Keroppi

 Frog Tales Marathon 

The most simple things can bring the most happiness. - Anonymous

I was sad that day, so I went to Goodwill.

For me, shopping was cure for a bad day, or any day, really. It was cheaper than therapy. It was my cardio, and my credit card was my trainer.

I had no sooner poked through a bin when I spotted a colorful billfold. On it was a frog character with big, sparkling eyes, a V-shaped mouth, and cute blush spots on his cheeks. 

Keroppi!

My heart raced. 

With his delightful grin, he was the perfect picture of a happy, ribbiting frog.

From Sanrio data, I'd known him to be adventurous and popular around Donut Pond. 

Imagine him tagging along with his little snail friend Den Den, playing games, especially baseball and boomerangs. He was also known for his amazing singing voice. Maybe it was all that croaking practice?

No second guessing. Resolute with deep breath, I declared. You're mine.

Whoever said laughter was the best medicine obviously never tried shopping.

As I held Keroppi in my hands, I felt the universe align.

All was well with the world.

Senor Frog's

 Frog Tales Marathon 

Find what brings you joy and go there. - Anonymous

Who'd know that a bug-eyed frog could be the inspiration for this two-month Frog Tales Marathon?

I confess.

The invention was brought about by Senor Frog, mascot of a summer dine-in and fiesta spot in Orlando, Florida that we visited last year. 

Even before experiencing the space, I already knew that I'd love it for its quirky name.

Orlando, Florida: July 2024

Squinting against the mid-afternoon sun, up front, I could see a life-sized amphibian in a yellow tee giving a 'high four.' He was beckoning us inside to savor an offering of traditional Mexican dishes.

The tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas were scrumptious and the gaudy fiesta decor was fun. It was a perfect place to eat and drink.

Outside, the air held the promise of a scorching day. It was hot over the palm trees, but the sky was pure blue and I had never felt happier.

And would you believe it? I'm back, at about the same time last year.

Senor Frog awaits. Never mind the threat of rain and thunderstorms.

Senor, he vuelto!

Orlando, Florida: July 2025

Food is the ingredient that binds us together. Orlando, Florida: July 2025

Adios, Senor Frog.

Hasta el proximo ano!

Elephant Rider

Elephants

Live in the present, find eternity in each moment. - Thoreau

Hello, world travelers!

If you're twiddling your thumbs, waiting for a spark of inspiration to hit you before you embark on that next trip, then stop right here. Here's what's guaranteed to be an experience for you.

India.

It is beautiful. Endlessly fascinating. Often challenging, always surprising.

If you go, do ensure that you include Amer Fort in Jaipur in your itinerary. 

Sitting atop a hill, this magnificent palace is a huge complex built with pale yellow and pink sandstone and white marble. I guarantee, a sure-fire cause for, Awwws.  

Besides all this, surely not to miss...

The elephant ride. 

At the outset, I was nervous, climbing skyward its almost one-story building high back. What if he had wiggled and I got trampled underneath? I reckoned that would feel like being crushed by a couple of cars.

Being intimate with the largest land mammal on earth was strange. I'd quickly conceded right then that if size mattered, the elephant would be king of the jungle.

Elephant Rider. Amer Fort, India: 2011

After being somewhat settled on a make-shift wooden bench, we began meandering through a small stretch of spice garden with heavy greenery, then past a series of gates and cobbled path. It felt like the forest was walking with the elephant.

Intermittently through large ramparts, we had a magnificent view of Maota Lake, the main source of water for the palace.

I had a fleeting thought of psychologist Jonathan Haidt's Elephant Rider analogy regarding human behavior. He argues that we have two sides: an emotional side (the elephant), and an analytical, rational side (its rider).

The rider can see a path ahead while underneath him, the elephant provides the power for the journey.

Perched atop the elephant, the rider holds the reins and seems to be the leader. But the rider’s control is precarious because he is so small relative to the elephant. Anytime the six-ton elephant and the rider disagree about which direction to go, the rider is going to lose because he's completely overmatched.

Recall that I did say, fleeting.

I quickly dismissed thinking about the negative repercussion in that psychological analogy.

Suffice it to say that I was deliriously enjoying the NOW.

Embracing the present moment.

 

Baby Elephant Walk

Elephants

Fathers just have a way of putting everything together. - Erika Cosby

Hatari is one of my all-time favorite movies.  

It stars John Wayne as the leader of professional game catchers in Africa. What I love best about it besides the breathtaking vistas of Africa?

The baby elephant walk scene.

Picture this.

