Month: June 2018

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Zeb the Duck Visits Clive Cussler’s Automobile Museum

Clive Cussler writes great books, and he owns great cars.   At one time in his life, Clive Cussler, lived in Arvada, Colorado, near Denver.   Mr. Cussler collects and restores classic cars.   At any time,  60-70 of his cars are on display in his museum, near Denver.  Mom and a friend recently accompanied me to the museum.

Entrance to Clive Cusler Automobile Museum

I really liked the first car we saw as we entered.

First car as we entered. 1956 Continental

This 1956 Continental is gorgeous, and huge.

Says it all

Each automobile has a sign to explain the history of the car.   I decided to just show you the sign rather than paraphrase the information.   Look at this bright pink car.

I love this car

This is a 1936 Ford Cabriole Hot Rod.   Mr. Cussler often has a character in his book, Dirk Pitt, drive a car like he owns.

Featured in Atlantis Found

This Cabriole was featured in Atlantis Found.   And this bright red 1953 Allard J2X.

1953 Allard J2X

The 1953 Allard J2X was featured in his book, Shock Wave.

Featured in his book, Shock Wave

This Pierce Arrow was a surprise.

1937 Pierce Arrow Travelodge Trailer

This is a 1937 Pierce Arrow Travelodge Trailer.

Who knew?

And we thought motor homes were relatively new.  This orange car caught my attention.

1929 Duesenberg Model J-140

This 1929 Duesenberg Model J-140 was featured in his book, Flood Tide.   In the 1970s Mattel Toy Company patterned one of its famous “Hot Wheels” on this model.   What is this?   A boat in a car museum?   Of course.

Clive Cussler loves to recover shipwrecks

Clive Cussler has interests beyond writing and cars.   He loves to locate shipwrecks.   With this boat he helped find the H.I. Hunley, a Confederate submarine, the first submarine to ever sink a ship.   This happened during the United States Civil War in 1864.

Numa Survey

NUMA Survey is one of his boats.   You have noticed the popularity of the new electric cars.   But, maybe not really so new.

Detroit Electric Model 97

Here is a 1931 Detroit Electric Model 97.

Did you know this?

Wooden wheels?   Really?

Wooden wheel on 1931 Detroit Electric Model 97

Yes, really.   Here is a photo of the wooden wheel on this 1931 Detroit Electric Model 97.   When you are near Denver, you really would enjoy this museum.   However, it is only opened in the summer.  Check http://www.CusslerMuseum.com for more information.   There is a motorcycle in here.   And so many more cars.   And they are not only clean and shiney, there is not a flake of dust near these cars.   We hope  you visit soon.

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Sand in the City with Zeb the Duck

Last Sunday I, Zeb the Duck, took mom to a festival, Sand in the City.   We went to Arvada, a suburb of Denver.   No oceans nearby, but sand was brought in and there was a beach party atmosphere.

Sand in the City in Arvada, Colorado

As we entered, this was our first sand sculpture.

Sand sculpture

About emotions.   There were many sand sculptures.

Sand sculpture

This one says Smash.  As you can guess, there were many human children.   When children are around, they often want to pick me up and take me home.   That is why mom doesn’t put me down and I am not in all the photos.   Look at this sculpture.

Sand sculpture with my giant relative

Sponsored by a local hospital, they have one of my giant relatives here.   We went to the back and I am in the picture with one of my favorite relatives.

I’m by a famous relative. And an ambulance?

And an ambulance?   Hope we don’t need one today.   This sculpture won first place.

First place sand sculpture

It is sponsored by Red Rocks Community College.   We just liked this one.

Sand Sculpture

No reason, we like it.   The Boy Scouts made this sculpture.

Sand Sculpture from Boy Scouts

We like the Boy Scouts.

Good detail work by Boy Scouts

Nice details guys.   With all the sand, we found the area for small humans to play in the sand.

Small humans play in sand

Looks like fun.   And this looks fun also.

