Travel Trinkets: It's a SPAM!

Sometimes a travel trinket can be a piece of family history.

Himself's Uncle A worked for Hormel Foods for many years, eventually retiring for the company.

In his job as a meat cutter, he used this mesh glove to protect his hand.

On one of our visits, he and Aunt D took us to the SPAM Museum.  This display showed exactly what his section dressed like.  Here he is showing us how the glove would be used.

The mesh is very tightly woven, yet it is amazingly flexible... and heavy!

When we returned from the museum visit, Uncle A gave Himself this glove that he had used.

An heirloom.

Travel Trinket: La Villita Morning

When we were first married (all those years ago!) we lived in San Antonio, Texas for a few months as Himself finished some medical training.  Many years later he was back for more training and I spent some time with him after he graduated. 

In 2004 we did our first big road trip and found ourselves back in San Antonio.  We were visiting an artsy town outside of the city; enjoying the various galleries.  At one gallery we found ourselves both stopped in front of the same painting.

"La Villita Morning" by Rita Kirkman

We looked at each other and that's all it took for this limited edition print to come home with us.

Travel Trinket: A Winning Necklace

In 2002 Mom and I did a trip down the Natchez Trace.  We left on my birthday... which is in JULY.  Oh it was hot!  (Note to self:  next time do a Southern road trip in the Spring or Autumn.)

In spite of the heat...and the humidity...and the bugs we had a fantastic time.

Our first 'rule' was if either of us wanted to stop, we stopped.  There was no schedule.  When we were tired for the day, we found the nearest hotel and left when we felt like it the next morning.

Once we made it to Natchez we found the best hotel deal was at the Isle of Capri casino hotel.  We got 3 nights cheaply, free breakfasts, tons of coupons for Natchez attractions, and each a $20 voucher to spend at the casino.

Well alrighty then!

We had a blast.  Toured all around Natchez in the day, headed across the road to the casino in the evening for a cheap casino supper, and put our voucher to work.  I put my tokens in one cup and headed over to the .50c slots.  All winnings went into my second cup.

By the end of our time in Natchez I had my $20 back and enough 'coin' to buy myself a trinket I had admired at a shop earlier in our visit...

I smile every time I wear it, remembering a great Mother/Daughter trip.

Travel Trinket: A Driftwood Board

Not all travel trinkets are purchased.

This board is a piece of driftwood I brought back from Washington.  Himself and I were walking along a beach when I found this old piece of a dock.  

It took a bit of cleaning, then I had to bring it home in my luggage.  (I wonder what the TSA dudes thought when they saw this!  LOL)

Now it is on the wall in our beachy bedroom, a reminder of a lovely walk on the beach.

Travel Trinket: A North Dakota Painting

Not all of our travel trinkets are actually 'trinkets'.  We love to find beautiful art to bring home with us.  This piece is from Burlington, North Dakota.  We were visiting a winery there and the gift shop offered locally crafted items.

Didn't she do an amazing job with the glass and the reflections! 

"Donna Watts   2002"

I would love to see more of her work.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/a-family-treasure-my-treasured-family-trinkets-and-memories-40/  

Travel Trinkets: Sioux Pottery

Another road trip... another piece of Native American pottery.

Our trip in 2005 took us through the Great Plains.  At a Lakota (Sioux) pottery shop I found this small pot that ended up having a large lesson to teach me.  It is one of my treasures.

The artists in the shop use local red clay from the Badlands area.  How they decorate is their own interpretation of the traditional ways.

Travel Trinket: Navajo Pottery

I enjoy collecting pottery and in our travels I pick up pieces that appeal to me.  I am especially fond of native people groups traditional pottery.

In 2004 we did an five week road trip through the US Southwest.  One of our stops was in Monument Valley.  Most people don't realize that Monument Valley is NOT a National Park.  It is a Navajo Tribal Park.  At the visitor center the gift shop features authentic Navajo art and sometimes the artist are there to talk to visitors!

When I saw this wedding vase, I knew it was coming home with me.

