text: State Parks in New Mexico Wilderness and wonderment for all. "...New Mexico offers plenty of options to get lost and find yourself on the same day." New Mexico State Parks: Bluewater Lake State Park - This serene lake is set in a piñon-juniper landscape with views towards the Zuni Mountains. Enjoy camping, fishing, boating, and hiking opportunities. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bluewaterlakestatepark.html Bottomless Lakes State Park - The unique lakes at this park are sinkholes, ranging from 17 to 90 feet deep. This amazing place provides a range of activities including swimming, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing and birding. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bottomlesslakesstatepark.html Brantley Lake State Park - This southern desert park near Carlsbad is a refreshing place to boat, fish, picnic and camp and is a surprising oasis in the desert. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/brantleylakestatepark.html Caballo Lake State Park - Framed against the Caballo Mountains, this lake boasts an array of water recreation, such as boating, sailing, swimming, and fishing. Choose from 170 campsites, with plenty of sites with utility hookups for RVs. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/caballolakestatepark.html Cerrillos Hills State Park - There are 1,100 years of mining history in these hills which can be seen by hiking, biking, or horseback riding on the 5 miles of trail among rolling juniper savanna. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/cerrilloshillsstatepark.html Cimarron Canyon State Park - The Cimarron River flows through this narrow, forested canyon. The park offers beautiful views, interesting geology, and quiet camping. The wildlife viewing opportunities are plentiful as the park sits at the center of the Colin Neblett Wildlife Management Area. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/cimarroncanyonstatepark.html City of Rocks State Park - The incredible volcanic rock formations give this park its name. Visitors can camp, hike and explore the rocks. Enjoy the amazing night sky at State Parks' first astronomical observatory. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/cityofrocksstatepark.html Clayton Lake State Park - The park is an oasis in the rolling grasslands of northeastern New Mexico. Enjoy picnicking, camping, fishing, and hiking. Get a unique glimpse of the past with more than 500 dinosaur footprints. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/claytonlakestatepark.html Conchas Lake State Park - In the northeast region of New Mexico, this lake features miles secluded coves, canyons, and sandy beaches, excellent for camping, boating, and fishing. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/conchaslakestatepark.html Coyote Creek State Park - This secluded park is nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Mora County. With a backdrop of forested mountains and lush vegetation along the creek, enjoy quiet campsites or hike the trail through the trees. Come fish along lovely Coyote Creek. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/coyotecreeklakestatepark.html Eagle Nest Lake State Park - The park is surrounded by the stunning scenery of the high mountains of the Moreno Valley. The lake at 8,300' elevation is a cool retreat from summer heat or a winter wonderland. You can fish, hike and camp in this serene park. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/eaglenestlakestatepark.html El Vado Lake State Park - Set in the mountain country of Rio Arriba County, this remote lake offers quiet coves for fishing and boating, and is a wintering ground for bald eagles and other birds. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/elvadolakestatepark.html Elephant Butte Lake State Park - The largest and most popular lake in New Mexico, this park provides camping, boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, and hiking, and is a popular year-round destination. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/elephantbuttelakestatepark.html Fenton Lake State Park - The Jemez Mountains provide the backdrop for this park. Set in a valley of ponderosa pines along the Rio Cebolla, there is an abundance of wildlife viewing. Enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, and picnicking. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/fentonlakestatepark.html Heron Lake State Park - This picturesque lake offers quiet recreation amongst the pines of Northern New Mexico. Fish, hike, sail, or canoe Heron Lake. Choose from hundreds of excellent campsites along the lakeshore. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/heronlakestatepark.html Hyde Memorial State Park - New Mexico's first State Park is set in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains amongst a forest of pines along the Little Tesuque Creek. The park is a short drive from Santa Fe and offers excellent group facilities, campsites, and trails. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/hydememorialstatepark.html Leasburg Dam State Park - A quiet desert oasis on the Rio Grande, campers and hikers can find peace and relaxation along the river. Bring your binoculars and bird watch along the river. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/leasburgdamstatepark.html Living Desert Zoo & Gardens - This native wildlife zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, exhibits more than 40 species of animals and hundreds of species of plants native to the Chihuahuan Desert. The park provides an up-close experience for visitors, with a variety of fun interpretive programs for every season geared for the entire family. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/livingdesertstatepark.html Manzano Mountains State Park - This park is an excellent place for camping, bird watching, photography, hiking, and cross-country skiing. Set in the eastern foothills of the Manzano Mountains, trails wind through a forest of ponderosa pines. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/manzanomountainsstatepark.html Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park - The park is located on the Rio Grande near Las Cruces and 1.5 miles from historic Mesilla. Visitors have many opportunities to view wildlife in natural surroundings while strolling one of the self-guided nature trails. Enjoy a fun ranger-led tour! http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/mesillavalleystatepark.html Morphy Lake State Park - Nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this hidden lake sits at the edge of the Pecos Wilderness. The park is perfect for fishing, bird watching and picnicking. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/morphylakestatepark.html Navajo Lake State Park - Navajo Lake is the second largest lake in the state, with multiple campgrounds, two marinas and two boat docks. The San Juan River is a world-class fly fishing destination and features a campground, day use areas and a serene trail along the river. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/navajolakestatepark.html Oasis State Park – Set among cottonwoods on the high grass plains of eastern New Mexico, visitors enjoy fishing and camping in this serene setting. Fishing derbies and special programs are fun family events. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/oasisstatepark.html Oliver Lee Memorial State Park - Set against the dramatic Sacramento Mountains, this park features a historic ranch house, quiet camping and the unique oasis of pools of water within scenic Dog Canyon. Enjoy a short walk on the Riparian Nature Trail or a challenging hike up the Dog Canyon Trail. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/oliverleestatepark.html Pancho Villa State Park - Located at the border of Mexico, the park exhibit hall and historic structures capture the history of the Pancho Villa Raid and historic Camp Furlong. The large campground offers utility hookups for campers with RVs. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/panchovillastatepark.html Percha Dam State Park - This quiet park along the Rio Grande is shaded by tall cottonwoods and provides excellent fishing, relaxing camping and outstanding bird watching. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/perchadamstatepark.html Rio Grande Nature Center - Located on the Rio Grande flyway, the park offers excellent bird watching opportunities and great programs throughout the year. There are indoor and outdoor wildlife viewing areas overlooking ponds, and trail access to the Rio Grande. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/riograndenaturecenterstatepark.html Rockhound State Park - The rugged slopes of the Little Florida Mountains are the setting for this park, which boasts trails, unique geology, wildflower displays, and a peaceful campground. The stunning scenery of the Spring Canyon unit of the park provides a peaceful area for hiking or picnicking. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/rockhoundstatepark.html Santa Rosa State Park - This reservoir on the plains of eastern New Mexico offers fishing, boating, camping and hiking. Equestrians are welcome at the Los Tanos Campground. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/santarosastatelakestatepark.html Storrie Lake State Park - This serene lake offers great opportunities for fishing, bird watching, and windsurfing. Choose from a variety of campsites with utility hookups for RVs. The park is conveniently located near historic Las Vegas. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/storrielakestatepark.html Sugarite Canyon State Park - The nature enthusiast will appreciate the abundance of wildlife, birds, butterflies, and wildflowers among the lakes, creeks, forests, and meadows. Nearly all outdoor recreation activities are possible: Fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and camping http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/sugaritecanyonstatepark.html Ute Lake State Park - This reservoir on the Canadian River is one of the longest lakes in the state at nearly 13 miles, and boasts a variety of fun water sports. The campgrounds offer a variety of camping experiences, including the Yucca Campground, designed for RVs. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/utelakestaetpark.html Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park - Built in Angel Fire by the Westphall family in honor of their son, who was killed during the Vietnam War, this memorial is a moving tribute to our nation's military men and women. Opened in 1971, this was one of the first memorials in the United States dedicated to Vietnam Veterans. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/vietnamveteransmemorialstatepark.html Villanueva State Park - The park is nestled between high sandstone bluffs that form a canyon along the Pecos River in San Miguel County. Camp or picnic under the shade of cottonwood trees and enjoy fishing, birding, wildflower viewing, or hiking the trails along the canyon walls. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/villanuevastatepark.html More Information More Parks Information: New Mexico State Parks Division Map out your next road trip to New Mexico. Show me True Adventures Stay Here Dining & Entertainment Explore New Mexico Trip Planning Search


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Over 2000 pix! Our first Disney Dream cruise + Fantasy pix + Our Wonder cruise!
Hello! My name is Tammy, and I am a huge Disney fan! This is my first ever cruise report and during the vacation I had no intentions of writing one. (I didn't take notes and all that good stuff) It's not nearly as good as my older reads linked in the siggy, but it does have a lot of pictures for you to look at. Who needs words when you have pictures, right? This trip report starts off with our September cruise aboard The Disney Dream. We sailed for four nights, not nearly long enough. It was one of the best times we've ever had in our lives! Not only do you get the 4 night experience on the Dream, I will be adding over 500 (maybe 600-700) additional pictures from the Disney Fantasy starting on page 10. This trip report might just be a great read after all! Please leave a comment if you stop by, even if it's just a smiley face. Thanks for reading along.
