The Silent "I"

St. Lucia: Island of Dreams

I spent last weekend as a guest of the Bay Gardens Resorts & Spa on the lovely island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.  I had not really heard much about St. Lucia before the trip, but what I found there was a little slice of paradise.  I've taken many sunset photos over the years, but this one is one of my favorites.  The sky was not particularly dramatic, but the sun was a bright, golden orb over a tranquil bay.

While waters of the Caribbean were calm, the island teemed with color from the golden, delicate hibiscus to the hearty ginger stalks bursting with vibrant pinks and reds.  Brightly painted houses dot the lush, green tropical landscape, surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean on one side and the Atlantic on the other.  It's a place that lingers with you long after, a place to dream of when real-life stress and obligations become a little too much. I'm already planning a trip back.

I have a great deal more to say about the fabulous Bay Gardens hotels, the food, the people and more, but this little Photo Friday entry will have to do for now.

Wishing everyone a blissful, dreamy weekend and a little slice of heaven in your own backyard, or wherever you may roam on this big, beautiful planet of ours.

For more virtual travels, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday line-up.

Photos: Copyright Glennia Campbell/The Silent I. All Rights Reserved. Taken with a Nikon D90 DSLR.

Disney California Adventure Cars Land Opening: Seeing Stars

Disney California Adventure' s new Cars Land opened recently, and I was fortunate enough to be part of the media corps of bloggers covering the grand reopening of the park as a guest of Disney Parks & Resorts.  It was an exciting, memorable event that included a red carpet with celebrity guests, thousands of media folks from television, radio, print and online news sources, and a chance to experience Cars Land firsthand before the eager public arrived.  As usual, Disney put on a thrilling show, featuring the opening of Cars Land, an entrance reimagined to look like Walt Disney's Hollywood of the late 1920's, and a brand new techno-night party called the Mad Hatter's T-Party. 

 

Larry the Cable Guy, voice of Mater in "Cars"

The first night featured a red carpet with some of the voice talent from the movie "Cars", including the voice of Mater himself, Larry the Cable Guy.  Larry is a very friendly guy, much like Mater in the movie, and joked around with everyone from the mombloggers to the TV broadcasters to the Radio Disney correspondent on hand.

Larry's co-star, Bonnie Hunt, seemed a little more shy, and was hiding under a baseball cap.  I didn't realize it was her until she was halfway down the red carpet. Owen Wilson was nowhere in sight.

Real Housewives of Cars Land Carry Prada

John Ratzenberger, the Pixar "good luck charm" who appears in some capacity in every Pixar movie, was seemed to enjoy the attention. Ratzenberger's date was carrying a very interesting Cars-adorned Prada bag.  I didn't see these on sale in the gift shop.  Apparently, only the Real Housewives of Cars Land know where to get these.

Help! My PS Vita Won't Charge!

What do you do when your beloved PlayStation Vita - WiFi won't turn on? If you're like me, you probably panic, thinking that you've broken it.  Never fear, there is a simple solution that doesn't involve swearing, throwing it against the wall, or sending it back to the manufacturer:  Just turn over the connector cable so the PlayStation logo is facing up, as shown in the picture above.

You're welcome.

Last weekend, I was going to use my PS Vita to see if I could advance my creepy new friends Lil and Laarg out of the helium-sucking chamber in Escape Plan. Lo and behold, when I pressed the power button, nothing happened, even though it was connected to the charger over night. I asked my son, who only recently gained Vita privileges, what on earth he had done to it, and he swore he was not to blame.

I did some searching on-line and found a few user forums where the question had been raised, and the best advice seemed to be to hold down the power button for 30 seconds, so I tried it.  Nothing. Nada. Zero.  Zilch. After some additional searching, I finally found an answer:  turn over the charger cable so the logo is up, and voila! power is restored.

I seem to have a black-thumb when it comes to electronics, so I have had this happen on other devices.  I've learned to check everything before sending it back to the manufacturer.

