Dateline: Iguazu Falls, Argentina Part II

Yesterday was fantastic! The first hour was spent hiking through the jungle (rain forest?) learning about the native flora and fauna as well as viewing traps the indigenous people used, kind of like Willy Coyote and the Road Runner! We did a fairly easy rock climb, 2 zip lines and rappelled down the same rock. You should have seen Deidre! She was pretty nervous about the zip line, but ended up loving it. We finished with a cruise on a small boat up the Iguazu River to the mouth of the Parana River where you are at the intersection of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. We returned home last night a little tired but very happy about the trip. Highly recommended as a place to visit.

Dateline: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

They say that the Grand Canyon is one of the sights that never disappoints, the same can be said about Iguazu Falls. See Wikipedia for details about the history, etc. I'm here to tell you that this is the mother of all waterfalls. The photos attached are from quite a distance away, but trust me when I tell you the falls are amazing. We took a large rubber boat with 2 Johnson 250 motors up to the falls and were totally soaked! Bat shit, crazy awesome. Manana we go rappelling, rock climbing and zip lining over the canopy. Please pray for my sometimes clumsy wife.
QUESTION: WHEN DID THE JUNGLE BECOME THE RAIN FOREST AND WHY?

Name Our Blog!!!!!

I'm in the process of changing from Blogspot to an alternative blogging platform and would like to change the name from rayanddeidre to something more appropriate and interesting.  

So, here's the deal, we welcome suggestions from the readers of this blog for a "catchy" name that might draw a larger readership.  Please submit as a comment and we will decide or enter it as a poll in which you can vote.

Nobody does anything for nothing, so the prize for submitting the winning entry is dinner at our favorite Parilla (Argentine Steakhouse).  There's a catch, the domain name must be available and you must be in BA sometime in the next 11 months or so to collect.  

Multiple votes accepted.

ciao, 

Bulldog and Mrs. Bulldog

Gone in less than 15 minutes

Such a wonderful seafood platter with shrimp, oysters, mussels, octopus, calamari and scallops!  $32.00.

Whales, Penguins and Sea Lions, Oh My!

What a wonderful time we've had today in Puerto Madryn!  Our hostel is fantastic, nice room and the owner, Giselle, has of course adopted Deidre.  We boarded a boat to go out to watch the whales.  It's been my experience that guided tours tend to be not quite as  advertised. I'm happy to report that this was not the case!  The whales seem to be attracted to the boats; the seem to enjoy giving  a show for us smaller mammals.  The penguin colony was equally enjoyable, I love the way they waddle around.  All in all a great trip.  

We're Off to Puerto Madryn

To watch the whales, penguins and sea lions as well as feast on Patagonian crab and mussels. We have a 15 hour coache cama ride ahead of us and our 1st visit to a hostel ($82.00USD for 3 nights in a room with dbl bed and private bath). Photos/video to come.
ciao,
Bulldog and Mrs. Bulldog

Paul Newman, RIP

One summer night in the mid-70's, my soon to be step-father, Bryan, brought his kids, Brad, Kevin and Janae to the Inwood Theatre along with my sister Laurie and I to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Up until then I don't recall ever being cognisant of the late, great Paul Newman, but he certainly had what I now know is "screen presence".  As the years have passed I've seen most of the movies in which he starred; The Sting, Cool Hand Luke and Absence of Malice, but the movie that put the hook in me was Hud!  Perhaps it's because the scenery and a few a the character remind me of the time I spent with my Grandfather on his farm during the mid/late 60's or maybe I was drawn to the complex character that Paul Newman played, but it became and still is one of my favorite movies.  

What I feel set Paul Newman apart from what I perceive to be the typical movie star is that he was the person he wanted to be, not what was popular or fashionable.  He began to competitively drive race cars in his mid-40's, started a food company that made wonderful products and gave the profits to charity, was married to the same woman for over 50 years and founded the "Hole in the Wall" camps for seriously ill children. On a sadder note, his son died from alcohol and drug overdose in 1978.  I don't know how he dealt with the pain of losing a child, but he responded in what appears to be his typical "modus operandi" and founded the Scott Newman drug and alcohol abuse center. 

If a person was attempting to "model" themselves after another human, Mr. Newman should certainly be on the one of the contenders in my opinion.  He will be missed, but not forgotten.