Little humans have hula hoops and balls

Hula hoops and balls.   Too bad I, Zeb the Duck, am not human.   There were many other activities for children.   The large balls they get inside and try to walk.   Also face painting.   Lots of vendors selling great stuff.   And the food.   These are our two favorite festival food booths.

Our favorite food booths

We love Kettle Corn and Funnel Cakes are irresistible.   Some great costumes.

Cute costumes

Aren’t they cute?  The entertainment stage always seemed to have musicians.   And dancers.

Entertainment

Our beach party featured Pacific Island dances from Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and others.   Dark storm clouds were coming over our Rocky Mountains.

Dark clouds. Time to leave?

We decided it might be time to leave.   Not raining yet, but we walked to our car and within 3 minutes in was raining hard.   We don’t know if the sand sculptures were covered or if they were damaged.   The festival had a few more hours before scheduled closing, but we think the sculptures were damaged.   A few hours later, the rain stopped, the sun was shining and our bright blue Colorado sky was clear.   We hope you are enjoying festivals this summer.   They are fun.

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Alpacas? Zeb and Eider Duck Go to the Alpaca Show

Here we are.

Our first Alpaca Show

Ready to go to our first Alpaca Show.   We are in Denver at the National Western Complex.   This is where Denver hosts the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.   Let’s see some alpacas.

Group of alpacas watching us

There are lots of alpaca at this show.   These alpaca are watching us.   Some judging already took place here.

This white alpaca has several ribbons

This white alpaca has ribbons.   Alpaca is from Alpacas de la Mancha in Calhan, Colorado.   The brown ones are good.

Tall brown alpacas

We love these guys.   Here is a blue ribbon winner.

First place ribbon here

Our new friend.   In the next area we found these smaller alpaca.

Smaller, recently sheared, and really long necks

They have recently been sheared.   The alpaca wool is really soft.   The necks look really long without the extra wool.   Eider Duck likes this white alpaca.

Eider with white alpacas

And he likes Eider.   Zeb likes these alpacas with lots of wool still on them.

Zeb with alpacas

But we really like all of them.   One more alpaca photo.

This one likes us. Like many a band prevents any nipping.

This white one, like many alpaca here at the show, has the harness or bands around the mouth.   No nipping here.   So many items are made from alpaca wool.

Alpaca products for sale

We will show you several booths with items for sale.

Even alpaca items for Christmas

Even holiday sets.  Great choices.   Alright, we can sit on this alpaca.

We are on this alpaca

No worries about nipping or biting.   And more items for sale.

All so soft

The vendors were all very nice and have so many things to sell and show us.

Great variety

Last photo.   Here we are with a live alpaca.

Posing with alpaca and alpaca owners

The owners of the alpaca are holding us and we love these animals.   We hope you visit alpacas soon.   They were really nice to us.

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Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck See the Countryside of India

We were surprised to see so much open land between cities.   Our tour covered the Golden Triangle.   The three cities were Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.   These cities are all within an easy day drive.   Traveling by bus, we were able to see more of India.   The farm land was a pleasant surprise.

Man working in his field

This man is working in his field.   Something is happening.   We are pulling off the road.   Our bus is broken.

Our bus is broken

Our driver and assistant tried to repair the bus, but a new one is coming for us.   We get off the bus, stand outside enjoying the breeze and look around.

Herding goats

A man is herding these goats.

Hut

We like the shape of this hut.   Another day we stopped for lunch.

Statue of elephant at entrance to our lunch stop

Mom wanted a picture of the elephant statue.   She really liked it.  Then she decided to get a photo of us with the elephant statue in the background.

Friendly man poses with ducks

This friendly gentleman offered to pose with us.   Isn’t that great?   We loved it!  Camel carts.

Camel carts, working

These are working camel carts.   We do not know what they are carrying, but it looks interesting.   On our way back to Delhi, we noticed something along the road.