Some other helpful tips if your device seems dead:

• Check your outlet to make sure it's a live one.  We have plugged things into outlets only to find that the wall switch was off or the outlet just didn't work.
• Check the connections on all the cables to make sure they are secure.
• Hold down the power button for 30 seconds to see if this will reboot the device.
• If the battery is completely drained, it may take about 20-30 minutes of charging before the device will come back to life. Just leave it alone during that time and don't try to play with it.
• If you are charging it through your PC and the USB port, it may not have enough power. Try plugging it directly into a wall socket instead.
• If all else fails, contact PS Vita Customer Support.

Have fun!

 Disclosure: I received a loan of a PS Vita and copies of the games at no charge, courtesy of PlayStation.  I did not receive any other compensation or incentive to write this post. All opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of PlayStation or Sony Corporation.

Photo Credits:  © Glennia Campbell 2012. All Rights Reserved. 

RIP Lonesome George, Last Pinta Island Tortoise

Lonesome George, the face of the Galapagos Islands conservation efforts, passed away yesterday.  He was well over 100 years old, and may have been around to meet Charles Darwin when he landed there in the 1800s.  He was the last of his sub-species of Pinta Island tortoises and marks the extinction of his kind.

We had the privilege of meeting Lonesome George on a trip to the Galapagos in 2006.  He was a friendly, albeit slow-moving fellow, who munched on greenery and seemed nonplussed by the amount of tourist attention being lavished on him.  At the time, his caretakers had introduced four female tortoises into the pen with him, but he didn't seem at all interested in mating with them.  He was a confirmed bachelor to his dying day.

We joined the Galapagos Conservancy on behalf of our son, largely because of meeting him and understanding the importance of preserving the unique, spectacular wildlife found in the Galapagos Islands.  Even though Lonesome George didn't leave any offspring behind, it is important that we do our part to preserve these islands for our own kids and their kids.

Farewell, Lonesome George.  You were truly one of a kind.

The Accidental Tourists

On Monday, June 25, from 9-10 pm Eastern (6-7 Pacific), I'm participating in a Twitter Party with the wonderful women of Traveling Mom, sponsored by Travel Guard North America a leading travel insurance plan provider.  Travel Guard's Gold Plan covers kids 17 and under for free, and is definitely worth checking out for additional peace of mind for your summer and adventure travel plans. You can RSVP at Traveling Mom to register for prizes during the Twitter Party.  Join us on Monday night to share your adventure stories or your dreams of adventures-to-come!

We're generally not the rugged outdoorsy types who enjoy rock-climbing, mountain biking, and other dangerous activities.  To be honest, my idea of "roughing it" is a motel with no room service.  Some of our trips have led to some unexpected adventures, and this story about our trip to Greenland in 2007, is one of my favorite examples.

On our second day in Qaqortoq, Greenland, we got up early to catch a boat to the Norse ruins at Hvalsey. I had been reading Jane Smiley's historical novel, The Greenlanders, which is set during the 14th century and the waning years of the Norse colony in Greenland.  The book follows the fortunes and misfortunes of one family of Norse settlers, and the toll that disease, famine, and climate change take on them over the years. Most of the book takes place in the fjords near where we were staying, and I was curious to see how the modern scene compared to what was described in the book.  It's a terrific book, one that I highly recommend if you are interested in what might have happened to the Viking colonies that settled Greenland for 500 years, then just disappeared. 

We were supposed to meet our boat at the small dock at the bottom of the hill, and when we got there, there was a small cabin-cruiser waiting for us.  We waited to see if a guide would join us, but didn't see anyone, so we just boarded the boat on our own.  There was a thirty-ish Greenlandic woman on-board, a Danish man, and the captain, a handsome young Greenlandic man who looked a little like a weather-beaten Keanu Reeves. 

