Down in the Dumps

"Rain, rain go away,
come again some other day,...
PLEASE!"

That's all it's been doing this summer up hear in New England, rain. It's been awful, absolutely awful. Summer is supposed to be a time where you go out to the beach get a tan head out and hang with your friends, and go outside while its warm! But nope not this summer, this summer has had a good a week or two to go outside and have some fun. But other than that nope just rain. As you can probably guess right now it's raining hard off and on. So here I am on my computer blogging away. Well hope the summer's been nice to everyone else I would hate for it to have it happen to you too!

Lightning FREAKOUT

This past Sunday the 26th a thunderstorm rolled through. Yet this was the first time that a thunderstorm marked red on the radar pasted through where I lived. It was kind of intimidating at first but I just thought to myself how bad could it be? But oh boy was I in for the strangest, heart pounding, nerve wracking experience. So I'm sitting on my couch on my computer and watching the show Ace of Cakes on Food Network. When the t-storms started to pass through. It was a few rumbles. Then out of nowhere,......KABAM!!! The LOUDEST thunder clap and lightning bolt you have EVER heard! Normally when you see lightning you count one Mississippi, etc. until you here the thunder and if you got below five it was less than a mile away but in this case you didn't have time to count it was at the same exact time. I jumped up faster than a jack rabbit being chased!!! My sister who at the time was sitting in our enclosed porch area inside is now in the back room with me and my dad's financee. Then my dad who is down in the basement darts up stairs to see if everyone is okay. Because at this point we are all freaking out especially my sis. So my dad checks around the house to see if anything is on fire. Everything is okay. There are a few more claps then you look outside and the rain is whipping I almost looks like it would hurt if you stood outside. Soon enough the storm is over, our TV and phone are out but not our lights weird enough. So we are sitting at our kitchen table and my sis' probably had the worst of the experience. She explains that she is on the couch in the front room/porch and all of a sudden there is this big ball of light in front of her and then just runs in the back with us. So knowing me I want to check outside. I find nothing. Then my dad's like let's go check outside so we are checking around and find nothing, but then I go and check all around the cars on the street and find this hole about the size of your fist on the road. It looks brand new because all the tar is crumbly and there are three good sized cracks coming from the little hole and all lead right to the same starting point. At that moment I realize that LIGHTNING hit literally right in front of my house!!! From on now when ever I hear thunder or see lightning I will think of this moment.

Lowell Folk Festival '09

This past Saturday I went to the Lowell Folk Festival with my family, it was a simple drive for me all it took was like a couple of minutes. For those of you who have know idea what the Lowell Folk Festival is it's, when bands from all over come to play for the public. There is also food from all over the world! You can also find little shops all over the place selling things from toys and junk to jewelry and hena tattoos. When I went on Sat. it was absolutely gorgeous for a change. We met up with a couple of our friends and listened to awesome music. I can't really describe much more but all in all it's just a great way to see Lowell's Downtown.

Place of the Week!

Okay so I know that I have not been telling you the Place of the Week on Sunday like I said, but hey I have a busy schedule and at least I get to it! So lets get to it. Last weeks winner was Soldeu, Andorra. Their reign as winner has come to it's end. So without further or do I present to you,......Taipei, Taiwan as our new winner of Place of the Week! Come back next Sunday (or Monday) to find the new winner!!!

What is the old saying? "Elephants never forget”

Elephants march through hotel lobby after it was built on their migration trail!


The Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia happens to have been built next to a mango grove that one family of elephants has always visited when the fruit ripens. When they returned one year and found the luxury accommodation in the way, they simply walked through the lobby to reach their beloved grove of trees.

The animals come in two-by-two. Hotel staff and visitors have gotten used to the elephants' impromptu strolls through the lobby. Now the family group, headed by matriarch Wonky Tusk, return every November and stays for four to six weeks to gorge on mangos - up to four times a day. Andy Hogg, 44, the lodge director, has lived in South Luangwa National Park since 1982. But in all his years of dealing with wild animals he has never seen such intimate interaction between humans

"The most interesting thing about these wild animals," explains Andy, "is that this is the only herd that comes through, and they come and go as they please."

Mfuwe Lodge consists of seven camps and the base camp where the elephants walk through. Employing 150 staff, the management of the lodge report that there have been no incidents involving the wild elephants to date. "The elephants get reasonably close to the staff, as you can see in the pictures of the elephants near the reception area," Andy explains. "But we do not allow the guests to get that close." "This is the only place in the world where elephants freely get so close to humans," says Andy. "The elephants start coming through base camp in late November each year to eat the ripe mangos from our trees."
Living in the 5,000 square mile national park, the ten-strong elephant herd is led to the lodge each day by Wonky Tusk. The hotel was built directly in the path of the elephants' route to one of their favorite foods… mangos.

"Guests can stand in the lounge but only as long as there is a barrier between the elephants and the guests," he added.

"The elephants are not aggressive but you wouldn't want to tempt them. It is the elephant's choice to be here and they have been coming here for the last ten years. There are other wild mango trees around, but they prefer ours. The lodge was unwittingly built upon their path,” Andy says, "so we had no idea they would do this. It wasn't a design error, we just didn't know. The lodge was built and the elephants started walking through afterward."

"We keep people at a safe distance, but allow them close enough to see what is going on. These are still wild and dangerous animals, so there must be enough time for people to get away."

The hotel is set in idyllic national parkland. Naturally, the lodge becomes busier for both elephants and guests during November. "We find that we get more people visiting us during the elephant migration because of the unique experience of being so close to wild animals in an unusual environment," says Andy. "But as I said this is a totally natural phenomenon, as the elephants come here of their own accord. It is certainly a rare but magnificent sight."

