Washington, DC: Memorial Day Images

Memorial Day Parade

Memorial Day Parade

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam War Memorial

Smithsonian Museum of American History

Smithsonian Museum of American History

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Ethiopia: Lake Tana & the Blue Nile

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Chapter 2: Lake Tana and the Blue Nile - The Source of the Mighty River From Addis, we flew to Bahir Dar, a laid-back city on the shores of Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake and the source of the Blue Nile River. A boat ride took us across the water to visit Ura Kidane Mehret, a monastic church founded in the 14th century.  From the port, our guide — the head of the monastery — led us on a short walk to the church complex.  The path was lined with beautifully patterned stones, some newly laid, others carefully repaired. The gentle rustle of leaves, the distant calls of birds, and the soft lapping of the lake against the shore set a serene backdrop for our journey. As we walked, our guide shared stories of the monastery’s history and the lives of the monks who had lived here for generations. Soon, we arrived at the circular church, just as a ceremony for a fasting holiday was underway.  I saw vibrant scenes of worship — the rhythmic beating of drums, the haunting melodi...
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The Banaue Rice Terraces: A Living Cultural Landscape

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My interest in exploring the northern part of the Philippines started from looking at a piece of art at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California.   Among the display of ceramics and pottery engraved with gold and other decorative stuff,  a wooden carving of a male figure squatting on a platform with the lower arms on top of each other, resting upon his knees, caught my eye.  According to the docent, the wooden sculpture was called "Bului" which literally means "granary guardian" in the "Ifugao" tribe dialect. The carved wooden sculpture was set on a platform on top of another platform, a mortar.   Our docent explained the significance of the wooden mortar (which was used with the pestle, to separate the husk from the rice, sort of rice mill) and linked the story to the Rice Terraces in the Cordillera Mountains of the Philippines built 2000 years ago by the “Ifugao” tribe. So two years and three hundred kilometers north of Manila later, we explo...
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Zip Lining My Way Through the Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains

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The fearless Dr. Amy zip lines first There are seven of us on this tour through the redwood canopy by zipping along lines extended through the trees. Our group is led by Jacob, a very animated guide, and Jim, a quieter one, with a degree in "Outdoor Leadership." Jacob does all the talking (giving instructions), while Jim does the demonstration.  The tour is very organized. Our zip-lining gears – harnesses, helmets and gloves are all laid out so we can easily get into them. Our guides help and instruct us on how to wear our gears, and remind us of the most important rule: Not to touch anything shiny. I decided to do the zip lining one morning high up in the Santa Cruz Mountains at a wedding and conference facility. I was sitting on the veranda of a rented house nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, eating leftover cupcakes from the wedding and sipping coffee when I heard the rustling of the majestic trees. Overlooking the veranda was a sweeping view...
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