Tower of Voices, Robo Calls, the Green Parador, National Aviary Tropical Rain Forest

Hi,

September 8 they are dedicating the Tower of Voices at the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset.    It’s an awesome looking structure and has 40 individual wind chimes dedicated to each of the 40 heroes that gave up their lives to save other lives.  Each wind chime has it’s own dedicated tone so it’s like all 40 heroes are talking.  The great final installment to this great memorial.  If you follow the link, be sure to scroll to the bottom to hear the architect’s vision of what the chimes should sound like.   I look forward to hearing the chimes with the wind deciding on the tunes.

Supposedly I have a new feature on my phones to cut out those incessant robo calls, it’s a shame they don’t have one of those to screen regular telemarketers.  When you call the Inn or my personal phone, my voice instructs you to push 1 to talk to me.  Robo calls don’t have fingers and can’t push 1.  🙂

The Parador is reducing it’s carbon foot print even further.  I’ve always had bottled water in the pantry for guests, those thin plastic bottles are not recyclable.  So I installed a water cooler.  And I have small recyclable plastic cups sitting on it.  Besides cold water, it also dispenses hot water.  I have the coffee makers in the guest rooms, but after brewing coffee, there’s always residual coffee oils in the pot and basket that effects the taste of tea.  So I’m killing two bird with one stone.

I replaced that old refrigerator in the pantry that was using about $35 of energy each month with a new much more efficient one that uses the electricity of a 40 watt light bulb.  With moving to just about all LED bulbs and the new windows and other projects I’ve done, my electric bill has dropped from around $1,700 a month with the AC to just over $500.  🙂

I saw Mark last week, he owns Blue Wave Auto Spa on McKnight Road.  I’ve taken my car and before truck to him for mechanical work for years.  Mark, his wife and Chris the mechanic that usually works on my vehicles all came to my 10 year anniversary two years ago.  Mark’s been battling cancer for about a year now.  He’s looked kind of rough for the past several months going through chemo.  I saw him last week and wow does he look better.  I told him and he thanked me for noticing.  We had never discussed his cancer, it was just obvious.  Speaking of cancer Carol & her husband just checked out, when she arrived she was wearing one of those head scarfs to hide her thin hair.  At registration, she was comfortable enough with me that she took the scarf off and we discussed her cancer.  She’s doing well and finished her last chemo and this was their celebration trip from Maryland (not too far, but far enough that it felt like a real get away).  While we are discussing cancer, my sister Sue had her last chemo yesterday.  She also would wear  scarfs to cover her thin or no hair.  Luckily for me, I have not battled cancer and am bald anyway.  If I was going through cancer, I would not wear a scarf, even if I normally had hair.  I think you cancer battlers should not wear scarves and show off you lack of hair as a badge of honor.  Having cancer is not something to be ashamed of and the hair issue should be a badge of courage.   Mark, Carol and Sue have shown in their battles this is something to admire.

Yesterday all day when walking back and forth between the courtyard & office and the kitchen I kept hearing a bird chirping along the brick walk way in front of the carriage house. I’m looking up thinking birds were building a nest up above.  Finally late afternoon, I stopped when I heard it and paid closer attention.  You know those terracotta chimney pots I have outside Ruellia’s door.  Some stupid baby robin must have flown and landed on the lip and fell in and couldn’t fly back out and was calling for help.  I had become suspicious because I kept seeing a female robin obsessing in the area pacing back and forth.  So I aimed a flashlight in the dark space and there was this large baby down there.  I picked up the terracotta pipe freeing her and she never said thank you, the rude SOB.  🙂  She was in the chimney pot on the left:

And finally for today, the National Aviary just opened the newly renovated Tropical Rain Forest room, this includes a 15 foot waterfall, all the glass has been replaced with a special non reflective bird glass so birds don’t try and fly into it and predator birds on the outside can’t see in it also lets bird beneficial UV light in.  I stopped by today to pick up more tickets from my contact Audrey who took me over to see it, but they were still hosting their press photo op and I passed.  Audrey invited me back anytime to see it.  What I saw was impressive.  Also, they moved my buddy the old guy sloth from his glass cage by the rear entrance into the Rain Forest.  Audrey says he should be happy with his new digs and hanging out with the other Rain Forest natives.

That’s it for today guys, have a great weekend,

ed