V is for Versailles on ABC Wednesday

Petit hameau de la Reine ("Little hamlet of the Queen") was a retreat for Marie Antoniette on the grounds of Versailles.

Grounds of the Palace of Versailles

I was looking forward to this tour, but it ended up being one of my worse experiences. Because of the enormous crowds, I could not see anything or enjoy my tour as we were "pushed" along and was not able to stand anywhere for a long period of time.

This is the famous palace garden. I was happy to get out of the palace for some fresh air.

Here is another picture of the garden from a 2nd floor palace window. Since I couldn't see much of the interior, at least I was able to peek outside one of the open windows. Sigh!

- AV

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Leo

SSgt. Mike Mills


On June 14, 2005 SSgt. Mike Mills's life was forever changed. The HETT(Heavy Equipment Transport System) he was riding in was hit by an IED. The attack resulted a cracked clavicle and scapula bones, dislocate shoulder, broken left hip, 4 out of 5 bones broken in his foot and being set on fire. The driver in the truck behind him ran with a cooler of melted ice which he threw on Sgt. Mills to put him out.

He spent three months in the Brooks Army Medical Center at Ft. Sam Houston, TX with the injuries listed above plus 2nd, 3rd and deep tissue burns to 31% of the left side of his body. The first thing he remembers thinking after the attack was that his soldiers needed him and he needed to get back to them.

"Then the guilt set in about what I did to my family. I've totally screwed that up. Look at me, no don't. I look hideous. How can I face my kids looking like this. They'll be embarrassed to be seen with me. What if they won't love me anymore? Speaking of love, my wife, oh my god. How can I expect her to stay with me. I'm not a man anymore. She's not going to want be intimate with a freak. What if I can't work, how do I support myself, my family.

I had the nightmares and couldn't sleep. I wasn't eating and was loosing weight. I didn't really care. If I didn't start eating, they where going to put the feeding tube back in. Who cares, I've totally screwed up my life anyways."

But he found out just how much is wife loved him, when she stood by his side throughout the entire ordeal. She was there for every wound dressing and even learned how to change the dressings herself.

SSgt. Mike Mills now runs the site For The Veteran... By A Veteran in which he helps veterans, soldiers and their families find information they may not have been given after their medical discharge or retirement.


Some may say that Mike gave his country more than enough when he was severely maimed by an IED on that fateful day of June 14, 2005, but Mike continues to give to his fellow servicemen, as well as to his nation!

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

Hiking at Lands End

Freighter sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge

That is not an UFO in the upper-left, but a blimp that flew over the bridge. I assume it was flying to the San Francisco 49ers football game happening that evening.

Since I showed you the Bay Bridge a few weeks ago, here is the other famous local bridge.

I went hiking this weekend in San Francisco at Lands End. I had never heard of this place and just stumbled upon it by chance. Lands End is described as "the wildest, rockiest corner of San Francisco - a corner strewn with shipwrecks and a history of landslides."

Unfortunately, I discovered this hiking area called "The Coastal Trail" late in the afternoon so I didn't get a chance to go from one end to the other (2.5 miles roundtrip) before it got dark. But, I did catch a few quick shots of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean at the various vista points not blocked by trees or vegetation. The slight fog and the sound of foghorns in the distance really made it an extraordinary experience.

Apparently, there has been over 150 shipwrecks near this area and during low-tide, you can see ship parts from oil tankers Lyman A. Stewart (wrecked in 1922) and Frank H. Buck (1937), and the boiler of the freighter Ohioan (1936).

Also, a railroad used to run in this area, but a 1925 landslide wiped out the tracks. Click here for a circa 1900 film of the train ride.

Of course, I didn't know any of this history until I got home and did some research. I guess this gives me an excuse to go back for a revisit.

Have a good week!

- AV

Outside the Hyatt

Across from the Ferry Building is the temporary holiday ice rink. It's put up every November through the middle of January.

This is the facade of the famous Hyatt Regency Hotel across from the Ferry Building.

A statue outside of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. I haven't quite figured out what it is, but it looks a little like a samurai to me. After looking at it now, it looks like I have taken its backside. Haha!

Have a nice weekend!

- AV

San Francisco Railway Museum

The F-Line streetcar passing in front of the Railway Museum and Ferry Building

Sign outside the Railway Museum.

This is the interior of the museum. It was much smaller than I expected.