Motorcycle, fruit stand and monkeys

The motorcycle stopped by the fruit stand, but there are monkeys here.   Jesse, our guide, gets off the bus, purchases watermelon, cuts it up and feeds the monkeys and cow.

And a cow

There are monkeys coming from everywhere.

All eating watermelon

We tourists, humans and ducks, are enthralled at this scene.   Don’t  you love it? There is even a monkey on top of the cart.   Well, our time in India is ending.   We are back in Delhi now.

Hindu symbol, behind tree

This Hindu statue is partially behind a tree, but it was the only we could get a picture without a vehicle in our way.   And yes, there are many vehicles here.

Lines at toll booth

This is not a parking lot.   All these cars have drivers and they are in several lines to pay at the toll booth.   Very few cars in the rural areas, but the cities are really crowded.   We came to India with SmarTours travel company.   We think they did a very nice tour for us.   If you are thinking of visiting India, see what is offered at http://www.SmarTours.com   Well, this is the end.

Farewell to India

Farewell to India.   We had a wonderful time and saw so much.

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Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck Explore Jaipur, India

We saw so many things here that we do not have at home in Colorado.   Jaipur is the capital of the desert state of Rajasthan.   This elephant is waiting for attention from a tourist.

Tourist with elephant

This young lady is petting the elephant’s trunk.   Later she gave the elephant a snack.  And if elephants on the steet wasn’t enough, look at this.

Camel cart

A camel cart.   We have seen horse carts, donkey carts, and now a camel cart.  Not even for tourists, but a working camel cart.   Here, in front of the Rajasthan craft center, you can see many forms of transportation.

Variety of transportation

The man is riding his elephant.   A man on a motor bike is driving on the street.   Also, a person pushing a cart of merchandise is working toward his destination.  And, of course, cars are driving on the street.   But this is India, and what animal is famous for being on the streets?

Soapy’s mom with cow

Here behind our hotel, Soapy’s mom is enjoying seeing this cow.  The cow is holy, so it is not working.  We were walking back from another craft center.   We purchased some items of beautiful white marble.   Marble from the same mine as the marble for the Taj Mahal.  On the edge of town, we stopped at the Amber Fort.

Amber Fort

This fort/palace was the ancient capital of Rajasthan.   The view from the top is beautiful, with views of the nearby mountains and lake.   We rode an elephant to the fort.   It was summer and it gets hot here in the desert, so the elephants do not work after 11:00 a.m.   We were surprised, but we like the elephant so we don’t want him to get too hot and get sick.   Unfortunately, this is where we had camera difficulties.   So, we will not be able to show the pink facades of old town.    Jaipur is known as the Pink City.   The market was interesting also.   We will see if we can get our camera adjusted.   We don’t think it is broken, just needs an adjustment.   We really like Jaipur.

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Entering Jaipur, India with Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck

Approaching Jaipur, the capital city of the western, desert state of Rajasthan, India, we see this building on the hill.

Pretty building on hill

We do not know what it is, but we thought it was beautiful.

Really thought this was beautiful

So white and impressive.   Our first stop, 2.5 miles (4 km) from Jaipur is Jal Mahal.

Jal Mahal. Water Palace

Jal Mahal means ‘water palace”.    Jal Mahal is in Man Sagar Lake.   This is Rajput style of architecture.

Zeb and Soapy by Jal Mahal in Man Sagar Lake

We like this palace.   It has 5 stories and with the lake full, 4 stories remain under water.   A perfect backdrop is provided by the surrounding Nahargarh hills.   Restoration and cleaning of the lake and palace began in 2004.   Now there are many venders here.

Venders and activity here

This is a popular with the residents of Jaipur.   These ladies have beautiful dresses.

Colorful dresses

Are the bright colors attractive?  We like them.   This must be a happy place.

Vender has balloons

Venders have balloons.   Balloons are for happy occasions.   This table of snacks was a puzzle to us.

