Tag Archives: belief system
Are We at the End of Days? This Mayan Says…
Did the Mayans know something we don’t? Does their calendar predict our eminent doom?We had no idea where these ideas came from and, being lovers of this kind of stuff, set out on a quest for the truth.
We even went as far as traveling to the ancient and mysterious ruins at Tulum in Mexico to ask a REAL Mayan (with a great sense of humor!) what the official scoop is. Here’s what we found:
In 1957… CONTINUE READING >>
What’s Really Important: A Black Friday Antidote
I saw this quote and just had to share. It struck me that we may be losing sight on what is truly important this holiday season.Yesterday, in our post-turkey bloat, we grabbed the remote and David and I settled into something we rarely do: We vegged in front of the boob-tube.
Immediately we felt bombarded. The blaring onslaught of Black Friday ads was… CONTINUE READING >>
Northern (Ontario) Lights
Late summer in Northern Ontario has weather that humans were meant to live in.Warm, but not hot, during the days and cool, crisp nights. A perfect escape from the heat and humidity south of the border. Yes, that’s how Canadian’s refer to The United States.
Our mission north had a two-fold agenda, enjoy the climate, and finally find a… CONTINUE READING >>
I’m Sick and Tired of the Moose-cuses!
I’m convinced it’s a conspiracy.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time in “moose”-laden territory over the past few years. In these areas, I’ve seen quite a few “moose.”
Startled looking heads mounted over fireplaces, taxidermic atrocities in front of campy places of business, bronzed statues in public squares, and souvenir store mugs, tees, and shot glasses with cartoon “moose” in a plethora of wacky situations giving all sorts of North Woodsy advice.
Never, EVER have I seen one in real life.
Until recently, I was a believer in the myth of the “moose,” but … CONTINUE READING >>
Getting Centered at the Equator in Ecuador (or Our Journey to the Center of the Earth)
Just outside of Quito, Ecuador lies the exact midway point between the North and South poles, being of reasonably sound minds we had to see it.Humans figured out around 500 BC that the Earth was a sphere and therefore must have a … CONTINUE READING >>
Oh My Stars!
Looking up at the night sky at an out-in-the-boondocks National Park sent my thoughts wandering, as only the night sky can. Then came a shocking thought:How long until we can no longer see the stars?
Sitting up and scanning the land around me I saw the bright dots from tiny little towns – and, alas, the Park itself – enough light pollution to hinder me from observing what The Ancients or Magella… CONTINUE READING >>
Dispatch 3, Machu Picchu & Peru, South America Live-Blog
Our live-blog continues through Peru with Machu Picchu, The Sacred Valley, the Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman Ruins, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Guayaquil and Lima.Stunning mountain-hugging train rides, a visit to a weaving cooperative, and the mysteries of the Incas… CONTINUE READING >>
Dispatch 1, South America Live-Blog
Join us in Ecuador! Follow us as we visit Le Panecillo, where the Incas worshiped the sun, with amazing views of the city of Quito from 9,843 feet.Take a trip to the Equator (we’re feeling very centered), visit a church coated in gold, explore marketplaces.
And, of course, we’ll delve into the food and culture of Ecuador – GypsyNester style – on our way to The Galápagos… CONTINUE READING >>
Who’s Kidding Who?
The last task of raising a child is letting them go. Allowing them to flap their cute little wings and fly… giving them a gentle nudge out of the nest to get them airborne. Ah yes, little birdies, spread your wings and fly. OK, sometimes it’s more like a hard shove off a cliff… but the harder transition from the parent-child relationship to an adult-to-adult one must be made.This process doesn’t happen overnight. The ritual sounds easy in theory, but it can be a bit sticky in practice. It’s difficult not to be mommy or daddy and even harder for the chicks not to revert… CONTINUE READING >>
Why Do People Like Us Even Have Kids?
@DianaHayes “Tell me why when a person says they enjoy the empty nest another person counters with – Oh, but I am close to my kids. ARGH”Receiving this sort of frustrated Tweet is not uncommon for us, this one came while sitting with our morning coffee in a hotel cafe. I had just returned from using the lobby bathroom where I overheard a cell phone conversation in the stall next to me.