"The Wedding Vase is an ancient vessel still used in traditional Native American wedding ceremonies. One spout of the vessel represents the husband; the other, the wife. The looped handle represents the unity achieved with marriage. The space created within the loop represents the couples’ own circle of life.

The wedding vase is a treasured and sacred tradition among many Native American Indian tribes, particularly the Navajo and Pueblo peoples. These vases are not only symbolic in the ceremony performed just prior to the wedding itself, but also in the shape and construction of the vessel.

About a week or two before a couple is officially married, the groom’s parents build the wedding vase from clay found in a local river bed and ceremonially cleaned and filtered. Once the vessel has been properly fired, both families assemble. The parents give the young couple advice, and the wedding vase is filled with a special liquid. Traditionally it would be a nectar made by the medicine man, though many modern couples may choose to drink water or an herbal infused tea from the vase to represent the blending of their lives.

First the groom offers his bride the vessel and she drinks from one spout. She then turns the wedding vase clockwise, and the groom then drinks from this same side. Each will then drink from the opposite side of the wedding vase, and then finally in the culmination of the ceremony, they will both drink from the wedding vase together. It is said that if they manage this feat without spilling a drop they will always have a strong, cooperative relationship. The vase then becomes a cherished piece in their household and great care is taken to make sure it is never damaged."

"The vessel itself is quite beautiful, and its design is an integral part of its meaning. The two spouts represent the couple; one the bride, the other the groom. The rounded base and shared reservoir of the vase represent the couple’s now-shared lives. The looped handle also represents this unity in a more visible and apparent way, much like a wedding band is a visible reminder of the deeper, spiritual connection shared by a husband and wife. The handle creates a circle in the center of the vase that represents the circle of life."

From: http://www.kachinahouse.com

The painting on the side is of the iconic "Mittens" in Monument Valley.

Signed and noted as Navajo.  Dine is their name for themselves.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/surprise-trinkets-and-memories-38/  

Trinkets: A Gullah Basket

Over thirty years ago Himself and I went on a family vacation with my parents and Sis.  One of our stops was in Charleston, SC.  We visited the beautiful Magnolia Plantation while we were there.

I had just started learning to basket weave and was fascinated by the sweetgrass baskets.  The ladies sat and visited while they wove those beautiful baskets, their unique accent as wonderful as the baskets.

Mom bought a basket for herself, my sister, and me.

How I wish I could go back in time and appreciate the cultural art taking place in front of me.

Linked at: 

Trinket: A Field of Dreams

A few years ago on one of our road trips, I came up with a little side excursion to surprise Himself.  He is a fan of the movie "Field of Dreams" so I detoured us to Dyersville, Iowa to see where the movie was filmed.

It was a fun stop.  We bought a baseball at one of the gift shops (the baseball field is actually owned by TWO competing families… each with their own gift shop!).  We had a game of catch, which is how it got so scuffed up.  There really is a corn field there and Himself picked up a few kernels lying on the ground in the outfield. 

For a bit, we sat on the bleachers and watched families in a pick-up ball game.

Yep... they built it and we came...

Linked to:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2016/01/14/homemade-trinkets-and-memories-33/

Trinkets: Native Alaskan Art

Seventeen countries... seventeen trinkets.  Now it's time for trinkets from my own country, one from each state in a random order.

I'll start with Alaska.

Himself worked as the medical officer on a fish processor in The Bering Sea, Prince William Sound, and near Ketchikan.  In 2008 I was able to spend 3 weeks about his ship... but before flying down to Adak I spent 4 days in Anchorage exploring.  

At one of the museums I visited I was given a recommendation of a shop that sold only Native Alaskan made arts and crafts (which for the life of me I can not remember its name, just that it was on the south side of the city).  All the pieces had a certificate of authenticity and photo of the artist.

It was there I found my Inuit drummer.

He is carved from Alaskan marble.  His face is carved from fossilized walrus ivory and the ruff of his parka is seal.

His drum is a slice of caribou antler and the stick is a piece of sea grass.

And he is standing on a piece of whale bone.

Sometimes a trinket is a piece of art...

