July 29, 2007
Offroadin in a jeep is so much fun!
When a backhoe excavator is too tall for a bridge:
This third picture seems odd doesn't it?
Boom dimensions seem off.
Has it been photo shopped?
One of the new inventions from Japan and practical!
World's Largest Cargo Ship
Get a load of this ship! 15.000 containers and a 207' beam! And look at the crew
size (13)for a ship longer than US aircraft carriers, which have complements of
5,000 men and officers. Think it's big enough? Notice that 207' beam means it
was NOT designed for the Panama or Suez Canal. It is strictly transpacific.
Check out the "cruise speed". 31 mph means the goods arrive four days before the
typical container ship traveling at 18 to 20 mph on a China-to-California run.
So this behemoth is hugely competitive when carrying perishable goods.
This ship was built in three, perhaps as many as five sections. The sections
floated together and then welded. Itis named Emma Maersk. The command bridge is
higher than a ten story building and has eleven rigs that can operate
simultaneously.
Additional info:
Country of origin - Denmark
Length - 1,302 ft
Width - 207 ft
Net cargo - 123,200 tons
Engine - 14 in-line cylinders diesel engine (110,000 BHP)
Cruise Speed -
31 mi/h
Cargo capacity - 15,000 TEU (1 TEU = 20 ft3 container)
Crew - 13
people
First Trip - Sept. 08, 2006
Construction cost - US $145,000,000+
The silicone paint applied to the ship's bottom reduces water resistance and
saves 317,000 gallons of diesel per year
| To all... Here is a day by day recap of our trip to Atlanta with Landon this past weekend. Manfred and I took Landon to Atlanta this past weekend to make some new experiences with him. We had a blast. Not sure who had more fun, him or us!!!! We drove up to Atlanta on Friday afternoon, and checked into our hotel about 6:30 pm. Landon wasn't sure about how he would like having our room on the 33rd floor (at first). The elevator was glass and you could look out and see the floors fly by, and he was a bit skiddish the first time. We had time to dip in the pool before getting a bite to eat. Atlanta had a cool front going through (much to our surprise and delight), so we were able to dine outdoors (Al Fresco) which we all truly enjoyed. We got up early on Saturday morning and had a nice breakfast, and then walked about five blocks to the new Georgia Aquarium. What a spectacular place! We got there early and beat a lot of the crowd. There are several exhibits to enjoy, and Landon also got to touch some Rays and White Shrimp that were swimming around in a shallow pool. We enjoyed the 3-D show in their theatre - they give you glasses to wear and the fish jumped right out in front of your face (or so it seemed). I kept seeing Landon try to reach out and touch the 'fish' in front of him, and it was very humorous. They also had rain drops dripping down on us when the fish appeared to be swimming at us and splashing the water so it really seemed like we were in the water with the fish. As the fish were swimming through a bunch of seaweed and underwater plants, there were some streamer-type things dangling down from the ceiling and touching our heads/faces. They did a spectacular job with that show. We spent several hours in the Aquarium and went back to several of the exhibits a second time as they were great! Landon was impressed with the huge Whale Shark as well as the anenomes, huge catfish, giant Japanese spider crabs, penguins, and a vast variety of unusual and very colorful fish. We walked back to the hotel and took a dip in the pool to cool off, and then got a bite to eat before driving to Stone Mountain. We had a lot of fun there. We rode the railroad all around the mountain, and also talked Landon into going on the skyride up to the top of the mountain. We were able to walk around up there and see beautiful views of Atlanta. We also took a ride on the "Ducks," the renovated World War II era amphibious vehicle. These 'boats' have wheels and drive like a car but also can operate in water. The best part of that trip was the initial 'splash' when it first hits the water. The driver issued each of us a 'duck whistle' which we all proceeded to blow during the trip. As the Captain stated "what happens on the boat, stays on the boat." He said we could all be kids and have a great time, which we did! We got set up on the lawn at Stone Mountain and waited for the finale, a great laser light show/fireworks display at 9:30 pm. It was fantastic. We got Landon in bed about midnight on Saturday night, and he was a tired puppy! As we were walking into the front door of our hotel from swimming on Saturday afternoon, we held the door for a lady that was wheeling in some luggage, and her wheel caught on something and she dropped her luggage. Landon immediately picked the handle up and pulled the luggage through the door and handed the handle to the lady, and the uniformed Bell Hop was outside the door and watched what he had done. He proceeded to remove his hat and bow down and swing his hat and said to Landon "For that, I take my hat off to you!" As we walked out, I not only commended Landon for being so thoughtful, but told him that that was a "Random Act of Kindness" and I was very proud of him. We had a good breakfast on Sunday morning and then went to the Zoo Atlanta and enjoyed strolling through their huge zoo. Because of the hills and terrain in Atlanta, the displays and living areas for the animals are so beautiful and hilly. It all looks so natural. We saw two giant Panda Bears that are on loan from the Chengdu Zoo in China. Their names are Lun Lun and Yang Yang. We saw elephants, rhinos, zebras, Lions, Gorillas, monkeys, tigers, tigers, and giraffes. White tree frog, an inland bearded dragon, three Tokay geckos, an Irian Jayan blue-tongued skink, a carpet python, three green tree pythons, a double-wattled cassowary, a tawny frogmouth, three laughing kookaburras, two Bennett's (or red-necked) wallabies, and six red kangaroos. Flamingos, gigantic snapping turtle and they had every imaginable animal there. Landon went to the petting zoo where they had lots of farm animals and even a some llamas. He was able to pet the pigs, goats, sheep, etc. He brushed the hair on the sheep and thought that was pretty cool. Their reptile exhibit was great. I've never seen so many types of snakes and turtles and lizards. Amazing! We the headed for home, but had lots of fun driving in both directions with Landon as we had our 'travel game' that Gretchen and Brian used to enjoy on our trips up to Iowa and Minnesota many years ago, and Landon also brought his "Guess Who" game, which he is really good at! Landon called me last night and said "Nana, can we stay in a "higher room" next time." I guess he got over his fear of height (being on the 33rd floor!) real quick! We made some great memories with our #1 grandson! Love to all...Sue & Manfred |
Everything is green and lush this July with the rains and no real high temps.
Yes we have red tomatoes!
Pete