Our Feathered Friends

Some birds in a cage
Pretty at rest or in flight
Content and happy

Some people might not like to see birds in a cage rather than flying free, but these birds were in an incredibly clean and attractive enclosure.  Since we have birds in our house, a parrot and a cockatiel, I do not find this offensive. I saw them while visiting a friend at Carondelet Village in Highland, a recently constructed and beautiful community for retired people that already has a loooong waiting list.  

To see more Camera Critters, go here.

Mimes in Old Havana

Need to Make Money
Entertainment on the Street
Supplements Income

Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels

Teacher Leaves Her Mark

They Can Still Work Together

Love Staying in Touch

Incredible as it may seem, Jim, my DH, still sees his second grade teacher.  Over the years, many of the boys who were taught by this remarkable woman occasionally take her out to lunch. During this Thanksgiving season, Jim and I volunteered with "Rosie" on one of her many pet projects, Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels. For several weeks beforehand we and others met at the founder's home, which is equipped with many phone banks to take orders from families.

A brief history of Thanksgiving Day Meals on Wheels in the Metro area:  The many volunteers prepare meals consisting of turkey, dressing, potatoes, vegetable, cranberries, rolls, and pumpkin or apple pie for families in need and delivers those meals to their homes on Thanksgiving Day. The founders, Bill Foussard and Barb Aslesen, work together with 2,000 volunteers who prepare and deliver the meals on Thanksgiving Day. The organization has grown from preparing 24 meals for 3 families on Thanksgiving Day in 1970 in St. Paul, to preparing 16,000 meals delivered to over 3,000 families last year. This year 19,000 meals will be delivered on Thanksgiving Day morning in the Metro area. It's a huge task but merchants and volunteers make this day successful. A big thank you to Bill and Barb who began this tradition so many years ago! 

And, thank you "Rosie" for staying in my husband's life!

Street Cleaners-ABC WEDNESDAY "S"

Individuals

Each With a Different Style

Keeping the Streets Clean

ABC WEDNESDAY-"S"-Steam Engine

 Old-time Steam Engine
No-one Could Resist a Ride
A Step Back in Time


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ABC Wednesday posts.

Hemingway's Tower Studio-#7

 Papa's Studio

A Bright and Cheerful Place

High Above the Trees

My favorite room in Hemingway's Villa

The Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway #6

The Famous Pilar,

Boat much loved by Hemingway

The Sea and Fishing

Moored originally at the fishing village of Cojimar, the boat was brought to Hemingway's villa after his suicide in 1961 and now sits on the old tennis courts. He loved fishing for swordfish and marlin and instead of a yacht used this small fishing boat with his good friend, Gregorio Fuentes, who is said to be the inspiration for Hemingway's novel, The Old Man and The Sea.

Hemingway's #5-Graveyard

The Four Dogs' Graveyard

Quite an Unexpected Sight

Note: Pilar, the Boat

Dining room-Hemingway #4

Splendid Place to Eat

Papa's Trophies on the Wall.

Not My Cup o' Tea!!

Cojimar Fort

A very old fort

Witnessed many fisherman

Looking out to sea

In Cojimar where Hemingway used to fish, play dominoes, and drink there is a small 14th century fort.

ABC WEDNESDAY "R" Cuban Rum

White Rum Mojitos

Refreshing Drinks for Our Group

Uum! So Very Good!

We drank our Mojitos in a Havana bar that was a favorite of Hemingway's.

To see more ABC WEDNESDAY photos, click here.

Reminders of the Past-Hemingway #3-ABC WEDNESDAY

Retrace His Footsteps

The Village of Cojimar

Where Hemingway Fished

"The  main reason for visiting this former seaside village is to retrace the footsteps of Hemingway...who was a regular in the streets and bars.... The bust was paid for with donations from his fisherman friends.

(Credit: Cuba: Thomas Cook traveller guides). Apparently they donated anchors, hooks and tools to pay for the casting.