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2016/01/08/kiwiana-trinkets-and-memories-32/ 

Trinket: My Wee Highland Coo

OK, I'll admit that I brought back more than a few trinkets and treasures from our trip to Scotland in '11.  But none of them gave me more grey hair than this one!

I found this 'coo' at a darling pottery shop in Skye as we waited for our ferry over to Harris Island.  Skye was one of the first places we visited.

Isn't she adorable??

But oh so delicate!

The shop did a grand job of wrapping and boxing her so she would travel safely for the rest of our adventures.  Even so, I still gave the stink eye to Himself or Dave when they got too close to that box.

Not one 'hair' was harmed.

Not even her little tail!

I so recommend a stop at Uig Pottery in Uig, Skye.  It's right by the ferry dock, just a few steps away.  Great place to chill out while you're waiting for the ferry to arrive.

Linked to:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/handicrafts-trinkets-and-memories-31/

Trinket: A Wee German House

Sliding the trinket calendar back to November 2003.  I had just left Bosnia and I had a long layover in Frankfort, Germany.  Long like in 18 hours overnight long.

I'm not into sleeping in airport chairs if I can help it, so I booked a room outside the airport at a hotel with shuttle service.  My carry-ons were packed accordingly so all was good.  After checking in, I took a cab to the opera house where I had dinner and saw a show.

The next day my flight didn't leave until around 2pm, so I booked a Greyline tour of downtown Frankfort.  What a blast!  We visited an area where the Christmas Market would be running that weekend.  There were a few vendors already set up and I did some quick shopping.

This is one of my trinkets.

Yes, very tourist... yet rather cute.

And a reminder of something I would get authentically someday when I get to come back to German.

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/red-fuji-trinkets-and-memories-29/  

Travel Trinket: Guatemala Jade

After our cruise left Nicaragua, we headed next for Guatemala.  For our excursion we boarded a bus for a long ride to Lake Atitlan.  As the bus came down the hill towards the lake, the vendors came running after it.  I thought the Maasai ladies were aggressive sales people... they are lightweights compared to the Mayan ladies!

I love bargaining, so I watched carefully as they thronged around the first bus.

There was definitely a feeling of desperation that I did not feel with the Maasai.  Maybe it was the fact there were WAY more vendors competing for each tourist's attention.

They definitely fought to get your attention.  But I noticed they did not actually go as far as touching/grabbing the shoppers... which is a good thing.

So I jumped into the thick of it.  

As soon as I saw this necklace, I knew I found 'it'.

Green and purple... my favorite colors.

Our guide later told me that the pendant was Guatemalan jade.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/rugby-santa-trinkets-and-memories-28/ 

Two Toucans

In my last Travel Trinkets post, I mentioned how excited I was to see my first wild toucan.  On our next cruise stop - Nicaragua - a few artist vendors were selling their paintings.  

Of course these cute toucans had to come home with me!

It is a small painting, about 8" x 16".  Perfect for an area in our hallway.  After seven years it still makes me smile.

Singing Toucan - An Ocarina

Next stop on our Panama Canal cruise was Costa Rica.  My highlight was seeing my first ever toucan.  They are so cool!

So my travel trinket just had to be a toucan something.

This little ocarina was just perfect.

An ocarina is a type of flute.  You can see the fingering holes in the back.

It's a fun little reminder of watching a toucan in its native habitat. 

Travel Trinket: Panama Canal

Seven years ago this month, Himself and I were cruising along in the Panama Canal.  It was a straight through trip, unfortunately with no excursions.  So how does one get a travel trinket when there is no place to get one?

You make it!

One of the activities the ship offered was a time to make a poster and at a certain lock the ship's photographers would take photos of passengers and their poster.

Of course I was all about that!

The above photograph is our travel trinket of our trip through the canal.  

Isn't the frame I found at TJ Maxx just perfect for it?  I love how it lines up the photo with the canal on the world map.

Linked at:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/wall-hanging-trinket-and-memories-23/

Juan and Conchita

After our cruise stop in Aruba, we headed on to Cartagena, Columbia.  This time we didn't take a ship tour; instead we opted to hire a taxi for the day.  It was a fabulous choice!  Alfonso showed us all the sites we knew we wanted to see, then a few of his favorite places (always a good thing to ask a private tour person... what do you love about this area).