Food for purchase

We recognize the tomatoes, but are not sure what the grain type food is.    Later in the evening Jesse took us to a nice restaurant where we ate outside.   Unfortunately we cannot find the paper with the restaurant name, and we forgot.  The food was very good.   Of course, Jesse was able to tell us what we were eating, and we liked it.   There were entertainers there also.

Musicians

These two men, sitting on the grass, provided music.   It was suggested that we not take flash photos, especially while the lady was dancing.  The flash could be a distraction.   New request to us, but it was OK.   These photos are dark, because we did not use our flash.

Dancer

The lady is dancing with two vases on her head.   Then she came to our table and asked Soapy’s mom to help her.

Entertainer and Soapy’s mom

Soapy’s mom helped with the third vase and then the entertainer and Soapy’s mom did a little dancing.   This evening was fun.   We were entertained and well fed.

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Fatenpur Sikri, A Former Mughal Empire in India, with Zeb and Soapy Smith Duck

Fatenpur Sikri is an elaborate complex that served as capital of the Mughal Empire for only 16 years.   Emperor Akbar visited this area to consult the Sufi saint, Shaikh Salim Chishti, who predicted the birth of his heir.   When the prophecy came true, Emperor Akbar built his new capital here.   He included three palaces, one for each of his favorite wives.   One wife was a Muslim, one wife a Hindu, and one wife a Christian.   Let’s enter this complex.

Entrance to Fatehpur Sikri

After entering the gate, but before the main complex, ruins are visible.

Old ruins

Emperor Akbar reigned from this capital for only 16 years, from 1570 to 1586.   It is believed this city was abandoned shortly after Akbar’s death, due to water shortages.   The first building is Diwan i Am, the hall of public audiences.

Panorama of first building

The lawn is beautiful.  We were told and also read in our guidebook, that justice here was served quickly.   If someone did something that resulted in the death penalty, it was quick.   Elephants would trample the guilty one to death.   Sometimes, the guilty person laid down and the elephant crushed his head.   Maybe we ducks are glad we do not have elephants in our home town.   Inside Diwan i Khas, we admired great detail on the central stone column.

Such detail

We have noticed and appreciated the beautiful craftsmanship through our visit to India.   Every detail is intricate.   Wandering around the grounds, we found, or more accurately, we were found by the photographers.

Soapy’s mom holding the building

Here Soapy Smith’s mom is holding another building.   We like the photographers.   They are trying to earn a living, and we get great photos and memories of our time in India.   There are a few of this size building.

Ducks enjoying the view of individual buildings

Maybe buildings for a favorite wife?   We don’t remember everything we were told, but we admire the architecture.

Details on this door

Here is another example of much attention to detail.   Isn’t this door fabulous?   Buildings were constructed with the hot summer in mind.

Hallways built for shade in summer heat

This hall provides a cool location and much needed shade.   We like this sculpture.

Sculpture

We are not sure what it symbolizes and we cannot find information in our guide books.   Here we are, sitting on the windowsill, enjoying the shade and marveling that all these huge buildings and complexes were built without any machinery.

Enjoying cool and shade in this hall

Today, every construction site has a large variety of heavy equipment and safety equipment for the projects.   We hope you enjoyed a quick overview of Fatenpur Sikri.  This site is only 40 km (about 25 miles) west of Agra.   We enjoyed seeing this former capital of the Mughal Empire.

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Views of Agra, India, from the Bus Window

After one of our walks around Agra, India, we had a pleasant surprise when we returned to our room.   We opened our curtains and saw visitors on our window ledge.

Two friendly monkey on ledge outside our room

These two monkeys were grooming each other.   No surprise, the window has smudges on the outside.

He likes watching us?

One, the smaller monkey, left, while the larger stood up to look at us.