This was our first ever Disney cruise, and it did not disappoint. This is also my first time writing a Disney cruise trip report. Since this trip was mixed in with a park visit, which I have started already on the Disney World board, I decided to just add the cruise parts over here. :goodvibes Our cruise was booked last minute, and I had a lot to learn. Unfortunately a lot of this was learned while sailing on the Dream. We had a great experience and can not wait to go again. Next time we hope to do a 7 night on the Disney Fantasy. Of course that Panama Canal cruise is looking good too. ;) The cruising part of this trip report is about to begin. Are you guys ready? The ship: Disney Dream Length of Stay: 4 nights Ports of call: Nassau & Castaway Cay, Bahamas Dates: September 9th-September 13th Category: 04D, deck 6 We have cruised a few times before, but never with Disney. This would be our first Disney cruise. We had actually booked the 15 night Hawaiian cruise last spring. We paid our deposits, we had Dismeets with other cruisers, we purchased the travel books and planned our excursions. We were all set and ready to go. Then state testing dates were released, and it is required in this state that we attend . We were planning to drive out from SC to CA (another dream vacation of ours), and we planned to visit Disneyland for two days prior to sailing. On the way back we were to take a different route visiting Las Vegas, friends and family in Colorado, and a few other stops as well. Both testing dates and make up dates fell within our travel period. We tried everything we could to get around this to no avail. We were devastated. Everything happens for a reason though, and we accepted that. I am always playing with the Disney cruise rates, checking the FL rates, military discounts, you name it. One night my daughter and I were looking at the FL resident rates. They usually cost @ $175 per night per person, but not this time! It was more like $99 per night! I checked it in a couple of different ways ~ two inside rooms versus all of us in the verandah, and the difference was only $200. We chose the verandah so we could all be in the same room. After all, it was only a $200 difference! We booked within minutes and set sail soon after. I had a lot of researching to do, FAST! Some people helped. Some people tried to help, but really didnt know much themselves. I felt like we went aboard completely unaware of everything. I am going to try and touch base on everything I can to help you have the best cruise experience possible. I uploaded the pictures in certain albums when I returned home. I had no intentions of doing a trip report at the time, so, the cruise section will be a little different than my typical trip reports. Arrival ~ Port Canaveral We left Disney and took the fastest toll road over. We probably spent $5-$6 on tolls and it felt like they came every few miles. It took us about an hour to get to PC. As we were coming across the bridge we could see the Dream and some other huge cruise ships waiting for their passengers to arrive. Talk about excitement! Upon arrival we went through a couple of gates. They checked our information and directed us to the luggage drop off area. (We arrived @ 11:30 and only a couple of cars were in front of us.) We told the guy we didnt need to stop and drop off the luggage so he sent us on around to park. I have a handicapped parking tag on the back of my car, so they told us the best place to park. I think it was level three. I was parked right by the door. We unloaded, walked in and across and we were right there at bag check. NOTE: YOU CAN BRING FULL SIZE LUGGAGE ON IN YOUR HAND (as long as your bag fits through this machine you are fine) I do not like leaving my items with strangers, and we like to use our own pillows when we travel. Not everyone is like that, but for those of you who are, its allowed. Yes, it is a pain in the booty to keep up with your stuff while waiting for your room to open up. That is a choice you need to make when it comes to luggage. Had I just brought in one big and one small suitcase we would have been fine. Even with all of our junk you see here, we did just fine. By the time we ate lunch the rooms were open anyway. Here we are waiting for our boarding number to be called. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psab3bffb2.jpg When we arrived at PC we went right in line to register (without our documents because they had been sent to Miami) We just had the stuff you print out online, and the paperwork you can print in advance. We had all of that signed and ready. We were at the counter in an instant. Once there, the guy checked us in. He looked at our documents (we do not have passports yet), took our pictures, explained a few things to us since we were first time Disney cruisers, and we were on our way. This maybe took 15 minutes at the most. I was impressed. Now Im not sure if its always this quick. Our particular sailing was not full. I asked and I want to say he said we were at 60 or 70% capacity for that sailing. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psede96005.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psf62a5960.jpg I thought we would have too wait a while before boarding the ship. They had just called in #2 and we were in the late teens, so we got in line to meet Minnie. She was there for about 10 minutes and left. Next out came Mickey! We were in line for another 15 minutes when our number came across the loud speaker. We were next in line for Mickey so I asked the family to stay. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6428949e.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psc3930e7b.jpg As soon as we took our Mickey picture we were heading through these big huge ears! http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9c5953ad.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps64ff9b95.jpg Shortly after you entered into this. Can you see the excitement on my little guys face? This was his first ever cruise and he could not wait to go on. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps89e11166.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9ccb130f.jpg This line is where they check to make sure you are you. Then you proceed to a photo op. (I passed this because I was wearing zero makeup, and being a photographer myself, Im very picky about pictures.) You can leave the line and go ahead in if you dont want a picture taken. Thats what we did. Now we are entering the ship and they announce us as we enter. (My kids are having a fit now&excited more than ever) We were told about our dining options and we were hungry. (We had not eaten anything all day) We chose Enchanted Garden over Cabanas. If I had to do this over again Id choose differently. You can actually do both if you want. EG was set up with a buffet, but I feel sure Cabanas was better. They seemed to offer a lot more choices when it came to dining. Shortly after we ate (sorry, no pictures this time because I had everything packed up and I didnt want to chance losing anything) our cabin opened up. We went in to drop off the luggage and to check things out. This was one sweet cabin! The kids could not wait for the beds to come of the ceiling and wall. We loved our room. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7e57add5.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psa2aabb2f.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps868c20d1.jpg You can see the port outside the window in the last picture above. We hung out in the room for about 15 minutes. Took a ton of pics that I will add later when I go to the other album, then left the room to explore this Dream of a ship. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psb28c7985.jpg 400+ more pictures to come! Teen clubs, kids clubs, the food, the bathrooms...loads of detail to follow. Please do me a favor. Even if you're a lurker, just say "Hi, I'm here." |
Enjoying your TR so far. Love the pictures. Keep them coming. I'll be going on the Fantasy for the 1st time in Oct. 2013, but I have been on the Dream and the Magic.
All about us...
I realized my introduction left much to be desired on the start if the cruise report. I just copy and pasted the information from my other trip report so you know who we are.
I haven't written a trip report in a really long time. I cant believe its been more than three years, wow. Well, ONETREEHILLADDICT is back ya'll! For those of you who don't know me already my name is Tammy. I'm 30-10 years old and come from South Carolina. We live about 8 hours from the mouse, but this doesn't stop us from visiting him two or three, sometimes four times a year! 2012 will break a record for us. By the end of the year we will have accumulated six weeks between WDW and the Disney Dream. (We just took our first Disney cruise this month and well, we are hooked!) That is me all decked out for Pirate Night on The Dream below. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0e6772e4.jpg Another random recent photograph of me. Yes, I love guns. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psf920994c.jpg A recent family portrait...yeah, this was not the one chosen to go on the wall but it did have my sweet 19.5 year old Boo Boo in it who recently passed away. I miss that cat. We spent almost two decades together. She was my girl. I could tell her anything. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps608f766c.jpg As for my comeback trip report it will include the most recent trip this past September. Five days spent at WDW and four nights spent on the Dream. The crazy year started off in March with a birthday trip to the Beach Club & the last night was spent celebrating the grand opening of the royal rooms over at Port Orleans. <--- They were GORGEOUS! In June we went again for Star Wars Weekends and brought along a family friend. Hmm, that was a crazy trip! To round out our weeks five and six we will be heading back in November and December. Same trip, just two weeks worth of Disney with FREE dining at the all new Art of Animation! Super excited about that one. I guess this will include a little bit of pre trip info as well so we can keep it all in one place. Life is easier this way. Why did I go away for nearly three years? Well, life got busy. I home school my three children, ages 6, 10, and 13. We added onto our home and many other projects just kept us busy. Then it clicked one day, some of my BEST FRIENDS in this world I met through the Disboards. Many are like my family now. I wondered how many great people I was missing out on because I cut out my witty reports. So with that being said I had to give it another run, and here I am. Hopefully I can keep you all entertained. The rest of us consist of Sidney, my thirty something year old Disney loving husband. He grew up five hours from WDW and not one time did his family take him there as a child. Uh huh, his mama is the evil queen. How can someone not take their kids to Disney? Especially back when tickets were less than $20! Hello. She sort of made up for it in 1999, but not for good reasons. We wont go into that right now. I first took my hubby to WDW in 1997. Even though the castle was a lovely shade of pink with birthday décor all over it he was still in love at first sight with all things Disney. He had been a fan of the cartoons & Walt since he was a baby, but after this first visit to the Magic Kingdom he was hooked. (It has only gotten worse over the past 15 years, not that this is a bad thing.) Here's a recent picture of him on The Dream also dressed up for Pirate Night. