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madamx   
Love doesn't make the world go round, love is what makes the journey worthwhile -- Franklin P. Jones


Real Name: Helen Wheels
Lives In: Calgary, CA
Birth Date: November 7
Member Since: Jul 29, 2002
Last Login: Jul 04, 2009   12:50 UTC
Member's Time: Jul 04, 2009   11:26 EDT
VT Rank: 122
Deals Rank: Unranked
External Page:www.flickr.com/photos/14527316@N04/
Travel Interests: Food and Dining, Museum Visits, Hiking and Walking, National/State Park, Eco-Tourism

 

Page Views: 49,023            

WE LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

by madamx - last update: Jun 22, 2009

Spring Peony, Seattle
Where in the World was madamx?

Late 2008 to the present was full of travel for us. To celebrate my birthday, we relaxed on an isolated beach near Punta Mita, Mexico, and had a wonderful time in the Los Angeles area over Christmas. Early 2009 found us on a road trip through Southern California. The icing on the cake so far was a suprise visit to the island of Kauai, which made May a fantastic month. Might I add that we are also considering being honorary Seattleites for the amount of time we've spent in stopovers there recently!



Just another day in the madamx household ;o)
What's In it For Me?

Like many people here, I stumbled onto VT, researching a trip through Google. For a couple of years, I didn't have a homepage at all, just surfing and lurking. After making some friends and being inspired by their pages, I started being more active and posting my travels. What is really rewarding is my husband has now been inspired too, and now thinks up trips we can do together -- see his shocking quote below. Quite amusing from someone who used to encourage me to armchair travel for now, and wait until our twilight years to discover the world.

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Bassano del Grappa, Veneto
MOST MEMORABLE TRIPS


Italy: Italy is incredibly beautiful, and don't get me started on the food! What suprised me is how much we fell in love with Venice and Northern Veneto. Off-the-beaten path to many North American travellers, Northern Veneto is stunning, I highly recommend it.

New York City: New York just grabs you and doesn't let you go. It took me a month back home to fully realize that it wasn't a dream and I was actually there. And it's so nice, I'm going to do it twice!
Lower Tombstone Lake, Kananaskis

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Things Worth Thinking About


VT doesn't have the monopoly on weird travel postings ... take a look at this!
Have a listen to my new muscial discovery, Indio Saravanja
Wow people at that next cocktail party with USELESS MOVIE QUOTES
Did I hear you say you like to read?
Come join VT's new travel book club Looking at the list, you're in for some thrills and chills!


I love watching documentaries ...

My new find is called The Great Happiness Space. Hey ladies! It's time we turned it around! Welcome to Osaka's Cafe Rakkyo, a glamorous, clandestine demi-monde that puts a modern spin on the geisha tradition. Here, sexy young “host boys” are at the service of wealthy female clients, who are more than happy to pay for their pleasure. Now, this documentary is not what you think ... it focuses on the "host boys" and their clients -- a bittersweet collection of vignettes and interviews of why they do what they do. Not to be missed.

Uh... Why I Avoid Flying Air Canada ....

In August 2006, the captain of an Air Canada flight from Ottawa to Winnipeg turned the controls over to his co-pilot and left the cockpit to use the bathroom. When he returned, he could not enter the cockpit. He was locked out, and the co-pilot couldn't get the door to open from the other side. The panicked crew managed to take the door off it's hinges -- with only 30 minutes left in the flight. The plane landed safely in Winnipeg. "The safety of our passengers was never compromised" Air Canada said in a statement. The incident was not reported to the transit safety commission because Air Canada felt it fell into the category of "non reportable".




Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it

~Mark Twain~



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Jehovah Rapha ~ Jehovah Shammah ~ Jehovah Shalom

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The Duomo, Florence
"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand ­ and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late."
~ Marie Beyon Ray ~



If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun

~ Katherine Hepburn ~





"I don't want the stuff. I just want to travel"


~ my husband ~


WHERE THE HECK IS CALGARY?


I live in Calgary, in the western province of Alberta, Canada. I remember trying to explain to an elderly Greek man in Crete who didn't speak English where Calgary was. "Vancouver?" I asked him. He nodded. I stretched out one hand, indicating that was Vancouver. "Toronto"? I asked him. He nodded. I stretched out my other hand indicating it was Toronto. "Calgary!" I said, gesturing the middle space in my hands. He looked blank. I searched my brain for a better way to explain. "Calgary Stampede?" I asked hopefully. "Yes! yes!" he screamed excitedly, "Calgary Stampede! cowboys!" "Very good!" he yelled, clapping me on the back. My job was done.

Calgary is often called the "Houston of Canada", but there's so much more here than cowboys, cattle, and oil. Calgary is located about an hour from the beautiful Canadian Rockies, and is one of the largest cities in Canada. The population is about 1 million and it is rapidly growing, albeit too fast, but there are so many positives about living here.

So if you plan to travel to the Canadian Rockies and want to know more about Calgary and the area, don't hesitate to ask. I would be happy to help!


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MY WISH LIST

(those in black have been completed)


Italy
Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park
Yangtze Riverboat Cruise
New Zealand
Paris
Trans Siberia Railroad
Greenland/Canadian Arctic Cruise
Bhutan
Patagonia
Iceland
Ecuador
Israel
Northern Thailand/Myanmar
Canaima National Park, Venezuela
Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia

Dreaming of travel -- and food,my other love
Safe journey Catherine, sleep well.



And something everyone should remember:

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

~ VT member CatherineCG ~


madamx's Albums
Title [Click to view]Travel YearPictures
Adventures in Camping or How Not to get Blown Up- 8
Our Cousin, the TV Star- 1
Cutie Patooties- 6
Highest Trail in the Canadian Rockies- 8

Comments for madamx
CdnJane Wed Jul 1, 2009 20:07 UTC
 Thanks for the birthday wish, Helen. Happy Canada Day to you!
mtncorg Sun Jun 28, 2009 04:06 UTC
 Turkey, France and Belgium. Just recovering from a variation of the swine flu and a bad spraine back;-[
jennwerner Sat Jun 27, 2009 23:24 UTC
 Hey Helen. How have you been? I had my baby on June 4th and am now planning my adventure for next summer. Been on any good trips lately?
Elvissa Sat Jun 27, 2009 01:05 UTC
 Thanks so much for the info on the Chinese Sausages. I'll check it out when I'm there. I'm dying to have some SnapPeas w/scallions and sausage again and I'll fix it for my friends if I can get them while I'm there. Yummy!
See More Comments


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