Where Does Space Begin?

Star Trek sonorously announces before each episode: “Space…the final frontier.” But where exactly does that frontier lie?

Well, according to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the world governing body for this sort of thing, outer space begins 100 kilometers (roughly 62 miles) above sea level. This barrier is called the Kármán Line. Above that, the air is too thin for a vehicle to maintain altitude. So…once you’ve crossed Kármán, you’ve been to space.

Ah, but now the USAF weighs in. By military standards, Space starts 12 miles sooner, or 50 miles above sea level. For Americans, crossing that threshold makes a pilot an astronaut.

All of which gave NASA a bit of a headache. During the 1960s, 8 American test pilots flew the experimental X-15 above the 50-mile mark, but only 5 of them passed Kármán. Astronauts all by American military definition, but to the FAI, 3 hadn’t even been to space.

For nearly 40 years, NASA waffled on whether to recognize these X-15 pilots as astronauts. Then in 2005 the agency relented, finally awarding astronaut wings to the remaining three.

This info, including the illustration, was shamelessly copped from the March/April 2021 issue of Mental_Floss.

The Egg & I

Anyone who follows me on Facebook knew this was coming. I love this place. I eat here every chance I get!

The Egg & I was created in 1987 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Its name comes from a 1947 movie by the same name. A movie poster, featuring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, hangs by the cash register. Appropriately, the movie is based on the true story of author Betty MacDonald, whose husband informs her on their wedding night that he’s purchased an abandoned chicken farm. Also (FYI and TMI for us older types, it’s the movie that spawned the Ma and Pa Kettle series.) Now back to The Egg.

Open from 6am to 2pm weekdays (2:30pm on weekends) The Egg & I offers gourmet coffee, 100% pure-squeezed orange juice and a mind-boggling variety of menu offerings.  There are no less than six choices of benedicts, seven types of “Skillets & Scrambles,” and ten ways to enjoy “Omelettes & Frittatas.” There’s also a lengthy listing under “Eggs Olé” and don’t even get me started on the pancakes and waffles.

While the menu trends to the international, healthy, and unique (whole grains and elegant veggies like asparagus, spinach, portabella mushrooms, etc.) there’s lots of that he-man stuff, too. You know: steak, sausage, ham, biscuits & gravy, bacon, potatoes, and the like. The last time I was there, one of my brunch companions mentioned the outstanding hollandaise sauces. So I forsook my Santa Fe Huevos for a Parisian Benedict and, oh, was she right!
Of course, there is an assortment of non-egg dishes, too. At lunch, you'll find creative sandwiches, entree salads and hearty, homemade soups. But – and this is very important to me - you can always have breakfast for lunch! Okay, so I’m a breakfast freak…

So far only ten lucky states have Egg & I restaurants. If you don’t live in one of them (follow the above link to check) plan a road trip soon!

Following THE HOBBIT?

Have I got the links for you!

What could be better than having a friend in Wellington, New Zealand at a time like this? In my case it’s Glenis Thomas, author of the definitive and colorful Blueberry Recipes. Not only were many of her friends and relatives extras in the LOTR trilogy, Sir Peter Jackson has his own studio there.
I can always count on Glenis to keep me updated on events down under, and goodness knows there are plenty! Earthquakes, stranded penguins, earthquakes, World Cup events, earthquakes, and now “The Hobbit.”

The local news media, TVNZ, is right there, of course, witnessing the action and interviewing stars and staff. There’s such a wealth of material for Tolkien fanatics like me to devour. The following links cover movie trailers, in-depth video blogs, and nightly news reports. Great stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSoD4BBCJc

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/

http://the-hobbit-movie.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s97dbviAmw0&feature=related

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150720773691807&set=vb.141884481557&type=2&theater
http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/first-trailer-hobbit-unveiled-today-4665935/video

Okay, that will keep you busy for a while! Can’t believe the release date is all the way into 2013! Thanks, Glenis – and keep ‘em coming!

Whence Came the Easter Bunny?

St. Bede, the 8th-century English scholar, believed the name Easter originated with the Scandinavian "Ostra" and the Teutonic "Ostern" or "Eastre,” goddesses of spring and fertility. (Gee. Guess how the word “estrogen” got started?)  Their festivals were appropriately celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, on or around March 21, when days lengthen, weather warms, and things start growing again.
So what’s with the bunny? According to “The Unauthorized Biography of the Easter Bunny” in the spring issue of Mental_Floss, he’s a German sleeper agent. His roots go back to a 16^th century character named Osterhase, who infiltrated North America during a mass migration  of Germans in the 1900’s.

What accounts for his meteoric rise in the egg delivery business?  Charm and virility. Both rabbits and eggs have been symbols of rebirth for centuries. And when Germans started hiding eggs for children back in the 16^th century, hares’ nests were the hidey-holes of choice.

Not all Western Cultures embrace bunnies. In Australia, for instance, they’re a devastating, crop-ravaging plague. In the 1990s, they finally hit upon a replacement for the hated hare: the bilby. Bilbies are long-eared marsupials that can look like Easter bunnies while still respecting Australia’s valuable crops.  So down under, the kids are treated to chocolate bilbies.

So there you have it. Happy Vernal Equinox!

From the Great Southwest Back to Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle

Inheritance, the last book of the Cycle, arrived before Christmas. But I was involved with Tony Hillerman’s Navajo tales and was loathe to leave it mid-series.