We ducks think he wants to come inside

Now sitting, is he asking to come in and visit with us?  Or does he know we have a Kit Kat candy bar in here?   Today our bus leaves Agra, heading for Jaipur, with a stop between.   As we go through Agra, we take some photos from the bus.   There is really no story here, just wanted you to see the variety of Agra.

Street scene of Agra

So many types of transportation.

Street of Agra

Scenes from the streets of everyday life in Agra.

Three on a motorcycle in Agra

Riding is faster and easier than walking, so three on a motorcycle is logical.

Tractor on street in Agra

Tractors are not just for the fields and farms.   When we entered Agra, from Delhi, we did see a few cows on the street, but not here.   Not today.   When mom was here in 2004, she said there were many more cows in the cities.

Building material

Much material for construction.

Horse cart

Horse can pull the cart.

Large trucks here also

Also large trucks available.   Leaving Agra, there are many open fields.

Fields outside Agra

Jesse, our guide, says wheat and mustard are main crops, but this is not the growing season. Local market for local people.

Local shopping here

Not a tourist market.

Local shopping. Not for tourists

We found these photos interesting and very different than street scenes in our city of Denver, Colorado.   We hope you saw something new here, also.

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Shah Jahan Under House Arrest in Agra Fort, India

Agra Fort, across the Yamuna River originally was a military structure.   Construction began in 1565 by Emperor Akbar.   Emperor Akbar was the grandfather of Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.   From early construction, additions occurred, and by the time of Shah Jahan, it was a palace.   This is Amar Singh Gate, to the south of Agra Fort, and now the only entrance.

Ready to enter Amar Singh Gate to Agra Fort

This was really a city behind walls.   We tried a panorama photo of the main building.

Panorama of main building and lawn

Ornate buildings and manicured lawns.   Like most temples and old buildings, there are many monkeys.

Monkey on roof

This one on the roof was joined by some monkey friends and we were fascinated watching them run and jump across the roofs.   Our moms were happy to see a chipmunk.

Chipmunk

We have chipmunks in our Colorado mountains.   While we were watching the chipmunk, a man picked him up so we could get a photo.   Wasn’t that nice?  We walked around the complex and saw many buildings.

Wandering between buildings

Everything is so old, and much of it is still in good repair.   From Agra Fort, the view across the river shows Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Such a beautiful building.   Shah Jahan, adored his daughters, and they each had a room like this.

Room for daughter

These are beautiful rooms with a great view of the Yamuna River.   And another non human resident.

A bat lives here at Agra Fort

This bat seems to be at home in Agra Fort.   This guide is shining a light on the marble.

White marble with inlaid gems

The light accentuates the gems inlaid in the marble.   Great craftsmanship everywhere.   You may remember that the Taj Mahal, was built as a tomb for Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, Mumtaz. The Taj Mahal was completed in 1653.   In 1659, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son, Aurangzeb.   Aurangzeb kept his father, the former Shah, under house arrest at Agra Fort.   This is the room, in Musamman Burj, the Octagonal Tower, in Agra Fort where Shah Jahan died.

Room where Shah Jahan died

He was imprisoned here for seven years, before his death.   From his tower, he could see the Taj Mahal, built for his beloved wife, Mumtaz.

View of Taj Mahal from his prison

So close, but out of reach for him.   This lawn was the Ladies’ Bazaar.

Ladies’ Bazaar

Female merchants were allowed to come here, on market day, to sell goods to the ladies of the Mughal court.   Men were not allowed.   We really like visiting Agra Fort, and loved the views of the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

The Taj Mahal with a mosque on each side.   But, it was time for us to leave.   More people were passing through Amar Singh Gate, coming to visit Agra Fort.

Leaving Agra Fort. That cute little girl is watching us.

That cute little girl is watching us.   Sometimes little children try to take us home with them.   We like children, but we want to stay with our moms.  We like this little girl.   Isn’t her dress pretty?  If you go to Agra, India, please visit the Taj Mahal and also Agra Fort.   We think you will enjoy them both.