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3e41cd16.jpg This was taken last year before he grew his hair out. He knows how much I love long hair on men, so once again he's letting it grow. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psae166d79.jpg One more http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9001dc94.jpg This is my oldest boy, hes 13, and he can name a Disney tune in an instant when we turn on the Disney park soundtracks. Its weird when he and my husband get to talking Disney. They are the two biggest Disney nerds I know. He loves his Legos and can build anything out of them. He is very smart, and hes a great kid. His dream is to be an imagineer one day. If anyone can do it this kid can. He amazes me on a daily basis and comes up with the best ideas. Disney would be lucky to have him. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2032a7e8.jpg http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psb121db46.jpg http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps74e1b031.jpg Our daughter, our middle child, is ten years old. She LOVES Disney. She grew up in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! She had every princess dress and accessory sold, thanks to mama finding a super cool lady via eBay. She gave us the most amazing discount (85% off of WDW prices) when we asked for one of EVERYTHING. Yes, the shoes, accessories, dresses & all of it! We went a little overboard, but if could go back I wouldn't change a thing. Having a little princess at WDW brings back some special memories that I will never forget. She still loves the princesses, and even though shes ten most people assume shes about 13-14 because of her height. She felt weird last time she dressed up, and hasn't wanted to do it since. I miss it, but I want her to be happy. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psff3a81bf.jpg http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps46232ffe.jpg See the banners in this picture? A very good friend I met through Dis made these. She has made the kids t shirts, pillowcases, etc over the years. She is fantastic and the attention to detail is the best I've ever seen. If you need personalized Disney stuff let me know and I will give you her information. She is the best! http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps04da68ed.jpg Our youngest son is six years old. He loves Disney more than all of us put together and would live in Cinderella's castle if he were allowed. He always wants to go and never wants to leave. He especially loved the cruise as well. He will sit and talk Disney for days if you let him. His online teacher now calls us The Disney Family. Fitting indeed. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps07418ada.jpg http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4aba5c69.jpg http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psee3cc47b.jpg Here's one of all the kiddos together http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psb34cf5ee.jpg That covers the introductions, unless you want me to include our pets. We have three dogs, one cat (okay he is my nephew but he's always here and I feed him so he's my cat too), ten rabbits, & eleven pekin ducks. Yeah, it's a real zoo around here. Please keep in mind it's been a few years since I've done this. I have to figure out the picture thing all over again. Our ducks, and no that one is not dead. He's upside down because he fell off the pool. They are a lot bigger now. I will add recent pics soon. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6e32e1f.jpg We have ten rabbits but these are my favorites. They are the cutest. Here you see the three babies with their daddy. His name is Einstein. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps120574e1.jpg These are my little boys, Walt & Roy. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psd3789001.jpg This is Mary Poppins (Just found out "she" is a boy so we're considering the name change to Peter Cottontail) http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf85a355.jpg Here you see Copper and Bentley. Copper is huge now, still not grown but he's a lot bigger than this. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...psf7859eb3.jpg This is our little girl Ali http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5af8162f.jpg This is my Boo Boo when she was a tiny little thing. She was born on my 21st birthday and I miss her terribly. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps60874cda.jpg This is Boo Boo and Donald (our first pekin duck) He was killed while we were at Disney in June. That news ruined that trip. This duck was a family member to us and he thought he was human. At the time he was the only duck we had. My oldest son was crushed for days. http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4a5dee89.jpg Donald! http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9d1ce9c4.jpg I can't wait to see who all shows up and joins me in this new adventure. If we were friends before kindly remind me that you are here. Unless I see a picture associated with your Dis name I probably won't recognize it. Going to load in a ton of pictures right now so we can get this thing started. Until next time... |
Yay!!! I am reading DREAM reports as much as I can and am looking forward to seeing your pics. :cool1:
Great looking family :thumbsup2 |
I recognize your name! Maybe from my older trip reports? I'm working on one update for tonight. :goodvibes It has been a super busy day. :surfweb: |
Day one continued...
We walked all over the ship. We wanted to check out the kids clubs, which were very nice by the way. The only kid area we did not see was the nursery. My 13 year old spent most of his time at Vibe. He is very tall for his age, so they were fine with the switch. We just had to sign a paper. Same thing with my 10 year daughter. She about to turn 11 anyway so she was allowed to hang out at Edge. This is the key entry only door to Vibe. When you first arrive on the ship the clubs have open houses. You can go in with your kids and meet the CM's, check out the rooms, activities, etc. They had open house hours every day at some point where anyone was welcome. My kids wanted nothing to do with the teen clubs during an open house event. I guess it just wasn't cool to hang out with mom and dad. So after that first day, we weren't allowed back in. :laughing: http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psaf0109de.jpg This is the ultra cool hallway you enter once you go through the door. It kind of reminded me of the old walkway through the second story Imagination building. I wish they'd open that back up. Have you guys ever seen the Michael Jackson pictures he took in the Imagination hallway. It was said to be one of his favorite places at WDW. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psef6067c1.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psa56ebcc5.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4935f21a.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3bd32bab.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps104dd4d1.jpg This club was the most amazing of all! I have a ton of pictures from the kids clubs we will add next time! If I had the funds I would build a teen club just like this here in Myrtle Beach. That baby would stay packed! http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5e96b810.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps40dee225.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6aa34223.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1698317b.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps23cc8cf2.jpg We stopped by Edge to see how it was set up too. We liked this club, but Vibe, wow, its just so much more entertaining. You can see people riding the Aqua Duck from this one though. The people working here were very nice, some of our favorite CMs we met during the whole trip. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps50f98926.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6f55406.jpg On the way out of Edge we were literally trampled by this cutie! http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psdfabd3d9.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps458aed7c.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps641983d6.jpg He seemed to be lost and rode the elevator down a floor with us. My youngest son was having the time of his life. At some point he ended up in the elevator with us again on a different day. While walking around we spotted some lonely princesses. Actually we ran right into them. I think they were a little disappointed when we didnt go up to meet with them. Probably should have because we never got around to it later. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps769e50e0.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps42ed30fd.jpg We could already tell this vacation was going to be one of the best ever! Within the first hour I was thrilled to be cruising again. It had been a while. It looked like the kids were loving it too, so we were all smiles. I'm ready to go again, right now. Tomorrow I will update with detailed information on the clubs. I still have a ton of pictures from those to add. After that we will start with dining. If you are planning a cruise on one of the new ships stick with me. |
Thanks for the great photos! We're sailing the Dream next month and can't wait to hear more from you. Great stateroom! May I ask the category? It looks like a great size for a family!
You are going to love the Dream! It's so much fun. I'm going to try and hurry through this because we go again next month. :) |
Love the pics so far! Brings back memories of being on the Dream last Dec. We will be sailing on the Magic in Dec in a category 4a (first time in a balcony.) We were fortunate enough to secure an awesome military rate and jumped all over it. So I was excited to see the pics of your room. I know there will be some slight changes but for the most part it will be the same layout and size. What type of camera do you use? The pics are wonderful!
I'm really looking forward to your trip report. We recently booked our first family cruise with DD18, DS14 & DS12, the 4-night Dream. I loved the pics of Vibe & Edge, but maybe I won't bring DS12 to see Vibe, he may be envious... I'll have to talk up the view.
We are also booked in cat 4D (room 6606) as midship as I could get (DH is prone to motion sickness.) Can't wait to read more!:) |
Thanks for sharing that with us!! I love looking at pictures!!