As we were getting ready to leave, two older men wearing painting overalls came aboard with buckets of paint and tools.  I wondered if they were doing some work at the ruins, or if we were dropping them off en route. No one except the captain spoke English.  The three men had an animated conversation in Danish, as cigarettes dangled from their lips.  I hoped none of the bottles of paint thinner they were carrying would burst into flames, but I tend to worry like that.

I asked Frank, "Are you sure this is the right boat?" just as the captain untied the boat from the dock. 

"I guess so.  It's 8 am, and this is the only boat here."  He showed me the e-mail confirmation of the time and the name of the boat landing.   We figured they would probably let us know if they weren't expecting us.

Captain Keanu invited us into the cabin and graciously offered us coffee.  It was cold and misty outside, so we welcomed the chance to be inside the warm cabin.  The Greenlandic woman stoically sat outside in the back for a while, but as we sped through the fjord, she got cold and came in.  She didn't speak to anyone on the boat the entire time, so I figured she was most definitely not the tour guide.

We were on the boat for about an hour and made a turn up another fjord, this one full of ice chunks and icebergs of varying sizes.  We could hear the ka-chunk ka-chunk ka-chunk of the boat hitting the ice.  This sound scared me during the first boat trip we took through the icy waters of Ilulissat.  By now, I was used to the sound and no longer feared that the ice was ripping the hull of the boat to shreds and that we were going to sink at any moment, like a mini-Titanic with no band.

As we got further into the ice-covered fjord, Frank noticed a town up ahead, so he asked the captain, "When do we get to Hvalsey?"

Captain Keanu looked at him blankly.  "Hvalsey?  This boat goes to Narsaq."

"Narsaq?  Do we go to Hvalsey Church after Narsaq?" Frank replied.

"No.  We never go to Hvalsey.  Only Narsaq.  I normally don't drive such a boat.  I work on the passenger ship," the captain offered.

"When do you go back?" Frank asked.

"July 11.  Next Tuesday," was the reply.  Frank turned beet red and I thought he was going to have a stroke or a coronary right on the spot.  Now I knew why we kept seeing ambulances parked at the docks. I started to worry.  We pulled into the dock and the workers, the Greenlandic woman, and the Danish man got off, along with all the painting supplies.

I decided to pipe up,"So, when will this boat go back to Qaqortoq?"

"I don't know.  You can get off if you want. Maybe the other captain will take you." 

"Who is the other captain?" I asked.

"The other man who was here," he gestured to the seat at the table where the portly Danish man had been sitting.  "Maybe he take you.  Are you sure you won't get off?" 

I said, "No, thanks." There was no way I was getting off that boat without finding someone to take us back to Qaqortoq.  I had a vision of Captain Keanu and the Danish captain each grabbing one of my legs and trying to pull me off the boat while I dug my nails into the starboard side.  At this point, hijacking the boat and ka-chunk-ing it back through the icebergs myself would not have been out of the question.  Frank looked worried and mopped his brow.

Toyota Women's Influencers Network

Toyota TWIN Camp, Semester 2

This past week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Toyota Women's Influencers Network event,  or "TWIN Camp" at Toyota's US Headquarters in Torrance, California.  Toyota brought together a diverse group of bloggers from all over the US to learn about the company, give feedback on the car-buying process, and test drive some of Toyota's latest products.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the Toyota executives and the other bloggers and the entire TWIN Camp experience.  The trip was organized through the Clever Girls Collective social media agency, and all of our expenses were paid to attend. 

Toyota Rocks!

We started the day at the Toyota corporate training center, aka Toyota University, with a talk by David Nordstrom, Vice President of Digital & Social Media for Toyota Motor Sales, USA.  David spoke about Toyota's company culture and the spirit of "kaizen" or continuous improvement that permeates every aspect of the company.  Toyota is constantly looking for ways to learn, improve, and grow through innovation.  We learned about The Toyota Way, which includes respect, team work, and challenge.   