Place of the Week

So I was thinking about how well this transition from day to week has gone. And to my surprise it's probably the best thing that I have done in a while. Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. There has been like no time. I will try to get some blogs in tonight. So Accra, Ghana your week has been good but it has come to it's end. So without further or do I present to you the next place of the week,...............Soldeu, Andorra!!! Congratulations Soldeu you have just won this week's contest!!! Come back next Sunday for the next winner!!!

Place of the Week (not day)

As you could probably tell by the title I'm cutting Place of the Day down to Place of the Week. Why you ask, well it's because of this. I have been so overwhelmed of trying to get on my computer to blog on this (yes I am truly that dedicated), that I have been bending rules. So it is now Place of the Week. So to kick it back off from a week without the computer the first Place of the Week is.......................Accra, Ghana!!! I choose this place because of it's recent visitor,....Mr. President, Barak Obama!!! Come back next Sunday for the new winner!!!

Being "Unplugged"

Hi guys. I wont be posting the next week, from now till Sunday. So I wanted you to be aware that I will not be posting for a whole week!!! That's like awful. I suppose you want to know why I'm not going to be posting for a week huh. Well I'm goin' to Cape Cod staying at our beach house, with no wireless connection, just dial-up from the stone ages. So I still have to post a lot. But I don't have the time today. I am also getting a new phone today. Called the ALIAS by Verizon. Well just thought I would let you know.

P.S. Did you know I have had a post everyday since I have joined on the 14th of June!!! That's 21 day's of non-stop blogging!!! Wow!!! Well talk to you in a week!!!

Kimball Farm's

Kimball Farm was sooooooooo much fun it was undescribable. I went to Kimball Farm's on Friday with my dad, Ivan, and I. So Friday morning I invited Ivan to come to Kimball's he obviously said yes. So we went to pick up and then hed off to Kimball's. When I saw Ivan he got a major haircut it was like wicked short. At that point I need a haircut too. But that's another story. So we got to Kimball Farms at the best time ever, when like no one is there holding up the lines!!! So we went on the bumper boats first. So we are reading the rules before we go on and then this kid decides that he can cut us, so when we turn around we're like ummmm who do you think you are cutting infront of us. But we got over it. So we got on and started to zoom around on the water and every time I would hit Ivan's boat I would soak him. And the thing was he had the fastest boat there was!!! So that was funny. When we got off we went to this newly added arcade. It was so much fun. We played ski ball, baseball, Deal or No Deal, water gun game, this crazy jump rope game, and much more. Everything was different because what you would do is this. So you would put your money into a machine and a card would come out with the amount of money you put in. So when you played the game you would only swipe the card and it would deduct the amount of money it costed and it would program the score of the game into the card too!!! In the end we ended up with like 233 points. We just got candy. Lots and lots of candy. After that we went and had lunch. When I saw the prices of the food I'm like "RIP OFF!!!" But when I saw how much food we got I'm like okay maybe not a rip off. We couldn't even finish our lunch there was so much!!! I got a cheeseburger, onion rings, and MUG's root beer. So we were done and we went mini-golfing. It was soooo long, not the course the wait!!! It was kind of annoying. But it was so much fun. At one whole that was in this cave, we found to secret doors. So we openned them and took a peek inside and couldn't see a thing!!! Soon enough we were done and found out that my dad won by 4 strokes. I came in second and Ivan came in last (hahaha). Lastly we got ice cream. There is no better way to end a hot day but with ice cream don't ya think? Well I do. I got Orange Pineapple, and Ivan got a frozen yogurt, it was coconut choco. chip. Let me tell you there were like 5 gazillion choco. chips in there!!! Soon enough we got to Ivan's condo. and headed on home. When we got home. Me, Lizzie, and Trina went on a bike ride down to our local park, Shedd Park. We rode around the track and I rode through the big deep puddles, so much fun!!! Then we rode our bikes to Fort Hill Park. Then headed home. So my day ended pretty good.

Place of the Day!

I haven't really been sticking to what I said about posting everyday. But as long as I catch up to the present I think I will live. So yesterday's winner was Tbilisi, Georgia. A most beautiful city I must say. But their time has ended so the new winner is,...............Huambo, Angola!!! Congratulations Huambo you have just won!!! Come back tomorrow for the next winner!!!

Place of the Day!

Hi everyone!!! Wow I haven't blogged in like a billion years!!! No more like two days. But it sure feels like it. Because everyday it's like a mandatory to go on and if I don't it's like a little piece of my day is ruined!!! So let's get to the place of the day. Yesterday's winner was Funafuti, Tuvalu!!! But that reign is long over. So I'm proud to present to you the new winner,..................Tbilisi, Georgia (not the state the country). Congratulations Tbilisi you have just won today's contest!!!

Place of the Day!

Hi guys I back to report the next winner. So with Laos being the host country of the current place of the day that brings Asia to two wins!!! Good job Laos. Bhutan being the first winner with the city of Samchi. So c'mon Asia pull it together for more wins!!! So Thakhek, Laos your time has come to it's end so here is the next winner,........Funafuti, Tuvalu!!! Congratulations Funafuti you have just won today's contest!!! Come back tomorrow for the next winner of the place of the day!!!

Place of the Day!

So I haven't been posting everyday like I said I would be. But hey c'mon, I have a life. I can't spend every minute of my day on the computer. But everday I manage to come out with a blog don't I? So let's get back to the purpose of this blog. So yesterday's winner was Rouen, France. So without further or do I present to you the new place of the day,.........Thakhek, Laos!!! Congratulations Thakhek you have just won today's contest!!! Come back tomorrow for the next winner of the place of the day!!!