Animator's Palate ~ Part 1
I had planned on finishing up the kids clubs today, but Im going to go ahead and skip to dinner. We were scheduled for the Animators Palate on our first night. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psb89dbf2a.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psb06e1a43.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps70e49c5c.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psacecf193.jpg We had heard so much about this restaurant from friends that had traveled on the Dream. All I knew is I wanted four, maybe eight, of these Mickey Mouse chairs for my own house. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps285eea6d.jpg I noticed they sold a lot of things in the gift shop that you see (and use) on the ship. For instance the butter knife from AP, the red pillow from the bed, but no chairs! Do they not realize how many of those chairs they could sell to their guests? We absolutely loved the look of this restaurant. We sat there for the longest time, and tried to figure out how everything worked. (Thats the engineer in my husband) He also has a culinary arts degree from J & Ws so the food was a whole other event. We spent a lot of time sampling and analyzing our meals. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0ad398da.jpg This is your table marker. You have the same table number every night. They have many different colors of paint throughout. We had purple, my daughters favorite! http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4043d8cb.jpg This is the knife, butter spreader, tool .whatever you wish to call it, that is sold in the gift shop. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4e1a431e.jpg The menu books http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps42f0bba6.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8c65bc16.jpg Another ceiling shot http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psef45c9a9.jpg This reminded me of the Living Seas attraction where you go in and talk to Nemo. You can see the shark moving along behind my daughter http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7af900b2.jpg |
Animator's Palate ~ Part 2
Bread basket
http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psb9b8ed9d.jpg My oldest boy had soup http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps01e45684.jpg My youngest ordered chicken noodle soup from the kids menu, but did not like it. Hes a very picky eater. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psc896be8c.jpg My daughter and I had the pasta for our appetizer, it was delicious. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psebb15a8b.jpg Sidney had this, but he was in a hurry to taste it so a bite is missing. If you order this it will come with a tip. If it doesnt, ask for another. He didnt care for it too much. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps16029367.jpg I think all of us ordered the same meal, except for DS6. This steak was not very good IMO. It had a hint of sweetness to it, and I do not like a sweet steak. It was not like other cruise food I have experienced in the past. Not horrible, just average. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps91d2e1fd.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psa6071695.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps286f240d.jpg http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps19dccb55.jpg Kids pizza ~ DS6 loved everything he ate, minus that soup. He continues to say, That Dream ship has the best food ever. I want to go back on it to eat. Its delicious http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...pscaf64c10.jpg This is what he chose for dessert ~ http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3c0b5135.jpg I think he enjoyed it! http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps15c217b1.jpg I had to order my favorite (non alcoholic) beverage in the world coffee. No complaints at all here. Of course I drink my coffee black and as long as its strong Im good. Bring it on. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psc021a8d7.jpg We tried to test taste some of everything DD ordered this. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps55b96380.jpg DS ordered this http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6e0555fd.jpg I ordered this http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...ps46a3a869.jpg Dh tried out the dessert sampler with some of everything. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...pscd1f1e1b.jpg The desserts were all very good. The portions are small though compared to other ships weve been on, plenty for myself, but I wouldnt call it a full sized serving like youd get in a regular restaurant. Overall the appetizer, soup, and desserts were fabulous. The main course was just satisfactory, but we all ordered the same thing. Something else on the menu may have been delicious. Im sure it was. We just ordered the wrong thing and felt weird about asking for something else. The restaurant is gorgeous, especially the chairs. The staff is wonderful. We had a great time. http://i1341.photobucket.com/albums/...psd9373c76.jpg |
The FL and military rates are hard to pass up. We can't wait to go again. We used four different cameras on this trip. A Nikon D300, a Nikon D90, a little $99 kodak digital, and my iPhone. We normally use the D90 for everything, but I knew we'd want a ton of pics since it was our first time, and hubby needed his own camera so we brought two "good" ones. Quote:
Let's just say Vibe is the Magic Kingdom whereas Edge is the original Hollywood Studios. :thumbsup2 I passed your room many times and it is in a very good location. We would have been fairly close had we sailed at the same time. ;) On the last night the ship was rocking like crazy. Walking down the halls you would fall from side to side. I felt like I was drunk off my, well, you know what I mean. For many days after we returned home we still felt like we were rocking. :laughing: My husband got scared. He thought he was dying so he researched it, and it's common when you have rough seas. Make sure you bring him something for the sickness if he gets that way. He may need it. Oh, if your 12 year old is mature for his age, or in size many times they will let your kids stay together. You just have to fill out a form saying it's okay. :thumbsup2 Quote:
I love the pics of your kids! The chairs in AP are awesome! I may also have to purchase one of those knives, so cute.:) |
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(09-29-2012 12:14 PM)jacobystealshome Wrote: 1. the forums are a third party product, so beckett has not a ton of control over it. some, but not total 2. stars are irrelevant. 3. this is at least the 6th or 7th post about the stars. whoever is doing the 1 star thing? he's winning 4. ignore the stars. this aint a popularity contest anyway
(09-29-2012 06:33 PM)420ramsfan Wrote: ive never paid much mind to the stars, but jacobystealshome"s banner is awesome. very nice, man.
(09-29-2012 06:30 PM)all day baby Wrote: It's the replacement refs. Now that they are out of a job again, they are mad and are one-starring everything. They are going to cost someone a thread, just like they cost the Packers a game... mark my words!


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The 100 Best TV Shows for Men
Never before have there been so many things to watch quite so enjoyably. We all have our shows. These are them, collected. For debate, for DVR, for right about now.
By The Editors
PLUS: DVR Confessions of the TV Famous... with Padma and Urkel! and The Best (and Worst) New TV Shows 2013/2014 .
Modern Family
If you heard about a sitcom with a hot Latina mama who can barely speaka the English, a gay man who belts out Broadway show tunes, and Married with Children's Ed O'Neill as the grumpy patriarch, "restrained" is probably not the first word that would jump to mind. But the writers of Modern Family show great restraint: They take reality and tweak it maybe 30 percent, instead of the usual sitcom 60 percent (very scientific, yes?). That's why the characters have actual nuances and contradictions and surprises. That's why it's such a joy to watch. —A.J. Jacobs


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A little over a year ago, Marc Payne won an essay contest for the right to join TU on a blogger tour of Yellowstone National Park, where he helped remove non-native lake trout from Yellowstone Lake and learn more about how invasive species are threatening the native cutthroat trout and grayling of world's most iconic protected landscape.
The visit helped Marc better annunciate his own goals-he's long written about fishing on his blog, The Perfect Drift, but his passion for angling-and the fish he's spent a lifetime chasing-extend beyond the subtle efforts an independent blog can deliver. In short order, he dedicated himself to writing more, and he inked a deal to craft a book about fly fishing his beloved Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
"To protect and preserve the wild places should be our highest goal," Marc says. "Securing clean, pure waters as well as working to restore waters damaged by development or neglect is something we should take to heart. We are the stewards of the earth, not only for us, but for generations that follow."


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Cleveland resident Ray Aubrey, a 65-year-old materials group leader at the Whirlpool Cleveland Division plant on Benton Pike, has seen for himself the progress being made on the Caribbean island; he has returned from a recent weeklong community build in-country where he had a hand in the massive restoration.
Aubrey, who was sent by his U.S.-based company as part of a four-member delegation of Whirlpool ambassadors, was one of 619 volunteers who helped to construct 100 new homes in six days during the 29th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. The spirited rebuild took place the week after Thanksgiving.
But it wasn't just about erecting new homes alongside displaced Haitian families. It was about teaching them construction skills, empowering them to organize their modest communities into the Hispanola equivalent of neighborhood watch programs, and training them with viable life skills for the present and future.
Sharing an island with the Dominican Republic, Haiti was already a terribly impoverished country on Jan. 11, 2010. Its plight as the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation plunged the country into a deeper abyss a day later when a 7.0 earthquake killed by some estimates 316,000 people, destroyed 250,000 residences and 30,000 businesses, and left more than 1 million Haitians homeless.
In the nearly three years since the tragedy, global organizations like Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, the United Nations and an Irish nonprofit called Haven — among many, many others — have been instrumental in helping the crippled country to its feet.
Much has been done, but much work remains.
Since launching its recovery project, Habitat for Humanity has built 40,000 homes alongside victimized Haitian families. The organization will construct 10,000 more by the end of 2013.
The recent Carter Work Project added another 100 small homes to the community of Santo located in the town of Leogane which is located about 18 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Leogane was at the epicenter of the earthquake which destroyed 90 percent of the buildings in the region. In a similar home build in 2011, the CWP erected 155 new homes.
"Unfortunately, Haiti is almost a typical third-world country," Aubrey, a veteran of past missions to Africa, said upon his return to Cleveland. "There's just not the support there that it really needs [to recover quickly]."
By support, Aubrey was referring to infrastructure — which the poor country already lacked — and a government that is overwhelmed with need throughout its dense population of almost 10 million people.
Aubrey and three Whirlpool co-workers from different cities — Daniel Page-Wood, Benton Harbor, Mich.; Amy Gardner, Chicago; and Amy Gemmel, Knoxville — got their first look at the task ahead on the hourlong ride on 12 buses from Port-au-Prince to Leogane, and on to a fenced compound named Christianville whose array of tents and cots would become their homes for the next week.
"We were on a fairly heavily trafficked road and yet there was open water coming [across the route]," he recalled. "There were numerous places where you barely squeezed by oncoming traffic because of the congestion of the road. There were no road markings per se so people were driving helter-skelter. You sometimes had two lanes of traffic coming at you and it was only a two-lane road."
Aubrey described the primitive roads as a "hodge-podge" that reminded him of cow paths.
"It was almost like they'd taken a cattle trail, and you know how they meander through a field, and just widened them to make room for vehicular traffic," he described.
Yet, the brief trip to the encampment also provided evidence of three years of progress. Aubrey said he sat beside a repeat volunteer from the 2011 CWP build who told of how much of the debris had been cleared and that foliage and green vegetation had now taken its place.
Security, especially for foreign volunteers, is high in Haiti. The Christianville compound is surrounded by 8-foot-high wire fencing with razor wire coils on top. The complex is surrounded 24 hours a day by guards armed with shotguns. Each morning and evening, the bus caravan was escorted to and from the build site by armed law enforcement on motorcycles and in SUVs.
"We were a spectacle coming through town each day, as you might imagine," Aubrey remembered.
The fenced compound was for only one purpose — a secure site for volunteers to sleep and to eat when not on the build site.
Little more than a tent city, Christianville offered an array of tents whose sizes ranged from two persons to 20. Each had cots and a gravel base. The camp had plywood cubicles that served as modest bathrooms, but they did have flushing toilets. Showers were available, but not hot water.
Volunteers had no radio nor TV, but were given access to other electronics like laptops, the Internet, Wi-Fi and several telephones where international calls could be made at no charge. A community tent served as the mess hall. It would serve breakfast and dinner in three staggered shifts until all volunteers had been fed. Workers ate sandwiches for lunch on the construction site.
An Irish nonprofit organization called Haven, which has worked in Haiti for years even before the earthquake, provided the meals as well as construction volunteers.