Three baby elephants in single file, prancing on the tips of their toes to a catchy tune on the way to a waterhole to bathe. 

Swaying to shift their weight for comfort, they surprisingly walk quietly on the spongy cushion of their heels.

I've always thought it to be the cutest walk-dance ever.

So what makes this a Father's Day blog?

You see, Saturday was free movie day for families at Erlanger where Dad worked as an office manager. Enterprisingly, he literally brought the movie experience home to us. 

He actually lugged the projector and all its accoutrements so that we could have a weekend of movies at home.

I can't help but beam, picturing him puttering behind the single projection system and balancing a reel, cuing up segments on a spool. Adjusting his eyeglasses, he would calibrate the system such that it made the optimal display on a white sheet that he had tacked on the living room wall.

For the most part, I think that he did not mind being unsung.

Unpraised. 

Unnoticed.

Front pavement of Emilia compound,
Manila

He didn't disagree when I told him he was goofy. I wish I'd inherited his ability to fall asleep anywhere, anytime.

It was only when I grew into adulthood and stepped back from him did I realize and appreciate his greatness.

To this day, as I play in my mind the catchy elephant walk, I couldn't help thinking, I wouldn't trade him for anything, but then again, no one has offered me anything yet.

 

Daddy Comes Home

Elephants

In celebration of Father's Day, I share stories about each of the two Dads in my life in this blog and the next. Here's my first recall.

*****************************************************

Coming home is one of the most beautiful things.- Erika Cosby

It has been said that elephants have steel-trap memories. They never forget.

I'm not like that.

My brain is like the Bermuda Triangle. Information goes in and then it's never found again. I often lie and tell myself, I don't need to write that. I'll remember it. Like a beleaguered warrior in the recall war, I came, I saw, and I forgot what I was doing.

Yet there are choice moments in my life that have become a memory - such as this one of Daddy V.T.V., Jr.

It's a story that I often recount to Eldest Daughter. That day upon exiting St. Paul's hospital with Hubby holding our firstborn baby, I said, What now? 

Then a most-visual awe. Outside, awaiting us was a black, luxurious chauffeur-driven car that Daddy must have sent to take us home.

I'd deemed him mostly reserved. Distant for the most part. But that quiet gesture demonstrated what I had thought. That he had a generous, caring spirit.

He was there for us, giving us the best royal journey home.

On this Father's Day, I honor him and say, Thank you. 

Just us you had gifted us with that grand experience, we'd like to do the same and take you home.

In Passage. Brought back from Manila, Daddy's engraved marble plaque sits on a niche in our rental Waikiki condo. March 2025

Sometimes special people come into our life, stay for a bit and they have to go.

But the bit where they were here was noteworthy. 

Soaring High. Daddy's memory flies up with the framed white fairy tern on the midway atoll. His memory comes alive with the fragrance of peace lilies and plumerias.

That beautiful moment becomes like an old friend.

They may not always be on your mind, but they are forever in your heart. 

Daddy's Home With Us. Fresh-picked iris, peonies in full bloom and first rosebud nestled in peppermint and English ivy greens bid him, Welcome to our home. Your home now. Photo: V.E.V., Columbus, Ohio: May 2025

Four For The Road

 A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking - Earl Wilson

What do four people do on a six-day road trip to Michigan?

First off, stop for snack.

Guess where?

Jollibee.

In Sterling Heights.

For Favorite Granddaughter's Chickenjoy, what critics are calling the best fried chicken in America, served with rice, Filipino-style.

And sweet, flaky mango peach pie made with real Philippine mangoes.

Lunch at Dixie Saloon, a log cabin-style restaurant
 

Then on to Mackinaw City.

We ate.

Yum! Mac and cheese, baked Great Lakes whitefish wrapped in parchment paper.

Vacation calories didn't count.

From Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, a resort area in Lake Huron between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas was only a Shepler's Ferry ride away.

The shape of the island has been likened to that of a turtle. 

Thus, it was named Mitchimakinak, meaning Big Turtle.

Horse-drawn taxicabs: an enjoyable and authentic way to view the island

Foremost on our must-see place was the historic Grand Hotel. 

Left and below: In white rocking chair on Front Porch, peering over red geraniums and looking out over the glistening Straits of Mackinac. Photos: I.T.V., Michigan: June 2025

Its front porch is reportedly the longest in the world at some 660 feet in length, overlooking a vast tea garden and the resort-scale Esther Williams swimming pool. 

We couldn't decline going up the fifth floor to see the Cupola Bar from where the best views on the island were showcased.

