CHICAGO CULINARY CLASSES

 I enjoy taking culinary classes when I visit a new location, and had the good fortune during my recent trip to Chicago, Illinois, to take three different classes, in three different locations in downtown Chicago.  The classes were sponsored by MasterCard, in various locations around "The Magnificent Mile" shopping areas lining Michigan Avenue.  All the instructors were well-known chefs from some of Chicago's most famous and elite restaurants.  The locations included the flagship store for Crate and Barrel, a high-rise mall called "The Shops at Northbridge", and Bloomingdale's Home Store, which is a repurposed historic landmark, just a block or so off of Michigan Avenue.  Culinary Tourism has become such a fast-growing niche market that some manufacturers of home appliances have developed "customer experience" facilities that offer many different types of culinary venues.  The example shown in the photograph is the Whirlpool Corporation ( www.whirlpoolcorp.com ).  This red brick building, with its impressive clock tower, is situated along the Chicago River.  It was recently opened after extensive remodeling, to provide a world-class training and brand experience center for visitors and potential customers.  It was designed to be interactive, with state of the art appliances and environment.  There are several factors that have led to an interest in culinary classes.  One factor is there is an entire generation of Americans who never learned to cook!  Eating out in restaurants or going to a drive-thru fast food location is all they know, and they are becoming curious about what they have missed, by turning over the preparation of the majority of their food intake to strangers.  Likewise, the rise in television programming, such as the Food Network, the Travel Channel, the Cooking Channel, Iron Chef, Bizarre Foods, etc., etc., has fostered more interest in a return to the culinary basics.  In addition, statistics show that in families that have more meals together at home (vs. in restaurants/fast food drive-thrus), there is a lower incidence of obesity.  For all these reasons, plus the verse in Psalm 34:8 that says "Taste and see the the Lord is good.", I am hoping that you will try a culinary class, and that it will give you "miles of smiles"!  Tricia

Chicago Skyscraper Reflections

 Many of the travel magazines that I peruse, have indicated that a delightful way to learn about the architecture of Chicago is by taking a cruise down the Chicago River, with a guide.  Therefore, I was delighted that I was able to enjoy such a cruise last month.  There are several different operators of Chicago River cruises, but the one that I chose (and can heartily recommend!) was the one that is sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation ( www.architecture.org ).  The cruise lasted about two hours, and was so interesting, I would have been happy to continue riding on the boat indefinitely, if they would have let me!  A prominent feature of Chicago's modern skyscrapers, is their reflective glass surface, as shown in this photograph.  Because of the reflections, you can see the buildings on the opposite side of the river, from where your eyes are actually looking.  This characteristic is described in the Bible, when it reminds us that we are to reflect our LORD, by the way we live our lives.  It was one of my First Place 4 Health memory verses ( www.firstplace4health.com ) that embedded this fact in my mind:  2 Corinthians 3:18 says "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."  Anyone who knows me, can easily see I have a LONG way to go to become an accurate reflection, but at least now I know what the goal is supposed to be!  Each day I live, gives me an opportunity to polish up that reflection, while still pursuing miles of smiles!  Tricia

Hiking Expedition Souvenirs

I first saw souvenir hiking medallions when I was visiting in Europe in the 1980's.  It wasn't until several years later, that I started routinely seeing them in the United States, and started collecting them myself.  A small section of my collection is shown in this photo, with the brass medallions carefully nailed into my wooden staff, that I keep on display in my living room.  There are currently 24 of the medallions covering one side of the wooden staff, and I hope to add more to the other side with some hikes I have on my "bucket list".   The hobby of collecting medallions, similar to the ones shown in this photo,   started in the 1800's in the Swiss Alps.  The hobby allows the collector to proudly display their travels for all to see, while at the same time, creating a family heirloom.  If you are a Bible scholar, you will probably know that the practice of putting a brass medallion on a wooden staff goes back much, much further than the 1800's!  Specifically, the practice is described in Numbers 21:8-9 that says: "The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live."  So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole.  (These verses are also cross-referenced in John 3:14-15)  If collecting hiking medallions is something that interests you, but you do not have the time or money to go back and visit all the various parks and trails where the medallions are for sale, do not despair!  There is a company called Hike America ( www.HikeAmerica.com ) where you can select from hundreds of  locations, to order over the Internet, any hiking medallions that you want.  They will even custom craft a medallion, if you do not find the one you are looking for.  I first found out about their services, when I started on a quest to get a medallion to commemorate my visit to the Pacific Crest Trail.  Since there were no gift shops around selling the Pacific Crest Trail medallions, I found out that the medallions can be ordered at any time, from any location, thanks to the modern technology of the Internet!   Looking at my colorfully decorated hiking staff, I am giving  thanks for being able to visit so many beautiful hiking locations, and for the "miles of hiking smiles" I have experienced in God's great outdoors!  Tricia

 

Chicago Navy Pier Expedition

 My previous trips to Chicago took place before the massive renovation of the area known as Navy Pier, so I was "stoked" to find out that the Chicago wedding I was attending would require a trip to Navy Pier.  I read on their website ( www.navypier.com ) that the Navy Pier opened in 1916, and has had a variety of facilities that called it home.  Currently, it is home to retail shops, restaurants, museums, a Ferris wheel, botanical garden, and numerous other family attractions. 