"Haven is an amazing organization, just amazing," Aubrey said. The group worked closely with native Haitians to run the feeding program for volunteers as well as to provide half the construction workers during the Carter Work Project.
Volunteers were not spoiled, but they were cared for well, and their safety was a priority among the locals. For most American workers, the conditions would have been considered primitive; for native Haitians, they were the norm.
At the construction site, each building team was tasked to construct two small houses — whose dimensions were about 700 to 800 square feet — within a week's time. Aubrey's team was comprised of the four Whirlpool employees, four Haven volunteers, one team leader (from the U.S.) and a 10th "extra," who also was American.
All floor designs were the same. Each house was comprised of a front porch, a common living room and a family bedroom, but no kitchen. The bathroom and shower facilities were outside behind each house. The roofs were metal. The walls were plywood on the interior with a type of masonite siding on the exterior. The houses had no running water. Groups of about 12 families each shared a single well and pump. The houses sat on a concrete pad and a four-foot foundation made of cinder blocks.
Because the 2011 Carter Work Project fell short of completing all of its homes, Aubrey said this year's group was given an extra half day. The team began construction at about midday on Sunday, Nov. 25, instead of Monday.
In Haiti, the homes are small — more like "tiny" by U.S. standards — but the Habitat for Humanity structures are built using quality materials, professional processes and all adhere to construction standards for hurricane proofing, and this now includes being earthquake resistant; at least, as well as homes can be prepared for such natural disasters in a tropical climate.
Aubrey was impressed with how each team of volunteers worked together, and how the Haitian homeowners worked hard to help build the structures.
"Anything that you asked them (Haitians) to do, they would get out there and give it their all," he said. "At times, you could see they were kind of awestruck that this was coming together so quickly. They would sometimes just stand there and look at the house with a big smile on their faces."
Like anything else, housing is a matter of perspective, Aubrey said. In most American cities, the houses would be called miniature, and would be considered little more than half a duplex. In Haiti, they are castles, he stressed. They are homes for a native people who have never known luxury and whose struggle for life is leveraged on a "wealth" of about $2 per day.
Building houses for a week in a third-world land whose amenities in some cases are fewer than some of Africa's poorest countries is a life-changing opportunity for American volunteers, Aubrey believes.
"This is such an enriching experience personally because you come together with a group of people that you don't know, a group of people you've never met, people from a foreign country ... and you come together with a common goal, and you work together to see that goal come to fruition," he offered. "To be able to stand back at the end of the week, or at the end of the build, and say, 'We've done this. We've accomplished something.' You realize then you've given something of yourself, of your time and of your talents. But the reward is so much more than what you've invested."
It's all about helping another human being to grasp for a better life, Aubrey added.
The Cleveland worker saluted his Whirlpool teammates and his company for their commitment to Habitat for Humanity, to the beleaguered people of Haiti and to a conviction to be a part of the international community by contributing to its betterment.
"These other team members that Whirlpool pulled together were some of the best people that you could find anywhere," Aubrey said. "They were open. They were caring. They were sharing. Several times one of them would look at me during the work day and say, 'You look like you need to take a break' or 'You look overheated' or 'Here, let me get you a drink of water.' It was a team. We were working together and watching out for one another."
He added, "But at the same time, we [Whirlpool volunteers] were working to make sure the other members of our group were involved and that other members of our group got to do things they wanted to do."
For instance, some had never roofed. On this build, they roofed.
Some had never operated a jigsaw or a reciprocating saw. On this build, they did.
For the volunteers, the trip was all about the work. No sightseeing. No play. No one left the compound at night. No one veered from the construction site by day. Their lone distraction came in the early evenings between dinner and bedtime. One form of group entertainment came on Wednesday evening with Talent Night when workers were allowed to shine with microphone instead of a hammer.
Aubrey remembers it came at a good time. Temperatures neared 90 daily and the heat index sometimes hovered around 100.
"On Wednesday afternoon, I think everyone hit a wall," he said. "You could just feel it across the whole build site. Volunteers were beginning to wonder whether we were going to make it. The humidity from that morning's rain just really took it out of you later in the day."
But with a cold shower, some Irish stew, a couple of bottled waters and a chance to relax with co-workers, the group was reinvigorated.
"I guess on that Wednesday night we got to laugh, carry on a little bit, and we knew Thursday was the last full day of work so we knew we had to get it done," Aubrey said with a smile.
With a pensive stare into space and a thoughtful tone, the Whirlpool employee admitted the week's work put a roof over the heads of "only" 100 more families. But he returned to "perspective." Although the Carter Work Project was just one week, Habitat for Humanity — and other recovery organizations — are on ground in Haiti year-round.
While the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter workforce was erecting 100 new homes, some other group was building 100 more. And another team was adding to that. And yet another project was tacking on even more.
With this kind of gradual progress, can a devastated people like the Haitians — in spite of their already impoverished conditions — see a light at the end of the tunnel?
Aubrey paused. And then he answered.
"I would say 'yes,' because the few people we could help in one week now have seen what teamwork can do. The community that we built alongside the existing community [from the 2011 build] has already started to function as a group."
And that's what the 2011 homeowners did.
In the year's time since the Santo community's first Carter Work Project, many families have expanded their modest homes. Some have enclosed their open front porches to create another room. Others have started up businesses from their yards. Many are now raising crops in community gardens.
"[The 2011 group] has started to have common goals," Aubrey said. "They're growing their gardens. They've gone through a lot of training [by Habitat for Humanity and other international organizations]. They have been empowered to decide their own destiny."
He drew a comparison to American history.
"It's like our own Founding Fathers," Aubrey said. "When they came over here, they wanted to be free to plot the course of their lives, to raise their children without restraint. That's what our Santo community of houses will be doing."
He pointed out, "Although there are multitudes and multitudes we did not touch or impact, we planted a seed in the lives of a few hundred in that community. They now know there's a better way ... a safer way to live, a better way to raise their children. They now have opportunities that they can share with others."
Still, the people of Haiti face an uphill struggle without the continued aid of their global neighbors — not in the form of handouts, as Habitat for Humanity phrases it, but in a repeated series of handups aimed at education, life skills training, jobs creation, economic development and personal ambition, Aubrey analyzed.
"It's like that movie, 'Pay It Forward,'" he said. "The Haitians are paying it forward ... through the sweat equity that goes into building their homes, and the fact that you have to work to help not only yourself but other homeowners and other people who want to have a better life. Through that, you pay it forward to the next generation."
Emerging from its third-world status won't come overnight for Haiti, nor will it come in a few years time, Aubrey believes.
"What they really have to have is a government that can plan a future and that can develop a network of agencies that help one another ... whether to provide education, training, skills development, import/export or anything else," he said.
"Difference making" will have to come within the heart of the Haitian government in partnership with the world, but its focus must aim for the youngest generation, Aubrey added.
One of Haiti's glaring problems currently is that 30 to 40 percent of its population is undocumented, Aubrey said.
"[For many] there is no birth certificate, no certificate of baptism ... there's no school record for many of them; there are no driver's licenses for the vast majority ... they are not registered voters," he stressed. "This points to the 'third worldness' of the country."
Change must start early in life because this is the generation that will build the Haitian future, Aubrey offered.
"A child without hope, a child without a dream, a child without any prospect to have a better life is too much the norm in Haiti right now," he noted. "That's what's got to change."
Working in Haiti for a week and seeing the people's plight without coming away with a full resolution is sometimes frustrating for volunteers, and is even worse for the Haitians.
"Your heart, as a volunteer, goes out to these people," Aubrey said. "Even in America, we have hundreds of thousands of people in need of a helping hand. But here, we've got churches with soup kitchens. We've got community shelters. We've got the American Red Cross. We've got some semblance of support. But in Haiti, all of that is nonexistent, except for the outside agencies that are coming in, and the missions and missionaries who are providing what support they can."
Once the houses were built, the cleanup completed and the traditional dedications made to the proud new owners, the final act by the volunteers was perhaps the most gracious. They gave the Haitians the shirts off their backs.
Most CWP volunteers left their work clothing, their boots, their personally owned tools and a few gifts at Christianville as they departed for the airport in Port-au-Prince. The clothes would be laundered, the boots cleaned and the tools assembled, and all would be distributed to Haitian families who were rebuilding their lives and molding new dreams in the doing.
"The need there is so great," Aubrey offered behind reddening eyes. "There is always ... always someone there who will be able to use them."


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Bon Appetit! This Vintage Kitchen in White lets kids pretend they are cooking big feasts for the whole family. With its close attention to detail and interactive features, this adorable kitchen would make a great gift for any of the young chefs in your life.
Material: Composite Wood Products
Brand: KidKraft
Origin: Imported
Dallas-based KidKraft was started by engineers in 1968 and has since grown into a worldwide industry leader with branches in the Netherlands and Asia. KidKraft produces super-fun interactive wooden toys: small-scale kitchens complete with retro mixers and pretend cookies; dry-erase boards set on painting easels; and 100-piece table towns featuring mini airports and tiny helipads. KidKraft also produces heirloom-quality children's furniture, from toddler beds to toy chests to vanities and stools.


