Tagged With "duck pond"
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Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
Glad you're traveling again, Mac. Boston is my home town, and October is THE BEST MONTH. Where are you staying in the city? I'd walk the Freedom Trail if you're feeling up to it. Go down to the waterfront. Boston Common and Charles Street are fun places to hang out. Newbury Street is fancy shopping and also has a few fun bistros and coffee shops. The Science Museum is excellent. Plenty of seafood to be had. New England clam chowder is great if you have sweater-weather. Go whale-watching...
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Re: Shunpiking Through Northern Ohio
I enjoy your journeys around " Small Town USA". The US has such a wealth of history. You should write a book so that Brits like me know where to search for new ventures - ready for my next trip across the pond. Thank You.
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Re: August 2 2017: Duck Herding in the Kerala Backwaters
Do you know if they use the duck's eggs, or whether they're harvest for their meat?
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Re: August 2 2017: Duck Herding in the Kerala Backwaters
I don't know for sure, but I think that the ducks are probably bred for their meat. Having said that, I did not once see duck on any of the menus here. The destination markets, however, might be elsewhere in India or even abroad.
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Re: August 2 2017: Duck Herding in the Kerala Backwaters
In Bali I watched from my rented house in the rice paddies as ducks were regularly brought to the fields to eat insects and fertilize the crop. Not to say they don't eat them, too, but probably a similar routine in So. India.
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Re: Boston's Beautiful Public Garden
It's a great garden and a wonderful place to go for a walk or jog at the end of a summer's day.
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
You must be civilised in Canada too - cricket ! The original design for Central Park NY was made here - near Liverpool UK Birkenhead Park. Same guy did both. Just a bit smaller. We're a bit pushed for space over here !
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
We are indeed very civilized here, but in full disclosure, cricket is just a footnote sport. Not played by many. There is only one sport in Canada and that is hockey. Every other sport combined would not equal half the popularity of ice hockey.
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
I guessed that DrF - that guy is way too close to the parked cars !
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
Close but no cigar on Central Park's designer (who also did my backyard, Brooklyn's Prospect Park). Birkenhead was the work of Joseph Paxton, while the other two were done by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Olmsted visited Birkenhead in 1850, three years after it opened, and while he was already thinking about Central Park, which opened in 1858. In his book "Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England, Olmsted wrote about Birkenhead: "five minutes of admiration, and a few more...
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted won a design competition to improve and expand Central Park with a plan he entitled the Greensward Plan . 8 years AFTER Olmsted visited the Peoples Garden - Birkenhead Park England. He said "that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with this People’s Garden" So he took the plans back to New York. Entered the Central Park competition 8 years later. And won using Paxton plans from the Peoples Garden in England as a guide.
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
Garry, no one doubts Paxton's influence on Olmsted, and on generations of others (as Olmsted influenced those who came after him), but surely there's a vast difference between learning from a master and applying similar ideas to different terrain on the one hand, and "plagiarism" of any sort on the other. That's especially so when we see how fully and publicly Olmsted acknowledged the model!
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
Apr 13, 2013 The boss of New York’s Central Park hailed his first visit to Birkenhead Park which inspired its design as “a dream come true” Doug Blonsky, president and chief executive of the New York Central Park said: “You drive around Birkenhead Park and there is no question that the physical similarities between here and Central Park are there" “To come here and take a look at it is a dream come true for me."
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr. 20, 2014: Spring Comes to the Botanic Garden
Another view of spring, in your almost-neighbor right across the pond, London's St. James Park. I couldn't resist it (from Londonist today).
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Re: The Berkeley Pit, Butte, Montana (Where Gumbo was #130)
Fascinating. The tailings pond looks so inviting. I hate to think that water fowl might land there. I hope animal instinct keeps them away from the toxic water. I also wonder what will become of the pit after the water is purified and pumped away. Or, will that process continue indefinitely because of the water seepage?