 Navy Pier is also where the elegant yacht Chicago Spirit is moored.  As a gift to each of those attending, the bride and groom gave the guests a color print of their photo (shown here), that was taken by the cruise line photographer, as the guests boarded the boat.   My relatives' wedding took place on the upper deck of the beautiful boat, amidst a gathering of family and friends, while the boat was still moored.  Afterwards, we joined other passengers on the second deck, in enjoying a delicious lunch buffet, while we cruised around Lake Michigan.  Then to complete the festive occasion, a live band performed, as the passengers danced away the afternoon!  The Bible speaks of a wedding in Revelation 19:7 and says "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready."   The Chicago wedding I attended was also a time of rejoicing, being glad, and giving God glory---there were  "miles of smiles" on the faces of everyone present!  Tricia

WORLD VISION EXPEDITION

 I recently had the opportunity to tour the United States headquarters of World Vision, near Tacoma, Washington.  World Vision ( www.worldvision.org ) is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.  Their brochure states "Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, we serve alongside the poor and oppressed as a demonstration of God's unconditional love for all people.  World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender."

 I started sponsoring a child through World Vision almost a decade ago.  Her name is Stacy, and she lives in the village of Katito, Kenya.  Just as the trees at World Vision headquarters seem to be growing taller and taller, so I have seen Stacy progress from looking like a scared little three-year-old, into a tall and beautiful young woman.  I receive a color photo of her at least annually, along with a progress report to tell me how she is doing in school.  (There are photos of Stacy in a blog I published previously, which can be found in the October 7, 2009 article called "Step into Africa".)

 This bronze sculpture entitled "Jesus, The Bread of Life" is near the front door of the headquarters building, and depicts the compassion that Jesus had for little children.  The plaque beside it states that it symbolizes the worldwide holistic ministry of World Vision.

 World Vision was founded by Bob Pierce.   Bob Pierce is also the founder of Samaritan's Purse, which tells you right away that he was a remarkable man.  His daughter, Marilee Pierce Dunker ( www.marileepiercedunker.com ), has published a biography about his life, entitled Man of Vision, and is a frequent speaker at churches, women's events and missions conferences. 

 The monthly donations that I have sent in as a child sponsor, are part of a World Vision ADP, known as the Katito Area Development Programme.  This photo shows an artist's rendition of the World Vision process for reducing poverty, which is usually spread out over a ten-year period.  The main components of development include WATER, HEALTH, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND CHRISTIAN IMPACT. 

 One of the photos that Stacy sent me from Katito, Kenya, was a photo of her pumping water from a station similar to the one recreated here in the Visitor's center.  Her photo was intended to show that her village now has a reliable and clean source of water, due to the intervention of the World Vision ADP.  My tour guide suggested this photo of me pumping water, so that I can mail it to Stacy.  (Child sponsors have the assistance of World Vision in communicating with their overseas child, through greeting cards mailed to them on their birthday, Christmas, and Easter.  We are encouraged to include a photo of ourselves with each card. I remember one of the greeting cards I mailed Stacy in Kenya in 2010, included a photo of my new daughter-in-law, who is also named Stacy.  I thought she would like to know that I now have TWO special people in my life with that lovely name!   During this past year, as a positive example of improving economic development in the Katito community, I have been able to send email messages to Stacy, which are relayed to her through the  the ADP office.

 With my background as a Registered Dietitian, I have been schooled in the importance of good nutrition for everyone, especially those living in poverty in third world countries.  That is why I am delighted that World Vision does more than just supply a sack of grain to a village.  They have an active, strategic plan for improving available food to every family by providing greenhouses for the community of Katito to grow tomatoes and other vegetables.

 It has been gratifying to see how Stacy has progressed in her writing skills.  Her last letter to me was especially revealing as she wrote out a long list of her favorite activities and a picture she had drawn.  There were also examples of what she was learning in arithmetic, including a few errors, that reminded me of arithmetic errors I have made in trying to subtract and add numbers in my check register.

