A Far East Vacation

Section 1 ----- Pine Mountain News

Hello everyone. It is mid June. The weather is starting to warm up. Here on the ranch it is the usual ranch chores. The barn is full of new hay for the winter. The vegetables are growing well in our new hydroponic system and we have fish swimming in the tank as well.

Local News

We had a bit of excitement at the Econo lodge motel in Gorman. Police and Swat teams caught up with a murder suspect from Oklahoma. After a several hour standoff the suspect was taken into custody alive but unconscious from drugs he had taken.

Well enough about Pine Mountain, now it is time for this weeks poem of the week


Section 2 ----- Poem of the Week



Rain in Amsterdam

poetry by emily d stine

It's raining in Amsterdam as it often does.

We're culture-shocked and cold wondering

around Dam Square thirsty for a pub.

We jaunt over to the flea market

chatting over mayo & fries, a snack

that only tastes good in Amsterdam.

The market is lovely even under gray skies.

We browse through memories and take

a bit of our own swapping scarves and

old records for a handful of euros.

The market borders the canals

that criss-cross the city and we lose ourselves

a little on the way back to our tourist class

hotel, Dutch words possessing one too many

syllables for our liking. The hotel is minimal,

European in style, with tourists from all over

the world included for no extra charge.

We swap stories of our wanderlust

finish our bottle of wine and end day one

of our European adventure.

--
emily d stine
a poet of sorts

Section 3 ----- A Far East Vacation

by Roxana

The beautiful, noisy, port city of Vladivostok is my home. The city is on the east coast of the continent and is washed by the sea of Japan. Last summer, longing to get away from the noisy city to more peaceful surrounding I traveled to the city of Nakhodka.


Vladivostok at night

Nakhodka is the second largest city on the east coast of Russia. Approximately 225,000 people live there. It has a large fishing fleet, a sheltered bay, a ferry to Yokahoma, Japan, and a large shipbuilding and repair facility. It is also a favorite tourist destination. It has a large mountain called Sister that overlooks the city.













When I first arrived in Nakhodka, I went to the quay to admire the lovely dolphins. There were surfers holding contests. They tried to get everyone to try and surf at least once. I started on a surfboard called a wakeboard. I was able to stand up on the wakeboard, and did it almost right away. It is an inexpressible sensation riding the waves. Now I enjoy wakeboarding and practised it all summer. I also tried regular surfing and wind surfing and my professional friends helped me.




















During the summer we also traveled to the islands where we enjoyed clean water and tasty fish. We also had comb and crab and spent the night on a yacht anchored between the islands. The gentle slapping of the waves lulled me to sleep like a mother rocking her baby and I had unusual dreams.



We visited the island Petrova and saw an ancient Yew grove and a most beautiful waterfall. We visited lake Khanka which is by the chinese border.



Welcome to the Far East corner of the world with changeable weather, cheerful people, and surprising nature. It is a trip you will always remember.

Section 4 ----- Pine Mountain Evening

It is evening once more on Pine Mountain ranch. We have finished dinner and are relaxing in the family room. Laurel and Grace are playing Scrabble. I am enjoying chocolate chip cookies with my sample coffee flavor of the day from http://www.coffeefool.com. Tonight I am enjoying Australian. This American roast coffee is a flavorful brew that makes you want to go to Australia and back again.

Well my cookies and coffee are done now. It is getting late and it is time for bed. Good night all see you next week with another adventure.








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