Although not as picturesque as it was in Hemingway's day, there are still Cubans who like to fish the area.

To see more ABC Wednesday photos from bloggers around the world, go here.

Hemingway #2-Room, Two Views-

As Seen Through a Door

A Room of Books and Trophies

Fascinates Tourists

One of the rooms in Hemingway's villa.

Hemingway Week #1 Entrance to Home

Papa Hemingway's

Popular with All Tourists
Front Entrance to Home

At San Francisco de Paulo on the outskirts of Havana  is the only residence Ernest Hemingway ever owned outside the US.  He lived here, between  the periods of his wanderings, for almost 20 years. He left Cuba when the political situation heightened around 1958 under Batista and returned to his home in Idaho. When news of his suicide in 1961 reached Cuba, the home was made into a museum in 1962.  It was left basically as he left it, with 9000 books, typewriter, furnishings and valuable artwork. The rooms are off limits but can be viewed through doors and windows.

Tourist snapping a photo of one of the rooms.

This coming week I will post numerous photos connected in some way with Hemingway and Cuba.

Cuban People #7-Horse or Bike?-Camera Critters

Special Travel Modes

Either Horse or Bike

Especially in the Country

To see more Camera Critters, go here.

Cuban People #6 School

La Terraza Village School Visit

 Principal of School
A Teacher in Her Classroom
Gracious and Friendly

I told Kay (Sequim, WA) yesterday that I would add pictures of some of the older students to this post today.

Cuban People #5-Students

We visited a small village school in La Terraza, a beautiful rain forest area.

Students in Classrooms

Interested in Us, Too

Handsome Boys and Girls

Cuban People #4 Dos Amigos

"I Love Miami" 

A Message Loud and Clear

Will They Travel Now?

* Move eliminates need for citizens to have exit visa

* Restrictions have been imposed since 1961

* Latest reform under President Raul Castro

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Cuba will scrap much-reviled travel restrictions starting in January, making it easier for its citizens to leave the communist-ruled island in the first major reform to its migration policies in half a century.

The changes reverse tough restrictions imposed in 1961 when the government tried to put the brakes on a mass migration of people fleeing after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.

The government said on Tuesday it would lift requirements to obtain an exit visa permitting departure from Cuba and a letter of invitation from someone in the destination country, putting an end to a process that Cubans complained was too time consuming and expensive, with no guarantee of final approval.

Now, most Cubans will only have to show their passports, national identity cards and, if needed, a visa from the country they will visit to go abroad, deputy immigration chief Colonel Lamberto Fraga told reporters.

In theory, the changes should make it easier for Cubans not only to travel but to work abroad and return home when they want.

But Cubans will still need to obtain visas from most countries, which may not be easy because of fears that those who were granted tourist visas might not want to return to the island.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Quintessential Salsa Instructors-Cuban People #3-ABC WEDNESDAY "Q"

These two artists of the dance gave our group an evening of salsa instructions and dance.

Two Salsa Dancers

Liquid Hips on Both of Them

Fluid and Rhythmic

To see more creative ABC WEDNESDAY posts for "Q" go here!

Tania-Guerilla (Monday Mural)

Tania, the Fighter

Revered Female Guerilla

Fought Alongside Che

Prominently displayed on the wall of the primary school we visited in the village of La Terazzas was the picture of Tania Bunke, an heroic figure of the Cuban Revolution.  Wikipedia has this to say about her: 

Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider (November 19, 1937 – August 31, 1967), better known as Tania or Tania the Guerrilla, was an Argentine-born East German communist revolutionary and spy who played a prominent role in the Cuban government after the Cuban Revolution and in various Latin American revolutionary movements. She was the only woman to fight alongside Marxist guerrillas under Che Guevara during the Bolivian Insurgency (1966–1967) where she was killed in an ambush by CIA-assisted Bolivian Army Rangers.

Go here to see more Monday Murals.