tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post2434343482445418932..comments2024-03-28T06:00:06.670-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: The Armchair GeographerJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5404179954546502152014-01-17T11:09:51.574-05:002014-01-17T11:09:51.574-05:00I was pretty good at geography. But then they went...I was pretty good at geography. But then they went and changed borders and names on me. ;) <br />I want to go around the world and hit the high spots. The Great Wall, Great Barrier Reef, Pyramids, the Orient Express, an African Photo Safari...you get the idea. :)<br /><br />Pen M <br />pmettert@yahoo.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-84021551976964588062014-01-14T00:46:36.205-05:002014-01-14T00:46:36.205-05:00I loved National Geographic Magazines, My Great Au...I loved National Geographic Magazines, My Great Aunt & Uncle got us a subscription for Cmas every year...I miss getting those<br /><br />I also miss my globe I had growing up, use to spin it and when it stopped I'd pick a spot and get the encyclopedia and look it up<br /><br />Three places that I have always wanted to go:<br /><br />Ireland, because I'm Irish<br /><br />England, I know I lived there in another lifetime, everything about England has always "felt" like home to me<br /><br />Switzerland, because my Gramps gave me a book about it when I was young<br /><br />My knowledge of Geography is awful, I have to look places up on internet <br /><br />Hank - we always got triptiks and the books for each state, still do<br />I love that they tell you where the rest areas are, what exits have food/lodging<br /><br />GPS's - great invention !!Rosie123https://www.blogger.com/profile/11528374618939863598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37787198770221682752014-01-13T22:12:02.425-05:002014-01-13T22:12:02.425-05:00Anonymous--thank you! :-) Step-grandson--but bio...Anonymous--thank you! :-) Step-grandson--but biologically certainly possible! xoo So I accept the compliment with much delight.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-56269065087834783142014-01-13T17:55:12.034-05:002014-01-13T17:55:12.034-05:00you will love Barcelona Debs--one of my favorite c...you will love Barcelona Debs--one of my favorite cities, maybe after New York, Paris, Rome...hmmm, I do love cities...<br /><br />Karen, the safari sounds amazing...and to see it through the eyes of a photographer--wow!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59389094054530027772014-01-13T17:51:58.120-05:002014-01-13T17:51:58.120-05:00Whew! Just back form todays road trip home to Bost...Whew! Just back form todays road trip home to Boston to New YOrk--we got as far as Tolland COnnecticut--when our car completely broke down. Sigh. Fast forward to our rental car home-no GPS! And No map!<br /><br />We looked at each other like--well, what now? And then revelation: We can go by the SIGNS!<br /><br />Then of course I got gps on my phone... :-) Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-19740323828008832802014-01-13T14:52:31.600-05:002014-01-13T14:52:31.600-05:00Debs, Mattie's school does not have geography ...Debs, Mattie's school does not have geography per se, but they are learning about different countries in Africa right now. They've gone to a west African restaurant, are taking west African dance, and are also learning about the different countries in Africa. <br /><br />He was amused when I told him that the countries in Africa were different "back in my day" and I even remember the pull-down maps in school (remember those) being different still!Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6947105368806974382014-01-13T14:20:45.962-05:002014-01-13T14:20:45.962-05:00Oh, Deb, what a wonderful story about using the gl...Oh, Deb, what a wonderful story about using the globe with your grandmother! You make me want to rush out and buy a globe now. I used to love the old globe my parents had. There's something magical about spinning a globe and seeing where your finger lands when it stops. <br /><br />This post reminds me of some geography-, map-related books I'd like to read. One is The River at the Center of the World:A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester. Another is A History of the World in 12 Maps by Jerry Brotton. Others are as follows. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson. Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer by Peter Turchi. Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks by Ken Jennings(picked that book up in Kramer's in D.C., where there is a plethora of great non-fiction and fiction books). And, last, but far from least, are Kim's books about Vietnam. <br /><br />Places that I want to go and explore the terrain and cities are England and Scotland foremost. I would love to wander the countryside around Stoke Canon (a few miles out of Exeter), the ancestral home of the Boones, and then I would hop on over to Dartmoor and stand on the moors shouting into the wind of legendary mad dogs and forbidden romances. In Scotland, I would find a kilted man to take me into the wilds of the Highlands. Of course, it wouldn't matter if we knew where we were going, as I'd be with a man in a kilt (major fantasy come true). Oh, and to explore the areas of London in Deb's books would be another must. I recently took a side trip through the Adirondacks due to Julia's influence. Another place that intrigues me is Burma or Myanmar. After reading Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning, I've been interested in this area, which has seen such turbulence and yet has such spiritual connections. <br /><br />In fact, I'm learning a lot of geography through the Reds' novels. Lucy's books enable me to walk through the streets of one of my favorite places on Earth, Key West. Rhys takes me back to New York to learn the lay of the land in the early 20th century by having Molly walk so many places. Hank is teaching me about the geography of Boston, a place I want to visit (who knew there were so many bridges?). Hallie is showing me areas of New York that are historically fascinating. Susan, I'm getting to your books and am so looking forward to traveling through the mid-twentieth century London. <br /><br />I will have to include some geographical reading in my book bonding with the grandkids, now, too. Their father, my son-in-law, is a map book addict, so they have that influence, too. And, my daughter loves reading books about Africa, so that influence should rub off, too.<br /><br />The best aspect of this blog is that it always leads me to places of interest, physical and imaginary. It is indeed a map by which to live and learn.<br /><br /> Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-67802410412199796392014-01-13T14:17:44.796-05:002014-01-13T14:17:44.796-05:00Debs, I love your evenings with your grandmother a...Debs, I love your evenings with your grandmother at the globe. I've always loved globes and maps. We only recently got a GPS, gift from oldest son. I've always been the navigator who read the maps and got us there and back, and I can't seem to give up my maps as backup to the GPS, which we named Wilma.<br /><br />I've been to Japan, Mexico, Guam, Hawaii, and England, but there are so many places I want to visit. Ireland, the Scottish Highlands, New Zealand, Chile, India, South Africa, Australia, Vietnam, Canada. And there's so much of this country I'd still like to visit.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20490063199423677882014-01-13T14:13:14.184-05:002014-01-13T14:13:14.184-05:00I adore maps and atlases; I can't get enough o...I adore maps and atlases; I can't get enough of them. As a child, I spent HOURS reading atlases, and picking out places I wanted to visit or move to. Later on, I also fell in love with globes. (And I confess that I've learned a lot more geography on my own than I did in school.)<br /><br />Where do I most want to visit? Right now, I'm especially fascinated with anywhere in Great Britain, although I know I'll never have enough money to get there. (Thanks to some Reds authors, I get to take virtual visits to Great Britain in different eras in time!)Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-20899010267498234382014-01-13T13:37:26.683-05:002014-01-13T13:37:26.683-05:00Great topic. I love maps and geography. Although...Great topic. I love maps and geography. Although no where near the number of countries my husband has visited (70!), I have been lucky to be able to travel a bit. <br />As a child, I was fascinated by the Netherlands and England -- finally got to Amsterdam once, but would love to spend time in either place.<br /><br />The trips I have enjoyed the most have been times when we could spend a week or more -- we once spent two weeks in Antigua, Guatemala. I even found a writing group on a bulletin board there. Taking part in daily life in another part of the world is just fabulous -- going to groceries and churches and post offices.<br /><br />And, like many of you, I love maps and read them like books!<br /><br />Denise Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790883493798517829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-60053374103138222292014-01-13T13:13:11.786-05:002014-01-13T13:13:11.786-05:00My personal opinion about learning about the rest ...My personal opinion about learning about the rest of the world, either through books or via travel, is that we look at each other with wider open eyes. The closer you look, the more we realize how alike we all are. So from that standpoint, it's sad that geography isn't taught. And how do they know the difference between a continent and a candleholder? <br /><br />Ooh, Deb, that sounds wonderful. My middle daughter just told me yesterday that she and her boyfriend are moving to Madrid for a year, beginning mid-September. I've been wanting to go to Spain, so I'm looking forward to spending time there with them. <br /><br />My blog here: http://seetheusablog.com/2013/10/23/what-happened-tanzania/<br /><br />All the photos are mine, so don't expect much. <br /><br />Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72241596331712159102014-01-13T12:09:51.497-05:002014-01-13T12:09:51.497-05:00Retirement has given me the opportunity and time t...Retirement has given me the opportunity and time to visit places that I, like others here, only dreamed about on the globe (unlighted) that we had when I was a child. Sincere retiring I've been to Scandinavia, Egypt, the Middle East (where I met and traveled with Margaret Coel and her husband), and two years ago this week my partner and I were in Tanzania on safari. It's everything I imagined it would be. The first giraffe I saw in the wild (where these animals belong) took my breath away. And then last night I finished "Kim," by Rudyard Kipling, and now I'm thinking I need to put India on my list. <br /><br />Of course, I need not tell fans of the Jungle Reds that reading gave me this wanderlust, and though I didn't know the quote as a child, "There is no frigate like a book" is as true for me at nearly sixty years of age as it was when I was six.