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Re: The Berkeley Pit, Butte, Montana (Where Gumbo was #130)
Thanks for your comment, HistoryDigger. The tailing pond is relatively shallow and I don't believe is anywhere near as contaminated as the pit water. But I still wouldn't swim in it (not that you could, the entire area is sealed off except to workers) The pit water really is not accessible to anything except birds flying in, and hopefully their natural fear of flying into a hole would keep them away. There's enough rivers and lakes nearby that they have a lot of options -- not like trying to...
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Re: Autobahn driving hazards: ducks and planes
It must be duck season in Europe! Moments after I posted the story above, I found an Italian weekend story, with video, of Rome police holding up traffic in the Italian capital. A passerby posted a video of the action, and now, perhaps, ducks will replace cats in internet popularity. Anyway, here's the story, with the video embedded near the bottom
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#338)
After eating lunch Gumbo can walk a short distance to another gathering place where he will find this young boy fishing in a pond: Or if the time of year is right, he might even find Santa Remember, the last clues go up tomorrow, so you have two days before Monday's reveal to get you guesses in.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've often advised travelers with jam-packed itineraries to step back and leave themselves time to take a walk in a park or sit there a while, experiencing what the locals see and do. That is absolutely excellent advice. I hope that most people were wise enough to take your advice. Many of my best trip memories are made of such stuff. Thank you so much, PHeymont, for this walk in the park. It is just what my jangled nerves needed today.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I suspect a walk in the park is a habit acquired over time and familiarity with a place. I have a feeling, too, that the urge to go at top speed is the initial and overriding one. Or is it years and not travel experience that slows us down enough for such places to finally come into focus? Looking back over the decades I think maybe it's the latter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I do think people's perspectives and priorities change with time. For example, I care little about a bar or nightlife scene in most of my destinations nowadays; that mattered more to me when I was much younger. I have always loved walking in parks because of the beautiful gardens, etc. But I think i'm much more into people watching in these places than I used to be. One of my favorite places to visit is the provincial park a short block from my home. It's grand to go for a walk in it, see...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Maybe travel advice of the very concrete sort then, hotels, trains, etc. is the most satisfying for all concerned. A suggestion to slow down just may not compute, something for each of us to discover on our own. So PHeymont may be preaching to the choir...may he continue.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Good advice is good advice. People can accept it or ignore it. I'm all for freedom of choice. But sometimes an alternative needs to be presented in a clear way, as PHeymont has nicely done in this piece.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I don't disagree. Just pointing out the nature of human beings and, like world peace, we can wish for it while not actually expecting everyone to join in. But lessons are learned from war too and how would we feel about every tourist in town flocking to OUR park.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've mentioned in other pages that I love wide open spaces - like the State Delaware Park - but the designer of New York Central Park rung a Bell with me. Frederick Olmsted came to Liverpool to check out the "Peoples Garden" and he wrote in 1850 : "Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent studying the manner in which art had been employed to obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
It is clear that the "dumb" animals always seem to know the best places to hang out. We can never have enough parks. Nice to read that Frederick Olmsted also knew a good park when he saw one. Thanks for that info GarryRF
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Garry's note about Olmsted's travels (and he was quite a traveler) set me off on a quick look to find the park he was referring to (which I didn't; apparently "people's garden" was a description rather than a name?) and found that Liverpool has more parks and especially top-class parks than any British city besides London. The article also mentioned that for reasons of health—and keeping social unrest down—the city commissioners set out on a park-building spree starting about 1833. Many...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Another Park from the 1850s. People would escape Liverpool for the day and travel north to Hesketh Park. 20 minutes on the train. This is taken in Mid-Winter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Originally Posted by Grouchy Gumbo: The last pic is of my cousin Priscilla, who lives in Prospect Park. I see that you gave her a little gnosh. Not that she needs it. She seems to be putting on a little extra "winter coat" this year. She has a fine home. I would really like to visit the park sometime. Grouchy, I'm curious how a squirrel manages long distance travel to visit relatives. Maybe you can enlighten us mere mortals.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #5
I had begun to think along the lines of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Good job, Mr JohnT.
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Re: Help Celebrate Gumbo's New Year: Pick Your Favorite Pictures!
