Buff's Backyard

TRAVEL CAT
Photo by Buff Etheridge
(Click on photo for larger image)

Ice Cream for my cat on his first birthday? You’d better believe it. I love that cat.

No worries. It was a new and healthy pet ice cream. http://www.coolclaws.com/

After ice cream, plus the mandatory catnip and plastic bell toy, Merlin got his main gift: quality time – in quantity – with Mommy. That would be me. With Merlin draped comfortably over my arms, off we traipsed on our mini travel adventure.

Heading for the lake, we passed through a pedestrian tunnel. Kitten ears perked up as the echo of my voice reverberated to the strains of “Happy Birthday, dear kitty…. ” (Can you tell that I’m of a certain age, uncaring about the occasional raised eyebrows?)

Just out of the tunnel, a jogger blew past us. Startled, Merlin tucked his head under my armpits. Showing the birthday boy that running was nothing to fear, I cranked my body into a slow run, Merlin bouncing wildly in my arms.

I think it was the running that must have startled the wasp. Excruciating pain jolted through the knuckle of my middle “give ‘em the bird” finger. O Lordy! This must be what a lightening strike feels like. Ooohhhhh…. Aargghhh …..

This is perchance retribution from the great Insect Spirit in the sky, said my guilty conscience. Ants have invaded my home, and rather than spray death, risking killing the cats, I’ve been squishing ants on sight. Karma.

Merlin and I rest on a waterside bench, watching geese dive from the concrete drainage island. Some older ladies, about my age, jog toward us in a gaggle of gals. Hope they miss the wasps’ welcome waiting for them around the bend…

What does this vignette have to do with travel?

Next week I will be leaving Merlin behind as I hit the highway. This birthday tribute honors those we love but leave behind. I guess that makes me the Travel-Cat.

Travel-Buff ^..^

MULTIPLEX AT NIGHT
Photo by Buff Etheridge
(Click on photo for larger image)

Classical music used as a weapon. Now I truly have “heard” everything.

Leaving the Reston, Virginia Town Center Multiplex at 3 AM, I was expecting to walk into the still quiet of a world asleep. Imagine my surprise to hear Vivaldi’s Four Seasons blasting out of loud speakers turned up to near earthquake levels.

As I turned in astonishment, looking for the source of the symphonic assault, a clutch of chattering kids followed me out of the emptying theater. They dispersed quickly into the night.

Now I remember. Last week I skimmed an API article reporting Tacoma, Washington officials’ experiment using Bach, Beethoven and Brahms to win “Bach” their streets. In theory, the loud music will send loiterers scattering from unfamiliar uplifting harmonies.

And now Reston seems to have taken a page out of Tacoma’s score. Whatever the efficacy of this technique, it left me with a lift in my step and spirits. I’ve always loved Vivaldi.

Travel-Buff

BIRD IN FLIGHT – Museum of Natural History, DC
Photo by Buff Etheridge
(Click on photo for larger image)

Free Museums. That’s one of the things you’ve gotta love about touristing in the District of Columbia. All of the Washington Mall museums, ranging from the National Museum of the American Indian to the Air & Space Museum charge no admission fees. Nada. Never.

Now for one day only, hundreds of museums across the country emulate this policy; everyone (with a downloaded no-cost ticket) gets in free on Saturday, September 29, 2007.

A small sample of participating museums includes:

• New York City’s Frick Museum (usual admission $15)

• Ft. Ticonderoga, NY (usual admission $12)

• George Eastman House, Rochester, NY (normally $8)

• The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, TX (normally $10)

• Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL (normally $15)

• Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA (adult $15)

For full details and a complete list of participating museums, and to learn more about this offer, visit the Smithsonian’s site at:

http://www.smithsonianmagazine.com/museumday/

Don’t forget to download your ticket before heading out to enjoy this bounty.

—Travel-Buff