During the morning session, we also heard from Michael Rouse, VP of Philanthropy and Community Affairs, about the numerous philanthropy and community relations efforts that Toyota sponsors each year. One of the most impressive is the 100 Cars for Good campaign, which is going on right now.  Through 100 Cars for Good, Toyota donates 100 new cars to charitable organizations through a Facebook voting campaign.  Michael impressed everyone with his focus on giving back to the community, with particular emphasis on programs on safety, the environment, and education.  He noted that each dealership is given a matching grant for up to $10,000 each year to give to local community groups of their choosing.  On the safety front, Toyota offers a driving safety course for teens and their parents called Driving Expectations, which is offered throughout the US.

Aside from the presentations on Toyota, the executives spent a great deal of time listening to us about our experiences as car buyers.  Many of us had the classic experience of either being swarmed or ignored at car dealerships, being told "come back with your husband and we'll talk price" when we were the ones buying the car, and generally being pigeonholed into minivans just because we are moms.  They took copious notes, and allowed each one of us to talk about our experiences, both good and bad, at buying cars, whether they were Toyotas or another brand. I have been to these types of corporate events before, and often it feels as though it is a one-way conversation, with the brand telling us how great they are, without asking for input from us as consumers and influencers. Toyota did a great job of really listening to our concerns and seemed to value our input. 

Toyota Product & Marketing Managers

After a morning of lively discussion, we enjoyed box lunches and headed outside to test drive some of the latest Toyota cars, including the Sienna Minivan, Prius V, Prius C, and Camry.  We were met by product marketing managers who were able to answer questions about the cars and rode along with us to point out features.

Ana (Bonggamom) and Me

I teamed up with Ana from Finding Bonggamom to test-drive the new Prius V.  We happen to own a first-generation Prius, so it was fun to see how far the Prius brand had come in the eleven years since we bought ours.  The Prius V is like a small station wagon, with fold-down seats and plenty of leg room.  The Prius line is also totally wired, with Entune technology that allows you to connect certain smart phone apps to perform searches for movies, restaurants, and music through Bluetooth technology. Ana and I enjoyed our drive, even though we veered of the planned course a little and ended up seeing a little more of Torrance than we planned. 

Toyota Advance Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle

 

One of the most exciting cars we were offered to test was the Advanced Fuel-Cell Hybrid.  This is the newest Toyota techology, and is truly "the car of the future", slated to arrive at dealerships in 2015.   Ana and I jumped in the back seat, while Sarah from Sarah & the Goon Squad drove, with Elena from Ciao Mom riding shotgun.  We dubbed it the Starship Enterprise, since none of us could figure out exactly what a hydrogen-fuel cell would do.  We joked that we were going to make a run for the Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills, but decided against it, since we were in a prototype car that probably cost about $1 million to make.  Plus, if we ran out of gas, we would have no clue where or how to fill up a hydrogen fuel cell.  We decided to forego the cupcakes and give someone else a chance to drive it.

Christen Rochon, Divas & Dorks

Some of the TWIN women were well-prepared for the test drive and managed to try out just about every car there.  I only tested out two of them, and was more interested in riding and taking pictures than driving.  I'm not comfortable in new cars until I've had a chance to figure out what all the dials and knobs are for, so I don't accidentally deploy the airbags when I'm trying to turn on the wipers. I was very happy to ride along and note all the features.  

Christen from Divas and Dorks had on a gorgeous red outfit and some high-heeled platforms that went great with the cherry-red Camry. It's as if she planned her outfit to match the car, something we can all aspire to.  Every woman knows that a car makes a great accessory.

After the ride and drive, we listened to panel discussions on Toyota's  commitment to diversity and the environment.  The panels featured an array of impressive women executives and associates who were all dedicated to Toyota's mission.  They made Toyota sound like a really great place to work.  One of the things that impressed me most about our visit to Toyota's National Headquarters was the commitment and dedication that all the people we met had to the company.  Many had been at Toyota for over twenty years or had parents who had worked at Toyota, and were extremely loyal to the company.  Toyota's focus on teamwork and respect for people shines through all of their employees and the quality of the products they produce.

