Check out my new photography blog!

This is the place where I'll be showcasing my best camera work. I really like to hear what you think, so stop by and leave comments:

http://maria-bishop-photography.blogspot.com/

Hopewell Culture National Historic Park

On the opposite side of the road from ominous double-fences of razor wire that encircle the compound of the Ross County Correctional Institution is a quiet little park on the banks of the River Scioto (pronounced by the locals as: sigh-OH-tuh).

Like a peaceful cemetery, a resting place for Northeastern America's indigenous history, the mounds that rise gently from the ground evoke reverence and remembrance.

photos captured via my DROID 2 Global

Don't Worry: We're Not Giving You Malaria

We were both turned away from the Red Cross blood van for having traveled to a high malaria risk area in the last year. We had no idea it would be an issue, or we wouldn't have made appointments or prepared ourselves to be stabbed and drained of our precious blood. It would be really terrible if we came down with malaria now, seven months after returning from Centroamérica. Even worse, what if the blood we were willing to give so generously had made sicker a sick person in need of a transfusion? The Red Cross is very careful in their screening process, and for that we are grateful.

New Phones!

Not too long ago we traded in our dinky Samsung Juke phones for the new loves of our lives: Our First Smartphones! :) :) :) :) :)

We love our Droid 2 Globals! :) What great tools they are. I use mine to read Kindle books, to track my walking/cycling workouts via GPS (www.endomondo.com), to play addicting games like Angry Birds, to send texts and emails to my family and friends, to read the news on the toilet, to navigate around really nasty traffic jams, to remind me about events on my calendar, to make and keep shopping and to-do lists, to take photos of things and upload them to Facebook, etc........ this thing is not my life, but it is really close!

image from: techrockstar.com

Laundry Day

As it turns out, our Hoover washing machine (acquired for $40 with matching dryer) is a vintage model and considered by some to be a collector's item. Its wheels and compact size makes it a favorite choice in Europe and Central America where people live in smaller quarters. Here in the U.S.A. however, many have never seen one of these before.

Electric Washing Machine; Hoover 0517
Made in North Canton, Ohio

This thing makes laundry fun. What can I say? I enjoy the hands-on approach and knowing that I will be controlling the exact amount of water to use. It's also way quicker than I'm used to and uses less energy than giants made today. As one helpful user reports: "you'll get 5 times more clothes done in an hour than any automatic, but that entire hour is hands on for sure, that's the difference." - Discuss-o-Mat user, reply #4

I can't figure out when it was made, but I'm guessing it is vintage 1965 - 1970. Ah, but the Internet has all kinds of information about these kinds of appliances. I joined Discuss-o-Mat (a community of appliance-lovers) to talk about my washer among fellow addicts and experts of vintage appliances, and from there I was referred to the Yahoo group TwinTubEmporium where I found the owner's manual for a related model -- all this in just a few hours today! Oh, and I found these awesome vintage advertisements through my new appliance friends:

This is the Hoover 0519, a first cousin to our model

C is for Supper

We woke up feeling a little under the weather today. Perhaps we're catching what's going around, or maybe sleeping on the floor is taking its toll. It could be that we're not drinking enough water, but whatever it is I had the desire to boost our immune systems with some foods rich in Vitamin C.

raw red bell pepper, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, strawberries, papaya,
broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, orange juice