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West Nile virus (WNV) is most commonly transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. You can reduce your risk of being infected with WNV by using insect repellent and wearing protective clothing to prevent mosquito bites. There are no medications to treat or vaccines to prevent WNV infection. Fortunately, most people infected with WNV will have no symptoms. About 1 in 5 people who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms. Less than 1% of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurologic illness.
Health Alert
Fall, 2014
CDC is working with healthcare professionals and state and local officials to investigate reports of children in the U.S. hospitalized with muscle weakness or paralysis mostly in their arms and legs. These children are being tested for poliovirus, West Nile virus, and enteroviruses. Investigations into these and other possible infectious and non-infectious causes are ongoing. See Investigation of Acute Neurologic Illness with Limb Weakness in U.S. Children, 2014
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions
Prevention & Control
How to avoid infection with West Nile virus
Symptoms & Treatment
Signs and symptoms of West Nile virus disease
How West Nile virus is transmitted
Statistics & Maps
Surveillance data and maps
For Health Care Providers
Information about clinical presentation, diagnostic testing, treatment, and prevention
For Vector Control Professionals
Information about mosquito control
Guidelines and publications
WNV Activity & Surveillance
News & Highlights
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Lenovo has won more than 100 international awards for forward-thinking design.
As Configured
Thinkpad W540 Laptop Specs | User Guide |
Description | Thinkpad W540 Laptop |
Processor |
Operating System |
Display |
Graphics |
Weight | 5.57 lbs |
Memory | Up to 16GB DDR3 1600MHz |
Webcam | HD webcam |
Audio | Dolby Home Theater v4 |
Dimensions (W X D X H) | 14.8 x 9.8 x 1.1 in |
Keyboard | ThinkPad New Precision Keyboard with Number Pad |
Wireless WWAN | Sierra Wireless 7355 – Gobi 5000 |
I/O (Input/Output) Ports |
Storage |
WiMax / WiFi |
Battery Life | 6+ hours |
Battery |
Communication | Ethernet RJ45 |
Optical Drive |
Preloaded Applications | |
Protect Your ThinkPad Laptop With Lenovo Services | |
Why Lenovo Services?
24/7 Access to Advanced Technicians
On-Site Convenience and Extended Protection
Learn more about International Warranty Services. Drops or Spills? No Problem With Accidental Damage Protection
Ultimate Data Security
Lenovo has won more than 100 international awards for forward-thinking design.
Limits: Limit 5 per customer. Offers valid from Lenovo in Canada only.
Availability: Offers, prices, specifications and availability may change without notice. Lenovo will contact you and cancel your order if the product becomes unavailable or if there was a pricing or typographic error.
General: Review key information provided by Microsoft that may apply to your system purchase, including details on Windows 8, Windows 7, and potential upgrades/downgrades. Lenovo makes no representation or warranty regarding third-party products or services.
Trademarks: Lenovo, ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkStation and the Lenovo logo are trademarks of Lenovo. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and the Windows logo are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Ultrabook, Celeron, Celeron Inside, Centrino, Centrino Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel Viiv, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, Viiv Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company, product or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. www.intel.com/go/rating
Warranty: For a copy of applicable warranties, write to: Lenovo Warranty Information, 1009 Think Place, Morrisville, NC, 27560. Lenovo makes no representation or warranty regarding third party products or services. The Lenovo Limited Warranty applies only to Lenovo hardware products purchased for your own use, and does not transfer upon resale.
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text: ok so i finally found an article about that. it happened in the Perris area of town, that's almost heading out of town and towards Palm Springs (Sorta), interesting that it happened there since that area is like a death valley. there is nothing there except dirt and cactus', there are some upscale neighborhoods there but not much more so its interesting that something actually happened there.


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Cutout Bandage Dress
Style # 219140
With a crisscross neckline and luxurious heavy stretch bandage fabric, this bebe cocktail dress is made for the spotlight. Try yours with a glittering pair of heels and a boxy minaudiere to complete the look.
- 86% rayon, 14% spandex
- Dry clean
- Imported
- Center back to hem: 33" (84 cm)
- Model is 5'9" and is wearing a US size S
Cutout Bandage Dress
I just purchased this dress in black and got free shipping because they accidentally told me it was sold out before you could purchase it.This looks sexy and cant wait to wear it out for my birthday / Halloween.
September 22, 2013
Not for petites
This dress is not for the petite woman. Size xs is still waaayy too big. Im usually XXS in bebe dresses and XS usually fits fine in the bandage dresses but not with this one. Its too long and jus too big all around. Wished it came in xxs
September 22, 2013
Everyone knows sleek, black dresses are sexy. But there's so many around I wanted a unique one.This one pops from a sea of black dresses. I don't look good with tops that go up to my neck so I was a bit worried how this would look on me. Not a problem. Although the top of this dress does technically come near the neck, it didn't look like the dress was suffocating me because of the holy part. I sometimes wear xs or s in bebe and xs fit me really well. S fit me also but in a slightly big way. I wore a dark green embellished bra under the dress so the top part of the bra showed through (before you make judgments, only a bit of the top bra was showing and it was such a beautiful bra it looked more like a bustier). I think that helped the outfit have a bit of color. I also added a belt for emphasis on the waist. Overall too stunning. Boyfriend was thrilled. Oh and another good point is the dress has a decent length. It still hit higher than my knee (I'm 5'6") but it wasn't one of those barely below lady part dresses so I didn't have to keep pulling the dress down every 2 seconds. At the back top, there are two hook and eye things which are a slight pain to do, but not too bad.
September 21, 2013
I've had my eye on this dress for over a month! Finally bought it at my local store today and it's absolutely gorgeous on! I got my usual size M. It's a little big at the top, so some girls may need to order a size down. It looks so sexy on and the length was perfect on me at 6 foot. This is going to be my birthday dress this year! :)
September 19, 2013
1-4 of 4


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Compression Socks
Reduced Fatigue and Recovery Enhancing
- Compression footbeds and cuffs to create managed pressure on the legs, ankles, and feet
- Second-skin fit that reduces risk of friction blisters
- 200-needle density fabricthe highest density in socks
- Super fast drying with 84% nylon, 6% spandex, 10% olefin blend.
- Now Available in a 4 ankle height, white and black and now a 12 height in white
Select for Price
When we were introduced to Swiftwick's Performance line of compression socks, we were anxious to proudly put the Hammer Nutrition logo on them, expressing our endorsement of this ultra-smart, ultra-comfortable technology.
In addition to offering softer, stronger construction and supreme comfort, Hammer Nutrition compression socks help improve vascular performance and blood flow, reducing leg fatigue and speeding recovery after a long training session or event.
In keeping with Hammer Nutrition's Made in the USA policy, Swiftwick is manufactured in Tennessee, and the company keeps a close eye on the sources of their materials.
Size Charts:
Sock Size | Men's Shoe Size | Women's Shoe Size |
Small | 3-5 1/2 | 5-7 1/2 |
Medium | 6 - 9 1/2 | 8 - 10 |
Large | 10 - 13 | 10 1/2 - 14 |
XLarge | 13 1/2 - 16 | 14 1/2 - 16 1/2 |
Get the VIP Treatment
Join the Hammer VIP Program Today!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Madygram from
Best socks ever!
These socks make you forget you've been in your feet for hours! So comfortable and supportive!
Date published: 2015-01-11
Rated 5 out of 5 by LTKF7372 from
Perfect of OCR!
Review for tall socks: I have 3 pairs of these Switwick socks and like them all. I like the compression but I like the protection they provide more than anything. For obstacle course racing they protect your lower legs from poison oak and from getting all scratched up. They work great for mountain biking for the same reasons, protecting my lower legs from vines and branches. Only complaint is I wish Hammer Nutrition had these in black because the white gets dirty very quickly on dirt trails.
Date published: 2014-09-18
Rated 4 out of 5 by TheCommuter from
Great socks
I bought them a week ago and used them that weekend at a 6 hr race. Tight enough around the ankles mid calves. Only getting 4 stars because I would like them to be a little longer. Great feel.
Date published: 2014-05-19
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ridesintherain from
Buy them!!
I bought two pair of these socks and truthfully they are the most comfortable cycling socks I have worn. Â I intend to get more.
Date published: 2014-01-22
Rated 5 out of 5 by wolf from
compression socks
this is the second set of compression socks I bought and these are the perfect ones ,I bought assize Large before, my foot size is 10-10.5 ,they cramped my toes,.Now buying the one size larger xl,they are perfect and will help in my staying healthier ,and prevent problems with my 69 year old feet
Date published: 2013-12-31
Rated 2 out of 5 by Barolo from
Review is for the long compression socks
Short version appears to be fine (I only tried them on so far and have not worn them on a bike ride yet). I like the feel and fit of them.
 Long version appears to be  not of same quality as other long athlete-oriented compression stockings that I own. They are also a tad too short in length which renders them close to useless for that reason alone. I will be wearing them occasionally and they will be used as back ups. I am only posting this comment because I was asked.
Date published: 2013-12-31


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(CNN) — President Barack Obama won't be hanging by the beach during his Florida vacation this weekend - unless he ends up stuck in a sand trap.