By the way, the Grand Hotel served as a backdrop and one of the settings for the 1980 film Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeves.

Through self-hypnosis, Reeves transports himself back in time to the year 1912 to find love with actress Elise McKenna (portrayed by Jane Seymour).

Upon meeting him for the first time, she asks, Is it you?

But enough of fantasy and obsessive love. It's time to eat!

Believe it or not, Chuckwagon diner was only 12 feet wide, but people waited in line.

We sat at the counter and watched the cook at close range navigating the small space with expertise as he prepared favorites, including a so-called rattlesnake burger. 

 

Next stop was Sable Falls. 

We picnicked before a hike down. 

Skinny people are easier to kidnap.

Stay safe. 

Eat!

A lot! 

Sable Falls tumbles 75 feet over a cascading slope of Munising and Jacobsville sandstone formations on its way to Lake Superior.

Photo: V.E.V., Michigan: June 2025

People who love to eat are the best people.

Of course, we wouldn't leave Michigan without a taste of its famous pasty. 

Reportedly, the original Cornish beef pasty was brought to the Michigan Upper Peninsula by the English copper miners of the 1840s from their native Cornwall.

The miners would place the pasty on top of their shovels and warm it over the headlamps deep in the copper mine.

We tried its many variations: with beef, pork, chicken, potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots in a flaky crust. 

Far left: mini-centerpiece of a wood forget-me-not on our dining table

Left: white trillium covers the Sable Falls hiking trail

We went on a Pictured Rocks cruise. 

The excursion derives it name from the 13 miles of colorful sandstone cliffs northeast of Munising.

The cliffs reach up to 200 feet above sea level. They have been naturally sculpted into a variety of shallow caves, arches, and formations resembling castle turrets and human profiles.

Iconic natural landmarks: Miner's Castle, Indian Head. All Pictured Rocks photos: V.E.V., Michigan: June 2025

Lover's Leap, Light House 

Spray Falls

Can you help find the gnomes at Horseshoe Falls?

Fun! We went on a whimsical scavenger hunt for these hidden legendary creatures that were scattered throughout its charming garden.

Chillin' with gnomies. There's gnome one like you.

Enroute to Frankenmuth, lunch was at Wimpy's, a casual, family friendly fast-food venue. 

Then, voila, Willkomen in Frankenmuth!

The city shows a strong German heritage. Also known for its popular nickname Little Bavaria, Frankenmuth features timber-framed buildings with square and X patterns typical in the architecture of the Franconia region of Germany. 

Pink calendula in flower boxes line city streets

Vacation mood on! Let's go thrifting.

After approximately 20 hours of travel on the road and on water, 10,000 steps on a five-mile hike alone on a single day, three B&Bs, treks to explore souvenir shops and taverns, and a million calories - our vacay came to an end. 

And what better way to celebrate than with an authentic Bavarian dinner?

                                                        

 Ain't nothin' that a beer can't fix.
Wine is bottled poetry. - R. L. Stevenson

Time to go home.

We haven't been everywhere, but it's on our list.

Elephant Picasso

Elephants

Every canvas is a journey all its own. - Helen Frankenthaler

Did you know that elephants can grow up to be almost as tall as a one-story building?

That their ears are shaped like Africa?

That a baby elephant is able to stand within twenty minutes of being born and can walk within an hour?

I bet you didn't know that elephants have artistic abilities. 

In fact, there's a conclave of these largest living land animals at Chiang Mai's famous elephant sanctuary in Thailand. They're not only survivors but artists who have become famous around the world for their incredible painting skills.

We had the opportunity to witness one of these resident artists in action.

There he was.

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. - Anonymous

Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary, Thailand: 2012

Talented nine-year-old jumbo named Nong Thanwa, holding an artist brush using her trunk, dabbed paint onto a piece of canvas to draw the silhouette of two elephants.

Reportedly, the scene was a depiction of her and an elephant friend in Maetang Elephant Camp.

Actually I'm not surprised. 

I believe that elephants are some of the smartest animals out there.

They have an estimated 257,000,000,000 neurons in their whole nervous systems and around 11,000,000,000 in the cerebral cortex alone. To compare, humans only have an estimated 86,000,000,000 neurons in their whole nervous system and around 21,000,000,000 in their cerebral cortex.

Go figure!

It is said that an elephant never forgets.

I believe the simple fact is that, you never forget an elephant. 

I Love You A Ton! 

Chiang Mai Elephant Sanctuary,

Thailand: 2012