We later visited the Toyota Museum (more on that later) and had a chance to give feedback to the Toyota Marketing Team on our experience at TWIN Camp.

We currently own a first-generation Prius and a Lexus RX300, both of which have been great cars for our family.  It didn't take much to sell me on the quality of the brand, but I walked away from this experience with a great deal more respect for the company and the people who make the cars. I really appreciated the opportunity to have an inside look at Toyota and their commitment to quality, people, and community.

My rating for TWIN Camp? A+

Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post, or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota.

Photo Credits: All photos are © Glennia Campbell 2012.

Kona Coffee: A Traveler's Tale

Visiting coffee plantation tasting rooms on the Big Island of Hawaii is one of our favorite things to do when traveling there. On prior trips to Kona, we stopped at coffee farms and did some coffee tastings of island-grown Kona Coffee, and have been addicted ever since.  Last week, Frank attended a conference in Kona, and before he left, my one charge to him was to bring back some coffee.  He took that seriously, and this is his tale of finding a special family-owned Kona Coffee farm at Da Kine Coffee Bean.  You wouldn't dream of visiting Napa Valley without tasting the wine, so you shouldn't visit Kona without a taste of the rich, wonderful coffee.

Da Kine Sign

I landed on time in Kona, and after getting a grey Chevy Impala and a bite to eat, I headed down Highway 11 to Kona Coffee country.  Before I left for Kona, I had tried looking for some places to try coffee online and found a website for Kona Coffee Roasting listing a huge number of coffee farms and plantations on the western slopes of the Big Island. The list was lengthy, and it was hard to pick a place. However, many of the listings boasted about “cupping competitions,” so I started doing Google searches for Kona coffee farms who won these, and stumbled across an old article that mentioned Terry Fitzgerald and his farm Da Kine Coffee Bean.  It seems he was one of the Kona pioneers.

In the early 1970s, Fitzgerald took over a coffee farm that had gone wild, and helped cultivate Kona Coffee to be what it is today. This sounded like a piece of Kona Coffee history, so I e-mailed him through the website to ask if I could visit, and was told to “come on up”.

So, between milepost 105 and 104 on Highway 11 in Honaunau, I saw the small yellow sign for Da Kine, and headed up the mountain. 20 minutes and 1 mile later (yes, it’s a really rough road), after wondering if I’d made a wrong turn somewhere, I again saw a little yellow “Da Kine” sign, and parked.

Terry Fitzgerald came out to greet me a very friendly man with a beard in a sarong. His wife, Susan, peeked out and also said a cheerful “Hello”, and wanted to know if I wanted my beans dark or medium. They had some dark, but no medium, and I said I’d try both and so she fired up the roaster. At first I was honored at this special treatment, but they said the way they always do it - the beams are all stored green and roasted to order, even when ordering through the internet. While we were talking, their 7 year old son, Sonny, started poking out from behind the bushes, taking pot shots at me with his Nerf gun.

Transit of Venus 2012

 

Transit of Venus

 

On June 5, North America got to witness a rare sight: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun.  This alignment of Venus falling between the earth and the sun shows up as a small dot traveling across the face of the sun.  This astronomical occurrence won't happen again until 2117.

My husband Frank was out with our local astronomy club and was able to capture the image above using his digital camera and a high-powered telescope.  He texted me several times that day to tell me to look outside at sun down so I could see it.  Unfortunately, I was on the East Coast, where giant storm clouds covered the sky most of the day.  I didn't get to see it for myself.  I was glad that he and Alex got a chance to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.  It looked like a lovely sight.

"Venus favors the bold."
-Ovid

Photo Credit: Frank Schellenberg, used with permission. All Rights Reserved.