Be kind to your potential lunch . . .

I know that a lot of our tax dollars are wasted but this article from the Washington Times was funny yet very sad. It is more than just a lot of our tax dollars going down the drain! Here is the link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/26/tax-dollars-shrimp-treadmills-jell-o-wrestling/

In case the link doesn't come through for some reason, this has to be my favorite excerpt from the article:

In another instance, the agency paid $559,681 to test sick shrimps’ metabolism, which one researcher said was “the first time that shrimp have been exercised on a treadmill.”
Mr. Coburn’s report noted that the researchers found sick shrimp “did not perform as well and did not recover as well from exercise as healthy shrimp.”

Seems we all should get in line for some research money . . . no experience required!

Castles, castles, castles . . .

 

I enjoyed visiting all these castles but they sure put a end to childhood dreams of every living in one of these stone mansions. I can only imagine how cold and damp they were in winter. We were there in temperate weather and needed a jacket inside!

Although the Bavarian King Lugwig was eccentric, he wasn't stupid. He invented a flush sort of toilet in one of his castles. Good thinking as it would have been a long, winding staircase of a walk to be comfortable in any other circumstances.

All the castles were in Germany except the one on the upper left which was the Hohen Salzburg in Austria. Didn't hear any mention of ghosts in any of them. There is, according to my mother, some ghostly monk that hangs out in and around the Hohen Salzburg. We did not meet him!

Always finding new favorites . . .

"Hope is tomorrow's veneer over today's disappointment."
       -- Evan Esar

 

"A girl phoned me the other day and said "Come on over, there's nobody home." I went over. Nobody was home."
       -- Rodney Dangerfield

 

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. "
       -- Thomas Jefferson

Simply true . . .

What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes!

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

Das Kehlsteinhaus or Eagle's Nest

 

Hitler's Eagle's Nest is on the top of a very high, rocky mountain. The bus ride just to the area where we catch the special bus to actually get to the Eagle's Nest is not for the weak of heart of those who don't care for heights. Although the Eagle's Nest was built as a quiet retreat for Hitler, he only visited there a few times due to his fear of heights and the very high altitude. Not much to do after you've eated at the excellent restaurant and been in the famous elevator but look around. The views are amazing and pictures hardly capture them. We were there on an overcast day but before we left, the clouds and mist lifted and we were treated to views that covered wide distances around the Eagle's Nest. This was my second visit there and both times, the clouds made their presence known. At least there wasn't any rain this time!