 In the village of Katito, steady progress is being made to reducing the poverty level.  What started out as 70% was recently down to 42.7%.

 One of the ways that World Vision works to improve the health of a community .  For example, this photo shows me standing under one of the mosquito nets that are supplied in areas where malaria is an ever-present threat to the health and well-being of youngsters.  The simple practice of encircling the sleeping quarters of a family with such a low-tech (and comparatively inexpensive) device, has made great strides in reducing the incidence of mosquito-born illnesses.

 This photo shows yet another aspect of World Vision aid.  They supply temporary emergency housing and supplies, to people who have been displaced due to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or earthquakes.

 Projects in the U.S. and certain other countries include giving a school bag of supplies for needy students.  I noticed on the World Vision Bulletin Board that several corporations in the Tacoma area had taken on the task of assembling school packs as their act of community service.

 Since access to adequate healthcare is so limited in third world countries, World Vision is addressing this problem by training and equipping locals to be mobile caregivers, that can travel from village to village by bicycle, supplying assistance to remote locations.  In the village of Katito, where Stacy lives, the epidemic of HIV and AIDs has resulted in an increased number of child headed households.  World Vision's ADP has supported 26 child headed households with entrepreneurial skills training.  They also supplied startup kits to start small scale businesses to support the siblings. 

 In addition to touring the Visitor Center, my guide also took me upstairs to the work areas of the World Vision employees that make all these efforts succeed. 

 Since World Vision has more than one million donors across America, and has projects in over 100 countries, you can assume that the logistics of this is enormous.  My guide told me that the familiar cubicle-style arrangement of their employees has resulted in the most effective use of available funds.  In recent years, World Vision overhead rate has averaged between 11 and 15 percent.  They are audited annually by an independent accounting firm and adhere strictly to the guidelines of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and they are also a member of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

 The toy Wal*Mart trucks were in the cubicle of the World Vision employee who works with corporations as partners with World Vision in their humanitarian efforts.  Since Wal*Mart is headquartered in my home state of Arkansas, and I am a stock holder in that company, I was glad to be reminded that World Vision is one of the charities that the world's largest retailer supports.   They have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to World Vision through the WalMart Foundation ( www.walmartfoundation.org ).

 My tour guide also pointed out the Heart to Heart dolls and Toms Shoes, that donate a portion of their profits to World Vision.

 I had the special blessing of visiting World Vision headquarters on a Wednesday, which is the day of their weekly chapel service, and I was invited to participate in it.  This photo shows Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S., welcoming the large gathering of employees that had assembled.

 The chapel service had an international theme, and was led by a vocalist from Peru, and band members from other Latin American countries.  We sang familiar hymns in both English and Spanish. 

 World Vision has partnered with several churches in my home town, to bring an exhibit (via 18-wheeler truck and trailer) called "Step into Africa".  I wrote about our town's experience with this most worthwhile project in the October 7, 2009, article mentioned previously.   Several folks in our area have been to Katito, Kenya, and have helped raise awareness of the needs of these people, who live on the other side of the world.  One of the ways we've raised awareness is the annual White River Marathon for Kenya (www.whiterivermarathon.com).  There is also a blog posted on November 21, 2009, that tells a bit more about this annual fitness promotion.  This year's event is scheduled for Saturday, November 17.  The verse in  I Corinthians 9:26 that says  "I do not run like a man running aimlessly..." is especially true of the White River Marathon for Kenya.   I have been blessed to be able to walk the 5K part of the event since its beginning, and if all goes well, 2012 will be my ninth year to participate!  Knowing that I am walking for such a good cause (all proceeds go to World Vision) will give me MILES OF SMILES!  Tricia

"ROAD TRIP"!

 "ROAD TRIP!" is the title of this blog post, because that is the name of the "map" you are given when you enter this most unusual-looking building, sitting high on a hill in Tacoma, Washington. 

 The building just opened in June of this year, and it is called "LeMay: America's Car Museum". 

 You can visit the museum's lobby and adjoining gift shop, even if you do not have time to enjoy all the sights you will see, with a paid admission.

 The museum's mission is to be more than just a building housing rare and beautiful automobiles. 

 Their vision is to be a place where all sorts of people can gather to learn, have fun and celebrate---first hand---America's love affair with the automobile. 

 The goal is to help visitors enjoy the memories and stories the museum's various cars will evoke.  For example, seeing this car, instantly took me back to my days as a junior in high school, because my boyfriend drove a car like this.  There were no air bags or seat belts to protect us back in those days, just lots and lots of chrome!