The souvenir Himself was after here and everywhere along our cruise route was coffee.  So Alfonso took us to a nice coffee shop that made Himself very happy.  I, being a non-coffee drinker, was just happy that he was happy.  There wasn't anything that brought a smile to my face...

... until ...

I saw this wee Juan and Conchita!

Is this not the perfect trinket for our visit to Columbia?

Need a Compass?

Our first stop on our trans-Panama Canal cruise in 2008 was the island of Aruba.

After our wee snorkeling adventure, we were dropped off at a beach area to get lunch and do a bit of shopping.  Shopping wasn't much of an adventure at all.  The promised 'wonderful' shops were filled with no-so-cheap cheap tourist junk manufactured by the billions... the stuff you see that is all the same just with different locale names printed on it.

I had given up finding anything authentic and we were headed down to the beach to kill the rest of our time there.  And it was on the edge of the beach I saw them...

... local artists selling awesome stuff!

And there I found my Aruba trinket.  A small painting of the famous Divi divi trees of Aruba.  They are so twisted by the trade winds that they look like perfect bonsai and always are leaning to the southwest.

I've framed it up and it hangs in our bedroom with our other beach art (and it is the only beach art I have that features a warm sandy beach).

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A Bottle for a Masai Baby

During our trip to Kenya in 2006, I was given a very special gift.

A Masai baby bottle!

It is made out of a calabash gourd, with a goat hide strap.  Hot embers were dropped inside to clean out the fibers that remained after it was cleaned out.  You can see the charring at the mouth of the bottle.

The shape is perfect.

A closer look at the bead work.

Pieces of hide stitched together to make the strap.

How did I become the owner of a Masai baby bottle?

Glad you asked!

It started with a very stuck truck and a Masai man named Peter...

We traveled south of Nairobi to the pink salt lake of Magadi.  As our guide Macharia was showing us this and that, we noticed a truck stuck in the mud (see in the background of the above photo?) and there were about 8 Masai men trying to help get him out.  Our Rover had a wench on the front, so Macharia asked if we minded if he tried to help.  Of course we did not mind!

He took off and we played around in one of the hot springs (which was really fascinating).  A few minutes later we noticed a man walking over to us with a smile on his face.  He asked if he could visit with us and tell us about his home lands since our driver was helping his friends.

What other answer is there by "Of course!"?

The guys worked and tugged at that truck for at least 45 minutes before they gave up.  Someone headed over to the salt factory to get a tractor.  And we prepared to head off to our destination, a larger hot spring about a half hour away.  

Peter thanked us for the visit and said he needed to hurry to get (walk) home before dark.  Uh yeah... there's lions out here!!  A very quick counsel in the Rover, and we nixed the drive to the hot spring.  Himself asked Peter if he would like a ride home.  The offer was quickly accepted.

We drove a half of a forever into the bush.  About halfway there the road ended (such as it was) and Macharia put it in 4 wheel drive.

This is where we ended up...

  

Part of Peter's boma (that is the goat shed where the kids are put at night for protection).

Talk about a 'hostile environment'!    See in the background the light tan areas raising up against the ridge line?  Those are BIG whirlwinds!  One time I counted 14 of them as once.  And this was 'home' for Peter's family.

Peter introduced us to his lovely wife and their sweet son.  Look at that chubby little darling!  He showed us his home (behind them) and gave us the grand tour of the boma (compound).  As living here were his brothers and their wives and children.

After this Macharia whispered to me that NOW would be a very good time to break out the pile of cookies I'd bought on our way out of town.  After a bit of noshing, it was time for us to head back to Nairobi so we got in by dark.

It was then that Peter's wife did her own whispering that sent Peter trotting over to their hut.  He came out with the bottle, saying he wanted to give us a gift 'to remember them by'.  The bottle was made by his wife.  She would milk a goat directly into it, then feed their son with it.

Oh wow...

Linked to:

https://nihongojapango.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/seeing-and-remembering-my-trinkets-and-memories-15/