. Facebook can grab them.

Photos on your camera roll are stored by city, and by date. It’s not that difficult for a software program to capture a group of photos that are related to each other. The video did have one mistake and I was able to eliminate the photo from another story.

I’m pretty proud that I was able to take the video off of Facebook and post it here. That was something I couldn’t do before. All I had to do was save the video to my camera roll, then turn it into a YouTube video on my channel, and then post it here. It was so simple.

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Cremation Diamonds Are A Mourners Best Friend

I’m shocked that this concept is still around. Yet. Inc magazine decided to do a feature story last month on Eterneva, a company that inserts ashes from a loved one into keepsake diamonds.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Our PR agency, HWH PR, represented the predecessor to Eterneva, over 15 years ago. When the owner of the first company, who came up with this concept, first debriefed me on his idea, I thought it was the craziest scheme I ever heard. We continued to do business for a while, but I got tired of convincing the press to write stories about this new type of jewelry.

Now years later. Inc says cremations are outnumbering burials. I guess timing is everything, and this concept now makes sense.

Carrying the ashes of a loved one around with you can be very comforting, What I once thought was very spooky, turns out to be very sweet after all.

My timing was off.

Living On The Seas

I played hooky this past Sunday, the last day of hiking when we were in the Galapagos. The hiking trails scheduled for that day were treacherous and I didn’t want to take any chances. Most days on the expedition we were climbing on boulders and it was a miracle that I didn’t break my neck.

(This is the super yacht we were on, La Pinta. It is 209 feet long, houses 27 crew members and 44 guests).

I was one of the few who remained onboard. I loved it. I practically had the whole luxury yacht to myself. See the picture of the La Pinta above. It was glorious, just lounging in my cabin watching the water ripple by. I suddenly thought to myself that it would be interesting to always live on a ship. Each day I would wake up in a new port. While that sounded very romantic at the time, reality set in fast. The vessel suddenly listed to one side, and I realized that I couldn’t handle the constant swaying.

Coincidentally, my brother sent me a story from the New York Times about a man who has lived on an ocean line cruiser for the past 20 years. I enjoyed the story so much I wanted you to read it too. Mario Salcedo has been living on the Royal Caribbean as a full time resident. Please read the story and watch the video. It’s a great end of life story. Click here.

Me And The Galapagos

For a city girl who has had little exposure to nature, this trip was an eye opener. Of course, I have been exposed to other national parks, museums and zoos. I also watch nature shows on TV and in the movies, visited farms, ranches, and read National Geographic and travel magazines.

This was different. Hanging out with Naturalists for a week, and spending time with bird watchers, hikers, wildlife lovers and people who truly care about the Earth, was refreshing and inspiring. I should have done this decades ago.

People in their 50’s to late 70’s came from all over the world to make this trip. We made friends from South Africa, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Seattle, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. It was amazing for me to see women my age easily hiking over the giant boulders and lava rocks. Younger folks wore flip flops. I needed a walking stick and Eliot’s arm not to break my neck.

Suddenly, I realized what I missed out on and what I can’t do on my own. My girl friend Marcia recommended Yoga for better balancing techniques and stronger physical capabilities. Whitney gifted us a series two years ago. We loved it but stopped for a number of meaningless reasons. There is too much living to do. Yoga here we come. We strongly recommend this trip to anyone who really wants to feel close to the Earth and examine how they actually fit in.

Turtle poop.

Ecuador Interrupted

If you are reading this post, it’s because we still do not have enough Internet in the Galapagos. C’Est las Vie. We should be fine by tomorrow.

The following are photos by Eliot Hess, which will be distributed to the press and collectors this week. I’m showing them to you first.

A Collection of Croatia and Slovenia Photos,

Croatia and Slovenia are a reminder of what the French and Italian rivieras looked like decades ago. The two countries are situated along the picturesque Adriatic Sea at the intersection of the Balkans and Europe. Without a lot of fanfare, you get to soak up the charming seaside towns, the breathtaking topography, and the romantic colors of the lakes and waterfalls. It’s one of the few times, you can truly experience an uncluttered lifestyle.

Guess The Dish

The meal preparations and designs have been so elaborate in a number of restaurants we visited in Quito the last few days, we didn’t know what we were eating at times. I wanted you to guess the dish. Good luck. Anyone who gets all nine right, wins the new and very innovative Waterpik device being introduced May 15th. You will never brush the same way. Have fun!

An Over The Top Lunch In Quito

Did you ever get your appetizer served in a music box. This was totally decadent.

I prepared this blog just in case I don’t have Internet on the boat in the Galapagos. Someone else is posting for me. We had quite a lunch at Le Mirage. Tomorrow I will try to post the meal. You will have a difficult time identify each dish, I’m awarding a nice prize for the person who can guess all. Till then…