 Both ends of the new location for this museum have glass walls.  This vintage red convertible provides a striking foreground, to the skyline of Tacoma and Commencement Bay, that the visitor sees from the end of the building opposite the entrance. 

 The doors in above photo lead out to an elevated outdoor patio, where one can sit and relax on the colorful, movable benches, while taking in the beautiful view.  This would also be a great location for your party to get a group photo, as you could frame it with either the Tacoma skyline in the background, or the Museum glass wall in the background.  The movable benches would enable some of your group to stand, and some to sit. (Can you tell I think like a photographer??!!)

 When I saw these shiny pipes on the exterior of one of the automobiles on display, it made me have a better appreciation of what the architect had in mind, with the shiny, pipe-like design of the museum's new building exterior. 

 I read that the company that made the arch supports of this building's roof line, also worked on the custom-made roof of the Tacoma Dome.

 In a collaborative effort with Tacoma's popular Museum of Glass ( www.museumofglass.org ), hot shop artists made the custom-designed pieces in this exhibit, to give a "nod" to abstract aspects of automobile design.

 There are various sections to the car museum, and one section is all about the story of race cars in America, with this vintage Indianapolis 500 car being the "title shot" for that display.

 For an additional fee, a visitor can try their hand behind the steering wheel at one of the CXC Racing Simulators.  If that is too much of a thrill for your nervous system to tolerate, you could try your luck  against your buddies on the pro-class slot car track. 

 I liked this section of old trucks that was on one of the lower stories.  Again, since the purpose of the museum is to evoke memories in its guests, I have to mention that seeing these lovingly restored old trucks, reminded me of a time when I was a passenger in the vintage truck of a high school classmate.  When we pulled into her driveway to park the truck to get out, the old truck's brakes failed, and we went right through their lovely garage door!  I will never forget the calmness with which her father assessed the damage, when he heard the crash from his location inside the house.  His first reaction was to express gratitude that Cathy or I had not been injured in the crash, and to say he was actually glad the accident happened where it did---demolishing their lovely garage door---rather than on "Harrison Hill", which we had just descended from!  I had great respect for him after that incident, and it taught me that one's first concern in an auto accident are the human beings, NOT the physical damage to the car, or objects it hits!

 Again with the memories, I had to take a photo of the iconic 1957 blue chevy.  That is because my family had a 1957 blue chevy.  However, since my father was the "King of Parsimony", our '57 chevy did not have a speck of chrome on it.  Dad ordered our new family car as "stripped down" and inexpensive as was humanly possible!  It didn't even have a radio, and air conditioning was out of the question! (And I wonder why I am so frugal??)

 Since NAPA company is one of the corporations that make this museum possible, it is understandable that they would having a working repair shop, that museum members can utilize, to get their vintage automobiles serviced.

 In years gone by, automobile companies put a lot more chrome and size into their hood ornaments.  Most of us recognize the well-known, circular symbol of Mercedes, and vintage auto aficionados will know the figure with the bow and arrow is from the now-defunct, Pierce Arrow automobile.  These symbols got me to thinking about what is the symbol for me as a Christian?  Although the cross is probably the first thing that comes to mind, Jesus' very own words in John 13:35 say "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  Those words convict me that I need to be very careful that my "love walk" is my symbol of being a Christ-follower, and not just a cross on a necklace that I wear!

 The LeMay Car Museum has a WONDERFUL gift shop that just about anyone, at any age, would enjoy perusing.  Since Route 66 is has the nicknames of "Mother Road", and "America's Main Street", it is not surprising that there is a huge selection of Route 66 items.  The store also carries auto-themed clothing, model cars for youth to assemble, and an extensive line of books, related to automobiles, motorcycles, and road trips.  Many of these items are also available for purchase on the museum's website, which is www.lemaymuseum.org .

 During my recent visit to Tacoma, I used the light rail, FREE (daddy would be proud) public transportation that Tacoma offers, called THE LINK.  I took this photo from my fifth-floor room at the downtown Marriott Courtyard Hotel ( www.courtyardtacoma.com ).  It illustrates why that hotel property is such a good choice for your lodging needs while in the Tacoma area.

 Once you step onto The Link outside the Marriott, you just sit back and enjoy the "free ride" to the Tacoma Dome station, which is the terminus of the downtown Link.  The LeMay: America's Car Museum is just across the street from the Tacoma Dome.  There are SO MANY wonderful attractions/activities to do in Tacoma, that I hope you will go to the website of the Greater Tacoma Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.traveltacoma.com ), or visit their page on Facebook, to start making your plans to explore this amazing area of America's Pacific Northwest.  If you are like me, doing so will give you MILES OF SMILES!  Tricia