...and me skiing up on the mountain!

From Wikipedia: Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog".

The U.S. Geological Survey defines vog as: Noxious sulfur dioxide gas and other pollutants emitted from Kilauea Volcano on the Island of Hawai`i react with oxygen and atmospheric moisture to produce volcanic smog (vog) and acid rain.

Common symptoms related to vog:
• Headaches
• Breathing difficulties
• Increased susceptibility to respiratory ailments
• Watery eyes
• Sore throat
• General lack of energy

We are told to stay inside, drink lots of water, and avoid strenuous outdoor exercise.

October for most means cooler temperatures. For some, downright chilly temperatures. For us in Hawaii, it means hot, muggy days. October is almost always one of the hottest months of our year partly because the trade winds for some reason usually die during October. We also have more voggy days when the trade winds die and the southerly winds take over.

Today has been one of the worst days of vog that we have experienced in the past few years. This morning the vog was so thick that it was as if the mountains had disappeared.

My eyes feel like there are tiny pieces of glass in them. My throat hurts. It is hard to breathe. They say the vog should end soon. Fingers are crossed!

Still, there is a blessing we are given whenever we experience a voggy day. Beautiful sunrises & sunsets. I happened to be on the road this evening when I noticed the bright orange sun starting to set in the sky. By the time I was able to get to a beach, the sun had disappeared, but I was still able to capture the beauty in the sky.

At one point, the blurry icon on my little compact camera started blinking because it was getting darker outside. I set my camera down on top of one of a group of four round stone garbage cans to steady it so my photos would not come out as blurry. After taking a couple of photos, I heard a noise that made me jump and freaked me out a little bit. There was some sort of creature inside one of the trash cans making a noise. Not sure if it was a rat or some other critter. I let out a scream and did not stay to find out.

For more on the vog, you can check out two of my previous posts here and here.

*I know I have not been around much lately. Life is good for me. I hope it is for you also. I am just trying to be more in the moment and spend less time on the internet. I do continue to follow everyone's blogs. I just have not been commenting much.

I last left off talking about my last full day in Venice...

Saturday, June 11th (cont.):
Saturday turned out to be one of those days when the weather changed drastically. It started out as a nice day, then a huge storm blew in while I was at the top of the Campanile (bell tower). I went back to my B&B to change and left my nice DSLR camera there since it looked like rain would continue throughout the day. I went to a couple of exhibits and after leaving the Glasstress exhibit the sun was back out again. At this point, I could not tell if the sun was out to stay. I did not want to waste time going back to my B&B to change again so instead, I caught the next vaporetto to go explore more of Venice.

I headed towards the Arsanale to check out the what I thought was one of the Bianale exhibits - an opportunity to see the shipyards and some of the old ships. When I got there, I found out that this was not possible (or I was misinformed and never found the shipyard) but since it was the first time I have been to the Arsanale area of Venice, I found it very interesting and it quite beautiful. I only wish I had my DSLR camera with me. Here are a some photos I took with my little pocket camera.

I still am not done with the day. More to come...

The exhibit was a fascinating collection of photographs from a century ago along with a few short videos displayed. There were only a couple of other people in this exhibit. I took my time wandering through the two rooms, trying to imagine just what it was like to live in Venice so long ago.

The second exhibit involved purchasing a ticket to the Glasstress exhibit.

It was not really the glass that I was interested in, athough I was curious to see the inside of this beautiful palazzo and many of the modern art glass pieces ended up being fun to see. Instead, it was that little narrow house that was located outside the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti that peaked my interest. After purchasing my ticket, I inquired about visiting the house. The girl at the desk told me that it was closed due to the rain. What? That was not what I wanted to hear. Perhaps she did not realize that it had stopped raining. I used my best Italian to try to charm her into opening up this Narrow House, by Erwin Wurm, and it worked.

And now, I present you with the very cool little narrow house!

Inside the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti

There was a sign saying no photos once I reached the rooms where the exhibits were housed. I did manage to take a photo of the window facing out onto the Grand Canal.

I found a website with photos of many of the Glasstress pieces (here).

Also, if you want to see more detailed photos of the inside of the Narrow House, click here

Two more photos of the Narrow House next to the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti.

I hope everyone had a fun April Fool's Day. I finally got my taxes done and watched a very cool PBS National Geographic Special today called Inside Fenway Park: An Icon at 100. Very COOL special! If you ever get the chance to watch it, I would highly recommend it.

Yes, baseball is starting soon and I have been slacking on my blog posts. Work has been crazy and I have been busy studying up on and drafting my two fantasy baseball teams for the year but I still have more of Venice to share. Jerry, it's not over yet! I am sure it will take me a while, but I am determined to finish up my trip from last summer and have much more to share.

Have a great week everyone!

Real baseball starts this week!!!!! GO RED SOX!!!