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275718725422568789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-82402349590891027562014-01-13T11:38:20.531-05:002014-01-13T11:38:20.531-05:00I am always amazed by how little geography is incl...I am always amazed by how little geography is included in the general canon these days. With the advent of technology, I think there is less emphasis on maps, map-reading and map-making overall, which always saddens me a bit. <br /><br />I love travel. My favorite thing to do is wander unfamiliar streets in new places and people watch. I'm outrageously fortunate because my work often includes travel (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, India & Sri Lanka in the last two years), which means I get to hear wonderful stories all the time.<br /><br />All that being said, I have used GPS navigation in the US on family trips. We rapidly discovered some of the limitations of the technology - at one point being directed through a nuclear power plant to the business owner's home rather than the mini-golf course we were hunting - but feel liberated to just take off on a trip without needing to do as much planning. Sometimes, we deliberately let the GPS make suggestions to see what we can discover. This is known in the family as GPS fishing. <br /><br />Lysa MacKeenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17181340298888540045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-34546181982265195232014-01-13T11:11:30.794-05:002014-01-13T11:11:30.794-05:00P.S. I may get to go to Spain this year, courtesy ...P.S. I may get to go to Spain this year, courtesy of my Spanish publisher--to Barcelona! Long on my bucket list!Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519514786198185277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69830396371012675882014-01-13T11:10:07.032-05:002014-01-13T11:10:07.032-05:00Karen in Ohio, they don't teach geography in s...Karen in Ohio, they don't teach geography in schools now??? Tell me it's not true! How can children grow up with any concept of the world and how they relate to it? <br /><br />Susan, does Mattie's school have geography? <br /><br />Sam Cooke is rolling over in his grave...<br /><br />Karen, I'd love to see more about your trip to Africa!<br /><br />A funny thing--I've stayed in a flat (a small house, really) in London that belongs to a woman who grew up on coffee plantation in Kenya. She knew Joy Adamson (Born Free) and wrote a biography of her. <br /><br />I love all these life connections...Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519514786198185277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22192172701536369792014-01-13T10:18:42.414-05:002014-01-13T10:18:42.414-05:00Debs, the story about you, your grandmother and th...Debs, the story about you, your grandmother and the globe is lovely and wonderful, thank you!<br /><br />I wish I still had my old globe. I remember spending a lot of time planning where I would go when I grew up. But maps? Ugh! I am embarrassingly bad at Geography.<br /><br />We recently bought a little GPS thingie and I am smitten with it. When we get close to home, it always brings us a different way and we have discovered some delightful little mountain back roads we never would have found otherwise. They're roads I don't think I'd travel alone, but with Donald, Harley and GPS, they're a bunch of fun and great photo opportunities abound.<br /><br />My dream trip? Back to Greece.Kaye Wilkinson Barley - Meanderings and Museshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07486129009717476920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-11725481440680969252014-01-13T10:11:42.722-05:002014-01-13T10:11:42.722-05:00My place will always and forever be Asia. It's...My place will always and forever be Asia. It's no secret that my gramps sailed the South China Sea in the 1930s and saved his stories and photos for his granddaughters decades later. I've traveled most of Southeast Asia and lived in Vietnam, and would go back every year if I could. <br /><br />As for one of those books that sparked my childhood wanderlust, it was my great aunt Emma's copy of The World in 1,000 Pictures from the 1950s, a pictorial trip around the globe. In fact, last year when I started remembering it, I got online and found a used copy, and just looking at its photos brings back such wonderful memories of dreaming about travel when I was a kid on a farm in Eastern Washington.