Yes, I admit I was eavesdropping – but I have two lame excuses.
1) We had just… CONTINUE READING >>
2012. A Year for Smiles
My New Year resolution is to make everyone I come in contact with smile. You are forewarned. I WILL crack you.Sharing smiles with strangers has long been a personal philosophy of mine, at times to the occasional chagrin of David and the embarrassment of my former teenaged kids, but this year I want to… CONTINUE READING >>
The Macabre Human Bone Church of Sedlec, Czech Republic
It would be impossible for anyone to expect what we found in the little town of Sedlec. An ancient chapel that came with a very disturbing secret. It had been used as an ossuary, or mass burial site. Strange, yet not completely out of the ordinary. But inside the walls of this seemingly peaceful little church is an art form so ghastly, it must be seen to be believed.The creepy centerpiece of this macabre masterpiece, a massive chandelier containing at least one of every bone in the human body. It’s hard to say how long we stood staring, time seemed to come to a grinding halt insidethe tomb.
What would make someone conceive of such a grizzly… CONTINUE READING >>
Time Traveling with the Amish
Where Indiana meets Michigan, Michiana as it’s known, time travel is possible. Here in the Land o’ Goshen, the Amish have settled and continue a lifestyle reminiscent of hundreds of years ago, placing merit on humility and hard work.Elkhart County, Indiana has the second largest population of Amish in America. More than a religion, this is a way of life. The shunning of technology is not from an idea that new things are inherently bad, it comes from the drive to always remain humble.
We wondered how folks in Amish Country tame a wild hair and, after following a few leads, enrolled ourselves in a Dutch oven cooking class. It turned out to be quite the… CONTINUE READING >>
The Inexplicable Stairway to Heaven
As the legend goes, when the chapel was built without stairs up to the choir loft. Monks used ladders, but since this chapel was for nuns, a staircase was needed. Conventional stairs would take up nearly half the space in the little chapel, so the nuns decided to pray a novena for some divine assistance. On the ninth (and final) day of the devotion, a mysterious man with a few simple tools appeared and informed the sisters that he could fashion a suitable staircase, but he must be left completely alone. Locked in the chapel for three days, he finished the stairs and disappeared without asking for pay. Nobody knew who he was or where he went, so naturally …CONTINUE READING >>Inexplicable Stairs of Santa Fe
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On the ninth (and final) day of the devotion, a mysterious man with a few simple tools appeared and informed the sisters that… CONTINUE READING >>
Close Encounter of the New Mexican Kind
Alien City, The UFO Capital of the World, Home of the Annual UFO Festival. This is NOT the kind of place that The GypsyNesters can just pass by. Oh no, we had to stop and investigate.The first stop of any trip to Roswell has got to be The International UFO Museum and Research Center on Main Street in the middle of town. Since opening in 1992 the museum has outgrown two locations and has plans to expand yet again.
Before the center came to town, little was known about “The Incident.” As their website proudly proclaims… CONTINUE READING >>
On a Mission in San Antonio
There are two things we’ve known about San Antone since childhood. Davy Crockett, whether played by Fess Parker or John Wayne fought at the Alamo there, and Charley Pride wanted to know if anybody was goin’ there. Seemed like we should learn more about Texas’ second-largest city, so we had our mission, should we decide to accept it.And mission… CONTINUE READING >>
Which Witch is Which? A True Salem Story
Salem, Massachusetts and witches are nearly synonymous but, in reality, it is highly doubtful there was any broom-flying, cauldron stirring, pointy hat wearing witchcraft actually going on back in 1692.
It seems a few young girls began to act strangely in what was one of America’s busiest port cities and a hotbed of religious fundamentalism. Whether they were sick, drugged by fungus tainted grain or just looking for attention — we’ll never know. The convulsions they suffered could only be caused by witchcraft according to the Puritan minds of the late seventeenth century. Time to round up some of the usual suspects.
On March 1st, a beggar woman, a slave girl and a lady who dared not to regularly attend church services were… CONTINUE READING >>
Video – Human Bone Church of Sedlec
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The chandelier contains at least one of every bone in the human body. For more about this church: http://gypsynester.com/bc.htm