I'm going to agree with Rob and give the edge to DrY's above. But must add, I'm just a sucker for lotus. My favorite souvenirs are pods collected from the garden pond of a little house I rented in Bali in the paddies. For those of you likewise enamored with these beautiful plants, a place to see them in profusion without traveling to Asia is a remarkable garden just outside Santa Barbara, California, called, appropriately, Lotusland. The "official" site isn't loading for some reason so I...
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Re: Flying this week? Check your Airline!
As "Climate Change" continues to keep Western Europe in a warm Caribbean breeze - then crossing the pond will be fine. Presuming - of course - you get a take off from America !
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Re: Expect to pay more for travel in 2015
Travelling "out of season" has wonderful rewards. When the kids are in school time and avoiding national holidays are a great bonus. I've used airports in Scotland because they have differing school breaks from England. And saved £££££'s. But now the kids are adults I can still use the lessons I've learned. I don't think the American side of the pond enjoy "Bartering and Haggling" as much as Europeans do.
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Middleton Place
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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A Home for Caribbean Artists: The Puerto Rico Museum of Art, San Juan
Sometimes, at home or traveling, you miss an obvious place to visit, just because it’s nearby and you can fit it in “any time.” On our last day in Puerto Rico, we finally got to visit the museum around the corner and a few blocks...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 6, 2015: Turtle Watching in Trinidad
I've been all over the world but never turtle watching in my own country. That was until last weekend when I got to get up close and personal and experience this natural wonder. The main nesting season for sea turtles in Trinidad and...
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Brooklyn's Spectacular Botanic Garden (Where Gumbo Was #112)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a pint-size treasure that always seems bigger than it is (and which occupies an outsize place in botanical research) was this week's answer to Where in the World is TravelGumbo? Because the Garden presents an array...
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How to Irk the Brits
An instructional video for those of us on the correct side of the pond on proper tourist etiquette in Mother England. Here's the link to that video from Yahoo Travel. Comments anyone? I'll start by saying...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, October 27, 2014: Nene, Kauai
A nene is a goose native to Hawaii and is that island's state bird. The first time I saw nene was several years ago when my wife and I spent a week in Maui. We spotted them while on a drive to the summit of the dormant volcano,...
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Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, Lethbridge
I'm fond of visiting gardens and enjoy their beauty and tranquility. This seems especially true of the Japanese Gardens I've visited, which combine the various elements -- carefully pruned trees and shrubs, flowing and still water, and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Apr. 20, 2015: Les Canards en Seine
You often hear how important it is to "get all your ducks in a row." Well, here they are, lined up on a chilly December morning in Paris. These three were taking their chances (or their leisure...I'm not a duckologist) in turbulent water just...
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Finding Nature in England: Holkham National Reserve
Kirsten Hines continues her voyage of natural discovery in England, this week with a stop at Holkham National Nature Reserve.
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5 Spectacular Heritage Sites in Delhi
To make your stay in Delhi sultanate more enticing, we have brought to you the list of 5 best heritage sites in Delhi visiting which will bring you more close to the Delhi and its rich culture. Scroll down the list below – 1. National Rail Museum in New Delhi National Rail Museum in New Delhi The National Rail Museum in Delhi is all about the taking a journey into the past. The museum is a perfect place for spending some quality time with your loved ones. People on their Delhi day tour...
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April 18, 2017: Sunrise, Sunset: Life in the South African Bush
Join Marilyn Jones on a photo-safari in South Africa.
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California Gardens 2017: Gold Country, Part I
PortMoresby returns to a subject dear to her heart with the first of a 5 part series on gardens within driving distance of her home.
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August 2 2017: Duck Herding in the Kerala Backwaters
We at TravelGumbo have heard of herding cats, but this is our first exposure to shepherding ducks. ProfessorAbe illustrates.
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Dispatches from Ikaria: Part 4
Professor Abe's fun and insightful series on visiting Ikaria concludes this week. Be sure to check out the great story and accompanying photos
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July 19, 2017. Life around a Pond
Pierre Renault shares some everyday scenes from one of the many ponds one finds in southwestern Alberta.