<br /><br />Now, when I want to return to Asia for a night, I watch my very worn copy of The Year of Living Dangerously.<br /><br />Susan, that story sounds fabulous - I'm going to go order a copy right now!<br /><br />Hank, I can't wait to track down TripTiks for some research I'm doing.<br /><br />Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354719566758459929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-25262708943630582292014-01-13T09:53:44.430-05:002014-01-13T09:53:44.430-05:00Love maps. Hate GPS. Word of warning: do not trust...Love maps. Hate GPS. Word of warning: do not trust GPS in rural Maine. You're likely to end up on a dead end dirt road instead of where you want to be.<br /><br />Kathy/Kaitlyn in rural Franklin County, MaineKathy Lynn Emersonhttp://www.kaitlyndunnett.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-90073789728885651582014-01-13T09:28:33.312-05:002014-01-13T09:28:33.312-05:00I can read paper maps and did for years. But they ...I can read paper maps and did for years. But they are awkward to read in the car (all that folding), and I can never get them folded back up so they go neatly in the glove compartment. Much easier when Google Maps talks to me on my phone.<br /><br />I'd like to go to Australia/New Zealand and Italy - but also Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, the Grand Canyon and other places right her in the USA. So much to see, so little time (and money).Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-23101538937474879252014-01-13T08:58:44.087-05:002014-01-13T08:58:44.087-05:00P.S. Thank you, Roberta! P.S. Thank you, Roberta! Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-14712572174435880902014-01-13T08:57:39.887-05:002014-01-13T08:57:39.887-05:00Nope, they no longer teach Geography in schools. A...Nope, they no longer teach Geography in schools. And it's a shame, too. So many Americans don't know about our own country, let alone the rest of the world. <br /><br />Except for traveling in my imagination, and two trips 30-50 miles outside the borders of the US into Mexico and then Canada, I was never out of the country until 13 years ago. Since then I've been to four other continents, and have so enjoyed seeing sights and people I'd only dreamed about. Did you know you can see the curve of the earth from 50,000 feet? And that flying to Australia or other faraway places it's possible to see the sun go down at the back of the plane and then rise again at the front of the plane? <br /><br />When we went to Sydney we thought two weeks was a lot of time, but Australia is so vast. We didn't even see all of New South Wales, let alone any of the rest of that amazing country. We rented a car, though, which came with the best map ever. It was amazingly detailed, showing every single thing you might use as a landmark: fire hydrant, phone box, store names. Between helping my husband stay on the right (wrong) side of the road and navigating, I had a ball with that map. <br /><br />In October my husband, a wildlife photographer, took me along on a trip of a lifetime, a two-week safari in the Rift Valley in Northern Tanzania. Another enormous place, but absolutely teeming with life, both animal and human. I danced with Maasai women, and ate goat and chicken with my hands at a traditional Tanzanian family barbecue, and slept in tents (but in four-poster beds) in the middle of the Serengeti with hippos rubbing against the tent in the middle of the night. <br /><br />The maps failed us in Africa. Here at home Steve and our friend Terry, while planning the trip, looked at the maps and decided where we would go and when, based on distance. You'd do that here, right? Thirty miles is nothing in the US, even in rural areas. Not so in Tanzania, where even the best roads are pitted and barely navigable. But in the desert the roads are gravel, pitted, and not really two lanes most of the way. Not to mention all the tour vehicles--including ours most of the time--pulled over for wildlife watching. We spent so, so much time in the vehicle. <br /><br />But it was worth it. I've been blogging about it and have nearly half our trip chronicled, with photos, if you want to read more. Just let me know. Karen in Ohionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6080858877491717692014-01-13T08:51:47.685-05:002014-01-13T08:51:47.685-05:00Hank has a grandson who is 11? She must have been ...Hank has a grandson who is 11? She must have been a child bride! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-62767664404025426342014-01-13T08:26:36.133-05:002014-01-13T08:26:36.133-05:00Yesterday's winners:
Thanks to all for sharin...Yesterday's winners:<br /><br />Thanks to all for sharing the foodie moments. Karen in Ohio, Cara Jones, and Ramona, please email me so you can get your copy of the cookbook!<br /><br />Lucyburdette at gmail dot comLucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7423568508707238942014-01-13T08:22:17.331-05:002014-01-13T08:22:17.331-05:00Hai!Hai!Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12561509790049719972014-01-13T08:16:38.092-05:002014-01-13T08:16:38.092-05:00Edith is a sensei? Whoa ...Edith is a sensei? Whoa ...Jack Getzehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09516237388744739669noreply@blogger.com