TravelswithCharie

For the first time in three (or four) years, my lemon tree bore a fruit. A single, precious one. I thought I'd lost all the blooms but somehow this one survived. Now I can sing "lemon tree, very pretty". Happiness is a green lemon. Yes! * * * Image by Charie

It's back to school in the U.S. in late August and for the last couple of weeks many stores have been holding sales on school supplies. One I couldn't resist was at Office Depot recently where they had 5¢ pencil pouches, 10¢ sharpeners, and 25¢ pack of 10 pencils. I was all excited to pick up a few hundred for the grade school children in Roxas City but when I got to the store, I could only buy three of each item as there is a limit on the number you can purchase on sale items. What a letdown! So I called my Mom to buy some supplies at the Office Depot near her office and I visited another store close to my house. I figured I have enough pencils to give to 6o kids. It's not nearly enough. Last year we gave school supplies to 234 children so we have a long ways to go. This will be our fourth year giving school supplies to children in Roxas City. I have to say it's one of the most satisfying experiences I've had, ever. * * * Image by Charie

Today's writing prompt from The One Minute Writer is "talk". Here's what came to my mind first: "Talk is cheap". Think politics. It's not hard to connect the two. Next prompt please!

For the last month I've been passing through this field of colors in Gilroy on my way to work. Last Monday I could no longer resist the view so I finally stopped to take this picture. Thank goodness this field has not withered under scorching temperatures but the sunflowers down the road sure did. I took too long to take a shot of that. Time takes it toll. * * * Image by Charie

It's 1:30 p.m. and we are waiting for the rest of our party to join us. The buffet bar is closing in 30 minutes and all the food will be taken away. The image above shows our panicky response to last call. * * * Image by Charie

In the latest survey of 4,500 hotel owners around the world conducted for Expedia, French tourists were ranked the worst tourists for the third year in a row. So what went wrong? Survey found the French arrogant, rude, stingy tippers and the least likely to speak another language. The French were followed by the Spaniards and the Greeks. On the other hand, Japanese tourists were rated the best tourists by those surveyed because they are polite, clean, quiet and least likely to complain. American tourists were most likely to complain among all groups but were ranked in the Best Tourists category because they are generous tippers and big spenders. Americans however ranked poorly in tidiness and grooming. Let's count the ways to be a good tourist: 1. Be polite 2. Be clean 3. Dress carefully and appropriately 4. Don't be loud 5. Try to speak at least a few words in the language of the country you are visiting 6. Tip reasonably (Check Conde Nast Traveler tipping guide by country) ht

I was invited to lunch recently at Dashi Restaurant in Menlo Park. I ordered the saba shioyaki bento lunch and here's what I got: miso soup, green salad, fried tofu, california rolls, steam rice, grilled mackerel (saba shioyaki) and a slice of orange. I ate everything but the salad. Why? I'm not fond of lettuce. The orange is for cleansing the palate. But after eating fish, I needed to brush my teeth anyway. * * * Photo by Charie