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This photo was taken in Abrams Park last weekend.  The photo is of a northern alligator lizard and it is  our only native lizard.  This lizard does not live in the east end of the Columbia River gorge.  There, along with several species of lizards, lives the southern alligator lizard.  Our lizard is more tolerant of the damper climate on the west side of the cascades than the warmer hotter summers of the east side.

The southern alligator lizard lays eggs while the northern alligator lizard gives birth to live young.  On the east side, the ground is more open and can be warmed by the sun.  Perhaps our lizard can better incubate her eggs by sunning herself.  I often see these lizards sunning themselves at the edge of a road or else on a rocky outcrop in the Carty Unit.  They run for cover if you get near.  

Hello! It is Wednesday and the five of us are in Athens for one day. Tomorrow we return home.

Everyone got up early, packed and we all headed to the airport in Santorini. We were early and there were no lines, either at the ticket counter or security. Santorini’s airport seems to be very new…organized, clean and good spacing.

The flight to Athens is about one hour and the sights out the window are spectacular – islands, white cities, blue water and boats.
Arriving in Athens we needed a transport to the center of Athens which we had arranged for the five of us. Just a note – the airport is about one hour from downtown Athens and the cost for the five of us was about 50 Euros. (A Euro is valued at approx. $1.20.) We are now in the Plaka, had some great lunch, shopped a little for the things we need – gifts, etc.

Tonight we ate at the top of a hotel with the Acropolis in full splendor – all lit up. Beautiful! Although our B & B is literally downtown in a walking area it is really fabulous. It’s the first time we’ve had a good shower, a larger bathroom and a bigger bed. (it however is up a flight of stairs….no elevator).
After shopping awhile Sandy and I bought a rolling soft ‘suitcase’ to replace my bag that had torn apart and is/was duck tapped.

Notes: We saw very little homeless, in fact none except tonight one man on the side street had a ‘homeless’ sign, and two kids were working the crowd with their hands out.  There is however a lot of graffiti.

The price of white wine averages around 3-4 Euros. Yes more expensive in top restaurants. In the islands there is virtually no lamb, in Athens, yes. We asked and they said it was too expensive to ship in. Your table is bare until you sit and order, then they bring place settings. One is expected to sit and enjoy your time at the table long after you have finished. In fact you almost always have to signal the waiter to get your bill. And other times you wonder if there is a waiter or should you ask???

The Greeks are very expressive and most know some if not a lot of English. There have been relatively few Americans visiting. Quite a lot of French, Italians, Germans, British and a smattering of Irish plus other European countries. Many are surprised of our being there from so far away. Example: An Irish flight is only four hours. We travel about 16+ hours. And if you think you can get hold of any airlines (in our case Delta), think again. Not unusual to be on hold for four hours.

All that said, Greece is a wonderful place to visit. The country is so full of history! The people are great and welcoming, the seas are cobalt blue and the food though different is a taste treat!

All of us….Vern and Kathy, Diane, Gretchen, Marsha, Sandy and I hope you enjoyed this little blog sent to you and Ridgefield – the best place on earth!
Very sincerely, and tomorrow morning we start our journey home arriving around midnight. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed our experiences.

Ron and Sandy

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like to get up early…today was one of those days. We got up at 4:30 am to meet our taxi to get to the airport on time. Athens Airport-what a busy airport! LONG lines.  But we got our flight to Corfu, on time, a small airplane that took about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Vern and I met with the charter people and received a briefing.  This tells of areas of danger, also places you may wish to go as well as items about the sailboat we are chartering. This is s 48′ Beneteau sailboat.  We loaded the boat with our gear and Sandy showed up with the groceries she purchased, and we shoved off.

Our first stop was “Corfu Town”. This is a very old city with a walled fort that dates back to the 8th century. It is very striking.  Our arrival was late in the day so we had to anchor out for the night. On our way in (by dinghy) to eat dinner we passed a large variety of boats, both sail and power, small and large, and some very expensive.  There was also a group of citizens playing water polo near the beach. The water is pretty warm! The weather was very warm but pleasant that evening. We participated in a great Greek dinner next to a park where there was music and a lot of families walking. Co-indecently that weekend the Corfuians were celebrating the 200th anniversary of defeating the Turks to become a free society. We returned to the boats in the bay under a full moon.

Notes: Corfu is clean, the people helpful and proud of their heritage. An example was singing by some young people of their Greek national anthem written by a man from Corfu. This is a busy time for the Greeks in their Islands as much of Europe visits the islands to get away from the heat.
We all retired to bed extremely tired but happy from the travel, loading, walking and learning a different boat.

Ron Onslow

Ron Onslow and Sandy Schill are on their way to an yachting adventure in Greece. I hope to have regular updates from them chronicling their trip. This is a photo of them on the plane. I hope they have a great trip!