Wonderfull day but ...

What a glorious day, the clouds are amazing. I've been busy lately with my adventures so I'm taking a break to have some "Me" time. Somehow though, I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen.

While in Patagonia

On my last trip to Patagonia I hung out with an old friend of mine from the early days, Guido, a wind-burned gaucho who trains gnarly dogs that chase and herd long-tailed sheep. Here I am in this picture helping Guido train the dogs by showing them how to keep the sheep from going through the fence behind me. Chip, the lead dog, was off and running after a stray, so I had a hard time keeping his attention. I'm not sure dogs are really right for this job, but they seem to like running and they don't charge much. Guido helped me out by handling my horse for me while I got down on the ground with the dogs.

Ice Bound ...

Well, after many attempts I finally made it to the South Pole. It took years of planning and I had to use some money from my trust fund. I must say though that it isn't what I expected. The penguins are numerous, aggressive and unusually large, probably from chowing down on burgers and fries. Looks like I'll be here for awhile as my ship got stuck in the ice. I'm a little concerned that the penguin eying me may be thinking I'm his next meal.

Penny In The Sky

John was going to name the song Penny In The Sky With Diamonds, but we had a major fight just before it was recorded. The real secret, though, is this ... if you play "I Am The Walrus" backwards, it says, "Penny is beautiful, Penny is beautiful" over and over again. Try it!

On The Trail

I spent weeks training for this race, making sure that all was in order. I practiced saying "mush,mush" many times. Everyone was excited and raring to go except for ... what a stick in the mud! I should have known better, he just didn't seem to be "into it" like the other guys. Maybe I can trade him in for a dog at the next rest stop.

I Can Only Hope

Wow, I think I went to the wrong tea party recently in Boston.

Some guys were wearing weird wigs and many of the 3,000-5,000 people who attended seemed really angry.

Worst of all... there wasn't any tea!

Do you think if I let go of these balloons the hot air will make them pop? or, they will float away and disappear?

Stuck, Once Again

With Jenkins it's always something. He wanted to drive to the mall so we could go shopping. I said, "fine, just make sure we have gas". Obviously he didn't, we ran out of gas, and got stuck by the side of the road. I sat on the hood trying to flag down other drivers for help. No one stopped! Finally, Loxy came to our rescue. I'm thinking of making Jenkins walk back home. I'm sure we will laugh about this later, but, for now, I just want to get home, clean up, have some dinner, and chill on Facebook.

Jenkins of Arabia

My brother, Jenkins, suffers from a case of "wanderlust". He often is taking off at a moment's notice. I just received this picture of him somewhere in the Sahara desert in Africa. Apparently, there is talk of remaking the classic 1962 movie "Lawrence of Arabia"and he is anxious to try out for the lead part. I think his chances of landing the role are slim but, maybe he can get the supporting role as Lawrence's "friend".

Hot Air Balloon Ride

It’s seldom that we as a family can get together with our friends, the Griffin’s and the Simpson’s, so we grab the chance whenever there's an opportunity to do so. For our balloon trip, Fee-Fee even flew in from Peru where she has been leading expeditions along the Inca Trail and I, for one, was very glad to see her. The saucy redhead is a friend of Bart's. Jenkins, as usual with his hang-dog look, was upset because Peter was in charge of the gas jets.

Abbey Road

John, stop, please wait ... don't keep walking while I'm standing here trying to get your attention. That evening with Keith didn't mean anything. Help! I saw you standing there! I love you, yeah, yeah, yeah! Hey, you can't hide your love away! I want to hold your hand! Give love a chance! (BTW, I'm better looking than Yoko.)

Walking the Space Walk

As promised here it is, I got my chance, here I am outside of the Space Station making a minor repair. What an adventure, one I will never forget. I'm sure my brother Jenkins is envious.

Finally "Space"

Finally, after years of hard work and having my family pull strings I graduated from the NASA Space Program. My flight is scheduled for next month to bring supplies to the Space Station and I get to be the pilot. Wow ...

The other guys on the flight are envious of me because I will be staying on the Space Station for 2 months to make repairs. Stay tuned, I'll send a picture of my first space walk.

My "Beast"

All my friends thought I was crazy to date Jim. They were petty and called him "Beast". I liked him just the way he was, though he claimed to have been a handsome prince earlier in his life. After an elegant and lavish dinner, Jim and I tripped the light fantastic at the Cotillion Ball. Though he is sweet and makes an effort, his dancing leaves much to be desired. I know from past experiences that my feet will be sore in the morning. I can not refuse him though, I'm putty in his hands.

High Wire Act

I don't know what happened! I couldn't sleep last night so I just took a little something and then I woke up in my nightgown on a tightrope with two waiters from an Italian restaurant! I hope they know what they're doing. I wish they'd brought their accordions.

Divided! ...

The nation's founders warned strenuously against the rise of political parties, but they arose anyway. If GW could see the gridlock that exists today in American Politics he would be appalled. Hopefully something can be done to insure that politicians work together for the betterment of all, instead of themselves, and their special interests.