Kids or adults can wear a conductor's cap and pose for photos in this makeshift streetcar. You can see this streetcar at the back of the museum in the previous photo.

- AV

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Louie

Bill Juneau
36 years old from Rush City, Minnesota
November 27, 2007

If there was one thing Bill Juneau loved as much as his country, it was his dog, Jake.

The accident-prone black Lab, who has been hit by two cars, had a toe amputated on his right paw and survived eating 42 candy bars in one sitting, once fell off a dock and through the ice on a lake while Juneau was hunting with his best friend, Dan Bock.

Bock said Juneau jumped into the icy, chest-deep water to save his dog.

"He threw that wet dog on the deck and sacrificed everything to save him," said Bock. "Bill's just that type of guy."

Juneau, a 10 year veteran of the Chisago County sheriff's deputy, was in Iraq helping to train Iraqi police recruits when his convoy was hit by and IED 50 miles outside Baghdad. A spokesperson for DynCorp, the private firm Juneau was working for, said Juneau was driving the lead vehicle in the large convoy that included U.S. Army personnel as well as members of the Iraqi National Police Force. The convoy was headed for a scheduled training mission. An Iraqi translator and a U.S. Army soldier sustained injuries in the blast as well.

His twin sister, Bridget Sura, said he wanted to help Iraqis rebuild their country and create better lives. "He would often sugar-coat the bad stuff, because he wanted us to know about the positive things," she said. "But we still worried every minute of every day." Another reason he joined was because he loved adventure, she said. While with the Chisago County Sheriff's Department, he started and led the country's SWAT team.

Jake, his dog, has been embraced by Juneau's sister's family. "He has more lives than a cat," Sura said, adding that they recently discovered a chocolate stash he'd hidden in his kennel.

"Jake is a part of my brother," she said. "He[Bill] will be missed by a lot of people. This will leave a hole in a lot of people's hearts."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

U is for Universal Studios on ABC Wednesday

This is the lot where the 1991 movie Backdraft was made. You can really feel the heat when the flames are turned on full blast during this walking tour.

I am on a tram ride through the studio where the movie Jaws was filmed.

Poster of Hollywood Sign that many attendees like to photograph.

View of various movie lots below and Studio City in the background.

U should have been for Urrrgh this week! I took some other U related photos a few years ago, but I can't find them on my hard drive. That is disturbing! Anyways, you are now stuck looking at some old vacation photos of Universal Studios - Los Angeles.

For those not familiar with this place, it is a movie studio and theme park. Many well-known television shows and movies have been and are still being filmed here. The rides and stage shows are based on movies such as Jurassic Park and Waterworld.

- AV

Ferry Building Marketplace

Ferry Building Exterior during a busy Saturday farmer's market.

While standing on bridge on the 2nd floor, here I am looking towards the left end of the Ferry Building's interior.

While standing on the same bridge on the 2nd floor, I am looking towards the right end of the Ferry Building's interior.

I have passed by this building numerous times, but this was my first trek into its interior. It is now a busy marketplace filled with stores and eateries. Imagine back in the 1890's, this place was a busy intersection for ferry and train commuters; however, as automobiles grew in popularity, the use of this building and the waterfront area started dwindling.

If not for the big 1989 San Francisco earthquake, this area might have never been revitalized. The freeways that have been blocking the view to the Ferry Building were badly damaged in the quake so they had to be torn down; thus, the rediscovery of this area.

Click here for more historical information about this building.

- AV

Crouching Spider

Just a hop & skip away from the Bay Bridge and Pier 14 walkway is this gigantic spider sculpture. It was a big hit with the kids.

- AV

Walking Through Pier 14

High school art students created tiled works of art at the beginning of the Pier 14 walkway.

Swivel chairs for visitors to sit and enjoy the view. I think the pigeons in the picture were glad to have a place to perch being so far away from land.

The end point of the 637 foot long pier.

Looking back at the city from the pier's end point. If you look at the lower left corner of the photo, you can see the Cupid's Span bow & arrow structure mentioned in my November 26th post.

This $2.3 Million public walkway project was opened in June 2006. It felt strange walking out over the water and seeing the Bay Bridge looming before me. And, to be able to get a glimpse of the city skyline so far out in the water, but still be on land is spectacular.


