Here are some photos of Villa le Scale in Capri, where a group of us are staying in celebration of our friend Rob's birthday. I am excited for eight seaside days of carbohydrates, abundant fruits and vegetables, lots of wine, and no workouts.From there we are moving on to the Hotel Imperiale in Taormina, Sicily, where we will visit a renowned winery.We may even attempt to trek Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano on the Europian continent.With a bit of planning ahead I am all set for my flights to Rome, Naples and Catania with pre-ordered vegan meals, individual packets of vegan protein powder, a shaker bottle, and raw, organic cashews and walnuts for energizing snacks.
Today's ominous sky was an impressive backdrop to the landscape and architecture of the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan. Thankfully, it did not produce a downpour until we were safely on the road back to the city.
Above is the entrance to the art gallery which houses Philip Johnson's personal collection, including the painting below of Mr. Johnson by his good friend Andy Warhol. The two bottom photos are of works by Frank Stella.
Spring has been a long time coming to New York this year, but once it starts to bloom there are few places more spectacular than Central Park. I took these photos over the weekend after running the loop.
I look forward to these cherry blossoms every year.
I took my new Cannondale SuperSix 5 out for its first ride in Connecticut last weekend. I rode up to North Wilton, where I used to ride many years ago. It was a beautiful early autumn day in the countryside.
My friend Jilda just returned from riding her bike halfway accross the country. Based on the photos she emailed along the way she subsisted entirely on diner food, beer and Wisconsin custard. She did find a bit of time between meals to shoot this video while observing the following:
"From western New York State through western Minnesota, I would estimate that 75% of the crops grown are corn, 20% soybean, and 5% other. Millions of acres as far as the eye can see are producing inedible foodstuffs. The energy of the sun and the nutrition of the soil are being squandered into a commodity that sends profits to the few as it poisons nations and the earth. There are millions of square miles of land to be cultivated in this country. This system is not sustainable, it's not just the subject of documentaries, it's real. This is the lesson and the legacy of America - the people are kind, and the land is being wasted."
Agriculture in this country is a nasty business. Along with the livestock industry and factory farming, corn and soybean farming are among the leading causes of global warming. It takes many pounds of grain to yield one pound of beef, and many more gallons of water. Of course not all corn is grown for cow consumption. Much of it is converted into obesity causing corn syrup, which is found in most processed food. One of the most informative and riveting movies about this subject is Food Inc. It is a real eye opener to see how the uninformed are victims of lobbies and advertising.
We had a lot of fun watching these hippos spray bursts of water high into the air as they resurfaced. The hippopotamus is said to be among Africa's most dangerous animals. They are protective and aggressive. A young English couple we met on their honeymoon said they had to make a run for it when one angry hippo charged their Land Rover. A thrill we sadly did not experience.