While his wife and daughters are in Colorado skiing, the president will hit the course at the Floridian golf club, an expansive resort in Palm City, Florida.
Obama worked on his swing with legendary golf teacher Butch Harmon, who coached Tiger Woods and "rode along with the president for a few holes in the afternoon," according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
"I've played golf with Ike, Nixon, Ford and President Bush 41," Harmon told the publication Golf Digest. "I know the president is a real keen golfer. I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun," Harmon told Golf Digest.
"If I had the opportunity to give the president some help, I would advise him to make a better turn on his backswing, both with his hips and his shoulders," Harmon said in a separate Golf Digest interview.
Earnest told reporters, "The president is looking forward to spending President's Day weekend with some friends in Florida, and I'm sure they'll take advantage of the opportunity to play some golf."
Temperatures were in the 70s and skies were sunny Saturday morning. Obama arrived late Friday night to rain after wrapping up his State of the Union tour in his hometown of Chicago.
The remote golf club is obscured from roadside view by gates, trees and brush. It sits alongside the St. Lucie River.
Several members of the administration are traveling with the president, but the White House made it clear that this is a vacation weekend.
"The president of the United States is the president of the United States 24 hours a day, and will fulfill his responsibilities as president even while he's getting some well-deserved downtime with some friends this weekend. I don't think the American people will begrudge him that," Earnest said.
His golfing five-some included one member of the administration - U.S Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Jim Crane, a Democratic donor who owns the resort and Houston Astros, played as well, as did three friends of the president: Dr. Eric Whitaker, Tony Chase and Milton Carroll.
Obama will golf again with Crane on Sunday, according to the Major League Baseball website, which reported the president called him earlier this week.
"I got a call on the cell phone last week and (Obama) said, 'Hey, thanks for letting us come in,'" Crane said, according to MLB.com. "It's going to be a fun weekend. I hope he gets some rest and relaxes. It's kind of a quiet place, so hopefully he'll be able to do that."
™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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Peter Xu is inspired by velvet, purity and authenticity. He is 26, lives in Shanghai and blogs about fashion. Music is his life, and he is drawn to everything mysterious. Whenever he goes to a fashion week overseas, he wears something Chinese so people can see the journey he has taken.
Peter took us for the M Magazine interview on a tour of Shanghai, and showed us the city where he has lived for the last five or so years. We visited a range of locations, including the Shanghai Bund and the Waibaidu Bridge, the first all-steel bridge in the world.
MCM: Describe your style
Peter: I'm influenced by street style and hip-hop music, and attitude is a must. I carry statement pieces, and I'm pretty into accessories such as bags, caps, clutches and sunglasses. But for me, colour comes first, and I dye my hair once or twice a month to keep my look fresh.
MCM: Who's your style icon?
Peter: I really like Kanye West, Anna Piaggi and David Gandy, all in different ways. I think you should have influences, but you should only ever buy what you genuinely like. Be bold, follow your instincts, and you could come across a style that will last forever.
MCM: What's the most essential item in your backpack?
Peter: Music is my life, so I need my iPod and my Jambox. For this shoot, I chose an MCM backpack that reminds me a bit of electronic and a bit of grunge ? somewhere between the Orb and Nirvana.
MCM: Do you remember your first backpack?
Peter: No. I'm so energetic and carry lots of stuff, so it probably didn't last long. MCM backpacks are spacious and they last forever, so it's like they were designed for me.
MCM: What do you do in your downtime?
Peter: I tweet a lot and I love to travel to fashion shows and trendy places. When I go to fashion weeks, I always wear something Chinese because I want people to see the culture I represent.
MCM: What inspired your choice of location?
Peter: I've been in Shanghai for more than five years, and I wanted to pick locations that truly reflect the city and the new generation that lives here.


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Sneak Peek #1: January 6, 2014
JANUARY 2014 GLAM BAG SNEAK PEEK #1: Fabulous lips, Fabulous life! One of these lip products will give you a reason to have some adventure this new year!
One of the items is (MALIN + GOETZ) mojito lip balm (retail: $12). The lip items in the pots are unknown but it kind of reminds me of Cailyn Cosmetics lip balms we've had a couple of months ago. MicaBella/MicaBeauty also has these same lip balm pots with brush.
- (MALIN + GOETZ) mojito lip balm
- MicaBeauty Tinted Lip Balm in Fiesta or Natural
Sneak Peek #2: January 7, 2014
JANUARY 2014 GLAM BAG SNEAK PEEK #2: So many beautiful horizons ahead! Make your 2014 your mostly beautiful year ever with one of these great products. http://mygl.am/Jan2014SneakPeek2
One item is from Yaby the other two say "Smooth Shadow" which are from Elizabeth Mott. Hopefully the Yaby item is a color corrector and not the liquid foundation since foundation is so personal.
- yaby Liquid Foundation in Buff
- Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in Penny or Pearl
Sneak Peek #3: January 8, 2014
JANUARY 2014 GLAM BAG SNEAK PEEK #3: Gorgeous for 2014, 24/7! From desk to dinner, your lovely look will last with one of these awesome products. http://mygl.am/Jan2014SneakPeek3
Sneak Peek #4: January 9, 2014
JANUARY 2014 GLAM BAG SNEAK PEEK #4: The 2014 adventure begins now! Start it off right with two of these picks in your January Glam Bag! http://mygl.am/Jan2014SneakPeek4
- Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads (4 Proactiv+ Mark Fading Pads.)
- Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion
- Faith Aromatherapy Tahitian Monoi Anti-Aging Sugar Scrub
- ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Aging® Dry Shampoo
- Absolute! Makeup Cleansing Tissue in Cucumber or Pomegranate
- skiin Soothing and Smoothing Eye Cream
- Apothederm® Bright Skin Serum
- willa®on the go face towelettes
- Balanced Guru Balm Me Up Organic Sweet Cocoa & Tangy Body Balm
- LeeAnni Eco 3 in 1 Revolotion
- Épicé Purifying Exfoliant
Sneak Peek #5: January 10, 2014
JANUARY 2014 GLAM BAG SNEAK PEEK #5: 2014 is full of reasons to get gorgeous and tote your all-day essentials in your January Glam Bag!


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Built for Skiers. The Atomic Skiwear Lookbook 14/15.
Powerful is what describes Dana Flahr's skiing the best. Regardless of what lies below him, he charges any terrain with a fast uncompromising precision shaped from years of shredding the backcountry of Whistler.
As demonstrated in his many movie segments and magazine covers, steep lines and massive cliffs are Dana's home and while no hint of hesitation can be sensed in his aggressive style of tackling unforgiving terrain he remains a humble and down to earth person. Dana's skiing does the talking; he is the skier's skier.


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Little Pim uses playful antics and colorful video footage of real children to teach more than 60 conversational words and phrases in every 35-minute program. Each DVD is segmented into seven different five-minute episodes to facilitate pausing to reinforce the lesson with your child. All of the material is presented entirely in the foreign language, as the immersion method is proven to be the most effective means for teaching languages to young children.
Material: DVD
Brand: Little Pim
Origin: United States
In 2006 filmmaker, language teacher, and mom Julia Pimsleur Levine was looking for fun ways to introduce her young son to the French language. When she discovered there were no high-quality DVDs for teaching toddlers a foreign language, she decided to put her skills to work and create them herself. And it seems she got it right: The series, Little Pim, has won 17 awards, and seamlessly blends play and learning into one activity. Little Pim products make language learning fun and easy for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. With Little Pim's help, your little one can soon be fluent in a host of languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Italian, Japanese and Arabic.


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Family Compositae
The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.
Genus Centaurea
, biennials, or perennials, 20-300 cm, glabrous
or tomentose
. Stems erect
, ascending
, or spreading
, simple
or branched. Leaves basal and cauline; petiolate
or sessile; proximal
often ± deeply lobed
, (spiny
in C. benedicta ), distal ± smaller, often entire, faces
glabrous or ± tomentose, sometimes also villous
, strigose
, or puberulent
, often glandular-punctate. Heads discoid
, disciform
, or radiant, borne singly or in corymbiform
arrays. Involucres cylindric
or ovoid
to hemispheric
. Phyllaries many in 6-many series, unequal, proximal part appressed
, body margins entire. distal parts expanded into erect to spreading, usually ± dentate
or fringed
, linear
to ovate
, spine. tipped or spineless. Receptacles flat, epaleate, bristly
. Florets 10-many; outer usually sterile
, corollas slender and inconspicuous to much expanded, ± bilateral
; inner fertile
, corollas white to blue, pink, purple, or yellow, bilateral or radial
, often bent at junction of tubes
and throats
, lobes
linear-oblong, acute; anther
, apical appendages oblong
; style branches: fused portions with minutely hairy
nodes, distinct
portions minute. Cypselae ± barrel-shaped, ± compressed
, smooth
or ribbed
, apices entire (denticulate
in C.
benedicta ), glabrous or with fine, 1-celled hairs
, attachment scar
. lateral
(with or without elaiosomes) ; pappi 0 or ± persistent
, of 1-3 series of smooth or minutely barbed
, stiff bristles
or narrow scales
. x = 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15.
Species ca.