Lost In Africa

When I was in Africa, I got lost and stopped for directions. I met a man - a compelling, rugged sort of man with a somewhat oversized head. We were immediately drawn to each other. His name was Bogie and he called me Princess. We traveled together for a while. In this picture, he is explaining something to me. I wanted to look at him, I really did ... but I was a afraid, afraid of the attraction ...

Traveling

Oy, my brother really misunderstood me. I told him I wanted to take a bow, not be a bow, in my new blue dress. Now look where I am! I'd be really mad except the name of the ship is "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful" so I kind of make sense as the figurehead.

In A Hurry

... so I'm driving to work the other day and I'm thinking I don't want to be late so I pick up the speed a little and, really, I was only going about 130 mph when I hear a siren. I think, OMG, not the police! ... I get pulled over and I say to the cop, "Officer, please, this is an emergency! I've got a patient waiting for me!" The officer says, "Well, OK, Doctor, I won't give you a ticket this time, but next time try to keep your speed under 100!"....

Yalta

I can remember that Churchill was always telling jokes, usually crude ones, even when we were in serious discussions about the War. Here at Yalta, he's telling an off-beat joke to Roosevelt, who is somewhat taken aback. Stalin, who was sort of a "control freak", is leaning in, trying to explain the joke. I am just sitting there, wondering if the conference was ever really going to start and trying to figure out how it would effect my homeland, Pomerania. Would Poland get to keep it? Would it go to Russia? Could I influence the outcome? Oh, to be back on my country estate on the Oder River!

Sitting with the "Kong"

We both knew from the beginning that our relationship couldn't last, our backgrounds were too different. He came from the jungle where they called him Kong. I came from European royalty where I was known as Princess Penny.

We met in New York City while he was there performing as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

Now, it was time for him to go.

As we gazed one last time into each other's eyes, my thoughts were of better times. Soon we would have to part.

My mother, though, was overjoyed. She'd been hoping for someone just a little taller and in medical school.

On The River

Last year, I ran white-water trips and got a great response. I advertised "come along for a really good ride and don't worry that the river is non-navigable". I made sure everyone wore helmets for protection, but the guy in back (how embarrassing) thought "a good ride" meant a Harley. I wore my Obama hat and felt quite certain that I would be fine.

Crossing The Delaware

In 1776, I told GW that getting across the river was the first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey. I thought stealth was key and we should wait until the following day, but, as usual, George was in a rush. After a brief struggle, we captured nearly the entire Hessian force with negligible losses to us. As officers, we used the Battle of Trenton to boost the Continental Army's flagging morale and inspire badly needed re-enlistments. GW said I'd saved the day with my idea and promoted me to Colonel. I also got a pat on the back, a nickel for my help, and a new uniform.

Trevi Fountain

My brother, Loxy, made the mistake of running into Medusa on one of his wonderings. Foolishly, he looked at the evil witch and she quickly turned him into stone. I, with great effort, convinced her at least to let him reside at the Trevi Fountain. When I'm in Rome on my annual shopping trip, I visit Loxy to make sure he's OK and sometimes throw a few coins in his direction. Sometimes I bring my other brother, Jenkins, but he always has that hang-dog expression on his face and it drives me nuts. Afterall, at least Loxy is protected from the pigeons!

The Last Supper

... so I was having supper with some of the guys the other night when we were shocked to hear Jesus say that one of us was going to betray him. I immediately noticed that Judas ("the Apostle") Iscariot, in his green and blue outfit, holding a bag of silver, and with his elbow on the table (very bad manners) looked really guilty. Maybe Peter ("the Enforcer") will use the knife in his hand to take out Iscariot so he can't stop Jesus! I'm way at the end of the table and I don't know what's going to happen, but I hope dessert still is on the menu ...

Stonehenge

I can now reveal the mystery of Stonehenge. I hired a decorator, Mr. Druid, who thought my yard should be "all about boulders". Now, it seems so yesterday, and they're very expensive to move! I've called a couple of those Irish moving companies, but they don't seem very interested in the job. My brother wants nothing to do with it too.

"Miss Lotta"

During the Gold Rush, I was Lotta Crabtree's manager and made her the quintessential female entertainer of her time.

I got her gigs in the vaudeville houses of San Francisco and on the Broadway stage. We made a nice little fortune together.

By the way, I spent years trying to get her to quit smoking those vile cigars.

Travels in Bhutan

Years ago I traveled to Bhutan, an exciting and adventurous land. I hung out with Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, eldest son of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and some of his friends. (He's sitting to my right in this picture.) Years later, after many years of our friendship, Jigme was crowned King marking a new era in this Himalayan kingdom because never before had the King consulted about affairs of state with a Pomeranian advisor. I felt so proud

Easter Island

On a trip to Chile during the early 1800's, I traveled to Easter Island. I'd had a vision about the Rapa Nui people and went there to warn them about the dangers to them from colonists. The Rapa Nui were so grateful and taken by me that they created a moai in my likeness. This was not only an honor, but has enabled me to keep a permanent watch over these gentle people and their island.