Location: Plymouth, Devon, England Address: Hoe Road Date: Oct 2007 Website:www.everyoneactive.com
Tinside Lido is a sea water swimming pool located on the Plymouth Hoe. The pool takes in water from the surrounding bay, some of which is pumped up into a fountain at the center. It was built in 1935 and was closed for much needed renovations in 1992. It re-opened a few years prior to our visit in 2007. The lido had its Art Deco design fully restored, back to how it appeared when they held beauty contests there or bands performed overlooking the pool. The word "lido" is used for an outdoor swimming pool and the area around it. You may most often hear it used on cruise ships to represent the level with the pool. "Please join us on the Lido Deck this morning at 10 AM for our aquarobics program."
Tinside Lido is open during the summer months and many of the children from Plymouth have fond memories of swimming here. They would be able to look out into the sea, but be protected by the barrier the pool provided. When we walked along The Hoe with a member of our English family, the pool was closed for the season. Coincidentally, both our English family member and the Tinside Lido celebrate their 80th birthday this year.
Happy Birthday!
You need to always be on the lookout and whatever you do, do not go back to the buffet and leave your plate unattended. Think that an extra slice of toast would go well with your bacon and eggs? Think again! By the time you return, there might be nothing left on your plate. If there is anything left it has already been worked over by tiny beaks and feet. This is a list of birds to keep an eye out for. Our experience was at the Hyatt Regency Maui, but you should be cautious anywhere on this Hawaiian island.
1 )Sparrow
Sparrows are the most abundant and never miss a chance to share in the buffet. As soon as someone gets up from their seat, sparrows descend onto their plate and start picking through the leftovers. At the bottom of this post are 2 videos of sparrows caught in the act.
2) Myna
Myna birds fight their way through all the sparrows to get at your plate. One of these birds can clear your plate faster than a whole team of sparrows. In the video at the bottom of this post you can see a myna easily steal the majority of a plate of eggs.
3) Red-Crested Cardinal
This is the prettiest and politest of the breakfast thieves. They were not as bold as the sparrows and myna and we only spotted them near the tables outside.
4) Swan
The name of the breakfast area was called Swan Court. The swans kept watch in the water just a few steps away from some of the tables. There wasn't much preventing them from coming over to join you for breakfast.
5) Flamingo
On the lawn just behind Swan Court is where the flamingos spend their day. Flamingos tend to prefer things like shrimp, which makes them more fond of the dinner menu than the breakfast one. Be careful as you don't want to be the first to discover that they also love hash browns.
6) Parrot
This parrot was standing guard at the entrance to the buffet. Unfortunately, he was in a cage so he couldn't just go over and make himself a plate. The closest he came to tasting breakfast was nipping at the sticky fingers that children stuck into his cage.
7) Cattle Egret
These egrets were always walking about on the front grounds of the hotel. They were brought to Hawaii because of their habit of following cattle around and eating all of the bugs around them. We were not bothered by any bugs while eating our breakfast. Did this mean that some egrets were nearby possibly eyeing one of our nice desserts?
8) Black-Crowned Night Heron
This heron stood very still by the waters edge during our meal. This is how they hunt for food. When an unsuspecting fish swims by they strike. We wondered what might happen if we floated out a plate of buttered toast and jam?
9) Penguin
The hotel has many birds in it's lobby, one of which is the African Penguin. While the penguins have a regularly scheduled feeding time, you never know when one might feel like enjoying an early morning snack. The penguins tend to follow each other around so if one escaped and headed to the buffet you can bet that one or two more would be right behind it.
10) Nene
The Nene is the official Hawaiian Goose. It is a cousin of the Canadian Goose. While it is not impossible that a Nene might steal your breakfast, they are a very rare bird. One of us spotted a Nene briefly as our tour bus hurtled down the side of Haleakala. We wish one day to have a closer encounter with one of these birds. So next time we are in Maui this is an open invitation to all the Nene. Feel free to try and steal our breakfast!
Below are 2 videos of sparrows enjoying blueberry muffins and a Myna flying away with a mouthful of egg.
Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada Address: Queen Victoria Park, Niagara Parkway Date: June 2015 Website:www.niagaraparks.com
We visited the Floral Showhouse in Niagara Falls in order to see one of the largest unbranched flowers in the world. The scientific name is Amorphophallus Titanium and the largest flower ever recorded was just over 10 feet tall. The common name is Titan Arum or sometimes they are referred to as the Corpse Flower. The Floral Showhouse has several Titan Arums which originate from the jungles of Sumatra. The closed pod in front is named Clive and is expected to open up sometime in the week of June 21st, 2015. The other tall stalk behind is a Titan Arum in leaf and it can grow over 20 feet tall. We believe that plant is named Morph. Both Clive and Morph flowered back in 2012. It is normal for it to be from 2 to 10 years before a plant blooms again.
Below is a chart that shows the cycle of the Titan Arum. In the center you can see what Clive will look like when he is in full bloom. The bloom may last only for a day or two. Unfortunately, the bloom is also accompanied by a horrible smell. The reason for the name of Corpse Flower is because it emits a smell like a rotting animal carcass. This is designed to attract all kinds of bugs to the flower in order to help with pollination
Just in front of the Titan Arum display is a little pond filled with turtles and koi. These little guys may not be aware of what is about to happen, but we checked and both have an excellent sense of smell that far surpasses that of humans.
So if you find yourself admiring the beauty of Niagara Falls, take a walk out of the mist and head further past the falls. As you wander in the garden near the Floral Showhouse be sure to take a long deep breath. If something smells awful then you just might be lucky enough to witness a rare Titan Arum in bloom. Head inside, hold your nose and declare "One ticket please!"
Tinside Lido