I’ve been engrossed in the American Southwest, ancient and modern, for some months now. There was a trilogy of Anasazi Mysteries  by anthropologists Mike and Kathy Gear; Kirk Mitchell’s series featuring Emmett Parker, a Comanche agent with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, often  teamed with a Modoc FBI agent, Anna Turnipseed; and lastly all 18 volumes from Tony Hillerman. Actually, Hillerman penned more than that. I only followed the adventures of Lt. Joe Leaphorn and Sgt. Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police. Great stuff.

But now I’m back to my home genre – fantasy. And no one writes it with more meticulous detail than Christopher Paolini. And, as I did with Harry Potter, I won’t read the new book without first re-reading all the preceding ones. One can’t just dive in without getting reacquainted with the characters, places and situations can one? It’s been way too long since Book Three, Brisingr. And it’s complicated.

So that’s where I am now - halfway through Eragon.

I have no idea how I got so caught up in Native American mysteries and culture. It was quite a profound experience, actually. Maybe it harks back to my travels through Shiprock, NM and Casa Grande, AZ back in 1973. But now (clicking my ruby slippers together three times) it’s good to be home.

One Last Mention of the Mountains



Yes, I know. I’ve been back in Texas for weeks now. But my sister’s mountain cabin still dominates my mind. I can still see the sweeping vistas of mountain ridges – one behind the other all the way to the ocean. Over the hills stretch endless rows of grapevines, their meticulous symmetry adding their own sense of beauty. And I vividly recall the wild fragrance of the woods beyond the vineyard gates. When Sarah sent me an envelope filled with bay leaves, rosemary and lemon thyme it nearly sent me over the edge. I’d run back there in a minute.

And there is one more thing to mention – the neighbors. None are within walking distance, at least not at our present age, and none can even be seen from the house. The nearest is Ellen, the kind lady who took care of Sis until I got there and then met the airport shuttle. One day we drove up, down, and around on the one-lane, more or less blacktopped road to have lunch on her patio.  It was sunny and cool and the view, of course, was spectacular. The visit was full of local history and further insights into mountain life.

Another time we called on Anita, a lady who has read my books and wanted to meet me. As it happened, I was wearing one of her husband’s cast-off shirts (which Sis had acquired at some point) because the airlines had yet to find my luggage.

Anita’s gardens were almost as fantastic as the scenery. Off the driveway was a beautiful bit of landscaping with junipers, flowers, herbs, art objects, and pathways. Every other side of the house had vegetable plots as well as orange and persimmon trees. We left with almost more produce than we could carry.

That evening I discovered that preparing super fresh foods is quite different. For instance, cutting a carrot right out of the ground releases a sweet, moist fragrance. Another surprise is how quickly they cook. The rhubarb, cauliflower, Swiss chard, and carrots were tender in minutes. Even a couple of days later this was still true for the snap beans, cabbage and broccoli. With access to such fresh and wholesome foods, it’s no wonder Sarah healed so quickly.

All right, that’s it. I promise. Next time it’s back to the books!

Mountain Fun

It Wasn’t ALL Hard Work!

Flavors Unlimited

Our first stop after my luggage-less arrival in Santa Rosa (after Target and two grocery stores) was Flavors Unlimited, an ice cream parlor/sandwich shop in touristy Guerneville. It was, I discovered, Ellen’s standard pit stop on the back up the mountain.
The "Unlimited" means you aren't limited to the flavors of ice cream that are already offered. You order your ice cream (or frozen yogurt) mixed to taste from a seemingly endless array of candies, nuts and fresh fruits. We all selected 2-dip waffle cones. Ellen mixed fresh blueberries with cheesecake; Sarah chose toffee with chocolate and M&Ms in vanilla. Mine was pumpkin and peanut butter with walnuts. The idea nearly made the guy throw up, but it turned out to be really good. Honest. 



Trinks Cafe in Gualala, CA

Trinks Café in Gualala was an outing with two purposes: to meet Sarah’s BFF Paula, and to get me online.  My cell phone, a Samsung with AT&T provider, was completely worthless up there.  Sis does have a pretty decent Mac, but her iffy dial-up connection and ISP refused any and all requests to check my email. So by the time I hit Trinks and settled in with a monstrous mocha latte, my inbox and Facebook page were seriously backed up. 

When Paula joined us, we moved out to a patio table and ordered from their trendy breakfast menu. I took the coward’s way out with scrambled eggs and toast. Paul either had the Griddle Combo or eggs with mixed greens, and Sis indulged in some insane breakfast sandwich on an “everything” bagel. She ate it all, too!  

Sizzling Tandoor



The Sizzling Tandoor, an Indian restaurant about which the locals rave, was our stop on the way home from Sarah’s post-op checkup. It was my first time Outsourcing supper, and I didn’t know what to try. Sis took a lamb curry, and I pointed to some sort of chicken thing which turned out to be dry and not as spicy as I’d hoped. On the side, however, were generous pieces of garlic nan (puffy Indian fried bread) served warm and fresh. And there was an incredible creamy chai tea which, were it generally available, would cost coffee one of its biggest fans. 

Duncans Mills




Studio Nouveau at Duncans Mills

Duncans Mills, a rustic roadside collection of antique and specialty shops, restaurants and galleries, was our last outing as we headed for Petaluma. The next day I would catch the 4:30 AM shuttle to the San Francisco airport and home.  We strolled through nearly all the shops finding a scarf at Worldly Goods, a floor puzzle for grandkids at Pig Alley, a very special pair of earrings at Studio Nouveau (later lifted by the TSA), choice packets of exotic tea at Mr. Trombly’s, and finally coffee and pastry at the Gold Coast Coffee & Bakery. Duncans Mills is definitely a place to visit again.

There was a quick stop for gas at Bodega Bay. Very pretty views, but you know what? Not so much a seagull in sight!