500: introduced
; Eurasia
, n Africa, widely introduced worldwide.
of Centaurea have been controversial. The genus has great morphologic diversity
, and studies have revealed much cytologic (e.g.
, N. Garcia-Jacas et al.
1996) and palynologic (e.g., G. Wagenitz 1955) variation
as well. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, various taxonomists attempted, with limited success, to divide Centaurea into smaller genera or workable infrageneric
taxa. The relations of several satellite
genera have been controversial as well.
Recent molecular phylogenetic
studies (A. Susanna et al. 1995; N. Garcia-Jacas et al. 2000, 2001) have begun to clarify relationships
within Centaurea and between Centaurea and other genera. These studies make it clear that Centaurea as traditionally defined is polyphyletic, and that generic
boundaries should be realigned if monophyletic taxa are to be recognized. Some taxa traditionally included
within Centaurea (e.g., the two native
North American species, Centaurea americana and C. rothrockii) fall
outside the redefined generic boundaries and are here treated in Plectocephalus. Others usually placed into segregate
genera (e.g., Cnicus benedictus) are firmly nested within Centaurea. Because the type species of Centaurea (C. centaurium Linnaeus, an African species) falls
outside the main lineage
of the genus, a proposal
has been made to conserve Centaurea with a different type species (W. Greuter et al. 2001), thereby maintaining the nomenclatural
of most of the numerous
species that do fall within the principal Centaurea clade.
Although several Centaurea species are widely established
as members
of the North American flora
, and some of these are widely distributed invasive weeds
, some of the taxa listed by J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham (1999) are apparently waifs
and not permanent members of the flora. These taxa are discussed informally immediately below.
Although Cnicus has usually been recognized as a distinctive monotypic genus, it has been merged into Centaurea by various authors
(e.g., K
. Bremer 1994; G. Wagenitz and F. H. Hellwig 1996) . Recent molecular systematic studies (N. Garcia-Jacas et al. 2000) provide additional evidence that it is nested within Centaurea.[1]
- Domain:
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
- Class:
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
- Lindley, 1833
- Family:
- Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Subfamily:
- Tribe:
- Subtribe:
- Genus:
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Knapweed, star thistle, cornflower [Greek kentaurieon, ancient plant name associated with Chiron, a centaur famous for knowledge of medicinal plants]
- Specific epithet:
- Boiss.
- Botanical name: - Centaurea ammocyanus Boiss.
- Specific epithet:
- Boiss.
- Genus:
- C. Linnaeus, 1753
- Knapweed, star thistle, cornflower [Greek kentaurieon, ancient plant name associated with Chiron, a centaur famous for knowledge of medicinal plants]
- Subtribe:
- Tribe:
- Subfamily:
- Family:
- Giseke, 1792, nom. cons., nom. alt.
- Order:
- Lindley, 1833
- Superorder:
- Takhtajan Ex Reveal, 1992
- Subclass:
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Class:
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subphylum:
- Phylum:
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subkingdom:
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Kingdom:
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
Status: Accepted Name
Comment: Data Providers: African Flowering Plants
, Govaerts
World Compositae Checklist
A-G, IPNI, Tropicos, Euro+Med. GCC LSID:
Last scrutiny: 11-Aug-09
Similar Species
Members of the genus Centaurea
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 82 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
C. akamantis (Akamas Centaury) · C. alpestris (Greater Centaury) · C. americana (American Basketflower) · C. americana 'Aloha' (American Knapweed) · C. americana 'Jolly Joker' (American Knapweed) · C. aspera (Rough Star-Thistle) · C. atropurpurea (Centaurea) · C. bella (Knapweed) · C. benoistii (Maroon Cornflower) · C. biebersteinii (Ballast Waif Centaurea Biebersteinii) · C. bovina (Pasture Knapweed) · C. cachinalensis (Flor Del Minero) · C. calcitrapa (Big-Head Purple Starthistle) · C. calcitrapoides (Smallhead Star-Thistle) · C. cineraria (Dusty Miller) · C. cineraria 'Colchester White' (Dusty Miller) · C. crupina (Crupina) · C. cyanoides 'Blue Carpet' (Cornflower) · C. cyanus (Bachelor's Button) · C. cyanus nana 'Jubilee Gem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Ball' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Boy' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Gem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Magic' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Blue Boy' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Blue Diadem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Classic Blue' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Dwarf Blue Midget' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Frosted Queen Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Frosty Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Mauve Queen' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Polka Dot Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. dealbata (Knapweed Centaurea Dealbata) · C. dealbata 'Rosea' (Knapweed) · C. debeauxii (Meadow Knapweed) · C. debeauxii thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. debeauxii subsp. thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. depressa (Centaurea) · C. diffusa (Diffuse Knapweed) · C. diluta (North African Knapweed) · C. eriophora (Sand-Heath) · C. gymnocarpa (Velvet Centaurea) · C. hypoleuca DC. 'John Coutts' (Knapweed) · C. iberica (Iberian Knapweed) · C. jacea (Brown Knapweed) · C. jacea x nigra (Hybrid Knapweed Centaurea Jacea X Nigra) · C. macrocephala (Armenian Basketflower) · C. melitensis (Cockspur Thistle) · C. moncktonii (Meadow Knapweed) · C. montana (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Alba' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Amethyst in Snow' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Dot Purple' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Gold Bullion' (Batchelor's Button) · C. moschata 'Dairy Maid' (Sweet Sultan) · C. moschata 'Imperialis' (Sweet Sultan) · C. moschata 'The Bride' (Sweet Sultan) · C. nigra (Black Knapweed) · C. nigrescens (Short-Fringe Starthistle) · C. orientalis (Centaurea) · C. ovina (Lilac Knapweed) · C. paniculata (Jersey Knapweed) · C. phrygia (Scandinavian Starthistle) · C. pindicola (Centaurea) · C. pulcherrima (Pink Bachelors Button) · C. 'Pulchra Major' (Bachelor's Button) · C. ragusina (Dubrovacka Zecina) · C. rothrockii (Basket Flower) · C. scabiosa (Great Starthistle) · C. solstitialis (Barnaby Star-Thistle) · C. solstitialis solstitialis (St. Barnaby's Thistle) · C. stoebe (Spotted Knapweed) · C. sulphurea (Sicilian Starthistle) · C. thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. transalpina (Alpine Knapweed) · C. trichocephala (Feather-Head Knapweed) · C. triumfetti (Squarrose Knapweed Centaurea Triumfetti) · C. triumfettii (Spreading Thistle) · C. uniflora (Single-Flower Knapweed) · C. uniflora nervosa (Singleflower Knapweed) · C. xpratensis (Meadow Knapweed) · C.'Nigra' (Bachelor Buttons)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Garcia-Jacas, N., A. Susanna, V. Mozaffarian, and R. Ilarslan. 2000. The natural delimitation of Centaurea (Asteraceae: Cardueae): ITS sequence analysis of the Centaurea jacea group. Pl. Syst. Evol. 223: 185199.
- Moore, R. J. 1972. Distribution of native and introduced knapweeds (Centaurea) in Canada and the United States. Rhodora 74: 331346.
- Roché, B. F. and C. T. Roché. 1991. Identification, introduction, distribution, ecology, and economics of Centaurea species. In: L. F. James et al., eds. 1991. Noxious Range Weeds. Boulder, San Francisco, and Oxford. Pp. 274291.
- Wagenitz, G. 1955. Pollenmorphologie und Systematik in der Gattung Centaurea L. s.l. Flora 142: 213279.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 04, 2007:
- Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Israel Nature and Parks Authority
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8969867
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ast-22495
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15109779
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:189871-1
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 725178
- David J. Keil, Jörg Ochsmann "Centaurea". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 52, 57, 58, 67, 83, 84, 96, 171, 172, 176, 177, EFloras.org. [back]


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Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is part of a national network of coastal reserves established as living laboratories for long-term scientific research and estuarine education. The Reserve was designated in 1986 and is managed as a cooperative partnership between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with additional support from the 500-member nonprofit Weeks Bay Foundation and volunteers.
Located along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, the Weeks Bay estuary, "where rivers meet the sea," is an important site of scientific research on estuarine ecology and contains a variety of habitats which support a diverse and important assemblage of native plants and animals. The Reserve's administrative offices are located in the Weeks Bay Reserve Interpretive Center. The Center also provides laboratories for ecological research and serves as a focal point for public visitation and educational programs.Please explore our website to learn more about research, education, and volunteer opportunities at Weeks Bay Reserve.
Weeks Bay Interpretive Center and Nature Trails
The Weeks Bay Interpretive Center offers the public opportunities to learn about coastal habitats through its exhibits, live animal displays, and collections of animals and regional plants. Self-guiding nature trails wind through wetlands, marshes, forests and a pitcher plant bog.
Weeks Bay Interpretive Center is located on Hwy 98 between Fairhope and Foley, just west of the Fish River Bridge, in South Baldwin Co, AL
Monday - Saturday: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Closed State and Federal Holidays
Estuaries 101 Middle School Curriculum
For more information contact:
Weeks Bay Reserve
11300 U.S. Hwy 98
Fairhope, AL 36532
phone:(251) 928-9792
fax: (251) 928-1792