- AV

Around the Bay Bridge

This is the San Francisco Bay Bridge which connects the city to the east side of the bay with Treasure Island in the middle. The fireboat on the lower left belongs to the San Francisco Fire Dept.

The view of the bridge from these residents' back windows is a little too close for me.

I happened to catch a flock of birds flying in formation over the bridge.

The Delancey Street Christmas Tree lot was getting ready to open for business. You can see the bridge in the background.

- AV

T is for Tahoe on ABC Wednesday

Lake TahoeThis area is typically just called Tahoe and it's known for its ski resorts and gambling casinos.

Model of Lake Tahoe2nd deepest lake in the United States at a depth of 1645 feet and 22 miles x 12 miles wide. It has been rumored that a 60-foot long serpent-like monster named "Tahoe Tessie" lives at the bottom of the lake.

Squaw Valley2nd largest ski resort in the Tahoe area and site of the 1960 Winter Olympics

- AV

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested By Mark Bell

Marty and Sue Horn



Born in Philadelphia, Marty Horn spent 20 years in the Army as a Military Policeman, retiring in 1993 and going to work in Internet technologies. In 2003, his son Brian Horn deployed to Iraq. Trying to support their son’s unit, Marty and his wife Sue, who also served as in the Military Police, put together the concept of Any Soldier. In essence, Any Soldier is an effort to provide support and encouragement to those who are in harm’s way. Due to overwhelming requests for ready-made care packages on the AnySoldier.com site, Sue Horn started TreatAnySoldier.com.

Using his background in Internet technologies, Marty built and maintains the web site. The Any Soldier program slowly expanded to include other Army units. In 2004, the program opened up to include all service branches.. In 2005, the websites for AnyMarine.com., AnySailor.com, AnyAirman.com, and AnyCoastguardsman.com were launched.

In the words of the Any Soldier web site: "The success of Any Soldier has far exceeded expectations and continues to grow with the invaluable help and guidance of our supporters, board members and Support Team."

In the words of Marty Horn: "It is the supporters who deserve the credit."

Thanks to the efforts of Marty and Sue, their son Brian, and a dedicated staff, over 950,000 servicemen and women received support and encouragement they would never have been able to get through the Any Soldier program.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your blog, you can go here.

AT&T Baseball Park, Part 3

130,000 lbs. and 80 foot long Coca-Cola Bottle made of wood.It contains 4 slides - two 56-foot long curving slide called "The Guzzler" and two 20-foot long twisting slides called "The Twist-Off". If you look closely, there is a guy walking by on the walkway to give you a perspective how big the structure really is.

Looking through the interior of the Coca-Cola bottle slide from the walkway.

26-foot high, 32-foot wide replica of a 1927 four-fingered baseball glove weighing in at 20,000 lbs.

Replica of the baseball field for kids called "Little Giants Park" where 3 to 7 year-olds can hit whiffle balls.

This is the last in a series of AT&T Park photos.

A number of you have said you plan to visit San Francisco in the near future. If you get a chance, drop by this park for a visit. You can even get an in-depth 1-1/2 hour tour for $10 US. And, as for Fisherman's Wharf & Pier 39, which should be hot spots on your San Francisco tour, they are 2.5 miles away from AT&T Park.

AT&T Park is at the end of Pier 40 so you would think Pier 39 is right next door. Unfortunately, this is not the case. All the even numbered piers are on one side of the bay and the odd numbered piers are on the other side of the bay with the famous Ferry Building in the middle.

- AV

AT&T Baseball Park, Part 2

A cable car inside a baseball stadium?

I guess the hardcore drinkers come here to freshen up.

This is probably a different Doggie Diner you might have remembered as a kid if you lived in San Francisco. Notice no reddish-brown Dachshund mascot head with a chef's hat and a bow tie.

The price is steep, but I can sure use a crab sandwich just about now. If you ever come to San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf don't miss out on this yummy treat along with a bowl of clam chowder.

You will need to click on this photo to read the inscription, but you don't see something like this everyday on top of an elevator.

After looking through my pictures, there will definitely be a part 3. What you are looking at in these series of photos is on the 2nd level of the stadium since we weren't allowed to go onto the field level unless you purchased an ice skating ticket. Level 2 houses the concession stands, cable car, and a kid's playground. More on the playground later.

Don't forget to read Part 1 of this series if you haven't already done so.

Have a nice weekend!

- AV