Croatian Language

Holy guacamole, this Croatian is a mouthful. It's a Slavic based language, not a Latin based language, so it has different characters and not much familiar point of reference for those who speak English, Spanish or French. Fortunately a significant portion of the population, at least the ones dealing with tourism, speak English. Check out these signs...can you figure out what they mean?

See the answers below.

Evakuacijiski put - evacuate this way

Ukljucite (etc) - Turn on your radio or TV right away (for emergencies)

Croatian Women

Croatian women are lovely, typically with dark hair and creamy skin. The top photo shows a Dubrovnik parade with historical costumes (and lively Croatian music!) The bottom shows the love that the older generation has here for lace, handmade in simple colors with intricate patterns.

Climbing the Wall in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia is a picturesque walled city by the Adriatic Sea. Although the city was damaged in the Serbo-Croatian war in the early 90's, it's now a UNESCO world heritage site. The buildings inside have beautiful tile roofs, from locally sourced clay. We climbed the wall and walked the perimeter of the old city for a couple of hours before having lunch in one of the many streetside cafes within the walls. Charming and steeped in rich history at the same time.

Birthday Gondola Ride

The heart and soul of Venice is the classic gondola ride. Yes, there was singing. Our gondolier belted out not only O Sole Mio and Volare, but also Buon Compleanno (that's Happy Birthday in Italiano!) It was high tide, so the gondolier had to tip us to the side to make it under the bridges without hitting the high tip on the bow and stern. Photos here are of the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge, but we also went down little side waterway "streets" and waved to people eating dinner, cooking in the kitchen, watching from the bridges.

So, how many bridges are there in Venice? 409 The daylight photo is of the famous "Bridge of Sighs"

Fun stuff in Venice

No trip to Venice would be complete without a visit to St. Mark's Square, complete with pigeons on the head. When we had dinner, the bambini (little children) were playing in the water that overflowed the banks at high tide. Lastly, a toy shop in Venice had the most popular boys names on display...it's a little different, no?

Cool shopping in Venice

Everyone knows Italians love their shoes, but I didn't bring anything that would go with these (whew!)

On the other hand, Murano glass is hand blown in Venice, and is sold in figurines, jewelry, chandeliers, you name it. It comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors. This particular set of glass was on display at the Peggy Guggenheim museum - it was crafted based on the drawings of Picasso.

Venecia!!!

Ah, Venicia!! First time for me, and it's absolutely charming. It's amazing to see how the whole city functions with streets of water. Everywhere you look is a romantic postcard, accordian music fills the air. The photo with the green fabric on the railings was taken from our room at the fabulous Palazzo San Angelo hotel.

Seattle at its FINEST!

After weeks of rain (for which we were conveniently out of town), Seattle shone like a gem on this May weekend. Sunshine, 70 degrees, Pike Place Market humming with flying fish and lilacs that take your breath away.

But after all, what is a city but the people in it that make it special? Here are some of the "Whine" women who gather for fermented grapes and gossip once in a while. From the left, Wende Wahl, Terry Jones, me, Valerie Lynch, Ruth Wacker and Wendy Oliver crouching in the front. And yes, the Space Needle really does sprout from the top of my head.

Bikini Parade in Vegas

Only in Vegas... 281 bikini clad women pranced down the Strip in a parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. They answered an ad on Craigslist, and had to send in a photo and their measurements. If they were accepted, they got to Vegas on their own and received $100 and a free bikini. And 15 minutes of fame. They also officially got into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest bikini parade. (There is a category for that. Really.)

Oh, and it's also the 50th anniversary of Barbie. Eat your heart out, Ken. Where's your parade?

Law School Grad :)

Son-in-law Brian Rowe has graduated from Seattle University with his law degree, cool-guy master's tam and purple ponytail. That's my daughter Sarah with the green hair (they must have fun in the haircolor aisle!) and granddaughter Gwen. Brian's specialty is intellectual property law, and he's the founder of Freedom for IP at www.freedomforip.org

In honor of this auspicious occasion, 20 of us took him out for lunch @ Buca de Beppo...at the pope's table, of course. Check out Brian's cool pope hat!

Golfing @ TPC Scottsdale

The golfing was great, but definitely second fiddle to the cactus flowers, just starting to bloom. Lovely to look at the prickly pear, provided your golf ball isn't nestled underneath it!

Rock Climbing with Rattlesnakes

Holy Guacamole!! I've never been rock climbing before, so I was pretty apprehensive to start. I watched Aron scrambled up the rock like a mountain goat, trying to memorize his every hand and foot hold. When it was my turn I heard a hissing sound...Mike grabbed me and pulled me to the side. There was a 3 ft. rattlesnake coiled up 6 inches from my foot, and he was mighty ticked off...had that rattler going for sure. Mike got a stick, dug him out and flung him into the desert. As I watched the snake start to make his way back, I suddenly was VERY motivated to climb the rock.

Rappelling in Moab, UT

Mike and I did a simultaneous rappel...that means we went off an arch together. It's a little sketchy because there is no cable holding you to the top of the arch. Because we differ in body weight, we had to be really careful about just how we started to scoot off the arch, so that one of us wouldn't fall or pull the other over. Once we were down a few feet, there was enough friction on the line to hold us, regardless of body weight. It just takes a little confidence, and trust in your guide. Thanks, Aron...you're amazing!!!

Jeeping on the White Rim Trail, Moab

Mike did his best to push this balancing rock off its comfort zone, but I guess he'll have to eat more Wheaties. Later we found Musselman Arch...it doesn't look like much in the photo, but you think twice before you climb out on an arch that is only 6 ft. wide and about 70 ft. above the canyon floor. It's a long way down....

Fiery Furnace Spaces

Sometimes the Fiery Furnace in Moab is so huge you feel dwarfed by the huge walls around you...and sometimes you can barely squeeze through them. Good thing we did this narrow passageway prior to lunch!!